Thirteen Weeks

 

How far along: 13 weeks 5 days

Gender Prediction: Well we were supposed to find out the gender yesterday, but it turns out that my NIPT was never ordered! Sad day! So, now I think we might just wait a couple weeks and go have a gender reveal ultrasound done.

Weight gain: Still negative 4 pounds from where I started.

Maternity clothes: Broke out some of my maternity tops so I can enjoy them before the weather cools off! So comfy!

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: In

Sleep: So much better with my new pregnancy pillow! I will be sure to add it to my second trimester favorites post when I write it!

Best moment this week:Seeing sweet baby at my NT scan! He or she is so adorable and measuring 3 inches head to rump!

Worst moment this week: Still some hematoma bleeding...I'm just ready for it to heal up completely and be done.

Miss anything: My old energy level...I literally cannot even keep up with Baylee or cleaning my house these days!

Movement: I think so, but I'm still not positive! I've been feeling a little fishy here and there so I think it might be the baby :)

Cravings: Milkshakes...all day every day, frosted mini wheats, pringles, and french toast.

Anything make you queasy or sick: Nothing really! Now I'm just making myself have stomach aches from eating too much or too many different things!

Looking forward to: Second trimester starts Saturday! Woohoo!

 

 

Little babe at 13w3d

 

Until next time! XoXoXo

Adventures With the Threenager

When Baylee first turned two, I used to giggle at the "threenager" posts I saw on Pinterest and in my mommy Facebook groups. Surely there was no way that any age could be worse than the terrible twos? But like many things in my parenting adventure, I was wrong to think this, oh, so wrong. In comparison, two was safe, two was easy, three is a force to be reckoned with filled with sass and back talk. 

Don't get me wrong, I love my crazy girl with every fiber of my being, but this new side of her has me wondering at times if the squishy baby pictures I have are actually the same child. :) One day she woke up full of opinions and defiance, and I just wasn't ready. 

Three can catch you off guard, especially the first time your child yells "No, Mommy! I don't want to!" in your face, or in Baylee's case, says "Mommy, can you just leave me alone?!" (WTH? You're 3!) And your first thought will immediately be "What did I do wrong these past few years to make you act like a beast?!" Well, after talking to many mommy friends and staying up late googling "why won't my three year old behave", I have come to the conclusion that not only are we not alone in this, but it's completely natural.

That doesn't go to say that it shouldn't be corrected, however, and there are many creative ways to deal with this new form of toddler tornado. It's all just a matter of figuring out what your kiddo responds best to.

 To be honest, Baylee's "threenagerness" came fast and hard. We changed her over to a big girl bed from her crib just before her 3rd birthday, and a lot of our problems so far have revolved around trying to get her to stay in her bed at her bedtime. We saw a whole other side of our sweet baby with her crying, screaming at us, and even kicking her wall! Once she finally submitted and went to sleep (usually 2 hours later) Brian and I would both flop in bed sighing and feeling defeated. We struggled like this for a few weeks, and after talking about it numerous times, we began to realize that by yelling at her and taking toys and privileges away right before bed we were just adding to her chaos. (And she started being really crabby from sleeping like crap...it was obviously not good for any of us.) So, that's when I started doing some research about how to get us functioning in a way more peaceful matter.

 We tried the "no looking, no talking, just walk her back to bed" technique, but that quickly became a game to her. After the 11th time walking her back to her bed we realized this technique wasn't our winner. (But it apparently works for a lot of people!) The next day, I was inspired after realizing how easily I could get Baylee to listen if there was a "goal" at the end. ("Pick up your toys, and I'll let you watch a movie.") So, I talked to Brian about it and together we made a sticker chart for her. Every night that she stays in her bed without a fuss, she gets to put a sticker on her board. Once the whole board is full, then we will go to Toys'R'Us to pick out a new toy for her as her reward for finally learning to stay in her bed. It hasn't been a 100% change, and there are still nights that she gets no sticker, but in all the chart has made a huge difference in her behavior at night! All we have to do now is remind her "Don't you want to put a sticker on your board tomorrow?" and she usually starts to listen. In conclusion, my girl is all about positive reinforcement, so I'm trying hard to remember that in my daily parenting. :)

As far as the day-to-day goes, we are still learning how to best deal with this challenging age, but also taking time to enjoy it. The silly and fun moments outweigh the crazy outbursts 10 to 1 and for that I am grateful! Truthfully, as crazy as it can get sometimes, this is by far my favorite age yet. I love having conversations with my little girlfriend about all her likes and dislikes, and she loves telling me stories about her toys and the things they want to do. I enjoy her company and getting to know her little personality so much, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

That being said, is it true that 4 is a littler easier?! Haha.

Any advice for surviving the threenager?! ;)

Until next time! XoXoXo 

Twelve Weeks

 

How far along: 12 weeks 5 days

Gender Prediction: I'm still having boy vibes, but who knows? We should be able to find out next week!

Weight gain: Still haven't gained back all the weight I lost from having morning sickness, but I will soon judging from the amount of ice cream and shakes I've been enjoying. (No regrets.)

