Bumpdate: 31 Weeks

Wow, since we are almost at week 32 here, only 8 short weeks until baby's due date (20-Jun-14)...slow down time!! It's been a crazy hectic busy few weeks in our house. Hubs is away for work ALL this week and I haven't done an update in a few weeks, so I've resulted to the selfie. We've been headfirst into basement renovations the past 2 weeks. And while I must say they are progressing quite fast, I just want it to be finished already! Our lives are in a constant state of chaos, including many late night's for hubs tending to matters in the basement and lots of single parenting for this already tired and exhausted Mama who feels like she could collapse or give birth at any moment. Okay slight exaggeration...but you feel my pain. While hubs tackles a lot of the renovations on his own, my task has been to keep our busy and curious toddler at bay and out of the house as much as possible on weekends. Normally we can escape a few blocks away to my parents house, however they are in Europe for the next 2.5 weeks, and our in-laws are off to Texas next week. So I've had to get creative! Lucky for us the weather has been improving, the snow is melting, and we've been able to spend time outdoors.

Finally breaking out some spring clothes since all the snow has melted and it is warming up around these parts. Feels great to have a few new wardrobe pieces in the mix. Also very thankful that my friend Kyla lent me her maternity clothes too, as she just had her sweet little baby. So I feel like I have all new clothes :)

I am hoping this baby doesn't make an early appearance as we are far from ready. I am feeling a lot more pressure and tightening, and have been getting BH contractions when I overexert myself. I find they are especially bad when I am running after Noah and when I am cleaning. I have to take periodic breaks. Unfortunately I can't take those breaks with Noah, as he doesn't understand Mommy needs to sit down. I've been taking many naps during Noah's naptime. It is really annoying to me that I have to do this, as this is my time to be productive and get things done around the house. I've been trying to keep things somewhat orderly despite all the workman trampling  through our house, so that means constant sweeping/mopping. Also trying to tackle some spring cleaning before I am too large to be able to do anything!

I now see my OB every 2 weeks, which means I have an appointment this Thursday again. Weight gain is around 25 lbs but I bet Easter candy didn't help that number over the weekend. Exercise has also been non-existent other than the odd walk with Noah in the stroller. The treadmill was my go-to lately, but it is out of commission due to the basement renos and with our crazy schedules lately I haven't been able to get to barre or pre-natal yoga either. Blahhhh feeling super large.

No nursery progress to report, other than we did order a crib and a dresser from TRU. I almost bought a rug and curtains from Pottery Barn Kids yesterday (free shipping) but then couldn't bring myself to fork out the $450. I barely spent that amount TOTAL on Noah's whole room! After having to dress Noah in snowsuits and boots all winter long, I must say I am extremely excited for a summer baby. No car seat covers, no bully snowsuits and sweaters and booties. Just a onesie and into the carseat we go!

Onto the name game, I've cut our list down significantly as hubs is basically set on our girls name (which I totally agree on as well) and he listens to me throw out additional boys names, but really he only has 3 on his radar and isn't willing to consider anything else I throw his way. I still have 7 on our boys short-list....

Goodness I am full of complaints this week aren't I.  I am still feeling great and sleeping well and loving being pregnant. Lots of movement, and I can tell baby is getting bigger when it presses its back against my belly. I am curious as to if baby is in breech position because I am still feeling a lot of kicks in the lower region and not much up high. I will have to ask at my OB apt this week. I've felt hiccups just once so far. I felt like with Noah he would get them ALL the time. Also, still very little heartburn. So very thankful for that!

In summary, I am happy, excited and content one minute, and overwhelmed and exhausted the next. The roller coaster life of a prego!

The Sleep Chronicles: Guest Post

Today I am guest posting over at Being Mrs. Beer for part of her Sleep Chronicles series. I love this series, as lets face it, achieving a good night's sleep with a newborn is the ULTIMATE goal in every mama's life. I find it facinating how different everyone's experience is with nerborns and sleep. So feel free to jump on over to Jess's blog and check out our story! 

My post is here!!

Noah: 17 Months

Height: TBD
Weight: I am going to say 28 lbs
Clothing size: 18-24 months for almost everything.
Shoe size: 4W

Number of teeth: 16

Noah,

17 months, where has my baby gone? My sweet boy, you are turning into such a big kid right before our eyes.  I didn't realize it until we were looking through old photos the other day, but your baby fat is slowly disappearing. You are such an independent little boy with absolutely NO FEAR. It terrifies your Mommy how you go running down the driveway at warp speed, leaving me hustling behind you so you don't wind up in the middle of the road.

