Blake’s Big Boy Room!

I finally got around to snapping pictures of Blake's Big Boy Room! We love it so much and Blake thinks it's pretty cool too. ;) Some days he admits that the nursery is for the baby and other days everything in the nursery is, "MINE!" Baby steps, haha!

He has been sleeping in his big boy bed for a couple of months now. He does a great job and never gets out of bed until we come up to get him. There were a couple weeks of transition time where he woke up during the night crying but he seems to be content now. He still sleeps in a crib at grandma's and a pack'n'play at daycare but the transitions do not seem to bother him at all.

His room has a dinosaur theme and we picked out a lot of the pieces especially for that. We did not do an ABC theme....all things in moderation!

The view coming in:

We got the bunk bed for free(!) from a family at church. That sure was a blessing!And it's low profile so it fit! The bedding and tee-pee/cushion are all from the Land of Nod, my favorite children's store! The walls were pale yellow before this was his room and we didn't change anything about them. They actually match his bedding perfectly!

In this picture you can see his PBK chair that I just brought up from the living room (time to make room for some baby gear), his personalized growth chart (it says Blake at the bottom but you can hardly tell here), and a made-up bed....definitely only for pictures, haha!

His nightstand is not really used except for his camera monitor. We do love the "rock" shaped lamp we got from the Land of Nod and use it occasionally. We also keep some of his extra stuffed animals on the bottom and the books we read every night.

 Here's some of the wall art in his room. The only thing we haven't done yet is put up his metallic letters that were over his crib (they spell BLAKE).

Nemo, Dory, and MeeMaw (the red panda) are his go to animals for bed. Nemo is an absolute must have.

He got a new dresser in his big boy room! The white one is staying in the nursery. Just a few knick-knacks and his fan are there for now; his dino shelf and glow-in-the-dark dinosaur are pretty cool though. ;)

And finally, the most loved space is the Tee-Pee that fits perfectly in the nook. This is where bedtime stories are read under the glow of Christmas lights (that stay up year round)!

Hope you enjoyed the mini tour!

32 Weeks - Baby #2

My current view when I look down!

How far along? 32 weeks, 3 days. We keep forgetting to take the picture at home so I took a few selfies at work....on ugly Christmas Sweater day. :) P.S. It's Brandon's sweater...mine would be a crop top right now, haha!

Total weight gain/loss: +22 lbs at my 30 week appt. I have another appointment tomorrow and we'll see if I've gained some more. I'm on a much more "average" weight gain track with this baby. I gained below average with Blake. I still seem to be carrying in my belly; it's almost identical to the way I carried Blake except this baby carries lower and my bladder notices. ;)

Maternity clothes? Yes (except today's sweater)!

Stretch marks? For the first time I might say yes(?). I *think* I have two tiny spots on the underside of my belly on either side. They are like dots, not lines (yet). Though it doesn't make me excited, I do feel like they will be little marks to remind me of this time if they stick around. I have a dot (literally) of stretch mark right on my belly button from Blake that I didn't even notice until after he was born and it reminds me of my time spent pregnant with him. :)
Sleep: I'm sleeping alright. Not as tired during the day but I wake up feeling un-rested a lot. I think I toss and turn pretty frequently (and it's becoming a lot of work to flip over, haha!) and I've also been having some very vivid and strange dreams. Last night I had two nightmares....that's no fun. It's also the week before Christmas and I have a lot to get done and some crazy hyper students to deal with at work so there's that too....

Best moments this week: 

-Friday will be a great moment...when Christmas Break starts! ;)

-Spending the weekend with Brandon's family and taking Blake to visit Santa!

-I officially did the first thing at home to prepare for a new baby: cleaned out part of a cupboard to make room for bottles and cleaned up Blake's bib and silverware drawer to make room for some baby bibs. (I just have to point out that at this time with Blake we were like 95% ready I think.....haha)

-I didn't pack a hospital bag, but I wrote a list.

