Milestone Baby

These days, there is not much slowing down around here. Our little guy is constantly on the go, and we can barely keep up! Some days, he masters so many new skills that I cannot remember it all. Any other mamas feel like they blink and their newborn is suddenly walking, talking, and doing all of the toddler things?
I will be the first to admit, I am not perfect and miss documenting a lot of these 'little' things. I keep on top of monthly updates through the first year, but the rest of those little milestones? I try my best to commit them to memory, but I often fall short.
Enter Milestone Baby. These amazing little cards really help you to remember and celebrate those little moments that make you smile.
  

 

Not only do these cards highlight your baby's most recent milestone, but the bottom of the card provides space to write down the date! I for one absolutely love having exact dates to reference back to remember these things. I have caught myself looking at the date, wondering what else we had going on that day, what the weather was like, and just what life was like for us when that special little moment occurred.

I have the original baby cards, but there are other options, including a toddler set, and a set to track your pregnancy, too!

I plan to put together our cards into a booklet in the future, and am so glad I will have this detailed keepsake to look back on! Do you have any favorite ways to track your baby's milestones?

 

*this post is sponsored by Milestone Baby. All thoughts and opinions expressed are solely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Stang&Co!

 

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Sound Sleep with Dockatot

I have been pretty open and honest about life since we welcomed our second baby boy back in May. I love my life and my boys, but we had many long and hard days, followed by long and sleepless nights. Not only did Lincoln hate naps, but he also tended to wake up consistently throughout the night. None of us were getting any sleep.

Finally, about two months ago, we decided to pull the trigger on doing some sleep training, and boy oh boy am I glad that we did. In a matter of days, my baby who had never had a night where he didn't wake up fewer than twice was sleeping through the night. All night. Every night. It was absolutely amazing. And despite the difficult moments, it was truly worth every tear and moment of sadness to know that I am now giving my baby the conditions he needs to get solid, sound sleep so that he can fully recharge and continue to grow and thrive.

While we seem to have finally gotten some control over the sleep in our house, one consistent struggle has now become getting Lincoln to nap anywhere besides his crib. With the exception of his pack n' play at grandma's house, he has become pretty particular about where he snoozes. And, he is pretty darn particular about how he drifts off to sleep, too. He really prefers to put himself to sleep most of the time, even if it requires a bit of fussing. No rocking or cuddling for this guy!

I was so excited for the opportunity to have him sleep in a Dockatot.

My very first thought was how perfect this would be when we didn't have access to his crib. I cannot tell you how uneasy it always makes me when we end up having him take a nap on a bed when we are at the homes of others. I had gotten into the habit of stacking about fifty pillows around him and checking on him obsessively to ensure he hadn't rolled to a dangerous spot. Not only do I hate this uneasiness, but trust me when I say that I know that this is incredibly unsafe. Thanks to Dockatot, we can throw it in the car, and when he starts to get sleepy, rather than trying to create a safe sleep space when the conditions just do not lend themselves to be, I can be confident that he is laying in a safe, secure place that will keep him in one spot while he sleeps!

 

Dockatot is not only designed with the comfort of your baby in mind, but their safety as well. The fabric is 100% breathable, which provides so much relief and ease of mind for mamas of young babies. It is also non heat absorbing, meaning regulated temperatures and, again, comfort for baby. It is hypoallergenic, and a great transitional tool for babies moving from cribs to toddler beds. To have found a piece that is 100% safe for my baby, while also providing an environment where he feels comfortable and secure, is such an awesome feeling. He has napped in multiple locations that I would never have been able to get him to remain sleeping had it not been for Dockatot.

The docks come in two sizes, the Deluxe and the Grand. The Deluxe is perfect for newborn-8 months. The Grand is for 9-36 months, great for continuing with babies who have outgrown the Deluxe, or who are ready to transition to a bigger bed by providing extra comfort and security. Lincoln is a big guy, so at 8 months we went right to the Grand, and it is the perfect size for him. Of course, big brother (who is 30 months old) thinks the Dockatot is pretty cool, too, and has stolen it out of his brother's room more than once! It's a total hit in our house, all around!

