Gill's go to NYC

Two months from today mister Gill and I are getting on a plane and checking a few things off my bucket list. I've always wanted to visit New York City during Christmas and we are making it happen this year.

I can't wait to see Rockefeller Center and that big, beautiful tree. The displays in the windows on Fifth avenue. Strolling through Central Park hand in hand with my husband. Ice skating for the first time.

We have a list of foods to eat. Italian food, pizza, cheesecake, and all those goodies. A real New York style hot dog.

I've been getting all kinds of outfits and now I'm not sure what to take. I'm SO excited that I can't find the words. I love Christmas and who does it better than NYC?!

Seven months.

Addie is seven months old and has changed so much. She's finally outgrowing all of her three month sizes. She had a check up and only weighs sixteen and a half pounds. She's dainty. :)

She started crawling at six and a half months and is pulling up on EVERYTHING. Last night she stood all by herself for a few seconds. She's not supposed to be doing any of this. She's too little. I want my newborn back. She's still breastfeeding. She loves her mommy milk.

She's still a happy go lucky baby. She's always smiling and she's got the cutest little dimple. There isn't a food that doesn't like. She eats everything. She loves to just cuddle with me in the shower under the warm water.

I figure in the next month or two she'll be walking.

Five months.

Addie is five months old.

She is, what I think, the happiest baby ever. Seriously. She has the best disposition. She's only slightly fussy when hungry and at the end of a long car ride.

She is still nursing like a champ. She was giving me the signs she was ready so we have started a few solids. she's doing fantastic. She has no teeth, to which I am thankful for. Sometimes she will bite when she nurses and it's bad enough with her gums.

She is happy to just play on our bed cuddled up with me. She's sitting on her own and trying to scoot. She is a big ham when it comes to attention. She gives big grins and then acts bashful.

She's my teeny tiny thing. She's still in 3 month clothing. So I'm glad I didn't go overboard with anything six months because I don't know what I'll need when she finally fits into it.

Month one of cloth.

We are about a month into cloth diapering.

It was so easy to get started. I love it. We haven't started cloth wipes yet because I still have a bunch of disposable wipes.

I have solid colored diapers and a bunch of prints. The prints are my favorite. They are just so cute.

I don't have a sprayer yet, but we've done just fine without it. D is not 100% sold on having to wash out poop, but he's getting there.

My cloth diapers are so much more absorbent. And we noticed yesterday that they don't smell like disposables do after a long night. And well, she just looks so cute. I wish I would have just done cloth from the beginning. I even have more room in my purse now because I don't need as many extras like I normally would.

If you ask me, cloth is the way to go. I'm hooked!                                                                                                                                      

Natural vs C-section

I'm five months postpartum so I figured that's enough time to heal from my delivery.

I have experienced both a c section and a natural delivery. My first was a c section and my second a natural vbac( vaginal birth after caesarean).

In my own personal experience I would pick a vaginal birth over and over.

For a scheduled c section you often get to pick your child's birth date. No labor pains, and you aren't in a panic of getting to the hospital. You go in and within a couple of hours you have your baby. Easy. But you don't get your baby right away. Nope. You need to be sewn back together. So your baby is off with dad and nurses instead of you. The recovery is no fun. You're stuck in the hospital for three days, you have a giant cut on your stomach that makes it painful to do anything. It hurt to laugh, cough, and get up. It took forever for the pain to go away and now I have a scar and a lovely "shelf" as I call it. My skin hangs over the scar. Attractive right? I plan on getting a tummy tuck once I'm done with children.

My VBAC. I was nervous about going into labor. I always wondered, is this it? Contractions are no fun at all. The "ring of fire" sucks. And then there's making sure you have plan. Who's going to take care of the older child(ren)? Am I going to make it to the hospital? But once you have that baby, the pain is gone. Just a distant memory. I was able to get up pretty much right away and I was only in the hospital for one day. I got to bond with my baby right away and begin breastfeeding. There was no worrying about ripping a stitch. Clothes were no problem. Wear whatever.

I'm sure I'll think of more at the weirdest time and I'll add to this.

Four Months.

Addie turned four months old.