-I passed my glucose test. (a while ago....but it still counts!)

-I wrapped a bunch of presents and have *almost* all of our Christmas shopping done. 

-Brandon and I set an intention to start getting stuff ready for baby on vacation next week. :)

Have you told family and friends: Yes!
Miss anything yet? Not having constant sciatica/hip pains. My memory, lol.
Movement: This baby moves a lot in the late afternoon and late evening. It may move during the work day and I just don't notice it as much, but, once I leave school it seems to move like crazy! Baby loves music on the iPad and seemed to be dancing to the music when we saw "Finding Neverland" live this past weekend!
Food cravings: Milk, candy, caffeine (okay maybe not a craving as much as a want)
Anything making you queasy or sick? When I ate too much chex mix the other day....yeah, Christmas treats are the best when you don't eat like an elephant, haha!
Have you started to show yet: Oh yeah. Sorry in advance if I hit you with my belly.
Gender prediction: I'm definitely thinking boy this week. I just have this strong feeling.
Labor signs: None thank goodness!
Belly button in or out? Still in but so so so shallow. If I eat too much or baby shifts it can be flat.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Pretty happy! Definitely ready for Christmas break though!
Looking forward to: Christmas and lots of time with family!!!

26/27 Weeks - Baby #2

26 weeks, 1 day

27 weeks

How far along? 27 weeks, 3 days

Total weight gain/loss: +18 lbs at my 24 week appointment. The doctor said I'm measuring a little big (surprise surprise) but that it's not a big deal, especially since it's my second baby. Everything else was great! Baby's heartbeat was 161 I think.

Maternity clothes? Yes!

Stretch marks? No!
Sleep: Sleep is life. Hahaha! I have had a new wave of exhaustion sweep over me in the last few days (hello third trimester?). I literally can barely stay awake on my way home from work and then I snooze after work if I can. Last night I fell asleep on the couch at 8:30 and went to bed at 9:30. I am just SO stinking tired. My motivation for anything (except shopping) is zero....which is a problem when I have a 12 page paper due next week. Sleep at night is good. I sleep pretty solidly and wake up to potty about every other night. It is getting harder to flip over and I have a new symptom: random leg cramps during the night. So far they're not too bad, let's hope they stay that way!
Best moment this week: Seeing my soon to be sister-in-law's wedding dress she picked out! It's beautiful! Also baby got his/her first cloth diapers this week. Most will be hand me downs from Blake but these are especially for this baby. :) And we finally got all of Blake's stuff moved into his big boy room (except his letters on the wall) so I can start getting the nursery ready again. 

Have you told family and friends: Yes!
Miss anything yet? A normal bladder (just keeping it real) and a functioning brain. ;)
Movement: When this baby is awake, it's AWAKE. Strong punches, shoves, and kicks that sometimes make me jump! It's all great though. I love feeling baby move. And "awake" times are becoming more predictable.
Food cravings: Sweets and milk.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Not that I can think of.
Have you started to show yet: Yes. Strangers are nicer and most of my students are nicer too. :) My belly is starting to feel very stretched. I feel like I look farther along than I am, but when I compare to pictures of me with Blake I think I'm about the same. People always ask when I'm due with a look like "you're about to pop" on their face, haha!
Gender prediction: I HAVE NO IDEA! And when I'm out shopping, I wish I did. ;)
Labor signs: I've had a few Braxton Hicks contractions here and there; mostly when I'm at work because I've been standing for too long and I'm dehydrated. I'm getting those uterine muscles prepped!
Belly button in or out? Very shallow and sensitive. Do NOT touch it. ;)
Wedding rings on or off? On. My fingers do swell a little when I get hot but it's not bad.
Happy or Moody most of the time: So MOODY this week. Momma needs some rest.
Looking forward to: Finishing this paper for my class and Thanksgiving Break!

24 Weeks - Baby #2

How far along? 24 weeks in picture....though posting this at 25 weeks + 2 days.

