current pregnancy FAVES.

Vitamin water.  I get really dizzy when I'm pregnant.  With Aubrey, I fainted three times!  This pregnancy, I've discovered the beauty that is Vitamin water.  My favorite is the "XXX" flavor.  It has 100% daily value for vitamins B6 & B12 which help a lot with your balance.  I've noticed a huge difference!  I recently switched to getting the "zero" drinks because the regular ones had 32 grams of sugar.  Yikes!  The zero ones are almost as delicious though, promise.  :)

Another lovely pregnancy side effect these days?  Super chapped lips & dry skin.  I always get chapped lips, but during pregnancy, they are awful.  My mom gave me a sample of this lip renewal by Dermalogica & I loved it so much, I ran to Planet Beauty the next day to get it.  I LOVE it.  I use it throughout the day & apply it right before bed, too.  My lips are so happy, & I kiss my husband now more, so he's pretty happy too.  I also get dry skin too & got the "Dry Skin" regimen that Dermalogica sells.  Totally loving it so far!  

Burt's Bees Mama Bee Nourishing Body Oil.  When I was pregnant with Aubrey, I picked this stuff up at the drugstore because I sniffed it at a friend's house & fell in love with the scent.  It smells just like lemon cake.  It's amazing.  I put it on my belly every single day from the beginning with Aubrey & I'm not sure if that's what did the trick getting no stretch marks, but you can bet your burt's bees I'm doing it again with this one!  I also put it on my whole body sometimes right after the shower & it leaves your skin really glowy & moisturized.  I'm just warning you, you're going to want to eat yourself after.

Other pregnancy lifesavers?  Good old fashioned saltine crackers. Processed white flour has never tasted so delicious in times of hardcore morning sickness.  Sugar free jolly ranchers for some reason help with my nausea, too.  I also get a thrill from chewing ice these days.  I stayed at my parents' house this weekend because Steve was working out of town & the whole weekend I had a cup of crushed ice in my hand.  But my favorite thing while pregant?  Sleeping.  Because when I'm sleeping, I'm not feeling sick.  And that is bliss.  

But really--I love being pregnant!  Thank goodness I can just take a glance over at my sweet daughter & know all these aches, pains, & sickness are only temporary & I would do it 100+ times if I get such a fabulous end result.  

tidbits.

The Bachelorette.  Is Emily not the sweetest?  She looks gorgeous like a barbie but has the heart of Mother Teresa.  I LOVE her.  I'm pulling for Jef, I heard rumors that he is LDS.  What if he converted Emily and they happened to move to Sacramento?  I could be best friends with Emily Maynard.  We could sit by each other in Relief Society and go get pedicures with our little girls and.. Hello, perfect.  I'm half kidding.  

I have had three dreams about Mitt Romney this week.  That's weird.  But there is NO denying that guy is handsome for being in his sixties.  And i love how he wears dad jeans.  

Okay, the whole Time magazine article.  If you want your kid to sleep in your bed and breastfeed until he is in grade school, be my guest.  I don't really care how other moms raise their kids, as long as it works for them and they are happy.  But the cover?  Looking provocative and having your kid stand in a chair to nurse?  Inappropriate in my opinion.  And "are you mom enough?" as the title of the article?  If attachment parenting is the only way to be "mom" enough in today's society-- then so be it. I feel no shame going to bed alone with my husband every night, & handing Aubrey a sippy of milk in the morning.  Time magazine must really be hurtin' these days to have to put out such a controversial article to get people talking.  The only time I read that thing is if I'm at the dr's & there are no People mags around. Ha!  I did watch a video of someone interviewing the mom that's on the cover and she really did seem sweet and genuine about her parenting style.  I'll never see eye to eye on the whole ordeal, but she seems like a good mom trying to do her best.  

Someone left a comment on an old blog post that had a few pictures of me on it and said, "You don't look healthy, too thin.  Eat a cheeseburger."  If that's not a twisted statement I don't know what is.  So in order for me to look healthier, I should go eat a cheeseburger that is filled with saturated fat and cholesterol?  Gotcha.  Such words of wisdom.  Oh wise anonymous person, I assure you I am healthy.  I have a fast metabolism.  So if I did eat said cheeseburger, (or two), you wouldn't notice an external difference in my body at all.  But seriously, thanks for your concern. 

Any tips for bringing a tot to Disneyland?  What rides they're allowed to go on, stuff to bring that I wouldn't normally think to, anything?  I plan on taking her home each day for a nap at the condo, to try to keep her energized and happy.  I also will take tons and tons of snacks to entertain her during long rides in the stroller.  But that's really all I got!  Any secret magic tips?  This could either go really good or really bad.  But I'm pretty sure when she runs up to her favorite character while screaming, "Minnieeee!"  it will be all. worth. it.  

Newest parenting challenge: Hair pulling.  Not by accident like when she was really little, but grabbing and pulling as hard as she can and laughing while doing so.  Rude!  I've tried sternly telling her, "NO," and explaining that it hurts mommy.  I've tried pulling her hair back gently which she thinks is just hilarious. (I can't get myself to do it so it actually hurts her, even though my mom said that's what she did with me and it worked like a charm.) I've tried wearing my hair up.  (She still finds it.)  I refuse to get a mom cut.  I took an oath that I wouldn't.  I feel like it's the first step to letting myself go.  Chop my hair off today, stop shaving my legs tomorrow.  Then next week I'll find myself in sweatpants for the fourth day in a row with no shower.  SO, I might just have to deal with this phase and practice patience. It's just such a hard age to try and discipline.  She's too young for time out, and she doesn't understand if I try to explain something to her.  And if you talk sternly to her she thinks it's funny.  

