Mommy Musings

I'm sure you've all heard the exciting news that Kate Middleton is expecting! {don't stop reading..I promise there is more to this post than celebrity gossip} I totally called it two weeks ago, thank you very much .  It's in her face, it looks different.  Which also means she's having a girl, I'm calling it now .  Anyway, tainting the excitement is the fact that Kate has been hospitalized due to Hyperemesis gravidarum, which is a form of morning sickness.  It's like morning sickness on steroids .  My heart breaks for the girl, cause I've been there.  Twice .  It's not something I would wish on my worst enemy. But the bonus to the princess having it?  There will finally be more awareness, something I think is important.  If you suffer from hyperemesis, you're not just complaining more.  It's not that you just can't handle pregnancy like everyone else.  It's debilitating .  I shared a bit about my experience on a pr...

They say that when you get pregnant, you shouldn't stress too much about the weight...the saying goes 'Nine months up, nine months down.'  The theory is that it takes a long time to put the weigh on, so it's going to take at least just as long for it to come off.  This was the mantra I kept repeating to myself when I was pregnant with Little M.  Those 35 lbs hadn't appeared over-night so I know they weren't going to disappear that quickly either. Now I don't know what it was...maybe it was the 4 1/2 months of breastfeeding...maybe it was all the naps I took while pregnant...maybe it was the fact I hadn't found that cupcake place near me yet...but for whatever reason 6 weeks after Little M was born I had lost every single pound.  I had a little more toning to do still, but I would have happily rocked a bikini....at six weeks post-partum....without my own personal trainer!  {please don't stop reading and hate me yet....we haven't gotten to baby #2 ...

In case you missed it last week, I just wanted to repost on here the guest post I wrote for Britt last week. I know a lot of you are pregnant with baby #2 right now and thought this would help! I became a mommy on November 29, 2008 when my Little M was born. I felt like she was such a relaxed baby and really helped ease me into my new role of motherhood.  Then in October 2010 I found out I was expecting again!  We were over the moon excited, but as my due date drew nearer, I was definitely filled with some nervous anticipation.  How was I going to be able to handle not one, but two sweet little girls??  Baby C was born on June 15, 2011, and ready or not my life was about to totally change. I could probably write a whole novel talking about what life is like having more than one kid, but I will try and condense it into some bullet points for all of you! 1. SLEEP NOW is my first piece of advice.  Little M was a dream when she was a baby and started sleeping throu...

 I really meant to write up Baby C's birth story within the first week of her life, and when that didn't happen I was sure I would get it written and posted on her one month birthday...and now here we are just a few days after she turned six months old!.....oh well, better late than never right! Anyways, let me start off by saying that as far as labor and deliveries go, this was a very pleasant experience over all, well as pleasant as pushing an 8 lb baby through your lady bits can be.  I was really nervous about having an induction, but a lot of the stories you all shared with me really helped! I figured I would just leave it all in God's hands and we would see what happened. I went for my final doctor's appointment on Tuesday June 14th.  I was 39 weeks 1 day.  My body had not made much progress at all from the week before, but my doctor felt pretty confident that it would be a successful induction and would not need a C Section.  She t...

I was only doing these updates on the even weeks, but since I won't be pregnant anymore next week {yay!} I figured I'd do one last one! How far along - 39 weeks Maternity clothes - I have like 3 things I can wear still.  I cannot WAIT to be able to wear some of my old clothes again! Stretch marks - Some on my hips and thighs....just mean that I made it this far and then they started popping up Belly button - Definitely out Sleep - Still loving sleep.  I can drift off just fine, but it's really hard to get up EVERY HOUR to go to the bathroom still.  Best moment this week - Doctor appointment last week when my doc said we could induce on Wednesday!!! Foods I'm loving - Candy, some chocolate, and all carbs Foods I'm hating - Chicken is still iffy. I can't eat a lot at one sitting....stretches my stomach out way too much Movement - Still consistent but much less than before. New Baby has definitely run out of room. Symptoms - Still nauseous {ARGH!!!}, back pain, hip...

I finally have an end in sight.  An actual day New Baby will make its appearance.  The countdown can begin for real.  Along with my doctor, I came up with an eviction notice for New Baby.  He or she will be induced into making their appearance THIS WEDNESDAY June 15th!!!  It is only five days earlier than my due date, and since I have been so sick this pregnancy, my doctor felt it was time to get this baby out sooner than later.  And I am more than happy to oblige!! I feel very at peace with this decision.  I feel such a sense of relief that it will all be over soon. {and that I won't actually be pregnant or nauseous forever!}  I love knowing exactly when I need to go into the hospital so I can finish getting some last minute things done and we can plan for someone to watch Little M.  I have been trying to prep her as well, though I'm not sure she really gets it all.  It is nice that I'm not just sitting around d...

How far along - 38 weeks Maternity clothes - As of this morning NONE OF MY CLOTHES FIT, not regular clothes, not maternity clothes NOTHING Weight gain - Not weighing myself anymore.  Somewhere between 35 and 40 lbs. Stretch marks - Some on my hips and thighs....just mean that I made it this far and then they started popping up Belly button - Definitely out Sleep - Still my favorite part of the day. It is nearly impossible to get up once I'm laying down though, which makes my 4857092873598327 trips to the bathroom every night super fun. Best moment this week - Doctor appointment last week.  She said I was already 1 cm dialated and 70% effaced.  Baby is head down and engaged.  Yay for progress!! Foods I'm loving - Candy, some chocolate, and all carbs Foods I'm hating - Chicken is still iffy.  I can't eat a lot at one sitting....stretches my stomach out way too much Movement - Still consistent but much less than before. New Baby has definitely run out of room. Symp...

