Bun in the Oven: 14 Weeks

Hello 2nd Trimester and the start of month 4 (I know 14 weeks doesn't equal 4 months but according to the crazy calculation, I am starting month 4)!!!!

Baby is the size of a lemon!

I was really hoping that the nausea would have completely gone away by now...but it hasn't. Some days are fine...some days aren't.

Still squeezing into a pair or two of regular pants, but maternity pants are definitely my preference at this point. I have started wearing a few maternity tops. I don't really need them belly wise...but a lot of my regular tops are either too short to completely cover the maternity panel or they are a little tight in certain areas other than my stomach. Ahem.

I haven't felt any movement yet. Once or twice I thought I might have felt a flutter, but I don't really think that is what it was. I started feeling flutters with Luci at about 17-18 weeks. I know they say you feel 2nd baby sooner...so I am ready and waiting!!!

Gender predictions: Still no real feeling one way or another.

We keep answering lots of questions about the baby from Luci...& that should be a blog post in itself!

Here is 14 weeks with Luci and 14 weeks with Baby M! I weigh a little less right now than I did with Luci at 14 weeks, but I feel a lot bigger. I try not to worry about the weight...I lost it before + more...& I can do it again!!

A Pic-less Weekend Recap

I am getting so bad about snapping pics lately...and this weekend recap proves it! No pics!

Friday after work we headed to down to Paris for the night to visit with Renata and Jocie who were in for a a few days. We had a big, yummy dinner and  spent the rest of the evening catching up with everyone! We all played a game for about 2 hours. It was called, "Let's all make baby names suggestions"!!!!!! I may have changed my mind on my girl name (still not sure)...but we are still nowhere with a boy name. I am open to suggestions!!!!

Friday night, Luci coughed most of the night. It was pretty miserable. Bless her heart. So, on Saturday...we were up pretty early. Mom fixed us a good breakfast and then I headed over to the Lowe's house to see Presley and Tasha. I got to play with Presley for a bit...and of course chat non-stop with Tash! I kept Luci back home with Mom because I wasn't quite sure if it was allergies or a full-blown cold. Well, I am glad I did because later that afternoon, she was running fever.

We headed back home early afternoon on Saturday so I could get her some meds. Once she had meds and took a nap she seemed to be a little better, so we headed out to the back yard to clean up some stuff. Well, she only lasted about 30 minutes. Poor girl just looked pitiful. I gave her a bath, put some jammies on her, and laid her in bed. It was another rough Saturday night. Coughing. Coughing. And more coughing.

Mitch and Luci stayed home from church on Sunday morning while I went to keep nursery. After church, it was Wal-Mart, laundry, and relaxing. Luci passed out at about 5:00 so Mitch and I decided to have a little date-night in and ordered some Olive Garden and watched some TV. Luci woke up around 7:30 with 100.8. Boo. She eventually went back to sleep...but again, another rough night of coughing. Poor girl.

Mitch stayed home with her today, and he says she seems to be feeling better. Only 2 days of school this week for her...because I have Thursday and Friday off from work! Yay! She better get better quick!!

I was sooooo looking forward to a few days off so Luci and I could enjoy the weather...go to the park...ride her bike and scooter...run some errands...Well, forecast says 44 and rain. Boo. At least I get to spend time with my girl!

Bun in the Oven: 13 Weeks

I am 13 weeks today!

Baby is the size of a peach and 3 inches long!

Not much to report this week...other than I am staying busy taking care of a 3 year old and growing another human!!!

I definitely think the bump is popping out a bit more this week!

Operation Sleep All Night in Your Own Bed

We started an intense operation in our house on Sunday night....Operation Sleep All Night in Your Own Bed!

