Girls' morning out

The Hunky Husband has been working pretty much 13 hour days for the 2 weeks. I'm finding myself with a lot d time with my Lil'B. I woke up Sunday morning and it hit me. I only had 5 more month with her being an only kid.

In my hormonal state, I started to cry. Pregnancy ain't pretty, people! So I decided to do a mommy daughter day.  My Lil'B was dressed in her "cowgirl" outfit.  Yes, the hat is totally from an Oktoberfest visit down in GA, but what she doesn't know what hurt her!

We started off at Cracker Barrel for brunch. Slowly walked through their store after eating and then finally came back home for cuddles, a book and ultimately a nap.

Coloring & playing the peg game!

Her $5.99 toy! It was more than MY meal!

Cold day meant snuggles on Mommy's bed. Our furbabies joined us!

After nap it was back to playing with Minnie Mouse...

Until I told her there was candy inside! She was pretty excited for that special treat!

What a sweet way to spend a rainy Sunday with my only child.  Here's hoping she really is okay with sharing Mommy & Daddy once this second kid arrives!

Week 14

I know, where did weeks 11 through 13 go?  Beats me.  Nonetheless; here is week 14!

How far along:  14.5 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  +4 (okay, after yesterday's breakfast and 3 lunches, maybe 5!)

Maternity clothes:  Um, yes!  I had to order some workout clothes for work since my pants were getting too snug in the waist!

Sleep:  Bah.  We broke up again.  I did get an awesome 3 hour nap yesterday.  But sleep at night is rare and comes in spurts of 1 hour to 4 hours at a time.  Totally not cool, baby.

Best moment this week:  I got to run a 5K!  Don't judge, I work out and you can check out my progress fitness wise here.  My pace was about 12:06 which was I very happy about!

Running skirt plus St. Patrick's knee socks = ready to race!

After our 5K and before the St. Pat's parade! Talk about a fun morning for both of us!

Movement:  Very little.  I think this baby is moving a lot but I'm so busy working, raising a kid, sleeping, stuffing my face with food and cleaning the house to even notice.  Poor second child syndrome already!

What I am looking forward to:  The ultrasound where we find out if we're having a boy or girl!!!!!  I'm dying to know so I can tell y'all the names we already have picked out!

Weekly Wisdom:  Don't fight being tired.  Just curl up on your side and take a nap.  It's better than beating yourself up about not cleaning the house or working out.

Holy Sh$t - She Pooped in the Potty

Now if you're a mother with a toddler; you know what an accomplishment this is!  My Lil'B is turning 3 at the end of May.  I've allowed her to run around in diapers until I felt she was ready to tackle potty training.  We started hard core potty training last Tuesday and a week later she figured out what it feels like BEFORE you poop!

Happy little pooper!

I have never been so proud to smell a stinky turd in my life!  She has only pooped in a potty once other time (MONTHS ago) and I think it was more out of boredom.  After that instance she has refused to use the toilet for #2's and started hiding the fact that she pooped in her potty.

Here's how we potty train in our home....

Reward System
1 pee in the potty gets you a mini Chips Ahoy cookie
1 poop gets you 2 Skittles!  <----a HUGE treat as she RARELY gets candy!
(I have tried the whole here's a gift for peeing in the potty.  It gets way to expensive and quite frankly, isn't worth it.  One Dora Mermaid doll taught me that.  If I could get paid $18.34 for taking a pee in the toilet, we'd be rich!)

How to Start
Wait until your child shows signs of readiness.  Do they ask you to change their diapers as soon as they stink it up with a massive crap?  If so, they should be in big girl/boy panties.  Are their diapers pretty light with urine after a nap?  For us, it boiled down to the fact that we introduced her dragon shaped potty when she was about 15 months but knew I was not going to enforce it hard core until she turned 3.  The last two months she has been ready to potty train since all her other friends are going through it as well (peer pressure at it's finest!)

When to Start
We tried last Fall when it was nice out.  I'm not ashamed to say I stayed outside in the front (and back) yard with my kid rocking a shirt and panties.  If she peed on herself, I would hose her off in the yard then towel her off and slap some new panties on her booty.  Sounds old school?  Good, because it is and that's what works.

Time Limit?
Last week when we started, I used my watch and had it beep every 15 minutes.  When it beeped, I yelled, "Potty time!!!!!" and off we went to use the potty.  Every. Stinking. 15. Minutes.  I was one exhausted lady the first two days of potty training.  Once she started telling me that she needed to use the potty; I upped the limit to 20 minutes.  As I type, I have our microwave timer set to go off in 20 minutes.  At that moment, I ask her if she needs to pee or poop.  If she doesn't, I set it again for 20.  I do have to constantly remind her that she's in big girl panties so no peeing on herself, the sofa, or the dog.  She likes to sit on our dog...

