Celebrating the Wins

So I know I’ve written posts/posted articles before on the rough days, because writing is totally my therapy for stuff like this. But today has been a pretty awesome day and I think that needs to be celebrated as well!  

First off, Jose took off work yesterday since I was still sicker than a dog late the night before and we weren’t really sure what yesterday would hold. Luckily, Aurora and I were both on the mend and were back to about 90% by last night. You guys, I was absolutely terrified that Jose would either 1. Get sicker than a dog too or 2. That Jose would return to work today and Holden would be sick and I’d have to mom solo all day when I’m at that point where going up and down stairs totally wears me out. However, not only did Holden sleep in a bit later than usual, but he ate a normal breakfast (drank all his milk, ate a full banana, and a full egg!)!!! I know I still have to post an update of his feeding progress as of late, but he’d been doing really well and then the past few days he wouldn’t drink or eat anything, so we had to rely on his tube again (which sucks when you’re trying to work and sooo close to getting that sucker outta there). Him not drinking/eating is why we were so worried he was starting to get sick. So that’s win #1.

Win #2 came when I gave him a bath and, since Santa brought him some new bath toys, he was occupied playing with those rather than trying to poor water all over the floor. Hey, it’s a win in my book, lol!

Win #3 came when I got the brilliant idea to drag a chair into his new playroom (Not brilliant, we were going to do it anyway, but I got impatient and didn’t want to wait for Jose to get home from work tonight to move it). So now I can just sit there all day long while he hammers away at his tool bench or scribbles on his chalkboard. Laziness for the win!

But the big win came just under an hour ago. For whatever reason, Holden + me + nap time has always been my biggest war. Holden was sleeping on us for the longest time. He would sleep fine for my mom (eventually), sleep great for Jose (of course), but never, ever for me. Or, by the time I could get him to sleep, it was unbearably uncomfortable with my growing belly. So about 2 months ago, we started to try to get him on a regular nap schedule, in his crib. You guys. He would cry for the whole hour straight. For, like, weeks. Sometimes, when Jose or my mom would take him out of his crib after his hour of crying, he would fall asleep for them. But me? No way! Meaning, I would go a full day with this incredibly active little guy, and zero nap. Otherwise known as hell on Earth. Okay, total exaggeration there. Sort of. (The more pregnant I get, the truer that statement becomes.) But today. Today he fell asleep - in his crib - after just 20 short minutes of tears. I was just about to go do the 20-minute checkin when I realized he wasn’t even crying anymore. I’m not going to get all crazy ahead of myself and expect this to become the norm, but you know how some things just happen when you need them to the most?? This would be one of those things and I feel like I’m totally killing it as a mom today!

Yes, I also realize it’s not even 2 pm yet and I still have six more hours ahead of me, but I’m killing this shit right now and there’s nothing you can say to bring me down. Not today, Satan, not today.

Aurora's Tween Bedroom Makeover

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas! We had a pretty relaxing morning at home with the kids. Holden actually came down with a cold overnight, so he slept a little later than normal, but we knew we could count on Aurora to wake us up so she could see what Santa brought her. We opened presents, made/ate brunch, and then we all (Holden included!) took a nap. (Well minus Aurora who stayed awake, playing with her new toys.) In the evening we hosted both our families. We did appetizer type foods and then the kids all tore into their presents. There really is nothing quite like seeing the magic of Christmas through your kiddos' eyes!

This year, Aurora's big present actually came about a week early. We gave her bedroom a little makeover that I think will grow with her. We've actually been planning it for quite a while, but I wanted her input too and that made it quite a bit harder since I love whites and grays and she loves all the colors! Which totally fits her personality, but I wasn't quite sure how we would mix the two. However, I'm so happy with how it all turned out and her reaction when we did the unveiling was worth every minute and penny spent! We moved her temporarily into the spare bedroom while we put everything together, and then revealed it to her last week. A big thanks to our family members, too, who each chipped in and paid for some of the items as well. I've linked all the items below, but let me know if you have questions on where anything came from!

