Water play

I think my child is a fish! He LOVES the water and being outside. I think he would live outside if we'd let him. We've had several days of playing in the hose and the sprinkler. Here's a photo overview of our time.

My big boy

With baby #2 on the way and Tate kicking me all night long, I finally made the decision to move him to a big boy bed in his own room. I can't even tell you how many times I changed my mind about what to do about his sleeping issues. AJ and I talked about moving Tate to his bed and letting him sleep with daddy and that was the plan for awhile. But, in the end, I finally bit the bullet and decided he'd be better off learning to self soothe and sleep alone. AJ and I bought a twin mattress about 2 weeks ago and were all set to start Tate in his new bed on Sunday night, but my dad came to stay for 2 nights so we postponed until Tuesday night. 

Let me tell ya, I was super sad to have 2 more nights with my sweet boy- NOT! I loved every minute of it! Thanks dad for giving me 2 more nights!!! 

So, Tuesday, we started in the big bed. His mattress is just on the floor in the nursery (which has never been used- ever). That way he won't fall out since he's always slept with an adult. We're waiting to find out the sex of the baby to see what we will do with the nursery. If it's another boy, we'll do bunk beds eventually. If it's a girl, well, we haven't gotten that far yet. Tate's crib turns into a full size bed so we'll just figure that out later I guess. 

Tate has done FABULOUSLY sleeping in his own bed in his own room. He slept on his own from about 8-12  Tuesday and then I ended up sleeping on his floor and ended up in his bed at some point. Wednesday night, AJ got up with him and was able to just find his binky and pat his back and Tate went right back to sleep. He only woke a few times Wed. Thursday and  Friday were very similar- I laid with him until he fell asleep and ended up falling asleep in his bed until about 10:30 pm. He only woke up twice each night and was easily put back to sleep. 

Saturday night (last night) I did have to stay with him for a few more minutes when he woke up around 4 and then I had a visitor at 5:40. I heard a little voice and looked over and he was heading for my bed. He walked right up to my face and said "Mama". I pulled him into bed, he cuddled up, and went back to sleep til 6. So sweet! He and I napped together Saturday morning in daddy's bed and then he napped in his bed Saturday afternoon. Today, he napped in his bed again and came walking out when he woke up. 

At the end of our co-sleeping time, Tate was waking up ALL night long screaming, rolling, kicking me, etc. That was really the final straw in co-sleeping. We did it originally so that we could all get some sleep. Since that was no longer the case, it was time for him to move. I honestly expected this process to be absolute hell for about 2 weeks with us taking turns comforting him every 5 minutes. I have been pleasantly SHOCKED at how well he's done. Guess he was just ready. Good job baby!!! I'm so proud of you!

While Tate has done fabulously, I have had a SUPER hard time with this. Part of it is pregnancy hormones and part of it is not being properly medicated (due to being pregnant), but it has been horrible for me. I spent  last Saturday night (what I thought was my last night sleeping with him) crying hysterically for hours. This was repeated Tuesday night when I was in my bed all alone for the first time in almost 2 years. My sweet baby boy is growing up and this Mama is having a VERY hard time accepting that. I just love him so much that it's hard to let go of each little stage. I'm coping much better now and cherish the cuddle time putting him to sleep and the occasional nap we sneak together. :)

The plan for Baby #2 is to have baby in the co-sleeper next to my bed until he/she gets too big. Then, baby will move into the crib in the nursery with big brother. No more co-sleeping for this mama. :( The goal is to get AJ and I back to sharing a bed- he needs a sleep apnea study first (that snoring makes me want to punch him!). As the kiddos get older, we'll figure out the next sleeping transition. 

I'll leave you with the very last pic I have of Tatey in my bed

Tate's birth story

Being pregnant this time around has made me think a lot about my pregnancy with Tate and his birth. The story of his birth is not written down anywhere so I figured it's about time to do that! 

I guess we'll start at the beginning. We found out we were pregnant on Saturday morning, Dec. 19, 2009 (wow that's a long time ago!). We were in total shock the whole weekend. I called my best friend, Ashley, and told her, but we decided to wait to tell our families until after Christmas. The morning sickness started almost immediately and it was kinda rough trying to hide that through Christmas at 2 houses. 