How have you tackled this milestone?

Week 10

How far along:  10 weeks (I know where'd 9 go?  Not sure, either...)

Total weight gain/loss:  -5

Maternity clothes:  Morning sickness has made my maternity pants quite loose on me; but I still love wearing those pants!

Sleep:  I can sleep; if I don't share covers with my Hunky Husband....

Best moment this week:  Celebrating Valentine's Day with my Hunky Husband a day early.  He prepared a lunch for me that made me cry.  And then gave me the sweetest card; to which I started to SOB.  Like ugly sobs where the Lil'B was a bit freaked out at what Mommy was doing.  I have an amazing husband.

Chocolate.  Mio.  Bagel with cream cheese and a spicy chicken filet!  Oh, Fat Kid Happiness!

Movement:  A little flutter right towards the end of the week!  What?!  This early?!  I know!!!!

Food cravings:  Bagels with cream cheese (lots of it!) and still spicy chicken filet!

Gender:  I'm just going to say boy!  Totally different pregnancy than with my Lil'B and all signs (Chinese Calendar and Ramzi Method) say boy!

What I am looking forward to:  More kicks and flutters!  I love feeling this little person inside of me.  It's like a little secret all for myself!

Weekly Wisdom:  Bring a burp cloth everywhere you go; you're either going to dry heave or cry.

Hope your Valentine's was as cute as mine!

Besssst friends!

Week 8

How far along:  8 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  -1

Maternity clothes:  Still rocking the bloat and maternity pants.  And jackets over all my clothes, I'm forever cold!

Sleep:  Now I wake in the middle of the night to pee.  Not fun.

Best moment this week:  Seeing the toddler bed in our nursery converted back to a crib!  Oh, man, it's really happening!  We're having another kid!

Movement:  Gas, again.

Food cravings:  Bagels.  Cream cheese.  Chicken biscuits <---Burger King, especially!

Gender:  Pssh, no clue whatsoever!  Still thinking girl again.

What I am looking forward to:  Not being sick!!!!!

Weekly Wisdom:  Eat an early dinner and stop drinking water at night!

The Lil'B playing in her little brother/sister's crib.

Week 7

How far along:  7 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  3

Maternity clothes:  Oh, how quickly I've fallen back in love with maternity pants!  They keep my belly warm and are so comfy!

Sleep:  What is sleep?!  We broke up a few days ago.  I wake up CONSTANTLY in the middle of the night for no reason at all.

Best moment this week:  My first prenatal appointment which is an ultrasound!!!!  We got to see the little bean.  Last pregnancy with the Lil'B we didn't get an ultrasound until the 22 week anatomy scan.  Picture my excitement when the nurse told me my first appointment was to check to see how far along I was!

Movement:  Pssh.  Just gas.  And a lot of it!

Food cravings:  During the day I want spicy chicken biscuits!  At night, I want to STOP throwing up and feel normal.  Morning sickness for me has morphed into evening sickness.  Not fun, my friend.

I also love ice cream again!

Gender:  Unknown.  But for some reason I now think it's a girl.... Stop confusing me, fetus!

What I am looking forward to:  Explaining to our Lil'B what exactly is happening to Mommy!  Cannot wait to go over what being a big sister means.  :)

Weekly Wisdom:  Put a headband on when you throw up; vomit on bangs is not fun.

And I'm a creeper when the Lil'B sleeps.  How sweet is she?!

Week 6

How far along:  6 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  0

Maternity clothes:  Not just yet.  But this bloat is making it crazy to wear my regular jeans buttoned!

Sleep:  Naps are my best friends.  I think I can sleep for 3 hours during the day and still be tired at night.

Best moment this week:  Hitting up a local 5K (with the Lil'B in tow) and placing 3rd in my age group!

Movement:  Nada.  Still a teeny, tiny thing.

Food cravings:  Bacon and barbecue.  For lunch one day I nuked a beef & cheese burrito and had a side of cold German potato salad.  Sounds disgusting but through in crazy pregnancy hormones and you've got yourself a happy Mama.

Gender:  Unknown.  But I still think it's a boy.

What I am looking forward to:  Hearing the heartbeat and getting to see this little bugger!

Weekly Wisdom:  Wear a jacket AND a blanket when inside.  I'm always so cold!!!