Four months. Some days it feels like it raced by, others it feels like it has slowly gone by. Which I am grateful for. I'm trying to soak up every day because I know she'll be one before I know it. Every snuggle will be missed when she becomes little miss independent. Even the change from her first few days until now tugs at my heart.

We are still breastfeeding. Going strong. I think that's what I am most proud of.

She is the happiest baby I know. She wakes up and she's all smiles. She is still stingy with her laughs though. Once you find a way to make her laugh, it only works once. She's rolling ALL over the place. You can't put her on her back anymore. She immediately flips over. She's a yeller, just like her mama was.

Gone crunchy.

We are coming to the end of the diapers that were gifted to us by many wonderful people. We haven't bought any.

I said I wasn't going to cloth diaper because of my family and such, but I changed my mind. My first shipment is on its way. I'm tracking them like a crazy woman. I'm so excited. I'm also switching to cloth wipes. We are jumping in next weekend and learning the ropes.

I have become this semi crunchy mom, and I never thought I'd be one of "those moms"

We don't even own a stroller. I wear her everywhere. The thought of formula never crosses my mind. 

But anyway, cloth diapers come in so many adorable colors and patterns. I Think I might end up in trouble buying a bunch. I've already got my eye on a few. 

Now they just need to get here.

Three months.

Our sweet Addie turned three months this week.

We are still breastfeeding! Which I absolutely love. One of my favorite things is when she's nursing and gives me a big grin. I wish others would nurse that long to experience it. Pumping is also going great.

We took her on her first long car ride to Houston and she did amazing. Not a peep from her the whole trip. And she did great in the hospital. She just slept while I wore her or she was her happy self.

She has found her feet and loves to sit up and play with them. If you lay her on her back she gets mad and cries. She's starting to take an interest in our food, but we aren't giving her anything until at least six months. I want her exclusively breastfed until then. She loves her play mat and interacting with her big sister.

We think she may be starting to teeth a bit. She's just one big drool monkey.

Audrey turned 5

 My tiny first born isn't so tiny anymore.

She turned the big five. I have a five year old. Excuse me while I ugly cry.

We just spent her birthday at home this year. Just family. And we were all perfectly happy. We made birthday pancakes and she woke up to balloons and streamers in her room. And she was attacked by silly string.

She said it was the best birthday ever. Oh to be young again.

She'll start kindergarten this fall. My baby will be in school. I'm old enough to have a munchkin in school. I feel like I should be in my 30s, not 24.

She is so smart and spunky. Last night she wore hillbilly teeth in the grocery store. She loves all things girly and HAS to check out the clothes when we go shopping. She loves riding her bike and blowing bubbles. She just started taking showers because they are just so cool.

She's a great big sister and loves to help change diapers.

I just can't believe she's five. Seriously. Five.

But I'm excited for this year because so many new things will be happening. Probably her first loose tooth, school functions, and new friends.

Me as a parent.

Sometimes I think about the kind of parent I am. And I think, this isn't how I pictured it would be. Even though I don't know what kind of picture I had in my head about parenting. 

I didn't think I'd baby wear. But I love it, and so does Addie. And it makes things easier. I guess I always wanted to breastfeed and the longer we go, the more I love it. And I wish I had stuck it out the first go around with big sister. I love that it's readily available. There's no prep involved, which is great in public. I have completely gotten over my fear of nursing in public. It's second nature to me now. And I haven't had a single negative experience.

I love cosleeping. I said I wasn't going to this time, but it's easier with breastfeeding and I love her snuggles. 

I guess I'm a semi crunchy mom. And I didn't think I would be. But I'm proud of the mom I've become. 

Random post, I know. ;)

Two months old.

Our sweet Addie is two months old.

She is still breastfed and we are going strong! I was afraid that I would be able to pump or I would dry up.
That has been far from the case. I have a ton of milk in my freezer and I normally bring home more than gets used while I'm at work.

Oh yeah, I went back to work. It's been okay. I miss my girls like crazy, but they love being with Grandma and daddy. Everyone is super supportive of me needing time to pump. So that's made it easier. I look forward to coming home every day.

