Pregnancy Update

Wow, time flies when you're having fun. Or when you are sleeping by 9pm every night.

I completely failed on this pregnancy update thing. I am currently 27 weeks......the last time I posted, I was 16 weeks.....How does 11 weeks go by and you don't even realize it? I should take this as a good thing. My pregnancy is flying by....did you know it's October tomorrow?! Not sure how that happened either.

Here are the details:
How Far along: 16 Weeks 4 days

Due Date: December 28th and i'm sticking to it.....I suppose I can deal with this date, it's in between two major holidays, poor guy.

Symptoms: Still tired. I haven't had any surges of energy this time around. I am going to contribute this to a 5 year old that started kindergarten (which takes more brain power and memory than I have the capacity for lately, you should see the calendar in my phone, with reminder alarms, it's embarassing), and working full-time whilst trying to keep this house up, I get tired even typing this.

Cravings: I haven't really had specific cravings. I do get ideas in my head of things I need RIGHT NOW, but it's not consistent.

Sleep: It's alright. I've had some random early wake-ups that require me to do some reading to "hopefully" fall back asleep.

Things I'm missing: This answer will remain beer.

Movement: Oh yes, my boy moves way more than my girl. He especially likes to go crazy in the evenings, but he also likes to throw little parties after lunch.

Gender: omg....never announced this either....if you haven't noticed what gender I have been referring to, it's a BOY :).


I have been taking some pictures on my phone.....some, and I have realized how much I love black. Seriously, get a new color Desi.

22 weeks

24 weeks

25 weeks

16 Weeks

How Far along: 16 Weeks 4 days

Due Date: Still between Dec. 24-28th.....I will most likely have a better idea August 1st, which is the BIG ultrasound.

Symptoms: I've been tired....Pat has been away for work all week and I've reached my limit. The cherry on top was a tantrum @ soccer tonight and a nice knee to the face when trying to get her in the bath....which caused a almost crying parent moment, but we pulled through and she was sleeping 2 minutes after hitting her pillow.

Cravings: Meh. Nothing. I still need to be better about cooking....maybe some meal planning this weekend? If I don't have a plan I will not be successful during the week. AND even though I know this....I still slack in this department.

Sleep: Great. No complaints....I read every night and have been falling asleep with my kindle still open next to me.

Things I'm missing: Still beer......it was a hot week. Energy would be good....still waiting to get more of that. I'm really exhausted by the end of my work day and that is where the not making dinner thing is stemming from. I have a much bigger house to clean nowadays and I am also struggling with this.

Movement: no traditional flutters and what not, but this little girl/guy likes to hang out in the lower right quadrant of my belly...where I can see a little bulge when "it's" hanging out down there.

Gender: August 1st. Super pumped because Dani will be in town and gets to come to my ultrasound also!

I'm Back

I'm just going to cut to the chase....this happened.

And, in all fairness, I feel the need to document the baking and life of this small nugget, as I did the same for his/her sister. So with that, I've found the motivation to come back to blogging. Life is changing and a lot has been going on in these parts, but I will start out with a fun pregnancy survey and more updates on life will come shortly.

How Far along: I am 14 weeks today.

Due Date: Ummm....anywhere from December 24-28th (poor planning) and surprisingly I've been very laid back about the whole, every time I go to a different appointment/ultrasound, my due date changes. I'm sure when Christmas comes around I won't be so la-dee-da about the whole "when is this baby coming" thing, but for now, this is ok.

Symptoms: Today? none really....but I was extremely sick for the first few months. I've been feeling great for the last 3 weeks. This was new, as I got sick when pregnant with Liv, once....and that was it. This time was a mix of puking each morning from brushing my teeth to drinking carbonated beverages at night to make it to 8 o'clock for bedtime. 8 o'clock is being generous.....sometimes 7:30 was my limit.

Cravings: Like last time, sugary drinks are on the top of my list. Also, baked potatoes with sour cream?? Well any kind of potatoes have been calling to me. On the other hand, I have been completely turned off by chicken....I need to learn my lesson on this one, as I keep ordering chicken on salads and such and then not eating it. I've also been pushing myself to eat breakfast, as I usually don't make the time to do so....but it's obviously a must when pregnant, so I've been making sure to do that.

Sleep: Pretty decent. No complaints. I've been having a lot of early bedtimes and that's key for me to not start feeling nauseous in the morning.

Things I'm missing: Well, not going to lie, I would have really liked to have enjoyed a beer with dinner on Saturday night....but I had a virgin caesar and that will have to do :). Also, having deli turkey? I didn't miss this my last pregnancy, but because I wasn't feeling well, I wasn't doing as much cooking and was struggling with ideas for work lunches.

Movement: None

Gender: I have an idea.....but I will wait for confirmation.

So, I came back to my blog with a bang, and I'll be back soon.

Christmas 2012

It seems fitting that I'm writing about Christmas on New Years Day, because my last post was in October.

Maybe one of my New Years Resolutions should be to keep this space updated a little more. I love looking back and I really need to make it more of a priority...especially since we plan on expanding our family at some point (2013?).

Christmas was a whirlwind. I had to work Christmas Eve, but we started celebrating that night. In fact, Liv was so tired that mama woke up at 6am and waited around for 2 hours until Liv and Daddy woke up! It was nice to relax and talk with my mom and sister before the gift opening started.

