What I'm Loving Wednesday

I'm Loving...

...that it is Wednesday. I know I use the phrase "hump day" a lot. But, I seriously do mean it. We are officially on the down-ward slope of the week. Come on Friday!

...this cartoon that was sent out on a BabyCenter.com email. It completely sums up what I'm feeling about the pregnancy (except, almost three missed cycles).

...that my Houston trip for work is almost here. I kind of dread the idea of traveling alone. :{ But, traveling is always fun, and I seriously am excited about the conference.

...Lucy is getting so big! Yes - it is bitter sweet. I don't want her to get so big; but, I can't wait to do all these fun things with her! :) She understands so much!


...that I still have a lot of my favorite shows on DVR. It makes the week in television last longer. :)

...that someone else appreciates me reading at night, other than Lucy.

...that spring seems to be approaching. I am slowly letting go of any winter weather wishes. :( I wanted to have just one snow day. Darn. But, if spring is coming, then bring on the rain.

...sleep. Seriously, I can't get enough. I want to sleep all the time! This pregnancy is way more sleepy than anything else...as of yet.

...that Lucy's big girl room is coming together; although, it is all coming together in piles in the den.

...of course my baby Lucy.

...my wonderful hubby, who brought me peanut M&Ms yesterday.

...my wonderful family, friends, and readers.

What are you loving this leap day?

Pregnancy Update

Later this week I have decided that I will start a weekly pregnancy update. I am waiting until Thursday, when I actually switch weeks - Week 12! :)

Today, I am just going to do some random babbling, as I'm sure you have become quite familiar with...that is, if you actually read my posts completely. :) Don't worry, it will be somewhat focused babble about the pregnancy. Don't be surprised though if my uncontrollable and unpredictable mood-swings and sleepiness rear their ugly heads. Boy, I'm pleasant these days! haha. Just ask Heath,...or Chico.

Well, I have popped.

I am only 11 weeks and 5 days and I have popped! I think I was approximately 14 weeks with Lucy before a teeny, tiny baby belly appeared. This time? My abs did nothing for me. I got pregnant, they turned into goo and bam, a belly protruded. I do have to say, it is a high belly again. With Lucy, I had several comments about how high I was carrying her and well, this one is no different. Old wives tales would suggest this one was a girl as well...

The Chinese Birth Chart my Aunt Amy gave me suggests that it is a boy though. And, it was right with Lucy. Who knows?  Ahh, the sex debate. I'll admit, I'm much less antsy about this one than with Lucy. I kind of feel bad about that. I look at it in a good way though. I just wanted at least one girl, just one! I got her! :) So, I could have a boy and that would be great. But, I know that I would also be fully content with all girls. :) I will be fully through the moon either way. I can honestly say that. I seriously don't have any secret hopes one way or another. Heath, on the other hand, I know kind of hopes it is a boy; but, he will take healthy over anything else.

Sorry, but my thoughts are racing back to this bump that is currently fighting my waist-band. It is getting uncomfortable...in my normal clothes that is. I may have to bust out the belly-bands. Surely other moms out there know what those are, but just in case - here is a photo of them.

They 1) allow you to unbutton your regular pants or jeans, while still helping to hold them up, and 2) let you lotion up your belly without your shirt getting clingy. I used them a lot with Lucy.

I feel like I should warn everyone though about my tummy. It's big. Or at least I feel like it is. It's kind of shocking to me. I keep randomly making Heath look at it and rub it - just waiting for the shock that I am currently experiencing. He gives me nothing...

With Lucy, I was big. I was really, really big. I was often accused of being pregnant with twins. Random strangers kept telling me that I looked like I was "ready to pop," starting at like 30 weeks! Apparently, I even had family members who were secretly concerned with how big I was and thought something was wrong.

I was just big. My doctor says that I have a short torso and that my legs create an illusion. So, many people expect the baby to spread out more, rather than just jutting outward. So, prepare people; prepare your minds. I'm gonna get huge! haha.