Fun fact about this pillow: It's actually our dog! Check out DrawYourPortrait to get one! Aurora loves it so much!

We finally caved and let her have a small TV in her room, which is hidden behind the tapestry on the right side of her bed. Jose set the side tapestries up, so she can pull them open and shut them when she wants. She's still only allowed the same amount of screen time each day though. :)

Ceiling light: From Land of Nod, similar here

Gold dot wall decals: Also from Land of Nod, similar here and here

Blinds: Amazon

Curtains: Amazon

Pink rug: here and here

Faux fur rug: Similar here and here

Dresser: IKEA Tarva

Tassel garland: https://tasselfairyshop.com/

Pineapple bookends: Target

Pink globe: Hobby Lobby

Cactus: Hobby Lobby

Loft bed: https: Amazon

Tapestries in hangout area: here and here

Throw pillows in hangout area: Pier 1, IKEA, Hobby Lobby, Home Goods

Floor cushions: Amazon

Bedding: Similar here

Reading light: IKEA Fubbla

Curtains in hangout area: Similar here

Hanging chair: Amazon

Chair throw pillows: IKEA, Etsy

Baby #3 | 29 Weeks & A Lesson Learned

So before I get to the usual update stuff, I feel like I need to mention this. Just in case it could be helpful to someone. I had my doctor appointment this week for my Glucola test. So I drink the juice, I'm waiting for the hour to be up so they can draw my blood and, in the meantime, I see my doctor for the usual part of the appointment where she checks baby's heartbeat and all that jazz. So she's checking the heartbeat and it's, very noticeably, off. Like it's skipping a beat. My heart drops, as I'm watching her reaction, Jose's reaction, to see if they notice it too. Then she says the baby's heartbeat is irregular, which just confirms what I was hoping I just wasn't hearing right or something. So they hook me up to the NST machine and aren't really able to get a reliable read on the heartbeat. Fortunately, they were able to get me in for an ultrasound right away because, at this point, I'm a freaking wreck, thinking the absolute worst. The ultrasound tech was immediately able to rule out hydrops fetalis which was the doctor's main concern. My understanding is that hydrops fetalis basically means the baby's heart is failing, so we were glad they were able to rule that out so quickly. So she's looking over the baby's heart and says that everything looks fine structure-wise and that the only thing that's off is the heartbeat. So the doctor comes in and says they want to refer me to another local hospital that would be able to do a more advanced ultrasound of the heart in particular. Seriously by the grace of God, they were able to get me in later that afternoon. (She said sometimes it can take a couple weeks to get in.) If I would've had to wait a couple weeks, you guys, I would've gone completely insane. So of course, between my appointments, I'm Googling everything I can find about what this could mean. Side note: When Holden was in the hospital for his surgeries, anything I would Google would absolutely devastate me. I should've learned my lesson, I guess, but in this case it actually calmed me down a bit. There were quite a few threads I found where people had this same thing happen and it basically was an issue that corrected itself before the baby was even born. So that gave me hope. But a few people mentioned that it could be related to caffeine intake. Now I've been able to give up coffee, no problem, minus a little decaf here and there. But one thing I've always craved pretty heavily when I've been pregnant is pop. (Which is funny, because I don't really have a hard time with pop when I'm not pregnant.) And, at the risk of anyone reading this totally calling me out for being a terrible person, I've definitely indulged myself here and there. Not like, crazy amounts, but just definitely more than I normally would. I've tried to stick with mostly caffeine-free root beer but, to be honest, I guess I didn't realize the whole caffeine thing was so serious of an issue. Unfortunately, I also read that lotions with cocoa butter that have even the smallest trace of caffeine in them can effect this as well. If you've been keeping up on my posts, you know I've used cocoa butter lotion and oil for all three kids so far. You guys, I've sworn by this stuff to avoid stretch marks. I get that it has cocoa in it but, since it's advertised as great for stretch marks, I guess I assumed it would have to be safe for pregnant women. Not that it's not safe, and I think if this was the only form of caffeine I was exposed to, it would be fine. But I think in any cases where it's been an issue, it probably was combined with another form of caffeine. Needless to say, I won't be using it anymore while pregnant. So anyways, we go into our appointment and the ultrasound tech is looking everything over and, after a few minutes, mentions that the heart looks good and asks me about my caffeine consumption. I've seriously never felt so horrible, but was totally honest with her that I didn't think I'd gone crazy with it, but that I definitely didn't totally avoid it either. She didn't say that that was definitely the cause, but she said it could be and that's what makes sense to me right now, I guess. She pretty much reiterated what I'd read online, that it appears to be an irregular heartbeat that will likely correct itself, but that avoiding caffeine from here on out would be a good idea. The doctor came in, basically said the same thing, and told me they didn't see any reason why they'd need to follow up with me there and that I was good to go. I felt so relieved and so freaking awful at the same time. I'm still super hesitant to click "Publish" on this post, but if anyone can learn from it, I'll feel at least a little better. Anyways, on to the usual stuff...

