update – All Kinds of Happy

Welcome to the world Baby Girl!

Published on June 5, 2018June 5, 2018 by stephaniemagsLeave a comment

I would like to finally share Holly’s birth story and how she made her grand entrance into the world. (warning this is a long post) Our second little miracle Holly Noelle, was born Monday, March 12th at 1:25pm. 8lbs and 20″. After much uncertainty about HOW she would arrive, I’m thrilled to say we were able to have a natural birth and she made her debut fairly fast and furious!

After our version procedure had been successful they had me into the office the following week to make sure she had stayed head down, and as far as they could tell she was. They thought I had a lot of amniotic fluid and that the baby was on the smaller side, so we changed the scheduled c-section on March 13th to an induction. Baby girl decided however that she didn’t want to wait and one day after her Dad’s birthday she decided to surprise us.

Around 4am I woke up to what felt like my water breaking, so I went to the bathroom and sure enough it was a VERY slow leak. So I put some towels on my bed and went back to sleep. How I did that I’ll never know. Around 5am I got up again to check and it was about the same, so I went back to bed again. At 6am Dan’s alarm went off as he was planning to go running with his buddy and I said “You can still go for a run, but I think we might have a baby today”! After I explained what was going on he of course freaked out that I hadn’t called the doctor yet, so finally around 6:30am I called and they told me to head in and get checked out. Dan’s mom arrived around 7am just a few minutes after Ada woke up. We told her what was going on and she was so excited and so happy she got to spend the day with Grandma.

We checked into the hospital at 7:30 and all the scheduled inductions and c-sections were also arriving around then so I spent some time just hanging around waiting. I hadn’t had any contractions yet, so we weren’t even sure we were going to stay. When they finally did come in to check me, she said I was already 5 cm and when she did the check she fully broke my water, and they weren’t kidding when they thought I had a lot, it continued to leak almost all morning.

It was a slow uneventful morning and around 10am they decided we might need to start some pitocin to get my contractions to start up a little more frequently. They started that and the first few contractions I had that really hurt the baby didn’t handle well and her heart rate jumped, so I had to labor on my side figuring she had a pinched cord, that was no fun. We wanted to hold off on the epidural until I couldn’t take the pain since we knew it would slow things down and I was good for about an hour or so suffering through contractions every 5-7 minutes on my side.

They finally got so bad so quickly that I was begging Dan to get someone in the room to give me an epidural. They got me one right away and before that doctor had even left the room, my OB came in to check me and said we were at 10 cm and should start pushing. I panicked a lot because I wasn’t even num yet from the epidural and she said to just relax and give it a few more minutes and then we’ll start pushing.

I don’t remember pushing so hard with Ada. I mean I remember pushing and it was about 25 minutes with her, but I don’t remember it being SOO HARD. I pushed again for about a half hour, but it felt like hours and hours! Each time, it took me the entire time between contractions to catch my breath and relax before we had to go at it again. It was exhausting but at 1:25pm Holly appeared screaming and making a fuss, they laid her on my chest and I stared at my little beauty while they cleaned her up.

She is 8 pounds of the most perfect little being! Ada was able to come up and see us around 3:30-4ish and she did not want to leave us, but we explained that the doctors needed to take Holly and make sure she was nice and healthy and promised she could come back first thing in the morning again.

Here are a bunch of pictures of everyone meeting her for the first time. I don’t know if its possible, but I think Ada loves Holly more then anyone else combined. I cannot get over the love this little girl has for her baby sister. And for me as their mommy I cannot even explain how much my heart explodes to see them together.

I just love so much the way Holly is looking right at Ada in this one!! ❤

I could not have made up a better birth story for our little Holly and I am so thankful and blessed that she was able to come into the world the way she did. Holly is almost 3 months old now and today she experienced her first day at daycare with her big sister. Ada has been waiting for the day her sister could come to school with her, I can’t believe how fast the time is going and that I’m already back to work.

Holly has been a bit more challenging then Ada during the day but she has been an amazing sleeper at night and that’s all I can ask for! She has been sleeping through the night since she was about 5-6 weeks old and right out of the gate she was giving me 4+ hour stretches. I had to wake her up to feed a lot because she took awhile to get back up to her birth weight. We had a few stretches where all she would do was eat, sleep or cry and that was a bit challenging, but we noticed it was mostly during growth spurts and other then that she’s great!

She is such a smiley little girl, if you make eye contact and talk she will babble on and on and on, she sounds like a cat! She is super strong! She’s been standing on her little twig legs for months, she’ll kick my phone right out of my hand (maybe her way of trying to get my attention) and she’ll squeeze your finger until its white. She was also already trying to roll over from her back to her belly, she’s so close, but her big head is to heavy for her.

More then anything though I have loved watching Ada be her sister. She reads to Holly alllll the time and Holly will just lay there and listen, she’s gotten a bit too brave a few times trying to carry her or maneuver her in her arms like I do, but best of all she hasn’t shown a bit a jealousy. She loves her sister and always wants to match her (even though I am having the hardest time finding clothes in girls sizes and baby), she never once has complained about us giving Holly too much attention, she has understood that I cannot help her when I’m breastfeeding and goes to daddy, and she has even attempted to change some diapers with me (backs out halfway through). She is already planning our next baby, she said that one has to be a boy so daddy isn’t outnumbered. (Too soon, but my two amazing girls have made it much easier to want another one).

Here is a photo overload of our last three months together! And I’ll try to get better about staying up to date with these posts again.

Holly’s first day home, snuggling with her Big Sister!

My little Jaundice Budda baby getting some sunshine in the window!

Sister Snuggles -this is how we spent our first few weeks. I think Ada held her more then me.

My three LOVES!! Holly’s first Easter at my parents house.

Some of our very first smiles around 4 weeks old.

Holly loves the Unicorn blankey that Ada got her at the hospital. I love that its big nose helped keep her binky in her mouth.

Holly’s first plane ride at 7 weeks to Florida! (Vacation post coming up next!!)

Vacation. We enjoyed long, quiet walks on the beach together sipping coffee while everyone else was still sleeping.