Pregnancy was not particularly fun, but let's focus on the positives. When I went for my dating ultrasound I thought I was 8 weeks 4 days along, but turns out I was 11 weeks. Fast forward a LONG time. Despite my best efforts to have him a week early, Tate hung on until his due date. Now for the actual birth story.

On the morning of August 10, 2010, I went to the OBGYN and begged to be induced. The doctor said that the hospital was too full and they weren't allowing inductions that day. I was devastated! She offered to strip my membranes and see if that would send me into labor on my own, but that it would only work if I was really ready. I agreed and that was a pretty painful procedure- let's just say she kinda has man hands and is not exactly a gentle person. That appointment was at 8 or 8:30 am. 

By 9:30 am, I was in labor. I had back labor and after several false alarms, I was determined to stay at home until I was absolutely positive that this was the real deal. Well, around noon, AJ finally convinced me it was time to go to the hospital and have a baby. I had thrown up and the contractions were so painful that I was on my hands and knees with AJ rubbing my back through each one. So, we grabbed some pillows and my bag, called my mom, and headed out. 

When we arrived at the hospital I sat in the lobby while AJ went to the bathroom and then we headed to labor and delivery. It's a secure area, so you have to pick up a phone and call the L&D front desk and then they buzz you in. On previous (false alarm) trips, we always had to call and explain why we were there. This time, we had our bags and pillows and I was leaning on the wall moaning. They have a camera and watch the entrance and they buzzed us in before we even picked up the phone. That made me chuckle. I spent a while in the triage area to make sure I was really in labor- I just laid in the bed and moaned the whole time while AJ answered questions. 

At some point, they finally moved me into my room and a bit later my mom arrived. From 9:30-5:30 is really hazy because I was so focused on dealing with the contractions. At 5:30 pm, I finally received my epidural- HALLELUJAH! That was the best decision ever. Things were much better after that and I was able to talk to my mom and then my dad and brother when they arrived. 

I think I started pushing around 10:30 pm (again, I was a little busy!). The whole pregnancy I was so scared of labor. I seriously have like a negative pain tolerance and I wasn't sure how the heck I was going to do this, but I was prepared for the absolute worst pain I could imagine and it really wasn't THAT bad. Don't get me wrong, it certainly wasn't fun, but the epidural held and I knew that baby wasn't coming out unless I did the work. I threw up the whole time I was pushing so that was interesting. 

Then, FINALLY, at 1:13 am on Wed 8/11/10 (his due date), by beautiful baby boy came into the world. He weighed 9 lbs 14 ounces and was 21.5 inches long. He was so perfect! 

My mom slept at the hospital with me and held him that whole first night (well, I guess it was only a few hours by the time we were all settled in). He was breathing really fast and she had to pat him the whole night to keep his breathing regular. His rapid breathing was labeled as TTN (transient tachypnia of the newborn) which basically just means that he had a rough transition to the real world. Tate was admitted to the Level 2 nursery Wed around lunch (for the breathing and then not digesting his food) and stayed there until Saturday when he was finally able to come room in with me. I was SO lucky that I got to stay at the hospital with him the whole time and my mom was able to stay as well. We came home on Sunday (I think) and started adjusting to life with a newborn. 

Sales

Most of my days lately are spent being nauseous and focusing on not throwing up. So, it was a nice change to have a fun afternoon out and about with my family. 

We needed to go to Target to pick up a wedding shower gift for next weekend. But, first we stopped at Payless to look for shoes for Tate. The last pair I bought was a pair of leather sandals that, within about a week, started smelling like stinky feet. Being nauseous all the time, we cannot have stinky feet! Well, I found a cute pair that fit him well, but they were $27. I don't know about you, but I happen to think it's ridiculous to pay $27 for toddler shoes. We decided to go ahead and spend the money, though, because he really does need shoes right now. They were having a buy one get one 50% off sale, so I also grabbed a pair of swim shoes for this summer. When we went to check out, the $27 shoes were on sale for only $9! $9 people!!! I was SO excited. That made my whole day. 

Cute new shoes 

Swimming shoes- which totally do NOT match his swimsuit. :(

But, the savings don't stop there! 

