36 Weeks and My First Weird Pregnancy Craving

Hip-hip-hooray! I'm almost done with this pregnancy. It hasn't been horrible by any means, but I'm ready to be done. I look forward to being able to breathe easily, roll over in bed without it being difficult, not feeling tired all the time . . . Wait, that last one won't change. Oh well. Mostly I'm looking forward to meeting this little girl! 

We've been working on figuring out a name for this gal. It's never easy. Dusty and I combined our lists of names we like and there are 15 of them. Yikes. We're each going to narrow it down to our top ten and see where we stand; then top 5. When we go to the hospital we'll probably have two or three to choose from after we see what she looks like. That's what we did with both boys and it seemed to work well for us.

I've been sleeping pretty horribly at night, which is getting annoying. It's not due to discomfort, which is almost more frustrating; I wake up around 2 or 3 a.m. and am so restless and wide awake that it takes 1-2 hours to get back to sleep. Then of course my mind wanders to all the things we should get done before she comes. We're working from the assumption that she'll be overdue (like both boys), but are realizing that she could come at any time. Need. To. Prepare. Everything.

The other day I had a really bizarre pain where my upper thigh connects to my hip and I almost had to call Dusty home from work. I don't know what it was (I'll ask my doc tomorrow), but I could barely move because it was so painful. It lasted a few hours, and gradually receded. I haven't had it since, so who knows. But, I hadn't experienced with either of my past pregnancies, so it was a little scary. Good thing my mom was available via phone for reassurance and advice. :)

My weird pregnancy craving? Crushed ice. Not flavored. Just plain ol' crushed ice that I can chew on. I actually crave it. We don't have an ice maker in our fridge, so I put a bunch of ice cubes in a glass and put hot water on them so they can more quickly get to a small enough size for me to chew. My husband thinks I'm loony. I agree.

I think both boys must sense that a big change is coming because they're both unbelievably sweet to me lately. Asher out of the blue says, "I love you, Mommy" and is free with his hugs and kisses. Aiden (who has never been a snuggler) will snuggle right in with a book, ask for hugs and kisses, kiss my tummy, and is just generally sweet. You can bet I'm soaking it all in! 

The last month of pregnancy tends to drag (especially now since the holidays are over), but having weekly doctor appointments helps to speed it up somewhat. By the time this is posted I'll almost be 37 weeks . . . 

30 Weeks!

Finally. I feel like I'm getting somewhere with this pregnancy. I know I still have 10 (probably 11) weeks left, but once I get to the thirties, the due date feels so much closer. And, I know the next month and a half will fly by because we have so much going on:

* this week is Thanksgiving
* the weekend after, my hubby and I are going to The Nutcracker (my bday present)
* the weekend after that is his brother's wedding (which I'm making the cake for)
* Asher's first Christmas program is the weekend after that
* then it's Christmas (not to mention all the shopping and baking that needs to get done in there)
* then New Year's, of course
* and then January will probably drag by for the most part until Aiden's 2nd birthday!

There's nothin' that perks up my spirit like spending time with family - and thankfully I'll get to do a lot of that coming up. Can you believe how close it seems? I can't. When I look at it like that, with everything laid out that's happening between now and baby-time, I know it's a lot closer than it seems.

Overall, I've been feeling pretty great - I've been tired a lot, but hey, who isn't? My back pain has gotten a little worse, but nothing too horrible yet. (Can't wait to schedule my pregnancy massage - I highly recommend getting one . . . It's pure bliss.) I've stayed relatively healthy - I had a cold that lasted a little over a week, but it could've been much worse. So, I'm counting my blessings and counting down until this little lady makes her appearance!

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and eat your fill of delicious food . . . I know I will. :)

My Pregnancy "Must-Haves"

Well, I'm 26 weeks as of today - 3rd trimester!!! I find that impossible to believe. Some days I look down and I can't remember what it's like not to have a belly sticking out in front of me. Other days it's like, "Hey, when'd that happen?"

I can't really complain because everything's gone really smoothly so far. I've been really tired the past couple of weeks - tired, as in I could easily take a nap every day and happily be in bed by 10 p.m. . . . or earlier. I've also been getting annoyed with how I look. It goes this way for me with every pregnancy. Some days I think I look pretty cute, while other days I think I look like a gigantic whale. Lately it's been mostly "whale days." Oh well, it's part of my process I guess! And like I said, I really can't complain because both baby and I have been very healthy so far.

I've been wanting to put together a list of what I feel like I need to get through pregnancy, and while I'm sure I'm forgetting things (blame it on pregnancy brain) I think this mostly covers it:

* Sweatpants - I'm talking over-sized, soft, comfy sweatpants I can slip into without worrying that they won't fit anymore
* Black yoga pants - these aren't maternity, but they're stretchy enough that it doesn't matter; I can wear a sweater with them and still look decent enough to go out (yeah right, like I've been going "out")
* At least one cotton maternity top I can put on that can be casual if I want, or dressed up for work/church (I can use some of my regular tops throughout pregnancy, but maternity ones are longer and usually more flattering in the later months)
* Cardigans - I don't buy maternity cardigans because I don't button them so it doesn't really matter
* Maternity jeans - I can still get by using a hair tie with some of my jeans, but with maternity jeans I don't have to worry about the zipper coming down!
* Sweatshirts - you knew it was coming - I usually go for Dusty's because they're big and oh-so-soft
* Cute flats - if the rest of me can't look cute, at least my feet will!
* Chocolate - I haven't been craving it as much with this pregnancy, but when I do we better have some on hand or I'm making a special trip to the store just for that . . . which is dangerous because then I tend to overdo it when I'm there
* Water bottle - I usually get pretty thirsty and I like to have it on hand
* Apples and carrots/cauliflower with veggie dip (Dusty's grandma has the best home-made dill dip recipe, and using light mayo and light sour cream makes me not feel bad eating it with my veggies)
* Books - okay, I always need books, but when I'm having down days, I need my old stand-bys to sink into (i.e. I just started re-reading the Harry Potter series)
* A heating pad for my lower back when it starts to get sore

Things I would not buy again:
* A belly band - I bought one when I was pregnant with Asher so I could stay in my regular jeans longer and it did nothing. It wasn't nearly tight enough and it was one-size-fits-all. Maybe they've modified them since then, though
* Mid-belly maternity pants - I bought a pair that were a super good deal for this pregnancy and I hate them. Most uncomfortable thing I have ever put on.