Holly is just another one of Ada’s dolls. I believe this is her class and its snack time.

Annnnd some days have gone like this, full of screams and tears.

Ada will read to her forever and Holly will listen until she falls asleep.

And of course always needs to be holding her hand when we are out and about.

Every Monday we have cousin time at my parents house. The girls all love playing together.

This was Holly’s first day of Daycare and a proud big sister who was going to “Make sure Holly was okay all day long”.

Stay tuned for more fun family adventures as a new family of four!!

Welcome to the World Holly and Sorry I’ve been MIA!

Published on May 24, 2018 by stephaniemagsLeave a comment

I did have a baby and everything went perfectly! I’ve just tried to stay away from work and email and stuff as much as I could while on my maternity leave. I’ve been enjoying long days and long nights with my new baby girl. Here is the first family photo we had taken after Ada got to meet her new baby sister.

We welcomed Holly Noelle into the world on March 12, 2018 at 1:25 pm. It was a short, fast and furious delivery and I’ll recap her birth story in another post. She was 8 pounds, 20 inches of perfection, we are so in love with her. She is actually 2 months old now already, I know I’ve been really MIA from the blog and I do plan to catch up on everything now that I am back to the real world. Ada has been the absolute best big sister in the world, she is such a big helper to me, there has been no jealously or acting out and she’s been perfect as we transitioned from a family of 3 to a family of 4.

We already took our first family vacation which I will also recap later and we had our first family photo shoot when Holly was 10 days old, so I will share those photos now and I’ll catch up on everything else in future posts. I have lots to write about, so expect more posts now that I’m getting back to normal.

Alyissa Landry Photography did the photos for us and she was amazing, she captured everything I wanted out of our newborn session. I didn’t want to dress Holly up in wraps and bows. I wanted our family in our own home enjoying our new baby girl and she did just that! I get all the feels seeing Ada love her baby sister and the pure joy on her face.

And because I didn’t get a chance to post one last update before I had her at 39, weeks, I figured I would share the very last bump picture I took while I was about to explode! Stay tuned for more fun posts about Holly and our new family adventures!

32 Weeks & Nursery pics!

Published on January 25, 2018January 25, 2018 by stephaniemagsLeave a comment

32 weeks down and 7 to go, or hopefully less! Doctors appointment this week and nothing exciting! Heart rate was great, measurements great, only gained two pounds which I was happy with. All in all nothing new, and we wait another 2 weeks.

I’ve been walking a lot on the treadmill and doing some light upper body and lower body workouts. I feel good on the days I workout but it also sucks up a lot of my energy, I feel like its helping keep the weight in check though so even though it takes a lot of energy I think its worth it.

I’ve been saying the nursery is “almost done” for awhile and I can finally say its really “done”. All that were missing now is baby girl (and a couple items that my sister still has!) I can also admit that we changed her name again (This is why I don’t like to share). I liked our original name, but I didn’t get all the feels from it and I kept questioning it. We picked a new one and after using it in my head a few times, I immediately knew that it was perfect! Now I smile every time I think of the name and I know it feels right!

So here are a few nursery pictures, I really like how everything turned out, its elegant and feminine, yet practical. I love all those Pinterest Nursery pictures I find, but babies require so much stuff and I don’t understand where they put it all. The nursery has to be realistic, and you have to be able to get to everything conveniently.

The wall art was mostly done by Ada, she did some watercolor paintings and we picked one that matched and she drew a picture of me with a baby in my tummy. There is some extra space in there for her first initial, which I didn’t want to commit to just yet, or give anything away!

I’ll do a short survey here to recap week 32. We’re close to 33 weeks and this was a pretty average week, so I’ll keep it short!

How far along? 32 weeks, 5 days

Total weight gain/loss: up 25 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yes, ordered some more of my favorite leggings from Gap Body. Perfect for during and after pregnancy!

Stretch marks? Nothing yet!

Sleep: Sleeping very well actually. Out cold, I don’t even hear Dan come into bed anymore. Some very weird dreams too.

Best moment this week: Finishing the nursery and selecting a name. A name I feel really good about this time! I walk into her room and get so excited (and a little nervous) about her impending arrival. It feels a lot more real now to have everything in place and its a little shocking that in just 5-7 weeks we’ll have another little baby in our world.

Miss Anything? Same as usual, feeling like myself, but hanging in there. Not missing wine as much anymore.

Movement: Like crazy! This little one is wild and the bigger and stronger she gets the more intense it feels as she rolls around. She is still mostly on my right side but I can’t determine her position. I thought they would check at the doctor this week, but I guess they will give her a little more time to figure herself out!

Food cravings: Always wanting food, but always feeling full. Its been a weird week for eating when I want something but I’m not sure what and I don’t actually feel hungry. I think I just don’t have room for food, but I want it!

Anything making you queasy or sick: No, thankfully we’ve avoided any stomach bugs or flu in this household so far!! (knock on wood)

Gender prediction: Hopefully she is still a girl, because that’s what we’re ready for!

Labor Signs: Still getting braxton hicks, but less intense lately. I can definitely feel them and my whole stomach tightens but they don’t stop me in my tracks or take my breath away like they have in the past. Maybe its her position, maybe I’m getting used to them. We covered all pre-term labor signs at my doctor appointment though just to be safe. Did you know pre-term labor doesn’t generally hurt like normal labor does? It just starts coming in regular intervals. I didn’t know that!

Belly Button in or out? Waaay, waay out. I’ve gotten over even trying to hide it at this point. The belly band is just uncomfortably tight now and I’m so big that I guess I just don’t give a sh*t anymore, yes, I’m at that point!

Wedding rings on or off? Still on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Pretty happy, been a very average week, working from home this week as my team is all traveling at a trade show, so there wasn’t much point of me being at the office. I’m much more comfortable at home and I don’t have to walk 3 blocks downtown in 15 degrees, so its been less stressful getting out of the house and Ada to school.

