Gender Reveal

At 16 weeks my husband and I opted to get an elective ultra sound to determine the gender of our baby that I'm carrying.  With my first I knew he was a boy from the moment I found out I was pregnant; I just knew!  This time I was back and forth.  I had a lot of morning sickness which I didn't have with my first so I thought probably a girl.  Then I was sure it was a girl and then I started flip flopping again.  As the ultra sound date grew closer and closer I realized that I really wanted a girl.  I was seeing so many super cute girl things, dresses, bows, tutus, bloomers etc.  I started picturing all this in my mind. 
Then we had the ultra sounds and found out.................

It's a boy!!  Yeah so I was hoping for a girl and there was a little disappointment in that but there is plenty of good things about having another boy.  My son who will be almost 3 when this baby is born will soon have a brother to grow up with.  Play cars, go fishing and hunting w/.....endless things two brothers can do together.  And of course love, cherrish and take care of their momma!!!  So no bows or dresses but a Zachary Paul on the way.  My husband and I did waver from our "Only 2 kids" stance and are thinking that in a few years if we get an itch for another child we could try for another and maybe get a girl?  No pressure to do so but my husband isn't getting snipped like I had planned!  That is probably why he agreed to the third child!!  :-)

So this weekend we did a lot of stuff focusing on the new baby.  Even though we are having another boy and have no need for another baby shower we went and registered for a few things.  It's more for ourselves a kind of "Wish List" if you will that we will purchase off of and if any family were to want to they could too.  Registering also means free goodies and coupons in the mail!!!  I also bought him a little outfit but failed in finding a blanket I wanted to buy for him...hoping to find one this weekend.  We kept pretty much everything from our first son so we don't really need anything but Zachary needs a few of his own things too!

Sunday we had a Gender Reveal Party planned for close family and super close friends.  A little craftiness went into it so figured I would share some stuff we did.  Most ideas picked up from Pinterest of course!

First off I didn't get a picture of the boxes I made so I'll try to explain.  I decorated 2 empty baby wipe boxes.  One saying "Team Girl" and one saying "Team Boy".  Everyone was to write their name on a slip of baby and put it into the box that went w/ the gender they thought the baby was.  Of course 90% of everyone thought girl!!  So we had our son Gregory draw a name out of each box.  The name from the "Team Boy" box was Greg (stepdad) seen above and the name drawn from "Team Girl" is Norma who is my MIL.  They each received a balloon of the color that went w/ their gender guess.  The balloon that expanded was the winner!  As you can see the blue balloon shows it's a boy. 

Here is my husband and I acting it out as our little family. 

I also had my husband sit down w/ these HersHEy bars and color w/ a sharpie the "HE" part to show we were having a "HE".  These were set out after the reveal!

I also brought out this poster that I quickly made up to announce the name of the baby and so everyone could view the ultra sound photos of Zachary.

Anyways.......  so that is what I've been up to since I posted last.  It's been a few days too long so I do apologize for that but at least this time I have pictures to share and in that is some craftiness on my part since I've horribly lacked in this department!!!

Inspired by Zachary Paul

Oh Potty Training!