We skyped with my mom while we opened present. Liv was so excited and actually kept up a decent pace of opening present. I have to say three is the best year yet for Christmas. Liv understood what was going on and really enjoyed herself. We had so much fun with her.

I got Pat a few gifts, one being a wedding band. He hasn't worn one since we got married, so it might take some adjusting. He keeps taking it off because it's a bit big....I told him that I don't think he knows how this wedding band thing works :).

Pat outdid me, of course. He bought me a car! I needed one, but was pleasantly surprised that he went to the trouble of picking it out and purchasing it without my help. It's a 2012 Ford Fusion and I've never driven a car this new so it makes me a bit nervous, but it's also really nice!

I have an overload of pictures...my family can stop complaining about my slacking...for awhile anyways.

Liv at my work Christmas Party

Liv's Christmas Concert

They sang "Happy Snowflake to you" and blew their handmade snowflakes at the end :)

Christmas Eve Family Party....Liv work those reindeer ears all day.

Christmas Morning!

Bringing Daddy his presents....Lily hoping that there is something for her in there!

Mean Old Auntie making Jaxon try on a princess dress :).

Sweet and Sour

Hello Strangers. Between working, raising a crazy 3 year old, and the husband's random trips out of town....I have seriously put updating my blog on the back burner. I was a little upset with myself when I realized that I didn't even post about Liv's 3rd birthday. It's funny how I used to celebrate monthly on the blog, so I am going to start off writing again with a post about Liv and what she's up to.

Liv being a "spirited" child still holds true. She challenges me every day. With her challenges and the ferocity that she holds her ideas with, she also loves me with. Sometimes I call her my little sour patch kid...sometimes she's sweet and sometimes she's sour, but when she's sweet it wipes away all the sour things she does....I also happen to enjoy sour candies :).

She still loves "school" and it's great to see her making friends. When she started daycare she didn't really have much interest in the other kids. Fast forward to her moving into the "big kids" classroom and she "talks" to her friends all the time...in the bathtub, at bedtime....she loves pretending they are standing right next to her.

She has also found a shyness that really surprises me. Maybe it comes with age and knowing what is appropriate and not appropriate, but if she is introduced into a setting where there is new people or things, she needs some time to warm up. It doesn't usually take long and I won't complain about the snuggles I receive while she warms up.

Her teachers at school continue to surprise me with their updates. They have been known to tell me that Liv is very gentle with others, cooperative, and a "neat" eater. I would love to see Liv display some of this at home, but I guess if I have to take one or the other, I'll take her behaving at school.

We just celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving and are getting ready for the approaching American Thanksgiving. Dani is coming to visit and will be here to celebrate with us. Liv is very excited and god forbid Auntie Dani goes to visit my mom, because the sheer mention of Auntie Dani seeing someone else besides her brings her to tears.

I have a few pictures to share and I will try to be a little more diligent about my updates.

See. Sour.

Sweet?

Tickle Torture has been known to bring out the sweet....

Success!

And then it's mama's turn to bring the Sour.

Liv's Room Re-Do

My goal when Liv was in Michigan was to plan her 3rd birthday party and re-decorate her bedroom. I had bought most of the furniture for Liv's room from Value Village and it didn't all go together. I love Value Village, but I wanted it to be a bit more cohesive and organized.

I bought most of the new things for Liv's room at Ikea. I looked a lot online and planned what I was going to buy before I went. I tend to walk around in a daze when I'm at Ikea, so I needed a plan.

It doesn't necessarily have a theme. I wanted it to be a bit whimsical and girly, but still look like it was a little girl's room.

Here's how it turned out.

I really liked moving this dresser, which was a value village find and could use a re-paint, to the end of Liv's bed. The thing I love most about it is the shelves on both sides of the drawers.

This picture wall has always been there....I missed a picture of the floor poof I made awhile back. I will have to take another picture.

very busy on top of that dresser...

I'm finally not ashamed to show Liv's closet!! I did some major organizing and moved this storage bin in the closet and it really helped. Also the shoe organizer was a life safer.

Debris

Debris - the remains of anything broken down or destroyed; ruins; rubble.

There are moments that literally stop me cold and I get lost in a thought or a moment of what used to be. I'm sometimes successful at pulling myself out of the rubble and other times it takes me awhile longer to climb out.

These moments could be brought on by a song on the radio. Or by a bad day/week/month and thinking and over-thinking it because that's what I do. They are brought on with my interactions with friends, family, and Liv.

It can start out as a memory...a great memory with Shannon, that I think about so hard and in that moment, I really think if I pick up my phone and call her...she will answer.

Or it can be something that I'm dealing with and I wonder what she would think about how I responded  to the situation and what she thought I should do.

It's a strange thing to deal with...all the debris that is left over after the death of somebody who meant so much to you. I'm not the only person that is damaged and in need of repair. I find comfort with some people and lose it with others. It's not that I judge the way they deal...I just can't cope that way and therefore remove myself from the hurt.

Everyone deals with death differently. There is no right or wrong, no black or white solution...there is just pure survival.

The funny thing about debris is that it inflicts a lot of pain. There was a lot of damage done and many scars that are so fresh it's hard to forget. Denial is a strong tool for survival, but when does it catch up with you? When you leave pain untreated, how long does it take to infect you?

I am by no way saying that I am never happy. I am, and I think about Shannon during good times as well...I would just like to know...When does it get better? I want to be able to reminisce without being swallowed back into the ruins.