So What! Wednesday

Let's get this show on the road! This week I am saying SO WHAT if...

• I finally bit the bullet & bought 2 shock collars for the big dogs last night BUT know I will be sad when they are actually shocked? Yeah, the barking drives me CRAZY but I will still feel bad for them. 
• I got all mama bear on a couple of 6 year olds at the neighborborhood pool yesterday? Don't mess with my kid.
• I made a strawberry cake this week just because?
• I am already a little stressed out about being in the hospital with Griffin and away from Grayson? I mean, it's 3 days. That seems like a lot. 

• it is so dang hot that I have been averaging about 3 showers a day lately? Surely with all the sweating that is going on I just won't gain any more baby weight. Surely.   

Go link up with Shannon @ L.A.I.D for So What! Wednesday!

Grayson-isms

Grayson is so full of personality. I always want to just bottle it up so I can look back a few years from now & remember some of the funny things he does. He definitely keeps us on our toes! Here are a few "Grayson-isms" as of lately...

• In order for us to be able to play in the backyard, I have to scoop up after the dogs at least once a day. Well, after a few weeks of watching me do this, G decided that he also needed a job. He is now the "Poo Poo Patrol." He will walk around the yard and as soon as spots dog poop he completely freaks. He starts pointing in a very dramatic way & shouting "ewwwwwwww! yuck! ewwwwww!" He will not rest until it has been scooped.
• G loves any sport that involves a ball. Football and basketball seem to be his favorite. While most kids his age request to watch Caillou & Mickey Mouse, Grayson prefers ESPN. One morning when it was just the 2 of us he hopped on the couch and pointed to the tv. I turned it on and found Curious George. Almost immediately, G started getting agitated and saying "nooo! nooo! Touchdown!" Okay. Well, it's May & there aren't many football games on tv. I tried my hardest to find something, anything, on the 874958437528 ESPN channels that we have...nada. For the next 5 minutes a crying G sat on the couch saying "touchdown! touchdown! touchdown! football!" Pitiful.
• Grayson now kind of understands the purpose of a toilet. He understands that what he does in diapers, big people do in toilets. Well, I guess we have said "ew" one too many times during a diaper change, because now whenever he sees a toilet he says "ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!"
• It is no secret that G loves trucks. We look at countless truck books & see construction trucks on our street every single day. Apparently, G thinks Ben should be the one that drives all of the trucks. When he sees them he always says, "truck. Dada!" The garbage truck, the dump truck, the mail truck, you name it...it's followed by "dada" every time.
• This child is a true animal lover. We have a blue bird family that builds a nest in our back fence (this is the 4th year!) & they love to perch on the fence when the dogs are outside. Probably because Ellie has tried to kill them, but that's another story. Anyway, if Grayson sees them he immediately walks over the the fence waving and saying "hey! hi! heeyyy!" to the birds. He pretty much does this with every animal he sees...including a butterfly yesterday:) He is so friendly!

a kickoff to summer

I feel like Memorial Day weekend is always the true kickoff to summer. Last year I wondered if I would miss that actual "SCHOOL'S OUT!!! IT'S SUMMER!!!" high, but, it's still there. I am still just as excited about a summer with my boys as I was last year. 

We have successfully kicked off our summer by hanging out with friends & turning our backyard into a small waterpark. I just don't have it in me to take daily trips to the neighborhood pool by myself. Chasing Grayson and keeping him above water is exhausting! This summer, I am thankful for a backyard with a fence. Here is what we have been up to lately in the 95 degree weather...

We got the crab pool out & I had an immediate flashback of last May when G experienced this pool for the first time. Allow me to reminisce:

My semi-chunky baby is now a big, skinny, blonde toddler! 

G wasn't thrilled with the crab pool. Instead of sitting & playing he prefers to fill up buckets of water and throw them all over the patio. Oh well. Whatever keeps him entertained, right?

I'm pretty sure G's favorite thing in the world is playing with his best friend/next door neighbor, Gray. They are 10 months apart & have so much fun together. Gray came over to play one morning last week & within 5 minutes, both kids were completely soaked.

This cracks me up...2 toddlers, 1 dog...all sharing water. Ha! 

