Weekend Review;

This past weekend was quite a blast for my boys. Early Saturday morning we loaded up the Xterra and drove 5 hours to Carlisle, PA for the 2014 Ford Nationals. The drive went incredibly well! B got in a super good nap and Roscoe stayed on Daddy rhe whole time.

There was so many cars at the show. Mostly Mustangs but that's the boy's main interest anyways. We walked over five miles in 90 degree heat to view the hundreds of cars. B was extremely well behaved and enjoyed calling out colors and saying "GT". Chance on the other hand was in a complete daze. He was everywhere! He was super excited for the burn out competition and even more excited for the 2015 mustang the show had on hand. He had to have pictures and drooled at it for quite some time.

There was also a pretty cool swap meet at the show. Chance found a Mustang he really wants to buy and B scored a couple hot wheels along with some cool new shirts. We stayed Saturday night and went back Sunday morning but at that point the show was dying down. We walked around for a few houes before deciding it was time to head back to VA.

We had such a great time!  It was a really good mini vacation before baby. B was great and the boys loved the cars. My big ole pregnant self returned swollen and sore but I loved seeing the boys so happy.

Weekend Review

It has been such a great weekend for us! This post will be rather lenghty since we've done so much lately.

We are the proud owners of my dream vehicle! 2013 Nissan Xterra Pro-4X. We decided our cars were to small for both babies and all of the stuff we drag along. We spent three days at the dealership but finally got a great price and left happy. I'm already not loving the one vehicle but we'll remedy that soon enough.

We also got B a new bed! With Ryker on the way we knew that we'd need a toddler bed for B. We moved the crib to our room to make breast feeding easier on me and set the new bed up. He loves that he has a car bed. 

We also spent a little time at a car show. B wasn't into taking pictures unfortunately. He's rocking his new Moraki diaper (I'm in love) for memorial day.

Sunday night we spent sometime with our new friends. Combined we have 6 kids and Ryker will make the 7th. We've been hanging out more and more these past two weeks.  It feels great to get along with people that have kids for B to play with. We had a great time and didn't leave until midnight. Everyone was pooped the next day!

Yesterday was the last day the Chrysler Duck was in Norfolk. We finally took time to see it. It was HUGE. So many people were there to see it. B keep quacking and saying yellow. I think it's safe to say he was impressed with the giant bath toy.

We spent our Memorial day weekend as a family. We took time to honor our lost loved ones and remember the freedom they have helped keep possible. Overall we had a great Memorial day weekend and I'm so thankful we spent time together and with our wonderful friends. 

A Good Night's Sleep

A few months back I wrote a post on how horrible our bed time was. Chance and I have been feeling down about the whole situation. It was getting harder and harder to bed share and with Ryker coming we knew it was a bad idea. I didn't want to be up with both boys numerous times at night. We finally gave in and followed our doctor's suggestion.

We tried to make our routine extremely specific. First we went out and bought a Lightning McQueen pillow. Rather pricey at $20 but B took right to him. Our first attempt (a few months ago) we put B to bed at 7:30. After reading an article on facebook I chose to move this time back. At 8:15 every night we drag our pillow & a hot wheels up stairs to take a bath. Sometimes the bath is short and others it's really long. It all depends on how B is doing. When bath is done we brush his teeth and head to Mommy & Daddy's room. We dry him off and get lotioned with lavender. He loves to help and tries to lick the lotion. We still use our lullaby oil and let B roll it on himself. I massage it in and make sure he gets relaxed. Before his diaper and clothes we use coconut oil just incase a rash might appear. He really likes to help put it on. He thinks it's really funny. After this long routine we walk him to him bed and give him cuddles and kisses. He cries for us and Coco but lays in his bed cuddling his pillow. When we leave we have to lock his door until he calms down or he will escape.

The past few days it takes anywhere from 5-10 minutes for him to fall asleep. We then go upstairs and open his door just incase he wakes up in the night. He normally wakes up at least once and Chance walks him back to his room. I'm really surprised at how well this went.

The first night he was still in his crib and we had yet to lock the door. He must have climbed out and came downstairs 15 times before I told Chance to lock his door. After that he was asleep in 15 minutes. He did fall asleep in his rocking chair so the next day we converted his crib and he's done so much better. We're now on day 5 and he's been doing so well. He does wake up super early though. Some days he'll come lay in bed with me and sleep and others he's ready to get up.

I was completely against CIO. It really hurt my heart and I wanted to cuddle and love him so bad. When our doctor suggested locking him in I was a little taken back. It took us a while to finally accept the suggestion but it has done wonders for us. This was by no means our first option. We have tried so many times to get him out of our bed. We've tried moving his bed to our room and sliding it up against our bed... nothing worked! This has really taught me something. I LOVE my babies but co-sleeping isn't for us. I will definitely start Ryker in his crib very very early to ensure he can sleep alone.

My Child Will Never...

