Life is Full of Surprises

The past few days have been a whirlwind! I have so much that I can't wait to share with you, but for now, I'll share the most exciting of it all...

Our sweet boy made his surprising arrival in the early hours of July 1st. He is perfect and we are so in love. I'll share his birth story soon!

8lbs 1oz
20.5 in 

Baby N appears to be another redhead :)

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Dirty Words and Tantrums

I know by looking at this precious face you would never think anything but perfect sweetness would be the basis of all interactions...and honestly, until this past week, that's what we experienced most of the time. It's as if a switch was flipped this week and the terrible twos hit full force. We were blindsided...I guess we had become to comfortable.

Over the course of this past week she has become super whiny, fussy and oober dramatic. We've experienced moments of blatant defiance and meltdowns. Now her behavior in the past has not been perfect but it was nothing like this. In truth, she's far from being the worst I've seen but it's a major change for us. Until this week I can recall two actual tantrums that lasted about a minute. We've entered new territory.

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We've also experienced our darling ' s sweet little mouth say her first "bad" word. We're very diligent in monitoring what she is exposed to and we were appalled when we heard that ugly word come from her pretty mouth. That's what we get for finishing one sitcom rerun in her presence. I've since determined our course of action to curve this language and prayerfully it works. 

Don't get me wrong, I know realistically that these things happen and I am not naive. I just was not expecting it to happen so soon. Not to mention that you throw it onto the type of week we've had...whew. I feel like the behavior is stemming from all of the changes that she is sensing. Her baby brother is due any day now and we're all anticipating his arrival. Today has been a really great day and hopefully this week will hold many more. I will be optimistic. 

Any suggestions on surviving the terrible twos?

Linking up with Mommy Moments

Friday Five

It has been a while since I put together a Five on Friday post. Life has been a bit crazy and I've been savoring my extra "free" time with my soon to be changing family. As for my Five this week...here we go!

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[Photo Books]

I've been slowly putting together a photo book of G's last year, eagerly waiting for one of my favorite photo book publishers to send a special promo my way. Well...it arrived this week and her book has been finished. I can't wait to get that pretty orange box in the mail. I've begun my maternity photo book for our sweet boy. I loved making the photo pregnancy journal for G's pregnancy and I can't wait to reflect over the past 9 months as this book comes together.


[Maternity Sub Plans]

I began putting together my maternity sub plans this week. I hope to have them at least typed before Little Man arrives. They are so time consuming when you have to add beginning of the year routine and set-up. Thankfully I have an amazing sub and I know she will handle it flawlessly.

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[Baby Update]

We had our 37 week checkup on Wednesday. I've been having what I thought might be contractions on and off over the last week but nothing major. I must add that with my daughter, I had no idea I was having contractions and I was dilated pretty far before I began feeling anything...so I've not been too certain this time around either. My blood pressure has been a bit high lately and we're kind of biding our time. They went ahead and checked me since induction is a possibility. I was almost 3cm and 50% effaced! Who knew?! At least we're heading in the right direction. We also had an ultrasound and got to see his beautiful face again.

Courtesy of Shay White Photography

[Summer Fun]

We've been on baby overload around here in trying to prep the house and ourselves for our new little one. We've been finishing up some final cleaning tasks and I've managed to send a ton of stuff off to Good Will. I have multiple freezer meals prepped and we've managed to put away ALL of the laundry. For us that is a huge accomplishment, especially since this included going through donation items, sorting seasonal clothing and putting everything we're not wearing in tubs. With all that being said, we decided to spend an evening of family fun at a local carnival. G loved it this year!

Funnel Cake!

[Friends and a Wedding]

I've been trying to catch up with friends I have not had time to hang out with in a while. Today is especially great because I'll get to visit with one of my dearest friends who is passing through on her way to Alabama (she is relocating from Boston). On Saturday I plan to attend a very special wedding and enjoy and evening of food and fun with some friends. I smile as I type this simply because who knows what may happen. My doctor does not believe I'll make my due date and basically told us it could literally happen any day. So...these plans are tentative but exciting nonetheless.



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Linking up for Oh Hey Friday and Five on Friday

Currently 6.25.2015

I've been considering doing one of these posts for quite some time and after reading Jenn's from Going the Distance, I finally convinced myself to do it. I've been doing a lot of reflecting lately so it seems like an appropriate post.

 

Currently...

Dreaming ...
of having our new babe in our arms.

A picture from this week's ultrasound at 37 weeks

Planning ...
long-term maternity sub plans. These are so time consuming! It's hard to wrap my brain around not starting the school year with my new group of students and it's even more difficult to pass the torch temporarily to my sub. I'm fortunate to have an amazing sub that I can completely count on for all things and thanks to her, I know I'll be able to enjoy my maternity leave...it's a control thing. I just keep thinking about the routine and structure and what it will be like to come in 8 weeks into the school year. It will basically be like having them start all over again...any suggestions for how to make this transition easier are appreciated.

Drinking ...
coffee...don't judge. A small one every now and then is a treat and my Keurig was feeling really neglected.

Reading ...
positive, encouraging birth stories and lesson plans from the beginning of last year

Wanting ...
to get the show on the road. I've been having contractions on and off for the last week now...with some good ones early Wednesday morning. I am getting to the point that I either want them to really take off and get things moving or just stall out and give me some solid rest. I did find out, to our surprise, that I am now 3cm and 50% effaced so at least we're heading in the right direction.
Looking ... 
for pictures to use in G's 2nd year photo book (free offer from Shutterfly! Woohoo!)