Total weight gain/loss: +18 pounds total so far (I think). Pregnancy brain is so real. I can hardly remember where my weight was when I got pregnant, let alone what the scale said last time I went to the doctor. So foggy! I weigh about as much as I did full term with Blake which freaks me out a little bit, but, the doctors said I gained abnormally with him (only +13 pounds and he was 9 pounds) so this pregnancy is more on the "normal" track of weight gain. The good thing is I don't feel overweight and still seem to be carrying all in my belly. 

Maternity clothes? Yes, yes, and yes. Except my Men's XL work t-shirt that I wear around the house occasionally. :)

Stretch marks? None so far. Brandon reminds me to use my belly butter; another thing I keep forgetting to do. (and the list goes on...)
Sleep: Sleeeeeep. I love sleep. Most days I fall asleep for about 15 min after school while Blake is playing. Don't worry, it's not a deep sleep. On the weekends I take a full-scale afternoon nap while Blake naps. However, Blake just moved to his big boy bed this weekend and though he's doing great with the transition, his naps have gone from 2-3 hours to 1 hour. Not so great for mom. :) In the evenings I usually get really sleepy on the couch when Brandon and I are relaxing and then we inevitably go to bed too late because we don't feel like moving, haha! I sleep great at night though. I usually start stirring about an hour before my alarm and almost always wake up once per night for the bathroom.
Best moment this week: My brother got engaged!!!!! I'm over the moon excited! Our trip to St. Louis was a lot of fun and that's where we got the engagement news (though I knew it was going to happen!)! Blake did great in the car but he was a tad disobedient over the weekend due to lots of schedule shifts. Also, we unofficially moved Blake to his big boy room and I don't see him going back into the crib so I guess it's official. :) We just thought we'd try it this weekend and it went well. What happened to my baby?! October 28 was his last morning waking up in a crib (wahhhh). It's so bittersweet. Anyways, I moved all of his clothes over to his new closet and dresser and he moved all of the books he wanted into his new book bins....so now I can officially start making the nursery a nursery again! P.S. I think I'm nesting. I've done nothing but organize and clean the house this week. 

Have you told family and friends: Yes!
Miss anything yet? Sleeping whenever I want (like when you're pregnant with your first). And to be honest, I miss buying all of the baby things. This time, we're pretty prepared so I don't need to buy much but I LIKE buying things. :) We did purchase a new stroller and we have a few small things on a registry (so we can get a registry completion discount!).
Movement: This baby is active. And STRONG. I told Brandon the other day that I feel like the kicks and punches are so forceful already that I can only imagine what they will be like in a couple of months. Maybe this is a subsequent pregnancy thing because my muscles aren't as tight, I don't know. But whoa baby, you've got some strong kicks!
Food cravings: Still thirsty all the time for milk and water. I'm also craving desserts a lot. Vanilla ice cream sounds good now....triple peanut butter cup, my old favorite, does not. And I can't resist the Halloween candy. No wonder this baby is so active, haha!
Anything making you queasy or sick? Not really.
Have you started to show yet: Yes, and everyone has a comment ranging from you're HUGE to your SO tiny. It's kinda funny! Good thing I don't mind the comments. :)
Gender prediction: This is such a stumper. I have no clue. Baby's heartbeat was 160 at my appointment this week. It's been around that every time and Blake's was always around 154 I think. So do I say it's higher or is it about the same? Also, Brandon keeps saying that I'm carrying lower this time. My students all insist it's a girl. Brandon and family don't seem to have a strong prediction this time. So, just for fun, I'll guess that it's a girl this week. :) We really do like not knowing though; it's so fun!
Labor signs: No, I had one very short episode of what I think were Braxton Hicks a couple of weeks ago but haven't had that again. I was dehydrated and had been standing at work all day so that was probably the cause.
Belly button in or out? In but getting shallower.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! But I was quite moody last week when I was sick. I have zero patience when I'm pregnant and sick....sorry everyone.
Looking forward to: Halloween and Blake trick-or-treating for the first time! Wedding planning and wedding season for my brother. Working on the nursery. And hopefully I'll get some pictures up of Blake's big boy room soon!