How far along - 36 weeks Maternity clothes - Well since it's been raining almost every day for about three weeks with no end in sight, I spend most days in my jammies...cuz why not Weight gain - I was at 37 lbs the other day...hopefully that's as high as it goes! Stretch marks - Okay, how is far that I went 35 WEEKS without a single one, and now they are popping up like crazy?!?!  Thankfully none on my stomach yet...still holding on to my bikini dreams for next summer! Belly button - Definitely out Sleep - Still my favorite part of the day.  It is nearly impossible to get up once I'm laying down though, which makes my 4857092873598327 trips to the bathroom every night super fun. Best moment this week - Realizing I officially have less than a month to go....WAHOO!!! Foods I'm loving - Candy, some chocolate, and all carbs Foods I'm hating - Anything healthy, haha {wish I was joking} Also, I can only eat small meals and drink little bits at a time.  Anything more than ...

34 weeks with Little M   34 weeks with New Baby 

How far along - 34 weeks Maternity clothes - I get a little depressed every morning when I have to find something to wear....maternity or not I am growing out of all my clothes.  Who wants to start a nudist colony with me?!? Weight gain - I refuse to weigh myself anymore.  I've already hit 35lbs up from pre-pregnancy and don't care to see the number go up anymore. Stretch marks - None, praise the Lord Belly button - Definitely out Sleep - All I want to do.  Thankfully I'm most comfortable when I sleep so I try and do it as much as possible. Best moment this week - Mother's Day....reminds me that all of this is worth it.  Foods I'm loving - Candy, some chocolate, and all carbs Foods I'm hating - Anything healthy, haha {wish I was joking} Movement - Slowing down a little since I think New Baby is running out of room.  More rolls than punches and kicks these days. Symptoms - Still nauseous, back pain, hip pain, stuffy nose, swelling, headaches, exhaustion Gender - ...

How far along - 32 weeks Maternity clothes - Yes, with some regular clothes mixed in.  I was able to wear a junior's maxi dress from Kohl's yesterday for Easter! Weight gain - 35 lbs....would love for it to stop here! Stretch marks - Thankfully none Belly button - a tiny bit out Sleep - I loooooooove sleeping.  Still getting up a TON in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom though...it will probably be years before I know what it's like to sleep through the night again! Best moment this week - It is *finally* getting warmer out there..bring on the summer heat! Foods I'm loving - Depends on the day.  I'm actually getting way more nauseous than I was {if you can believe that} so it all depends on how I'm feeling that day.  Can always eat candy and bagels though {hence the 35 lbs weight gain} Foods I'm hating - Again, depends on the day.  I rarely want meat of any kind, or veggies.  Movement - All the time.  That is the one thing ab...

Whoops....I really didn't mean to go a whole week without blogging even once!  I've been suffering a bit because my nausea is actually getting worse, not better, the past few weeks and I've pretty much just been crashing on the couch as soon as Little M goes to bed.  Some days I'm not sure how I'm going to make it for another eight weeks, but we're powering on through. Anyways, last night was a pretty fun night around here....Little M got to dye Easter eggs for the very first time!  Skip and I have done it ouselves the past two years since she was really too little to help.  But with a step stool bringing her up to counter height, she was more than ready to help this year! We just used a store-bought dying kit {okay Dollar Tree bought if we're being honest} and I grabbed some stickers we had lying around already.  Little M had such a great time doing it and I know the eggs will look fabulous as our table centerpiece tomorrow! All ready to start Yay for colo...

How far along - 30 weeks Maternity clothes - Bottoms are all maternity except for some yoga pants and sweatpants...most tops are non maternity, though I am LOVING my Old Navy nursing tanks! Don't know why I didn't buy them with Little M. They are so long and great for layering! Weight gain - Around 32 lbs....so much for only putting on 30 lbs this pregnancy Stretch marks - none thank the Lord! I'm determined to still be able to wear a bikini again! Belly button - All flat, sometimes popping out Sleep - I can never get enough.  We go to bed pretty early these days and I still have to nap every day. Best moment this week - Movement - All the time and crazy!  Sometimes it really hurts Foods I'm loving - Most anything, especially candy bars, pizza, and bagels Foods I'm hating - Not much more than usual Symptoms - Nausea, nesting, out of breath, exhaustion, heartburn like crazy Gender - Skip and I know, but we're keeping it a secret! What I'm looking forward to -...

One of the reasons I loved our house so much when we bought it was the fact that it has both a living room and a sun room.  They are separate rooms, but attached with a giant opening between them.  Since the ceiling in our basement is too low to ever be able to finish off the space, I was excited to have another family-type room.  However, I never seemed to get the right configuration of these two rooms.  I'm pretty sure I have changed them around about 46 times since we moved in three years ago!  But after last week's latest arrangement, I think I finally found the perfect set up! First, here are some pictures of the rooms when we first moved in.  The fireplace in the living room Empty living room Sun room Larger view of sun room Originally I made the sun room into our family room and kept the living room as a more formal space.  However, I didn't like that we hardly ever used the formal living room, and the family room {where we were entertaining gue...