How far along? 29 weeks

Maternity clothes: Comfies, maternity pants, jeans & tanks

Stretch marks? None. While I won't be using the cocoa butter lotion or oil for the remainder of my pregnancy, I've reverted back to the body lotion I typically use every day, which is Keri lotion. Honestly, I've used this stuff forever and love it so much. The only reason I ever switched to the other lotion and oil was to avoid stretch marks. Hopefully this stuff will do the same. It's amazing for dry skin and you only need to put it on once a day. Side note: I'm totally not dissing the stuff I was using for stretch marks. I don't even know for sure that it had anything to do with the issue we had the other day. I just won't be using it to be on the safe side and wanted to let people know, since I was such a big advocate for it. That is all!

Sleep: Still good, for the most part

Best moment this week: Finding out on Tuesday that, what could've been a huge issue with the baby, was really something pretty minor definitely takes the cake. Aside from that, Holden had a great appointment at the beginning of the week, which I'll do an update on soon, and Jose's been making some crazy headway with some projects around the house that I'll be sharing as well. Oh, also, I passed my Glucola test! Woohoo!

Miss anything? Not anymore. I've been feeling pretty good these past few weeks, so just glad for that!

Movement: Lots from this little guy! Even in my ultrasounds on Tuesday, they couldn't believe how active he was!

Food cravings? Only things I can't eat, even if they were things I didn't really eat before (hot dogs, lunch meat sandwiches, sushi...)

Anything make you queasy or sick? Nope!

Gender prediction: BOY!

Labor signs: I've had a tiny bit of cramping, maybe Braxton-Hicks related?

Symptoms: (Read above)

Belly button in or out? Mostly outtie!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood most of the time: Pretty happy lately, for the most part!

Looking forward to: Christmas -> Baby -> Disney

Total weight gain: ~29 lbs.

Advent Calendar

It's been a while since I showed up here talking about something other than my growing baby bump. But we're right in the midst of my favorite time of year and I'm so excited to be kicking December off this weekend with one of my favorite holiday traditions--our Advent calendar!

Aurora saw me bringing it up from the basement this afternoon and got so excited. We just started doing one a few years ago and I love seeing her rush downstairs each morning to see what fun the calendar holds for the day. This year will likely be a bit scaled back from previous years since things have been so crazy lately, but I wanted to share some of the things we'll be doing, as well as some things we've included in the past. 

The first thing I do is go through our Google calendar to figure out what things should be done on weekends (when there's more time) or what things Jose would definitely want to be a part of, as well as what things have to happen on a certain date. Then I fill in the rest. The first couple years, I totally felt the need to make each and every day super exciting. With having an extra baby in the mix last year, it didn't take long before I was overwhelmed trying to keep up with the activities and before I knew it, I was dreading it all together. Luckily, Aurora loves chocolate and is totally fine with me just throwing a few chocolates in on the days that we just won't be able to fit something extra in. Here's our list:

Put Christmas decorations up and watch It's A Wonderful Life

Take toys to toy drive

Go see Santa

Make Christmas cards for grandparents

Write a letter to Santa

Watch The Santa Clause while sipping hot cocoa

Take treats to animal shelter

Make a gingerbread house

Celebrate Zoey's birthday (Technically we celebrate the day we brought her home.)