Prepare for the next time you see me as well. Since we waited so long to tell everyone, I have been hiding my belly with baggy clothing. Now, it is starting to somewhat show through the baggy sweaters and Columbia jackets. The next time you see me, I'll have a little belly. Or, a big one. I guess it depends on the next time you see me. ;)

Well, that is enough ranting for one day. I will be back tomorrow with What I'm Loving Wednesday! And, then hopefully again on Thursday or Friday for a Week 12 Update! :)

Thank you for all of the well wishes and support. This is going to be a fantastic experience. I can't wait to continue our journey to four.

Translation Please

Right now Lucy is talking up a storm! She just babbles and babbles. Some of it I understand. And, well, some of it, I have no idea what she is saying.

The other day at the lunch table, it was just Lucy and me.

She looks and me, smiles, and says, "I boopt."

I asked her, "You pooped?"

She was completely unimpressed with me, "No. I boopt."

I scanned my brain and the room..."boopt? boopt. boopt?"

I finally asked, "Your boot?"

Lucy was annoyed. This time, she lowered her eyebrows and said it a bit louder, "I boopt!"

I had no idea. So, I decided to tell her, "I'm sorry, honey. I can't understand you."

She then, put her hand to her belly, opened her mouth wide, and said, "ughhhhhck." It was an obvious, mocking burp sound and then she stated, "I boopt."

"Ahhh, you burped!"

She was pleased, "Uh-huh! I bowpt."

I had to laugh. She was bound and determined to tell me about it. She actually knew to mock herself! I was proud, but promptly told her to say "excuse me." :)

She is growing up so fast! :)

Surprise!

Yep. I am the one who urinated on that stick. :)

If you are still somehow missing it, I'm pregnant! :)

I have been dying to tell you all! After my close family and friends, I wanted you all to be the first to know - my loyal readers! Almost every post that I am "loving" I want to tell you about the pregnancy. Or, I want to mention how tired or nauseous I am. You remember all of that, right?

The truth is, we were scared to tell right away. I had a really bad urinary tract infection at the beginning of my pregnancy. They can cause miscarriages. Scary! So, we kept the news to ourselves for a long time. Then, I continued to have bladder issues. Although I probably do have a condition called Interstitial Cystitis (IC), the pain that I was feeling was probably only amplified by my growing uterus laying on top of my bladder. As my uterus lifts out of my pelvis, I am getting some relief. The good news is that the Cystitis won't affect the baby! Perhaps I will tell you more about the IC later...

I bet you want to know how far along I am and when I'm due. Well, I am 11 weeks along and due September 14th. I know two other ladies due the same week. :) It'll be crazy!

I feel like my tummy is starting to "pop" though and I simply won't be able to hide it anymore. As the warm weather peels my baggy jackets and sweaters, it will only become more obvious. I seriously do feel like I am bigger with the second one. My abs...or lack thereof...did nothing to keep my uterus under control this time.

Here I am after I found out, at 5 weeks.

I was already about 10 pounds up from when I got pregnant with Lucy. I'm a statistic!!!  Oh well, nothing I can do now. My arm placement isn't the most flattering either. :{ Hopefully I won't gain as much this time...

I can't wait to share this pregnancy with you all. It is still unbelievable, as the beginning stages of pregnancy often are. Wish us luck with #2! :)

What I'm Loving Wednesday

I am loving...

...my new dress that I got from Target last weekend (thanks for the gift card dad and Rhonda!) Today, I paired it with a black cardigan and black tights (thanks Jeannie!). I could get used to this whole Birthday thing. ;)

...Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game (both the book(s) and the television shows!). I seriously am upset every Monday when they are over. Can't they go on forever?!

...I am still loving all of the benefits from my birthday (the clothes, the food, the books, and movie)! Plus, I love getting to see my family!