I haven't bought a pregnancy pillow or any special sleeping stuff because I don't usually have much trouble sleeping, but some women swear by them!

As I said, I'm sure I'm forgetting things, but that's a pretty good start.

Pregnancy Fitness

I don't claim to be a fitness expert, nor do I see myself as even remotely close to being one. I just like to stay active. Yes, chasing two little boys around is active, but it's not the "I-feel-all-sweaty-and-gross-but-I-actually-accomplished-something" feeling I get after doing an actual workout.

I'm trying to keep up my workout routine while I'm pregnant, and so far it's been going well. Although, the last couple weeks I've been a little more tired than usual (chalk that up to kiddos with colds/ear infections, and going back to work) so I may have been slacking a little bit.

But, the bottom line is that I feel better during the day if I can get in a little exercise in the morning. You definitely need to pick the time that works best for you. I tend to have the most energy in the morning, so I choose that time to work out. If I skip it and tell myself I'll do it during the boys' naps, or after Dusty gets home . . . Well, odds are good that it doesn't happen that day.

I don't really have a workout "routine" per se, but I regularly use these two videos:

Walk Away the Pounds

Zumba

These are both workouts I did before I was pregnant, so we'll see how long I'm able to keep doing Zumba. I find I have to modify some of the moves, but at least it's fun  . . . and entertaining for anyone who happens to be watching! The nice thing about Zumba is that it includes a 20-minute workout, and also a 20-minute ab routine that's all standing up. Perfect!

Walk Away the Pounds is nice because the "Walk Strong" workout is 2 miles, but also does strength training, while the "Super Challenge" is 4 miles, and you can choose if you want to stop after 1, 2, 3, or 4 miles. Also, I used this after Aiden was born and had gotten a little older - I put him in the Baby Bjorn and walked with him in it. He loved it and often fell asleep, and the extra 10-20 pounds didn't hurt the goal of getting my body back after baby!

Anyway, the point is that I work out to help me stay positive. Weight gain is inevitable during pregnancy, and it can get depressing even though you know it's healthy for you and baby. I try to workout 5 times a week, but if that doesn't happen I try to do a minimum of 3 days. Taking the boys for a walk in the double stroller is an excellent workout, too - that extra 75-100 pounds of boys and stroller weight makes me feel like I've really worked hard . . . not to mention the added weight of the baby bump. :)

Bottom line: do what feels right for you. If you didn't work out before getting pregnant, try a walking video - it's a great workout (although it can get kind of boring if you're by yourself). Feelin' peppy? Try Zumba, or something along those lines, but above all listen to your body. Pregnancy is not the time to start working out hard-core (you don't want any pulled/strained muscles to add to your pregnancy uncomfortable-ness). But, staying active can keep your spirits lifted, help manage baby-weight gain, and build stamina for labor and delivery.

It's also nice to just do something for myself, that makes me feel good. I also think it helps me avoid the "pregnancy waddle." :) I have yet to experience it with any of my pregnancies, and hope to avoid it with this one, too.

I try not to let it get me down when I don't have the energy or can't fit in a workout - I just tell myself that at least I'm making an effort, and that's good, right?

**Again, not a fitness expert, so make sure you check with your doctor before you start any crazy exercising!**

Sharing the Love

Kids change pretty much everything about your life. It's inevitable, it's unavoidable, and it's wonderful. Having that first baby is magical.

But, along with that, is the fear in the back of your mind before the baby comes of, "How is this going to affect our marriage? Will everything be harder? How will we cope with the added stress?"

And then baby comes and somehow it works. You don't love your spouse any less - your love for him or her isn't diminished because there's another person in your family to love. If anything, it's enhanced because you get to watch him transform into a parent - and that's magical, too.

Despite having gone through that family transformation with Asher, my husband and I were still nervous about how things we would change when our second little baby came. Keep in mind that Asher was only about 9 months old when we found out I was pregnant. You can probably imagine how we were feeling: how was our little, little guy going to become a big brother in just a few short months? He'd only be 16 1/2 months old by that time!

So yes, we had our concerns. And part of me was wondering how we would split our love, time, and attention between two very little boys. Asher was always my little sweetheart - he was pretty attached to me from the very beginning. And, with me being a stay-at-home-mom, he had a lot of one-on-one mommy-time (poor guy!). He was definitely spoiled in that regard, and when Dusty and I went to the hospital for me to be induced with Aiden, that was the first time I had spent the night apart from him.

Then little Aiden was born, and all of those fears and concerns vanished. It was needless worry on our part. Again, we didn't love Asher any less than we had, but we loved Aiden just as much. As parents, you don't split your love between your kids, or between your kids and your spouse; that love simply increases. Just when you think you couldn't possibly love any more than you already do, you can. And it's simple.

It makes it so much easier to understand God's love for us, and how we are created in His image. It's no difficult matter as a parent to love each of your children more than you ever thought possible, just as God, our Father, loves each and every one of His children equally and unconditionally.

So, now that we have baby #3 on the way, I have no qualms about how we'll manage to "share the love." It starts before they're even born, and continues to grow, and grow, and grow . . .

Drumroll . . .