Addie is doing great. She is the happiest baby. And pretty much one of the prettiest babies I've ever seen. And I'm not just saying that because I'm her mom. I get more smiles than anyone. She's happiest snuggled up with me. She loves to play in her little floor gym, but doesn't really like to be on her belly.

One month old.

Our sweet Addie turned a month old on the 17th of January.

She is a champ at breastfeeding and I love our bond from it. Pumping is more of a love/hate relationship. It's not the most fun part of breastfeeding, but I know it needs to be done and I've got a pretty good stash so far.

She hates diaper changes and being in her car seat unless it's moving. And loves bath time and snuggles.

She's a happy baby and gives lot of smiles.

Audrey loves being a big sister and always wants to be near Addie. If I need a diaper she's always happy to get one. She'll even try to change it. She always wants to feed her and doesn't understand that we don't use a bottle often. If she hears Addie crying she runs into which ever room we are in , all while saying, "it's ok Addie, I'm coming!" I love seeing my girls together and can't wait to see what their relationship is going to be like.

Adelei is here

We are now a family of four!

But I want to summarize the rest of my pregnancy first. It was an amazing pregnancy with absolutely no issues. My blood pressure was perfect and I only gained twenty pounds. I worked up until the day I went to into labor(at 40 weeks), which amazed people. There were some aches and pains, but that's to be expected right? I honestly didn't think I'd go to the full 40, and when I started creeping up on my due date I got nervous. What if I didn't go into labor and needed another c section?

Well, I went in for my 40 week appointment and I was 90% effaced and still less than 2 cm dilated. My midwife said it was possible to go anytime that week, but asked what I wanted to do at 41 weeks. C section or induction. I chose an induction date of what would have been the 22nd. She was going to break my water and see if I progressed. Before my appointment was over she stripped my membranes and I did a lot of walking. 

I started contracting that day around four and by midnight they were five minutes apart and pretty painful so we headed to the hospital. I thought, "this is it". It wasn't. I hadn't progressed so we went home. I slept pretty much the entire day. My contractions had slowed way down to at least twenty minutes apart so I figured I'd be getting induced the next week. Around seven pm they picked back up. And we're stronger than the day before. I was in tears. And at the peak of two of them, I threw up. I figured we'd better go. 

We got to the hospital around 9:30 pm and I was checked. I was at 4 cm and I can't remember if I had completely thinned out. I was admitted and in my room around 10:00. I was a little scared when I was told my midwife was not on call. I was terrified this doctor that I had never met wouldn't let me have my vbac. I was relieved when I met him and was ok with letting me try. He broke my water around 10:30 and things went fast. I ended up getting an epidural. Which was a waste. I progressed so fast it didn't have time to kick in before it was time to push. 

I began pushing at 11:50. It was a little after midnight when my nurse told me to stop pushing so she could get my doctor. It felt like he took forever and I remember saying he needed to hurry the hell up.    Once he arrived I only pushed a few times and our sweet girl was born after 30 minutes of pushing. I had done it. I went into labor on my own and got my vbac. And I did it drug free. I still can't believe it.  She was born December 17th at 12:20am weighing 8 pounds 3 ounces and 21 inches long. A whole two pounds heavier than her big sister.

She was laid on my chest right after she was born. She immediately got quiet. I just stared at her in awe. We had gone through this amazing journey together.

I did end up tearing and I felt every single stitch. I swear they hurt worse than pushing her out.

I couldn't have asked for anything more from my husband, he was absolutely amazing the entire time.  He was an awesome coach. I really thought he was going to pass out, or stay by my head. But he watched the whole time. I think I fell in love with him even more that night.

Back to baby. She latched right away and was a pro at breastfeeding.

Later that day after some sleep and real food since I hadn't eaten the day before, my family came to visit us. Audrey fell in love immediately. She's been a proud big sister ever since. We were only in the hospital a day and we got to go home.

Every time someone found out I had a vbac, they congratulated me. My midwife showed up a few hours after I delivered to check on me and she was so glad I got the delivery I wanted. I had the most amazing care throughout my whole pregnancy and my delivery.

I feel so blessed to have my girls and things are perfect.

Baby raising.

When it came to making decisions for what we wanted for Addie, I knew I wanted to do things a little different this time.

