Baby 2 Bumpdate: Week 26

25 Weeks 1 Day

Top: Tulip Sleeve from Coco and Main bought via Jane // Jeans

Both items are non-maternity, I ordered the shirt in my normal size and it will probably last another 2 months. If I ordered up a size, it would probably fit til our little one arrives. The jeans are one of my favorites! I bought them before I was pregnant with Ellie in 1-2 sizes up and because the low cut fit cut below the belly, and only $8. I'm wearing them here without the top button done, which I just had to start doing. 

This past week has been so great, I've felt great, had lots of energy, and am really enjoying this stage of pregnancy.  I'm very thankful that I have easy pregnancies, I know not every is so lucky.

- Little girl has been moving so much! Just about everyone in the family has been able to feel her now. I love being able to feel her all the time. I love knowing that she's growing and getting stronger each day.

- We moved the guest bed and a dresser out of her room and now it's just empty except one lone dresser we're moving to the garage and some old night stands that we'll also be moving. We wanted to get some paint samples over our vacation break, but it just didn't happen. I'm hoping to get some picked out in the next week and have the hubs paint the room soon. I want a soft white with just a hint of gray- any suggestions?

- Cravings this week have been the fresh blueberries we picked last week and Sour Patch Ropes. Nothing too crazy.

- Ellie has been obsessed with dolls and having them swaddled. She wraps and unwraps them, takes them with her everywhere, she gives kisses to them, shows them around, and pushes them everywhere in her stroller. She's going to be such a great big sister!

- My sciatic nerve pain and leg cramps have subsided for the time being, thank the good Lord above! Those things were the worst.

25 Weeks 3 Days

Top // Jeans // Shoes

My top is Cynthia Rowley and I found it at TJ Maxx! I tried to find it online, but couldn't find it anywhere. I just got it last week so check your local stores. It's non-maternity, but I had to have it. I love the color and it's unlike anything else in my closet. The shoes are 3 years old from Reflection and they are my fave wedges. I wore these 5 hours and they had just started to hurt my feet in the 5th hour. Not bad for 6 months preggo!

- I am so emotional lately and choke up so easily. Matt and I saw Age of Adeline last week (really good, I would definitely suggest seeing it!), and I cried 3 different times during the movie. If I wasn't pregnant I don't think I ever would have even of choked up. Don't even bring up the Grey's Anatomy episode... Thankfully, I'm not emotional all day every day, but I am definitely feeling all the sappiness hormones bring on.

- I'm so excited for Mother's Day this weekend, a holiday I've always looked forward to being able to celebrate. I hope all of you mommies have a wonderful day celebrating the joy of motherhood and the journey it takes us on!

I'm still wanting to feature new mommies and other pregnant women in future posts to share their experience. Please leave your email below so I can send you an email and arrange your post! There's been a few of you who commented that you're interested (Ally and Mandy!), but I was unable to email you back from your comment/profile. Also, you do not have to have a blog to be featured, I have a few people lined up that are not bloggers, everyone is welcome!

Blueberry Picking

Dress (wearing a Medium Tall) // Sunnies 

Last week during our vacation, we went blueberry picking at a local farm in Temecula. It was so much fun and a great experience! We plan on going a few more times during the season. The farm is called the Temecula Berry Co, so if you leave near by the area, I would definitely suggest on making a trip! Each person gets a bucket to collect your goods and they have a giant field for you to pick the best berries from. they also have two small pigs named Bacon and Eggs and coop full of chickens for the kids to check out. They also have a tractor and small seat set ups for great picture taking. The berries are all natural and they don't use any pesticides, you just have to be wary of trying them straight from the vine because of bird droppings. They're seriously the best blueberries I've ever had in my life, so juicy and sweet! We've been putting them in our lemonade, on top of french toast, and eating them by the handfuls.

Hope you're all having a fantastic Monday! Thank you for reading!

Breaking the Paci Addiction

Last week we ditched the paci. We said goodbye, braced ourselves for meltdowns and long nights, and tried not to look back. Matt has hated the paci for months and has been wanting to get rid of it, but I kept telling him that Ellie wasn't ready yet. Now I realize that I wasn't ready for it. It was a small thing that kept her a "baby" still, when she was really upset it always soothed her, and if I'm completely honest it worked really well as a mute button when needed. I did want to ditch it well before our second baby arrived and Matt said this was the week.

We had last week off work and Ellie's molars were coming in, so if she was going to be fussy anyways, why not ditch the pacis now? I had pinned all kinds of different tips from Pinterest, talked to my cousins and friends about it, and we decided to just go cold turkey. Here's how it all went down...

