Secondary Infertility Update!

It's been a couple of months since my last infertility update, so I figured it was time for another post. I took a cycle off of all of my "trying to conceive" routines in June, so no Clomid and no charting at all. It was a much needed break from the stress and pressure. I lost about 5 pounds, and actually ended up having a fairly normal cycle (32 days) on my own, so that was a relief. 

I tried another cycle of Clomid at the end of June. I charted and did everything in my power to make this cycle "the one". I ate healthier than I had been, and tried to stay as relaxed as possible. Once my "two week wait" hit Brian and I were both completely convinced that I was pregnant. I had tons of symptoms, and just felt different.

Alas, it ended up being my mind playing tricks on me because at exactly 14 days past ovulation, I got my period. I was crushed. It was a few days after Baylee's 2nd birthday, and I was just so mad. I really thought that I would have babies no more than two years apart, and now that she's already 2, I have no choice but to have them almost 3 years apart or more. I know this age gap works well for a lot of people, but as a personal preference, I have always wanted to have my kiddos be close in age. It also kind of crushes my dream of having 4 kids before i turn 35.

I spent the first half of the day seriously considering giving up completely. I'm sick of fooling myself and sick of it always being on my mind. Then, Brian's accident at work happened that same afternoon, and I found that he was in an ambulance on the way to the hospital.

Talk about a wake up call. I didn't have time to feel sorry for myself anymore...I had to take care of my guy, and that was all that mattered. It put how blessed and lucky we are back in to perspective. After talking it over with Brian, I decided to fill my next Clomid refill and try, try again. I made the decision to change the days I took the Clomid from 3-7 to 5-9 to see if that makes a difference. I have read some success stories that say it makes a world of change, so we shall see! 

In the spirit of maintaining my sanity, I have also made a positivity pledge to myself. From now on, I am going to beat down all those negative thoughts and be happy with whatever the turn out may be. Feeling bad for myself and complaining takes up entirely too much time and energy. It's about time I get my focus back on what really matters, and stop fretting about what may or may not come. 

"You get what you get, and you don't throw a fit."

So much wisdom from the mouths' of babes.

Until next time! XoXoXo

 

Love List

Sorry for such a quiet blog lately my lovely readers! If you follow me on Insta (@mrs_tibbetts) you already know that Brian got injured at work and had to have surgery on his hand. All is well, but it looks like he will be out of work for a few months, so it will be quite an adjustment for all of us. Right now, I'm just trying to get my life together as I figure out how to take care of him, Baylee, and keep our house from looking like a total tornado. It hasn't been easy, but I know we will find our groove in the coming weeks. 

So, what better way to remedy the rough week we just had than with a love list???

Baylee just became a "Brand Rep" for a small shop called Corner of Grey Street, and I'm officially obsessed! The owner is the nicest Mama Friend ever, and she makes the cutest shirts for both boys and girls. There are even shirts for us Mamas and koozies too! Order soon, because right now, while Baylee is a rep, you can get 15% off your order if you enter the code BAYLEE15.

 

Speaking of Insta, since Baylee is now a so grown up woman of 2, I decided to make her an Insta from her own perspective. If you need a daily laugh, make sure you follow her! (@thatsbayleesworld) 

I think it's been around for forever but I just figured out the joy that is La Croix! (Pun totally intended.) I have been trying to figure out a way to cut soda out of my life since I know its so bad, and these cans of flavored sparkling water have helped a ton. My favorite flavors so far are the peach-pear and cran-raspberry.

It's been soooo very hot here lately, so crock pot meals have been my friend. I love this recipe for slow cooker stuffed bell peppers. Its easy, healthy, and Brian and Baylee go crazy for it!

If you saw Baylee's recent photo shoot, I'm sure you noticed the huge, beautiful, gold #2 balloon. It's from a company called Glam Fete, and I will totally order our party supplies from them from now on. They have the cutest tassel garlands, and even mini party hats for babies!

I recently found a new shop for handmade stuffed animals called Cuddle and Kind. They're adorable, and the proceeds from the purchase of 1 stuffed animal helps feed 10 children in need. What a great way to give back! I'm pretty sure Baylee will be getting the little deer for Christmas this year!

