I'm a boy Mom

When I found out I was pregnant again when my baby girl was barely 7 months old I was beyond shocked. When I found out we were having a boy I was slightly disappointed. I mean I could raise a girl. It took no effort to envision my little girl in a pink leotard and tutu dancing in her first ballet recital. Or having mommy daughter dates that consisted of shopping and pedicures. And later on dress shopping for life's major events such as prom or her wedding.

What was I supposed to do with a boy. I am not a sports person, in fact I hardly tolerate football and boy clothes just did not have the same appeal to me as frilly skirts and onesies for baby girls

I admit I moped and sulked until about 27 weeks. Everytime we saw little one on the monitor I secretly wished his P had turned into a V. It hadn't. Of course this whole time I realized it wasn't the fact that I was having a boy that bothered me. It was the fact that I was afraid of raising a boy. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to relate to him and would have a closer bond with Gianna than I do him.i was terrified of loving her more than him and of playing favorites the rest of my kids lives

I shouldn't have worried. The moment I finally got excited about having a little man was during a shopping trip to carters. I went crazy filling my cart up with onesies decorated with footballs, monkeys, puppies and anchors. I, who once refused to buy my son anything with a monkey on it started an a session with sick monkeys and anything jungle theme related. I had a blast finding bedding for his room and cracked up finding Star Wars theme decor to go along with the bedding I picked

Now I find myself getting excited buying football pacifiers or train sets for my little man. Yesterday I declared we had too many princess movies and not enough boy movies so today I'm off to pick up movies for my little man

And as far as relating too or loving him less. Impossible. He made me so complete. In ways I never thought possible. I look at my little family and feel so blessed. His addition to our family has made my heart whole.

I now can easily envision hours spent building blocks and playing trains with E. and later on taking him to football or soccer practice and being that obnoxious soccer mom. Van and all.

I am so blessed.




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Firmoo Glasses Review

Hey everyone! I'm here to share an awesome company to purchase glasses from. I received my free pair in exchange for an honest review.

I've been an eye glass wearer since I was 7. I hated it. By the time I reached high school I had convinced my parents to get me contacts and once they did I never wore my glasses. Enter college and glasses became cool again. All these designer frames were available and people who didn't need to wear glasses bought them as accessories. So I started wearing my glasses more and more. And now I hardly ever wear my contacts. Since I wear my glasses all the time I'm constantly on the look out for cute frames. And inexpensive at that. So when I was contacted by Firmoo to try out a pair of glasses I couldn't say no. I received my pair in the mail a few weeks ago and due to the flu bug and pink eye sickies that have been spreading around my house I haven't been able to do my review until now

At first I was hesitant about getting a piar of glasses from an online company. Firmoo

offers a virtual try on system that allows you to find the right frame. You are able 

to upload your own photo to try on glasses virtually. Pretty cool huh

I decided to go with a classic black plastic frame. I wanted something that would be

durable and would go with everything. When I received the glasses in the mail I

was pleased. They were of great quality, very durable and super cute. With two kids

constantly pulling at them durability is the most important. And they are extremely

comfortable. They fit my face perfectly and were exactly what I was looking for.

I would highly recommend firmoo to anyone looking for a nice pair of glasses. I will 

be ordering my husband a pair from here as he needs new glasses as well. What's even

better about this company is they offer the first pair free program.  

http://www.firmoo.com/free-glasses.html) What a better way to get a new pair of glasses

aand check out an awesome company.

Head on over to www.firmoo.com and get your first pair free now. Any other questions 

aabout firmoo and there products can also be found at that site

SAnd excuse the photos. I had to take them myself with two kids tugging at me for attention

BBut super cute glasses right!

18 months

Gianna- where have the past 18 months gone. Long gone is my soft, cuddly, newborn


In her place is a sweet, smiley, strong willed little girl



They say that a baby changes the most in the first year of life. That may be so but I think the most significant and rapid changes occur in the second year. Especially from 15-18 months. Before your brother was born I could convince myself you were still a baby. After all you were only 15 months. Barely more than a year. While you loved to play by yourself you were still up for snuggling with mommy anytime and loved to fall asleep at night laying on my (huge) pregnant belly. You still needed mommy to do a lot of things for you and you were barely starting to say words. The hair on your head was barely more than peach fuzz and you still relied on cups of milk for the majority of your caloric intake

Fast forward 3 months and my how you've changed. You still love to play by yourself and are so independent. You have to do everything on your own and let me know when I'm being a helicopter mom. You are so strong willed and head strong. You act like you are 5 years old. At the park you nearly gave mommy a heart attack because instead of going down the little kid slide you wanted to godown the big kid slide. Face first. You are not afraid of anything

You love going for walks and you have to stop every second to try and pick up all the rocks on the street. One walk around the neighborhood takes over an hour due to your exploring!