Water slide? Sure! Please note the snack trapper full of goldfish in my child's hand. He takes his "nacks" very seriously & refused to put them down. 

See? Very seriously. No goldfish were harmed soaked during this activity.

Aren't these two so cute together? Two of my best high school friends, Alex and Phil, are making a temporary 2 year move to Birmingham this week. We had them over for dinner on Saturday & the boys had so much fun playing together!

It's hard to believe that 9 years ago the 3 of us were graduating from high school together & now we are all grown up, married, & with toddlers! G will  miss his buddy, Hutson!

Most of our weekend has been spent outside & we haven't passed out OR melted...I think I'll call that a success! Happy Memorial Day!

30 weeks with Griffin

 Look at the growth...I've definitely rounded out (and gotten tanner and blonder) in the last 10 weeks!

*How far along?: 30 weeks...that seems like a big deal! We are getting so close!
*How big is your baby?: the size of a butternut squash

*Total weight gain?: 17 pounds...I'm starting to drink a T O N of water in hopes that I don't swell up like last time.
*Sex: boy!

*Maternity clothes: um, yes. I have 1 regular tshirt that I can still wear that isn't a crop top. All my pajama tops are now too short. Oy. 

*Stretch marks: not yet & crossing my fingers it stays that way!

 *Movement: Oh yeah! Sometimes he feels so low (which never happened with Grayson) and other times he feels like he is using my lungs as a punching bag. Griffin is all over the place!

*Sleep: My sweet friend, Leslianna, let me borrow her pregnancy pillow & it has definitely helped!

*Symptoms: That whole breathing thing has been an issue this week. I feel like I am always out of breath & that Griffin is literally squishing my lungs.

*Best moment this week: Griffin's crib is all set up with the bedding inside! Looks like a nursery again! 

*Food cravings: watermelon
*Labor signs: Still having BH contractions every now & then and I feel pressure, ya know, down there. I swear he is lower than G ever was!
*Belly button in or out: It's still flat, praise the Lord.

*What I miss: not feeling like a cinder block is laying on my chest...breathing is kind of important!

*What I'm looking forward to: organizing the nursery!

a whole year

It has been a year since I made a job change. A year since I was winding down a classroom full of sweet & crazy 1st graders who were ready for summer. A year since I sat on a playground for recess laughing with my friends while also being a referee for very active 6 year olds. A year since I sat in a little chair to scarf down my lunch & have 20 minutes of adult time. A year since I got to use ridiculous amounts of clipart in daily emails to the VM's (my 1st grade team posse). 

I knew that quitting my job as a teacher would be hard. I worked with some of my best friends and that kind of opportunity just doesn't come along very often. I knew that it would be different not knowing the kids they were talking about in conversations. I knew it would be different because I wouldn't have nearly as much adult interaction sans baby if I stayed home. But? For me? It was the right choice. Being a stay at home mom. It was one of those decisions that just felt right.

I would be lying if I told you that every single day is filled with rainbows and butterflies. It's not. Or that I am a super organized mom that teaches G straight from a preschool curriculum? um, we read lots of truck books? 

 There are days that totally test my patience and I literally stare at the clock waiting on Ben to get home. There are days that I push bedtime back a little bit because G is in such a great mood and I don't want the day to end. 

I can't believe it has already been a year. What a crazy & fun one it has been! When I think about it I can't help but feel so thankful that I do have the opportunity right now to stay home with our boys. I'm just so happy to be here, right now, in this season of life.

So What! Wednesday

It's Wednesday! You know the routine. This week I am saying SO WHAT if...

• The Bachelorette is boring me so far but the Twitter commentary cracks me up? 
• I celebrated gaining only 1 pound in the last month by eating a slice of hershey pie when I got home from my OB? So worth it. 
• we get our toddler to eat his Flinstone chewable every morning by calling it "vitamin candy?" Don't judge. The kid loves him some candy!
• I'm really pumped about losing this baby weight and the baby isn't even here yet? Hmm...think I'll be motivated in August? Don't answer that.
• I accidentally washed an entire Walgreens prescription pad in the washing machine this week? oops. clumps of paper everywhere. {fyi-the husband is a pharmacist. I don't steal prescription pads from pharmacies.} 
• I think monograms & stick people/pets on cars are ridiculous?