Last, but not least, I love you guys! Thank you so much for reading my blog and clicking the affiliate links that make it possible for me to do this. My readers are the best ever, and I appreciate you all for letting me have a space to be creative. Thank you for all your continued prayers and love!

Miss Priss says "Thank you!" also. ;)

 

Until next time!

XoXoXo

 

 

 

Baylee's Birthday Weekend!

Over the weekend, we had a blast celebrating our girl turning 2! We started on Friday morning (Baylee's actual birthday) with throwing purple balloons in Baylee's crib as soon as she woke up. We did this last year also, and it was a total hit with her yet again! I definitely think it's a tradition that's going to stick. We're just going to have to get a little more creative once she's in a big kid bed next year. :)

 

We spent the day at my grandparents' house baking for her party and swimming in the pool for a bit, then once dinner time rolled around, we went to Shakey's for pizza and games. Baylee had such a blast chowing down on pizza and playing all the arcade games. Her favorites were the duck game, skee-ball, and pretty much anything where she could pull a lever or push a button. She loved collecting the tickets out of each machine, and at the end we turned all her tickets in for some fun goodies. We sang "Happy Birthday" to her, and she blew out the candle on her brownie sundae which she then proceeded to demolish. I mean chocolate eeeeeeverywhere! It was a total blast and a nice way to relax before all the party chaos hit the next day.

 

The next afternoon was Baylee's Little Mermaid themed party. I was so happy with the way everything turned out! We did a pool party in my grandparent's back yard. Everything was mint and lavender, even Baylee's outfit, and it all looked so pretty! I even had some DIY decorations; an octopus made from a balloon and streamers and jelly fish made from chinese lanterns and streamers. They turned out adorable!

We had Juan Pollo catered for dinner, which was so nice because I didn't have to worry about cooking anything. I also set up a dessert/snack table with "Dinglehopper" cake pops, Nilla Wafer clams, cupcakes, fishy crackers, gummy sharks and fish, and sour punch straw "seaweed". I put little cups out for the kids to fill with their snacks and they absolutely loved it. We also had the most beautiful cake with lavender and mint rosettes all over. Baylee is now a professional at blowing out her candles! ;)

The kiddos all had so much fun swimming in the pool and were exhausted by the end of the party. It was such a fun evening and the smiles that I kept seeing on Baylee's face made all the hard work so worth it! 

 

I still can't believe my baby girl is 2, but I'm already loving every minute of it! Thank you to all my helpers and everyone who came to celebrate our sweet girl! And thank you for all the birthday wishes from my readers! You guys are the best, and we love you all!

 

Until next time! XoXoXo

 

 

 

 

Baylee's 2 Year Update!

 

I can't believe two years have gone by since I held my little 7 pound 17.5 inch squishy in my arms for the first time. I miss her baby pudge and cuddles so much, but I am so proud of the amazing little girl that Baylee is blossoming in to! Though it hasn't been all sunshine and roses (someone acquired her mamas temper and bossiness) and this year was by far harder than the first (I don't care what anyone says...14-20 months was so much more challenging than the infant stage!) seeing her grow into this amazing little girl has made every hard day worth it.  She's smarter than I could have ever imagined, and makes me laugh all day long.

Baylee knows all her colors, can count to 12 (most of the time...sometimes a few numbers are MIA) and is super close to being able to sing the whole alphabet. She can point out circles, squares, hearts and stars, and knows all of her body parts. She loves to sing, dance, hop, color, and read books. She's a Disney movie addict just like Mama, and her favorites right now are The Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo, Frozen, and The Princess and the Frog.

She's sweet as can be an has a heart of gold. Whenever I'm having an off day she can totally sense it and becomes the biggest cuddle monster. She's full of hugs and kisses and is happiest when surrounded by all her favorite people.

Age: 24 months

Weight: 25.5 lbs

Height: 33 inches 

Clothing size: 24 month and 2T 

Teeth: 15 she got all but one of her eye teeth, the bottom right is stubborn and won't pop yet!

