Slade's Shower

At the beginning of the month, my precious friends threw Slade the sweetest shower! It was so much fun, and I truly enjoyed every single second of it. I wanted to be sure to share some pictures of the morning before he made his debut ;)

hostesses: Lauren, Linda, Melissa, & Julie

my momma & me, Mollie & Marissa, Nanny & Nana, my future SIL & me

coach's wife friends :)

Julie & me, Cougar Wives, fun friends (we all have littles the same age), Kaila & me

a few of the blessings we received for our boy

hostess gifts

lots of goodies awaiting organization

I am so thankful to everyone that came to celebrate our baby boy. It's so comforting to know how loved our little man already is! We are truly blessed with wonderful friends & family.

36 weeks!

What better time to do a pregnancy update than when you're just about full-term?! I wanted to get something down for memory's sake before Slade makes his debut, so here we go!

This pregnancy has been both very similar and very different from my first. I was tired with Jaqs the first trimester, but I feel like I've been tired the WHOLE time with Slade, with the exception of a month or two there in the middle. I had some queasiness here and there this time, but nothing to complain about as long as I kept my tummy full. Even though I've gained about the same, I've felt like a whale this time around! Could have something to do with the fact that I'm chasing a 2 year old around though ;) Overall, I've had a pretty easy pregnancy and shouldn't gripe about much!

How far along: 36 weeks!!

 

Size of baby: about 6 lbs. & around 18 in. long--or the size of a head of romaine lettuce, according to Baby Center. Dr. T thinks he won't be much (if any) bigger than sister & she weighed in at 6 lbs 13 oz at birth, so I sure hope he's right! I like little babies ;)

 

Total weight gain: womp, womp.... +30 lbs.

 

Movement: Alllll the time. This boy has been a mover and a shaker (just like J) from 18 weeks on. I'm to the point where I can distinguish body parts sticking out now, haha. And I can tell he's dropped some because his feet aren't in my ribs anymore!

 

Sleep: Eh, it's okay. I'm waking up every 2-3 hours to pee or change positions. It's hard to stay comfortable now. Also, leg cramps!! Hate those things.

 

What I miss: Being able to play & pick up Jaqs easily & without worrying about my belly getting in the way. And sleeping soundly, but of course, that won't be changing anytime soon! Oh, and wine. Just being honest ;)

 

Cravings: ALL THE FOOD. Seriously. I eat constantly, I feel like. Salty, sweet, savory, I don't care, just feed me :) And tell me I'm skinny.

Labor Signs: I've been having contractions for about 3 months now & they've definitely picked up recently. I have them throughout the day & they usually pick up at night. Nothing "real" yet, but I sure hope they're doing me some good in the dilation department!

Maternity clothes: Oh yeah, and I'm ready to pack those things away again!

Best moments this week: I go to the doctor today for my first check. Anxious to see where we are and hopefully get a better idea of Slade's birthday! Also, Jaqs asks me all the time, "brother's out??" I'm not sure that she realizes how it's going to rock her world, but she seems to be excited about him for the time being. We'll see how she feels about sharing mommy ;)

5 on Friday!

I think I've missed these posts the most in my blogging absence, so I'm excited to be joining in for 5 on Friday once again! Head over & link up with these lovely ladies!

{one) Y'all, toddlers are crazy. If you have one, you know. If you don't, you may be rolling your eyes & thinking something like, "my child will NEVER!" But s/he will. Because that's what they do...they embarrass their parents ;)

Last Sunday, we were out running a couple errands with GG, and we decided to stop at Wendy's for a little snack. Jaqs had chicken nuggets, and at some point during her meal, she decided that she simply could not risk getting a drop of ketchup on her shirt, so SHE TOOK IT OFF. And refused to put it back on until she was done. LOL. I couldn't even discipline her because I could not stop laughing. Thankfully, there weren't many people there, and this sweet little old lady made her way to our table, and said, "I need to know what y'all are laughing at so I can laugh, too!" Then she saw Jaqs, and reassured me that you just never know what the day will bring when you have a two year old :) Bless her for making me smile rather than being ugly about it!

{two} In other toddler news, I'm happy to report that we ditched the paci this week! Most people don't even realize that Jaqs still had a paci because she has only used it for sleep since she was a year old, but a friend of mine ditched her son's last week & gave me the courage to try it out. Jaqs adjusted SO well. She really shocked me, and has slept just fine without it! My big girl. She was promised a toy of her choice after throwing them away, and she was thrilled with her pick!