Looking forward to: We’re taking Ada to Disney’s Frozen on Ice tomorrow night! I can’t believe its here already! I bought those tickets back in October or November and I figured it would be a fun last outing with just the three of us before the Baby. But back at 16-20 weeks (or whatever it was) 33 weeks seemed like “the end” and here we are already! She is so excited for the show and I’m excited to have a little family date night!

And Since I have not been good about getting someone else to take bump pictures for me, another mirror selfie for you! Getting BIG!!

31 Weeks – All downhill!

Published on January 19, 2018January 19, 2018 by stephaniemagsLeave a comment

Pregnancy exhaustion hit me real hard last week, I’m actually feeling better now, but for a few days there I could hardly make it through the day without a nap. I don’t know what it was, I was sleeping okay at night, nothing was different that would make me feel any more tired then usual, but for some reason I felt like if I had to go 9 more weeks like that I wouldn’t make it!

We had a doctors appointment last week, and another next week. Still every 2 weeks for now. Everything was good, baby is measuring right on track. She was a little small at my 28 week check up, but we must have caught back up!

Not much else going on, its been a quiet January which I am thankful for, although its definitely making time drag on more then when we are super busy! So I’ll just do a quick survey and a bump picture for this week!

How far along? 31 weeks 5 days

Total weight gain/loss: Up 21 lbs. -Had a stomach thing going on for a couple days and I wasn’t eating a lot. I think I dropped about 2 pounds, but I’ve also been eating a lot better since the holidays are over and I’ve started some easy walks on my new treadmill (my early birthday gift) so I think that has helped as well!

Maternity clothes? Yes, anyone ever done Le Tote?? I’m tempted to sign up for the last couple months of pregnancy so I can get some maternity clothes without having to buy them, but it seems a little pricey for stuff I don’t actually get to keep and I wasn’t impressed with the website, a lot of links wouldn’t work and it made me second guess signing up. Recommendations?

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Sleeping ok, about the same with tossing and turning all night. I have a hard time falling asleep lately because she decides she wants to play when I lay down. She was moving and jabbing me so bad last night that I was up for nearly 2.5 hours trying to get comfortable.

Best moment this week: A pretty average week. I finished the playroom earlier this week as well as the nursery, I’ve been moving things around in the nursery for weeks and I think I’m finally at a point where I like everything. Its a small room and I was starting to feel like I had too much “Stuff” in there, so I reorganized this past weekend, putting more of that “stuff” into the closet and I think I love everything now. I even pulled the car seat up, cleaned that out, and packed the baby’s bag for the hospital. So we are ready for this girl, even though we still have probably 6-8 weeks left. I

Miss Anything? I miss feeling like my normal self. My whole body feels out of whack and while I see the light at the end of the tunnel I feel like 6-8 weeks is still so long to go.

Movement: Still moving like crazy. I keep trying to remind myself how blessed I am to have this feeling of growing a human inside me, but I can’t help but complain (pretty often) about how uncomfortable it is. (Re-read my sleep comment). She is a strong little one and even though I think she may have flipped she’s still hanging out pretty strong on my right side. Sometimes I can feel her actually hitting my hip bone. Maybe that means she dropping a little lower too!?

Food cravings: No cravings, but I’ll still see something and then want that specific thing. (I guess that’s a craving, haha just not for any one item in particular). I’m hungry almost always but can only eat small amounts at a time. If I over-eat I feel like I can’t move for the next hour.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Exhaustion when it hits me shuts me down. Coffee helps a little, but its just a quick fix once a day. Stomach aches earlier in the week, I stayed home for 2 days just to be safe, I’m suuuuuper paranoid about all this flu going around right now!

Labor Signs: Still braxton hicks which are getting more intense but not any more frequent yet.

Belly Button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Indifferent I would say. I haven’t been overly one way or the other. Ada has been great lately, she is so excited for the baby that everything I want her to do I just tell her the baby wants her to do it and she’s all over it. Its a pretty great parenting technique, I hope that lasts! But when she is good, I’m so much happier.

Looking forward to: The Olympics!! They start in just over 2 weeks and I love watching and following along with all the sports and athletes! Plus since they are over two weeks long it brings us right up until I’m almost 38 weeks, so I feel like it will be a great distraction for me to get through February!!

And I will leave with a few pictures from our week! The only 31 week bump picture I took this week was a nice bathroom selfie! Not my favorite kind of bump picture, but its all I got! Of course one of Ada loving on my belly some more and laying in her most favorite place (on top of us) and one of my dolly heading off to school. Daddy dropped her off the morning I stayed in sick and we tried telling her to get used to it, since he’d probably be taking her in a lot more once I’m on maternity leave! She was not a fan, but she was a fan of posing for me!

What’s YOUR favorite Olympic Sport to watch???

We love the Speedskating since we both actually were part of the Buffalo Speedskating club (years ago) Dan more then me, but we dabbled in that hobby for awhile, so now its fun to watch when you know how hard it is! We also love the skiing because its insane how fast they go!

30 weeks and a comparison

Published on January 8, 2018January 8, 2018 by stephaniemagsLeave a comment

Since this blog is more for me then anyone else, this post is going to be similar to my 30 week post with Ada. I was super curious as to how many similarities we had going on from last time and as it turns out we are at almost EXACTLY the same place. Its really funny to see, but my weight gain is almost identical, the nesting and nursery stuff is the same and even my comparison picture is almost spot on! I can only hope that once this baby is here she is as awesome as Ada was. We always thought we got spoiled with how good she was and how great of a sleeper she was and joked that our second baby was going to curse us, but if she’s anything like her sister, I think we’ll be pretty lucky in few short months! So the answers in RED are from my First Pregnancy (word for word what I said) and the answers in BLUE are from this current pregnancy!

How far along? 30 weeks and counting / 30 weeks 2 days

Total weight gain/loss: Still up 24 lbs. / Up about 22 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yes, and I’m usually in crisis mode finding something that fits that I haven’t worn 3 times in a week already. / Samsies. Mostly maternity clothes. I can still wear a few things that are not, but maternity fits better. I think I have more options in the winter because its easier to hide in big sweaters and sweatshirts.