And the baby bump is a . . . 

GIRL! GIRL! GIRL! GIRL!

Halfway There and I Might Be Going Insane

Today I hit the 20 week mark - hooray! In some ways I feel as though I should be a lot closer to my due date, but in others it's surreal to already be halfway there. Things have been gettin' weird lately . . .

I still have that chubby feeling, even though I'm assuming strangers would know I'm pregnant.

Sometimes, I already have trouble breathing when I lean forward - like when I'm reading a book at the kitchen table waiting for cookies to come out of the oven. It's weird. I know that happened with both of my other pregnancies, but definitely not this early. And I know I've gained about the same or less weight than with the previous pregnancies so who knows what's going on there.

After the nausea from the first trimester wore off, I started getting headaches. Every. Day. And they definitely weren't debilitating by any means, but it starts to wear on a girl when it's literally every day, and you're limited to Tylenol due to the pregnancy. When I asked my doctor about it, she said it's really common, especially during the teen weeks of pregnancy. Phew! That came as a relief, because both my husband and I were starting to feel a twinge of concern with how frequent the headaches were. And it was totally new to me since I hadn't had that with either of my previous pregnancies.

Pregnancy hormones? Oh. My. Gosh. I don't know what is going on lately. Sometimes I'm close to tears when literally nothing has happened. For instance, as I was driving back from a short shopping trip yesterday I almost started crying. There wasn't a sad song on the radio, I hadn't tried anything on so I wasn't feeling depressed about how I looked . . . Nothing had happened. And that's been happening kind of frequently. I wouldn't call myself an easy crier, so it's weird. Last night my husband wanted me to watch Taylor Swift's video for her song "Ronan", which is a true story about a 3-yr-old little boy who died of cancer. She's singing it as though she were the mom of the boy. I got about 30 seconds into it and said, "Okay, I can't watch this right now."

I think Dusty thought I might be a little crazy, but I knew I'd be bawling in a second and didn't feel like crying right then. And, we had put the boys to bed but they were upstairs being stinkers and jumping in their beds; on a normal night, I would have been annoyed that they weren't sleeping. Thinking about that song and listening to them laughing while the song was playing in the background was too much! I did listen to the song today while my hubby was at work, and sure enough I bawled almost the entire time. It's heartbreaking. If you need a good cry, there's probably no better way than to listen to that song.

On a happier note . . .
I've been feeling the baby moving a lot lately! I always love that feeling - Dusty hasn't been able to feel it yet, but I think if we caught it at the right time he'd definitely be able to.

We have our ultrasound tomorrow . . . What will it be, girl or boy?

I'm not sure what to think - at first I thought this pregnancy was pretty much identical to my previous ones aside from the headaches, but now I'm not so sure.
          - I wasn't nearly this emotional with the other two.
          - I had the linea negra (black line) faintly down my stomach, which I don't have . . . or at least not yet (I don't remember exactly when it showed up with the other two).
          - And the headaches, of course.

Anyway, I have no idea girl or boy, but am really excited to find out!!!

A Roarin' Good Cake

When I asked our now 3-yr-old what kind of cake he wanted for his 3rd birthday, I was not expecting him to say, "A dragon!" As I tried to hide my dismay behind smiles of excitement (how on earth was I going to make a dragon of all things?!), my mind immediately went to the internet.

You can find anything on the internet these days, and sure enough I found this tutorial for how to construct a dragon cake! The design was so easy to follow as far as how to construct the dragon out of cake, and all you need are two round (8 or 9 inch) cakes.

The absolute best thing about this cake was how much Asher loved it. I mean he loved it! He kept going upstairs to look at it and would call down, saying, "Mommy, Daddy, come look at my dragon cake!" Talk about making a mom feel good. :)

I used my favorite doctored up white cake recipe, and added sprinkles to it because Asher loves sprinkles. I also used my go-to buttercream frosting and made 1 1/2 times a regular batch just to make sure I had enough.

The original tutorial used different kinds of candy than I did to make the spikes, talons, etc. and you can certainly use whatever you think will work best.

Supplies
2 8-or-9-inch cakes
3-4 cups buttercream frosting, tinted the colors you like (I did blue and green)
Starburst candy
Chewy Spree
1 large marshmallow
2 fruit roll-ups (I used the tie-dye kind)
4 chocolate chips
2 skewers
candles (I found those crazy squiggle ones at Hy-Vee)
a large cutting board, or some other flat surface to use as the cake base

1. Cut the dragon out using the tutorial link above.
2. Secure each piece to your cake base using a dollop of frosting, and also secure the cake pieces together using frosting (this helps the pieces from separating after you've finished frosting it).
3. To frost the cake you can either slather the frosting all over and then use some type of round bottle cap and make indentations for scales, or you can do what I did. Fill a plastic baggy with frosting and snip off the end. Pipe a line of dots (about 1/4-1/2 inch big) straight across the top of the body. Use a spoon and lightly press into one dot at a time and pull down gently. Pipe the next row of dots close enough to the first to not see cake in between (I alternated my blue and green colors). Continue doing this until the entire dragon is covered with frosting. *Don't be discouraged if it doesn't look perfect - some of those angles are tough, and some of those spaces are hard to get to with piping. The end result will still look good!
4. For the spikes along the spine, slightly flatten the Starburst and cut in half diagonally into triangles. Insert each triangle into the dragon spine and down the tail.
5. Use Sprees and insert them vertically into the dragon's feet.
6. Snip the marshmallow in half horizontally and press each half onto the face for eyes. You can either use black icing to make the pupils, or insert a chocolate chip into each so the round part is facing out.
7. Use 2 chocolate chips to form the nostrils.
8. Insert candles into the snout to look like fire.
9. Wrap fruit roll-ups around each skewer and stick it to itself. Then insert each skewer into the cake to make the wings - you may need to cut the skewers to fit (you can scallop the edges of the fruit roll-ups just by using a scissors).