You now love your baby brother. You come find me when he cries and you love giving him hugs and kisses.you also love shoving the pacifier in his mouth as much as you love stealing it from him and putting it in your mouth. Funny because as a baby you hated your pacifier.

You rarely need to fall asleep on me anymore though you still like to cuddle. When brother is sleeping you love having me all to yourself. You immediately crawl into my lap and we play games, song songs and I smother you with kisses and hugs

You are so smart. You can touch your head,ears, nose, teeth, belly and feet. You also can touch mom's when asked.

When asked how old you are you hold up one finger and say one

Your words are slowly coming. You had a language burst before brother was born and then it slowed down which from the toddler book I'm reading states is normal after the birth of a sibling

You currently say
Mommy
Mama
Dada
Baby
Get down
Ma- milk
Get off
Ball
More
Book
Block
Blankie
I know I'm forgetting some. You babble incessantly and mimic everything I say. When I read or talk to you you watch me so intently I know you are understanding everything and taking it all in.

You go to daycare one day a week and love it. You have no problem when I leave and your teachers say you are awesome during the day

You are wearing 18 months clothes and size four diapers. I've put you on the potty to see what you would do but you have no interest. Maybe in a month or so

You go to bed around 830 at night and sleep until 7 or 8.

You love to "read" books and play with your blocks and baby goes with you everywhere.

You are such a sweet little girl. Every time we are out you are always smiling and waving at people. You even blow them kisses

When daddy is able to Skype you get so excited and want to steal the iPad away from me. He loves you so much. Never forget that

You have brought so much joy in our lives. I have loved watching you grow every step of the way and each stage keeps getting better and better. You taught me what it means to love unconditionally and I can't imagine my life without you. I love you so much sweetheart

Now lets slow down time ok. I want to cherish every moment with you before you become a teenager!



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My week in pictures

We went for a walk with Grandpa and Gianna had to help push the stroller of course

She loved looking at the fish at bass pro shop


But hated the ride at the playground


Showing brother love





Relaxing before the dr


About to get shots





Celebrated grandpas bday


And intently Watching her shows. (While also leaving mommy a present in her pants)


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Happy 3 Months Little Man

Ethan- I can't believe you are three months old already. Time is just flying by. You are not a newborn anymore. Where has my little baby gone

And little you are no more. You are 16 pounds! Your sister is only 22lbs at 18 months old. It won't be long before you are bigger than she is! Obviously you are a great eater. However after you eat you become quite fussy and gassy. Or you spit everything all up and need to eat again. Gas drops, bouncing, nothing helps. Mommy will def be bringing this up at your next appt

Along with being gassy you are an extremely fussy, colicky baby. You scream and scream for hours
And nothing I do helps. If I do get you to sleep its for 20 mins tops and then you are up screaming again. It's exhausting. Of course I feel like its my fault. Like we aren't bonded enough or you don't feel content.

All I have to say young man is that when you are an adult, married with your own family, that you don't forget the woman who rocked you for hours and hours trying to calm you down. And if you have a colicky baby get your butt outta bed and take over for your poor exhausted wife.

Despite sleep deprivation and your screaming fits things are going great. When you aren't screaming you are a happy baby. You laugh and coo and are extremely ticklish. I love laying on the couch with you tonight and watching you look at me with a big smile on your face. I love you so much

Lets talk about stats. You weigh 16lbs, wear size 3 diapers and are in 3-6 month clothes. Once I get you to sleep at night you will sleep for about a 4 hour stretch which is much appreciated. You love to be held and do not like to be out down.

Your sister loves you so much. She is always trying to give you your pacifier or pat you on the back when you are crying. Granted her oats may be smacks but she means well!

Happy 3 months little man. You completed this family in ways I never thought possible. We love you so much






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Etched... Upon my heart book review and giveaway

Hey everyone. I have a book review and giveaway for you today. I was recently given a copy of the book Etched... Upon my heart by Jill Kelly




Isn't the cover beautiful!

