38 weeks

I can't believe baby is actually almost here. This pregnancy flew by! I guess we were busy this year :)

Generally I feel about the same. The last few days I actually have been feeling better than the two weeks leading up to Christmas. I guess I'm doing a good job taking it easy, because I have less cramps and Braxton hicks contractions.

The new weird symptom of the week is my incredibly sore hands. Both hands hurt in my joints from the wrist down through my finger tips. They are a little swollen, but the ache pain is worse then the swelling. It wakes me up in the middle if the night and I can't move my fingers. Very strange.

We have officially reached the "baby came come at any minute" and I still don't have a real feeling about the sex or the name.

Things that make me think its a boy...
- I'm carrying all in my belly
- I can picture my life as the mom with boys
- Based on when I conceived, it would be boy
- The wedding ring test said boy

Things that make me think girl...
- my face is breaking out pretty bad
- worse morning sickness in the beginning
- craving sweets, not salts
- when I day dream about meeting the baby it's normally a girl

As of today the name choices are Charlotte, Reagan, Patrick, or Davis. I know it's crazy but we are still playing around with different options.

Tomorrow is the equivalent of when Ryan was born, so it really can be any day. I'm not rushing anything... Babies seem happier when they stay in longer ;)

Technically this is last week. I'll take a new belly picture tonight!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Falling back in love with our home

Over the past year, we have spent many hours dreaming and thinking about all of the great things we will have in our new house.  Oh I can't wait to hang stockings on a fire place... We can get Ryan some bigger new toys since we will have a basement... lets host a big party since we will finally have the space to entertain...etc etc.  Once we made the decision not to move, we had to convince ourselves that we still really do love our home and that it still fits all of our needs!  That's a hard task considering we spent almost a year hating on it.

There are obviously some things we can't change, and that I will continue to be frustrated by (the busy road, small property, lack of basement) but I am really happy with all of the things we have done over the past month to help us fall in love with the house.

1.  Immediately we bought a new stove.  It was the last of our kitchen appliances that needed to be updated and it is wonderful having an oven that takes less than an hour to preheat!

New:

Old:

Also in the kitchen we cleaned out all of the cabinets, consolidated to what we really needed and used, and made more room to work with.  In the process we have created a great "sell at a garage sale" pile in the attic.

2.  Then we moved to the garage and the utility closet.  We only have half of a one car garage (the other half is my salon).  Mike re-organized the garage to make to most storage space as possible for the kitchen/household stuff that we don't use on a daily basis but we don't want to get rid of.  The motivation for this is because we wanted to empty out our utility closet on the first floor so we could use it as a toy closet for the kids. 

Obviously, we can't make our house bigger or add extra rooms... but we really really needed more space for toys and kids things.  By cleaning out the kitchen and garage, Mike was able to totally empty the closet and we can now use it as a toy closet.  This helped soooo much!  We still have all of the big things in the "play area" of our family room, but having a place to hide all of the smaller games, crafts, random toys is a huge help. 

Here is the toy closet after Santa came to help us fill it up:

3.  Home office-  Mike and I both work from home, so having a real home office work area is a must.  We needed to find space for a desk, book shelf, work supplies, two printers, a fax machine, file cabinets... you get the picture.  But the place was for Ryan to move into the old office/guest room, and for the new baby to use the nursery. 

The only option was to move the whole work station into our master bedroom.  I was not happy about it at first, but now that we made the move I actually love the set up.

Old (hard to tell but it was kind of wasted space on the other side of our bed):

New:

Next step with our bedroom is to update the décor... new lamps, duvet cover, wall art. (** We have actually updated this even more, but I can't seem to find the pictures)

4.  Ryan's Big Boy Room-  I guess its a good thing that I painted the guest room with yankee pin stripes and decorated it sports themed, because it made for a very easy transition into a Big Boy bedroom.  We basically ordered the furniture, bedding, curtains, new fan, and a few little extras and it turned out great.  Ryan loves it!  We set up the furniture so that we would have room to keep some toys in there, we are literally out of space in the play room downstairs.





5.  Baby's room-  Once we finished the moving of the office to the bedroom, and Ryan into the new room, the baby's room was pretty simple.  I am waiting until after the baby is born to really decorate (depending on if its a girl or boy), so it was just some fresh bedding, fresh paint, and organizing the infant stuff and its ready for baby to come home. 

