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Our {Long} Weekend

Sunday, November 30, 2014
I hope you all had a wonderful few days enjoying time with family, friends and good food! We are officially ready to kick off the Christmas season in our household with the tree fully decked and decorations around the house (except really only in the living room and entryway). This post is coming to you from the comfort of Parker's anywhere chair next to our tree in our living room that smells like a pine forest. Pure heaven. The past few days seem like such a blur to me but the highlights include:





1. Successfully baking a pumpkin pie from scratch. Although, I was a slave to the pie dough for a couple hours, the final product was well worth it. I'm not joking when I say that I felt like I was being bullied by the pie crust process. I even had my expert baker of a mother come down for mental support.

2. Thanksgiving! We've sort of fell into a tradition last year when we took our time waking up, made a breakfast casserole which we ate while lounging around watching the parade. Such was the story this year, and after we played with Parker for a while and she eventually went down for a nap. That's when we started getting around for an evening of family and friends. Parker woke up from her nap around 3 and we were off! First stop was to Matt's aunts house, followed by round two of dinner up at my parent's. My grandparents were able to make it to dinner, which always makes me so happy. Parker has been fascinated by my grandfather, Doc since she was a couple months old so it brought tears to my eyes when she walked right up to him, put her little hand on his and said 'Hi, Doc' with a sweet little smile. Probably my favorite moment of this Thanksgiving.





The rest of the weekend was spent decking our halls and the premier of our Elf on the Shelf. We are totally embracing this stage because Parker can grasp the concept of Elf on the Shelf, but at the same time, it doesn't take much to impress her. So far we've placed the elf (whom Parker quickly named Cassie) in her 'potty treat' bowl and hanging from the fan in our living room. Both days she was floored. The best part was probably hearing the things she would say to it. It was a lot of 'I went peepee on the potty, ELF!' and 'What you doing, ELF?!'. Always pronounced with an emphasis on 'ELF'.



We also got our tree on Saturday and had it completely decorated before sundown. It took us only a few minutes in the tree nursery before it was packed up onto the top of our car, making it's way into our home. It's definitely the prettiest tree we've had yet and we made a few last minute ornament purchases that made a HUGE impact on the appearance. 



It's always tough to get back into the swing of things after a few days off, so may your coffee be strong, and your Monday be short!

Pregnancy Update: 15 weeks

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

(Soon we hope to have the chalkboard actually hung so that the hubby doesn't need to stand in for a makeshift wall)

How far along? 15 weeks, 4 days
Total weight gain: 2 lbs.
I'm living in: When I'm not at work testing my pants to extremes, my typical lounging at home wardrobe consists of crop leggings or sweatpants. On the weekends when visiting or running errands, I tend to turn to my favorite skinnies (with stretch), a simple tee and a long cozy cardigan.
Bellybutton in or out? In
Sleep: Still sleeping like a baby, aside from my new habitual midnight bathroom trips
Food urges: A warm cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows or chai tea lattes from Starbucks
Food aversions: Believe it or not, soups are turning me off lately. I find this extremely odd because 'tis the season for soups! 
I really miss: It's happening already. I miss the nights where I could comfortably sleep on my stomach. Any time I apply any pressure on that area (let alone try to sleep on it) I can feel my bump pressing into my guts. It's side/back sleeping from here on out. In other sleep related news, I am coveting this body pillow. I just can't decide which print to go with. They're all so cute!
Movement: I can officially say that we have kicks! I have been feeling them about two weeks earlier than it did with my first pregnancy. All this week I have been feeling faint little jabs that bring me right back to feeling Parker's first karate chops.
Gender prediction: I have been carrying pretty much the same as I did when I with Parker, so I'm thinking girl. We have one more month before we find out!
Exercise: Not much of anything lately. My daily morning headaches put a damper on all of my motivation. The doctor hopes that they subside over the next few weeks, so hopefully I'll be able to get my sweat on soon.
Best moment this week? Thanksgiving! When we first found out we were pregnant in August, I was so excited that this pregnancy coincided with the holidays.
Looking forward to: Getting Parker's big girl room ready! Her walls have been painted, we have to install wood flooring and finish some shopping! The bed is scheduled for delivery right before or after Christmas so we are hoping to have her room ready before the new year. After that, it's operation nursery (my absolute FAVORITE part of pregnancy).