A brief synopsis of the book
" New York Times best selling author Jill Kelly shares deeply personal experiences as a mother trying to make every moment count, against the backdrop of trying circumstances, in Etched...Upon my heart:What We Learn and Why We Never Forget. "this book is everything I hope my daughters eventually learn, always remember, and never forget. It's everything I would share with you, woman to woman and mother to mother."

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The book is broken down into chapters dealing with love,significance, forgiveness, suffering, giving,prayer, faithfulness and death with memories of the authors experience dealing with each topic. Memories covering everything from premarital sex, to the death of her son from a fatal disease to the author's relationship with her mother and the infidelity the author experienced in her own marriage. Through all these moments and snippets the author shares with us she relates them to her relationship with Christ and how she grew through that relationship and learned how to handle and fully appreciate every moment given to her.
This book is a must read for any mother, or woman for that matter who is looking to grow closer in her own relationship to Christ. I love how she related everything back to Christ and how without him in our lives we are unable to truly be able to love or forgive.
I found myself relating to the authors stories about the early years in her marriage and the love she felt for her children when they were born. I laughed and cried through many parts of this book and would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a good read.

One copy of this book will be available to one lucky reader. Giveaway rules...
1. Be a follower of my blog
2. Leave a comment on my blog
3. Tweet about this giveaway
I will announce the winner Fri Jan 25th

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services me ruined above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising

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Sickies

What should have been a fun week turned out not to be what I had expected. For weeks I was looking forward to my bestie from Wi and her little girl to come visit us. I could not wait. Tuesday was the big day and I had been counting down the days since Christmas

Monday arrives and G wakes up with a fever and runny nose. Snot check showed clear drainage so I figured it was nothing. We spent the day relaxing in pjs hoping to nip whatever it was in the bud

Tuesday arrives and off we go to the airport to pick up our friends! I noticed I didn't feel too good while we were out grocery shopping but chalked it up to not getting enough sleep.

Wednesday morning I woke up thinking I was dying. I had the chills, the shakes and the body aches. G woke up screaming as well so at 4am I had two babies in the bed with me.
We did manage to make it down to the beach Wednesday afternoon and enjoy lunch with our friends but that was it. We went home and passed out on the couch
Yesterday I felt better but G wasn't her usual self. Despite that though the kids enjoyed a trip to the park and another lunch date
Late last night I took E 's temp because up until that point he hasn't been sick. 101 temp. FML
Called the on care pediatrician. Never heard back. This morning 104 temp. I called the drs office and got a referral to the urgent care where G was diagnosed with a ear infection and E tested positive for influenza type A. And just before we were called back into the waiting room the news program on did a lovely update about the deadly flu virus going around

So I'm one terrified mama. Who is still not 100 percent herself. Here's to being under quarantined these next few days and hoping we all get better


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Baby #3- No Way

I had one of those mommy moments last night. You know the one where you have to put the screaming baby down before you totally lose it! The past few nights Ethan is up and screaming from 7pm-2am. This mommy is exhausted.

The daytime hours aren't much better. He's been refusing to nap and will not let me put him down. If I do he screams like he is terrified of something. Poor Gianna has gotten used to entertaining herself but the attention seeking behaviors are coming out. And when I finally am able to get him to nap and put him down, Gianna is asleep as well. It breaks my heart

All day I have such horrible mommy guilt because when one kid is screaming they have my attention and I feel guilty about ignoring the other. I hate it

Finally last night I had to place Ethan in his swing and walk away. Of course I felt horrible for doing that. I hate letting my babies cry. And he would just not settle down. In my head I was cursing out the husband for being gone. I was utterly exhausted and frustrated and getting mad at my little man. I'm sure he could feel the tension coursing through my body. But the 20 min break I took letting him cry in his swing enabled me to calm down and go to my little guy. He finally fell asleep next to me at 2am. G woke up at 4 with a 103 fever. Sigh today is one of those never ending days

Oh did I mention the dogs have dug a huge man hole on the side of the house that is ruining the foundation. Yea it's been an awesome day so far

Of course E has screamed all morning and G is whiny and crabby from being sick so we are all snuggled on the couch. E in the moby and g next to me. I know I'll look back and miss these days and while it might be rough at times the good times far outweigh the bad

However Ethan, if you don't start sleeping more you may lose all chances of getting a younger sibling

Love mom


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Book Reviews and Nook for sale