Look out, he's breathing fire!

It looked good, but does it taste good . . . 

The official verdict was a resounding, "YES!" :)

Hugs and cookies,

Amanda

Potty Training: SUCCESS!

About 2 weeks before Asher's 3rd birthday, I decided it was time to potty train hard core. As in, no quitting until we got the hang of it. I was imagining my life as endless days of changing dirty diapers once #3 comes along in late January, and I was not pleased by that thought. Enter potty-training mode.

At first, I put Asher in underwear that's a little thicker than regular underwear so it would absorb more pee, but definitely didn't feel like a diaper. He was in those and shorts. I took him to sit on the potty about every half hour, and he would sit on there for 20-30 minutes each time. And he still wouldn't pee in the potty. He just peed in his underwear and didn't even seem to notice!

After a day and a half of that, I decided maybe just underwear would do the trick, no shorts. And then, I tried no underwear and just shorts. Neither worked. We had a few successful potty trips, but he would just pee in his underwear or shorts unless he happened to be sitting on the potty at the time.

I was beyond frustrated - I think it was day three with no major success to note. Now, don't get me wrong, I  was fully prepared to clean up accidents around the house, but it was like he was just not getting it. And I was at my wits' end trying to figure out what else to do with him because I was not about to give up at that point!

The next morning, right after he woke up and we got downstairs I took his diaper off and his jammy bottoms. So he was naked from the waist down; but when he peed like that, it really bothered him. He would call me downstairs or I would hear him crying and he said, "Mommy, I pee-hee-heed." I viewed that as progress because before that he really didn't care one way or the other - it was like I  had to be the one to discover that he had had an accident. But, later that morning after having had an accident and me saying, "Okay, if you have to pee just come tell Mommy so we can go on the potty" . . . I heard this magical sentence: "Mommy! Mommy! I have to pee!" So we ran upstairs, sat on the potty, and wonder of wonders, he did it!

When I talked to my husband during his lunch break that day I told him I just didn't have any bottoms on Asher and it seemed to be working. When he got home from work that day he said, "Um, did you know Asher doesn't have anything on right now? Not even underwear?" He thought I meant he was just in underwear . . . I guess it was a surprising sight. :)

Anyway, that was really the turning point. He spent about three days half-naked, and we spent almost an entire week home. Inside the house. I think we were all going stir-crazy. But, it worked! Once it dawned on Asher what it felt like when pee was coming and that he didn't want to pee all over himself, he really progressed quickly.

He still has an accident very rarely, and we're still trying to figure out how to get him to poop on the potty (he tends to wait until naps or bedtime when he's in diapers before he poops). But, most of the time he'll even go through naptime and all through the night and his diaper will be completely dry in the morning!

*We also bribed him with treats if he went on the potty - just as an added excitement and motivator to get him to do it. I really don't feel guilty about doing that - it's only for a few days, and it's something he understands.

**My husband and I tried showing him how we do it to encourage him, and although he got excited for us (yay, us!) it didn't seem to help him.

***I also discovered that even though he liked us to wait in the bathroom with him, he would never actually go until we stepped out for a couple minutes to do something else or check on something.

Anyway, I'm thrilled with his progress, and although the process isn't complete, it's so wonderful to have him in underwear!

A Summer of Flowers

When the weather started getting sunny this past spring, I immediately popped the boys in the double stroller and set out on a walk. We needed to get out of the house - I enjoyed it for the exercise, but something much more special came from it, too.

As we would walk through the neighborhoods, I did my best to point things out to Asher and Aiden to keep them entertained: "Oh! Did you see that squirrel?" "Those birds are talking to each other!" "Look at that beautiful flower - what color is it?" While Aiden just enjoyed looking around and taking things in (being only about 15 months), this became a routine for Asher and me.

Soon, Asher was pointing things out on his own: "Yook, Mommy, that bird is going home for yunch!" "Yook, Mommy! It's a byooful flower!" And I would respond by saying something like, "I know! Mommy loves flowers!"

And so began my summer of flowers. Anytime we were outside, if Asher spotted a flower (or dandelion) he would pick it and bring it over to me saying, "Here, Mommy! I have a byooful flower for you!" It didn't occur to me until partway through the summer to start saving them; when I had a book I was reading on hand, I would press the flower between the pages. He was just as excited to give them to me as I was to receive them from my sweet little boy. I think partly this is due to the fact that I know each year, each day, each minute he's getting older and changing, and I'm doing everything possible to preserve these memories.

I'm not sure how I'll continue to preserve them, or if it will even be possible, but I know that probably until the day I die I'll remember the summer that Asher was 2 as my summer of flowers. I know I'll probably never again have a summer like that, and I'm sure it'll embarrass Asher once he's older, but it's a little golden nugget that I'll treasure forever.

I realize one of those is a leaf, but he was so excited to give it to me
that I had to save it!

Cleverness Doesn't Always Work Out

When we found out I was pregnant with Baby #3, we had just seen both of our families and I knew we wouldn't be seeing them soon enough to tell them in person. So, I was bound and determined to figure out a clever way to tell them the news, other than letting them know by phone.

Here's what I came up with: I emailed all of our immediate family members, and all the message said was, "Look closely at this picture . . . "

And then we waited for a phone call or a response email . . . or SOMETHING. And we waited. And we waited. Nobody got it. I had to keep giving hints until finally I said, "Did you read what's on their shirts?!" And then people started getting it.

We tried it out on my sister and brother-in-law when they came to visit because I wanted to see how it went over; I put both the boys in these shirts after church. Brother-in-law didn't notice, and sister assumed Aiden was wearing a hand-me-down from Asher (which is actually true, but not the point). :) But we all figured everyone would get it with the caption I put with the picture.