6.  Last step will be the back yard.  Mike had a few ideas on how to improve the kid friendly area, created a play zone, without taking away from the entertaining space.  Since we don't have a front yard, or a neighborhood to play in, we both want to back yard to be as useable as possible for young kids!  But one of the huge perks about staying is that we still have our pool :)



In the process of doing all of this, it did happen.... we fell back in love with our home!  It seems comfortable and cozy, not cramped and crowded.  I still have no plans on staying here long term, but for the next couple of years it will be just fine!

House decisions

I should have known when I started blogging about making house decisions that I was getting to attached.  Can you blame me... for 9 months we have been talking about, planning, prepping, and meeting with the builder about our new home... we were in a contract, we had an estimated move in date.  I knew things could change and that there were still some variables that might effect the new home, but I was finally letting myself get excited and imagine life with our growing family in our new home.


Welllllll it happened.  Life came into play and we have to back out of the house.  Its been official for  about 2 weeks now... we told the builder and the lawyer is working on voiding the contract.

If I wrote this post back on Thanksgiving weekend, it would be much more emotional.  When we first really started talking about backing out, I was devastated.  I cried a lot for 3 days.  But I have calmed down and I see the reasons for making this decision, and I know in my heart its the right decision.  So instead of writing about how I "feel", here are the logistics of the decision.

1.  Mike lost his job... even though we know he will get something soon and by April he will be working again (fingers crossed, he has some offers on the table), it is still very scary to make a huge financial investment and decision when Mikes career is not settled.

2.  If Mike gets a new job, we don't know with what company, what he would be making, what area he would be working in... so much unknown..

3.  Our mortgage commitment is technically void because it was given based off Mikes income and history with the old company.

4.  We were at a point where we had to make our next deposit and pay for all of the upgrades we picked out in full.  That would mean putting a good chunk of money into the house, with no guarantees that we would get a new mortgage.  It became a huge risk.

5.  We still didn't sell our home, and we haven't had any offers.  Back in the summer and early fall we felt confident we would sell our home.  But we dropped the price twice, had a lot of people looking, but not one single offer.  If we didn't sell the house we would be faced with another huge decision to make (rent it?  sell to Jerome? back out of the new house?). 

It just hit us that we had a million signs surrounding us and they all pointed to backing out of the new house :(

Once we made the decision, we went right into project mode to do as much as we can to optimize the space in this house.  We moved the office into our master bedroom, set up a big boy room for Ryan in the old office (conveniently already painted in sports colors and pinstripes), we started to set up Ryan's old room as a nursery, we cleaned out closets to have a place for the increased amount of toys and baby gear we have (especially with Santa coming next week), and we pretty much started to clean out every drawer, cabinet, and closet in the whole house to remove clutter and make space.

I'm still sad about...
-Not having the basement
-Not having a bigger property in a bigger neighborhood
-Not having a master bathroom... I can't image sharing our little bathroom with a toddler and an infant
-Not being neighbors with the Eberhardts

Reasons I"m happy about this decision...
-Gives us some financial freedom and flexibility
-We took the house off the market!! Woo Hoo... no more showing it and trying to keep it clean
-We could finally set up the baby things and start settling in
- We will still have the pool this summer!

The slogan of the past few months has been "Everything happens for a reason"  ... and I am totally believing in that.  Things seem to be working themselves out and decisions made on their own... so I am going with the flow and trying to have confidence that its all happening for a reason and it will bring us to where we are suppose to be in the future!

36 Week update

Yep, I"m officially super pregnant.  I went for my 36 week check up, they did the group B strep test, and then a quick check to see if anything was going on.  Dr. was surprised to say that I was 2 cm dilated.  I know you can stay dilated at 1-3 cm for a long time, but my body is giving me plenty of signs to say that things are already starting to happen.  I'm kinda nervous.  I envy first time moms who have no idea what is about to happen when the baby is born.

I stopped working at the office on Friday, and I was supposed to work this week doing hair, but with the doctors advice to relax and get off my feet, I decided it was time to be officially on maternity leave.  I hate cancelling appointments, but I don't think its a good idea to keep working all week.  So its official.  I am on maternity leave!!