Stretch marks? Nothing yet. / Ditto

Sleep: Still sleeping relatively well, tossing and turning a little bit, getting up to pee every now and then in the middle of the night, but can’t complain. / I guess I can say about the same, I’ve been very uncomfortable sleeping, tossing and turning a lot. I wake up feeling pretty stiff or with a sore back most days and usually get up to pee at least once. Once I’m up and moving everything loosens up again and I don’t feel like I haven’t gotten any sleep, so I guess we’re doing okay.

Best moment this week: This was a pretty average week I think, not really anything exciting. I guess I did get a few more things I ordered online for the nursery, and a few shower gifts came in the mail which is always exciting. / Same in terms of it being a pretty average week. Nothing crazy exciting. Have a doctors appointment tomorrow afternoon, so we’ll see if there are any new developments but I doubt it, I think it will be a quick in and out.

Miss Anything? Meh, I’ve made it this far, anything I miss is in my near future again at this point. / I had this same exact thought last week, I’ve made it 30 weeks I only have 10 to go, I can do without anything for that long. My answer is usually wine, but after the holidays, when I had a few small drinks, I had my fill and wasn’t really into it much anyway.

Movement: Movement is getting very strong, I can feel almost every move she makes, kicks are definitely like kicks now and not just a weird gas bubble in my tummy. Sometimes I think she is trying to flip and can’t, I’ll feel her head (always on my right) but sometimes really low and sometimes really high. / Its funny how identical I feel to this right now. Some wicked strong kicks and usually on my right side. Our last check she was still breech too. I get a lot of kicks behind my belly button, which I really hate. I feel like its her head on my right again too, sometimes really far over.

Food cravings: Pop! I can’t get enough and I have to really cut myself off because I can’t have that much caffeine, I think I just like the bubbles and the fact that it isn’t water, but that’s all I really want to drink. I also have had a bad thing for Snickers Ice cream bars. YUM! / I would say the same thing again. I’m into the whole pop thing really bad again. I have been the whole time, its really just that craving for something other then water. Ginger ale has been my savior with the amount of horrible heartburn I’ve had this time around and at least there isn’t any caffeine in that. I still have a pretty bad sweet tooth too even though I’m trying really hard after the holidays to get rid of all that crap. Otherwise not craving anything specific.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing. / I would say nothing again. The only difference I think is the extreme exhaustion that has gotten me feeling pretty awful a few times, but now that we’re slowing down I’ve been a lot better.

Gender prediction: Can’t wait to meet my little lady!! / SAME!!

Labor Signs: I’ve had some shooting pains on my sides that feel like running cramps once in awhile, usually simultaneously as she kicks me, but I asked the doctor about it and (of course its not labor pains) but she said its completely normal and the baby may in fact be kicking something. / No shooting pains, some running cramps when I walk a lot which feels like an actual side stitch when I’m out of shape. Braxton Hicks really bad again which is exactly how I was with Ada. And I’ve had some really bad tailbone pain where I could barely walk a few times, but it seems to come and go.

Belly Button in or out? In when I lay down and out when I stand up…. gravity I guess? / OUT, way out and never going back in I don’t think!

Wedding rings on or off? On / On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!! So much to look forward to right now! / I would definitely say the same, Happy with so much to look forward too. I will admit that I get a little moody at night. I get very sore and tired by the time I get home from work and therefore I start complaining a lot. I feel bad because Ada just wants me to get on the floor and play with her, and I’m so uncomfortable and tired that I brush it off and I’m trying really hard not to do that because these are my last few precious months of just us. Her whole world is about to be flipped upside down and she has no idea! I’m just so happy that she is so excited for the baby to come and not at all resentful (yet)!! Here is the sweetest picture of her, She just loves my big belly and this little baby so much, I could cry just thinking about them meeting for the first time!

Weekly Wisdom: I am doing a lot of reading now, on breastfeeding, preparing for a newborn, what I can do to make transitions and healing time smoother, trying to plan out freezer meals and stocking up for grocery shopping, I figured I have the time now and I won’t in a few weeks when I am trying to figure everything out. / I can say I have not done ANY of this, this time around. With it being #2 I know what to expect this time and I plan on doing whatever I can to make breastfeeding better and the transition of healing time better, but I think just knowing what to expect has me feeling more confident about all of it and way less worried. I’m definitely more ready to just say “it is what it is” when it comes to all that stuff because I know I can’t control everything. I do want to get ready with some freezer meals and grocery shopping soon, but I know I still have some time, so I’ll get there. Priorities the second time are definitely different.

Looking forward to: A busy upcoming week… my mom’s birthday dinner, a girls night out, Dan’s parents are coming into town to visit and the shower this weekend, so I’ll get to see a lot of family and friends this week! / Thankfully NOT another busy week, I am happy that our busiest weeks are behind us. This week I am looking forward to the fact that we have NOTHING to do! We have no plans this weekend, and we can spend quiet time home with just the three of us. I have hopes of wrapping up everything in the nursery and finishing the reorganizing of the playroom that I started. We’re getting a new Ikea wall/shelf organizer delivered today for the playroom so I plan to spend some time organizing toys and getting the age appropriate things put high on shelves where they need to be and some clear baskets and bins so the kids can see all the toys and things stop getting forgotten about.

And lastly, I threw on the same dress I wore in my 30 week picture with Ada. While here on the East Coast we’re experiencing the coldest weather in decades, I put on a summer dress! Its like the worst picture I could have picked from last time for a comparison as my hair is a mess and make-up non-existent, so don’t judge but you get the idea! Pretty comparable in size, I was kinda shocked! The only difference this time around is that I think my belly button is forming its own second bump.

We celebrated the Buffalo Bills going to the Playoffs this past weekend for the first time in 17 years!! Which means I was only 14 the last time the Bills made the playoffs so that was a pretty exciting time for Buffalo! We had to document this historic event with a family picture! Unfortunately, they lost to Jacksonville 3 to 10 in the most uneventful game ever, but we’re excited to have made it and “There’s always next year!” Something us Bills fans are pretty used to saying!