Favorite foods: This kid loves Chinese food! Her favorite meal is when I make chicken and veggie stir fry with rice. She also loves chow mein from Panda Express. She loves meat of all kinds...burgers, ribs, taco meat, you name it, and also has a new found love for pepperoni pizza. She is finally starting to eat some pasta and bread, but she's perfectly content with meat and a veggie at most meals. Unless there's french fries...then all we eat is french fries! 

Favorite Words: In just the last three months Baylee's sentences have gotten so clear and it just blows my mind! Her favorite sayings are "No, LeeLee can do it!", "C'mon, Daddy, color!" "Da (insert animal here) says (insert animal sound)", "You silly, Mama", and "I ruv you soooo much!"

Favorite activities: She has a new found love for performing! We put on Disney songs and she sings (like legit knows all the words lol) and dances. She gets so intense and in to it and it's absolutely adorable! She also loves to blow bubbles, swing, go down the slides at the park, and take her baby for a walk in her toy stroller around the neighborhood. Oh, and swimming! She finally got over her fear and now kicks around the pool wearing her puddle jumper and yelling, "I a fishy, I a fishy!"

Least favorite activities: Having to stop playing to eat, leave the house, or go to bed. 

Favorite toys: She just got a new play kitchen for her birthday and it's pretty much her life. She also loves her babies and stuffed animals and makes me swaddle them in blankets so she can put them "ni-night". Her little people are a classic go-to, and she's actually starting to have them talk to each other and pretend to eat and sleep, etc now!

Signature moves: Yelling "Mama, dis mah song!" in the car, dressing up our cocker spaniel like a princess, and passing out "knuckle bumps", "noggins" and "huggles" all day long!

I love my girl more than I could ever put in to words! These last two years have been the greatest adventure of my life, and I can't wait to see what the future has in store! 

Happy 2nd birthday, my sweet Baylee girl!

 

Until next time! XoXoXo

 

Gift Ideas for 2-Year-Olds!

 

Since it's Baylee's "birthday week", I wrangled up some of the things that are on her wish list this year to help give anyone needing to buy any toddler gifts some ideas! Oh, and side note, Toys'R'Us has a Wish List feature on their website that works just like a registry. You can add toys, books, and art supplies to it in hopes that your kiddo won't get duplicates (no returns, yay!) or toys that you know won't get played with. We've used it for birthdays and Christmas, and it's been really helpful to our friends and family who aren't quite sure what Baylee would like.

1. Melissa & Doug Wood Blocks. Remember these from preschool? I totally do! These are the best blocks for building little "cities", and they help teach shapes and colors.

2. Melissa & Doug Easel. Melissa & Doug make some of the best wooden toys ever, so I fell in love with this easel. It's height adjustable and so classic looking.

3. KidKraft Play Kitchen. I knew I wanted a play kitchen for Baylee, but I didn't want the typical pink and purple plastic kind. I wanted something I could have in the front room of our house that wasn't an eyesore. So, I went on the hunt and found this wood play kitchen from KidKraft and it gave me all the heart eyes! It's not only adorable, but great quality and comes in an assortment of colors. We opted for classic white so it will go with whatever decor we may have in a playroom one day!

4. Color Wonder Markers. If you have a toddler you need color wonder in your life! They're markers that only color on special Color Wonder paper and coloring books, so there is no mess on clothes and furniture (or knees or faces). They also make finger paint that works on the same paper.

5. Radio Flyer Trike. This needs no explanation. Radio Flyer makes the best and cutest trikes in the world! I can't wait for Baylee to get hers so we can teach her to pedal around our new deck!

6. Nonstick Cookware. They make the cutest cookware to go with kids' play kitchens now that look just like Mommy and Daddy's! Don't forget the play food and the plates and utensils!

7. BabyLit Books. I know I've expressed my devotion to BabyLit before, but they are just the cutest books ever! Baylee is getting a bunch for her birthday and I can't wait to have some new bedtime books to read to her!

I'm still not sure how my tiny baby is turning 2 in three days! Just look at this big girl taking her 2-year pictures yesterday! Tears for days!

