27 Weeks

Here's my 27 week belly (though because I'm late to post this I'm actually closer to 28 weeks). Not much change, in fact I've actually lost a little bit of weight in the last week. Oh darn. It's only because I've been running more often - with the really nice weather we've been having I can't help but want to be outside running in it. It also helps that my morning sickness has gotten a little better. I still have to turn to Zofran once in a while but not everyday, and I went a whole five days without throwing up - that's a new record for me!

My energy level has gotten better which I attribute to the boost in running - gotta love that benefit of exercise. But I don't shy away from naps on the weekends and will sometimes lay down for an hour when Mal naps during the weekdays. I've got my hands on a couple of books right now (The Next Best Thing and Orphan Train) so I've been using my downtime to read rather than sleep. It's been a nice change to not feel so exhausted in the afternoon so I'm soaking it up while it lasts.

I go in for my monthly check up this morning and it includes the icky Glucose test. I will say though that I don't think the test will be as painstaking as usual now that I have Kaiser and everything is housed in the same building. I can pick up my drink right before my doctor's appointment and take it with me to drink while I'm upstairs with my doctor. Then on my way out I'll go back down to the lab and get the blood work done. The hardest part should just be the actual blood work - I'm not a fan of getting my blood taken. It makes me feel weird especially when they have to take so much at once.

I've hit a lull in finishing up Nolan's room. I've been so focused on cleaning and purging that now I feel like a I need a bit of a break before I start plugging away at the rest of the decorating. I picked up his dresser/changing table a few weeks ago but it's from IKEA so I have to put it together. I had every intention of assembling it last weekend but when I pulled out the instructions and saw how many pieces and steps there are in order to put it together, the motivation drained right out of me. This weekend, I swear.

Updated Reading Nook

With Mallory's peaking interest in reading books I decided to finally get her a proper bookshelf. We were previously using a basket but with our book collection growing more and more, the basket just wasn't cutting it anymore. Now she has lots of space to store her books and it makes her reading area feel more grown up too. She had fun taking the lead in stacking all her books up onto the shelves and of course proceeded to read (and have me read) almost all the books as we were putting them away.

A Couple of Regulars

One of the first things that Mallory and I started doing when I became a SAHM was going over to our local library for story time. They host children's story time every Tuesday and Thursday which we have been taking advantage of almost every single week for the last couple of months. And it's really been paying off because Mallory has become enthralled with reading books now. Not just when we're at the library but at home, in the car, basically wherever there's a book-like item she can get her hands on. She'll even read you an owner's manual or marketing brochure if that's all that is around. And she always reads out loud in her adorable little girl voice. She has become very good at remembering what the story is about after you read it to her once, so all she has to do is look at the pictures and she's able to say the words almost exactly as they appear in the book. I love that she has turned into a little bookworm and thoroughly enjoy when she wants to read us stories all the time.

26 Weeks and Comparing

I still have some of the clothing that I had when I was pregnant with Mallory so I put on the below dress and did a little comparing of my belly. The first picture is 26 weeks with Nolan and the second picture is 25 weeks with Mallory. There really isn't a huge difference in size; if anything I was just carrying higher with Mallory. This actually makes me feel a little better because I seriously sometimes feel like my belly is so much bigger this time around.

I've gained 20 pounds thus far which I'd like to consider reasonable, and I'm trying my hardest to stay near the same amount of weight that I gained with Mal (30 pounds). I'm still running frequently but I've already lowered my mileage to two miles because more than that aggravates my sciatic and it's just not worth it. I'm also doing The Dailey Method classes until the package I bought runs out, and there's always my fallback of kickboxing videos at home. Keeping up with a very active toddler has also proven to be a good workout; she rarely lets me just sit a relax. I've stopped feeling guilty if all I want to do is veg out while monster takes her naps now because I just get so tired by mid-afternoon. I also figure I don't have much time left to take advantage of the quiet time with Nolan arriving soon and Mallory weaning off her naps.

Unfortunately I can't say that the morning sickness is gone. I'm still taking Zofran to help with the nausea and occasionally will throw up first thing in the morning. I've pretty much come to terms with the fact that I will have to deal with it throughout my entire pregnancy; lucky me. The past couple of days I've been nauseous all day like I was towards the beginning of my pregnancy which has not been fun. I'm hoping it's not a sign that those days are coming back.

Nolan's movements are stronger and easier to see from the outside now. My belly contorts quite often when he's changing positions; it's funny to watch. He's gotten better at not keeping me up so much at night with his moving around but that doesn't mean I'm sleeping comfortably. On average I wake up every couple of hours but it's mainly due to just being annoyed with my sleeping position; I am not a lover of sleeping on my side at all. Mallory loves to cuddle up next to my belly and talk to him, and sometimes he even responds by kicking. She always laughs when she's able to feel him and will even tell him to "settle down" if he continues to move around. She's going to be a great big sister - even if she is a little bossy!

26 weeks with Nolan

25 weeks with Mallory

Happy Birthday to Me!

I turned 32 this year. I'm not one of those people that is bothered by turning another year older because I feel like with each year life gets better and better. However, I am at the age now where when people ask me how old I'll be turning, I have to think about it for a second because I've forgotten.

Today was a great day for me. I didn't have to deal with any morning sickness when I woke up, which was a welcome change - thanks for the present Nolan! After getting ready, Mallory and I headed over to the Outlets so I could attempt to find an outfit for my upcoming maternity photo session. I got lucky and was able to find a dress I liked rather quickly; plus I was able to find one for Mallory to complement the one I found for me - thanks shopping spirits! At nap time when I had the unfortunate task of tearing away Mallory from the iPad and she didn't give me a hard time at all, I almost had to question if she was truly my daughter - thanks monster! And most importantly, I got to enjoy a really yummy treat this evening that I haven't had since the birthday that I was pregnant with Mallory: a Baskin-Robbins ice cream cake - thanks husband! Add in all the extended love and wishes that I received from those via phone, text, mail, email, and Facebook, I'd say that today was a great birthday indeed - thanks ya'll!