...my new iphone cover, from my hubby for my birthday! :) It's super BA ("bad-ass" for all of the non-minor ears out there). :) Who knew I would love metallic so much? Plus, it is a different brand, kind of expensive, but much thicker. The picture doesn't give it justice.

...that Lucy can almost say her prayers with me. She is getting so good at it! The other night, she didn't want to say them, so at the end I pretended I forgot what to say and she corrected me, "Amen." :) I loved it.

...Lucy's cake that her cousin Hannah made her. Hannah and my Aunt Amy couldn't make it to Lucy's party because of the weather, so they made her a cake this last weekend to celebrate. Hannah is becoming quite the cake maker! Envious....

Which reminds me...I own you all a Lucy's 2nd Birthday Party post...I'll have to get on that. :{ Anyway, on with what I'm loving...

...that we got a lot of items for Lucy's big girl room this last weekend. I will have to write a post about that too; so, I can share pictures of all of our goodies! :)

...Lucy's new book that my sister and her family got for her. It is personalized. I wish I could tell you where Nikki got it; but, I don't remember right now. Sorry! Lucy likes hearing her own name and family members' names in a book!

...American Idol. Oh no, are we back there? Yep. I obsessed over it last year and well, it's back! The talent is amazing and I have some favorites. I definitely look forward to this week's!

...fruit snacks. I never really ate these when I was little; but, Lucy liked them. Then, I got a coupon for them and I was able to price match and that is all it took. Only $2 for a regularly $4 item? Yes, please! We now have two large boxes of these, below. Delicious! :) It is a great snack. (I recommend the purple-ish/blue-ish box.)

...the geese on the little lake in town. There are SO many. Lucy loves to watch them. There are even a few ducks. Mostly you can only hear the honking of the geese though. :) And, yes, I sit in the car; because it's too cold. :[

...like always, I love my baby girl, Lucy.

... my amazing hubby, who surprises me with cleaning up the house all the time!

...my family, friends, and readers!

Have a great Wednesday! What are YOU loving? :)

Learning Colors

The other night Heath had to do homework; so, it was up to me to keep Lucy busy and non-interrupting. :)


I decided to put some of my pinspiration to work (inspiration from pinterest.com). Here was my inspiration:

I thought we would have fun finding small toys or objects, that were Lucy-non-eating-friendly. Then, we could work on her color association and say the color aloud.

But, let's be honest; who has a random, sectioned box just lying around the house? Not us. So, I improvised. I thought that Lucy's stacking cups would be perfect!

I wondered about the teal blue and the pale blue; but, Lucy did amazing with them! :) We just called them both "blue."

We then gathered small toys from around the house, a lot of which ended up being plastic, play food.

One item at a time, I would hand it to Lucy and tell her the color. Then, she would put it in the right cup. It took her a while to realize that we were sorting them by color. Once she caught on though, she was on a roll! :)

Here, she is putting in the purple rabbit. Sorry about the blurry picture; she moved too fast!

And, now, she is dancing and cheering. I was cheering her on with every correct placement. She would give me high fives. :)

We did this twice, all the way through. She then got a little bored and moved onto other stuff. That was to be expected.

When we were done, she was so proud though!

I highly recommend trying this with your toddler. It was a great learning tool and she really enjoyed it. We will probably play it often now! :)

Happy Fat Tuesday, everyone! 

Lucy and the Chihuahuas

Lucy picks on the chihuahuas terrible.

Recently, I saved Chico from being beaten by a balloon on the corner of the sofa. She thought his growling was hilarious. We say that he just purrs like a kitten. :)

And, we have also had experiences like this...

Alright, so I admit it; she could never get Squirty in there on her own. I was forced to assist.

She also puts her "pretties" on the chihuahuas. Chico walked all around the house in his purple necklace. Squirt acted like we paralyzed her and wouldn't move. I was shocked that she even stayed upright; she usually flops to the ground.

At the end of the day, the chihuahuas love her too. She is just too easy to love.

Someday, you won't be able to separate Squirty and Lucy. I am sure of that - necklace or not.