As long as I don't need another c section I am planning on delivering this baby drug free. No epidural for this mama. I know I can do it and it will be nice to not be stuck in bed while in labor.

I've been really looking into delayed cord clamping and I'm pretty positive that's what we are going to do. Delayed clamping is when you wait until the cord stops pumping blood. Babies lose way less blood this way.

We will not be co-sleeping this time around. I thought long and hard about cloth diapering, but in the end I decided disposables were best for our family. I don't think D was ever too keen on the idea of cloth anyway.

With Audrey, I only nursed for about eight weeks. This time I plan to nurse at least until her first birthday. When she turns one I'll decide if I want to continue. Along with breast feeding, we are delaying solids until she is at least 6 months old. And when we introduce solids, we won't be using any jarred baby food. She will get fresh fruits and fresh steamed veggie (baby led weaning). So I am elimatinating a lot of the cost to feed a baby. And doing the healthy thing.

I can't wait until this little lady makes her appearance.

Pregnancy update.

Well goodness.

I haven't updated here since I found out I was pregnant.

I am now six months pregnant and everything is going absolutely perfect. In July we were surprised to learn we are having another little lady. We found out via fireworks, which was so much fun. We are naming this sweet little girl Adelei Grace. We got to peek at her in 3d and she has the sweetest little nose and is just a snuggler.

So far it has been a very healthy pregnancy and I don't have any of the problems I had with my first. I've gained a whopping six pounds and my blood pressure is absolutely perfect. She is already head down which was a huge relief. I am going for a VBAC and everyone I have talked to is 100% supportive and on board. Which is awesome. I am also planning on delivering drug free. I only have one more four week appointment, which includes my lovely glucose test. And then I start my bi weekly appointments.

We have been busy getting ready for her and spending time with big sister. I've been nursery planning like crazy. We decided on a nursery with a more vintage feel to it. With lots of lace, coral, cream, and gold. We went with custom bedding and a custom mobile. We painted the wall behind her crib a coral color and I love it.  We've got a pretty big chunk of the nursery done. The mobile should be shipped out any day and I'm waiting for the bedding. The bad thing about going to custom route. It's unique and pretty, but I hate waiting! We decided on a long dresser instead of a changing table and we finished up the painting for that last weekend. We need to move it into the room and start the decorating for that part of the room. I've gotten most of the custom pieces from Etsy and I've made the rest. I'm probably having a little too much fun with the whole thing.

Big sister A is so excited. She always tells her baby sister good morning and kisses my belly. If she sits with me on the couch, she'll rub my belly and talk to Addie. She loves picking out things at the store with me. I have to be careful or I end up with a cart load of stuff.

I feel SO much more attractive this pregnancy. I don't know if it's the lack of weight gain, but I love dressing up. I'm always trying to think of new and cute ways to dress this bump of mine. I don't have any swelling yet or anything. I make it a point to get myself ready every day. I seriously just feel so good. I am really enjoying the pregnancy and I'll be sad when it ends. I love being pregnant.

A busy busy year.

I haven't updated in forever! And I have a lot to update.

First and most important, in April we found out we are expecting our second baby! We had been trying for a while and I didn't think it was ever going to happen. It was a bit of a surprise because I really bought we would never get pregnant again. I was so happy that I cried.

I was late, but I thought it was for another reason. But I guess somewhere in the back of my mind I knew because I decided to use one of my cheap tests. I took it and went about my business. A few minutes later I checked it and there was faint line. I always wanted to surprise my husband, but I was in such disbelief I had him come check. He thought it was one of my ovulation tests and told me, "yeah, I see a second line, so? Wait, is this a pregnancy test!?" When I nodded yes, he had a look of no way. He was so sweet. He went to the store at 11pm to get a better test. He came home and I took it. The second line was there. He was so happy and was singing baby songs all night.

I am 9 weeks and it still doesn't feel real. I have already been to the doctor and saw our sweet bean. We will get another ultrasound in a couple of weeks. I took a gender prediction test and it says we will have another little girl. I will be thrilled with either and have plans for both genders.

Audrey is so excited. She calls it her baby and kisses my belly. She understands exactly what is going on.