Maternity clothes: Just maternity shorts and yoga pants these days.

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: In

Sleep: Still peeing multiple times a night, but sleeping great other than that! I'm supposed to be getting a pregnancy pillow from Amazon today, so I'm really excited!

Best moment this week: My strawberry shake from Sonic. It was life changing.

Worst moment this week: I'm still having some spotting and issues with my hematoma. I know everything is fine, but it freaks me out.

Miss anything: I have been wanting an turkey sandwich like crazy!

Movement: Possible, but still too tiny for me to really tell. Baby is about the size of a key lime!

Cravings: Apples with peanut butter, milkshakes, ice cream, and frosted mini wheats cereal.

Anything make you queasy or sick: Still not a huge fan of red meat, and sometimes cooking food kind of turns my stomach, but other than that I've been feeling 1,000 times better!

Looking forward to: Seeing the little nugget at my NT scan on Tuesday, and finding out the gender!

Until next time! XoXoXo

 

Spell My Name, Spell My Name

One of the most important things that we are working on with Baylee during her first year in preschool is learning how to spell her name! (And, yes, my inner 90's kid totally made a Destiny's Child reference in the title of this post. Ha.) Her teacher has started working with all the kids in her class, but I thought it would be helpful to do some lessons at home as well. While perusing Instagram and Pinterest for ideas, I came across This & That Etc.

This & That Etc. is the cutest small shop run by a husband and wife team who make the neatest wooden puzzles, including custom name puzzles! My girl adores putting puzzles back together, so I knew this would be a great way to get her spelling her name that she would think was so fun. They were kind enough to send us a puzzle to try out, and I can't even begin to tell you how impressed I am!

All of their puzzles are made super high quality with so much attention to detail. Along with being a toy and learning tool that Baylee has been loving to play with, it is also so aesthetically pleasing to have out on the coffee table or displayed on a shelf while not being used. In a house where we are so completely over having her toys everywhere, it's so nice to have a toy lying around that completely goes with our decor. :) 

 

 

We have had our custom name puzzle for almost a week now, and Baylee is already doing a great job learning how to spell her name with it! She loves to put the letters in their spots and tells me one by one the name of each letter. I know, before long, she will be able to recognize her name when it's written anywhere, and eventually be able to spell it from memory!

 

Along with custom name puzzles, This & That Etc. also has ABC puzzles, United States Map puzzles, the cutest TicTacToe sets (including Disney!), as well as a plethora of other products with new designs coming out all the time! (I heard rumors of Halloween designs! So excited!) For a limited time, This & That Etc. has been kind enough to offer my loyal readers a discount using the code ASHLEE15, but hurry because this offer will expire on September 4th, 2017! I promise you won't be disappointed with your purchase, and now is the perfect time to get one and stash it away for Christmas! Don't tell Baylee, but Santa is totally bringing her a Mickey & Minnie TicTacToe set! ;)

Until next time! XoXoXo 

 

 

Eleven Weeks

 

How far along: 11 weeks 3 days

Gender Prediction: I'm very much thinking it's a boy, but I would be stoked either way! We should get to find out with a blood test in just a few weeks! :)

Weight gain: Gained a pound back from what I lost, so I have 4 more to go and I'm back at pre-baby weight

Maternity clothes: Just shorts, but I've also been bumming around in my Lululemon yoga pants and they are just making my life so happy!

Stretch marks: Nope

Belly button in or out: In

Sleep: Sleeping mostly well with bouts of insomnia. I have to take a mid-day nap every day or else I'm useless in the evening.

Best moment this week: Everything went wonderfully at our OB appointment! We got to see the little nugget jumping around like a froggy on the ultrasound.

Worst moment this week: I thought my nausea was easing up a bit, and then this weekend it hit me again hard. Relief is on the way, but not quite yet.

Miss anything: Just not wanting to puke all the time! :) LoL

Movement: Possible tiny "bubbly" movements but I still really can't tell.

Cravings: Fruit, Naked Juice, cereal, and pasta...oh, and I still can't shake the Chick-fil-a chicken salad sandwich obsession.

Anything make you queasy or sick: I'm queasy when I'm hungry, okay while I'm eating, and then queasy again after I eat...it's a vicious cycle.

Looking forward to: Second trimester is just around the corner! :)

Until next time! XoXoXo

Back to School, Back to School!

Well, I guess for Baylee it's not really "back to school", because Thursday was her first day ever! We thought long and hard about whether or not to send her to preschool yet, but in the end we decided that she definitely needs the socialization with other kids her age. She has zero separation anxiety, so we knew when the day came it would be harder on us than it would be on her. ;)

I searched all over for the best preschool to send her to, and finally found one that happens to be very close to home. I decided on two half days a week to ease both her and I in, and I think it will turn out to be the perfect amount of time. We signed her up back in May, so we spent the last 3 months telling her what school will be like and getting her completely pumped for it!

On Thursday morning we told her "It's finally the first day of school!" and I have never seen the kid so excited! She's normally a sloth getting ready to go anywhere, but she ate her breakfast at a normal human rate (ha!) and then ran around with me excitedly getting dressed for the day. We even had enough time to do a little photo shoot before it was time to go!

