27 weeks with Cheney

 The above picture was taken at 26 weeks while in Disney!

Isn't it crazy how much a baby belly can change in a week?! I feel like the whole shape is different now!

 

 

How far along?: 27 weeks

How big is your baby?: the size of a cucumber (finally about 2lbs!)

 

Total weight gain: up 10lbs total

Sex: sweet baby GIRL--Cheney Katherine

 

Maternity clothes: my favorites are the Michael Stars tanks (like above) because they are super comfy! I've basically been only wearing workout capris & maxi skirts.

 

  Sleep: I officially feel like I am 97 weeks pregnant. Or 97 years old. Either way, it's rough. Sleep has been rough.  

 

Symptoms: My varicose veins are still hurting pretty badly. They are awful on the back of my right leg so it just hurts when I sit on something hard and when I stand up. I also pulled a groin muscle from all the Disney walking. I could barely walk on Sunday & it is slowly getting better. That is making sleep difficult because it hurts to lay on my side. I'll most likely be a gimp for another week or two!  

 

Movement: Her movements have gotten so much stronger! I can really feel when she is flipping around & can see it a lot from the outside. This is by far my favorite part of pregnancy!

 

Best moment this week: DISNEY WORLD! We had so much fun on our trip. I am already excited about going back! All the walking combined with the heat was rough on me, but I survived! I wish I knew how many miles we walked last week! Also, we scheduled Cheney's actual birthday yesterday at my appointment! 12 more weeks until we meet our girl!

 

Food cravings: ice water & that's about it!

Belly button in or out: in but starting to flatten. Womp, womp, womp...

 

What I miss: Normal veins & a hip that doesn't feel like it is completely dislocated. Haha! See? I am an old lady!

 

What I'm looking forward to: G is finishing up school next Tuesday and I am looking forward to having a more relaxed schedule. It will also be the time when we try to move Griffin into his twin bed in their shared bedroom! 

Disney World: Days 1 & 2

You probably noticed my absence on the blog last week. That's because we spent the week at Disney World! We had the BEST time & I am so glad we got to take the boys before Cheney is here.  We drove to Atlanta last Sunday night so we could fly out early Monday morning.  In typical Griffin fashion, he spiked a fever of almost 102 an hour before we were supposed to leave. I was almost in tears. Thankfully there was one walk-in clinic still open at 6:00 on a Sunday & they told us it was nothing but a fever virus--music to my ears!

 

We didn't get to my parents house until almost midnight and had to wake up at 5:00 to make sure we could make our 7:45am flight. We were exhausted! The boys were so excited about flying on an airplane. I had an arsenal of surprises for them in our carry-on but they actually didn't need much to be entertained. I was surprised at how well they did!

When we landed in Orlando we rode the Magical Express to our resort. We stayed at the Art of Animation on Disney property in a Cars suite. It was such a fun resort for kids. Everything in our section looked like it was straight from the set of Cars. Our boys loved walking by Mater, Lightning McQueen, & Sarge every day!

 

Ben's parents came on the trip with us & met us at our resort that morning. We got there around 11:00, got settled in the room, & then caught the bus to Epcot for our first half day!

Poor Griffin was so tired from traveling & he fell asleep shortly after lunch at Epcot. He missed our first character sighting! We got to Epcot on Cinco de Mayo & Donald was dressed appropriately. Grayson was so excited to meet his first character!

Our first ride was the Finding Nemo ride. Both boys loved it!

Griffin also loved the aquarium after the ride. Here he is checking out the manatees!

We also met Mickey Mouse, Minnie, & Goofy on our first day. The characters were a huge hit!

Overall, Epcot was pretty fun but it was a lot of walking & not too much for little ones. They had fun but I'm glad we just spent a half day there!

We spent our entire 2nd day at Magic Kingdom. After the boys had fun at Epcot, I couldn't wait to see how much fun they would have at Magic Kingdom!

Our morning started out a little rocky. We were supposed to have a character breakfast at a different resort early that morning. We asked several concierge people at the resort about bus routes to get there and everyone said we would go to Epcot & then the resort. We got to Epcot and the bus director said that was not correct. We were so frustrated. We ended up missing our breakfast (and didn't get charged, thankfully, since we called and explained what happened) and just had to hitch a ride on the monorail.

Waiting to go to Magic Kingdom!

 We finally made it not too long after the park opened. Our first ride was Peter Pan and G loved it! It was his favorite of the week!

Waiting to ride the Magic Carpet ride!

The Buzz Lightyear ride was a close 2nd for the boys. G loved shooting Zerg and Griff just loves "Buzzzzzz!"

Griffin had so much fun at all the shops. He loved trying on the hats (but never would let me get him mouse ears) and LOVED all the stuffed animals.

 We rode Dumbo and the kids loved the indoor play area it had while you waited. I love the air conditioning!

The rest of the crew on Dumbo!

We also road the People Mover, Astro Orbiter, It's a Small World (twice), & G rode the Barnstormer with Pops. Grayson was literally just a quarter of an inch below the 40in rides so there were quite a few he couldn't do. We were so bummed! All in all, the boys loved the rides that they could ride. It was so fun to watch their excitement!