The next thing is that my mom is moving here!! She's not sure when. She told me before we found out I was pregnant. I'm hoping she choses to move before my due date. I'm going to love having my mom here and our babies are going to be so spoiled. And it will be so much fun having her here for holidays and even just every day stuff.  My mom is my best friend so having her close is just going to be so awesome. Plus, she didn't get to see Audrey until she was eight weeks old. And it was only for a week. Now she should be here for this baby from the beginning.

Moving on up.

After the mountain of presents our munchkin received for Christmas and trying to store everything, the mister and I decided it's time for a bigger place. We thought about buying, but he's starting school soon and we don't know where we'll end up. We'd hate to own a home and him get a job in another city or even state. 

We think we settled on our next home. We found a 3 bedroom place that is still pretty close to my work, and a lot closer to stores and restaurants. I made a promise to the mister that the spare room could be his man cave until we have another baby. So that will be the game/work out room for the time being.

Audrey will have a HUGE closet. Every girls dream right?  My favorite part? We will have a FIREPLACE. All I can think about are nights cozied up next to my sweet husband in front of a warm fire. Or creating a little nook and falling asleep.  And Christmas. Don't get me started on Christmas.  I've always wanted a fireplace at Christmas time.

And hello, I get to decorate again! I've already got a lot of ideas shooting through my brain. I want to keep our room simple. Warm. And inviting. I'm sure Audrey's room will be pink. And I should finally have the space for my coffee nook in the kitchen. I've only wanted one since I saw it two years ago. 

I love how moving feels like a fresh start. You get to start over. I just hate the packing. 

Fitness goals for 2014

After passing my 30 pound goal I was asked what my next goal was.  And it made me think.  What are my fitness goals for 2014?

So I wanted to make a list of what I want to accomplish this year. 

- complete my first 5k

- lose another 30 pounds

- compete in an obstacle course type race

- double the amount of weight I can lift

- run an eight minute mile

- do a real push up[ DONE :))]

- get into a single digit pants size

- inspire someone else[ I found out I've inspired a few people. Dream come true!]

- finish Insanity

I'm sure I'll add to this list as the year progresses and I finish goals. My 5k will be the first and I am so excited to check items off my list. 

Weight loss milestone: 30 pounds

As of this morning I have lost 30 pounds. I am 30 pounds lighter than last summer.  And I feel great. I was so happy to see the number on the scale this morning. I was wanting to reach that point by Audrey's birthday next month. And I did it with more than two weeks to spare. So I'm hoping I can lose another 5 pounds by then.

I still have another 30 pounds (at least) to lose. But I'm excited to continue on. I've come so far already and I know that I can do it.

Feeling fantastic.

I felt like giving a little bit of a weight loss update.

I am no longer doing weight watchers. At least not paying for it. I learned the tools so I cancelled it. I'm joining a gym next month with a friend so I have more options when it comes to working out.

I am still doing Zumba. I do it every other day. The other days are spent at the gym lifting weights and getting cardio on the bike, treadmill, or elliptical. Lately is more on the treadmill because I am doing "Couch to 5k" It's a program to help you get off the couch and work up to running a 5k. Which I will be doing in May. Hopefully with my husband. We'll see.

For the LONGEST time I had been stuck. The scale was not budging. I upped my calories just a little bit and three and half pounds just kind of fell off. So I am down a total of 27.8 pounds and just a little over two pounds away from a short term goal. I am at the lowest weight I've been at in a while. I'm so close to being in a smaller pant size. Which would be 3 sizes smaller than when I started.

My confidence is through the roof. Knowing how much I am really capable of doing. It hasn't been easy, but it's been worth it. Every week the scale goes down or I push myself further than the week before my smile just gets bigger and bigger. I don't know if I can really put into words just how I feel. It's an amazing feeling. *I* did this. I made the change and it's paying off. I can't wait until I get to walk into some of my favorite stores and buy a whole new "skinny me" wardrobe. Cute shorts and tops that I always hated wearing. And my first two piece bathing suit since becoming a mom. I used to think I'd never get to that point again. But I'm inching closer and closer every single day! :)