And lastly one of my new favorite pictures of Ada loving her sister some more! (In her Elsa dress of course) I couldn’t take a bump picture without her wanting to jump in it too. This is pretty much where you can find her all the time. Either kissing my belly or talking to it. I’m pretty sure her new sister is going to recognize Ada’s voice better then anyone else!

29 Weeks and the Holidays

Published on January 3, 2018 by stephaniemagsLeave a comment

I posted 28 weeks right on time last week and since then we’ve celebrated Christmas, New Years and for the first time in 17 years, the Buffalo Bills going to the playoffs! So its been a very exciting 2 weeks!

I think I’m going to skip the survey again and just do some bullets. I feel like it was more interesting then the survey plus I have a lot to share with the holidays.

-29 weeks and 4 days today, we are almost to the big 3-0 Countdown. I feel like I’m so excited to be there that I’m jumping the gun and anyone who asks I just say I’m already 30 weeks, or that I only have about 8-10 weeks left (wishful thinking that she will come 2 weeks early like her sister did!)

-Christmas kicked my butt, I literally made myself sick on Christmas day night. Not sick, sick, but so exhausted that my whole stomach was tight and achy, I could barley stand on my two feet and my back felt like it was breaking in 9 places. We hosted Christmas Eve brunch, went to my parents for dinner, woke up at 5:30am Christmas Day with Ada and went non-stop all day getting ready and hosting a big dinner again, with our first guests arriving around 1pm and the last leaving close to 10pm. Dad had to do bedtime because I felt so awful and I made Ada watch her show and have her milk in my bed with me because I couldn’t move. It was not the way I wanted to end Christmas but I was glad I woke up feeling much better the next day.

-I got the best Christmas gift ever from my amazing husband, hopefully I can continue wearing it throughout this pregnancy! Ada calls it glitter, which I love!

-The tailbone pain that is setting in is REAL. It started way earlier with Ada, like it was one of my first pregnancy symptoms and it was bad enough to keep me from running a half marathon that I signed up to do, but it got better and was only mild compared to this. Its not constant now but when I have it, I can barely walk. I need to make sure I am getting up every 10-15 minutes so I don’t stiffen up.

-I’m trying to workout again. I know it feels like its too late to even bother, but I’ve kept the weight down a little, and I’m still starting to notice it in my face and arms so I thought if I could get some cardio in and some light upper body stuff, It would help in the long run. I’ve been giving myself the holiday excuse to eat like garbage and now that Its a new year I feel like its a good time to stop making excuses and eat better in general. I’ve stayed pretty active the whole time between chasing a 4 year old around, moving, traveling and the holidays that I don’t feel super out of shape, so I think I’m safe to ease back into a gentle routine.

-Braxton Hicks are getting worse (as I expected) they are not all that frequent yet but when when they come they are pretty intense.

-I’m sleeping like crap. I am so uncomfortable at night that I just toss and turn from side to side (a lot of its because of the tailbone). I fortunately don’t wake up feeling like I didn’t sleep at all, but I just can’t get comfortable. Ada has been sleeping good and she got her new “Ok to wake” alarm clock from Santa, so she’ll even stay in her bed until 7am, but I usually have to get up to pee at least once or twice myself anyway.

-Stealing from my survey a little bit: Best moment this week, I hung curtains and finished hanging the gallery wall in the nursery all by myself!! I was determined to get the last few things done in there, and my nesting was a bit crazy having so much time off between Christmas and New Years. I only have a couple things left to do for the baby’s new room. I’m working on reorganizing the playroom and our guest room too, so I ordered some stuff online that I am waiting for, then I think I’ll steal the shelf that’s in the play room now and reuse it for the nursery! See… the nesting stuff is bad! I told my husband to watch me, the day I went into labor with Ada I went on a cleaning frenzy, even vacuuming out the fridge. That seems to be my queue that the end is near! I’ll share nursery pictures when everything is done. This was my major project in the guest room, getting my craft closet organized since it got dumped on when we moved in.

-Baby is moving like crazy! Big aggressive movements now. She seems to be snug on my right side which I think is where Ada spent all her time. I think now that the bump is so big and Ada can see it more she’s grown more and more obsessed with her baby sister. Its so sweet! I cannot wait for the first time she gets to meet her in real life. Ada talks to her All.The.Time. She gives the baby a play by play of everything we are doing and cannot leave or enter a room without kissing and hugging my belly. She also just loves to lay her head on my stomach any time we are snuggling together, which at this point is so uncomfortable for me, but too cute to make her move #MomLife.

Here are a few favorite Christmas pictures….

My beautiful family, Can’t wait to have a 9 month old in my arms next Christmas!

Leaving milk and cookies out for Santa after we sprinkled the reindeer food on the front lawn!

The very best view on Christmas morning. I had those alcohol free mimosas flowing!

-Not only did I host Christmas (twice) but we also hosted my best friends baby shower and New Years Eve. both were much less stressful, and I really had fun opening my house up to all our friends for these special events. Here are a few favorite pics from those!

New Year countdown at 9pm with hopes they would go to sleep after! Ha!

The last picture is the best because she literally fell asleep on me like this at 11:54pm. She made it ALMOST to midnight and then had to sleep on me in such a way that it was almost impossible to get up to ring in the New Year 6 minutes later! Kids are A**holes like that!! She’s lucky I love her so much!

And that’s about it for baby news this week. We were mostly consumed with the holidays and now that its all over, I’m ready to slow down for a few weeks and ~~patiently~~ wait until this baby arrives. We’ll be finishing up the nursery and buying a few last things that we need. I’m working on a Big Sister hospital Bag/Gift for when Ada comes to meet her and I need to dig out some stuff from basement storage like the car seat, my pump, and other feeding supplies, some of which will need replacing. Next Doctors appointment is on Tuesday and as promised I want to try and do a side by side photo of 30 weeks pregnant with Ada and 30 weeks with this one!

Hope everyone else had a very happy Holiday and is ready to start fresh with a New year! We sure are happy to see 2018!!