Then, we went to Target and picked up our shower gift. And, I found the last Mother's Day card we needed which was exciting. I kinda suck at getting cards and gifts and getting them out 

on time. This year will be different! 

So, anywho, since we were there, I wanted to see if they had the carseat I've been eyeing for Tate. We didn't want to buy it there (cheaper at Walmart), but I wanted to make sure Tate fit in it before we purchased it and figured AJ could lift it for me. They did, indeed, have the carseat, but this one was green (the Walmart one is gray). We pulled the carseat off the shelf, set it on the floor, and had Tate sit in it. He loved it and I was excited that he fit and was planning on looking online to see if they sold green ones at Walmart. THEN, I looked down and saw a SALE sign! The wonderful green carseat was on sale for less than the Walmart price. Hooray for me! So, AJ said "go for it" and that beautiful carseat is mine all mine. 

Don't you just love it?!

Perhaps I should take a moment to explain my instant obsession with the greenness. Because Tate is so big, I don't have much (or any) choice in which carseat I buy. Most forward facing harness seats only go up to 40 lbs. This one goes up to 65 lbs with the 5-point harness and then up to 100 lbs with a regular seat belt or as a backless booster seat. Of course, there are others that have high weight limits, but those are the ones that cost $200-$300 and since we need 2 of them, that's just not happening. With his last carseat, my only color choice was black. This time, I was resigned to the gray carseat and that was fine, but green is so much better!!!  Don't you think?!

Then, we finished up the night with dinner at Chili's which was delicious! Overall, it was a fantabulous afternoon, because of a couple of lovely sales and my hubby who treated us to dinner. :)

Resuming blog

Wow. I suck at blogging! My last post was about 5 months ago.

What's new since December? Well, Tate has been sick a lot. Like all the time a lot.

He's also HILARIOUS! Seriously, the things he comes up with is amazing! He's currently obsessed with the trash truck when it comes every Friday, his Geemaw Nobles, and playing outside. He went to the zoo for the first time this past weekend and loved it. I'll do another post about that once I get pics.

The other big news is that I'm pregnant! I'm due Nov. 20th. We are definitely finding out the sex, but can't until June. I only get one ultrasound the entire pregnancy, so I'll be hitting up our doctor friends for help seeing my little one. I'm 10 weeks and still super nauseous. SO ready to be done with this part! Already having dreams that it's a boy. We really want a girl so we can have one of each, but we all think it's a boy which will be super fun, too!

Lots of crap going on at work- lots of changes in the works. Basically, more work to do, but with less time to do it in. Lovely!

Here's a few pics of our life lately...

Abnormally warm weather in March had us eating popsicles and playing outside lots 

Lots of car trips to KC 

Some coloring 

A new fascination with everyone mowing their lawns 

And, watching lots of Caillou on YouTube.

Mother's Day flower pots

For Mother's Day, my mom (Geemaw) requested a flower pot painted by Tatey. It took both Mommy and Daddy to manage the paint so we don't have pictures of the process, but here's the finished product. 2 big ones for the grandmas and 2 little ones for mommy's front porch. 

And we got all but one card purchased, signed, and decorated by Tate. Go us! Now, to get them mailed on time!

 That is some serious artistic talent :)

Our deck after Tatey painted. It's rotting and needs replacing, so we just let it get messy!

Birthday present craft

I tried out another Pinterest craft for my mom's birthday present. She is rather obsessed with the saying "Live, Laugh, Love" so here goes...

 Purchase some canvas. Mine are 8x10 and were on sale 2 for $4 at Hobby Lobby.



Find letters or cut out your own from vinyl with a nifty Cricut. I don't have a Cricut, but found these el cheapo letters for $1 at Dollar Tree. 

Position letters on the canvas. Make sure they stick well. 

Get some pretty paint. These match my mom's room. 

Pour your paint in a disposable bowl left over from your move 6 months ago. :) Get out your handy sponge paintbrush 'cause they're fabulous.

Completely paint over the letters. Don't forget the sides of the canvas. 

Note- apparently you should not use the $1 sticker letters as they do not stick well and allow paint to seep through. REDO!

Ta Da! Also in hindsight, you should not paint yellow over white. Hmm... Guess I'll be re-doing that one, too. Eventually.

Anywho- the concept is an easy one and you can make anything you like with it. Go craft away!