I also wanted to say that I am thankful for all of you who regularly read and leave such sweet comments. I love having a space that allows me to share a small part of our lives with all of you. I hope everyone enjoys the next couple of days surrounded by family, friends and good cheer and keep those who aren't able to be home with loved ones during this holiday season in our hearts.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our Weekend

Sunday, November 23, 2014
Matt had been traveling off and on for work the past couple of weeks and just returned from a trip on Saturday afternoon. Our daily schedule is totally thrown out of whack on days when he isn't here, but at the same time it provides some serious mama daughter bonding time.

Friday night we settled in and made ham and cheese paninis and snuggled in my bed watching Elf. Regardless of my 'plan' of Parker falling asleep watching movies in bed, I found myself drifting off while she played with remotes and sang songs. Before I completely zonked out, I decided to take her to her nursery and tuck her in for the night. She went down without a struggle. Parker and I have an unwritten rule that she gets the best nights sleep when Matt is out of town. 


The next morning we had a jam packed day full of gymnastics, lunch at my parents, naps and addressing holiday cards all before Matt's flight arrived at 330. We surprised him at the airport which is always one of my favorite things to do. Parker gave Matt a huge hug and didn't want to leave his arms. She had a mini melt down when he went to get his car from the parking lot so naturally we had to switch vehicles so he could drive her home due to her daddy withdrawal. 


Since my parents asked to have Parker stay over with them one night this weekend, we took advantage of it and used that night for a long overdue date night. We went to one of our favorite restaurants, sat in the bar area and enjoyed some appetizers and later on took on a steak bigger than Matt's head ;). I could only bear a few bites but the leftovers made for some amazing brunch material the next day. Don't worry, I made sure to save room for dessert. 

It's finally the week of Thanksgiving which means friends, family and pumpkin pie! I'm making my first ever pumpkin pie and decided to go with this pie crust recipe with this filling. My friend mentioned that she uses a recipe that calls for melted vanilla ice cream. It blew my mind. We also have a baby appointment this week, so we're looking forward to that. It's always fun hearing the heart beat and hopefully I'll get some ideas on how to kick these daily headaches. 


Pregnancy Update: 14 Weeks

Saturday, November 22, 2014
First and foremost, we want to thank you all for the out pour of love and good wishes as we enter our second round of pregnancy! We have family and friends all over the country (and world for that matter), so we are going to use this blog to try to keep everyone up to date with our antics during this next chapter of our lives. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I am starting to track my ever growing bump on a weekly basis. Also, I love hearing the fun details of other women's pregnancies so this will allow me to share all of the nitty gritty with those of you who are interested.



How far along? 14 weeks
Total weight gain: 1 lonely pound
I'm living in: Right now I'm starting the stage where my bump can easily be mistaken for a big lunch at Chipotle. I can still button my jeans but the comfort level is being pushed to it's limit with each day. My most comfortable pair of jeans that I find myself turning to are one pair of Joe's skinnies. I found that all of the stretch is really working with the changes my body is going through and the dark wash is consistently flattering. On other days when I'm feeling less ambitious, I typically turn to Lululemon crops.
Bellybutton in or out? In for now
Sleep: Sleeping great. I'd say from 7 weeks up until 12 weeks we got into the routine of putting Parker down for bed around 730-745. You could bet that I wouldn't be too far behind. This week I am starting to get my energy back (I'm actually blogging while Parker naps instead of following suit), which means I get to dedicate a lot more time to Matt and socializing with friends.
Food urges: Smoothies and french fries with honey mustard
Food aversions: Turkey - this is especially surprising to me because we live off of turkey burgers and ground turkey dishes.
I really miss: (I'm trying to figure out how to word this without sounding like a lush...) but mocktails just aren't cutting it. I went out the other night with a group of my girlfriends for dinner and the bartender attempted to turn my beloved cocktail into a non-alcoholic version with all of the flavor. It was delicious, but I was definitely missing that zing.
Movement: Any sensation I feel in my stomach, I automatically think is the baby kicking so this subject is debatable.
Gender prediction: In the first months I thought boy, but just recently switched my guess over to girl.
Exercise: For the first 7 weeks I kept up with my exercise regimen, but totally fell off the wagon once morning sickness rolled in and set up shop until 12ish weeks. Now that I feel like my old self (and once Matt's work travel slows down), I am ready for some 5:00 am gym time.
Best moment this week? Making the big announcement to the world! I can't stress enough how much every word meant to us! It makes us even more excited for this pregnancy (which we didn't think was possible) and I'm excited to see what's to come in the next few months.
Looking forward to: If you've spent any time with me the past two weeks, you will know how much I'm looking forward to the holidays this year. It snowed the other day and I almost did a back flip into my hot cocoa. I am just so excited to be surrounded my friends and family and watch Parker soak up the fun of the holidays.