Enough said!!  So a small backstory....
My son Gregory turned 2 in April.  I've heard and read that the average age for a boy to potty train is 3 now days.  "Okay cool, I'm in no hurry"!  I had very little reason to think Gregory would be ready before his 3rd birthday.  Although very smart and has used the potty many times before bathtime and recently before bedtime b/c he kept wetting through his diaper at night; I still just haven't thought him to be ready for such a big commitment.  Well the two boys I babysit that are right around Gregory's age have been using the potty.  One of them for a little while now and the other started just 3 weeks ago.  This apparently had caught Gregory's attention and he began asking to go potty randomly.  My husband and I had a sit down and agreed that we would get the pullups that I had bought on clearance down and we would give it a try.... I mean the kid is asking to do it so lets see where it goes.  So we began "potty training" on Saturday.  I had heard to take them every 30 minutes that way they figure out they go potty in the toilet.  So this is what we were going w/; sometimes he would pee but sometimes he didn't but he stayed dry except for a small tinkle one time.  This was great for Gregory until about half way through the day.  He became very frustrated that he was having to go to the restroom all the time and not b/c he wanted to but b/c we were making him.  He started whineing whenever we would mention it.  So we realized every 30 minutes was a little much for our guy so we began asking him repeatedly if he needed to go potty until he said yes unless it seemed like it had been a while and then we would just take him but this worked and he continued to say "yes" when he needed to go and he stayed dry. 
Jumping to Sunday........  Gregory on his 2nd day potty training ended up having 4 accidents where the first day he only had the 1.  When mentioning going to the potty he would protest.  "No potty!"
To Monday.......  Gregory continued to protest the potty and would need to be carried into the bathroom and would try to get away when taking his pants off.  Then he began peeing in his pullup.  He was however still going in the potty when taken but even if it had just been 30 minutes since he had gone last he would have still peed in his pullup.  What to do!?!?!?!
At this point I was very frustrated and I'm sure so was Gregory b/c he wasn't even getting potty prizes b/c he kept wetting his pullup!  I put in a call to a seasoned momma and babysitter friend of mine.  This lady babysat me from 2 weeks-12 years and still babysits to this day.  I also talked to some other momma friends who have potty trained.  I know some ppl frown on pullups but I've seen kids train using pullups and easily and w/ little mess when accidents did happen <~ I really like that part!  Before it was all said and done Mike and I decided Gregory just wasn't ready and we would be throwing in the towel.  The more I thought about this the more it bothered me that after just 3 days we had given up on Gregory.  I do not want him to get frustrated and I realize he has started shutting down on us but feel that we should at least give him a chance.... but the way things have been going just isn't going to work. 
So New Plan!  We have decided to go big boy undies cold turkey w/ plastic covers!!!!  Still some mess I'm sure but better than pee and poop all over my house!  Anyways.... we have decided that starting tomorrow morning Gregory will be put into big boy underwear.  Many people swear by this method and I do realize that pullups probably feel a lot like a diaper and heck Gregory called it a diaper even though we always called it a pullup.  The idea is that Gregory will feel the wetness of his pee and be uncomfortable and want to go in the potty instead plus maybe not want to pee on his friend on the underwear (cars characters!).  We have decided to do this until Friday and see how Gregory does...if there is improvement, if he continues to just pee on them or if he worsens.  If by Friday he shows no improvement or is still showing signs of shutting down we will stop.  As I said I didn't plan to potty train him yet anyways so it really doesn't bother me to go back to diapers and altho frustration in children is a part of life I don't want to turn him against the potty all together.  But maybe he will surprise us?!  But either way we will be able to know that we at least gave him half a chance!  I'm so interested to see how he does in the morning when he isn't in a diaper/pullup but in just thin cotton undies!  Maybe at his cognitive level he will realize it's very different from his diapers b/c I don't think that at his level he realized the difference w/ the pullups. 
Wish me luck b/c I'm really going to need it!

Inspired by Potty Training Frustration!

YAY!  It's not even been a week and I'm back! 

So I'm pregnant and feeling huge!  I hope I don't look as big as I feel since I'll just be 15 weeks tomorrow.  But I swear I look 5 months pregnant!  I hear that you show sooner with your second pregnancy...just hoping that if anyone else can see my growth will remember this and not judge me!  However....I cannot stop eating!  During my first trimester I was plagued with morning sickness so I ate what sounded good and forcing myself to eat something just b/c it was healthy was not an option.  My morning sickness finally began to go away a few days ago, really hoping it doesn't return!  So with my new found better feeling self I would love to start eating better and getting active again.  As I said in my last post I had lost 22lbs before I found out I was pregnant; along with a huge change in my diet I had become very active.  When I found out I was pregnant I had planned to stick to that and keep in shape and NOT gain 60lbs like I did when I was pregnant w/ my son.  Well...the morning sickness totally screwed up that whole idea.  If I've happened to not be nauseated I've been exhausted.  The fog may be lifting some but now I have to find the motivation to get up and do something.  As far as eating I'm starving ALL the time.  I'm not exagerating, it's so frustrating.  You know it's bad when you are frustrated that you are having to find something else to eat!  Today after lunch I've had carrots and ranch dressing, grapes, crackers and cheese, some left over chicken, shaved ice!  UGH!!!  You guessed it; I'm starting to feel hunger again.  So I'm going to have to start thinking; hmmmm....what sounds good?
As far as my current favorite pregnancy symptom besides being hungry all the time is having gas.  Sorry for the taboo subject but it's simply ridiculous!  This pregnancy is not going as glamorously as I might have hoped!

Behind me is a 2 year told who has been chasing the dog and getting in trouble over and over for it over the last hour.  The living room looks like a tornado hit it; momma is just waiting for bedtime so I can clean it up!  And get some peace!  Repeated requests for chocolate milk when I don't have any.  Chocolate milk is not something I purchase often.  I bought it b/c it was on manager's special so I guess now he thinks we should have it all the time.  I keep telling him that we dont' have any but he doens't seem to want to accept that answer!

In other news we are going to try for potty training.  I'm pretty scared and thought I'd be putting this off until he was almost 3.  That is apparently the going age for potty training boys these days and I am not a fan of pushing children into potty training.  I've seen too many kids peacefully and smoothly mold into potty training that just did it in "their" own time.  Could it be my son's time?  I definitely didn't think so but as a couple of the boys my son's age that I babysit are using the potty now my son keeps requesting to go potty.  I can't deny that request!  And I guess if he is going to make those requests we need to give it a try.  We decided to start the process this weekend, this will hoping be uneventful!