Here I thought to myself, "What a fun way to break the news! We'll be getting excited phone calls within a couple hours for sure!" It was an epic fail. Oh well, at least it'll be fun to reminisce about it!

In case you missed it, here's How I Broke the News to My Hubby.

Toddler/Kid Art

Remember when I made this piece of crayon art? It was so fun and easy to do, but I bought the canvas in a 3-pack, so I've had 2 pieces sitting around staring me in the face for a long time now. I knew what I wanted to do with them, but hadn't gotten around to doing it . . . Partly because I was a little intimidated and nervous. It involves painting. With kids. Enough said.

I wanted to tape the boys' names on the canvas, then have them finger-paint all over it. Once it dried, I could remove the tape and their names would show up white against the colored finger-painting! Such a cute idea. And, I saw a recipe for homemade finger=paints on Pinterest which made the idea even more appealing.

I had the idea in my head that I would make four colors, and the boys would each get to use 2 colors: red/yellow or green/blue. Well, it didn't work quite as planned because Aiden's basically ended up orange, and Asher's is kind of teal-ish. Both cute, but I mistakenly thought there would be some separation of colors. Silly me. :) As my husband said, it just makes it look more like kids did it - which was the point, right? Right.

So when Dusty was at work this week I stripped the boys down to their diapers (actually Asher was naked because we're working on potty training hard core . . . more on that later) and let them have at it. Needless to say, it was a mess; but it was also really fun for all of us. Another great part was that even when some of the paint (inevitably) got on the table, it wiped up really easily. And the boys were plopped straight into the bathtub when they were done! Asher and Aiden (and Mommy!) were pretty excited to show Daddy what they did that day, and now we have some more fun art to put in their room or play area!

Supplies
canvas
tape
finger paints
1. Tape onto the canvas the word or name you'd like to use. Make sure to press out any bubbles and stick it on tight.
2. Finger paint all over canvas.
3. Allow to dry completely and delicately peel off tape.
4. Ta-da!
*You could also outline the letters with black marker before peeling them off, but I chose not to.

Homemade Finger Paints (original can be found here)
3 Tbls. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. cornstarch
2 c. cold water
food coloring of your choice
1. Place all ingredients except food coloring in a saucepan and warm over med.-low heat until mixture thickens. Whisk while you're doing this to avoid lumps. (Mine took 5-7 minutes.)
2. Allow to cool and color as desired. (I ended up using about 20 drops for each color, but next time I might use even more to make the colors more vibrant.)

Pausing for a pic - Aiden is all over that canvas!

Look at that concentration!

Total mess!

Me: "Okay, that's enough-time for baths!"

Aiden's finished product

Asher's finished product

How I Broke the News of Baby #3 to My Hubby

Baby #3 was semi-planned, but came a lot more quickly than we were expecting. So one Saturday morning we were all on the main floor of the house picking/cleaning up and waiting for my sister and brother-in-law who were coming later that afternoon.

I snuck a pregnancy test in while Dusty was doing dishes, and . . . Remember this DIY gift I gave him for Valentine's Day?

Well, I made use of it to tell him I was pregnant:

I hastily scribbled it on there and waited until he noticed. I think his exact response was, "NUH-UH! Are you serious?!" He was elated and disbelieving at the same time - neither of us expected it. I definitely had fun breaking the news to him, but it took some patience because I wanted to blurt it out instead of waiting for him to notice I had written something different on the frame. Luckily, I didn't have to wait too long. ;)

How have you broken baby news to your partner?

Preg-o Cravings? Yep, They're Real

Well, I'm 15 weeks pregnant, and decided to tackle one of those pregnancy topics that seems to be discussed frequently (at least in pregnancy circles) and I think people tend to slightly misconstrue, or at least have some misconceptions about.

The cliche for pregnant women is that we're craving weird things like pickles with ice cream (delicious on their own, but not together). While that may be true for some pregnant women out there, it definitely isn't my experience, and isn't for the many other pregnant friends/acquaintances I've talked to about it. But, I can say the cravings they talk about are real. So here's my experience . . .

So far, all 3 of my pregnancies have been almost identical craving-wise. Here are things that I've craved with every pregnancy:

McDonald's Chicken Nuggets with their BBQ sauce (no other will suffice)
Fries with Cheese Sauce
Cereal (pretty much any kind, but favorites during all 3 pregnancies have been Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds and Lucky Charms)
Apples
Chips (this gets annoying because one kind looks good, and once I've eaten a handful I don't want any more; so, by the end of the pregnancy we have about 9 partially eaten bags of chips in our pantry)
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough (thankfully I can make it safe without using eggs . . . although that doesn't make it any healthier)
Tuna Salad on Whole Wheat Bread with Dill Pickles (I know this one seems a little more preg-o cliche, but this is one I enjoy even when I'm not pregnant)
Anyone else hungry now?

How do these cravings work? Well, unfortunately, I tend to have a lot of cravings for things even when I'm not pregnant. The difference is that my preg-o self craves salty more than sweet, which is bizarre considering how much I loooooove sweets of any shape and kind. Also, I'm not one to send my hubby out late at night or in the wee morning hours to get me something we don't have on hand. That being said, if I'm craving something, I don't stop craving it until I've had it, no matter how long it takes. It always sounds appetizing, more so than anything else, until I've eaten it.

First trimester cravings are also a little different for me because I'll really want something, but once I've had it I tend to feel nauseous if I think about it afterward. Thankfully, that passes when the second trimester rolls around.

Unfortunately, most of my cravings aren't healthy options, but I do my best to limit myself with the junk food (sometimes an impossible task) and eat healthy to balance them out.

As I said earlier, my experience is not everyone's and I'm sure there are pregnant women out there right now dipping pickles in their ice cream . . .