26 week update

Published on December 15, 2017 by stephaniemagsLeave a comment

Not much new to report this week. Feeling VERY pregnant. Feeling very tired and excited for Christmas. The holiday rush is always exhausting under normal circumstances, now to be pregnant and to have missed a week and a half of holiday prep has had me a little stressed out thinking about what I still need to get done.

We had a doctors appointment this week, the fun glucose test was on the schedule. Nothing like crushing a whole can of orange pop in 5 minutes at 9:00am.

Luckily I passed that test with flying colors and I’m safe from the 3 hour one! Phew! Aside from having to sit and wait an hour after the drink, the appointment was a quick in and out with not much excitement. So I guess I’ll just jump into the survey for the week!

How far along? 26 weeks 5 days

Total weight gain/loss: According to the doctors scale I am up about 15 pounds. Not as bad as I thought.

Maternity clothes? Yes, wearing a lot of the same things over and over again since I feel like I’ve found the few pieces that I feel good in.

Stretch marks? Not yet, I just feel like my body is adapting so much differently this time around. Like it already knows what’s coming!

Sleep: Sleeping great again now that I have my bed back. Ada has had me up a few times recently, but we’re usually all quick to go back to sleep. She’s also been waking up super early lately, sometimes falling back to sleep in our bed which is a habit I never wanted to start. She doesn’t know it yet, but she is getting one of those “Ok to Wake” alarm clocks from Santa, so hopefully that will help the early wake up calls I’m getting.

Best moment this week: Just having a doctors appointment again I guess. I hadn’t been in 4 weeks, so its always nice to go in and hear the baby’s heart beat, talk to the doctor and be reassured that everything is looking good and we’re measuring spot on. I start going every 2 weeks now! Which means only one thing…. we’re getting closer!

Have you told family and friends: Yes

Miss Anything? Being able to eat whatever I want. We had a holiday dinner last night with my husbands old co-workers and the restaurant had some AMAZING food, but a lot of it was raw. Beef tar tar, sushi rolls, brie cheese. I wanted it all, but had to be careful about what I was picking. They also had the wine flowing and the host of this party has exquisite wine taste so I’m sure I missed out on some really good bottles.

Movement: Lots of movement, all the time. Getting sharp little elbows or knees to pop up once in awhile. She was moving so much the other night I just had to go to bed because it was getting to be a little much for me.

Food cravings: Ice cream sandwiches!!! I’m obsessed right now! I think I single handedly ate the entire box out of our freezer this week (and a couple nights I may have had more then one.) I’m sure that weight is going to catch up to me after this week, and now I’ve got the holidays to look forward to with this sweet tooth I have!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Spicy food gives me incredible heartburn. I’m not sure what else is causing the heartburn because I end up with it almost every night now. I just noticed that spicy food will almost always cause it right away! Its been way worse this pregnancy, this baby better come out with a full head of hair!

Have you started to show yet: Yes, and my waddle is starting to show up in full effect too. I try really hard when I walk around the office to make sure I’m walking straight.

Gender prediction: Girl, and so far so good sticking with our name choice!

Labor Signs: Just braxton hicks. My doctor went over all the conditions on these under which I am to call the office. Same drill as last time basically. They are pretty random, but if they become consistent or I get more then 5 in an hour and resting and water doesn’t help, I need to follow up. Scary that we’re to this point already!

Belly Button in or out? We know this answer, way out!

Wedding rings on or off? Still on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but a little stressed out. I still have a few Christmas gifts to finish up, and I have NO idea what I’m getting. I opted out of making a few of the things I was gonna do and instead ordered stuff online paying up the butt for shipping now because its last minute. Buuuut I think it saved me some stress of making gifts.

Looking forward to: Christmas!! Just 10 days away now! We’re hosting Christmas eve brunch with friends, Christmas day dinner and a baby shower for my best friend on the 29th. I think I also offered my house up for New Years Eve, so I’m a little concerned with all the hosting I have to do this year, but it will be lots of fun! I am soooo looking forward to having all our friends and family into our new home this holiday. I am so in love with our new house, and its already felt so homey to us, so welcoming everyone in for the holidays seems like an even more perfect way to make this house feel like home!

Here’s my 26 week bump picture and a few favorites of getting decorations up and the finished look of our new home all decorated for the holidays!

IMG_8922 2.JPG — The lighting is not the best on this picture and my photographer is only 3 ft. tall.

Bump Update: 22 Weeks

Published on November 14, 2017November 14, 2017 by stephaniemagsLeave a comment

22 weeks down and 18 to go, I love that the completed weeks is more then we have left now. I feel like we can start counting down instead of counting up! I skipped week 21 which is a bit unfortunate because I feel like the belly really popped last week. It was kinda big on Halloween, but now I feel “pregnant”!! Bending at the waist is really hard now and getting dressed takes the most energy of my entire day! Its these damn skinny jeans and sock weather that kills me. Other then my size, not much has changed. Still feeling really good, but very tired again and feeling lots of movement all the time. We’ll just jump into the weekly update so I don’t get too repetitive:

How far along? 22 weeks 3 days

Total weight gain/loss: Up about 11 pounds, really made a big jump in the last 2 weeks, I knew I really popped!

Maternity clothes? Yes. I’m getting to the point where I feel like nothing looks good on me. The weather suddenly changed from 65 degree days to 20 degrees, like overnight, so I’m wearing bigger, bulky sweaters which I feel like just makes me look bigger. I alternate between the two pair of maternity jeans I have and leggings as none of my other pants really fit anymore. And my belly button is so big that I’m very self conscious of it with fitted shirts, so that isn’t helping at all.

Stretch marks? Nothing yet. started using my cocoa butter cream again to make sure those stay away, if that helps at all?

Sleep: Sleeping great! I love my new bed so much!! We got a king sized bed which gives me so much more room then I’m used to, and the Leesa Mattress, is my absolute favorite mattress I’ve ever slept on!! Ada is sleeping good and I’m out cold all night long.

