Henley's nursery inspiration

                                                    

I wanted her nursery to be peachy/pink with a big monogram and small little touches of "southern".  I cant wait to put a final picture on here.

28 Weeks

Awkward mirror selfie but that's all I got. ;)

 How far along: 28 Weeks

Gender: Girl

Weight gain: Around 19/20 lbs.

Maternity clothes: Love my 2 maternity jeans!

Sleep: Sleep is good other than getting up with the kids and not being able to fall back asleep.

Best moment this month: Feeling her move lots & PASSING MY GLUCOSE TEST!

Worst moment this month: Pelvic pain/heartburn

Miss anything: Just being able to roll over quickly!

Movement: Tons of rolls, kicks, stretches, etc!

Cravings: Fountain coke, salads with Italian dressing and sunflower seeds, sandwiches with lots of pickles, sweet stuff at night.

Queasy or sick: Feel great!

Looking forward to: Nursery progress, Christmas with boys, MEETING HER!

Second Trimester

How far along: 21 weeks

Gender: Girl

Weight gain: 12 lbs.

Maternity clothes: Yup! can still wear most any shirt but full on wearing maternity jeans or leggings every day!

Best moment this Trimester: Finding out gender!, getting family/maternity pictures done, feeling GREAT, and eating completely normal again!

Worst moment this Trimester: Occasional heartburn and some insomnia

Miss anything: Just being able to work out like normal.

Movement: Oh yeah! lots!

Cravings: Fountain coke, yogurt & most dairy, salads with Italian dressing

Queasy or sick: Feeling great!

Looking forward to: Nursery decorating!

First Trimester

How far along: 12 ish weeks

Gender: Girl

Weight gain: 10 lbs.

Maternity clothes: Some shirts here and there but mainly maxi dresses and hairband trick!

Sleep: Sleep is good so far.

Best moment this trimester: Nausea starting to ease up some.

Worst moment this trimester: Heartburn off and on, some minor round ligaments

Miss anything: Just my full appetite.

Movement: Small flutters!!

Cravings: Fountain coke & carbs, apples, carrots and ranch.

Queasy or sick: Best first trimester I've had out of the 3. Have had bouts of nausea but went away with food. (unlike boys)

Looking forward to: Finding out the gender, nursery stuff, being able to eat completely normal again!

Life update + 3rd pregnancy!!

Gosh I can't believe it's been 7 months since I've updated the blog!! So much has happened since then! We got pregnant with our 3rd child in June and found out in September we are having a Baby GIRL! It's been an awesomely easy pregnancy and I feel great so far! I'm going to update some about my pregnancy thus far just for my personal records.

This was taken when I was about 6/7 weeks pregnant.

Boys didn't have a clue what was going on. Can't believe they were only 3.5 and 18 months here.

12 Weeks pregnant here.

16 weeks pregnant here and carrying differently than with the boys!

Baby girl at 16 weeks!

Toddler meals

I'm a loser and love seeing what other moms feed their kids. I get in a slump every once in a while and don't know WHAT to feed my kids .. Like really ..lunchtime is the worst! So here are just random meals and honestly my 16 month old is going through the picky stage so it's a complete guess if he will eat what I fix but everything I am showing he either ate or tried (and then puts the rest in a cup hole on his high hair or throws on the floor!)

 French toast that I make ahead and freeze, fruit and sausage.

 PB toast and orange slices. What I do when I am lazy. (I usually do another fruit if I don't feel like even cutting up an orange! --yup, lazy but just being honest!)

 Bean & cheese burrito, carrots, and grapes. Sawyer wont really eat veggies so a pouch it is.

Turkey sausage pasta, corn, and blueberries. Easton's favorite pasta. It looks weird but its good!



Mac n Cheese, broccoli, and strawberries. Sawyer wont eat mac n cheese ( I know) so I make him quesadillas).



Aldi haul: $76 for week of groceries

This week I bought 5 meals,snacks, breakfast and lunch stuff for $76!

*Sorry for the crinkled receipt

 

Monday: Mac n cheese and veggies with a salad that we had in pantry

Tuesday: Sloppy Joes & homemade fries

Wednesday: Baked Potatoes & salad with cheese quesadillas for kids

Thursday: Hot dogs & baked beans with veggies

Friday: Burrito Bowls

Saturday: Out

Sunday: Baked potato soup

Breakfasts for the week are pretty much the same stuff we always eat:

Frozen waffles, French toast, cereal, fruit, eggs, oatmeal

Lunches:

Leftovers, cheese quesadillas, peanut butter sandwhiches with fruit

Recipes:

Sloppy Joes: Adapted from this recipe.

ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 green bell pepper

1/2 medium onion

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. tomato paste

salt to taste

3/4 cup ketchup (may need some more)

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1 cup water

a couple shakes of Worcestershire sauce

Kaiser rolls ( or any buns you prefer)

Directions:

Brown ground beef, drain off most liquid. Add chopped onions and peppers and cook for a few minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute or so. Add all of the seasonings, tomato paste, water, Worcestershire, and brown sugar and simmer for 15 minutes or so. Add to buns and enjoy!

Baked potato Soup: Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

5 slices bacon, diced

3 tbsp. butter

1 cup white onion, diced

2 cups milk, warmed

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (or sour cream)

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1.5 lbs. potatoes peeled (Yukon preferably)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

*I cook sometimes with bacon and sometimes without but when I do- I bake it in the oven on 400 for 2o minutes or until crispy and crumble it.*

Heat a stockpot over medium high heat, add butter and melt it. Add in onions and cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Add flour over top and mix. Cook for another minute. Pour in chicken broth until combined. Then milk, potatoes, and bacon. Continues cooking until comes to a simmer but not boil, while stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium low and cover. Simmer for 10-20 minutes, stirring every few minutes so it doesn't burn on the bottom. Add in greek yogurt, seasonings, and cheese, stir. Enjoy!

Burrito Bowls: I just brown ground beef or cook chicken and add taco seasoning. Then add on top of cooked rice, with lettuce, black beans, corn, salsa, avocado, etc.

For my hotdogs, I usually just put them in the crockpot on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours and they come out tasting SO good! I definitely don't make hot dogs all of the time but this week I asked J for something he wanted and he said hotdogs! lol

Life Lately

Lately I feel like we have just been going non stop between house projects, church, family stuff and friends but I love this time of the year and its been so good to be busy!

 

This past Wednesday we had a mommy playdate at the park and then came home ate lunch and Sawyer started running a fever and was acting so pitiful so after naps we went to the doctor and I for sure thought it was either the flu or ear infection but thankfully it was neither..just something viral!

 

 

 

 

Poor baby wasn't feeling good.

 

Thursday night I took Easton on a little date to the mall and he absolutely loved it! The whole time he kept saying "Watch this mommy!" and would do a little jump or a kick. haha! I love spending one on one time with them and actually getting to take in all of them!

 

 

 

 

We got some cookies and he got to do his favorite thing-- ride the "escabator" hah love his heart.

 

Friday I went to the movies with some friends and then Saturday we had a Mother's Day dinner at Jonathan's uncles and had so much fun! My husband planned a game show type game for his mom and her siblings and the kids ate 355 cookies and we all just had so much fun! The only picture I got of the whole night...

 



haha. at least I got one!

For Mother's day we went to church, ate lunch at home and then after naps my 3 boys literally came to the door and picked me up for a date! We went to a restaurant I had been wanting to try called Babalu's in downton Knoxville. It was good ...but the table side guacamole was amazing. Jonathan and I said we would go back JUST to get the guacamole and eat it as a meal! hah!

 

 

 

 

After dinner we went to our Cousins new house (eeeeek so happy) and let the kids play while we visited! Seriously so happy to have some of my family here in TN too! Cousins squared for life! ;)

 

 

 

 Then today, Jonathan's grandma came over and we planted tomatoes, cucumbers and ocra! We were exhausted but so happy she came to help!

Well that's life lately...now im going to shower, get 3435 cookies and watch trash tv with my husband :)

 

C-section vs. VBAC // Complete opposite birth stories

If you are a male or could care less about reading birth stories then you might want to go ahead and click off of this blog ;).

I know I am not the only woman out there who loves reading a good birth story! I don't know what it is but they are so neat to me..Especially when im pregnant! I have friends who just had a baby, who are pregnant, and some who aren't moms yet but I wanted to share my 2 birth stories because they are VERY different and the second birth is what a lot of women I know are wondering about, excited about, or have done it too & in my personal opinion, I think it should be talked about more! :)

 

 

Easton's Birth:

 

When I was pregnant with Easton, I had a healthy pregnancy. I did have gestational diabetes but it was diet controlled and I ate healthier than I ever have in my whole life. At 39 weeks I was 3 cm dilated, 80 % effaced and had my membranes stripped. I was "ready at any minute" from my doctor. Another week passed and I was having contractions off and on some days and other days..nothing. January 15th, 2013 was 2 days before my due date. I was at work and having contractions every 8-10 minutes and then they would stop completely. I was keeping my eye on it but wasn't 100% sure. The next day was my 40 week check up so I was excited to see if I was progressing anymore. I took a picture that night before bed because I remember thinking "I'm huge!!" Now looking back, It looked so tiny!