What are your pregnancy cravings/experiences, or just thoughts on the matter?

A Baby Story: The First Trimester

That's right, folks! Baby Reese #3 is due January 30, 2013! So, in my case, that probably means I'll be a week overdue and have to be induced. :) We're super excited and, frankly, a tad nervous to add another one to the mix. Asher will be about 3 1/2 when baby comes, and Aiden will just have turned 2 - so we'll be kept on our toes, that's for sure.

13 weeks

I'm 13 weeks today! The biggest difference I've noticed with this pregnancy vs. the other two is that I started to show a lot sooner . . . At least to myself. I tend to dislike the first trimester for a variety of reasons:
1) We don't really tell anyone other than family until the first trimester is over in case of miscarriage, and I'm always impatient to share the news;
2) I have morning sickness which consists of nausea which comes frequently at all times of the day (still no vomiting);
3) I just look like I'm gaining weight and it's uncomfortable and unattractive.

I realize that last one is pretty very superficial, but it's uncomfortable when your clothes don't fit right and you feel like they should. But, like I said, I seem to be showing earlier with this one, so hopefully I won't have to wait until week 20 to actually feel like I look preg-o. Minor details, I know. :)

The nausea has abated for the most part, now, but I really hate when it comes. The best way I can describe it (and maybe I've said this before) is as follows: You know the day after you've had the stomach flu? You feel a million times better, and actually start craving food again because your stomach feels completely empty. So you eat something, but it doesn't really help, or at least not for very long. That's what my morning sickness feels like. I feel nauseous, but with a completely empty stomach, even if it's not. So, I'll eat something hoping it helps, and it usually does for 10-20 minutes, but then I feel crappy again. Thank goodness it hasn't lasted the entire pregnancy for me, yet. I feel so bad for the women who have morning sickness the whole 9 months!

So far, so good, though! I got to hear baby's heartbeat at my appointment last week (it was 160) and that's always such a huge relief! My doctor always says it's not uncommon to not be able to hear it at 12 weeks and it doesn't necessarily mean anything is wrong; but, we've heard it with both the boys so I was extremely anxious as she moved around my uterus trying to find the heartbeat . . . trying to find the heartbeat . . . trying to find the heartbeat . . . THERE IT IS! Nice and strong. Thank you, God.

I'll keep plan to keep y'all up-to-date throughout this pregnancy on feelings (physical and mental), how baby's doing, and how the boys are doing - or if they're even aware of what's going on! Praying this pregnancy, labor, and delivery go as well as the first two did!

A Baby Story: The Aftermath of Aiden

Immediately after Aiden was born, the doctor was concerned because I was bleeding more than I should - not necessarily an alarming amount, but more than is considered "regular." That meant a lot of pushing on my uterus to try to stop/slow the flow. It was uncomfortable, and hurt some of the time. It took maybe 5 minutes and then that worry was done.

No one tells you that nurses come in periodically through the day and night to push on your uterus to make sure everything's still going alright. It is not pleasant; especially if you've had a C-section. Seems minor after delivering a baby, but after the 8th time they've done it, I've usually had enough.

My mom was staying with Asher at our house, and she brought him by that evening to meet his brother. I was so excited to see our little big guy because I had never been away from him for too long, and was missing him! He walked in with my mom, and I was still hooked up to IVs, although I was able to be sitting in a chair . . . and Asher didn't want to come near me. He started crying when my mom and Dusty tried to coax him over. Well then I started crying, of course, because . . . Well, I don't know why - I guess my feelings were hurt? So, it fell to Dusty and my mom to comfort me because clearly it was a scary situation for Asher having never seen me like that before. And even though I knew that, it was still sad for me because he was always my snuggle buddy. He warmed up to me again shortly after, but those minutes were heart-breaking!

Checkin' out his bro and making sure he's okay!

Luckily, the rest of the hospital stay was uneventful for the most part. Aiden was circumcised, which I still dreaded, and tended to like to be awake after he ate during the middle of the night (with our second baby we didn't feel as guilty having him go to the nursery after being fed so we could catch up on sleep at night).

Nursing still didn't go as smoothly as I thought it would after how well his initial feeding went, but we powered through and eventually it got a little easier; and, it wasn't nearly as painful as it was with Asher.

When we were home, things fell into place, and it was then that I realized my reaction to this birth was a lot more healthy than what I went through with Asher (I can keep that in my database for future pregnancies/deliveries). Asher gradually warmed up to Aiden, although it was hard for both him and I to adjust because we didn't have as much time together as we used to. I felt guilty at first, but knew it was important to spend that time with Aiden, too. We tried to read books together on the floor, and sometimes he'd sit next to me while I nursed Aiden. Asher got a lot of quality time with Daddy, too, which was good for both of them. And, since Daddy's way more fun than Mommy, it was okay. :)

First family picture!

Dusty was a champ, just as he always is, and helped in any way possible. It's a wonderful feeling to not have to dread your husband's reaction when you ask him to run upstairs to get something for the 10th time in an hour, or if he could run out to the store for something minuscule. He never complained, and never showed any annoyance or frustration. What a guy, what a guy!

Daddy getting in some prime cuddle-time.

Aiden was an easy-going baby right from the beginning, but extremely demanding once he wanted something. He didn't cry frequently, but once he decided he was hungry, he went from 0-10 in about 2 seconds . . . There was no distracting him with a pacifier or walking around or doing silly things. When he wanted to eat, he wanted to eat. He's still like that. :) I think the grumpiness when he's hungry might come from me . . . I've been known to get cranky if I'm hungry.

I was still in pain, of course, after being able to deliver Aiden naturally, but not nearly as much as I had been with my C-section. Everything about it was just better for lack of a better word. I felt better both physically and emotionally, and am so thankful for that because I know Asher would have sensed it if I had been depressed in any way.