Best moment this week: Last weekend I got a ton of things done in the nursery. Ada helped me put the crib together and now that we know its a girl, we went through all the totes of Ada’s old clothes and started pulling out tons of our baby stuff. We also were referred to a pediatric cardiologist because our last sonogram wasn’t sure if they saw some fluid around the heart. But we had a nice long sonogram with them last week and he said everything looked great and he had no worry for anything out of the ordinary so that was very relieving! Here are a couple nursery pics!

Still pretty empty but all the big stuff is in place!

Have you told family and friends: Yes, everyone knows now I believe, its pretty obvious if they don’t!

Miss Anything? Wine! This is really the only thing I feel deprived of during pregnancy, everything else I can live without. I did find an alcohol free version of a blended red that wasn’t actually too bad, so this may be my saving grace during the holidays!

Movement: Tons! I feel it all the time, and there was so much movement during our anatomy sonogram that they couldn’t see everything they wanted to. Ada still hasn’t felt it, its like every time I’m feeling her move really good, I grab Ada to come feel it and it stops. She kicked so hard yesterday though that she shook my laptop, so I’m hoping Ada will be able to feel it, or even see it soon!

Food cravings: Not much in the line of cravings or aversions, I eat pretty normally. Probably more unhealthy (or more sugar) then I should but nothing out of the ordinary right now.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing!

Have you started to show yet: Very much so!

Gender prediction: Its a girl!! And I think (I think) we may have settled on a name this week. We’ve had about 4-5 names in the running as of late and I’ve been trying to use them in my head in different scenarios, like yelling it across the park or sending her to time out, and we agreed on a first and middle name just this week. We’ll see if that name sticks around.

Labor Signs: No but I’m starting to get that tight feeling every once in awhile that turned into braxton hicks last time. I read back on Ada and those started around 25 weeks last time I think, so its no surprise that I’m starting to feel that again. I have a weird intuition that everything is going to happen earlier then last time, including delivery! (or I can only hope).

Belly Button in or out? Out and like damn crater!!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: Thanksgiving next week! And vacation the week after that! I’m so excited to start the holiday season this year and I’m a Thanksgiving person for that, I hate doing Christmas before that but I’m so ready to jump into the holidays. Maybe because I know its going to fly by and will bring us so much closer to meeting our new baby, or maybe because Ada is just SOO into Christmas this year that its making it all so much more exciting! We have a lot of fun parties and activities planned during the season, and I cannot wait to get it started!

Here’s the bump picture this week, Ada was my photographer, and she wanted in on the action after she took literally 1,000 pictures of me!

She dresses herself now! I love how she makes sure she matches 100%

Bump Update: 16 weeks

Published on October 5, 2017October 5, 2017 by stephaniemagsLeave a comment

I missed 15 weeks because not much is going on. I am still feeling like crap most days with bad headaches at least every other day, if not more often. They are still making me feel nauseous and I had my first bout of “morning sickness” the day after Ada’s party, I think I just over did it, it was non-stop all day long. I’m killing myself getting ready for the move right now, we close in 1 week, so maybe that has something to do with feeling so terrible, just completely run down and exhausted. I’m in the second trimester now and somehow feeling worse then most of the first. I’m really hoping once the move is over and I can relax with my feet up more often that I start to feel better. This is going to be a looong pregnancy if this keeps up.

How far along? 16 weeks 5 days

Total weight gain/loss: I actually have not weighed myself in awhile, my scale is packed in a box and we haven’t been to the doctor. Probably not the worse thing!

Maternity clothes? Not yet, still wearing regular loose clothes and just the maternity jeans that I’ve had. The weather is finally changing to Fall around here and I’m looking forward to getting some of my Fall stuff out after we move.

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: Sleeping much better lately. Or I should say Ada is sleeping better, as long as she stays asleep so do I. I still might get up with her once or twice a night very briefly, but only for a couple minutes and not every night. I think she just likes to know I’m nearby.

Best moment this week: I actually had a freak out in the middle of the night about a week ago, It started as a dream where I thought something was wrong with the baby and then it kept me awake for about 3 hours worrying about it. So at 4am I went online and bought one of those fetal, doppler heart rate monitors. Extreme? Probably, but I had it delivered like 3 days later and I’ve been able to hear the baby’s heart beat whenever I want to. Its actually really cool and gives me great peace of mind, so in my mind, it was money well spent!! This is the one I bought here.

Have you told family and friends: I told a couple co-workers this week, (the big boss included) so I’m glad he finally knows because I didn’t want it to go on much longer before he knew that I’d be out on maternity leave for awhile. I also need to start finding out about the maternity policy at work, so I’m glad he knows now.

Miss Anything? Wine, (always my answer) and just feeling good in general.

Movement: A little bit! I know I am feeling it now, I’ve been kinda thinking I felt stuff, for awhile but now I am feeling it more, its still VERY subtle and I have to be sitting very still. Moves around at night time a lot, and I can sometimes feel it in the car.

Food cravings: French toast. I’ve been making this for breakfast almost every day. Tim Horton’s Iced capp. I still get one of these almost every other day. I try to limit it, but the caffeine really helps my energy level, which I need and I think it helps my headache as well, and I’ll do just about anything to help with those.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Headaches make everything feel worse. I think the stress of moving and work is making me sick too, just run down and constantly thinking about what I still have to do.

Have you started to show yet: Yes, pretty hard to hide, but It still depends on the day a lot, some days I’m definitely bigger then others and certain clothes hide it better then others.

Gender prediction: October 18th is our anatomy sonogram, followed by my 18 week doctor appt. So we will know (FOR SURE) then. We have a cute gender reveal photo shoot planned for that evening so once we do that we’ll be telling the world, which I know many people (my sister- haha) can’t wait for!

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? Oh the belly button!! I had some extreme pain a couple days ago, it lasted longer this time then ever before. It was the same pain that sent me to the doctor a few weeks ago, only instead of lasting 3-4 hours, it lasted a day and a half. My belly button was the size of a grape and I couldn’t get it to go in, just touching it brought so much pain. Its better lately, a tad sore but feeling ok. I think we’ll have more and more of these days as my belly grows.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Neutral. Anxious. Tired. I wouldn’t say a bad mood because I’m not the type of person who is ever in a bad mood, but as I think I’ve mentioned, I really just want to get this move over with.