Let me give you a little back ground story first. Most of you who have been reading my blog for the past 2 (almost 3!) years already know that most nights, Luci ends up in our bed. Generally she falls asleep in our bed, we move her to her bed, and then at some point in the night she makes it back to our bed. Neither one of us have really had a problem with it. I don't understand why some parents get so worked up and adamant about their children never sleeping in the middle every now and then...but to each their own. I mean my philosophy for most everything is...they are only little once. I am away from her 10+ hours a day...so the last thing I want to do is get into a battle of bedtime with her. The best advice I was given as a new Mom was "Pick your battles." This was a battle that we never really decided to pick. I love the sweet cuddle time with my little girl.

But now...she is almost 4...she's not a baby anymore... and it is time for her to make the transition to staying in her own bed most nights. (Full disclosure: If Luci will sleep until almost 8:00 on Saturday morning, I am more than happy to have her camp out between us every Friday night.) I wanted to do this now instead of later...because I didn't want her to think that the new baby is why she is getting kicked out. That is not really the reason at all. Honestly, it is because over the last few weeks, I have been kicked in the face multiple times and had numerous jabs, elbows, etc. She is a crazy sleeper, and as she is getting bigger, she is getting even more crazy!

I had a great suggestion from two friends about doing an incentive chart. I was a little leery about it...because most of the time, Luci would rather eat broccoli...while taking a shower...in the dark...while sitting in a dentist chair than sleep without the comfort of her Mommy and Daddy...but I thought I would give it a shot. You know what?! It has worked!

Here are the rules: She starts out in her own bed every night. We turn the lamp on, the iPad (her music) on, and tuck her in. If she wakes up in the night and can't go back to sleep, she is allowed to come lay on a pre-made pallet on our bedroom floor. If she is successful...meaning she doesn't ask or doesn't get in our bed, she gets a sticker on her chart. After the first 5 stickers, she gets a toy of her choice ($10 or less). After 10 stickers, we will take a trip to Chuck E Cheese. Now I know what you are thinking. Those are awfully big prizes for such a short time. Yes, they are. BUT, we knew if we didn't start big, it would never stick. We had to get her used to sleeping in her own bed...and we knew it would take big prizes to do so. What will we do after Chuck E Cheese?...well, we haven't got that far. I will tell you this. After the 10 mark, prizes will become monthly. I am hoping that the big ones in the beginning will do the trick...and that she will be so used to our new routine that it won't take much to continue with the behavior.

So how did it work out? She has gone to bed almost perfect. One or two nights she whined just a bit...but went to sleep pretty quickly. The first night she only made it to 11:30 before she came into our room. She found her pallet and went right to sleep. She did wake up several times after that...but never asked to get in our bed. After the first night she was in her own bed until 4-5:00!! We were so proud of her! She has never asked to get in our bed. She just goes straight for her pallet. One morning she came in our room around 5:45 and we were about to get up so we told her she could crawl in our bed and turn her on her cartoons. She specifically asked if she would still earn her sticker is she watched cartoons in our bed! Poor little girl didn't want to mess anything up!

This is another step that she is taking on her journey of being independent and getting older. I do have to say...sometimes these steps are harder on me than they are on her. Mitch and I have always been adamant about letting her do things in her own time. Now, we know when we should gently and firmly push...but we have waited until we have felt the time was right for most of her transitions. You can read about some of those here in "In Her Own Time."

We are so proud of our big girl. We love her so much!!

Sticker Chart/Big girl fast asleep!

Getting to put her first sticker on her chart!

The pallet!

5 stickers on the chart = a new toy...Doc McStuffins phone!! She is so proud of herself!

Bun in the Oven: 12 Weeks

I know, I know...late again...

Baby is the size of a lime...which is great...because I have been craving Sonic cherry limeades like crazy!!!

I can definitely tell the belly is getting bigger...clothes are getting tighter...and the scale has gone up a lb...or two..or three...ahem.

Nausea is getting better overall...but I am still the "Porcelain Princess" a few times a week.