Kisses for his brother.

Having the two boys was/is a challenge, but they are the best gifts Dusty and I could have. It's amazing how similar they are in some aspects, yet complete individuals in others. They amaze me each day. I can't believe it's been a year and a half since Aiden was born. He actually just had his 18-month check-up today and was in the 95th percentile for height, 87th for weight, and 94th for head circumference. He's a big boy, just like his big brother!

As I look at him now as he's running around the basement with a grin on his face, looking for mischief, it makes me a little short of breath to see just how fast he's changing and growing. Each stage of his life has been a marvel (with both pros and cons), and we are so thankful to God for giving us our second, healthy, vibrant little boy!

One of my favorite pictures of the boys - Asher's sharing all the books so nicely :)

A Baby Story: Labor and Delivery with Aiden

We checked into the hospital around 7:30 a.m. on January 18, 2011, and my induction was underway shortly after that. I remember being pretty impatient to get things going because I wanted to meet this baby boy!

They attempted to break my water with the hook, but since baby's head was so far down, there was too much pressure - it was distinctly uncomfortable, which I found odd because it wasn't at all for my induction with Asher. Since that wasn't working, they inserted a tiny wire that makes a small hole, causing a small leak, which is supposed to eventually break your water. Well, it worked, but it took a while and it was frustrating waiting for things to get moving.

Our first picture together . . . Glad I'm looking my best ;)

Finally it broke! They gave me a small dose of pitocin and I walked the hallway about 2 times before calling it quits. It wasn't distracting for me (I know that strategy works well for a lot of women) and the nurses kept getting signals that they couldn't get the readings of baby's heart-rate while I was walking around. Back to the room . . .

Once contractions started, they moved pretty quickly. I had been 3 1/2-4 cm dilated before they induced me, so when the doctor checked me and said I was at 5 cm after 3 hours I felt a little depressed. I (for some unknown reason) assumed the labor and delivery would fly by and we'd have our baby by early afternoon. Nope.

I had an epidural, and they noticed baby's heart-rate was a little lower than they like it, but it would steadily come back up between contractions so they weren't concerned (thank goodness, because I was having flashbacks to Asher's labor and delivery and didn't want another C-section). Things were progressing smoothly, and it was finally time to PUSH!!!! It was a glorious feeling to have gotten to that point.

Perfect little peanut

I was patting myself on the back because with the first few pushes my nurse was saying, "Wow, you're a really good pusher, good job!" So, again mistakenly, I thought I'd push for 15 minutes and have a baby! Forty-five minutes later my epidural started to wear off. I was in horrible pain, to the point where I couldn't push during contractions. Our nurse stopped me from pushing until the doctor came in because she was concerned my uterus might be rupturing (cue terror in Dusty and myself). She was wrong.

The doctor came in and, in not so many words, said "Toughen up, Nancy, that's what labor feels like." It was the kick in the butt I needed. When Dusty and I talked later that night he said he didn't know if her attitude would annoy me or motivate me; thankfully, it worked as a motivator in this case! After about 5-10 minutes of pushing with the doctor in the room (which we had to wait for because she was delivering someone else!) little Aiden William was born! My foremost emotion right when he came out was relief because the pain had stopped and I was exhausted from pushing. Then, they laid that goopy baby on my chest and I fell in love.

At 8 lbs 2 oz., and 21 1/2 inches long, he was a little chubbier than his big brother, and 1/4 of an inch shorter. He was beautiful. He had round cheeks and dark, dark hair, like his daddy. God had given us another little miracle!

First picture with both boys . . . Asher is less than enthused about his brother.
In fact, he's playing with Dusty's Ipod . . .

Come back to find out how we all adjusted to life with little Aiden as part of our family! And to see if Asher took more interest in him. :)

A Baby Story: Pregnancy with Aiden

We had only lived in our new house a week or two when I noticed something womanly was missing . . . Asher was only 9 months old at the time. I vividly remember taking a pregnancy test after Dusty left for work one morning, and it was more to satisfy my own curiosity than from any real conviction that I was actually pregnant.

Well, I was wrong! (Dusty can tell you that doesn't happen very often, wink, wink.) I had only bought an individual test, but immediately loaded up Asher to get another one just to be sure. Positive again. Initially I was in utter disbelief. There might have been a little shock involved, too. I. Could. Not. Believe it.

Neither could Dusty. I think both of us didn't even know how to react. There was excitement, of course, but I think that came a little later. We looked at little Asher who wasn't even crawling yet, and wondered both aloud and to ourselves how we would manage two little ones so close in age, not to mention the numerous financial aspects.

Once we got over the initial shock, we were elated. I couldn't help but imagine the two of them playing together as they got older, practicing sports together, laughing together . . . It was so fun to think about.

The pregnancy was really similar to Asher's - morning sickness/nausea during the first trimester, but after that I was pretty much home free. It was definitely harder though because I had a little one to take care of during the periods of nausea. It's hard to find energy during those times, that's for sure!

I also went back to work part-time from Aug.-Dec. of that year, so I think that played a part in my exhaustion. But, seeing Asher at daycare the first time made me really excited for him to have a sibling to play with.

20 weeks along

We decided to find out whether we were having a boy or girl the second time around, so at 20 weeks we found out we were having another little boy. It was so exciting (and frightening) to think that we would have two boys so close in age.

The only major difference between pregnancy with Aiden vs. Asher, was that with Aiden I had a lot of lower back pain. I attribute most of that to the fact that I was still carrying Asher around a lot, and Dusty and I took turns at his bedtime rubbing his head for 15-20 minutes until he fell asleep . . . That was hard on my back, too. (Although it eventually forced us to take measures to get him to fall asleep on his own!) Luckily, I had a willing masseuse in the form of my amazing husband. :)

As hard as I tried to avoid it, I got the stomach flu when I was about 7 months along, and that was miserable. I also got the worst cold of my life over Christmas - to the point where I almost couldn't breathe from a stuffy nose and a horrid cough. And, of course, being pregnant, my options were really limited as far as what I could take to combat it. November and December were particularly rough months.