 

Want $10 off of a Dockatot of your own? Shop with this code, and check out all of their adorable designs.

*This post is sponsored by Dockatot. As always all opinions are solely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Stang&Co.

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Sleep Training Your Infant: Our Baby Wise Experience

A few months ago, we had had enough. Sleep was nothing but a five letter word and had little to no part in my life. While I am not trying to throw myself a pity party (okay, maybe just a little bit), I handle drop-off and pick-up for both of my boys every day due to Mike's crazy work hours, I am still breastfeeding Lincoln and pumping whenever I am away from him, and I work forty hours a week at a job. Oh, and one more thing. At seven months old, Lincoln was still waking up four times every. single. night. I could count on one hand the number of nights that he had been generous and only woken up once, and perhaps on two hands the nights he had stuck to two wakings. On the regular, though, I had been up four times a night, every night, for seven months. While I know I am not the first mama who has gone through this, the icing on the cake is that I have a full time, professional career outside of the house. Everyone was suffering. Mike is up by 4am for work every day, but between both Jackson and Lincoln he very rarely was able to actually sleep until that early alarm went off. I was not exactly pleasant after being up all night and then going to work hoping to do a decent job. I was yawning in people's faces during meetings. I cannot put into words how rude and uncomfortable I felt whenever that happened, but it did happen, and a lot.

Pity party aside, the fact of the matter is that we needed to do something. We never did any sleep training with Jackson, and as a result, we have had battles of epic proportions with our now two year old who is just finally learning to put himself to sleep. We have made some progress, but rules basically have never applied to a bedtime routine with Jackson. And we knew that we did not want to go down that road again with Lincoln. So, we made the decision to cry it out, and loosely follow Baby Wise. We made adaptions and modifications, sure, but for the most part, especially during the first few days, we really did stick to these methods. And wouldn't you know, it worked! It was not the easiest thing we have ever done, but after coming out on the other side, I would truly do it a million times over. While I know experiences are likely different for all babies, I wanted to share what we did, our challenges and successes, and why I would recommend this to any parent in need of a good night's sleep!

1. Have a plan

We agreed on when we were starting. We planned it out. We knew it would likely take a few days of tough love, and with that in mind we started on a Friday night, knowing we would have all weekend to handle it ourselves, and sneak in naps during the days if we ended up staying up all night. I also had to speak with my mom, who watches Lincoln during the week. She is a grandma and, bless her heart, is way softer with my children than I am, and cannot bear to see them cry. But I told her this was non-negotiable. She had to follow what we were doing, or else everything we did that weekend would be a wasted effort. She was on board, and we were ready to communicate regularly on how things went throughout the day and if there were any challenges.

2. Stick to your guns

We were in it for the long haul. On a few occasions with Jackson, we dabbled in letting him cry, and always ended up caving. With Lincoln, we knew the long term consequences of not sticking it out, so we decided that even if it meant a night of screaming from dusk until dawn, we were going to do it. Nothing breaks your mama heart more than hearing your baby cry, but being a mom isn't always an easy job and it requires doing things that we don't want to do!

We set out on our plan on a Friday night, and, as expected, Lincoln screamed his little head off. We would go in to check on him every 5-10 minutes, pat his back to do some slight soothing, and then would leave. To be honest, he seemed to be even more upset after we would go in to soothe him. It felt a bit like we were teasing him, as he would anticipate being picked up, and then he would be disappointed. I hated it.

After about 45 minutes of screaming, Mike mentioned trying to give him a nuk. As a side story, both of my boys declared a hatred for their nuk's around 4-5 months of age. I have never been able to figure out why, but almost do the day, they both figured out we gave it as a means to induce sleep, and both of them were angered by this! However, as we were desperate as the screaming was not quieting at all, Mike suggested to dip the nuk in sugar (dentists and dental hygienists, close your eyes) to see if that would get him to take it. And he did! Once he got over the rage of being offered the nuk and realized there was sugar on it, I couldn't get the darn thing out of his mouth. He sucked for a few minutes, and fell asleep. I felt like I had just won the lottery, he put himself to sleep!