I gave them all to her with the tips cut off; she put one in her mouth, and declared, "I don't want these broken pacis!!" After I told her I couldn't fix them, she decided to throw them in the trash herself! Ha.

 

{three} Have y'all started your Christmas shopping? Since baby boy is due December 15th, I got a jump start, and I'm about 95% done. Jaqs is getting this Ikea kitchen as her big gift, and she is going to love it! I've been looking for ways to spruce it up and found this ADORABLE hack, but I'm not sure if I can pull it off in time. I absolutely love it though, so it may be worth a shot!

{four} Our awesome coaching family surprised us with a little "sprinkle" for our boy last weekend, and we were so thankful! I think we have everything we need to welcome him into this world now! Well, after Rob drags the car-seat and other gear out of the attic this weekend, that is ;)

{five} Have you heard of Younique yet? Or tried the 3D Fiber Lash Mascara?? Let me tell you, it is AMAZING. I purchased some from a friend back in May and loved it so much that I signed up to be a presenter! Selling anything is totally not my style, but I'm obsessed with this product, and I happen to love all the other cosmetics I've tried from Younique as well! The mascara is so easy to apply (and remove!), and I just don't think there's any way I could ever go back to regular...my lashes feel bare without my fibers now!

top: bare lashes
middle: regular mascara
bottom: 3D fiber lash mascara

Anyway, all this to say, I think to celebrate being back at blogging, I'll be giving away one mascara kit beginning next week! So be on the lookout for details on that! :)

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Baby Galu #2--His Name

When it came to naming our little man, it proved to be a little more difficult than naming our girl. I knew I wanted a strong, one syllable name, and Rob pretty much shot down 80% of my choices immediately ;) Slade was one that Rob mentioned really early on, and we just kept going back to it. I don't know any Slade's in "real life," and it just felt right to us after considering it for a couple months before officially making the announcement that it would be our son's name! His middle name will be Robert...after his daddy, of course.

Seeing these shirts that Leah made for our littles brought on one of those HOLY CRAP!! moments that I've been having lately. It seems like everyone says the transition from 1 to 2 kids is the most difficult, so I really have no idea what to expect. I know that we'll adjust and find our new normal, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little scared ;) Thankfully, the timing of this baby could not be better. Thanks, God! Rob's Christmas break will be around the corner, so we may be on our own (with GG & Pop help though!) for a week or two, but then daddy will be home with us for 2 full weeks. I'm so excited about that!

Slade, we are SO READY to meet you and kiss your sweet face!!!

FINALLY!!

Y'all. I have missed this blog & all of you (are there any of you left?? ;)) SO MUCH!

We have been without internet in our home since moving in in March, but I'm happy to say that the internet gods finally got their act together & spread lines in our neighborhood which means I CAN FINALLY BLOG AGAIN! Woohoo!! It's been a long 7 months!

There's no way I could ever make up everything that I've missed, so I'll hit the high points and go from there...

On April 18th we got a HUGE surprise and found out that our family would be growing!

 You may remember that we had trouble conceiving the first time around, and I think I'm still in a little shock that this "just happened" on its own. God is so good, and I think He knew that I wasn't quite sure when the "right" time would be, so He just went ahead and let me know that it was time!

 We found out this summer that baby #2 was a BOY!! And a healthy one at that :)

 I'm 35 weeks as of today, and our little man is expected to arrive around December 15th. Hopefully I can share more on this pregnancy really soon! I hate that I don't have the same documentation this time around, but I'm sure that baby boy will forgive his dear ol' mom.

Jaqs was a flower girl for the first time in a friend's wedding in June, and oh was it precious! She sprinted down the aisle then danced the night away. She had a BALL! And she'll get to do it again in February for her Uncle Will's wedding, so let's hope history repeats itself with her flower girl duties.

We had an awesome summer spent with old friends...

 And new friends...

 Then another football season began...

 It's been a bit of a roller coaster, but our Coogs got a share of the district title & will play their first round of play-offs this Friday!! GO COUGARS!!

 Jaqs also started Mother's Day Out twice a week this fall, and she is LOVING IT! I was unsure of how long it'd take her to adjust and enjoy it, but she jumped right in (without a tear) and has made me so proud. My sweet big girl. I need to do an update of my TWO & A HALF year old before she becomes a big sister!

I think that's about all I can muster for my first post-hiatus-post ;) I hope to be back SOON!