Day 1: Tuesday morning we let her have her paci throughout the morning (she usually gets rid of it on her own around breakfast for the day) and we headed to the zoo. We had an extra one in the backpack, but she was fussy once we got to the zoo so we just went for it right then and there and told her we didn't have it anymore. It was epic. She screamed and screamed and we did our best to calm her down. We ate snacks, distracted her, relaxed in the shade, but decided to just head home.

This was the worst day, mostly because her molars were really bothering her and once we were home we ate some popsicles, turned on the bubble machine, and stayed outside. She napped on the way home without her paci in the car and I was terrified about how the night would go. We were outside in the sun for a few hours, ran some errands, ate dinner, and then relaxed into a movie (she's obsessed with the Despicable Me's right now), once bedtime hit she was so exhausted. We went upstairs, put her in her crib and she just rolled over without a fight and slept through the night. It was a success!

Day 2: She woke up at her typical time and was looking for her paci on the ground, thinking she had tossed it out during the night (the usual). When I told her we didn't have it anymore she cried and asked for it for 10 minutes and then was over it. She didn't mention it again. We kept her busy and outdoors, blueberry picking, exploring downtown, and eating lunch. She took her nap a bit later than normal, but went to sleep fine. She asked for it at bedtime and cried for her paci "Mine! Mine! Mine!", but we let her cry it out a whole 10 minutes then she gave up the fight and passed out. She did wake up around 4am and we brought her to bed with us where she slept great.

Day 3: We were on a roll at this point! She napped great, asked for her "mine" at naptime, looked for it and when we told it they were all gone she gave a quick pout face and was over it. The rest of the day was a breeze, she didn't ask for her paci at all, no meltdowns, and slept perfectly.

Day 4: Another great day. I couldn't believe it was going so well. She napped great, had tons of fun during the day playing with her cousins, we took them to a jump house, she napped liked a champ, went swimming, and passed out again like a light when it was bedtime.

Day 5: She found a paci. We were dead. I saw her with it and my heart sank. She was playing in the formal living room  and found one somewhere (they're always lost no matter how many we had found or bought, those dang little suckers!), and came running up the stairs with the biggest grin to show Matt and I. Her whole body language and expressions were like "look mom/dad, I found one! They're not all gone!!". We told her then that she was too old and couldn't have one anymore and to put it in the trash can. She didn't, but after a few minutes she put it away on her own and we threw it out. There was no fuss over it and she didn't ask for it again. She napped and slept great that day too. I was so afraid that finding that paci would put us back at square one and am so thankful she gave it up without a fight or bribery.

We totally kicked the paci all because of my husband. I never would have done it even though I knew we had to ditch it. I wasn't ready for it, I was scared it would be a traumatic experience, and I didn't think Ellie was ready either. I truly believe in knowing your children and when they're ready to do things. However, this was a huge lesson to me on that balance of knowing your children are ready for something and when to give them the push to be ready. As a parent, you want to teach your children, lead by example, and push them to reach their full potential. You want to give them the tools they need to reach their goals, to over come obstacles, and not to give up.

That may sound a bit deep just for breaking a toddler of their paci, but it really made me realize so much. I'm so happy that my husband stood his ground and said we're doing it. I was never going to be brave enough until it was too late and an even harder of a habit to break. Ellie did so good and really surprised me with how resilient children are.

If you're thinking about doing the same, here is the little advice I have to share:

-Start taking the paci away from them at first at certain times. Use it only for when they sleep, long car rides, etc.

-Then when you're ready to kick it totally, my advice would be to go cold turkey and keep them distracted. Every day we had activities planned, kept her busy, and she was having too much fun to worry about her paci and too tuckered out to put up much fight at night. It wasn't as big of a change to go without a paci since she typically didn't have it all day long, but to 100% honest, when we were home and she wanted it, I gave it her to her plenty of times.

-Once you take it away, you gotta stick to it. You can't give in to the screaming or crying. Do your best to soothe them another way and get them distracted.

-If you think it would help, maybe find another item that they could soothe themselves with. Eleanor already sleeps with 300+ dolls at night to cuddle, so that wasn't an option for us, but maybe if she didn't we would have gone that route.

What did you do to kick your child's bad habit? What are your tips to other mommies?

Book Review: Dirty Rush

A few weeks ago, I was contacted to review a new book "Dirty Rush" by Taylor Bell and when I saw that it was about college and sorority life I was in! I received the advanced, uncorrected proof and I couldn't put it down!

