the deal with Blogging.

When I first started blogging... what 3 years ago? I was jut blabbing to the world about whatever I wanted. My posts had no purpose at all other then to write. I've kinda stayed that way.. I blog about what I want. Lately I haven't blogged much... I don't really know why, maybe I just don't have too much going on, or maybe I am just sick of it... I'm not too sure.
But I am still here...the old me and new sparkly me isn't going anywhere anytime soon. I may have fewer post but I will be here :) Be patient with me.

p.s my email won't let me reply to comments right now, so please don't think I am ignoring you.

Sleep.

When we found out I was pregnant, we decided almost immediately we needed to put Ev in a toddler bed, and I think we seriously jumped the gun a little much on it. I think within a week we had found a bed and put Ev in her toddler bed. I had kinda said I wanted to wait till I was back from my Utah trip, but Ev was so excited about her new bed that I couldn't resist watching her climb into her bed, curl up and read a book till she fell asleep it was so cute... and she still does it which is cute... but I cannot even begin to tell you how much Evelyn is aware of the new freedom in this bed.

If you have ever been pregnant you know that the 1st trimester is exhausting! I don't remember being this tired when I was pregnant with Evelyn, but then I was living with my parents so I didn't have much to clean up, or a toddler running around. This go around I just feel really flippin' tired all the time! I do my best to go to bed early and if I can I sneek in a nap while Ev is down for hers. But I tell you... with this new found freedom Ev is suddenly so aware of... she knows she can get out of bed, and come right into my room at 4am, and thinks its time to wake up, then I am begging her to go to bed, while she screams and cries, and sometimes I cannot get her back to sleep.

When she first started doing this she was up at 6:30 on the dot. Now it's 5:30 and earlier. I guess I am getting payback for feeling like I was so lucky she would sleep till 7 or 8 this whole time. Usually I have just been grabbing her and putting her in my bed, because P has already left for work, and I'll turn on Blue's Clues or Yo Gabba Gabba so I can sleep a little longer. Which honestly makes me feel like a bad lazy parent... which is not what I want. I just want Ev to sleep!

I don't really even know what to do with this sleep situation. I'm just trying to make it through.. and I am sure once I am over being so tired and gain some energy back that I will be more willing to get up earlier... probably not, but I can definitely say... I miss her being in a crib, where she literally could wake up early and once I told her to go back to bed, she'd maybe cry for 5 minutes and go back to sleep. Also the paci... but I am glad its gone! I'm not going back to that!

Thanks for listening to my whining. I can't wait for naptime! Zzzz...

12 Weeks!

You can check out my 12 week update I did with Evelyn here!


How far along: 12 Weeks.

Total weight gain: -6 pounds. (I did this with Evelyn too.. no worries)

Size and growth of the baby: Heres my Update from Baby Center.Com

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.
Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce. 

Sex: No clue yet! (P wants a boy though and I am content with whatever we get... don't have a clue!)

Maternity clothes: Nope!

Sleep: Up every few hours to pee.

Best moment(s) of the week: Hearing the babys heartbeat and hearing the movement! Very cool! Also the fact that P was there made it so amazing! (he was deployed when I was pregnant with Evelyn.)

Food cravings/aversions: Burritos. Pretty bad.

Morning sickness: Last few days it's calmed down... but I'm not getting my hopes up.

Symptoms: None.

Labor signs: None!

Belly button in or out: In.

What I miss: Eating what I want.

What I'm looking forward to: My appointment at the hospital! Hoping to see the Baby!

 

Baby bumpin' at 11 1/2 weeks.

Money, Money.

I have wrote before about budgeting. I am not one to say how amazing P and I are with money... in fact we are probably the farthest from it. We were both not taught well on how to handle our money. My parents always tried to make me calm down when I had money... but it burned a hole in my pocket and I was dying to buy that dumb toy I didn't really need or even really wanted. P's mom is horrible with money anyways... so P just never had an example with money. I watched my parents go through debt, and getting out of it with millions of stumbles along the way... but they did it! But I certainly do not want to do that! Ever.

P and I really try to not take out loans unless we feel like we can afford the payments. Usually our loans have consisted of cars, furniture and once emergency money. Our car payment we feel is just one of the things we knew we would have... so to fit in buying a new couch we had to be sure we could pay it off early while still getting a low payment... which we have done great with! We pay $30 extra on our furniture payment and we will be out of that debt next paycheck! Then we will start putting that money towards paying off my car. P's car got paid off when P was deployed... huge relief on our end, other wise my car wouldn't even be in the picture!

Since I stay home, I pay the bills and know where our money goes. I am the one who knows when bills are due, and which bills can be spilt into two paychecks. I have felt for the last year that P and I should really start a budget. We already know we need to do it, I mean we have so much we want to do, especially when P is out of the Army and we have always talked about finally taking our honeymoon... but talking and doing are obviously two different stories.

I went to a church meeting this last week and they talked about budgeting and being prepared for emergency's and such. The lady teaching it told her story about doing the Dave Ramsey system... they got all of out debt and had a bunch of money in savings.. a total of 6 months worth for them when their car literally exploded and they had to buy a new car. So almost all that saving they had done had gone to their new car. And thank goodness they had the money to buy a new car otherwise they would have been in trouble.