Twenty-Six

Now, to my older than 26-year-old readers, I'm just a baby. Or, perhaps a young pup. Or, maybe just a year behind you or so. But, to me, 26 is...weird. I'm over the hump of the twenties. I am on the wrong side of 25.
As I was reminded though, I'm on the right side of 30. I guess I could be optimistic.

What did I think I would be doing when I was 26? What did I hope to achieve?

At one year old, I'm sure I thought that in 26 years, I would, well....be walking, talking, going to the restroom on a "potty," and being able to eat candy anytime I wanted. So, far, I've been pretty good to my 1 year old self. I've definitely mastered most of those things.

At three, let's be honest - I probably thought I was going to marry my grandpa and he would take care of me for the rest of my life. And, perhaps I would learn to wash my face and smile a bit less cheesy.

From 5 to 9 years old, I thought I would someday legally change my name to 'Michelle' and find a 'Derek' to marry. I don't think I yet had thought about what I was going to do for a living, or what I would name my children - besides possibly 'Michelle' and 'Derek.' But, I knew that I was going to live in a "mansion" and drive a "really nice" car. Nikki? Well, she would be stuck with me forever. I was just sure that we would have houses with secret tunnels to connect our bedrooms.

During my pre-teen years, I had become a little more practical. My name would forever be 'Cori.' And, I would someday actually have to work for a living. I thought at this point that I may someday become a lawyer; I had the arguing thing down pat, just ask my mother. Plus, I heard once that lawyers made good money. :)

In high school, I imagined myself marrying Heath. Who knew that I would actually be right?! I knew that college was in my future and I wanted to help people with their problems. I thought that I would somehow manage to be the dad on Growing Pains. I would be a psychologist that had an office in my home and I could come and go to work as I pleased. The thought of bringing mentally unstable people into my home never once occurred to me. But, I did know that I wanted to have children someday; I would name them Alexandria and Tanner.

 

My senior year, I was headed to college and I was still planning on going into psychology. I was going to be a counselor. I still planned on marrying Heath someday and having little, freckled babies. I thought a little girl may have blonde hair that was naturally curly like her daddy's.

After the college, freshman 15 (pounds!) and an internship of helping battered women, I had changed my plans a bit. I was not going to be a counselor and I had mastered weight watchers. I was going to be a hot, middle-aged momma attending my children's sporting events. And, as far as a job, well, psychology was versatile right? Perhaps I would steer it in the human resources direction.

At graduation, I got my degree in Psychology with a minor. I was engaged to Heath and had two steps of my "path" sealed. :) I knew that I wanted to go on and get my masters - before I turned 25 I was going to be at least enrolled. I even had a job. The job type wasn't in my plan, but that happens. We had even bought a house - big step! The house had three bedrooms. That would work for the three children I had decided to have. Why three? I don't know for sure.  It just felt right.

After our marriage, we discussed my master's degree options. We also discussed having children. While Heath got his MBA, my masters got put on hold. We decided it could wait until after we started a family. Then, I got a different job. It still wasn't part of the plan, but that happens.

When we had Lucy, I started to think that I might not be the hot momma attending my children's sporting events after all. Staying fit was hard and with each year (and I'm sure child), it got a little harder!  But, I loved being a mom. I knew I wanted more. Everything else in my life remained the same - stable, if you will. I liked it that way.

I'm now 26. Am I living the way I thought I would be? Yes and no. Would I change a thing? No. I will never look back on my life and say, "I wish I would have." Without the decisions I have made, I may not have ended up here. I don't like that idea.

"Don't ever regret your decisions in life. At one time, that was exactly what you wanted." - Unknown

I am so happy with my life and blessed beyond belief.

Valentine's Day Boxes 2012

Happy Day of Love, everyone! :)

I have always gotten excited over the big V-day, if you will. I think since it is so close to my birthday that it's always been special to me. Plus, I loved getting to deliver little envelopes to every one's little mail boxes.  Speaking of which, we made ours! I asked Heath, "Are you going to make Valentine's Day boxes with us?"