Here are a few more happenings :

-I know this is repetitive  but heart burn is my worst enemy right now
-My hips are definitely stretching.  I wake up every morning feeling sore like I had a hard workout the day before
-Lots of cramping and Braxton Hicks contractions, but I don't think any real contractions just yet
-Gained 25 pounds so far
- The swelling has started... by the end of the day I have big feet and hands.  My rings are officially retired til after the baby is born.
-I am done with my Hypnobirthing classes, birth plan is prepared, and I am mentally ready to go
-The girls gave me a surprise Sprinkle last weekend.  It was great to get some time to celebrate the new baby.
- I am in need of a double stroller!  I still think I want a good double, not just the sit and stand kind, but I have to do some research and see what kind of money we want to spend
-The nursery finally got painted yesterday, so I can set up a gray and white neutral  nursery.  I"m not doing anything major right now, I'll wait to meet the baby before really decorating

I'm excited, nervous, anxious... all of the above.  Fingers crossed the baby waits til after Christmas before making its big entrance!

(36 weeks with Ryan on the left, Baby 2 on the right)

Just when we thought things were crazy enough... Surprise!

Life has been unsettled this year... so much up in the air.  I am pregnant and preparing for a new baby, We are trying to buy a new house.  We are having trouble selling our current house.  Its been kind of stressful doing it all at the same time.  Just when we were starting to think we had enough... we got a huge surprise, Mike lost his job.

Long story short, his entire company got laid off about a week before Thanksgiving (when I was about 33 weeks pregnant).  We were expecting some big changes with his company, but we were literally shocked when he was let go.  He has a great reputation with the company, his numbers have been great, and he has had several discussions with management about him training to move up as a manager himself.  But I guess none of that matters when they left go of the entire division of his company.

We went through a roller coaster of emotions.  First was shock and fear... would he lose his benefits right before the baby?  Would he get any kind of severance package?  What happens now?  But then a few days later he got his "package" that explained everything that was going to happy.

There are a lot of great things and opportunities that can come about with this layout, but there are also plenty of really scary parts.

The good news first-  Because they laid off so many people, they have to give a 60 day notice.  That means he stopped working immediately after that phone call, but they company has to pay him until the end of January.  For our particular circumstance, that works well because he will be home around the holidays and home more often when the baby is born.  This is the perfect time for us to have Dad around more often.  We also found out that because he was with the company for so long, we get to keep his health benefits until July.  That takes off some of the pressure because we know the family will have insurance for a while.

The other positive is that I really feel like it will lead to a better long term position for him.  Mike has been extremely loyal to his company for 8 years, and recently they were not offering any opportunities for him to grow.  So this lay off will force him to step outside of his comfort zone and find a new opportunity that will be great for our future! 

Bottom line, its not the worst thing in the world.

The bad news-  For right now we are trying to be super positive.  Things are not bad as long as he gets a new job and has something lined up to start in February.  Of course there is always the chance that  he won't get a job right away, and that will change everything.  But for now... lets think positive... he will get a new job after the New Year and things will be great.

Then there is the car situation.  We lost his company car this morning.  We are officially a 1 car family from now until at least February 1.  I'm a little bit nervous about this, 2 months is a long time to only have 1 car, especially with our crazy schedules.  It doesn't make sense for us to buy a new car in the mean time, because almost all jobs Mike is looking at will also offer a company car.  So for now we wait.  We will take it one week at a time and have to be really really good at planning out our schedules in advance.  Tonight is night #1, Mike is out at a holiday party with the car and Ryan and I are home hoping we have no reason to need to leave.  The next few weeks before I go on maternity leave will be extra interesting.  Wish us luck.

And last but not least... the new house.  This new situation changes everything.  Do we still buy the new house?  Can we even get a mortgage on the house?  What if we don't sell our current house, we definitely can't get a 2nd mortgage now?  What if he finds a new job in a different location?  Ugggghhhh just when I thought this decision and process was hard enough, this bomb shell has put me over the edge!!  We have lots to decide and with my due date quickly approaching and our next payment towards the home right around the corner... we have to decide like right now!

In the meantime.... while we are weighing all of this out... I am trying to work as much as possible.  With Mike being home, I can go into the office more and try to build up my hours before leave.  The days are busy and hectic, but soon enough we will both be home and able to concentrate on the holidays and the new baby.  It is very very strange going to work every day while Mike is home being a "stay at home dad"... not going to lie, I am a bit jealous!