One if my New Years Resolutions is to read more and watch less tv. So far I've succeeded but that could be due to the fact that all my tv shows were on winter break. Hopefully I'm able to keep turning the TV off at night and continue reading the stacks of books on my nightstand

What I've read so far

Bloom by Kelle Hamptom



Some of you might be familiar with Kelle's blog Enjoying the Small things. Overall I liked this book. It's the story about Kelle's daughter who was born with Down syndrome. This book made me mad, it made me laugh and it made me cry. As a mother I could totally relate to all the emotions Kelle felt after learning her daughter had Down syndrome and her acceptance near the end of the book was inspiring. If you love Kelle's blog you'll love her book

Bringing up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman



I thought this book was really good. The American author who now lives in France compares the way we as Americans raise kids as opposed to the French way. In general the French are more relaxed then us Americans are according to the author yet their kids are more disciplined than our kids. Very interesting book though at the same time should be taken with a grain of salt. The differences have more to do due to the different cultures and also the many govt programs that France has to offer. I mean free Ivf and free daycare that is required to meet standards set by the govt is way different than what you find in the states. This book is def worth the read though

The Selection by Kiera Cass


This book was toted as a cross between the Hunger games and the bachelor. I'd say its more bachelor than anything. Despite being set in a dystopian world with a caste system in place it was still similar to things today so while the main character isn't rich she isn't starving to death like Katniss. The premise of the book is a competition for the prince to find his princess.
Despite the bad reviews, some cheesy lines and semi-bad writing I really liked the book. I mean who doesn't want to be a princess! This is another series an I'm looking forward to when the second comes out. It was light, fun fluff and I'm not afraid to say I loved it

What are y'all reading lately? Also would anyone be interested in purchasing the original nook. I used it a few times before buying the nook color. I'm selling mine for 40 bucks. Email me if interested


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Ethan is 2 months!

I'm a little delayed on Ethan's 2 month update. This past month has been quite busy little man. We welcomed your dad home, celebrated your first thanksgiving, took you to meet Santa, celebrated Christmas early, said goodbye to daddy, spent your first Christmas with friends and celebrated your first New Years

You also had your first trip to the Er and came down with a virus that lasted two weeks. You sure know how to scare your mama!

You have gotten so big since you were born. You are def not my little baby anymore and I'm doing all I can to slow time down and enjoy every moment with you

You are such a mamas boy. You love to be held at all times and you will only fall asleep holding onto a chunk of my hair.

You are more alert than you were a month ago and you love your play mat. You coo and gurgle at all the lights and try to grab and kick the toys attached to the mat

You are smiling more and more. We have such great conversations at night with you oohing and ahhing at me. It is so fun to listen to you talk

You get a horribly fussy period at night. From around 5pm-9. During that time nothing will console you. I hope that ends soon. Your favorite time to be awake is from 10-12. You def are a night owl like your mommy

Stats
Weight- 12lb 12pz
Height- about 20 inches
Diapers- size 2
Clothes- 3 months

I love you to the moon and back











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You've been heart attacked

Although Valentines day is more than a month away I decided to get a head start. With the husband being deployed Ill have to mail it out within the next week to ensure that he gets it by then

Usually we don't celebrate Valentines day. In 4.5 years of marriage he has only been home for valentines day once. And he was sick. Plus with our birthdays being in Feb as well we just kind of lump everything together and celebrate it all at once

But this year I decided to do things differently. Since the arrival of the kids we tend to not exchange gifts for bdays or holidays in order to go all out for our kiddos. And I'm perfectly fine with that. But I still think its important to nurture our relationship as well.

I don't feel extravagant gifts are always the best way to show someone how much you love them. Instead it's the little things and the meaning out behind a gift that matters

On Pinterest I found this cute idea. The you've been heart attacked valentine. Basically you cut out paper hearts and on each one write something you love about the person your giving it to

I cut out my hearts and wrote one or two lines on each either from myself or the kids making it personal, funny, cute, or sentimental. Then I wrapped them in a box and that was that. It cost me nothing since I had all the supplies at home and yet it's just enough to show the hubby how much he means to me

Here is the box I wrapped


And my hearts



I ordered him some books and filled up the mailing box with red hots, conversations hearts and Hershey kisses and that was that

I can't wait for him to get his package. As much as I love our kids I want to make sure I keep on letting him know how much he means to me as well!