 We had an early 4:30 dinner reservation this night at the Crystal Palace. We figured it would be perfect & without meltdowns since it was early. Griffin disagreed. He is not very familiar with the cast of Winnie the Pooh, who was walking around the dinner, & was terrified of them! It was both hilarious & pitiful. He was totally fine waving from afar but this was when Eeyore tried to get close to him. Not a fan!

 Grayson loved it!

This was a fun dinner & it was nice that it was actually at the Magic Kingdom!

We ended our day at Magic Kingdom by riding the giant carousel right by the castle. Both boys loved it!
 

Our first full day was so much fun. We all loved the Magic Kingdom! I am pretty sure Griffin had lots of Mickey dreams that night--he loved seeing his Mickey Mouse friends everywhere we went!

I've decided that this was a great age for both of them to go. It was all so real to them & so magical. I think I had more fun as an adult watching them experience it than I did as a kid. I'll post about the rest of our trip later this week with some more details! 

Griffin is 21 months old!

Griffin, you are 21 months old!

 

Here are your stats:

Weight: 21lbs

Height: 32in

Clothes: some 12 month & some 18 month

Diaper: size 5

Shoes: size 5

 

Here's what has been going on this month:

-You are talking SO much. It is crazy how much you can say now!

-You are obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. You can do the "role call" & name all the characters. You also love to sing "hot dog diggy dog!"

-You are actually really excited about going to Disney World next week! I didn't think you would get it at all since you are still so young, but you understand that you will be flying on a plane & seeing your favorite characters! When we ask you who you will meet you tell us: "Gickey (mickey), Oofy (Goofy), Duckie (Donald), & Buzz!"

-You are a stuffed animal hoarder (as seen in these pictures). You want to sleep with ALL of your animals, all the time. Mickey, Goofy, & Rio are your favorites.

-You are sleeping in a toddler bed now! We moved you last week & you are doing great. Next up? Moving to the twin bed in the shared bedroom!

-You despise being dirty. You go through about 3 napkins during every meal because you wipe yourself off in between every bite! You also hand sand on your feet & having a runny nose. You always wipe your own nose with a tissue!

Can we discuss this face? SUCH A HAM. I just want to squeeze him all day long.

 

New words you are saying:

-mean (not our favorite)

-fraffe (giraffe)

-zoo

-lots of animal sounds
-mawn mower (lawn mower--typical!!)

-sky

-up high

-napkin

-tissue

-movie

-smoovie (smoothie)

-starting to form some short sentences

-Mimi

-Nana

-Boppy (for Poppy)

-Bops (for Pops)

 

The closer you get to 2, the more independent you become! I'm glad you are still really petite because it makes you seem more like a baby to me! You keep us laughing all day long. You & Grayson are so silly together and almost have your own language. You two have so much fun together most of the time & we love watching y'all play so well together. Griff, you are such a strong-willed little boy & make sure we know what you want exactly when you want it! It is so much fun watching you grow up & learn new things every day. We love you, little Griff!



25 weeks with Cheney

 

 

How far along?: 25 weeks

How big is your baby?: the size of an eggplant

 

Total weight gain: up 7lbs total

Sex: sweet baby GIRL--Cheney Katherine

 

Maternity clothes: of course. I am living in my Old Navy active maternity capris & maxi skirts. All about comfort these days!  

 

  Sleep: Not too bad. I have been taking Benadryl because of allergies so sleep has been pretty good!

 

Symptoms: My allergies are OUT OF CONTROL. Other than that, I feel so much better. So thankful since we are going to Disney next week!

 

Movement: Cheney is such a wiggle worm!! Every time I get still and lay down, she starts going crazy. I feel like she has been flipping around lately. I've tried to let Grayson feel her kicks, but he won't sit still long enough. Typical t3 year old boy:)

 

Best moment this week: The boys got their new beds and they look awesome! Now if we could only get the tiny toddler to sleep in his we would be all set! Oh, and this time next week we will be in Disney World!!

 

Food cravings: Ice cold lemon water & fresh fruit!

Belly button in or out: in but starting to flatten. Womp, womp, womp...

 

What I miss: Right now the only thing I really miss is being able to take any medicine I want. I have been coughing up a storm and there is not much a pregnant gal can take for that.  

 

What I'm looking forward to: Heading to Orlando on Monday morning! The boys are super excited about flying on an airplane & meeting Mickey Mouse and the rest of the gang. It is going to be so much fun! 

an update of sorts

This time next week we will be in Disney World! This week will be a little crazy trying to pack & run errands for last minute things. I feel like we've been busy lately!

 

Right now Griffin is currently sleeping in his sister's nursery. I use the term "nursery" pretty loosely. Right now it has the new glider, Cheney's crib, & half a wall with lots of gray paint samples. Nothing can really happen until Griffin moves in with Grayson! Last week we decided to convert Cheney's crib into a toddler bed since we already had that conversion kit. The transition went so much better than trying to put Griffin in our small, white toddler bed! For whatever reason, Griffin loves his new toddler bed & is sleeping just fine. Most of the time he stays in it until we get to his room. A couple times he has gotten out & proceeded to bang on the door. Ha! Hopefully in a few weeks we will be able to move him to his new twin bed in Grayson's room!