 

That night, I woke up at 3 AM with contractions that were uncomfortable but not painful. I timed them for an hour, woke Jonathan up, called the Dr. and then got in the shower. They were starting to get more painful by then but nothing BAD. We headed to the hospital around 6:30-7 and got to triage around 7:30/8. They checked me and I was barely a 3.5 and still 80% effaced so no real change. I was having contractions every 4-5 minutes that were starting to last a little bit longer but wasn't have any dilation with them. I walked and walked for another hour and a half and still no change. I was given the option to go home or stay and have a little bit of Pitocin to help. I was in SO much pain at this point  (back labor) that I didn't understand how I could leave the hospital like that but realistically I could have done it. I chose to stay and when I stood up to get admitted my water broke!! I was excited because that helped make my decision even more. (looking back, I should have gone home)

 

I was hooked up with an IV, a small dose of Pitocin, and ready to go. Since I was already in labor, this wasn't an induction ..it was just called augmenting labor. The contractions were really starting to hurt because of my water being broken and I STILL wasn't dilating after hours and hours. I got an epidural and immediately started dilating. I got the epidural at around 2pm. I labored all the way until 2:30/3:00 AM the next day! That's how long it took me to get to a 10. I pushed for 2 hours.

My doctor said that he felt OP (sunny side up) which was causing the back labor/taking forever to progress. At the 2 hour mark of pushing, my epidural had wore off, my temperature was going up from my water being broken for so long and Easton's heart rate was starting to jump. My doctor said he needed to be delivered and gave me the option of a Vacuum delivery but she didn't PREFER that option and neither did I so she recommended an emergency C-section.

 

At this point, I was SO out of it. As they were prepping me I was vomiting, loopy, in pain and just ready to have him out. I remember looking at my mother in law as they wheeled me out and her saying "its going to be ok!" I was so scared, tired, let down and felt like a failure. I wasn't even prepped for surgery but already second guessing every intervention I let take place.

 

We got into that cold room and less than 20 minutes later I heard the sweetest cry that I've ever heard and tears just rolled and rolled down my face. They popped Easton around for us to see him and Jonathan was completely out of it at this point too that he thought Easton didn't have his bottom lip. lol.

He was 6 lbs. 10 oz and born January 17,2013.

They wheeled me back to our room and Easton got to come in after being checked real quick since he was in fetal distress.

 

 

I got to hold that sweet little baby finally and I really did forget about all of the hard labor/delivery I had just gone through. And of course..just like almost every first time mom/C-section mamas I know...we struggled with breastfeeding right from the start! Woo!

 

 

After a couple of months went by, I realized that if I could help it I didn't want to do that whole C-section thing again and I wanted to try to let my body sort of decide. I researched and researched and read and googled and talked to random nurses/doctors/friends..anyone I could about VBACS. (Vaginal birth after cesarean section). I prayed and prayed and prayed that God would help me come to a decision and feel prepared & to also give me peace no matter what happens.

 

Sawyer's birth:

 

Fast forward to 15 months later and we got pregnant with Sawyer. VERY healthy pregnancy with no gestational diabetes! Woo hoo! I went to the chiropractor, was semi active (mainly chasing a toddler) and I tried to eat better.

 

At my 35 week appointment I asked the midwife I was seeing that day to do an internal check because I felt a good amount of pressure and sure enough  I was 3 cm and 90% effaced...AT 35 WEEKS! She told me to pack my bags because he would come early. (I thought yeah right).  I ran home and finished the nursery. HA! But I also was in disbelief that he would come early.

 

At my 37 week Check up (January 6th) I was still 3 CM and 80% effaced now and my doctor who delivered Easton (who I love) said that she didn't predict me going to my due date. I went home and took a nap while Easton napped. Around 5:30 we were getting ready to go eat dinner at Jonathan's uncles house and I was having Braxton hicks off and on (so I thought) but nothing crazy. They started picking up through dinner but I just tried to ignore them. At 7 pm I started timing them on my phone and they were every 3-4 minutes apart and were hurting pretty bad. We left at 7:30. On the way home I was hurting a little bit more but I thought there is no way I am in full blown labor at 37 weeks! We get home and I felt like I needed to push some. I called my dr and she said come in! So on our way to the hospital I felt like I needed to push the whole way. I was starting to realize things were moving quickly when I wasn't having any breaks between contractions and then I felt Sawyer get into the birth canal. lol Freaky. We ran into the hospital and im hunched over trying to walk. Jonathan was stuck trying to get us signed in since it was after the maternity ward was closed. We got there at about 8:30. I ran into triage (literally) and couldn't even get myself undressed..I had to have the nurse do it. My mother in law was with us but she got held back too to fill out some stuff. So I was by myself in triage and the nurse checked me (OUCH) I was 9cm!!! ahhh. They wheeled me back to delivery and it was go time!

