proud.

I'm not a fan of change. I never have been. Change makes me feel anxious. I think in general I just have a tendency to worry & get nervous over silly things. Grayson {unfortunately} shares this trait with me. He does not do well with change & is such a creature of habit.

 

Our wonderful preschool director approached me a couple of weeks ago asking if we would consider moving Grayson up a class at school. She thought that academically he would be ready for this new class & that it would be good for him. He had some familiar faces from last year and from Sunday School in there. We agreed to do a trial day & go from there.

 

Ben and I both talked to Grayson about it & he immediately was turned off. He was so hesitant & kept saying how he liked his teachers and he liked his friend, Alex. We had to explain to him that he would really like these new teachers and he would make lots of new friends. Still, he was nervous.

 

His visit day was on Tuesday and I was a ball of nerves all morning. You see, Grayson has loved school from day 1 and I was so afraid that if he had a bad experience, it would make him dread going. 

 

He was actually excited about going all morning because 2 other kids from his class were moving up, too. It was all great until we were walking into the room. Then he fell apart. We put all his things away & talked to the teachers. I took him to the bathroom and we closed the door. He was crying so hard. I'll be honest, I was trying really hard not to cry.  He was so nervous & I could just sense his uneasiness. I remembered exactly how that felt as a kid.

 

So? We prayed. Right there in the bathroom as we stood by the sink. We prayed for a sense of peace & comfort. We took a deep breath. He cried as we left him in his room and it was so hard for me to leave him like that. He hasn't done that since he was Griffin's age.

 

In my heart, I knew he would be okay & enjoy himself eventually. He just needed time and we had to give that little push to get him out of the comfort zone of his old class.

 

We picked him up on Tuesday afternoon and took him to get some frozen yogurt. He was smiling so big and told us about all the people in his new class and what he had done all day. He even said, "I had fun there!"  I know he was scared to be moving away from the classroom he has known since September, but he was brave & I couldn't be more proud of him. Seeing that big smile was reassuring to my mama heart, too.

 

When did he get so big??

14 weeks with Baby May #3

 

How far along?: 14 weeks

How big is your baby?: the size of a peach

 

Total weight gain: up 1lb. I'm shocked. I feel gigantic.

Sex: we find out March 27th!

 

Maternity clothes: duh. I do however need you people to know that the Jessica Simpson line at Motherhood is great. I ordered 2 pairs of skinny jeans that I am loving but I am obsessed with the skinny cords! They are SO comfy.

 

  Sleep: sleeping great (thanks, Griffin!) but I am so exhausted by 8pm. I am ready to get some energy back!

 

Symptoms: I am feeling better--no more nausea! Hooray!

 

Best moment this week: We had our 2nd appointment last Thursday. I was feeling anxious & then our OB could not find the baby's heartbeat. Longest 3 minutes of my life. BUT, she just decided to do a bonus ultrasound and we got to see our sweet baby! Everything was perfect--baby #3 is just super low (hence the reason I feel like my bladder is already getting stomped on) & wiggly! I loved seeing those tiny legs and arms moving around.

 

Food cravings: salty foods. chips, pickles, olives. yum.

Belly button in or out: in.

 

What I miss: okay, I'll say it. A glass of wine.

 

What I'm looking forward to: Finding out what this baby is!!

 

 



Happenings

I have been wanting to blog but feel like I have nothing to write about! All of our days have been running together this winter. We have been trapped inside for way too long. Hope y'all don't mind a brain dump!

 

-I had my Kelly's Kids sample kit at our house over the last week and it had me itching for warm weather. Seeing all those cute summer outfits was such a tease! I have a bunch of clothes left for me to buy at discount & it's killing me to not know what Baby #3 is! Can't wait to order some matching sibling outfits. I know Ben is just as thrilled about that as me;) Speaking of Baby #3, we find out the gender March 27th. Yay!