 

Until next time! XoXoXo!

Happy Birthday, USA!

Hi friends, I hope you all had a wonderful Independence Day! I have to say, though I woke up exhausted and sun burned, this year was probably the best 4th of July I've ever had! 

We have friends visiting California from out of state with their three kiddos, so we met up with them at the beach where they are staying. It was the first time Baylee has been to the beach since she was 12 months old, so I was so excited to see what her reaction would be. Verdict? My summer baby held true to her love of all things water and had a blast!

It was so much fun letting the kiddos build sand castles, playing in the waves, and catching up with our friends who we really haven't gotten to hang out with in over two years. (I have been friends with Jenelle since I was Baylee's age...28 years strong! :) Thank you so much for having us, we loved it!) We brought a picnic lunch and just lazed around in beach chairs all afternoon. It was the best!

Baylee was obsessed with the water, so she kept asking Brian to take her back down. He would hold her hands and she would wait for the water to come up and say, "Weady??? Weady??" (Ready, Ready) Once the water would hit her legs she would giggle and when it left she would say "Leelee's tuwn! Leelee's tuwn!" (Baylee's turn). I had totally thought that she was going to be scared of the water, but she kept asking to go in the "pool" all day long...love my little beach babe!

 

Once late afternoon hit, we decided to head home since we had such a long drive, and Baylee hadn't had a nap all day. We ordered some Applebee's To-Go once we got back in town and had a quiet little dinner at home. Then, we went out in our backyard for some ice cream cones for dessert. How I love summer time ice cream faces on toddlers! After it got dark, the three of us hopped in the bed of a truck in our front yard, popped some glow sticks for Baylee, and watched the firework show that they put on at the park down the street. It was an absolutely perfect way to end Independence Day with my little family!

 

There is no doubt, we are so blessed to live in such an amazing country! Happy birthday, USA! Let freedom ring!

 

 

 

Water-less Water Table Activities!

Now that we've been hitting triple digit days every day here in the desert, it's too hot to even play in the water outside for very long. So, I had to get clever and come up with some ideas for activities that would keep Baylee busy inside the house. She loves her water table, but was getting a little bored of it, so I thought we could totally use it for other sensory play activities! 

These are the four things we have tried so far, and all have been a hit with Baylee! (If you have any other ideas let me know in the comments section!)

*Disclaimer* These activities are MESSY. We did them in the kitchen and I always had around 15 minutes of clean up to do after. It was SO worth it though! 

1. Rice

I bought a huge bag of rice from Winco and dumped it all in the water table. To make it more fun, I gave her some spoons and measuring cups, and even stuck a few of her Little People in there. She had a blast scooping and pouring and making it "rain" on her Little People princesses. I think this one was the biggest hit with her so far because whenever I pull the water table out now she says "Oooh rice?!" After we played I put all the rice back in a Ziploc so that we can play with it again! 

 

2. Ice

 I guess technically this doesn't count at "water-less" because it eventually becomes water, but whatever, it was fun! Baylee loved scooping the ice and hearing the loud sound it made when she dumped it back in the table. Once it started to melt and the ice floated she had fun stirring her "soup" and drinking it. Haha!

3. Cloud Dough 

This activity was my favorite, and I actually sat and played with the "dough" with Baylee for a good half hour. All cloud dough is is 8 cups of flour and one cup of any cooking oil (we used olive oil). You mix it with your hands and it becomes like a really fine sandy type substance. It's squishy and moldable with sand toys. The best part is that it keeps for forever, so just like with the rice, I stuck it in a Ziploc to use again! I think I will even make another batch so it fills up the whole water table next time.

 

4. Rainbow Spaghetti

We've played with rainbow spaghetti in the bath tub before, so I thought it would be perfect for the water table too! Baylee had so much fun scooping it and learning to use the tongs to pick it up. To make rainbow spaghetti, all you do is add food coloring to the boiling water while you are cooking it, and then let it cool completely before you play!  

 

If anyone tries any of these activities, let me know what your kiddos think! Hope you all have a great weekend! 

Happy Independence Day!

Until next time! XoXoXo