That night, he did wake up around 2am or so. I was told that, while you can go in to soothe during the bedtime routine, in the middle of the night, unless your baby appears to be sick or unsafe, to not go into their room. It creates the expectation that, whenever they wake, you will go in for them. So, we had to listen to him cry. However, it only lasted 15 minutes or so, he put himself back to sleep, and he slept until 7am! I was seriously amazed, and could not believe it.

Later that day, I was dreading naptime because I knew there would be more tears. And you guys, I gave him that pacifier, zipped him up in his sleep sack, laid him down and he put himself to sleep with ten or so minutes of fussing for a two hour nap!! He had been a terrible napper, never giving much more than a half hour or so at time, which made daytime with him almost as difficult as nighttime. I woke him up around the two hour mark, and later in the day he went down without a fight for another two hour nap! Part of Baby Wise is to keep baby on a schedule, so while it went against everything in me to wake a sleeping baby, it really led to providing us with more consistency and predictability as we established a new routine. To say I was feeling like the mom of the year at this point would be quite the understatement.

Saturday night, there were more tears at bedtime, but it was again in that 5-10 minute range, and he put himself to sleep. He woke up crying once during the middle of the night, and was back asleep within minutes. And then Sunday night it happened. We put him down with little to no fuss, and he slept straight through the night, not once did he wake up crying! Since then, we very rarely need to go into his room during the night, and he is sleeping through the night like a champ.

Since tackling sleeping through the night, his daytime schedule really smoothed out as well. It really seems that by fixing his nighttime schedule, his daytimes fell into place beautifully. While he certainly has off days (for example, only sleeping 45 minutes for each nap yesterday), for the most part he takes two solid naps, has a predictable bedtime, and goes down without a fight the majority of the time. Everyone has so much more free time, and it is so amazing to roughly be able to anticipate when he will be due for a nap or bedtime.

Another funny side effect of this process is that he is now IN LOVE with his pacifier. Whether he is sleepy, sick, or happy and playing, his nuk is with him at all times. He loves it, and will grab it and stick it in his mouth whenever he sees it. I do not know how we would have gotten through all of this without the nuk, to be honest. We now lay him down for bed and he rolls right over, snuggles with his nuk (which is attached to a wubbanub bunny) and is so happy to be there. He will wake up in the morning and just babble to himself in his crib. It is so incredible to have broken through that barrier and to have made the crib a place that he enjoys versus fears.

So, of course my conclusion in all of this is that I would sleep train my baby a million times over. It took being a second time mom to do it, because while I hate to see my babies cry, it took a LOT more tears and frustration to get our two year old to sleep well than it did with our infant! We saw such a shift in not only our baby's schedule, but in his temperament because he was finally getting the sleep he needed. We were honestly surprised by how easy the whole process was. While I anticipated a week of no sleep and lots of crying, it really took us one rough night! It is amazing how quickly they can learn to self soothe. If you are on the fence, or feel guilty, my advice would be to go for it. Your baby will never remember a few nights of crying, but everyone will be happier once sleep becomes normal in your household once again!

Linking up with Annie today!

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Dealing with a scare

First things first, I need to be up front and say that I have been pretty blessed with my pregnancies. We 'tried' for both, and both happened on the second month of trying. And as humbly as I can say this, that one month of a negative test (which I know is totally normal as it typically takes 3-6 months) had me almost in tears both times. I never came close to experiencing fertility issues, but I also know that when you are ready for a baby, every month of waiting for that positive test is excruciating. So ladies who are suffering or struggling to conceive, I feel for you, I pray for you, and I hope every day you all get the angel baby you so deserve.

With all of that being said, aside from some sickness with Jackson through the first trimester and being repulsed by every food and smell on the planet, I breezed through my pregnancy. Appropriate weight gain, no high risk test results, and I was able to keep active and run up until the day before I delivered. Of course, I delivered almost 4 weeks early, but even then, he was born absolutely perfect. Little man was just ready for the world, and we welcomed him with open arms.