I think Dusty was a little more concerned with this pregnancy because I had had an emergency C-section with Asher. Reliving what that was like added to his natural tendency to nervousness. I had decided to have a VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section) this time because I really wanted to experience natural childbirth. Dusty was nervous because it's an added risk to both mother and baby if the scar ruptured during labor/delivery. My doctor was very reassuring and realistic. She told us that while there was a risk, she didn't feel there was anything keeping me from trying it. I had had smooth pregnancies with both babies, and there was nothing telling her to not allow it.

32 weeks, or thereabouts

Well, surprise, surprise, the due date came and went . . . And I was scheduled to be induced a week after the due date. Having had a C-section, my doctor wouldn't allow me to go more than a week past my due date because it increases the risk of something rupturing as the baby gets bigger and your stomach and uterus continue to expand. So, we kissed little Asher goodbye and headed to the hospital around 7:30 a.m. on January 18, 2011 to add another munchkin to the mix . . .

Stay tuned for Part 2: Labor and Delivery

Parenting Blunders

Tell me I'm not the only one . . .

As I was writing a blog post the other evening, my husband was laying on the floor checking his iPad, Asher was looking at Green Eggs and Ham, and Aiden was playing nicely with a toy tool set . . .

Or so we thought.

"AIDEN! NO!"

I jerked my gaze away from the computer screen to look at Aiden, only to find him covered, and I mean covered, in Desitin cream. We keep a big tub around because when Aiden gets diaper rash he gets it pretty severely. Apparently he either discovered how to twist the cap off (which wouldn't surprise me, the little MacGyver) or we didn't screw the lid on tightly. Either way, Aiden's hands were covered in the thick, white, gloppy stuff, and he must have tried to use it like lotion because both of his legs were covered, too.

His clothes didn't escape unscathed either, but that's not what concerned us. Horror of horrors, I saw white on his lip. Yep, he ate some. I wiped his mouth out as best I could, and we gave him some milk to drink. It didn't seem like much was in there, but you can never really know for sure.

Dusty and I both jumped on the internet to do some quick research on side effects, then I called poison control just to be sure. The nurse I talked to assured me that kids get into Desitin all the time. Well, I felt a teensy bit better, but not a whole lot. But, she did reassure me, saying that if he ate a mouthful or less, it's non-toxic. If he ate more, we could see vomiting, diarrhea, and/or nausea, but that would be the extent of it.

PHEW! That was a relief. Aiden must not have eaten much because he had zero side effects. Thank the good Lord for that!

It just goes to show that right when you think your little one is at an age where you don't have to keep quite as close an eye on him, well, you're probably wrong.

Lesson learned.

First Baby Recap and Thoughts

Looking back over my first pregnancy, labor, delivery, and first nights being home, I thought I'd sum up things I wish we would have done differently, things I'd keep the same, and just things we learned along the way.

1) You know that advice to nap when your baby's napping? DO IT. Seriously. That's probably the #1 thing I wish I would have done differently. I'm not really sure what I was doing when Asher was napping: tidying up, pumping, showering? I honestly don't know, but I do know that it would have benefited me in multiple ways to be catching up on sleep. Don't feel guilty. Just do it. Because when you have a second baby you won't get the chance because you'll be keeping an eye on your older one!

2) Don't feel bad or guilty if the birth doesn't go exactly how you planned. I felt a little guilty having gotten an epidural, but I'm so thankful I did because it was only after that that the nurse was able to get a good read on Asher's heartbeat and discovered it just wasn't high enough. And yes, I didn't get to deliver naturally, I had to have a C-section. It was a little depressing, but in the long run it doesn't really matter. We got a healthy baby out of it, and avoided a possibly life-threatening situation. So just go with the flow and listen to your body. Try not to be too bummed if it's not picture perfect. (Although, I'm not sure I would want pictures of that anyway!)

3) All the pain, stress, and hormones are totally worth it. Nothing compares to having a baby. Of course it's scary and nerve-racking, but many of the best things in life are. Once you see and hold that little guy/gal your world will change, but in a marvelously wonderful way.

4) Take help when it's offered. If someone wants to bring you a meal, do your laundry, sweep your floors . . . Let 'em! If they minded, they wouldn't offer in the first place. Most of the people offering to help have probably been there and want to make your transition into parenthood as smooth and easy as possible. There's no shame in accepting help . . . I need to remember that myself! :)

5) Don't be afraid to ask for help. If you have someone nearby, don't be afraid to ask if they'd come over for an hour just so you can take a little bit of time for yourself. Your baby will be fine, and most people are more than happy to snuggle a newborn. It might just give you time for a nice, long shower without worrying that the baby will wake up 2 minutes into it. Long showers definitely became a luxury after Asher was born, so when I got the chance for one I definitely took it.

6) Just enjoy your baby. They change so, so quickly. It's like seeing a miracle developing before your eyes. You won't enjoy every minute of course, that's insanity! But, most parts are pretty awesome: that first real smile, how quickly their little personalities develop, how they recognize mommy and daddy so easily (I love that part!), and how everything they do seems to be the most amazing thing you've ever seen.

Hopefully this post was encouraging to new, or soon-to-be parents. I know my sister (due with her first in a couple weeks) was pretty freaked out with Part 3 of Asher's story, so I felt kind of bad. I was going for informative, but may have missed the mark. :) So, I'm hoping this remedies that a bit because having a baby is terrifying in a lot of ways, but incredibly miraculous in a million more.