I was once the person who swore this about so many things. Everytime I seen a child acting out I swore mine would be better. I'd always say that I'd discipline them better and they would know not to cross me.

Lets fast forward to the present day, my child is horrible. You know the kid you see screaming at the top of their lungs with a frazzled looking parent? I'm that parent...

Yesterday we chose to take B to a live Seasame Street concert courtesy of the USO. I knew before we left the house that it probably wouldn't go well. We rounded up some hotwheels and sippy cups and off we headed. As soon as we arrived B was ready to go go go. He wanted to touch the poster with Elmo (not a huge deal) and refused to step away for people taking pictures. He had more meltdowns in the 30 minutes we waited to be seated then I was willing to count. B's meltdowns aren't just crying, that I could deal with. He screams as loud as he can and refuses to budge. Every time Chance would attempt to lift him he would become a dead weight. Finally Chance snatched him up. We hesitate on doing this because it truly makes things worse. He pinches Chance's faces and claws at his ears as hard ad he can. If a toy is in his hand he throws it. After our numerous melt downs we were finally let in. It truly didn't look up. He threw his hotwheels, he escaped, he screamed.... the list is endless.

My child is that horribly behaved child you see. I always chalked it up to the parents not disciplining but now I understand that isn't always the case. We are not ones to sit and let B act like he does. We do time outs, we take toys/special privileges, and we do spank him. None of these things help or even phase him. I will sit with him in time out and he attempts to claw any part of me he can reach. When we spank him he doesn't even cry or he swats back at us. Taking toys only makes the whole situation even worse.

As a parent I spend much of my day frustrated. B never slows down and it's only getting worse. I'm embarrassed to take him in public because of all the judging looks I recieve. As parents, Chance and I do what we can to try to calm B down. Our efforts go unnoticed often but we do try. Some days I just want to sit and cry. I never dreamed my kid would be so incredibly testy. My stress levels are out of the roof with him at times. I spend a good amount of time looking for answers as to why he is so conflicted with activities. I know most will say 'terrible twos' but honestly, I feel like he is overly terrible. It's almost like he can't control his emotions and still hasn't developed coping mechanisms. We try our best to talk to him and calm him down but it's useless and goes unnoticed.

Next time you say my child won't do A, B, or C, please remember all children are different. Don't blame the parent if a kid is acting out; It isn't always their fault. These past few months have taught me this and now I just nod and give a slight smile. Some parents truly appreciate the understanding gestures over the judgmental glares.

Terrible Twos

Unfortunately my 21 month old has hit it full swing. He has been so testy and angry lately.

He loves to scream when he doesn't get his way. He had stopped doing this months and months ago. I was thankful when he stopped but another child reintroduced it and it's been a plague ever since. I've tried everything to get it to stop. Yesterday we sat in time out forever with him continuing to scream every time I spoke. I was so frustrated with him.

He's also been boycotting meals, specifically dinner. The past two nights he hasn't eaten dinner. He's to busy wanting to play to stop and eat. If he skips dinner we take away all snacks for the rest of the night and he only gets water to drink. Although the doctor advised me to not offer him anything else, we do attempt to offer dinner to him numerous times before we go to bed.

He's also been even worse at bedtime. It takes us nearly an hour to get him to sleep. By the time bedtime comes I'm exhausted and not in the mood. Last night he was falling asleep on the couch at 6:30 so we chose to bathe him and prepare for bed. He skips naps nearly every day so we know he is tired at bedtime, just not ready. We laid down with him at 8 and he was knocked out in 30 minutes. It's still a really exhausting process and I hate having to do it. We've also moved his mattress to our bedroom floor. We've been able to move him to it after he's knocked out but he only sleeps for three hours before waking up.

Needless to say, having an almost two year old is killing me. I don't know where my sweet boy went. I'm nervous to take him places with his screaming and I really can't fight him with my giant belly. Cherise your little ones... two year olds are no joke.

Bumgenius 4.0 review

Bumgenius is by far our favorite diapers. They aren't the only ones that we own but we have more than any other brand now.

 The diaper looks like any other diaper. It's your standard pocket diaper. I really like the tab design (the red things with the buttons) on Bumgenius. It has a few less snaps than our other dipes but fits the same if not better. They're super stretchy and hold really well.

As you can see, we chose to invest in snapes. B can take off the aplix (hook n loop, velcro, ect.) and it tends to wear out quicker. The top rows of snapa you see are for waist and hip fit. The top row ensures your baby doesn't leak out of the top while the bottom row makes sure the legs are nice and snug. There are three more rows of snapes that are used for your rise. When baby is younger and weighs less you'll have rhose snapped so the diaper doesnt swallow baby. The snap design is pretty standard for all one size snap diapers.

The inside of the Bumgenius diapers is suedecloth. Its nice, soft, and seems to hold up well.

I love the design of the pocket on these diapers. They have a small piece of fabric on the inside to hold the diaper down and a large piece of fabric on the outside to make sure the insert is 100% covered.

