Gum Drop = 25 weeks - Gabby = 7 months!

And Mr. Gavin will be 4 year old in 3 months – holy smokes!!

4th of July weekend was great – we spent Friday evening at my hometown’s community fair then watched fireworks.  Saturday was spent hanging out then heading back to Grammie and PopPop’s so they could watch the kiddos while Steven and I went to a bridal shower for my good friend and her fiancé.  Sunday was spent at our aunt and uncle’s house swimming in their wondering pool – and Monday was more of the same.. swimming, grilling, s’moores and fireworks!  Gabby did amazing with the fireworks and so did Gavin.. the past couple of years he has been scared of them, but not this year, he was lovin’ them!!  Below are lots of photos from our weekend =)

 

Next subject – my adorable daughter is now 7 months old!!

• You are likely very close to 20 pounds
• You wear size 6-9 month clothing
• Carrots and bananas are your favorite foods so far
• You can roll and scoot all over a room in no time
• No teeth yet but I think they’re on their way soon
• Holy cow you have curly hair when it’s wet!
• You are 100% a daddy’s girl
• You have a uni-brow (don’t worry – I’ll teach you how to use tweezers!)
• You’ve tried some fun foods (ice cream, strawberries, taffy, watermelon, cheerios, freeze pops) and you’ve loved almost all of them
• You LOVE LOVE LOVE swimming

I am so so so happy to have a daughter – I just love her to pieces and can’t get enough of her snuggles and smiles =)

(the sign idea is not working out so well now – she just wants to eat it!)

25 week quiz [if you’ve made it this far!]

How far along: 25 weeks 3 days
Any new maternity clothes: nope

Any new baby clothes/items: I bought Mr. Gum Drop some clothes – only stuff that was on sale.. I got some good deals!

Weight gain: I haven’t been on the scale in a while so we’ll just stick with +8 pounds (although it’s probably more after the holiday weekend)Sleep: so so so so so tired all the time

Best moment of the week: hanging out with family & friends for the holiday (and eating s’moores – yummy!)
Movement: yes, he is definitely moving a lot now – I can feel him often! 
Food cravings: honey mustard (which I hated up until 2 months ago!) 
Gender: BOY!
Labor signs: nope.. just the fake contractions that are incredibly annoying! 
Belly button in or out: both – it just depends on how full my tummy is
What I miss: sleeping on my tummy; wine; having energy; being able to bend over without any discomfort

What I'm looking forward to: hopefully selling some clothes at a consignment shop sometime this week (always nice to put some extra $ in the bank!); getting my Mary.Kay products this week; possibly planning a trip to Knoebels later this summer!

Weekly wisdom: "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."
Milestones: Your little grower’s physical proportions are evening out at this point and most of their remaining development will largely be weight gain and lots and lots of nervous system development. The good news is: if your child is born premature now they’ll be more likely to survive without too much trauma as their lungs began to produce “surfactant” last week, which means their tiny respiratory system is getting stronger with each passing day. Yes, now’s a good time for a minor sigh of relief and a quick pat on the back.

holy crap that’s a long post – I’m sorry – thanks for hanging in there!!

Blaze.

As I said in my last post my mind has been mush lately.. tonight I will blame it on the fire breathing dragon lurking in my throat.. he won't leave me alone.. how about I name him Blaze.. yes that sounds good!  Blaze does not seem to be accepting of his tums medicine tongith.. he's continuing to spit his nasty fire at me and it hurts, a lot! I have lots of random things on my mind but can't seem to focus on one thing.. here are some of my random thoughts.

I am in LOVE LOVE LOVE with this bedding set. (and it's 20% off right now!)

I really want to get my hair cut like this but know I will regret it after..

I wish I could afford to be a stay-at-home mom.  I stayed home with Gavin until he was 8 months old and although it was very very difficult at times I really really miss my kiddos during the day.  I know financially it just can't happen right now, especially with Gum Drop on his way but a girl can dream =)  I definitely admire and respect women (or men) who stay home and care for their families day in and day out - it's not easy - and is certainly more difficult than most full time jobs. 

My daughter is a freakin' rolling machine.. she is rolling and scooting allllll over the place.  I am not ready for her to be mobile.  I mean, I'm excited for her to be growing and developing, it's just all happening SO SO SO fast.  Before we know it her little brother will be rolling all over the place too.

Which leads me to my next random though - Mr. Gum Drop.  He is still nameless, although I think I 'finally' have a favortie.  I'm still working on hubbs a little - I have two very special middle names I'd like to give him but he's not feelin' that - thinks it's too much - so we'll see.  I'm also surprised at the amount of stuff we need for him even though we already have two kiddos.  We need a crib and bedding - since Gabby will still be in her crib.. we need a high chair (I really like the space saver fisherprice chair) - since Gabby will still need her high chair - we'll need new carseats - we'll need a double stroller - we'll need an extra set of hands or 2 - we'll need.. okay, that's enough for now.  I need a money tree =)

Leads me to my next random though - debt and money.  I've always been anxious about money.. I love to shop.. I enjoy getting a cart, putting my purse in the cart, pulling out my list and coupons, scanning shelves for products, placing products in the cart, crossing them off my list.. I do not enjoy paying.  I could shop every day of the week (I definitely don't but I know I could)  I've got to figure out a way to be smarter with our money - I'm not stupid with it by any means.. I'm a smart gal and am very aware of what's necessary, what's not and when enough is enough.. but I feel like we could do more with what we have, ya know.  I'd like to read a good 'financial security' or debt book.. if anyone has suggestions send them my way.  I really want to be proactive in regards to college funds and retirement but that's hard when some months are almost paycheck to paycheck.  I want to stretch what we have as far as possible and need some insight as to how to do that.