 

They gave me the option of an epidural and I honestly was so scared of a uterine rupture and me having to have an emergency csection and having to be knocked out completely, that I got an epidural. I pushed for an hour and a half and he was born!!! 7lbs 3 oz at 3 weeks early. Birthday January 7, 2015 (same as his Nonnie's)

 

So a 26 hour labor resulting in a C-section vs. a 3 hour labor resulting with a VBAC! Crazy!!

 

My VBAC was so healing to me. Breastfeeding took off without any big problems and I got to nurse him for almost a year. I love talking about VBACs and love when my friends or other moms ask questions about them because I want other moms to know that there are other options besides repeat c-sections. (Finding out if you are a good candidate is probably the biggest thing)

 

My point of this blog post was to encourage other moms and to let any moms know that both births are HARD! I give my upmost respect to C-section moms because that is NO easy way to start out being a mom. ESP. a 1st time mom or a mom who labored 26 hours before, OR one who has to go back home to toddlers!

 

 

 



Aldi grocery trip: $66 for 5 meals

I've had several of my friends who are new to Aldi that have wanted to see what I buy/make from Aldi's & I know that I love seeing different grocery hauls on budgets soo here ya go! I love Aldi's because A. their prices are awesome. B. They have cheap organic food! C. Their store is small so I can get in and out with the kids quick!

This week is super boring/plain because we have a lot going on and this weekend won't be our typical weekend so I only shopped for 5 meals: M-F.

Here are my meals:

Mon: Lasagna & spinach salad

Tues: Ham & Swiss sliders with veggies

Wed: Fried rice (Church night so something quick)

Thurs: Bacon, egg & cheese sandwiches with fruit

Fri: Frozen cheese pizza

Recipes:
Lasagna: Ingredients: 1 lb. ground beef, 1 (27 oz) can Hunts spaghetti sauce, 6 lasagna noodles, mild cheddar cheese, mont. jack cheddar cheese.
Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Brown meat & boil noodles. Drain fat & add sauce to meat. Layer noodles, meat sauce, cheese (repeat). Bake 15-20 minutes.
Ham & Swiss Sliders: Ingredients: 1 pack of Hawaiian sweet rolls, 12 slices of ham, 12 slices Swiss cheese, 1 T. Worcestshire, 1/2 T. minced onion flakes, 4 T. melted butter, 1 T. Yellow mustard
Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Slice rolls in half and put bottom part of roll into a baking dish. Top with ham & cheese. Place the top of the rolls on. Mix butter, onion flakes, worcestshire, and mustard. Pour over sandwhiches. Cover with foil and let sit for 10 minutes. Bake for 10-25 minutes covered & then 5 or so minutes uncovered.
Fried Rice: Ingredients: 3 cups cooked rice, 1 small white onion, 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, 2-3 T. soy sauce, 2 eggs, lightly beaten, 2 T. green onion (optional), 2 cups cooked chicken (sometimes I go without if we don't have any)
Directions: Cook and shred chicken. Heat large skillet to medium heat. Pour oil in and add onion and peas/carrots. Cook until tender. Slide to the side and pour eggs in. Scramble, then mix all together. Add rice and chicken and pour in soy sauce. Stir and fry the rice mixture then add green onion.

Both of my kids will eat all of this and it's all very easy & quick.

For breakfasts this week we did: Crockpot oatmeal, eggs, waffles we already had in freezer, PB toast.


Lunches: Bean & cheese burritos, leftovers, & PB sandwiches & fruit/veggies

Snacks: Fruit, applesauce pouches, goldfish, crackers, & cheese

Eggs for &0.89!!! and Avocados for $0.39!! You can't beat that!

I spent $66.89 for 5 days worth of meals and snacks that feed a family of 4!!

27th Birthday week

I turned 27 last week! woohoo! For my actual birthday we didn't really do much. We had our first playgroup so the boys had fun going to that! Jonathan surprised me with an (all night) date night for that Saturday so I was SO excited! Thursday we took the boys to Dollywood! We got passes this year because both boys are free and I still cringe when I think about the $ we dropped...BUT we will go a lot and they LOVED it!

Friday we had some friends over for Dessert and then Saturday was our Date night!! We went thrifting for a couple hours and then had a GOOD dinner :) Love having long date nights!

Sunday was church and then boys played outside so much since it was beautiful :)

Sundays are hard when Naps get messed up/skipped ;)

 Love my mr. rolly