The inserts have a snap down feature. I'm obsessed with this. We found out early on that B's inserts all had to be folded down or he leaks. I love that these have the snaps to hold the insert down. Overall they are my favorite inserts.

Stuffing the pocket is super easy. It takes a good half of your arm going in the diaper but it gets done. Bumgenius also offers freetimes and the organic elemental. These are there AIO (all in one) options for people who don't love pockets. 

Very few of Bumgenius diapers have prints. These are called the artist series. We have two of these one being shown. When Bumgenius does prints they do it right. I love the nautical Jules print. It's counter diaper is called Carroll. You guessed it, its a Lewis Carroll inspired Alice in Wonderland diaper. Gorgeous diaper. Bumgenius has a little over 20 colors. Some are discontinued such as the coveted Easter diapers but they're still avaliable in swap groups you'll just pay more. 

Another great thing about these dipes is the resell price. You pay around $18 for these brand new and they sell for around $16 used. I've snagged them for as low as $7 but had to do a little elastic repair. If you buy these you'll get almost all of your money back if not more for the printed diapers.

I've fallen in love with this brand. I have tried the freetimes and flips but both run a bit larger on B and I'm not crazy about that.  I love that these are American made and super durable. They are the only diaper that doesn't leak in the carseat. We've had great success with these and I plan on continuing to buy these until we snag our rainbow. I fully believe these are worth every penny and recommend them to anyone looking to try cloth.

Bump date!!!

It's time to start the bump dates! Finally 8 weeks along, or so we think. I know I'm not far along at all but these 8 weeks have been sucky!!!

Here's our 8 week picture. It's hard to get away from this little man. He's been a clingy, teething baby :( he does kiss my belly and say baby though. 

Baby is the size of: a gummy bear :)

Next Appointment: Is actually our first appointment. I wanted to wait until Chance got home so it's scheduled for the 18th. We'll get to see baby for the first time and hear the heartbeat! I'm excited to get a more accurate due date.

Gender: no idea yet :(

Total Weight Gain: 4lbs :(

Maternity clothes: sorta but no. My regular jeans aren't comfortable unless they're my super high wasted ones. My maternity jeans still fall off. It's a bit sat because I comfortably wore regular jeans until 18 weeks with B.

Food Cravings/Aversions: anything that comes on TV. I'm in a crazy need for sweets and soda. The two most horrible thingsz

Best Moment This Week: I'm a lot unsure of what to put. Nothing food has happened that involved baby.

What I Miss: sleep and feeling normal. My stomach is constantly queasy and all my muscles ache. 

What I'm excited for: Chance coming home and being able to see the doctor. 

Extra Notes From the Week: This pregnancy feels nothing like my last one. My last pregnancy was really smooth and easy going. This time everything hurts and nothing fits. I'm stressing like crazy and totally need a break.


Any suggestions on how to feel better and much appreciated!!!  

We have a little surprise!

So I'm going to start with apologizing for not getting my Sunday supper post up. Week three and I've messed up twice :( however, I hope with the news I'm about to spill I'll be forgiven. 

That's right! We're pregnant! B is going to be a big brother! Chance and I are elated with the news. This pregnancy is a million times worse then my first. I'm extrememly dizzy and have a horrible headache. I just had to convince my self to shower. When I was pregnant with B I was really nauseous. If I didn't eat I was constantly sick. I don't feel sick at all this time other then my horrible vertigo. 

I hope everyone can forgive me and I promise I'll get it up this weekend. I'm just praying I feel a little better by then! Chance is leaving for three weeks starting tomorrow and I'm not sure how I'm going to do it without him. I feel like such a baby this time around. I didn't realize pregnancy could make me feel like such a crappy bum. 

Fall is in the air

It's finally that time!!!! We spent Chance's day off picking out the perfect pumpkins. We went to a little farm right outside of Chesapeake. Thankfully we were the only ones there and B got to run wild! He kept attempting to pick up the smaller pumpkins calling them 'balls'.

The farm had chicken, ponies, and a couple pigs. B loved the chickens. He refused to pet them and every time  tried they pecked my rings. He refered to the pigs as 'coco'. Apparently any animals with four legs is our dog. The ponies weren't so nice. They tried to bite Chance and B wasn't keen on getting close.

He was so obsessed with the tractors. He loved climbing on them and kept saying 'Vrrrm vrrm'. No matter how many time so tell him tractor he stills calls them the same thing. He was running wild and giggling. He was so happy to be able to go where he wanted. It's nice to get a little country time when we are normally stuck in the city. 

We spent the rest of our afternoon carving and painting our pumpkins. Chance had never carved a pumpkin and it was way harder then I remember. Little pieces kept breaking off of mine and I ended up having to modify the design. Chance couldn't even punch out a stencil so he just drew with a sharpie and cut it out. B was running around and throwing pumpkin guts at roscoe and laughing like crazy.

We had such a great time. I love this season and I really hope B grows up to love it just as much as mama.