Speaking of new twin beds, I love them! We asked Ben's dad to build 2 beds for the boys because we could not find anything we liked in the stores. I wanted more of a rustic look & they turned out perfect! Not to mention, how special is it that they will sleep in beds built by their Pops?? I love that. We are waiting on a custom dresser & then I can hang everything up in their room. I'm excited to see it all come together!

Some of you may have already heard this, but my little side "job" is coming to an end. I've been a Kelly's Kids Rep since I quit teaching & I have really enjoyed doing it. The company made the decision last week to sell solely on the internet & no longer use reps or home parties. I was completely caught off guard when they told us this last week. I've had lots of loyal internet friends as my customers and I really appreciate y'all helping to build my little business! I'll definitely miss the KK clothes but Miss Cheney totally benefitted when I used the rest of my discounts on her summer wardrobe for next year! Oops.


I will leave you with the thoughts I have been having lately watching these (most of the time) sweet brother moments. First of all, I never in a million years would have imagined that being a "boy mom" was so much fun. I watch them laughing and sharing their own little jokes & I think my heart just may explode. They were sitting on the train table the other night with a pile of trucks surrounding them. Ben and I were SO tired and just beyond ready for bedtime. They were giggling and playing so nicely. It was hard to end that time so that they could go to sleep! I want to cherish these moments because I know I will never get them back. It will never be just the 2 of them again. A little girl is soon joining their posse. I keep thinking about what that will be like. To have some girly things thrown into our bonus room full of trucks, superheroes, & a basketball hoop.  I can't wait to see it. I can't wait to see these sweet boys love their baby sister like they love each other. 

24 weeks with Cheney

 

 

How far along?: 24 weeks

How big is your baby?: the size of an ear of corn

 

Total weight gain: up 7lbs total

Sex: sweet baby GIRL--Cheney Katherine

 

Maternity clothes: yes. Loving my new Old Navy yoga capris! I stocked up for Disney World & they are so comfy!

 

  Sleep: I've been sleeping okay. I toss & turn a lot but that's just because my hips are hurting. Just part of it!

 

Symptoms: Other than the vein being uncomfortable, I am feeling so much better this week. I got a new prescription for Zofran last week and it made a huge difference. I actually haven't needed it this week. My appetite is back, no contractions...so much better!

 

Movement: Lots of movement! She moves around the most late at night. As soon as I am laying down I feel like she starts flipping around. Grayson is really looking forward to being able to feel her move soon!  

 

Best moment this week: I finally got my haircut and colored and it was a glorious (and quiet) 2 1/2 hours! We also switched Griffin to a toddler bed yesterday before his nap. He went to sleep like it was no big deal yesterday. I am hoping that trend continues & he will move in to Grayson's room soon!  

 

Food cravings: Lemon water and fresh fruit. Those are the only things that sound good!

Belly button in or out: in.

 

What I miss: Nothing really. Enjoying it now that I am no longer feeling awful. Hope that continues!

 

What I'm looking forward to: our trip to Disney World in less than TWO weeks! I am getting so excited! 

Our fun-filled Easter weekend

We had such a great Easter weekend! Poor Ben had to work for the 2nd Easter weekend in a row, but thankfully my parents were able to visit us! Warm weather has finally arrived to Tennessee and we spent the whole entire weekend outside. The boys are still recovering from all the fun!

 

On Good Friday our Sunday School class had a huge egg hunt for all the kids.  Sweet Griff was battling bad allergies all weekend & Friday was definitely his worst day.

He was ALL business & no smiles while hunting for eggs. I know he didn't feel great, but his smug little face made me laugh!

We have such a great Sunday School class. I love all these kids!

Saturday was spent outside painting pots, planting flowers in the newly painted pots, dyeing Easter eggs, & just enjoying the sunshine!

Griffin woke up much happier on Saturday. I'm glad he got to enjoy the day, too!

G really liked dyeing eggs this year. That wire whish tip you've seen on pinterest? It worked so well! I tried to let the wild child dye some eggs but he is still a little rough for that. Maybe he'll participate next year! He preferred to slide on the playset while Grayson made some pretty eggs!

We ended the night next door at our neighbors fire pit! We roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. These 2 are such good buddies. It feels like Eli has always been a part of our little Broadgate group!

The Easter Bunny brought the boys some fun things. Their favorite was a new soft sword. Who doesn't love attacking their brother with a play sword?! Also, I found those cute Easter buckets at Target last week. Cheney even got a pink fairy one for next year!

Ben had to go to work before church, but we did get a family picture this year! I am still in shock that there will be one more little one in our picture next year.

The boys loved having their Nana & Poppy here all weekend. We had to go through grandparent detox all day on Monday!

These boys have my whole heart. They looked so sweet! Grayson did so great with us at "big church" & Griffin got to play with his Sunday School friends. I'm so glad we had family here--it was a great Easter weekend!