Make candy necklaces while watching Elf

Make Christmas cookies for friends/neighbors/etc.

Take a Christmas gift to teacher

Watch Home Alone while eating pizza for dinner

Camp out by the Christmas tree

Take a Christmas gift to friend

Go look at Christmas lights

Set out milk, cookies, and reindeer food

Take food to local food pantry

Serve meal at homeless shelter

Decorate the Christmas tree with candy canes

Take a bubble bath with glow sticks

Make washi tape decorations on the wall

Go see The Nutcracker

Make and hang paper snowflakes

Make Christmas snack mix

Again, not all of these made it onto our calendar this year. And some things we haven't ever done yet, but would like to in the future. Also Aurora is getting older and might not enjoy some things as much as she used to, but Holden and Baby #3 will love to do. (Aurora will just get extra chocolate those days.) If this is a tradition for any of you, I would love to hear what you do. I'm always trying to think of new things to do to switch it up!

Baby #3 | 26 Weeks

25 Weeks

 24 Weeks... Hair is looking rough these days, but getting a much-needed update tomorrow!

Currently...

How far along? 26 weeks

Maternity clothes: Still mostly comfies, but maternity pants + regular tops in the rare occasion I need to leave the house

Stretch marks? None

Sleep: Still sleeping pretty good

Best moment this week: FINALLY starting to feel better and hoping it stays this way until delivery! You guys. This pregnancy has been rough. I experienced sickness at first, pretty similar to what I did with Holden. And I started to feel really good once the morning all-day sickness part was over. But these past few weeks have really knocked me on my butt. I've had terrible lower body pain due to the added pressure of pregnancy and some days neither sitting nor walking was comfortable. To be honest, I think my body was just tired. I'm still only working part-time, but when I'm home, Jose has been working (either at his job or on various home projects) so it's mostly just been me with one active little boy (with Aurora's help of course)! Last week I was finally able to take a few days (thanks to amazing family!) to just lay on the couch and chill and I swear it made a world of a difference. 

Miss anything? Just ready for this little guy to join us!

Movement: So many little kicks and jabs! He's definitely most active at night.

Food cravings? Nothing in particular

Anything make you queasy or sick? Not anymore!

Gender prediction: Boy! He may or may not have a name, but I never like to reveal until they're actually here, in case we change our minds!

Labor signs: None yet.

Symptoms: Right now, just feeling pretty pregnant

Belly button in or out? Mostly outtie!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood most of the time: I feel like the past few weeks should not count against me, since I've not been feeling well. I feel great right now and a co-worker just told me I sounded chipper on the phone (customer service voice, amirite?), so I'm thinking I'm doing pretty good!

Looking forward to: So much to look forward to right now! Thanksgiving on Thursday, some minor Black Friday shopping & maybe taking Aurora to see The Grinch on Friday, Christkindl Market - just Jose & I! - on Saturday,... all the Christmas things!... Obvs Baby #3 in February!... and then Disney in May, which we just made all our dinner reservations for and were able to get into everywhere on our list! Sorry, feeling better after being down for awhile, I kinda feel like I can conquer the world. Even though I can't even conquer a Jimmy John's sandwich right now because listeria. 

Total weight gain:  ~24-25 lbs. Scale is broken again (or maybe just out of batteries?) and I probably just need to get a new one. 

Anyways, hope you all have a HAPPY TURKEY DAY, my friends!!

Baby #3 | 22 Weeks

How far along? 22 weeks

Maternity clothes: Mostly sweats and comfies, but it's pretty much maternity clothes in the event that I need to dress like a human (work or grocery shopping).

Stretch marks? None

Sleep: Sleep has still been pretty great!