Your favorite thing is to be outside, you love it. You don't particularly like to play with anything outside, you just like to run up and down the street and driveway at your own free will. You like to walk in and out of daycare on your own now, holding our hand. And when I show up at daycare to pick you up and you are outside playing, you immediately head towards the car on your own free will and look behind at me talking to Heather as if to say "come on Mom, it's home time".

Coming in from outdoors is a BATTLE. I am talking kicking and screaming. Speaking of tantrums...we've experienced quite a few this month.  They mainly occur when its time to brush you teeth or your face wiped off after a meal, or as mentioned above when it is time to come in from outdoors or come upstairs from the basemnet.  And don't judge me if you look back at pictures one day and see you had lots of runny noses...sometimes I just have to pick my battles!

'Ugh Oh' and 'Ball' are your favorite words at the moment. You understand so much of what we say, even though your vocabulary is a bit lacking at the moment. I blame that on the soother, we've been trying to only let you use it at nap and bedtimes to encourage your vocabulary. We say 'Noah it's time for your bathy bath' and you immediately run for the bath tub. One day I left you in the washroom to get your towel (before putting you in the tub), I was literally gone 5 secs and in those 5 secs I heard a ker-plop! You launched yourself into the tub all on your own...and gave yourself (and your Mother) quite a scare!

When it comes to food, you are a great eater most of the time. The odd day you decide you are going to be picky. Sometimes, you don't want anything to do with your breakfast and other days you gobble it down. You love your morning green smoothie that we share (yogurt, spinach, banana, and frozen mangoes, peaches and strawberries). You love bananas and apples. You won't eat watermelon or cantelope. Blueberries are a toss-up. You enjoy pancakes, waffles, french toast, toast and peanut butter, spaghetti and any other pasta, grilled cheese, green beans, carrots, avocado, any kind of cheese, graham crackers, hummus and crackers, apple sauce, and most casseroles. You also LOVE sweets, like your dada. You had a cupcake at your daycare Easter party, and inhaled it. The picture below you are sharing Grampy's carrot cake...i.e. eating all his icing!

Still sleeping pretty well at night, the odd night you wake up and need to be comforted. We pushed your bedtime to 7pm, and its been helping with the early morning wake-ups. Most mornings now you don't wake until shortly after 7am. You can sleep through quite a raucous as well. We've been renovating the basement in the evenings and how you sleep through that noise is beyond me!!  

You have acquired a few new skills this month, including dancing. It is adorable, you especially love Pharreal 'Happy'. You have quite a little two-step. You also are getting better to sit still and do crafts/coloring and reading. 

Well my sweet boy, thank you for another great month.  There is nothing better in this world than being your mommy. You are constantly entertaining us and making us laugh. What would we do without you making each and every day so special.

Love your Mama. xox

Easter Basket for Toddlers

Hi Friends...today I am participating in the Easter Basket Blog Hop! While I don't have Noah's basket assembled all pretty just yet, this is what I have bought so far for our little bunny!

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Last Easter our little rabbit was only 5 months old. I got him a tiny basket and a pair of floppy ears, dressed him all real cute, and we called it a day.

This year our rabbit is a very busy 17 month old with a ridiculous amount of energy. There is NO way this child needs any form of candy or chocolate so I have made it my mission to put lots of thought into his basket and fill it with non-candy gifts. I know a few of you may be looking to avoid that sugar high as well, so here is a few ideas from Noah's basket:

1. Play dough with shapes - Noah is just starting to get into play dough at daycare. I think he is gradually learning the concept that it is for playing, and not eating! Walmart has these cute little tubs of play dough with cookie cutter shapes for toddlers - best part, they were only $6.

2. Coloring Book and Easy Grip Crayons - My little artist will sit still for approximately 5 mins to color. That has come along way from the .3 seconds he used to sit still for. I bought him a Dora coloring book and some easy-grip crayons with hopes that he doesn't break or chew these ones to pieces.

3. Bubbles - Easy, and fun and $0.99!

4. Socks - You can never have too many pairs of socks, we always seem to be losing them in our house. We love the Carter's brand socks with grippies.