Welcome Lucy Rose!

My SIL and her husband welcomed their little girl, Lucy Rose, into the world early this morning. She was born at 2:09am and came within only a couple of hours of being born on her actual due date, which was yesterday. Her family has been anxiously awaiting her arrival and they are over the moon now that she's here; she is adorable and healthy as can be. Happy "Birth"day to Lucy and congratulations to the Meloni family!

Kaylee meeting her little sister

Proud momma

25 Weeks

Officially 25 weeks along on Mother's Day - what a nice reminder that not only am I lucky enough to be a mother already, I have another on the way and now he's a whole week closer to being in our arms.

Mother's Day

Today was wonderfully celebrated with some extra attention, love, and goodies from the husband and monster. When I woke up and came downstairs I was treated to flowers, Starbucks, and doughnuts. Since we're super early risers, we got ready and went out to breakfast at a popular spot here in Folsom, the Lake Forest Cafe. Most times - especially weekends and holidays - this place is packed with people, but we were able to beat the rush and got seated right away. And it's no wonder that it's usually always super busy because the food is exceptional; I already want to go back to try something else.

The rest of the day was filled with a bit of shopping, playing and pretending, coloring, naps, and ended with an evening trip to the playground where we of course dominated the swings. It was the perfect day all around and I am very thankful to call myself a momma. Happy Mother's Day!

Testing it Out: Toddler Bed

After thinking about it for weeks, talking to friends with toddlers, and reading a few articles, I finally just got up the nerve to convert Mallory's crib into her toddler bed. I can't even tell you how many times I said to myself, "okay, here I go," but I would never get that final push to actually start the transformation of her bed. So I did it; I got out the manual and tools this morning and went to work on changing it over. I'm not sad that my little baby is turning even more into a little girl with this new transition, I'm more worried that she'll start getting out of bed and leaving her room. If she does I already know her first stop will be me. She told me the other night at 1am that she "wanted to come sleep with me in my bed." I was dumbfounded for a second because I've never, ever let her sleep in the same bed with me so I didn't know she could grasp the concept of sleeping with me.

After I finished putting her newly-transformed bed together I asked her to come in her room so I could show her something. She was a little hesitant to jump right in bed, but she still had smiles and seemed content about the change. Once I directed her on how to get in and out, she was off to jumping and playing in her bed as if nothing were different. She even brought her new Woody and Buzz car toys in bed to play with her. So proud of her willingness to try new situations! Too bad I can't relay that desire over to eating certain foods.

It's nap time right now and she's been sleeping away like usual. The big test will be tonight and throughout the night. She's normally a good sleeper but lately has been waking up every so often - dreams maybe... I'm planning on having to help her back into her bed a few times until she completely understands, but I figure it's easier to do it now while I only have one child to worry about in the middle of the night. Besides, I'm already up so much throughout the night with being pregnant that if there is a change in her sleeping habits it really won't make mine much worse.

Snoozing soundly

24 Weeks

I had my monthly doctor appointment this morning and all is good with little boy. He's still measuring a week ahead of where I'm at; no surprise with this belly as 'popped out' (as my doctor nicely put it) as it is. He has become much more active throughout the day (including in the middle of the night) and has kicked me pretty hard a few times to where it's literally hurt. He's definitely sitting lower than when I was carrying Mallory. I think that's the biggest reason why my sciatic has already flared up and is aggravated more easily. I ran 3.5 miles yesterday morning and by the evening it hurt just to walk; this little booger is making it hard to stay motivated to run.

I'm still slowly working on putting Nolan's room together. My community is having a garage sale this weekend so I've been busy purging every little thing I can to get ready for Saturday. I remember doing garage sales a lot growing up and I love that the community here does it as a whole so we get more traffic. Once I get rid of all the extra stuff that's in my way, I'll be able to focus on completing Nolan's room. I'm hoping to get it done with enough time to make some changes to Big Sister's room; I don't want monster thinking she's been left out.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

We may not have been drinking anything containing tequila or dancing to a mariachi band with a big sombrero on our head, but we enjoyed some yummy chicken tamales for dinner and had fun running around at the park. Sounds like a good time to me.

Friday at the D.P.

Surveying the scene

Showing off her gum (she's obsessed w it right now)

Stirring up trouble

Running from the puppies

Following Buds around

Hanging w dad

Ready to get out of the heat

An Oldie But Goodie

Now that we're truly out of any type of winter weather - yet unfortunately almost already feeling like summer - Mallory and I go to the park pretty much every day. With the hotter weather like we've had the last few days we've been going before noon, otherwise it's just too uncomfortable for everyone. Then we come back home to have lunch out in our sideyard  - or "back garden" as Mallory calls it - which usually also involves getting in the pool as well. My pale skin has benefited from being outside a lot more than ever before; score. And I've been extra good about making sure we're slathered in sunscreen because sunburns are never fun.

If I have an errand to run then I'll go to a park that's nearby wherever we are so we don't get too bored going to the parks nearest to our house. This morning's park visit was to a place we haven't frequented since her first birthday - Folsom's "Castle Park." I had forgotten how cool the playground is at this particular park; there is a ton of different things to do. Unfortunately monster wasn't having the best morning so she barely wanted to do anything at all - even swing. But I was able to get some smiles out of her once she was swinging, and then bribe her with more swings if she went through at least some of the playground structure.