Speaking of stretching, I really need to get my butt on that exercise bike.  I feel like a giant tub of flab.. blah!  I may look into doing weight watchers after the baby arrives.. I've seen sevearl success stories online using weight watchers.  I'm a picky eater, hate to cook and would be very content eating cereal or peanut butter and jelly every night for dinner but that just won't work for my family.  I really think some sort of structure will be helpful for me with losing weight.  At my college graduation I was the same weight I was in 5th grade (136 lbs - yes, I was a chubby kid!) and my goal after Mr. Gum Drop arrives is to make it back to a healthy and strong 140, which is where I was before I got pregnant with Gabby.  I'm hopeful! (and hungry.. too bad the frosted flakes are gone..)

Okay, enough randomness for now, it's bedtime!

Oh yea, I forgot, I LOVE the new show BostonMed.. SO good.

24 weeks.

I am so behind on this blog.. after vacation my mind turned to mush and it's been hard to piece it back together.  While at the beach (on June 15th actually!) Gabby started to say dada.. SO CUTE!!  She obviously does not know what it means but it's still so cute to hear her say =)  She has mastered it now and it's a favorite of hers.  Of course hubbs is over the moon about it and loves to hear her say it too =)  Gavin has continued to grow into this amazing little fella.  Don't get me wrong, he certainly has his moments but overall he is really a great kid.  He is an incredible big brother - I sure hope that doesn't change when Gum Drop arrives. 

I had a DR visit on Friday.. here are the stats: 

Weight: I gained 5 lbs in 4 weeks - I blame most of that on our beach trip - so now I am offically up 8 pounds overall - at this point with Gabby I was up about 15 pounds so I guess I won't complain too much.. 

Blood pressure: 105/64 

Urine: negative for protein & glucose

Heartbeat: steady at 149/150 =)

Questions: I asked the midwife about the braxton hicks contractions I've been starting to have and she told me it's completely normal.  She said that my uterus is irritated because it "wasn't empty very long and it's letting you know it's annoyed."  I just had to laugh at that.. she's right.. so now I get to deal with these lovely 'fake' contractions for the next 3 1/2 months because my uterus is irritated.

Next appointment: I go back on July 23rd for my glucose test, a follow up ultrasound (not exactly sure why but the midwife said they want to do one) then my normal appointment - after this appointment I will start going every 2 weeks.

24 week quiz:

How far along: 24 weeks 3 days

Weight gain: I'm up 8 pounds now. 

Maternity clothes: no new ones.

Baby items: haven't purchased anything recently - actually we haven't purchased much at all - only a few outfits that were on clearance.  We've been looking at cribs and bedding but everything is so darn expensive..

Stretch marks: bio-oil is my friend =)

Sleep: not too bad recently.  Gabby actually slept from 8:30 p.m. until 6:30 a.m. this morning so it was nice to finally have a sound, solid night of sleep!

Best moment of the week: hanging out with friends and family this weekend.

Movement: his kicks are certainly becoming stronger =)

Food cravings: diner food - who knows why!

Gender: BOY =) 

Labor signs: no.

Belly button in or out: in but changing. 

What I miss: oh, same old stuff - wine, running, my 'normal' clothes, having energy, being able to paint my toe nails without having to readjust my tummy every minute =)

What I'm looking forward to: 4th of July weekend with family and having an extra day off from work.

Weekly wisdom: don't underestimate the power of a fun girls night =)

Milestones: Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long, picture an ear of corn, he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.
*I will post belly photos later.

23 weeks & a fire breathing dragon.

We had a great time at the beach.  The kiddos were wonderful - even slept in til 8 a.m. most of the mornings =)  Here are a few photos from our trip.  I’m trying to go through all of them and edit the good ones but I just don’t really have the time right now.  These are a few of my favorites =)

     

Here is my 23 week belly quiz:

How far along: 23 weeks 3 days

\Weight gain: I'm up about 8 pounds now - that beach trip really did add on a few pounds! 

Maternity clothes: no new ones.

Stretch marks: still just my old ones.. hopefully no new ones. 

Sleep: it's becoming harder to get comfortable but once I find that just right position I am out!  Sleeping at the beach was a little tough - we were cramped in a double bed and I had some yucky sunburn..

Best moment of the week: definitely our beach trip - watching Gavin play in the ocean was great and Gabby seemed to enjoy the water too.. both kids were just so good while we were away and the weather was wonderful.. we really had a great trip =)

Movement: yeppers.. not too strong yet and not real consistent but I definitely know my Gum Drop is in there!

Food cravings: peanut M&Ms

Gender: BOY =) 

Labor signs: no thanks.. although my braxton hicks contractions have started.. booooo!

Belly button in or out: in but changing. 

What I miss: feeling 'in shape' and strong - I just feel like a blob of fat and baby sometimes and I don't like it!  I also miss not having this fire breathing dragon in my throat almost all day.. he just won't go away no matter how many tums I use to try and destroy him =)

What I'm looking forward to: our DR appointment on Friday and seeing some good friends on Friday night!! =)

Weekly wisdom: don't forget to use your manners.

Milestones: Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound, about as much as a large mango, you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world.

back to reality.

We are home.. after a week in Ocean City, MD it’s back to our ‘normal’ life.  We had a great time, the kiddos were wonderful and we were blessed with great weather.  I will try my best to get some photos up soon =)