Best moment this week: Good weekend with my favs! Went to see the Garth Brooks sound check on Friday night, which definitely blew our expectations out of the water! (Not that we had low expectations for Garth, just that it seemed like more of a concert than a sound check.) If you've never seen him live, it's a bucket lister, let me tell you. I got some much-needed shopping done for the kiddos on Saturday. And then church on Sunday. I've been hesitant to say much about going to a different church lately, because I love our old church so much. But we've gone to a different one I think about four times now, and I love it so much too! It has amazing programs for the kiddos. Jose was going down and sitting with Holden in the walkers room and we finally left him by himself this past Sunday and they said he did so well! This was his first experience being by himself without anyone he knew, so I was pretty skeptical, but so glad it went well for him. Also, Jose has been getting so much done around the house! Mostly replacing all the trim and painting rooms that still needed painting, and our fireplace got a total face lift - which looks amazing - so once I can get in and furnish everything, I'll share some pix, but it might still be a bit (unless we win the powerball tonight!). The focus now is finishing Aurora's room (which has been a 2-year project) and getting started on Baby's room!

Miss anything? Okay, I feel like I say this every time and it totally makes me sound whiney or ungrateful. But does pregnancy just totally throw anyone else? I think I just feel like I'm constantly saying, "After the baby comes, we'll do this" or "I'll get back to that once the baby's here." I really hope that is never perceived the wrong way. My kids are everything to me and I so cannot wait to add this third little nugget. I just am always so... discontent?... when I'm pregnant. I don't even know if that's the right word. It's just that obviously the whole dynamic of our family is about to change - tremendously - and I just want to hurry up and get there, so I can figure it out. Also, I'm learning that, as much as I love to use the "But I'm pregnant" excuse, I actually hate it. I hate that I get tired so quickly and have zero energy to do anything. I hate that, while Jose is being all productive and getting shit done, I am not. Maybe my goal for the rest of my pregnancy will be to embrace this stage that I'm in. Crap, I said that out loud, so now I'll be held accountable...

Movement: Yes! Definitely lots of movement. 

Food cravings? Still nothing in particular, but I have good days and bad. I'd say I'm eating healthier for the most part, though.

Anything make you queasy or sick? Not anymore!

Gender prediction: It's a BOY!!! Honestly, we were going to be thrilled either way but, given that we did just get rid of ALL of Aurora's clothes, we feel like a boy will be better financially, lol. Also, Aurora has quite a few friends that live nearby and a boy will be the perfect playmate for Holden to grow up with. And I'm still trying to convince Jose that in a few years, the boys will be able to share a room, so the fourth bedroom can still be my closet a guest room, but I don't think he's quite sold on that one yet. 

Labor signs: None yet.

Symptoms: I've been past the sickness part for awhile, so now I'm just tired all the time, get out of breath pretty quickly, always fighting that constant starving/full feeling, feeling those kicks for sure though, and excited that we know we're adding another little man to this equation...

Belly button in or out? Still making it's way out there!

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Mood most of the time: Honestly, I've been pretty moody these past two weeks. I also had a mental breakdown on Saturday about our Disney trip, and wondering if going with a 2 month old will even work, but tons of Googling has me convinced that we're going to be just fine. I've had a pretty bad cold these last few days, also, so I'm sure that's added to my unpleasantry a bit. 

Looking forward to: Disney!!! haha

Total weight gain: 17 lbs.

What I Don't Want to Forget...

Okay, one of my favorite things about blogging has definitely been the ability to look back and see how things were compared to how they are now, to relive some of our memories, things like that. I haven't done an update on Holden in awhile and have had quite a few people ask, so I thought I'd share a little about where he's at and where Aurora's at as well because God knows that little girl is growing up way too fast!