Go link up with Shannon @ L.A.I.D! 

a blonde beach bum

We spent all of last week in Cape San Blas, Florida with my family. It was a long 10 hour drive to get there, but we had a great time! You may remember from this post that G was not a beach baby last summer. At all. This year? He loved it! We spent hours on the beach everyday building castles, playing with his trucks, digging holes, chasing & feeding birds, and just enjoying the beach!

Here is how we spent our week...

Sorry for the picture dump, but my little blondie is even cuter on the beach! :) I can't believe that this was our last vacation as a family of 3. Next summer will be a little bit different!

29 weeks with Griffin

*How far along?: 29 weeks 1 day
*How big is your baby?: a head of cabbage...around 3lbs!

*Total weight gain?: I only gained 1 pound this month! HIP HIP HOORAY!!! I told the nurse that weighed me that she was my new best friend. Up 17lbs total!
*Sex: boy!

*Maternity clothes: I have been living in tanks & work out shorts. It's a great look, really. Our pool is now open so I am about to be rocking the maternity bathing suits on a regular basis. Ladies, lock up your husbands.  

*Stretch marks: not yet & hoping it stays that way!

 *Movement: This boy moves a ton just like his brother. My doctor always has the hardest time getting him to stay still while she finds the heartbeat. He really starts flipping around late at night. I have already told Ben that we may never sleep again once he's here!

*Sleep: I think it is time for a pregnancy pillow. My stomach feels so heavy & uncomfortable when I sleep!

*Symptoms: I'm having vein issues. I have a vein on my inner thigh that is getting too large for my liking & now hurts. My OB told me to wear compression hose...in the Tennessee heat. I'm pretty sure I would die. SO, I send Ben on a mission to find something at Walgreens to help me. We'll see what he comes up with. Also? Griffin is lower than G ever was. Basically when I squat down it feels like a baby will come out. So, that's interesting!

*Best moment this week: Our beach trip! G had a blast! We also got the Baby Jogger City Select stroller with 2 seats...I love it!

*Food cravings: so random, but a sausage and cheese plate from Rendezvous in Memphis. My sweet husband made me one last night for dinner!
*Labor signs: I have BH contractions when I do too much; never had them this early with G. They are a little more intense than I would like!
*Belly button in or out: It's still flat, praise the Lord.

*What I miss: having normal veins-ha!

*What I'm looking forward to: hanging things up in Grayson's room this week so it will be finished!

G is 20 months old!

G turned 20 months on Saturday! Yikes, that is really close to being TWO!

Stats:

Weight: 22.6lbs -- still a little guy!

Height: I'm guessing around 33 inches

Diaper: 4 during the day/5 at night

Clothes: 12 month shorts (haha!) & the rest is all 18m/24m

Shoes: 5

I feel like G's vocabulary has tripled this month! We went from being the only ones that understood his select few words to having him be a little parrot that copies everything we say. Here are some of his newest words: duck, bat, hat, shoes, juice, eww, uh oh, shhhh, night night, hot, jeep, choo choo, Nana, Mimi, snack, bird, yeah, moon, and his own sweet version of "excuse me!"

G is also saying more simple sentences like "hi Jack" and "bye bye mama." I love that we can communicate so much better now! Downside: he copies everything and we have to be really careful. He's a little copycat!

What's been going on the past month:

• G has become obsessed with stickers & bandaids. He loves to put stickers all over himself and anyone else nearby. We find them ALL over the house!
• He moved into his new bedroom and loves it! It is more of a big boy bedroom with things he loves: trucks! He is doing great in his new space and loves his room.
• G now notices babies...just in time! He is fascinated by them all of a sudden. We talk about how you have to be quiet when babies are sleeping so when we see a baby somewhere he always says "shhhhhhhh." 
• We play outside all day/everyday. This boy is happiest outside & I love that about him! 
• His trucks and trains are still his favorite toys. G is all boy! 
• Still a picky eater but getting better about actually trying new foods. Maybe we are slowly growing out of the world's pickiest toddler phase??
• G loves all sports that involve a ball. He gets super excited when football is on tv and shouts "touchdown!" Ben will now say "down, set..." and G will shout "hut! hut! hut!"
• G's favorite time of day is 4:00pm when the school bus stops in front of our house and drops off all of his older friends. He gets so happy to see the big kids! 
• He is SO friendly and yells "hi" to everyone he sees. He's pretty adamant about people returning his greeting and will say it over & over again:) 

Grayson is at such a great stage right now. He has a much easier time understanding & telling me what he wants/needs. He's becoming more independent & is so great at entertaining himself--this will come in handy when Griffin arrives! 