Now, nearly two years since we got that positive test with our first miracle, it has happened again. Positive test, announcing to excited parents, and once again trying to survive the work week while doing my best to not let me coworkers know I am hanging out over the toilet trying to keep my food in a good amount of the time. I don't mind. Every day of feeling rough has always been a friendly reminder to me that baby is kicking, growing and doing their thing. The sickness hit earlier and harder with baby #2, but we managed, because the end result is more than worth two straight months of feeling like you have the flu.

As I rolled through my eighth week of pregnancy, I stood up from a work meeting to feeling a 'gush'. Immediately running to the bathroom, there was a tiny bit of blood, something I didn't experience once in my first pregnancy. Nothing incredibly alarming, but enough to prompt me to call my nurse to hopefully get in for a check up if they could find the time. I left my meeting and drove to work (which happens to be across the street from my clinic), and walked into the clinic building so I could hit up the bistro for some breakfast. Walking in I felt more 'gushing', and made a dash for the first bathroom I could find. Blood. Lots of blood. Not spotting. Just blood. I calmly called my mom to tell her what I thought was happening, walked as quickly as I could up to my clinic, and when I got up to the desk I finally lost it as I said 'I don't have an appointment, but I am pretty sure I am having a miscarriage'. I just couldn't think of anything else to possibly explain that much bleeding. I also wanted to crawl in a hole watching all of the beautiful pregnant women around me coming in for their appointments. When all you want is for your baby to be healthy and alive, thinking anything else makes your world stand still.

The nurse got me checked in, and was kind but also did nothing to give me elevated hopes. We all live in the age of Google, and I know that 50% of pregnancies with bleeding result in miscarriage, and again, I had a lot. Slowly they walked me down to ultrasound, and as I laid on the table, I was mentally prepared to see a baby that was measuring small with no heartbeat. I was literally already coping. Until, the sonographer showed me a baby measuring 3 days ahead, moving its little body, with a strong heartbeat of 171. And that is when I lost it. You love the baby within you from the moment you find out that they exist, and to see them on that screen, growing and beautiful when you were positive they were gone..I don't know if I have ever been more grateful.

I spoke with the doctor, and really my bleeding could be due to any number of things. I was essentially told to take it easy until I was checked again at my 12 week appointment. Moving forward, I had no more bleeding, continued morning sickness, and at 12 weeks a baby with a heartrate of 177. That day already seems like a distant memory, but one that I will always keep with me that makes me appreciate the blessing of being able to carry healthy babies that much more. I know others have experienced far worse, and I cannot begin to imagine what a loss is like. I appreciate this pregnancy more than I thought possible, and am already so excited to meet this little one and hold them in my arms. I chalk this experience up to handing me a great deal of perspective, and a much more real knowledge that every life is a miracle, and I am so very blessed to have my little babe growing and thriving here with me today.

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Pregnancy Tales From a Second Time Mom

 I have heard it time and time again that no two pregnancies are the same. Some women are plagued with nausea, and others feel fabulous and sit there eating doughnuts and sipping hot chocolate wondering why some pregnant ladies are so dramatic about feeling sick. Some show before the end of the first trimester, and others (like myself) hide their bump for months and don't look pregnant until well beyond the halfway point. Some ladies breeze through with zero complications, and others require weekly doctors visits, extra tests, and anxiety. Truly, no two pregnancies are the same, and every woman has her own experience, every time.

With that being said, there are a few things that I can say, with quite a bit of confidence, that every woman would agree is different when you are on your second pregnancy in comparison to the first. Because, while we are all mamas from the day that test turns up positive, a first time mom's pregnancy experience is just a little bit different than those who have already been through the ringer.

