Bumpdates!

Sorry, little brother.  I haven't forgotten about you and I've still been taking my weekly pictures - just not posting them.

• How far along: 26 weeks!
• How I'm feeling: Overall, doing well - feeling lots of pelvic pressure if on my feet.  I don't remember feeling this kind of pressure with G so early on.  
• Size of the baby: The length of a cucumber! (Disclaimer: I'm not quite sure how accurate these fruit and veggie pics are in relation to the baby.)  The progression doesn't seem to match, but I'm still having fun with it.
• Total weight gain: 20 pounds. Yikes.
• Maternity clothes: Oh yes!  
• Sleep: Better these days than in the beginning, strangely enough.  
• Gender: Baby boy!  So excited!
• Movement: Feeling him all the time.  R was able to feel him move right at 21 weeks.  
• Food Cravings: Lemonade, burgers, cookies, mac & cheese.
• Food Aversions: None.  
• What I miss: My feet not feeling so tired by the end of the day.  The ability to reach for things and get up off the floor with ease.
• Best moment of the week: No specific moment, but I love feeling him move.  By far my favorite thing about pregnancy.
• Big Brother: G is aware that there's a baby in my tummy.  Last week at Ikea, he put a toy in the cart for Baby L.

At our 24 week follow up ultrasound, the EIF was still present but the ultrasound tech and my doctor have both firmly decided that it is a calcium deposit and nothing to worry about.  Whew!  If we can get through the rest of this pregnancy without any more drama, I would be oh-so-happy.  Our concerns have been nothing compared to scares and outcomes many parents deal with, and for that, I am very grateful.  

I really haven't had too many strangers ask me when I'm due.  They usually turn their attention to G and ask them if he's having a little brother or sister?  I'm feeling large and in charge these days, but I distinctly remember feeling the exact same way the first time.  

3 more months to go!  I think I can, I think I can... :)

From the mouths of babes

G is really starting to say some funny and cute things lately.  I {mostly -ha!} love this age!

At the pet store...
"Ooooh, I love this one!
Pet me!
I need a bone!"

"Mommy, I wuv you so much (embraces me in a big hug)!
I not weavin' you."

This picture was taken after he scolded me for bonking his head while putting him in his car seat.
"Do you need to go to my crib (where we threaten/put him in time outs)?
Next time be gentle!"

****

Oh, little man.  You have my heart forever.

P.S. One more month until my {big} little boy turns three, three more months until baby brother is expected to arrive, and eleven more months until the big W {wedding}.  Life is good.

Sunday Funday

Good times with good friends ... it doesn't hurt that they have a boat and live on the lake.  :)

Summer mojo

Lately I feel like I am losing my mojo to write anything in this space that is mine.

Maybe it's because summer is in full swing, and with that has come swimming lessons, splash pad fun, library reading club, etc., or maybe it is because I am just losing interest in writing regularly?

Whatever the reason, I will pop in from time to time when I do get the urge.  I feel quite certain that I am not going to abandon this space entirely.  :)

Until then, I am trying to keep my sanity while dealing with a puppy, potty train an almost three year old, and will be back at work tutoring two days a week for the next month.  We are staying busy, but it is the good kind of busy that keeps me away from this blog and with my family.

Home Depot kids workshop

Last weekend my new neighbor friend (I will just refer to her as NNF from now on, mkay?) gave me a heads up about the free Home Depot kids workshop on Saturday morning.  Ummm, yes, please!

The first Saturday of every month, Home Depot hosts a free workshop in their stores where kids get to make a craft (adult assisted, of course... unless your kid is old enough to follow the steps on their own).

R stayed home with the pup to do some work while G and I ventured off to get our craft on.  Except this craft was much more daunting upon first appearance than the typical scrapbooking crafts that I'm used to undertaking.

It was actually really easy.  And fun.  G especially enjoyed getting to use a real hammer and painting.

NNF gave us a veteran's tip -- if the project involves paint, head towards the paint counter and use their hair dryer to give your project a quick once over.  Genius!

Besides the obvious free craft, Home Depot also hands out little orange aprons for the kids and a specialized pin to go on your apron.  Seriously adorable.

Lawn mower pencil holder, duh!  ;)  Also, we didn't get our apron yet because they were all out.

G was so excited about his craft and kept asking me all day long, "Is it dry yet?"  I wanted to save it for R's Father's Day present, but G was too eager to show it off.  And honestly, I'm not sure if he wants to share it with his daddy just yet since he carries it around all over the house.  :)

Just what R's desk was missing!  G has since reclaimed it as his own.

Thanks, Home Depot!  We'll be seeing you again next month!

**I was not compensated for this post in any way -- I just happened to love the workshop and wanted to make sure other mamas and papas knew about it!  

WILW: Nursery Inspiration

I haven't linked up for a WILW in what feels like ages, but I'm baaaaack!

Today I want to share a few things on Baby Boy's nursery inspiration board that I am loving!

As soon as we found out we are having another boy, I immediately began looking for ideas to spice up the current nursery.  It has been set up as you see it since we moved in ten months ago (wow, time flies!), but G Man never slept in it here.  He was either in our room or in his big boy room (former guest room that didn't last long).

Everything in the nursery is basically the same at our new house, minus the awesome custom mural that we had painted at the old house.

You can see more pictures of the nursery at the old house here.

Without the mural, the wall seems like a blank canvas.  

Bad lighting, sorry.  We painted the walls gray with the accent wall a darker shade to make it gender neutral.

We did have the same muralist come out to the new house, but ultimately, we felt like G's big boy room was the number one priority at the time and decided to wait on the nursery mural once we were actually expecting and knew the gender.  Since then, I've decided to change things up a bit this time around and do a gallery wall instead. 

Among other things (I don't want to share too much and not have anything be a surprise!), here are some of the goodies that I have my eye on...

Top left, middle left, bottom left, middle, top right, bottom right

I am loosely sticking with the safari theme and incorporating "Where the Wild Things Are."  Besides the obvious pinterest and etsy, I also am loving all of the eye candy and amazing inspiration boards at Lay Baby Lay.

I have big plans for this room and can't wait to make it unique and special for my second little man!

Bows or bow ties?

Last Friday evening we had our big gender reveal with my family.  Everyone came over for dinner and then the main event, the gender revealing cupcakes that my sweet new neighbor friend offered to bake for us.

We look awesome - ha!  This is right before I dropped off the envelope with the incriminating evidence at my neighbor's house.

The beautiful cupcakes.

It did take some will power not to peek inside the envelope, but I stayed strong and I'm so glad that I was able to muster the strength - the surprise really was worth it!

We asked everyone to come over for dinner wearing either pink or blue, and after a hearty dinner of baked ziti and salad, we let G bite into the first cupcake.

Baby #2 is a ...

BOY!!! 

We are over the moon excited to welcome another sweet boy into our family come October!  I have already starting pinning away and perusing etsy looking for some special touches that I want to add to baby boy's nursery before he gets here.

Brothers ... I can't wait!