Blake - 2.5 Years

You are 2.5 years old ALREADY. How on earth did that happen?

Blake, you are certainly developing a personality and are such a goofy, silly boy at home! Out in public you are much more quiet and like to observe everyone around you, especially other kids. But at home we see your wild side!

Accomplishments:
-Popping through your 2 year molars...ouch!
-Daytime potty trained! You potty trained pretty quickly, especially for being like 2 and 1/4 years old. Everyone said cloth diapered kids potty train earlier....perhaps they were right. :)
-You know your alphabet (obviously) both big and little letters and you can read the names "Blake", "Mommy", and "Daddy".
-You can count to 20 but you pronounce fifteen, "five-teen."
-You know all basic shapes.
-You can sing lots of songs by heart (and on tune!)

Potty Training

From the mouth of Blake:
-"Daddy want a potty candy for trying?" (Daddy had been sitting on the toilet for a while)
-At the zoo, "Blake, where's your tail?" Blake: "I don't have a tail, I have a BUTT." (emphasized)
-"Daddy a cwazy driver!"
-"Daddy have a big peepee. (Looks down) Blake have a little peepee." ;)
-We say, "You're such a big boy!" and you respond, "I'm not big, I'm GETTING big."
-"Did you sleep well Blake?" Blake - "I did." (It's never yes or no, always I did or I didn't)
-"I have a little brother sister in my belly!" (holding up shirt)
-Mom says "Blake, you're silly" and you respond, "No YOU'RE silly, I'M goofy."
-After a spanking, "But Zoey does it too". Little stinker! I had to explain that she doesn't know any better but Blake is a boy, so he does know better.
-"I'm Nemo." Mom - "Who am I?" Blake- "You're Dory."
-"There's the MAIL MAN!" You are obsessed with mail trucks!

Pictures (so many pictures...):

Mommy probably shouldn't have taken this, but I love the way you look when you pray! I just wanted to capture it. :) Sometimes you spontaneously burst into prayer and it's adorable!

You LOVE animals. You had to hug every goat at the petting zoo!

Accessories are your jam! You love wearing grandma's pearl necklace around your head.

Family shot!

You are such a helper. You love helping mommy in the kitchen and daddy outside. Good thing you have your own wheelbarrow!

Recently you've started to love Finding Nemo (and the movie "Cars") so Nemo comes along on many adventures. Baby is usually only invited on walks. ;)

Your first camel ride. You loved it!

You love flowers (and plucking them when you probably shouldn't)!

Helping daddy get your big boy room together.

Play time!

"Mom, cars are silly. I put my letters on the road, see?"

Swimming at Grandma's. You LOVE swimming!

Checking out your new bed before the top bunk was added!

Helping daddy (again) build your bunk bed.

You were so excited to buy your first underwear that you wouldn't let me keep them in the shopping bag!

You loved the airplanes before the 4th of July Parade.

While mommy and daddy were cruising the Caribbean you had fun at Grandma's!

Wearing your necklaces proudly, haha!

Getting ready for bed....maybe? :)

Slipper theif

Photo from Grandma: Playing at the park!

Memorial Day - The day mommy found out she was pregnant. :) Also the first time you ate corn on the cob!

Pool time!

You love playing with water!

Children's Science Museum

You and daddy had lots of fun here!

Mini photo session :)

We had lots of fun waiting for Grandma B. to arrive

Blake and Daddy

Your first time on a school bus!

By the Big X (your word for windmill) :)

Blake, we think you're the best kid ever! You are going to be such a sweet big brother and we love watching you grow....although mommy may have burst into tears on a family walk just thinking about you growing up. Let's blame that on the hormones. ;) We are so thankful God chose us to be your parents!