After her story I started realizing that P and I really need to stop procrastinating. Its not like our money being spent is going towards great things... really we just like to eat out and buy stuff we don't really need. So we got paid and I decided to really watch our money this go around... and so far, I'm pretty proud of ourselves! Its only been a few days... but all the bills are paid, a few things have been bought, we have food in the fridge and we have money left over... plus I put a little money into our savings account. With a new baby on the way we need to be saving anyways... and I have even already started an account for Evelyn... she may not have a huge start right now, but I hope when she's 18 I can give her a good chunk of money to start her life with. Same with the new baby.

The church meeting also really helped me learn that is was ok to purge a little bit... but just budget it out. No shame in needing that ice cream or new pair of shoes... make a budget and if its not in your budget wait until it is. Which I gotta say is one of my biggest issues... I am so impatient!

I'm looking forward to starting this up again... and I felt like the meeting really helped me get a grip, and the fact that I am not the only one with this issue makes me feel so much better! P and I have plans on cutting out things such as DirecTv (so not worth the money!), and hopefully we can pay off my car in the next year and a half! It would be nice to not always feel like we are living paycheck to paycheck.

If you have any suggestions please feel free to tell me them :)

Why this pregnancy sucks...

I usually don't like to complain about being pregnant. I know that there are lots of people who would kill to be in my shoes, and I don't want to make it sound like I am ungrateful for this, because that couldn't be further from the truth... even if this was an unexpected pregnancy, P and I feel very blessed to be having another baby, and cannot wait to meet the little bean...that being said... I am pretty miserable.

I hit my 10 week mark on Thursday, and so far I can already feel this flying by.. but after being exhausted, throwing up, hormones and some major pains in my back and kidneys... I am just flat out ready to push this baby out. When I was pregnant with Ev, I think I pretty much had a great pregnancy.. sure I was sick, but I got to a point where I could predict when I was going to be sick and what I could eat and couldn't eat, so I felt more in control. This go around.. I'll be standing in the shower and suddenly have to jump out so I can throw up my toast that was the "a-ok" food yesterday, but apparently the baby doesn't like it today. Not to mention I can barely drink water anymore! I'm supposta drink a ton of it and all I do is throw it up, especially if it is cold water. My mom tells me to just keep trying and when I need to do what works for me...then just do it... which is usually Dr. Pepper. Sorry Baby L.

Also my sleep...oh my gosh my sleep!! I remember having a little harder of a time when I was this early with Ev.. but mainly I was paranoid about laying on my stomach, even in the "ok" stages. This go around, laying on my stomach isn't a big deal until that airball of pressure makes me sick and I have to roll over... and I roll straight onto my back, where P is mad cause I am snoring. So I wake up all night rolling and rolling! I think I am almost ready for that pregnancy pillow.

I know it will all end and it will all be worth it when this baby comes, but for now... I just want to sleep and eat whatever I want without throwing up. :) I cannot wait for the beginning stages to end :)

The questions you get when you go home.

"Is P deployed?"

"When is P deploying again?"

"He'll never leave again right?"

"When you moving home?"

"How many deployments has it been?"

"How do you handle him leaving?"

"Two kids and a deploying husband? How will you do it?"

"How long you staying?"

"Are you moving home now?"

etc..etc..

 

 

I know we all get it... I get it every.single.time. Not that I mind, its not a normal life I live. I like my life though... and I guess this just comes with the territory... although sometimes I wonder if people think we are in a divorce when I come home without him. But no really... I'm sure that crosses peoples minds. So how do you answer these questions? Well these are my answers.

 

 



"Is P deployed?" No, and he is not scheduled for a while.

"When is P deploying again?" He is not scheduled to deploy right now.

"He'll never leave again right?" Oh I wish! But there will always be another deployment.

"When you moving home?" Not. I am not moving home anymore. I was pregnant 2 years ago, and he was gone... seemed like a good reason to move home.

"How many deployments has it been?" 2 deployments (and too many separations to count)

"How do you handle him leaving?" I do what I gotta do cause I love him. You'd do the same.

"Two kids and a deploying husband? How will you do it?" I'm not the only one who's done it, and I will be fine.

"How long you staying?" Oh just a few weeks! (no I am not divorcing my husband)

"Are you moving home now?" Nope. Hoping to move closer soon though!

 

 

Evelyn's Zoo Day!

I knew while I was in Utah I wanted to take Ev to the Zoo. The Zoo here isn't too big, but isn't very small so its almost perfect to try her out and see how she'll do outside, in the hot sun for a few hours. Plus Ev is a big visual learner, the first time she saw a cow up close she said "Mooo" for hours!

Ev had a blast at the Zoo and barely spent any time in her stroller. She saw Monkeys first and all she could say was "EEE's!!" and "AH AH!". But once she saw the Seaotters it was all over for her, the Zoo has the cage where you can see them underwater and Ev got the biggest kick out of watch them swim around and play!

At the Zoo this summer they have a Lego exhibit, where there are all sorts of Lego animals everywhere its pretty cool to see!

Also my nephew Ashton joined in on the fun with us, and he is just the cutest and pushed Ev all over the Zoo in her stoller when he wasn't in it.

It was a pretty great day! Now I really want to take Ev to the Zoo in NC, but we will see..its so hot there!