1. Sleep. I think this is one area where nearly all women experience a sign of pregnancy, and that is the fatigue. Because it is real, y'all. I am talking can't keep your eyes open, falling asleep at your desk, 7pm bedtime kind of tired. The big difference with pregnancy number two, though, is there is no milking this symptom and taking it easy. Guess what? That little munchkin(s) whom you so lovingly let grow in your uterus a mere year or two ago is now a living breathing monster, and they could care less that 'mommy is tired'. So embrace the tired. Feel the tired. And smile knowing that the pregnancy fatigue is only a brief preview of the sleepless decade that lies ahead of you. Or, give in and begin co-sleeping with your one year old because it makes sense to just start going to bed at the same time (7:00pm, in case you were wondering), anyway.

2. Your body. As I said before, every woman experiences different body changes in pregnancy. But, it is a fairly safe assumption that bump #2 will show up earlier than bump #1. Your body remembers doing this before, and it is more eager to pop out and say adios to your normal pants than it was the last time. Changes will likely be different this time, too. This time, my skin is worse, I feel 'wider' as opposed to growing straight out, and I totally do not feel like I am rocking the pregnancy glow I did the first round. Of course, that could be due to the lack of sleep and monster child mentioned above. I digress. The main point is to not have expectations that if you rocked your skinny jeans until your 7th month of pregnancy, that you will this time. And that is 100% ok.

3. Pride. I am a late shower in pregnancy. I also linger in the 'is she pregnant or fat' stage much longer than I would like. However, in my first pregnancy, I was convinced that I would squeeze into my jeans as long as possible, if only to say I wore pre-pregnancy jeans through my 25th week. And let me tell you, I had a few experiences of wanting to rip off my jeans in public because of this. This time around, even though at almost 18 weeks I am still fitting (pretty comfortably too) in my regular jeans, I am rocking sweater dresses, oversized sweaters, and leggings on the regular. Comfort is the priority this time around, and I am saying goodbye to my 'pre-preg' wardrobe way sooner. Not because I can't squeeze into it, but because I would rather squeeze into my yoga pants.

4. Feeling pregnant. While I can't speak for others, my first pregnancy I obsessively tracked my baby's progress, size, weight, and growth milestones every single day. I would lay for hours waiting for those first kicks. And I spent all of my free time daydreaming about nursery decor and what he would look like. This time around, I will literally go days and forget that I am even pregnant. Not because I love this child any less, and not because I am any less excited. But this time around, I have the most beautiful little 16 month old boy who wants to play pat-a-cake with me and giggles at everything I say. I know I will love this baby with every fiber of my being just like I love my first, but for now, I know that baby #2 is safe and warm in my belly getting all of the love that he or she needs, and I am soaking up every second I can with my precious first born.

5. Being nervous. This one could go either way for women, but depending on how your first pregnancy and labor went, you likely feel much more prepared for delivering and bringing home a baby. First time mom nerves tend to focus on:

• Will it hurt
• I don't know if I can do this
• What do you do with the baby once you bring them home?
• When will I find time to shower?

Second(or third or fourth of tenth) time moms get nervous, too, but not like first time moms would expect. Our fears are more focused on:

• Who is going to take care of my other kids while I am at the hospital?
• Will I love this baby as much as my first?
• How will I split my attention between kids?
• Just major mommy guilt, in general, because you are obsessed with your first kid and don't yet know this second kid who is gonna rock your first kid's world.
• OMG is that much of my paycheck really going to daycare costs?
• and really though, WHEN WILL I FIND TIME TO SHOWER?!

 I am not an expert by any means, but hopefuly this provides a bit of insight to how much things change. I look back at my self two years ago when I was pregnant and just think 'oh, if only you knew how easy you have it'. Because really, I have now accepted the harsh reality that I will really, truly, never sleep again ;-)

Today, I am linking up with Jenn, Holly, and Jessi to share what's 'hap-pinning' lately!

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Bumpdate: 16 Weeks

I have been majorly slacking on the 'bumpdates' the past few weeks. I even drew up some chalkboards, but sharing where I am at just didn't happen. I can blame the holidays, grad school, or being a mama, but really I will chalk it up to being lazy and most days not being in the mood to take a picture capturing my frazzled hair and glasses ;-)

Dress From Express

How far along? 16 weeks

Total weight gain: 1-2 pounds. I will have an official weigh in a week from today, so we will see! 