I am soooo hungry lately (thus the weight gain)...I swear I could eat off my arm sometimes...and the food isn't necessarily the best for me...chips, salsa, french onion dip, Kap'n Krunch...yikes!!!

I got a horrible cold/sinus infection this week. It has been the pits. My doctor thankfully called me in some meds...and cleared me to use my steroid nasal spray...which will help tremendously with my allergies.

We have visited a few daycare centers (and I had a melt down or two) and have finally chosen one for Baby Minnick. We love Luci's school, but they do not take infants...so it looks like we will be cutting down on our carpooling once Baby Minnick arrives since they will be attending separate schools...actually they will never attend the same school. Once Baby Minnick is ready to transfer to Luci's current school, Luci will be in kindergarten. Yikes.That sentence was hard to type! But, at least we have a place...and a place we both feel comfortable with. Choosing childcare is hard.

12 Weeks!

Weekend Recap- March-1-3

We had a pretty easy going weekend.

Friday night after work we came home and made breakfast for dinner. I love breakfast for dinner...and it had been a while since we had it. I will say however, that the preggo did not enjoy the smell of bacon in the house long after dinner had been over.

I won't tell you how much bacon I had...but let's just say it was a lot more than those 3 pieces on my plate in the pic. :-/

On Saturday, we made our weekly pilgrimage to Wal-Mart. Thankfully, we went pretty early so it wasn't too bad. After lunch, Luci and I both took lonnnnng naps. I cash in on those weekend naps whenever I can.

After nap time I started working on dinner for Kerri and Taylor. They came over to our house for dinner, and then we dropped Luci off with the Smith's, and then the four of us headed out to watch a movie. It had been a while since we had a date night! I tried a few new recipes this time. I made spaghetti and gluten free meatballs, green beans, and this new gluten free bread. The bread looked great...but the taste was neither over nor under whelming. I am going to tweak it a bit for the future. The meatballs however, were quite yum if I say so myself! K & T brought over one of my favorite appetizers... jalapenos stuffed with strawberry cream cheese and topped with crispy bacon!!!!! Yum Yum!!! They also brought over some gluten free cupcakes from a bakery that will remain nameless...but let's just say that they need to go back to the drawing board on gf cupcakes.

The new gf bread

Luci had an absolute blast playing at the Smith's!!! She has talked non-stop about when she gets to go over and play next. I am so lucky to have such great friends that are willing to keep my 3 year old occupied for a few hours!

On Sunday we got up early to attend the early morning worship service because Mitch and I had nursery duty. All morning while we were getting ready, Luci kept questioning us about this. We decided either she was really embarrassed to have her Mom and Dad as teachers or she really doubted our ability to handle a classroom full of children. Either way, there weren't a lot of kids there since it was the early service...and it went just fine. :-)

After church, we headed home and cashed in on more nap time!!! After naps, Luci and I went to grab some fro-yo while Daddy worked on some homework. After dinner, it was time for bath and then bed!

Bun in the Oven: Week 11

Sooo, I'm a little behind...but here it is. I decided to do this post a little different...just full of random info, thoughts, etc.

Baby is the size of a fig.

I seem to be feeling a little better every day with nausea...but I just can't seem to kick some of this tiredness. Blah.

Mitch and I have been discussing names. It is not as easy this time deciding a name. We have already warned lots of people that we may not have a name as early as we did with Luci. We both can't seem to agree on "the" name. I'm sure it will come easier once we determine gender!

I think this week will be my last week to wear regular work slacks. I can still button most of them, but they are really starting to get uncomfortable.

Luci talks non-stop about being a Big Sister. We were talking to her this weekend about whether she might want a swing set or a trampoline for her birthday. She immediately starting talking aloud about what her baby brother or sister might want. We had to convince her that she needed to think of just herself and not her sibling for this choice! So sweet!

I am craving orange juice like no body's business. I can't even begin to tell you how much orange juice I have consumed this last week.

11 Weeks!!