 

-We decided this weekend that we are going to Disney World in early May. We will have to plan things really quickly, but I am looking forward to taking a trip with my boys. I'm happy we decided to go before this baby is here. It will likely be our last big trip before we are a family of 5! I think they are at such a fun age right now--I know it will be a blast! That being said, we are Disney beginners. We haven't been since we were little. Any seasoned Disney travelers care to share advice??

 

-I registered BOTH of the boys for preschool last week. I can't even believe that my sweet baby Griff will be at school in the fall. He seems so little still but he will actually be older than G was when he started! They will start in September about 3 weeks after the new baby is born...I'm sure they will be so ready to escape from this house!

 

-The one good thing that has happened this winter is that the boys have really been forced to play with each other. I'll admit, the constant messy house makes me want to pull my hair out. However, the sound of them chasing each other & giggling is the best sound. They've started playing their own version of hide & seek and it is so funny. Griffin always hides behind curtains. Grayson always runs to find Griffin instead of hiding. They make me laugh!

 

-I have said before & I will say it again: TODDLERS ARE SO WEIRD. Right now Grayson has this strange obsession with white t-shirts and basketball shorts. That doesn't seem like a big deal, except for the fact that it hasn't been above 35 degrees in months!! G loves the big kids on our street and they wear basketball shorts even when it is snowing. Obviously, he thinks he should do the same.

 

This is G's standard uniform. I miss smocked t-shirts and gingham pants. 

13 weeks with Baby #3

This outfit and beautiful hair brought to you by the Tuesday Monsoon.

 

How far along?: 13 weeks

How big is your baby?: the size of a plum

 

Total weight gain: I honestly have no idea. I go back to the OB tomorrow!

Sex: I'm thinking boy & Grayson is CONVINCED it is a sister.

 

Maternity clothes: yep, completely! I am ready for warm weather. It is easier to dress when I can wear maxi skirts and dresses!

 

  Sleep: I am finally sleeping better but I am still SO TIRED by 8pm.

 

Symptoms: Still randomly nauseous...not nearly as often though! My skin has also been awful this time!

 

Best moment this week: Um, maybe the one nice & warm day we had? Probably that:) Oh, and the boys have a fun new game where they stick small basketballs up their shirts so that they can "have a baby in their belly like mommy." It's pretty hysterical.

 

Food cravings: salty foods. chips, pickles, olives. yum.

Belly button in or out: in.

 

What I miss: nothing right now!

 

What I'm looking forward to: Hearing the heartbeat tomorrow. I always get anxious before these first two appointments! 

Happy Half Birthday, Griff!

Griffin, today is your half birthday. You are one and a half! I can hardly believe that we were celebrating your 1st birthday 6 months ago!

The Stats:

Weight: 21.3lbs (3rd percentile) Dr. Leeper said you are the size of the average 10 month old. No need to worry because you are super healthy!

Height: 31.5 inches (25th percentile)

Clothes: still lots of 12 month clothes & a few 18 month

Diaper: 4

Shoe: 4.5

Here's what's been going on this month:

-I put some books in your bed & that has helped when you wake up. You used to wake up so sad & now you'll turn on your music & read some books!

-You have adopted a new lovey, Mickey Mouse! You found this little Mickey at Walgreen's the other day and had to have it. You have spent the past few days snuggling with Mickey in your crib and giving him hugs. It is so sweet!

-You climb everything in sight. The couch, the bar stools, the tables, all the chairs, the train table, etc. You have zero fear!

-You love to sing. You sing songs from "Rio" all the time & can actually carry a tune! You also sing "dank you, Ga!!!" It's a song Grayson sings from preschool called "Thank you, God."

-You love to be a helper! You bring me your plate when you are finished eating & you always pick up trash when you see it.

Things you are saying:

-dank you (thank you)

-luh you (love you)

-Jack

-Daddy

-Mommy

-Rio

-Yeah

-Hey & Hi

- Bah (bye)

-ki ki (kitty)

-ew & yuck

-bebe (what he calls his paci)

-baby (and he knows the ultrasound picture is the baby!)