Maternity clothes? No, but I while with my last pregnancy I took pride in wearing my regular jeans/pants 'as long as possible', this time I am counting down the days to where it will be acceptable to rock the maternity pants. I have been wearing sweater dresses and leggings with long sweaters this week though. Life is too short to be uncomfortable in pants tied by a hair band.

Stretch marks? No

Belly button in or out: In

Exercise: Finally have gotten 'back to normal' with my runs where I can do my normal time and length, and not be winded/dying at the end. The first trimester is really rough and basically results in me shaving my runs down to 20 or so minutes, but I'm back up to my 5K distance on the treadmill and feeling good doing it!

Best moment this week: Getting up the Christmas decor! I may not have my own house to decorate this year, but my mother in law is being great and let me put out all of my things, and use my decorations on the tree. It really truly has helped feel slightly less 'homeless' and like I have my individuality going on for the holidays.

Miss Anything? Really I have been pretty content lately. Diet pepsi continues to sound amazing at all times.

Movement: Little bits here and there! It is not much, and it is definitely subtle, but I started feeling little squirms around 14 weeks this time, and it is awesome. Quite often I will feel it when I am laying with Jackson trying to get him to fall asleep, and then the pregnancy hormones hit because I am hanging out with both of my babies, together.

Food cravings/aversions: For whatever reason chicken alfredo for dinner the other night just did not taste good to me. Coffee is still where I can drink it, but definitely am not craving it. Otherwise, it is the holiday season and I am all about the cookies!

Symptoms: New with this pregnancy has been heartburn! Last weekend Mike and I went to a movie and then dinner, and I could only get down one piece of pizza between the heartburn and bloat that was happening. And, as always, I could sleep all the time.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Enfamil prenatal vitamins!!! They are seriously just the worst. I have thrown them up 4 times this pregnancy, even after taking them with food. I hate to be wasteful so I am using them until they are gone, but I will definitely never buy them again!

Labor Signs: No

Wedding rings on or off? On.   

Happy or Moody most of the time: Aside from this being a crazy work week requiring a ridiculous amount of hours, I am pretty happy! Most of that is probably due to being done with my MBA in t-minus FOUR DAYS!

Looking forward to: Being done with school! I am totally a broken record, but I have been 'counting down the weeks' basically since the semester started back in August. Looking back, the past few months really have flown by quickly, but at the same time I could not be more ready to enjoy the rest of this month and the holiday season with no projects, papers, or tuition payments to worry about. Freedom is so. very. close!

Five on Friday // Oh Hey Friday! // Friday Favorites // Friday Favorites

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Bumpdate: 13 weeks

Another week down! I remember with Jackson once I got through the first trimester, all of the 'teen' weeks seemed to just fly by. I was 12 weeks, and it seemed like I blinked and was up to 17 weeks. While I will be sad to not indulge in wine next week at Thanksgiving dinner and hot buttered rums at Christmas, I am excited that the next few months are so busy, because I think it is going to help make the first half of this pregnancy fly by!