Okay, that's all the random-ness going through my head this week.  Time to go water the poor dying flowers in my front yard that I have been neglecting.  Hope you're having a great hump day!  

Iphone Photo Dump!

Here's what we've been up to lately, according to my iphone.  

Considerate little thing even gives her stuffed animals a ride :)

Mother's day!

There's just no way to say no to this munchkin when her face lights up when she sees the carousal  at the mall.

 Please daddy?

And daddy said yes. :)  She is obsessed with her big girl chair!

 First time hittin' the pool this year!

You guys might have noticed my new header up there!  Isn't it darling?  Mint + Chevron = my two favorite things these days!  My ever so talented friend Heather is such a pro & can make you any kind of header you want.  She is extremely creative!  Email her at heathergib1@gmail.com for inquiries.  Pricing starts at $25.00

seven weeks - First Weekly Preggers Update :)

I got the adorable idea to do a weekly picture/post like this one from McKinli's cute blog.  If you haven't already--go check out her & her gorgeous family! :)

How far along? Seven whole weeks, baby!

 

Total weight gain/loss: I've probably lost some because of lovely morning sickness.

 Maternity clothes? Nope, didn't have them at 40 weeks with Aubrey so let's hope I can make due without this time, too!

Stretch marks? Same answer as the last! Haha

Best moment this week: When we were at our ultrasound appointment & our dr said, "There it is!  I see a heartbeat!"  SO much relief. 

Miss anything: Deli sandwiches.  You always want what you can't have!!

Movement: Nope, only seven weeks.

  Food cravings: I never had any cravings with Aubrey, I was so boring!  But the other night I was DYING for some lime popsicles.  I was almost crying because I wanted one so bad. (Psycho!) Steve ran to the store to get them at 10:30pm.  Keeper.  

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing ever sounds good anymore (except for delicious lime popsicles of course) so yeah, pretty much all food sounds pretty gross.  

Have you started to show yet: Nope.  

  Gender: No clue!  We will find out at 15 weeks :)  

Labor Signs: Nope, & it better stay that way for a long time!

 

  Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but very tired & nauseated. 

Looking forward to: Our next appointment! 

Mother's day -- Late!

You didn't really think Mother's Day was going to pass by without me writing a super sappy post about mommies, right?

First off, the real reason I celebrate mother's day -- my mama!  I can't tell you how much I lucked out with my mom.  She is the most selfless woman on the planet.  She is such a hard worker & jumps leaps & bounds to make sure her family is happy & content.  I love you mama, you are my hero!  I truly hope my kids think I'm as great as I think you are one day.  

And my precious Aubrey Jane!

The day I became your mother changed me in so many ways.  I became a different person that cared about you more than anyone else, including myself.  My whole train of thought has evolved to putting you as my main focus.  I love spending every second of every day thinking about you, taking care of you, & being your mom.  Sometimes I just think about how much love I have in my heart for you, & it  makes me cry.  My heart could literally burst because I adore you so much.  You make me beam with pride every single day, & it has (& always will be) an absolute privilege to be your mom. Love you!

My sweethearts gave me what any mama could ever ask for -- a darling little girl greeting me in the morning with a huge "Love you Mom!" balloon tied to her, with my handsome husband alongside her serving me a delectable breakfast on our "special" plate, complete with a bouquet of fresh flowers.  I definitely felt loved & appreciated.  I love my little family so much.  

The Deets!

Thank you all for the comments, emails, & tweets regarding our special news yesterday!

So, if you missed it yesterday -- I'm pregnant!  Baby #2 is officially on his or her way & we are incredibly excited & grateful.  

Now for the details:

I'm seven weeks.  I had my first doctor's appointment yesterday & was thrilled to see that the baby was healthy & developing well.  The doctor said from this point I only have a 3% chance of miscarriage so I felt comfortable announcing to the world!  I commend people that wait until the second trimester to tell everyone, I have zero patience.  

The due date is January 8, 2013!  2 days before Steve's birthday. What a sweet early birthday present that would be!

As far as symptoms go, this pregnancy is much harder than last time.  I'm very nauseous & dizzy, all day every day.  I had a little bit of that with my last pregnancy, but this times seems much worse.  You won't hear me complain too much though -- the sicker I feel, the more at ease I feel about the pregnancy being okay.  

Aubrey is still too young to know what's going on in Mama's tummy, but we tell her every day there is a baby in my tummy & we have her kiss & hug it.  I also gave a little baby doll to her to start practicing being "gentle" with the baby.  I'm so excited to have Aubrey be close in age to her new sibling, they will be about 22.5 months apart!  I imagine them being very close friends one day, & that puts all my fears of having two toddlers at ease.  

Was this planned?  Haha, why yes I actually got THREE emails from you guys asking this :)  It's okay, I'm naturally a nosy person too.  Yes, Baby #2 was very much hoped, prayed, & planned for. 

Looking at my last pregnancy pictures, it makes me laugh how desperately I wanted a baby bump.  I would take my weekly picture in the early weeks right after dinner & pushing out as far as I can go.  You couldn't even really tell I was pregnant until I was in the twenties weeks. I have heard that you show a lot sooner with your second, so we will see!  I sure loved my baby bump last time, so I'm excited to watch mine grow!  Here is my belly in all it's glory at seven weeks.  I know--nothin'!  But gotta have a starting point to compare how huge I will be at 40 weeks ;)

a special family photo...