Fed Up Frenzy

I got my first job when I was 15 and by the time I was in college, besides taking a full course load I worked 2 pretty much full time jobs. I've always been the sort of person that likes to be kept busy and I usually thrive on having a full schedule. I hate opening up my calendar and seeing a day without an activity or something to do

When I became a stay at home mom I vowed to never be one of those moms who did nothing all day and who never left their house. ( I soon learned that there is no such things as a SAHM who does nothing all day, regardless if she leaves the house or not). But still I filled up Gianna and mine's schedule with play dates, story time, music class, epen gyym etc etc so that we always were out and about doing things. I convinced myself that we were spending quality time engaging in those activites and that staying at home all day meant I was lazy.

Staying busy also helps the time pass when the husband is gone. He knows of my incessant need to fill our schedule up that when he was able to come home on weekends he would beg me not to make plans or map out every minute of our day. To me relaxing on the couch all day is not spending time with each other or the kids

Howver I now have two children. Venturing out of the house is more difficult than before. Even simple things like playdates gave become a nightmare. I can't fully give G my attention since E is always crying and begging to be held, and when I do put E down he screams. With him being sick these last few weeks he has become even more clingy and I've been staying at home more. Plus all our weekly activities have been put on hold until next week due to the holiday season

And... I don't miss any of our activities. Sure I miss my friends, but they still come over and we hang out while the kids play or we set up coffee dates one day a week. For the first time in  a long time I don't have my whole week crammed with activities. And I love it. It's so nice to just get caught up on housework, not feel pressured to be one place at one time and another place at another time. If I don't want to shower and get dressed I don't have to and if I don't want to clean the house one day I can push it off to the next, The kids are less anxious when we are home and I spend plenty of quality time doing nothing with them. Gianna loves to be at home with me, showing me her toys and cuddling with me on the couch and E is so happy and smiley when we aren't rushing from place to place. I even  have started to read again. I've read two books in a week. That is a record for me and I feel less stressed in general.

Next week when all our activities resume I may consider dropping some. Sure I love my mommy and me group but who is the one benefiting from it. Gianna or myself. Sadly I think it is myself. Gianna gets plenty of social interaction that cutting one play group a week isn't going to matter at all. And if I do plan or schedule activities I am only going to schedule them for the morning or early afternoon. After noon that becomes full family time. The only exception being the small group I signed up for at church which is every wednesday night. That will be the only night during the week that we are out, and I will leave that morning free for the kids and myself.

I am enjoying just relaxing at home and spending the time with my kids. Plus I get more mommy time when I'm not out  running errands and taxing kids from playdate to playgroup. And as for the messy house, the kids and I are too busy making memories. That load of laundry can wait!

365

I'm the type of person that carries around a planner 24/7. Years ago I not only used my planners to keep track of my daily activities, work schedule or homework assignments but also to record memories. Snippets of things I had done that day, or who I had spent that day with. Those sort of things. I could look back at a specific date and see my scribbles about going to see Bride wars with so and so, or ate at Applebees with dad for lunch. to some that may seem insignificant but to me it was important.I always want to be able to look back at years past and see a written record of all the things I've accomplished or done.

Now however I've become bad at capturing a memory and writing it down. Gianna's baby book is mostly unfilled and I cant tell you the day she took her first step or got her first tooth. I can tell you the month it happened or the age she was but as to the exact date I have no recollection

As time continues to pass I'm realizing more and more how fast kids grow up and I spend every day wishing my kids would always be this young yet looking forward to watching them grow

I came across a blogger who lost her daughter when her daughter was 18 months. From the moment her daughter was born she kept a journal and used it to write down all the details of their daily life. Things they had done that day, things her daughter had said and anything else she felt worth recording. Since her daughter has passed she said she was glad she kept record and that she has those memories to look back on. With the birth of her son she made sure to write every day so as not to forget anything

And so my main goal for 2013 is to take time every day to write in my journal snippets of my day. Feelings I had, activities done with the kids, moments I want to remember. Facts about the kids I never want to forget. Milestones, big events, minute details that no one else would care about. I want to make my entries letters to my children almost. Something I can give them years from now as a remembrance of their childhood and also as a way for them to know that I love them more than I can ever say. So starting tonight and every night forward this next year I am going to write to my children and become better and recording our memories, especially all the little details that you never want to forget

Do any of you do anything like this? How do you do it? Do you write in a journal or a yearly planner. I've seen it done numerous ways on Pinterest and I'm very excited to get started


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