His response? "Well, I don't want to break tradition."

I had to laugh. I could tell her wanted to.

So, here they are. For Lucy, I kept my cute, little house Kleenex box from Christmas. For me, Heath kept a regular Kleenex box.

For himself, Heath saved a Welch's fruit snacks box. He never uses the Kleenex box opening anyway...

Heath worked on his, while Lucy and I did hers. I let her pick out all the patterns, colors, stickers, everything. I just helped her glue and tape. She put on all the stickers by herself though, and colored it! :) She had a blast.

Heath was done next. He wrapped his in white and added some cute letters from the newspaper.

The spot for putting in valentines was on top.

And, he even included a little picture of us that we had cut out from our wedding invitations.

I loved it Heath; but, your circle cutting leaves a bit to be desired. :)

I was in a rut and couldn't decide what to do. So, I decided to turn my Kleenex box inside out.

The shiny inside looked a lot prettier!

I then covered the top and bottom rim with satiny, maroon ribbon - also from our wedding invitations. Then, I added a few stickers, here and there.

We had a great time and had wonderful pieces to show for it!

I hope that we have started a tradition that we will continue for years to come! Again, Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you have a love-filled day!

Laundry Room Renovation

I kind of throw around the term "renovation" wildly. Sorry about that. This renovation included no walls or new counter tops, etc.; but, it was a makeover. So, I'll file it under "renovations."

When we moved into our home, we had an old, hand-me-down washer and dryer. We held our breath every time we turned them on. We just knew they would quit one day. But, we just couldn't bring ourselves to spend the money on new ones, especially when these still worked! We even had an experience where the washer sensor didn't turn the water off and we flooded our laundry room. Fun times. However, we still waited over a  year to make the change.

 

As you see, the laundry room in our house had to be a last minute thought. It is in a half-bath down stairs and it is a teeny, tiny little room. It doesn't allow much for folding or organizing.  Plus, isn't that border gorgeous? For the 1990s maybe...

So, finally, I let my hubby research and pick out some front loading units. I wanted the huge red ones; but, they weren't too practical for the space we have.

We wanted to save as much space as possible, so we took out the cabinets above the washer and dryer. And, yes, I say "we," because I helped! :)

The room already looked bigger!

Then, Heath spent a morning taking down that awful border. It was wider than usual and shrunk the room even more. Ahhh...more white space!

Then, Heath and my Uncle Matt moved out the old ones.

The walls obviously needed some new paint. We used the same paint color as in the adjoining room.

The change, already, was awesome!

Pinterest had inspired me though. So, we looked for ways to create a sorting area...or something.

We had an old, cheap dresser/armoir thing in the garage that we hadn't yet thrown out.

I took the drawers out of the bottom. And, well, I can't remember what we ended up doing with them.

I want to say we took them apart and kept the particle board - for who knows what?

We bought sorting crates and put four of them inside the dresser. Now, we can sort laundry and then put the crates inside to hide them. That way, laundry doesn't sit out in piles.

This was our end product.

I ended up putting the basket below on top and hiding the Tide and Febreeze. The cabinet allowed for us to put a few cleaning products and puppy treats on a smaller, top shelf inside. It's much bigger than it looks!  I still search for cute, wicker baskets to put below. They have to be very specific dimensions; so, the search continues...

What do you think? Better? You wouldn't believe how much cleaner the room looks. :)

Oh and I did say we a lot; but, I'll be honest. Heath does the laundry in our house. I don't know how or why that came to be. It could be that I'm a lazy slug. Or, he likes "playing" with the new washer and dryer (that I don't even know how to use). Or, he started it one day and it just kind of became a "thing." One way or another, he does it and I am so thankful. :) He is such a wonderful hubby and daddy! We love him for so many reasons; but, laundry is pretty high up there on the list. ;)