Enjoying ...
down time in the evenings with my hubby. He's been off this week and our nights have been filled with lots of laughter as we watch Big Bang reruns.

We did get one last date night out...we went and watched Jurassic World.

 Watching ...
our ultrasound DVD from Wednesday. I am so in love!

Playing ...
lots of Tickle Monster, bubbles and play dough with G

Wasting ...
time worrying over "what ifs"

Loving ...
the pre-baby progress we've made. We pretty much have everything in order for his arrival!

The Nursery

Needing ...
a massage...desperately.

Wearing ...
a tie-dye t-shirt and athletic shorts...oh so comfy!

Following ... upcoming local events for the family...

We took G to a local carnival this week...she had a blast!
 

...and so did Daddy

Thinking ... 
about my blood pressure and how I really hope it stabilizes.

Feeling ...
so blessed. I am in awe of all that God has been doing in my life and as I feel a little overwhelmed about our upcoming year and the difficulties we'll be facing, I am so grateful to know that my God will provide.

What are you up to currently?

 

 

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The Waiting Game

According to my pregnancy ticker I'm officially down to 20 days. 20 days of suspenseful waiting (and of course this number has the probability of varying). I personally believe we won't make our due date but one never knows for sure. Everyday I wake up and every night I go to bed with the same three words:

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As the days count down we've been trying to wrap up odds and ends. We have a short cleaning to do list and will add things as we finish it up. We've really prioritized. I'm pretty pleased with what we've accomplished so far...
-Multiple freezer meals and breakfast items
-The nursery is complete (minus repainting the ceiling)
-Our hospital bags are packed
-G's overnight bag is packed
-Arrangements with G's sitter for while we're at the hospital have been made
-My new breast pump has been ordered and received  (via my insurance)
-The baby's car seat has been installed
-Maternity pictures have been taken (I'll share more on those later)

Overall I feel pretty good about our little man's arrival. I've been praying over his birth and my ability to have a successful labor and delivery. I've been having a hard time with the fact that it may not go the way I hope. Just a disclaimer...I don't have a written up, "we must adhere to", birth plan. My goal is to have our baby as naturally as possible. I know what my body is capable of and I know I was made for this. There is no right or wrong when it comes to how a woman chooses to deliver, I just have my preferences. As the what ifs swirl in my brain, my sweet friend reminded me of something very important the other day. She said that no matter how he enters this world, it will be his special birth story. Amen. That helped put my heart at ease. God not only has a plan for my life but He is just as actively writing our son's story...

Thus, as the moments pass on and the contractions come and go, I'm focusing on savoring the moments we have left as a family of three.

Courtesy of Shay White Photography 

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Big Sister's Hospital Gift Bag

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The time of our little boy's arrival is drawing closer and I have a fun filled day ahead concerning him. We'll begin with maternity pictures done by my dear and talented friend from Shay White Photography. She captured our maternity pictures with G and it only seemed fitting that she do these as well.

Just a couple of my favorites...





2013

 

2013

Afterwards I'll head to my OB for this week's appointment. I'm still having occasional contractions and he's setting very low. We're all getting super excited about his arrival...

This is going to be a big change for our two year old daughter and I want to make it as positive of an experience as possible. We've been trying to prepare her and we have most of the details taken care of for when it's head to the hospital to deliver.

We want her time at the hospital with us to be just as special. Meeting her brother for the first time will be a big deal, at least for me. I want her to know that she is still loved and thought of despite all the newness. With that in mind, I put together a Big Sister bag for her for when she visits us at the hospital.

Here are the items that she'll discover upon opening her bag...

-Bubbles
-That's When I Knew by Claire Alexander
-A coloring book
-Crayons
-This Big Sister shirt
-Dessert Flavored Skittles
-A puzzle

I picked up the cute bag from the Dollar Tree of all places!

I had fun piecing the gift together and I look forward to her opening it. I also stuck a picture of all of us and a note inside her bedtime book that she'll take with her to spend the night at her sitter's house. I don't know who this will be harder on, me or her...but either way, we're all in good hands.



 

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A Room made for Two

Our dreams of having our forever home built before baby #2 were short lived. While they can still be found in our 5 year plan, we knew we'd have to work with what we have to make our space work for our soon to be little one while also accommodating his sister.

This was a bit of a challlenge. I wanted something gender neutral since they'd be sharing a room for a bit but I also wanted it to be soft and sweet. Thus, after what was probably hours scanning the Web for ideas, we finally decided on a simple woodland theme for the room.

We began by repainting. While I still occasionally miss the Spring Green that was on the walls, the khaki color is much more subtle.  This color was perfect for the material that I chose to make the curtains from.

Thanks to Happily Ever After and her adorable woodland animal cllipart, I was able to create some simple wall art and drawer labels for the room. I love the adorable sweetness they add to the room. The wall art was created on my computer and then framed in some inexpensive white frames.

One of my favorite parts was setting up the second crib. Once the walls were painted, my hubby put up the crib and I was able to add a few finishing touches...one of which was the beautiful woodland themed quilt that my wonderful friend from Creating Our Family Tree made for us.

G appears to have gotten used to the changes in her room. The real test will be how she responds when her little brother is also in it. Not much longer now!

Linking up with While I'm Waiting