5. Bath Toys - Noah is pretty bored with his current bath toy stash, I found these Garnimals Dunkers from Walmart last week for $10. I figure they should provide a bit more entertainment.

6. Toy story - I thought it was time to start Noah's own movie collection, who doesn't love Toy Story. Hopefully he will sit still to take some of it in.

7. Books - We already own the velveteen rabbit, that would have been my first pick for his Easter basket. I found this book at Indigo, and I think it is great for a little reader.

8. Peeps - Well I couldn't not give him something sweet in his basket, so a few no-sugar added peeps to complete the basket!

Baby Bump Update: 29 Weeks

How Far Along?

29 Weeks, missed a few weeks in there! Officially into the 3rd trimester and still feeling great. Wish this pregnancy would slow down its pace just a little bit, I'm not ready for baby just yet!
Baby Size?
Size of a squash, potentially 3.8 lbs and 15-16 inches. But I read this week that between now and baby's due date it will TRIPLE in size. That's slightly terrifying. Hubs went to take this photo this week and when I got all situated he kind of went "WHOA, you are getting really big".So sweet isn't he! Sometimes I think in the craziness of our lives these days that he kind of forgets I even pregnant, and then I turn around, and he's like ohhh yes right. 

Weight Gain? 
Haven't stepped on the scale this week, but based on my eating habits (easter candy, donuts and muffins at work) it won't be 1 pound that's for sure. I've come to embrace it this time. This pregnancy I've been taking the middle ground approach without being too crazy on either end. I eat what I like, try not to binge, and try to keep up a moderate level of activity when I can fit it in. I'm now a believer that my body has a pre-determined amount of weight to gain to carry this baby to full-term. With Noah, that was close to 50 lbs. And that was with running up until 34 weeks and obsessing about working out continuously. I had most of that lost within 3 months without trying overly hard or weighing myself every day, but my body really held on to that last 10 lbs until 9 months post-baby. I am never going to be one of those ladies that can put on only 20 pounds in pregnancy and lose it within a matter of weeks. That's alright with me. I know I can get back to where I was with a bit of exercise and relatively clean eating.
I've always been a runner and will always be someone that values exercise and good food choices, without being overly "insane" about either concept. It made me happy to get back to running post-baby (despite the efforts I had to overcome to do so...read more here). I'm sure that will be the same this time around too.
We all have such different bodies, and everyone is always comparing weight gain in pregnancy. But really we all start off with such different body types anyway and will gain/lose the weight on our own plan. It's all temporary...so I for one and enjoying it this time around!

How Do I Feel?

Feeling good, a little more tired than normal. Been heading to bed about an hour earlier than usual lately. 

Maternity clothes?

Still the usual, I haven't bought anything new in ages. 

Stretch marks?

Still nothing. I haven't been using Bio Oil this time around, and have just been lathering with Cocoa Butter. Seems to be doing the trick!

Sleep?
Sleeping pretty good once I am asleep. If anything wakes me, I have a hard time getting back to sleep. Noah has another stuffy nose, which makes it hard for him to sleep. Hoping we have a better night tonight.
Movement?
Feeling lots of movement. But one thing I haven't felt at all yet is hiccups! Noah hiccuped a lot in the womb, it was the funniest feeling.

Gender/Names

We really haven't discussed names any further lately, and time is getting short!! Time to get back to the drawing board and get some front-runners and eliminate some others.

Best moment this week?

We had yet another storm this week, which meant I was home for half a day with the big guy. Where is spring??

Symptoms?

Had heartburn twice this week! It is beginning. Once, I ate ice cream (Ben n Jerry's) much too close to beditme...foolish. The 2nd time, I ate a late supper and didn't move off the couch before bed...totally my fault on both occassions.

Miss anything?
A real good sweaty workout! I decided it was time to sweat this week, and I hit the treadmill for a brisk walk at the highest incline possible (12) for 30 minutes. It wasn't a sweaty mess, but at least I felt like I broke a sweat.

Cravings?

Peanut butter and chocolate seems to be my go-to this pregnancy. Why can't my cravings be just a little bit healthier?

Looking forward to?
The Weekend! We started our basement reno's this week which is exciting, but also means our basement is in a state of chaos right now for the next few months. So this weekend will be spent sorting and carting off things to the dump, and maybe a baby purchase or two if I can convince hubs :)

What to buy for a 2nd baby...