 

We got to the school and met her teacher, and Baylee was all smiles being surrounded by so many kids and toys. We found her cubby and put her things in it. I gave her a hug and a kiss goodbye, and then she walked into her classroom without so much as glancing behind her. She was so ready. I was great until we got to the car and her Disney Princess CD started playing and then the tears began. It was SO hard leaving my girl with people who were not family, and I kept thinking about whether or not she was okay and having fun.

 

Noon could not come fast enough! I couldn't wait to rush down to the school to pick her up and hear all about her day! She said that she had so much fun and made new friends, but that she didn't remember their names. She played on the playground, colored, read books, played with the doctor kit, and learned about numbers in circle time. I was actually shocked that she remembered so much about her day! It was so adorable, and she told me she can't wait to go back! :)

 

I can't believe my baby is a big preschooler!

Until next time! XoXoXo

 

 

Ten Weeks

How far along: 10 weeks 3 days

Gender Prediction: I have no clue lol but right now I'm 60 boy/ 40 girl 

Weight gain: I'm staying steady at losing 5 pounds, which is good because even though I haven't gained I also haven't lost more!

Maternity clothes: Broke out the maternity shorts this week because it's just more comfortable with my pooch, but I think I'll be able to wear my regular shirts for a while longer.

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: In

Sleep: Sleeping good, but light. Eeeevery little thing is waking me up. (Peeing 5,000 times a night lol)

Best moment this week: Finally started talking baby names with Brian! :)

Worst moment this week: Mostly every evening the nausea gets really bad. I'm going to try to get through this week and then ask my OBGYN about Diclegis on Friday if I'm still not feeling well.

Miss anything: Being able to eat any food when it sounds good.

Movement: Still too tiny! Baby is about the size of a green olive!

Cravings: Mostly fruit, carbs, and salad. I want chicken salad sandwiches from Chick-fil-A 24/7 and I had some corn bread for dinner the other night and it was pretty life changing.:)

Anything make you queasy or sick: Red meat is grossing me out pretty bad and I can't really eat any vegetables either.

Looking forward to: My first OBGYN appointment on Friday! I've missed her so much!

Until next time! XoXoXo

First Trimester Essentials

 

I have about 3 weeks left in my first trimester, and I am so excited to kiss it goodbye and welcome all the fun of trimester two! (Baby kicks, finding out the gender, having a real bump and not a "wow did you just eat a big meal?" bloat bump!) For some women, the first trimester is a breeze, but if you're anything like me, the evil morning sickness attacks with a vengeance around week 6 and it feels like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Well, I'm so thankful that this is my second pregnancy, because I can testify that there is, in fact, a light at the end of the tunnel, and sweet sweet relief should be just around the corner! (Unless you're one of my poor HG suffering mamas, which in that case my heart aches for you, and I send all the prayers and love...you are wonder women!)

Here is a list of my favorite things that have made my first trimester a little more bearable so far:

1. Pink Stork Tea This was recommended to me by a couple of mamas on my Instagram, and boy am I glad I took their advice! If you're not a big ginger fan, the taste is a bit strong at first, but I definitely acquired a taste for it. It helps to drink a cup either before or right after a meal, and each tea bag can be used for up to 3 cups of tea!

2. Target Prenatal Vitamins There are a lot of different brands of prenatal vitamins out there, but I have found that for me, the Target brand ones work best. Make sure you get the kind with DHA for baby's little developing brain! I find that taking the pills right before bed helps them to not upset my stomach.

3. Lemon Essential Oil This is another trick I learned from a mama friend! When I start feeling nauseous, I put a drop of lemon essential oil on each wrist and smell it. The citrus scent really helps ease it for a little while and it lasts for a few hours.  

4. Bellabands This is the time when the pooch begins for some women, especially if it's not your first baby! I stopped being able to button my shorts at 7 weeks, so using my Bellabands has helped them last a little bit longer. I recently broke out my old maternity shorts, though! Haha

5. Contigo Water Bottle My Contigo goes absolutely everywhere with me! When I found out I was pregnant, I went out and got a 32 ounce one, because I knew it would help me to up my water intake! Right now, I'm up to 64 ounces a day. 

6. La Croix These are definitely one of those products where you either love it or you hate it, but I'm happy to say that I love La Croix. It is fruity flavored sparkling water, and the carbonation definitely helps settle my stomach after a meal. They come in all kinds of flavors but my favorites are pineapple/strawberry, lemon/lime, orange, and cherry/lime.

7. Saltine Crackers We all know that saltines help settle an upset stomach, and morning sickness is no exception. I keep a baggie of these crackers in my purse at all times just in case I need something in my stomach.

8. Palmer's Vitamin E Oil I swear by this stuff for life! I know stretch marks are mostly genetic, but I put this on every single day with Baylee and didn't end up with even one. The key for me was to start applying as early in the pregnancy as possible. It doesn't help everyone, but it's definitely worth trying!

What are your favorite first trimester products? Let me know in the comments! I'll just be over here drinking my tea. ;)

 

Until next time! XoXoXo