How far along? 13 weeks, 5 days
Gender: Wouldn't we all like to know!
Total weight gain: Still sitting right about my regular weight. Don't ask me next week after I get my hands on a few bags of the holiday Lay's chocolate covered potato chips, though..
Maternity clothes? Nope, but I will tell you some days bloat (don't get me started on the many beautiful symptoms of pregnancy) is so real that throwing on my maternity leggings and calling it a day sounds like a dream.
Stretch marks? No. Still have a full baby belly bar that I have decided I might as well start using now! In case any of you are considering trying one out during pregnancy, the one I have half used from my last pregnancy (1.5 years ago) is STILL perfectly fine and did not dry out at all!
Belly button in or out: In
Exercise: I managed to squeeze in a few runs! On one of the gorgeous 60 degree days, I even took Jackson with me, which may have been a mistake considering my usual route consists of two HUGE hills. Mama was gasping for air by the end, but we made it.
Best moment this week: On Sunday my sister in law and her new baby were over, and for the first time Jackson, who usually ignores him, really took an interest in the baby. He even reached out and tried to pet his head and touch his hair, it was so sweet. And when Oliver cried, Jackson just wasn't quite sure what to do or think, it was so funny! I am excited to see him finally noticing babies and being sweet with his cousin, it makes me so excited to see him become a big brother!
Miss Anything? Would totally love a strongly caffeinated beverage. A Diet Pepsi sounds like heaven. And sleep, but I blame my first baby for that problem.
Movement: No, but for some reason I feel like I will definitely feel movement sooner this pregnancy. I felt it around 17 weeks with Jackson, so it is exciting to think we probably aren't too far off!
Food cravings/aversions: Puppy chow, and fruit. Eating lots and lots of apples lately! Chicken salad pita sandwiches have been on my radar too. Anything cold and crisp sounds fabulous!
Symptoms: I still get the occasional bout of nausea, but it is usually very short lived. Otherwise bloat, fatigue, and the inability to go to the bathroom most days. Sorry, probably TMI, but all of you ladies who have had babies know exactly what I am talking about!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Coffee still gets me sometimes, but for the most part I am back to drinking it every day. I also had a delicious powder drink one morning (thanks to symptoms mentioned above) which had me feeling disgusting after. I didn't think I was going to keep it down, but I prevailed.
Labor Signs: No, no, no.
Wedding rings on or off? On.  
Happy or Moody most of the time: Pretty happy, but there have been some more work events this past week with some late nights, and I am definitely feeling it. It is hard when you have those weeks where you feel like all you are home for is to eat and sleep! I am looking forward to a more laid back week this week.
Looking forward to: Figuring out a dress to wear to Holly Ball! I have never gone, but thanks to my job with the Foundation, I am required to work it this year. Which means I need a nice dress to wear. Darn. My biggest stress with this is that I will be 16 weeks at the event, and while I am guessing I won't have a 'bump', I may have enough going on to make people question how many doughnuts I have been eating for breakfast. I am right in those tricky weeks when you could see huge changes in your body, or little to no change, which makes finding a dress difficult! I am thinking as long as I stay with something with a high waist that is loose and flowy, I should be good to go!

Today, I am linking up with Holly, Jenn, and Jessi!

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Bumpdate: 12 Weeks

Now that we have finally announced (check it out here if you missed it!), I am excited to get into 'bumpdates' to track how things are going! I started these at the very end of my pregnancy with Jackson, and was able to do all of one board before he arrived a month early. Looking back on his monthly chalkboards for his first year of life, I am so grateful that I took the time, because I have the little memories and milestones written down that I honestly wouldn't think to put in his baby book. I have already had so many moments with this pregnancy where I have asked myself "is this when I started feeling sick last time?" "Am I more or less tired this time around?" And the one that I can't believe I forgot, "What was Jackson's heartrate at his 12 week appointment?" I love this little blog space to be able to remember the little details that may not seem like a big deal, but looking back are so special to have on hand!

How far along? 12 week, 5 days

Gender: We won't know for awhile! Every single person seems to be positive it is a girl (except me, who thinks it's a boy, because it seems fitting that my child would purposely be a boy just to prove everyone else wrong!) My nephew who has predicted every baby born in the last 5 or so years to be a boy (and eerily, he was right on every single one) refers to this baby already as if it is a girl, and apparently I should name her Sabrina.

Total weight gain: 0. With Jackson, I lost 3-4 pounds in the first trimester. This time, I have literally sat at the exact same weight from day one. I want to say I was back to my 'pre-morning sickess' weight by my 16 week appointment with Jackson, so I am sure the extra pounds will start showing up any day now.

Maternity clothes? Nope. I am still fitting into all of my normal clothes like, well, normal. With Jackson I didn't even 'pop' until after 20 weeks, but being this round I am going to be doing all of my growing during the cold months where pants are required in lieu of maxi dresses, I am thinking I will make the argument to switch over much, much sooner. My pregnant coworker has also proven that dress code goes out the window and leggings (as long as the bum is covered) are totally acceptable during pregnancy! No one is gonna send a pregnant lady home to change!