Big Changes are Coming...

Friday, November 14, 2014

Matt and I have been throwing around some ideas around for the past year or so around some big changes being made to our household. The list contains a master bedroom/bathroom remodel, a much needed closet redesign and a big girl room for P. Check out the video below to see more of what's to come in 2015!

Parker's Two Year Update

Tuesday, November 11, 2014
How we even got to two entire years, I'm not sure but if my two month postpartum self could see how great these times were now, she wouldn't be sobbing at the thought of her baby growing up. It's been a while since we've done a Parker update so let's get to it...


Words: These past couple of months have been such a game changer. Parker is either talking, singing, 'reading' her books out loud or yelling 'baby yoga!' then proceeding into full on downward dog. Our little chatter-box is non-stop and we wouldn't want it any other way. I am extremely excited about this stage because I discovered the other day on the way home that Parker is starting to memorize song lyrics. We now have 'All About that Bass' duets in the car on the reg. She also is quick to say thank you, I love you or my all-time favorite 'bless you, mama' whenever I sneeze or cough. We started a new favorite nightly ritual of mine, where we all cuddle up in bed and read a few of her favorite books. Sometimes we get her to take the wheel and she'll read to us which is beyond hysterical. She memorizes books in minutes flat and we are flabbergasted at what she can retain.



Sleep: I am also thrilled to announce (and more than likely am jinxing myself when I say) that we have finally found a struggle-scream-cup-throwing-pacifier-chucking-tears-galore-FREE bedtime routine. It has been a serious struggle for us since she was an infant so getting to this stage feels beyond amazing. We would have our good stretches, but you can bet they wouldn't last long. Have it be teething, a cold or her being overtired, there were so many nights where Matt and I were both stressed out trying to find a routine that flowed for not only Parker but for us as well. We tried every method in the book and the only real tweak that accounted for success was that we started putting her to bed around 7:30-7:45 each night. Before we would shoot for 8:30 but since we started putting her down earlier, she's been asking to lay down in her crib, letting us know that she's tired, and eventually will go down without a peep. For the past two years I read so many articles and know that it can be one of the biggest pain points for parents, so have faith when people tell you that it will get easier. You will find a method that works for both you and your baby, and that day will be glorious. She is still sleeping in her crib, but we are already in the works of putting together her big girl room. 

Food: Parker isn't too picky when it comes to food, however I have a feeling that that stage is right around the corner. Typically for breakfast I'll throw together scrambled eggs with fruit and toast or a waffle. Other days she's in the mood for cereal and milk. She loves 'tune-off' (tuna) sandwiches and can do some serious damage when it comes to blueberries, grapes or clementines. Whenever she asks for a snack, we typically throw some berries in a bowl and she is a happy camper. Luckily, she doesn't HATE vegetables. For dinner she typically eats whatever we're eating and she loves a side of vegetable medley. Don't get me wrong, some days she is running on straight carbs, hummus and cheese but when we are stocked in the fruits and frozen vegetable department she goes pretty hard. :)

Potty Training: On to potty training... we took the approach of letting Parker first show interest so for the past few months she's been sitting, but the train stops there. However, with a little candy bribery (thank goodness for Halloween candy) we've been seeing results! Today we introduced actual underwear so we'll see how that pans out for us. I have a feeling it's going to be a long road but we're definitely not magicians so we're well prepared. 





I could go on and on about this little girl. About how her booming personality cracks us up on a daily basis, about her favorite songs, her favorite activities but we'd be going on a pretty long blog post. This has just been the most fun age and I just can't get over how much she grows each day. The older she gets the harder it is to believe that I'm lucky enough to be called her mama. She amazes us each day and we can't think of a life without her spunk, sweetness and giggles.
 
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