Quick Ryan Post

In the mix of everything going on with the baby, Mike, the new house... I don't want to forget about some Ryan updates!

-We are 99% potty trained.  Day time he is great and rarely ever has an accident (and if he does, its normally just a dribble on his way into the potty), he wakes up dry from his nap, and he has mastered poopy on the potty.  The last step is overnight potty training, but I don't think he is ready for that yet.  So for now its still pull ups at night.

-He is having some 2.5 year old sleep regression.  Getting him to settle at night is hard!  He frequently calls out to us, cries, and does whatever he can to get us to go sit with him.  I think he is going through an "afraid of the dark" phase.  He just seems very unsettled at bedtime. Then once he is finally asleep, he has been waking up a few times a night.  Some time crying because he is scared/nightmare, some times with this awful lingering cough, some times for no reason at all... but he is not sleeping through the night (just what I need with a new baby on the way).

- He has some of the cutest things he says (or at least they are cute to us)
When I ask him what he wants for Christmas he says, "Underpants!"
When he is being silly the answer to every question is "apple juice"
He can quote a silly commercial on Nick Jr. and is always saying "Awkward"
If he doesn't know the answer to a question, he formally says "I do not know!"
He keep saying "ho ho ho, Merry Christmas everyone, Bad boys get nothing"

I am sure there is so much more, but thats what comes to mind.

-I think he is excited about the baby coming.  He is always asking questions, helping us set up, and showing me things that are for the baby.  He also likes to pretend that his Tiger is his new baby.  At night he will sing songs to my belly and give it kisses. 

-We are already enjoying Christmas.  He looks forward to finding Jack the Elf every morning, watching old Christmas movies on TV, playing with his Santa's sleigh toy, and today we got his picture with Santa.  I am looking forward to cutting down and decorating our tree tomorrow and going to Storybook land for the Christmas parade. 

-He is a little fiesty these days, spending a lot of time in time out.  He has a mind of his own and we are frequently in battle... I guess that is just toddlers.

-My favorite time of the day with him is cuddle time in our bed first thing in the morning.  We normally have a few minutes before getting ready for work/school to watch a little TV and cuddle.  I love this time!

Thats it for now, on to some cuteness!

35 weeks prego... what!!

I am officially 35 weeks pregnant today.  I can't believe it.  I am definitely feeling the anxiety and anxiousness of having a baby soon.  Here are some updates...

-I have gained like 23 pounds
-Heartburn is my worst enemy
-The baby is super active and moves all over the place, all of the time
-I am pretty sure the baby is in good position, head down and ready to go
-I am pretty uncomfortable, but that is to be expected.  My hips and low back hurt a lot.  I am grateful for  a good chiropractor and a a good prenatal massage every once in a while
-I feel waves of nausea and exhaustion, but it is not all of the time
-I get up to pee 3-4 times a night
-I feel pretty light headed and see sparkly stars floating around a lot, but I felt that way with Ryan too.  I have to be extra careful with what I eat and drinking plenty of water
-I am still working a lot.  One more week in the office and then one week after that for hair and then I am finally done!!  I am soooooo over it, but circumstances are crazy and I don't get a true maternity leave, so I am trying to work as much as possible.  Hopefully I can get some relax time before the baby is born.
-Baby has the hiccups very often, such a weird feeling
-Hypnobirthing classes and preparation is going well.  I am happy we decided to do this.
-Life has been super crazy the last week weeks... more about that in the next post.  But I am doing well staying calm and going with the flow!



I am starting to get anxious/anxiety about the baby.  Of course I am excited, but I am also well aware of what life is like with a new born.  Ryan gave me such a hard time  as a baby... colic, hours and hours of crying, didn't sleep for months, trouble breastfeeding, eczema, awful cradle cap....he just was not an easy, happy baby by any means.  I know all babies are different, but I"m nervous to start the process again.  I am kind of envious of new moms expecting their first child, because they have no idea whats about the change lol.  Plus its just so hard to believe its actually here... this pregnancy went SOOOO fast.  I have gotten so comfortable with our family of 3, that I can't imagine what life will be like with our new dynamic.

I know these are all normal worries for pregnant moms, but I had to get it off my chest!

Week 33

Week 34