Holden is now 17 months and is doing so great! We haven't been down to Riley since August, I think, and we were told by his plastic surgeon that we didn't need to come back to see him for another year, which is awesome. We are going back in December to meet with an audiologist to double-check his hearing. Sometimes hearing can be an issue with Pierre Robin babies, but Holden hasn't shown us any signs of less than normal hearing. (Especially at night when he's sleeping and we have to creep by so that little dude doesn't wake up!) Feeding has been going good. The last time he had a swallow study was in July, which showed slight aspiration when he drinks ultra thin liquids (water, juice), and he penetrated once (where it looks like it's going to go down the wrong tube, but then comes back and goes the right way) with milk when he would drink too fast. But his doctor was still optimistic that he would be off his tube in October. We were super hopeful, but when we first told his SLP that he sees here in town once a week, she was a little skeptical. Unfortunately, I think Holden still has a little bit to go before he'll get his tube out, but he is still doing really well and we are okay with not rushing things. After all, feeding him this way has become so routine for us that it's not really anything extra at this point, but will also be a huge relief when we don't have to. Other than that, he's been eating all normal foods. He loves the usual kid stuff - pb&j, mac and cheese - and has started eating more vegetables, which he wasn't doing at all. He loves yogurt - LOVES ice cream - and, overall, he has a really good appetite and is gaining well above where he at least needs to be.

All of that aside, he is living up to my second-child-theory more and more each day! Boy is exhausting! He is all over the place, into everything, and hates napping, lol. He is the epitome of a sour patch kid - will bite you, then look at you with his big cheesy smile and pucker to give you a kiss. He loves going on walks around the neighborhood, idolizes his big sister, and is the friendliest kid you will ever meet. (But he will wait until you walk away to wave at you.) I'll show him my belly and tell him there's a baby in there, and he'll lift up his shirt to see where his baby is. When he gets excited about doing something, he'll say "Yah, yah, yah." Loves bath time, HATES bed time and still cries for a good 15-20 minutes when we put him down. He loves Zoey so much and I think she kinda loves him back. He loves dancing to Mother Goose Club, which is by far the most annoying kid's show out there, but it makes him happy, so we shall suffer through. I think his favorite time of day is when daddy walks in the door (if he's still awake). Boy LOVES his daddy. Mr. Holdy Man, you wear us all out, but you bring us all more join than we ever knew we could handle!

And then there's Aurora, who is now 8. Who actually was almost the same type of baby as Holden, but not so sour-patchy. Just super friendly and a people-person. I think it's pretty safe to say she was and is and probably will be my easy baby. From pregnancy to now, she's pretty much been a breeze. I'm sure I'll change my mind on that one once she hits her teenage years. She still has a little bit of that only-child sass left in her. But she's mature, a smartie who catches on very quickly, and when Jose's gone for work, I can totally count on her to help out with her brother (and maybe get distracted by the TV a couple thousand times in between). Maybe it's just because there's such an age difference between the two, but I swear this girl grew up the second Holden was born. Her big sister instincts kicked right in and, for the most part, she loves helping out with him. Sometimes she tries to jump the gun a bit - wants us to let her carry him down the stairs in the mornings, which I'm not ready for (maybe, like, if the house was and fire and she HAD to, but not every day), but she really tries to do whatever she can and I just love and appreciate her so much. I remember taking her shopping for her birthday a few months back and I was just so amazed at this little lady she's growing into. Don't get me wrong, she still has her moments, but she definitely makes me proud to be her mama.

At the moment (bare with me, this could all change by the time I finish typing this), she's obsessed with Squishies, loves doing anything artsy, loves talking (like non-stop, and says "like" and "literally" almost as much as me), loves the black shoes in the picture below because they have a slight heel, loves her white furry coat, especially loves them together, loves making her little brother laugh and being told she's helpful, says she'll cry if #3 is another boy (although, I know she'd grow to love him), loves watching Liv and Maddie and Bunk'd, and will start telling a story from three years before it began to five years after it ended (maybe kinda sorts like her daddy). She wants to be an actress when she grows up and star in a movie with Dove Cameron. :)

I already catch myself looking back on both these kids and how much they've grown and changed in their short, little lives. (And I know I will with #3 too.) And, while I want to bottle these moments up and keep them little forever, I also imagine what life will be like when all three are grown up, coming and going with their friends, and then with their own families and I just know that that's what life is all about. Also, because Jose and I will be free to come and go as we please by that time too. :)