Grayson has such a great personality & we are having so much fun watching him learn new things! Happy 20 months, G!

iphone picture dump

I love the quirky little things that G does on a regular basis. For some reason, he loves balancing random objects on his head during bath time. He's pretty darn good at it! Sign him up for the circus, stat. 

Apparently our boy is now big enough to hold his own popsicle. We love our afternoons in the backyard with sweet lemon popsicles! 

It's no secret that G loves him some construction trucks. Most of the time I hate living in new construction because it's loud, I get nails in my tires, and...it's loud. BUT? My boy loves walking down the street to see all the trucks & has made friends with many construction workers. This crane was fascinating to him & we spent a good 15 minutes staring and pointing. Free entertainment!

Last weekend our neighborhood had their annual spring garage sale. I love the thrill of the hunt at garage sales...it's so fun! I found this AWESOME Step 2 playset for $30 and couldn't pass it up. Our backyard is now complete! G is loving the slide!

Could this picture be any sweeter?! Gray is our next door neighbor & G's very best friend. She is 2 and they are SO sweet together! This was after MOPS last week when we were walking to our cars. I had to get a picture!

Bedhead & 2 froggies: it's how we begin every morning.

G has this obsession right now with stickers and band-aids. He calls all of his boo boos "bambos" & immediately needs a band-aid when he gets hurt. and I do mean immediately! Last week he was playing in the backyard while I made his lunch inside. He decided to climb up the stairs to come in & then changed his mind and turned back around. Boom. He fell on the concrete stoop and scraped his knees. Then why is there a gigantic big bird band-aid on his face? Well, because he is a toddler and that is where he demanded it go. Typical.

 ...and just a sneak peek from this week at the beach. G loves it!

So What! Wednesday

It's Wednesday! This Wednesday is more fun for me because we are at the beach! Yep, I may be mistaken for a beached whale this week but I don't even care...I needed a vacation! This week I am saying SO WHAT if...

• I have SO MANY PICTURES that my computer AND iphone are pretty much always out of room? What can I say? These kids of mine will have one heck of a documented childhood. 
• I have an external hard drive to prevent this problem but never remember to use it?
• I got a little sad when I sat down at our house on Saturday night because all 3 of our dogs were gone on "doggie vacay?" A house with no dogs is a sad house. 
• I have no desire to read "50 Shades of Grey?" 
• one of the reasons I am loving vacation is because I don's have to sweep and vacuum up dog hair every day this week? The maid is taking a break! ;) 
• my maternity bathing suit is pretty much equivalent to wearing a skirt and tank top to the beach? The more of this body that is covered, the better. Trust me. 
• I think there is nothing cuter than my little blonde boy playing on the beach in his seersucker swim trunks?  

Go link up with Shannon for SWW! 

28 weeks with Griffin

*How far along?: 28 weeks 1 day...hello, 3rd trimester!

*Total weight gain?: 16ish pounds..I go back to the doctor next week!

*How big is baby?: a head of cauliflower...that seems big!
*Sex: another sweet boy!
*Maternity clothes: I'm now wearing my husband's t-shirts if that tells you anything about my stomach.
*Stretch marks: Nope. fingers crossed! Palmers is my friend!
*Sleep: I'm thankful for benadryl this week. That's all I'll say about that!
*Symptoms: lower back pain and pressure, you know, down there. Neither of which ever happened with G. Grayson was stuck in my ribcage and it hurt so bad...I wonder if Griffin is hanging out a little lower?
*Best moment this week: Grayson is in his new bedroom {and loves it!} & the nursery is cleared out & ready to be re-organized. That will begin when we get back from the beach!
*Movement: I can tell he's bigger and stronger...he moves a lot!

*Food cravings: I've actually been wanting more water. This is shocking. 