-see it

You are currently loving:

-Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Rio, & Despicable Me

-Peekaboo games on the iPad

-smoothies

-dancing & listening to music

-your new Mickey Mouse

-reading books. You bring me books all day long & want me to read to you!

My sweet Griff. You have such a fun personality. You are a tiny little 1.5 year old but you can definitely hold your own! You are a combination of fearless, wild, & snuggly. One minute you are running around like a crazy boy & the next you are curled up in my lap. The past year and a half have been so fun & you have added such joy to our family. I can't believe YOU will be a big brother in 6 more months! We love you, sweet boy!



Let's Get This Party Started! 12 weeks with Baby #3

 

I can't believe we are doing this again! 3rd baby is no joke on the body. I feel huge. Here we go!

 

 

How far along?: 12 weeks

How big is your baby?: the size of a lime

 

Total weight gain: I honestly have no idea. I go back to the OB next week!

Sex: we should find out in March. My guess? Boy.

 

Maternity clothes: well, I have been in maternity pants since about 9 weeks. Boohiss.

 

  Sleep: I am sleeping fine if I can actually sleep all night. If I wake up to go to the bathroom or if Griff wakes up, it's all over. I'll sleep good in 18 years!

 

Symptoms: This is actually the sickest I have been with any pregnancy. I have been more nauseous than anything & sick occasionally. I am hoping we are almost done with that!

 

Best moment this week: We found a new (to us) super comfy chair for the new nursery!

 

Food cravings: green olives, pickles, & cereal. Specifically Cheerios. Weirdest aversion? DIET COKE. If you know me, you know this is so crazy.

Belly button in or out: in.

 

What I miss: nothing, just super thankful that we are getting to do this one more time!

 

What I'm looking forward to: Going to the OB next Thursday & hearing a heartbeat! 

Our Playroom Re-Do

We have been in our house for 5 years now & we made some pretty crazy paint decisions when we first got here. We have a huge bonus room space that we use for the playroom that is upstairs in between all of our bedrooms. For some crazy reason we thought a really bright mustard yellow was a great idea 5 years ago. Like I said, we were crazy. Earlier in the fall I was SO sick of the color on our walls, oversized furniture taking up too much room, & unorganized chaos with all the toys. Here is what the room used to look like:

 (well, minus the new couch)

 So! Much! Yellow!

It has been a pretty slow process, but over the past several months we have had the room painted, bought a much smaller couch, mounted the tv, & rearranged all the toy storage. I love how it looks now & how much more space we have!

We finally mounted the tv & had more room for storage. I bought these nice baskets at Target & made some labels (with pictures for the boys) to try and keep the toys organized. These are all toys Griffin uses a lot and I love that he can actually reach them all by himself!

Ben's dad made this awesome toy box with shelves when G was a baby. We love it. I did a major toy clean out after Christmas for the first time ever these shelves are staying organized! 

We have always had this (used to be in my classroom) but it is great for smaller toys. Please notice the photobombing package of Christmas lights in the picture. Keeping it real!

This has become one of my favorite parts of the playroom! I have been holding on to these book jackets for over 3 years and wanted to figure out a way to use them. They are now hanging on a wire curtain rod from Ikea that was super cheap. I love having this "art" on our wall! 

We have a train table but it is rarely used for trains. Right now it is housing a Bat Cave and lots of superhero friends!

This is the best I could with a "most of the room" shot without falling down the stairs. Our big piece of furniture is from Pottery Barn Kids and we love it. It has so much room for storing things and holding the hundreds of books and DVDs we have.

And our old HUGE sectional? sold! We bought this much smaller couch as a replacement and it gives us so much more room to play.  

Here's what I was working with while trying to get the room clean enough for pictures. Ha! Tiny Tornadoes.

We are very happy with this new space, can you tell?!