Well that is whats going on in my life right now!

Inspired by life

Is anybody there!?

Wowzer...it's been a while!  I'm so sorry for my absence.  No real excuse, life has gone on and on and on....just flashing before my eyes.  Will anyone see this?  Who knows, I would be so surprised if anyone takes the time to read from someone who has neglected keeping in touch for so long.  Recently I have been thinking of some of the blogs that I liked to follow in their projects and as seasons are getting ready to change from summer to fall then to winter (which I am oh so ready for!) I have really been wanting to see what everyone is doing for the upcoming seasons!  So here I am, I need to get plugged back in! 

Interested in an update on whats going on?  Well a lot....last you heard from me I was recovering from the traumatic experience of having to give an 11 month old CPR.  She is doing great and as far as that goes I would say I am as well.  I have caught myself thinking about it more and more recently although I'm not completely sure why.  I still panic whenever a child cough or makes any odd noises when eating or something....made a fool of myself a few times in public w/ my own son.  I'm a tad crazy!  Anyways, lately I have been thinking a lot about it.  How it all went down, how it played out well but how it could have so easily not!  Anyways....Of course I think about it but really all is as well as I could expect.

Anyways after my son turned 2 in April I was very frustrated w/ the fact that I hadn't lost all of my weight from my pregnancy so I joined weight watchers.  In 3 months I lost 22lbs!!!  Go me!  So proud of myself, not only did I lose the rest of my baby weight but I got down 10lbs less than I weighed when I got pregnant w/ my son!  I toned up real nice and felt hot again, it had been a while since I really felt good about myself.  THEN...I found out that............... I'm pregnant.....  Yep you read that right.  When my son turned 2 I dropped the birth control despite a lot of emotional stuff.  As I've stated before I have endometriosis so we were advised that if we planned to have anymore kids to try w/ in 2-3 years after my son was born.  So as agreed I dropped the birth control when my son turned 2.  I was sure that since it took a year and a half to get pregnant w/ my son that I had time so it would be fine.  WELL....not so much. A little over 3 months after dropping the birth control I got pregnant.  SO wasn't expecting, nor was I prepared for that positive pregnancy test.  Hubby was super excited though.  Yeah you probably hear that.... I wasn't excited.  All I could think about was all the stuff we now needed to do; buy a van, build an addition.....  How is my 2 year old going to react to another baby?  He is my world and the only little one in my family....he is our prince and I personally don't care for that to change.  How am I going to deal w/ the dynamic of my little family changing from a party of 3 to a party of 4?  Scared to death of how I'm going to be able to handle two kiddos.  My husband is still working 2nd shift and altho we hope that after baby is born that he might be able to get on 1st; but while he is on 2nd I have a lot of pressure on me as more of a single parent which is hard enough w/ just my toddler. 

Anywho....I haven't felt very connected to this baby...currently I'm a little over 14 weeks.  Officially in my second trimester and although I know I would be devestated if something happened to the baby I just don't feel too ready for it either.  Ready or not!!!!!  So any kind words or advice are very welcome.  Maybe there might even be someone out there that understands?  I have almost felt depressed which is upsetting.  Morning sickness has been awful and exhaustion is 24/7....these aspects don't make it any easier to connect w/ baby!  I'm hoping that when I start feeling the baby it will help and thinking when I find out the gender maybe that will help me connect w/ the baby as well.  The dr is planning for our gender reveal to be Oct 15 but we found a place that does Gender Reveal Ultra Sounds recreationally and knowing that I need this we have decided to pay the extra money to make it happen so we are going to find out Sept 21.  We all want me to be more happy/excited about a new baby.
Gender preferrence.... unfortunately I kind of do which means there is a 50% chance that I'm setting myself up for disappoinment.  I just feel that if it's a girl I'll be able to separate my feelings between my kids better.  Gregory will still get to be my one and only precious baby boy and then this baby will get to be my precioud baby girl.  Where if it's a boy how do I separate those feelings?  I fear that I'll have a favorite which will most likely be Gregory b/c we have such a strong bond.  It's been he and I against the world for over 2 years now.  Guess I don't get to decide these things....I just keep trying to tell myself that if it's a boy then Gregory will have a close brother to grow up w/.  Maybe grasping at straws.  Just hoping something huge happens to change these emotions! 

So if anyone reads this thanks.... I'm hoping to be back in blogland regularly.  I haven't done a lot in craft projects as I've kept pretty busy and will only get busier as things come closer to the arrival of the baby but I'm hoping to share things w/ you all again and maybe some projects if I can get the motivation.  Maybe I'll find my motivation in you all! 

Inspired by this roller coaster called life