Stretch marks? Not yet. We will see if we get lucky again for round 2. I still have a baby belly bar left unopened from my last pregnancy, and will probably start using that and my cocoa butter soon.

Belly button in or out: In. It never popped with my first pregnancy, so we will see this time.

Sleep: If I could sleep all day, every day, I would. Sometimes mid-day, I want to cry because if my head hit the table/floor/desk, I would be out in two seconds flat. All I want is sleep.

Exercise: With being so busy with everything, exercise has been rough in the beginning. It was similar with Jackson, and once I turned the corner on the first trimester I got back in the swing of things, so I am really hoping to do the same and run throughout my pregnancy this time, too!

Best moment this week: Our doctor's appointment last Friday! We had a little scare a few weeks back, and so finally hearing the heart rate strong and steady at 177, I was just so relieved, and finally feel like I can enjoy the pregnancy and not worry like I have the past few weeks!

Miss Anything? The other day I was at a grocery store and wanted a Diet Pepsi in the worst way! I also miss being able to order sandwiches at Subway or Jimmy John's without demanding they heat the meat up.

Movement: Not yet.

Food cravings/aversions: Give me all of the orange juice. Fruit (loving that it is apple season!). California rolls. I had a mean craving for donuts the other weekend, as in I needed an iced cake donut like my life depended on it. Mostly, this pregnancy has been all about the sweets and fresh foods! I would so much rather have a bowl of fruit after dinner than a bowl of ice cream, which I feel crazy even saying!
I am just coming back around to coffee, and just in time for peppermint mocha and red cup season! I was repulsed by coffee the first trimester with Jackson, too, but thankfully both times the love for the java has come back with the subsiding of the morning sickness.

Symptoms: Oh you know, nausea, some vomiting, being repulsed by 98% of the food I look at. However, while I started earlier this time (5 weeks was all I was when the nausea hit), it also seems to have resolved sooner, as I was feeling almost back to normal around 10-11 weeks this time. Of course, that is if you don't count the fatigue. Because I have absolutely been falling asleep at the same time as Jackson most nights (which is 7:30pm. don't judge!)
On another note, if I read a sappy blog, I cry. If I hear a song on the radio that is even remotely emotional, I cry (hello, Macklemore, I'm talking to you). Reading or hearing a sad story? I'm just done. So many spontaneous tears sitting at my desk while reading news articles. Only slightly embarrassing.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Coffee, but thankfully this is on the mend. I will say that even though I became physically sick more this time than with my first pregnancy, I had less aversions and have been able to eat three solid meals pretty much every day. That being said, the foods that have come back up include: donuts from the Mexican bakery on my trip to Washington, orange juice, crackers, and for fun, the simple act of waking up for work has also sent me running for the bathroom.

Labor Signs: No

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! Baby is growing and healthy, I'm almost done with school, my husband and son are my world, and I am just feeling very blessed lately.

Looking forward to: Getting a bump! I took so long to show with Jackson, and while I am in no rush to get huge and uncomfortable, I wouldn't mind having a cute little bump at Christmas-time! 

And because I am now wrangling pregnancy with another little to take care of, here is the status of the chalkboard moments after the picture above was taken:

Today, I am linking up with Holly, Jenn, and Jessi!

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And then there were...

Selling our house and deciding to build was big news. Totally big news. Completing grad school exactly one month from today is big news, too. But really, I have other, even bigger news. News that pushes that other stuff to the back of my mind because it pales in comparison. It is with great joy and excitement that we are finally able to share..

We are adding another little bundle of love in May! To say that our hands have been full over the past few months would be an understatement, to say the least, but we are so very, very excited and blessed that our family is growing by one (just one, confirmed by two ultrasounds!). We cannot wait to watch Jackson become a big brother, and for our hearts to grow to love another little one! Stay tuned for more updates on how we found out, how we shared the news with our families, and our plans for welcoming baby Stang #2!

Linking up with Meg, Biana, and Ashley today!

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