Well a few weeks ago I came across a post by The Wise Baby asking if anyone had any baby registry or baby gear questions they would like answered. Lindsey was looking to launch a new series called “Real Mom Baby Questions Answered” where you write Lindsey a question and she responds via The Wise Baby website and in addition, readers can comment about their own experiences relating to the question.

Knowing Lindsey and her family just welcomed their second little girl, I knew I had to respond to her post. I am at a complete loss as to what to buy for baby #2. We have saved or are still using most baby items from Noah's babyhood, but now we've had to try and determine what we might need to prepare for baby #2. What will we need to buy duplicates of?  Will we need a double stroller? What to do about the monitor? Obviously we want to try and reuse everything that we possibly can, not for budgetary reasons, but because we don't want an entire house full of "stuff". But seeing as the age gap is so close, I am really not sure how minimalist we can be.

Lindsey had some great suggestions for us in her post. Go check it out!

Here is the list of purchases we need to make for baby #2:

• Crib/Mattress - At this point, it is looking like we will be purchasing a 2nd crib. We've been holding off as long as possible waiting to see if Noah would outgrow his crib. But he is as content as ever in there, and I am not rocking the boat anytime soon. If he wants to sleep in his crib until he's 5, I am on board!! I am not too concerned with the "look" of the crib this time around, heck i'll even buy a used crib if it's in good shape. Feeling a more modern look this time around...this crib is on sale for $209 this week at TRU.

• Glider - We still rock Noah at bedtime, and that's something I don't want to give up once baby comes. We presently have a similar Dutailier glider, and we love it. We've spent hours and hours in this chair, and it is still as comfy as ever. We may need to purchase another glider...TBD.
  

• Dresser and/or change table - Noah is getting long for the change table presently, but we still use it multiple times a day - its the fastest and most efficient way to change and dress him. He may outgrow it soon, but since it is made of 100% real wood it is quite sturdy. What we may do is just use a dresser for baby#2 which can also act as a change table, allowing Noah to keep the change table in his room for now.
• Double Stroller - You can read my post here about the double strollers we were considering. I flopped back and forth between which one to buy, but really didn't want to shell out $1000. After searching used sites for months a gently used Bumbleride Twin came up for sale in a town where my SIL lives. I snatched it up for only $400...which my parents so graciously paid for as a baby gift :)
  

• Extra Camera for baby monitor - We have the Motorola video monitor, which we love. And what's even better is you can buy a 2nd camera for the unit and switch the parent screen between both cameras. Currently sitting in my amazon shopping cart...

• K'Tan - We have an ergo, but don't own the infant insert. I know I am going to need to be hands free ALOT of the time as I will also be chasing after Noah this summer. After checking out a ton of the carriers on the market, I decided I just won't have the time or the patience to deal with the Moby. On top of that, that material is HOT and baby #2 is going to be a summer baby. I want something easy, breathable, and cozy. So the baby k'tan is the winner.  It has amazing reviews. The only negative is it isn't one size fits all, so hubs can't wear it as he is much broader than me. Currently sitting in my shopping bag on amazon as well...

• Bouncy Chair - the first time around, we didn't get a lot of use out of the bouncer that we had. It was the Rain forest fisher price bouncer, and it stayed in the basement for the days I went for a run on the treadmill or i'd use it occasionally when I wanted to have Noah nearby while I showered. I ended up selling it after Noah outgrew it, as it was an eyesore. We may need to use one more this time as we will also have a toddler, the Snugamonkey is on sale this week at TRU for $60. Other option would be an Ingenuity bouncer. I like the bottom of the Ingenuity bouncer's better as they are rounded and are less likely to be a tripping hazard like the bottom of the Snugamonkey.

So that's the major items we need to buy this time around. Sleep sheep and wipe warmer can be passed down to baby #2. We will also need to buy some new soothers, another mattress protector for the 2nd crib, and bottle nipples. 

What Can We Re-Use?

We have plenty of bibs, receiving blankets, crib sheets and swaddle blankets we can reuse. We also can reuse the breast pump and bottles. In terms of gear, we still have a swing, car seat, high chair and a pack'n'play.

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So there you have it. It's actually quite surprising how many things we DO have to buy for a second baby. SO. MUCH. CLUTTER! Time for a bigger house...yes please :)