 *Labor signs: I've actually had a few experiences with Braxton Hicks contractions recently. They aren't as kind as I remember...ouch.
*Belly button in or out: it's ALMOST out. wah.
  *What I miss: being able to be on my feet all day & not have to worry about my back hurting
*What I'm looking forward to: setting up Griffin's crib when we get back from the BEACH!! 

a full heart

This is my 2nd "real" Mother's Day. Ya know, the 2nd year that the baby is actually on the OUTSIDE. 

It's still surreal to me that I get to be a part of Mother's Day. On the occasion that I have the intense desire to drive around with my windows down & blast Luda, I feel like I'm too young to be a mom. Then other times? I can't remember what my life was like pre-G. (other than I used to drive around with my windows down and blast Luda)

Motherhood is a funny thing. It's the highest of highs & the lowest of lows. It's the hardest thing I've ever done but it is by far the most rewarding & most important thing I'll ever do. 

I didn't quite understand this kind of love until I laid eyes on G for the very first time. I was completely exhausted by that point & still in a semi-ambien sleepyhead coma, but I will never forget that moment. Ben brought him over to me all bundled up and we got face to face. He was perfect; he was mine. It was one of those moments where I felt like my heart would literally burst.  

The great thing about being a mama is that those moments happen all the time. That first time our baby boy said mama? Those afternoons when I would pick him up from daycare and he would get the biggest smile on his face? Those first few wobbly steps? Watching him make his first friends? When he looks at us before bed and says "nigh nigh, love you?" All of those moments give me that same my-heart-will-burst-with-happiness-at-any-given-moment feeling. There is nothing better!

Words can't even describe how thankful I am that I get to be this boy & his little brother's mama. My heart is so full. I can't think of a better job! 

Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas!

So What! Wednesday

This week I am saying SO WHAT if...

• I almost forgot that today was Wednesday? I swear, now that I don't teach calendar every single day to 6 year olds, I never know what day it is. 
• I took it really personal when Christina (excuse me, Xtina---stupid) got on to Tony Lucca for his song choice this week & basically said he was inappropriate? Number 1: 99 Problems was my favorite song during my sophomore year of college and was blasted many times during our "pre-parties." Number 2: DOES SHE NOT REMEMBER WEARING A THONG WITH CHAPS IN HER "DIRRRTY" VIDEO AND LETTING HER GIRLS HANG OUT ON TV EVERY MONDAY & TUESDAY FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS?! Sorry, she bothers me. 
• I have approximately 47 bug bites on my body right now? It's worth the itch to see my boy happy in the backyard. 
• my child likes to walk around the house wearing his floatie & sunglasses?
• Justin Bieber makes me feel like I'm 14 again and in love with Justin Timberlake? Oh, who am I kidding? I still love JT.
• in an attempt to empty our pantry before our beach vacay next week I now realize we have no food? fail. 

Go link up with Shannon @ L.A.I.D for SWW! 

27 weeks with Griffin

*please excuse the no-makeup, tired mama, allergies are kicking my butt picture*

*How far along?: 27 weeks 1 day

*Total weight gain?: last appt. I was up 16 pounds

*How big is baby?: the size of a cucumber--I'm sure he's around 2 pounds now!
*Sex: another sweet boy!
*Maternity clothes: do I even need to answer this anymore? look at the above picture...YES. Lucky me gets to break out the hot maternity bathing suits next week!
*Stretch marks: Nope. fingers crossed! Palmers is my friend!
*Sleep: I'm hot. I can't sleep when I am hot. Lately, the new trend is waking up in the middle of the night because I am burning up & not being able to fall back asleep.
*Symptoms: my fingers are starting to swell in the heat. Guess I'll have to go buy another fake diamond ring like I did last time! Darn! ;)
*Best moment this week: My friend's threw me a surprise shower/"sprinkle" yesterday! It was so sweet & Griffin got some cute new things that AREN'T hand-me-downs:)
*Movement: He is still moving the most late at night--so curious if that will be the trend when he is on the outside!

*Food cravings: nothing new this week. 

 *Labor signs: hopefully not anytime soon!
*Belly button in or out: oy. starting to pop out. this is my least favorite thing about being pregnant.
  *What I miss: normal body temperature!
*What I'm looking forward to: moving G into his new room this week & starting to organize Griffin's things!