Taylor Bell comes from a long line of Beta Zeta sorority sisters, who all expect her to pledge upon starting at the university. But Taylor has other plans: she’s determined to give her family the proverbial middle finger and destroy the rich tradition they hold so dear by eschewing sorority life altogether. However, Taylor’s resolve soon melts when she falls in with a group of hilarious, ultra-saucy girls, who introduce her to all things Greek and soften her to the idea of joining. Resigned to the fate the Greek gods have dealt her, Taylor pledges Beta Zeta and embarks on a collegiate career filled with the kind of carousing sure to make any sorority sister proud.

From the very first page to the last, I was totally engrossed and loved reminiscing on my own sorority experience- rushing the sororities, meeting my big sis (we talk every day still), my first fraternity party, Greek Week, etc. My experience wasn't quite as wild as Taylor's, there was no hazing or drug use, but the friendships and loyalty were a part of my sisterhood.

This is such a fun read! It's fast paced, witty, and easy to read in one sitting. I recommend this book for anyone who was in a sorority or is interested in the sorority life. It's perfect for a beach read or a little getaway. It may not be for everyone- there is lots of cussing, casual drug use, and a sex scandal, but it's hilariously written and pretty true to life in many aspects. I laughed out loud so many times and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Baby 2 Bumpdate: Week 25

 

 24 Weeks 6 Days

- Guess what was found out at my last appointment….Little Baby 2 is Frank Breech just like our Elle Bell!! The doctor and I couldn’t believe it! We found out Ellie was Frank Breech at Week 33 and now I’m 24 weeks with #2 so I doubt she is going to flip head down at this point. When our doctor delivered Eleanor, he checked the shape of my uterus to see if that was the cause of her position, and he said it was perfectly symmetrical and that she must have just preferred that position and then was too big to flip later on. Now that this baby is Frank Breech, he said that this position must give the baby the most room to grow and move, based on the shape of my uterus (even though it is symmetrical). As long as she stays in this position, having a VBAC is no longer an option and I’ll have to have another C-section, which is what I had planned on doing anyways (unless my feelings changed later on or if I went into labor before the scheduled date). So, we will see if Baby 2 is going to flip or follow in her big sister’s footsteps and stay right where she is.

-Weight gain: So far I’ve gained 7 lbs, which is about where I was with Eleanor. My doctor appointments have been made at different weeks than before, at week 22 I had gained 4.5lbs with Ellie and by week 27 I was at 10.5lbs. I've been doing the same as before in terms of my diet, I just eat what I want and until I’m full. Mind blowing, right?

-Little baby girl has been moving so much, I was almost worried that she was moving less than with Ellie, but she's a little wiggle worm now. Everyone has been able to feel her kicks, even Ellie, which I don't know if she understands what she's feeling or not yet. 

Shirt: Lauren Conrad for Kohls (last year) // Shorts

-Leg cramps are the devil! I woke up several times this past weekend in agonizing pain. One of them was so bad down my shin and I couldn’t get it to go away. I thought I was going to cry! My husband woke up wondering what all the fuss was about and why I was breathing so hard, I guess I frightened him with all of my crazy moves in my attempt to get rid of it. I eat so many pickles (and drink the juice!) and have been eating more potassium, but they're still there. Hopefully, they go and stay away. If you have any tips, help a sister out!

-Cravings: This week it’s still been my fave homemade tart lemonade, but I’ve started adding strawberries to it now. It is so good, I down it in seconds. Matt and I have been making fresh squeezed OJ on the weekends, at my dr appointment they had a farmers market going on in the front and I bought the most delicious oranges. They were so good, super sweet and juicy. We also bought OJ from Costco (never as good as fresh squeezed) and I have some every night before bed (with a couple of Tums) for a night cap.

-My sciatic nerve has been a royal pain in my rear end. It's bothered me the majority of my pregnancy, but this past weekend was terrible. My sweet mother-in-law gave me the best massage that helped tremendously. I am so thankful for her! It made a huge difference and it felt 99% better afterwards.

-We also bought a few frames, the dresser, and some wall decor for little girl. We're going to get some paint samples this week and will paint the room once it's decided what we like. I'm excited to put the room together, but I don't feel any pressure to get it done right away yet.

Thanks for reading! I posted about this in last week's bumpdate, but if you are pregnant or were recently and would like to be featured sharing your experience and advice, you don't have to have a blog to participate. Just leave your email below!

Have a great week!