Looking forward to: Moving!!! We can just stop there!

Here’s a pretty picture to commemorate the giant POD (and eyesore) sitting in my driveway!

FullSizeRender (1)

And here’s a glimpse at 16 weeks for us! Getting bigger and trying to soak in every moment with my big baby!

Baby Bump: 14 Weeks!

Published on September 22, 2017September 22, 2017 by stephaniemagsLeave a comment

Yay! Officially in the second Trimester. Unfortunately feeling worse this week then most of my weeks in the first trimester, but surviving! We got word this week that our mortgage was approved, which means it just has to go to our lawyers now and we can set a closing date. So that is happening sooner then we thought. Our closing date was October 19th, we were pushing for a 45 day close which would have been around October 8th, so we’re way ahead. The problem is, I’m not ready! I’ve been feeling kinda crappy and so tired at night again that I’m not getting much packing done. I try to do a little each day. Hoping I start to get my second trimester energy boost in time to make this transition.

So we’ll just get into this week’s update!

How far along? 14 weeks, 6 days

Total weight gain/loss: Still 5 pounds

Maternity clothes? Trying to just wear loose fitting clothes as most people at my office still don’t know. Its getting harder to hide, but still only wearing the one pair of maternity jeans I bought and the rubber band trick on most everything else.

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Sleeping much better! I think we’ve gotten to the bottom of Ada’s sleep issues as Night Terrors, so we’re better managing that by making sure she gets to bed a little bit earlier and going through the full bedtime routine every night. She’s only been waking me up once per night between 2-4am to “cover me up”, I’m sure this is just a phase as well but I’d rather do that then be up for hours at a time with her crying.

Best moment this week: Getting word that our mortgage was approved and we are cleared to move ahead. We also had a doctors appointment yesterday and everything was great. We were able to hear the heartbeat with the fetal monitor thing (156) and it sounded good and strong. We scheduled our Anatomy screening for October 18th so we’ll be able to confirm the gender then!

Have you told family and friends: Most close folks know. Still haven’t told work. It hasn’t come up naturally yet and since its mostly men in my office I feel like it just won’t, I guess soon it will just be assumed!

Miss Anything? Feeling good. Its been a crappy week with headaches and nausea. The nausea isn’t terrible and I think its mostly caused from the headaches. I’ve been just dealing with them because I felt like I was taking too much Tylenol and that was making me uneasy. They have just made me feel not so hot and I miss more then anything just waking up and feeling good every day.

Movement: Definitely starting to feel things. Its not super obvious all the time, but once in awhile I’ll feel some little “clicks”. I also had some shifting feelings really low in my abdomen the other night, which was that all too familiar feeling of Ada moving around. It was before bed and I remember Ada always being very active around the time.

Food cravings: Mostly if I hear it or see it, I want it. Its nothing specific and nothing repetitive. But if someone says “turkey sub” then I want one. The other day it was macarons. I saw some on Facebook and I went to some extreme measures to find a bakery downtown that had them. I came up short and still want one!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Headaches. I’m sure that’s what’s got me feeling so crappy. Its not all the time, they come and go and fortunately are not super intense but just enough to feel shitty! I haven’t had any food aversions, I’m kinda curious what they would be like, to get something and then completely turn my nose from it, I’m more If I see it I need it!

Have you started to show yet: Definitely yes, but I can still hide it kinda well depending on what I’m wearing, or at least I think I can. I don’t know what everyone else thinks. I feel very pregnant though, but can’t help but think how much farther I still have to go (sigh).

Gender prediction: Skip! Gender reveal coming soon. I’ve figured out what we’re going to do and as soon as we do it and share with family, I will share the news here!

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? Its been flat, and not giving me too much trouble this week, thankfully! The doctor gave me strict instructions to NOT lift anything heavy anymore, this is mostly because of the hernia and because I told her we were moving. Ada is going to have a problem with this!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: I think happy? I’m kind of indifferent, with feeling not so hot and having a lot on my plate between moving, work and Ada’s birthday this weekend I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed, managing, but too much going on. We have a lot of exciting things coming up, so I am happy and excited, but I am looking forward to slowing down a bit and not stressing over everything soon. Which then it will just be the holiday season, and I’ll have something else to stress over!

Looking forward to: Ada’s Birthday!! My baby is FOUR today!! How is that even possible?!! She is so excited for her presents and her party. I love this age because she gets it! I tried to play down the gift part this year, but every four years olds birthday revolves around the gifts. We tried to keep the party small, but with such big families even that is hard to do and we wound up with 11 kids and 19 adults. She is having a Trolls birthday, and I love to get all themed and creative, but I’m trying to just keep it simple this year! Its rained EVERY year on her birthday, and we’ve had to move it inside, and this looks like the first year its going to be 85 and sunny, almost too hot! I headed to Target yesterday to look for some fun activities for the kids and found a slip n’ slide and I’ve made note on the Facebook invite to bring the kids swim suits as we’ll have the pool or sprinklers set up also due to the heat! A real summer birthday this year which is different!

And to conclude, a 14 week bump picture. I found this fun App last week called Baby Story. The App itself was free but I paid $1.99 to get fun stickers to add to each week. You can even get them for after baby is born. I made my own when I was pregnant with Ada, but that was 4 1/2 years ago, so one, they didn’t have these cools apps then and two, let’s face it, I had waaay more time to just sit around and count down the days until my precious first child was born, I even had a bump baby book for her. Baby #2 gets shafted a little! No baby book, but at least I’ve been really good about updating the blog, this will be the baby book for all my kids!

Sharing is caring!

Like this:

Sharing is caring!

Like this:

Sharing is caring!

Like this:

Sharing is caring!

Like this:

Sharing is caring!

Like this:

Sharing is caring!

Like this:

Sharing is caring!

Like this:

Sharing is caring!

Like this:

Sharing is caring!

Like this:

Sharing is caring!

Like this: