2016 - Week 18

Week 18….I can’t believe how much I’ve fallen behind on my blog! Life has been so crazy. Work has been overwhelming and insane, so I don’t really get any breaks to do any catching up, and home is just go, go, go. Or, I’m just too exhausted when I’m there. So, now it’s time to try to catch up before baby arrives!

Monday started the week of pretty slowly. We have a crazy week kicking off later, so I was taking full advantage of the not-quite-so-craziness. We were all up, ready and off for the day. All of the girls were in their new seats to kick off the week…the big girls in their boosters, Eliza forward-facing. It was so crazy to see them all looking so much bigger. Eliza seemed a little thrown off on our morning drive, but she was laughing and chatting with me the entire way home this afternoon, so I think she is OK with the change after all. After dropping the girls off, I settled in for a busy day at work, before turning around and making our way back home for the night. Christian had dinner ready shortly after Eliza and I arrived home, so we ate, I did some cleaning around the house, and then just felt totally run down. I hit the couch for the rest of the night, while Christian was off to work, the big girls watched their videos and Eliza kept me company until bedtime.

She laughs at my car dancing now, LOLOL

All of their new seats. Big girls!!!

On Tuesday I woke up feeling extra exhausted. Eliza woke up during the night and just would not fall back asleep, or stop screaming, for anything. I finally had to bring her into bed with me, even though I know that I shouldn’t. We’ll be co-sleeping with the baby, so I really need to break Eliza of this habit, but some nights I just need some sleep!! Of course, with the long night, I could not get myself motivated to get up and going this morning, so I just called in late and took my time. Got ready, got the girls up, ready and dropped off, and settled into work until my afternoon check-up. Of course, my doctor was running late, as usual. I wouldn’t mind so much if it weren’t for the waiting room, which always drives me nuts. My weight check went well, I’m still holding steady, actually down a tad from last appointment, so that’s good. But, my blood pressure was back up. On top of that, I’ve been fighting nagging headaches, some blurry vision and some insomnia recently, so they ordered some lab work to check my blood and do some pre-e testing. We finished chatting, did some measurements and listened to baby. So far, he seems to be measuring pretty much on schedule (via fundal height anyway), so things are looking OK. My next appointment is in 3 weeks, where I’ll have a check-up, get my tDap vaccination and I’ll have my growth scan, so I’m a tad anxious for that one. After my appointment, I rushed back to work to finish out the day, before heading out to pick Eliza up from daycare. I was not feeling well at all as the day went on, and made my way right to the couch when I got home. I’ve been getting these spurts of just feeling overheated, and nauseous again, and I’m really hoping it’s not here to stay. Christian picked up some dinner for him and the girls, and we hung out for a while before he left for work. It was bath/shower night, and Eliza has been spazzing out lately when it’s bathtime (she’s not a fan of water, but has always done great with baths). Lately I’ve had to force her into the bath and she screams the entire time. I finally found out yesterday that it’s all thanks to my mother-in-law…apparently, last week when she had Eliza, Eliza had a pretty bad diaper-rash going on, and his mom scrubbed over it too hard when washing her. So, that must just be stuck in her head. Poor thing. I hope she gets over that soon, because bathtime has been torture! After clean-up, the girls were off to bed, and I watched al little TV as I battled my nightly insomnia trying to fall asleep.

On Wednesday I woke up after another rough night of sleep troubles or me, and Eliza waking up. I seriously hope she adjusts soon, because the wake-ups are exhausting and the crying breaks my heart. It seriously bums me out because I would love to just bring her into bed with me and cuddle up to her. I finally drug myself out of bed to get ready, get everybody else up and ready, and we were off. I had a long, unmotivated day at work today. I have so much to do, but just cannot stay focused long enough to do any of it. I did get a break today to grab lunch with my friend Gini, which is always fun. Lots of laughs and catching up, always a necessity! After work, I picked Eliza up, and some dinner, and we settled in at home. We ate, hung out and watched some TV. Christian was off to work, the girls actually PLAYED together…like really played, not sat on their tablets, and I watched some shows while relaxing for a while. Eliza fought her sleep BIG TIME tonight, and would not go to bed for anything. I sat with her on the couch for a while, until she FINALLY fell asleep, and we had a nice quiet night. I even actually passed out while watching my shows, so it was a pretty early night for me. I’ll take it!!

27 Weeks (and 5 Days)!!! Heading into my FINAL final trimester.

On Thursday, I overlept. Oops!!! I finally got a good, quiet, peaceful night of sleep, and apparently I really wanted to take advantage of it! So, I rushed around getting all of us up, ready, packed up and off to daycare/work. Whew, it was a hectic morning! But, it was my Friday, which always makes the day better. I had a pretty fast day as well, trying to finish some things up for the week and taken care of before my “long” weekend. After work, I picked Eliza up and we stopped at Walmart for some groceries on our way home. It’s been a super rainy week, but today is supposed to be the last day of it, so fingers crossed for a nice weekend! Christian had dinner ready for us, and was off to work shortly after we ate. Once we finally relaxed for the night, I was feeling very relieved that it was finally the weekend, and I’d get a little break from the runaround. It’s getting harder and harder to be at work, and to handle the daily run-around. This week in particular, I’m really looking forward to my quiet day off tomorrow, because after that, we’re heading into a pretty crazy week:

-        Saturday – the big girls have gymnastics

-        Sunday – the big girls have swim class

-        Monday – the big girls have their first softball practice

-        Tuesday – I’ll be chaperoning Amelia’s all-day Fieldtrip to the zoo

-        Wednesday – the big girls have softball again

-        Thursday – We will be attending Olivia’s Music/Author program at school

-        Friday – I’m having lunch with a Friend and then we need to Clean, Clean, Clean for Eliza’s birthday party

-        Saturday – It’s Eliza’s birthday, the big girls have gymnastics and we’ll be hosting Eliza’s Birthday Party at the house

-        Sunday – we’ll be cleaning up, recovering from the party and the big girls have swim class

Oy, I’m not ready!

Eliza is OBSESSED with the goin' fishin' game

On Friday, I took full advantage of my quiet day at home, before kicking off our week of crazy. It was my Friday off, which is of course the best! I slept in a little, got the big girls up and ready for the day, and dropped them off at daycare. Eliza and I had some breakfast and spent the day hanging out. We played lots of games, did some building with her blocks, had lots of laughs and watched some TV. Just a normal day, just me and my little lovemuffin. I finally got her down for a nap, which didn’t last too long. She did end up napping on the couch with me for a while, so I just decided to be super lazy, and catch up on some shows while we cuddled. Eventually, I had to get up and head out to pick the big girls up from school. They played outside for a while (YAY for no rain!!), we had some dinner and had a pretty quiet night. I watched some TV, Christian hung out with his friend, Lorenzo, for a while and I was off to bed. Meanwhile, all of these months later, Christian STILL hasn’t learned that he cannot sleep all day on Friday. I understand working overnights is really hard, and a constant adjustment, but he’ll sleep ALL DAY Friday, like the rest of the week, and then he stays up all night because he’s not tired. Which, of course, then throws off his Saturday too. I’ve about reached my limit with it, let me tell you! This overnight thing is just not a family-friendly situation.

IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!!! Officially entering the 3rd trimester. So crazy.

Now that is one stylin' girl.

I think we know where Eliza gets her fashion sense from, LOL

On Saturday I was up early so that I could actually shower and get ready for the day. Christian was also up early, and off to help his parents move (seriously, this BETTER be the last time…I’m so sick of he/us constantly helping people move. We never move!). So, it was just me and the girls for the day. We had breakfast, and were off to gymnastics. Eliza actually cooperated this week, which was a HUGE relief. And, she took a nice nap once we were home from class. Once she was up, I gave them some lunch, packed up their stuff, and they were off on an overnight at my Mom’s. All of them…all night long. My first night away from my baby, and I could hardly stand it. I was determined to get some shopping done while they were gone for the night, so I made my way to my first stop, the Outlet Mall, to use some coupons for Children’s Place and Carter’s. I took way too long looking around those stores, and then I was just too tired to do anything else and went home, LOL. I’m having a really hard time finding outfits for photos after the baby is born. I just don’t have a vision yet. So, that was a bust. Christian arrived home around the same time as me, and we watched some movies on Netflix for a while. He was eventually off to bed, really early, thanks to his super late night and long day of moving. So, the one night in 2 years that we’ve been childless, we did NOTHING to take advantage of it. I was so upset, and of course pregnancy hormones don’t help. I did get caught up on a bunch of shows though, and just had myself a lazy night (which, I could probably use anyway). Eventually, I was off to bed for the night. Still pretty upset, but what are you gonna do?!

She's just so dang cute.

On Sunday, I slept in a tad, but was too uncomfortable to stay in bed too long. So, I was up and at it, getting laundry started. Christian was up early as well, so we decided to get ready, and head out to have some breakfast on our own. So weird. After breakfast, we stopped at Payless for some summer shows, did our Target run and settled in at home. Finally got the rest of my shopping done. While I kept working on laundry and cleaning up around the house, Christian did some work outside…he started cleaning up and emptying the shed and mowed the lawn. Finally, I was off to pick the girls up from my mom’s. Apparently things went pretty well, but all of the girls wanted to sleep with her so I don’t think she got a very peaceful night of sleep, LOL. I know she was pretty exhausted though. We stopped at Walmart for a few forgotten groceries before settling in at home for the night. The girls played outside for a while, while Christian did some more outside cleanup and I folded laundry and watched some shows. We ended up going out for some dinner – I’d been craving some yummy pizza forever, so Carbone’s it was, and Christian’s friend, Lorenzo, came with us. The big girls and I had to leave as soon as we finished eating, for swim class, so the boys and  Eliza finished up, paid the bill and made their way back to the house. Amelia got to jump off of the diving board today, which she’s just been DYING to do, so she was pretty dang excited. My babies, growing up way too fast!! I got them showered before heading home to get their homework done, and a little playtime in before bed. Christian was off to have a couple of drinks with Lorenzo while I finished tackling my laundry pile and settled in for the night. Monday was fast approaching, along with a very hectic week!

My mom helped the girls make these super cute light-pots for me, for Mother's Day. Love!

She got to jump off of the diving board today!!! She's been dying to do it, she was in heaven!

Until Next Week! XOXO

2016 - Week 17

Week 17…it was a rough week pregnancy-wise – feeling so nauseous again, and lots of stomachaches. It looks like all of that early pregnancy inkiness is making a comeback here as I approach the 3^rd trimester. No fun! I did spend much of the week binge-watching some shows during the “Comcast Watchathon”, which was pretty exciting.

On Monday, we kicked off another week. Everybody was up and running, and Christian has continued to drop Eliza off which saves me a Monday trip. I dropped the big girls off at daycare, and settled into work for the day. Actually on time. Yeah, that never happens. It was a really busy day at work, so the day seriously flew by. That’s always nice, especially on a Monday! We finally got the bounce house rented for Eliza’s birthday…we’re not having a huge party for her, basically just family, but we wanted something fun for the kids to do since most of them are a little older now. I found a pretty cheap storage-rental place nearby that rents out a handful of bounce-houses, so we jumped on it. And, I FINALLY got the girls’ softball information day!!! They are indeed on the same team (obviously I made a specific request for that), but they don’t start until early May. Their season is way too short, which is kind of annoying, but I can’t wait for them to start! After work, I picked Eliza up and dropped her off at home. I walked into the house, saw the messes all over the place, and seriously lost it. Christian’s lack of effort around the house lately has really been getting to me, and with these pregnancy hormones raging, I just could not take it. He has all weekend to do stuff, plus all day Monday, so when I came home to find a kitchen FULL of dirty dishes, his laundry pile (probably  couple weeks old at this point) still not put away, and no dinner started, I lost my mind. So, rather than throw a big tantrum, I got in the van, drove off, and parked somewhere for a little me time. Sometimes you just need a little peace and quiet. I finally pulled it together, picked up some dinner, and settled in at home. We ate, the big girls watched some videos, Christian was off to work, and I hung out with little Eliza. “Watchathon” Week kicked off today, and my main goal is obviously to binge the last season of “Game of Thrones”. I also want to start watching “Girls”…I’ve heard a ton of great reviews, so I thought I’d finally check it out. Not sure how far I’ll make it through that one, but I do know that I’ll be up way too late, all week long, and completely exhausted.

On Tuesday, we were up, ready and off for the day. I dropped the girls off and settled into work for another pretty fast day. Things have been pretty crazy, but it keeps the days moving fast so I guess I’ll take it. I’ve been feeling overall pretty good lately, but my driving-induced morning sickness seems to be rearing its ugly head again. I sure hope it’s not going to be like that the rest of the way, because I was seriously miserable by the time I got to daycare. Christian met me at daycare with the big girls, so we could attend the “Ice Cream Social”. Of course, feeling so crappy I couldn’t participate, but the girls were in heaven. We finally made our way home, the rest of the family had dinner, and Christian was off to work. Per usual, the big girls watched their videos, Eliza and I hung out and I watched some shows. I finally got a little bit of food in before bed, but it was a rough night!

Ice Cream!! Amelia was too cool to sit with us.

Wednesday was basically just another day. Up and at it, busy day at work, the usual. Before I left work, I received a call from Amelia’s teacher, letting me know what a rough day Amelia had. She was acting up, not listening, throwing fits, disobeying pretty much all of the classroom rules and was finally taken down to the office to cool down. While I worked hard not to get upset, understanding that she is still very young and will certainly have those days, she was on punishment for the nightmare and VERY upset about not having her tablet. I picked Eliza up after work and we made a stop at the store for some groceries before heading home to make dinner. Christian was off to work…he’s been suffering from a cold for the last week, but finally seems to be feeling better. I mean, we all know what men are like when they have a cold, so THANK GOD he’s starting to feel better. The girls were eventually off to bed, and I settled in for some more Watchathon before falling asleep.

26 Weeks, 5 Days

On Thursday, we were up, ready and off to work/daycare. As with the rest of the week, it was busy and hectic, and I was not feeling well at all. I was SO uncomfortable, and having the worst pains in my stomach. It was just a terrible pregnancy day, which makes life quite rough. Christian picked up some dinner for him and the girls, they ate, and he was off to work. Even though I was feeling quite crappy, it was bath night, so I had to struggle through that. Thankfully Olivia takes showers now, so she handles everything herself, Amelia is still obsessed with baths though. And Eliza is hit or miss on how cooperative she’s going to be during bath time. It’s always an adventure, and not an easy task when pregnant, let alone when feeling so crappy. After baths, the girls were off to bed, I watched some shows but fell asleep pretty early.

Friday FINALLY arrived. I seriously hate my work Friday’s – I sure wish I could be off EVERY Friday! I woke up a little late this morning, so we were all rushed to get ready and leave the house. The girls were off to daycare, Eliza to my mom’s…waking late, and two drop-off’s is not a good mix. I finally settled into work, and had a rough day. My noise aversions seem to be getting worse lately…I have Misophonia, extreme sound sensitivity, and it has been OUT OF CONTROL lately. I try really hard to block things out…I have a radio at work to drown out a lot of sounds, I have to have the living room TV on when we’re eating dinner, I resort to using my headphones when I have to (but I only have earbuds, which aren’t comfortable, and it’s not very professional). Anyway, things have been so much worse lately, I’ve literally been on the verge of tears some days. I sometimes go down to use our quiet room and get away from it for a while, but of course it’s ALWAYS in use when I go down there. We have our resident cougher, which is always worse some days than others, and I don’t know what the deal is, but my friend who sits in the cube next to me eats ALL.DAY.LONG, and she’s a very loud eater. Everything she eats is super crunchy (apples, granola, cereal, etc.), so it’s on and off crunching, all day long. That on top of the general office noise had my brain spinning. I honestly considered leaving early because I just couldn’t take it anymore today. I don’t know why suddenly the last week or so it’s been so much harder to deal with, but hopefully it’s just a phase and I’ll start blocking things out better again soon. I did end up toughing it out, worked the day away, picked Eliza up, picked the big girls up (they didn’t have school today), and we settled in at home for the night. Of course, like the rest of the week, I still was not feeling well. Christian and the girls ate some dinner, and he and Eliza worked out in the garage for a while, while the big girls watched some videos and went off to bed. I did some more Xfinity binging before calling it a night, while Christian, who couldn’t sleep, finished cleaning the garage, and watched the kitchen full of dishes, literally in the middle of the night. He’s so ridiculous. I know it’s hard to shift your body from working overnights to a normal weekend schedule, but I’ve told him a MILLION times to stop sleeping ALL DAY LONG on Friday’s. I know he’s tired, but it’s the only way he’ll be able to go to bed at a halfway decent time Friday night…but, of course, he doesn’t’ listen. Men.

Look at these super cute little socks!!!

Saturday was a busy day! We were up and at it, had some breakfast, got ready, and I was off to gymnastics with the big girls. My mom met us there, so we chatted and watched the girls. I took the car today, so Christian could get to work cleaning out the van….which he was in the midst of when we arrived home. He took all of the carseats out, the floor mats, vacuumed, washed the mats, cleaned up the van, and it was seriously like brand new by the time he was done. YES!!! After class, I dropped the big girls off at home, and my mom and I were off to get early Mother’s Day pedicures down the street. Oh man, I seriously needed that. I need to start getting them more regularly, that’s for sure! And it was definitely nice to take some time out, all to myself. After our appointment, my mom dropped me off and left, while the rest of us changed and got ready for the day. We were off to the girls’ school for the school’s 50^th Birthday Celebration. Since the seats were out of the van, we decided to walk to school – which was apparently a much further walk than I anticipated, and I was SERIOUSLY exhausted by the time we arrived. They had (SUPER YUMMY) cake, lemonade, a DJ and dance party, and the girls had so much fun with their friends. After some celebrating, we geared up for the long walk home, and Eliza was down for a nice long nap. Christian was off to help his parents with some final moving stuff they were working on, so I did some more TV binging/relaxing while the girls watched some videos and played for a while. Christian picked up some dinner on his way home, we ate, hung out, and had a super lazy night. I finally felt pretty good today, which was a relief. Christian ended up falling asleep pretty early after his late night yesterday, so I had a nice quiet night, all to myself. Perfection!

Sunday was a quiet, relaxing, rainy day. I’ll basically always take that. We watched some TV, I started laundry and we had breakfast. The girls watched movies pretty much all day long, other than a little playtime downstairs with Eliza. Eliza would NOT take a nap today, which was so frustrating, but she eventually fell sleep on my lap and napped for a while. Of course, sleeping baby on your chest pretty much always makes you fall asleep, so I dozed in and out the entire time she slept. Oops. It was a perfect day for it though. Once Eliza was up, I showered and got ready, then took off for Target with Olivia. Our goal for the day was to register for baby stuff. We’re having a very small couples shower with our circle of friends in early June, so I needed to register for that…but, I also had a coupon for a gift card if I create a registry, and you get a “completion discount” to buy stuff left on your registry, so I figured why not. Olivia and I grabbed some ICEE’s and popcorn, and got to work. It was hard to know what to register for…we don’t’ have a ton of room, so we have to stick to real necessities, but a few people have told us they’re giving us all of this random stuff (pump, nursing pillow, bottles, double-stroller, clothes, etc.)…but it’s hard to know if it’s actually going to happen, so it makes me nervous. After our outing, we made our way home for dinner, got the girls ready, and were off to swim class. The girls showered after class, and once home, Christian finished getting the van put back together. We moved the big girls into booster seats (Olivia was getting pretty big for her convertible, and Amelia was TERRIBLE at buckling her harness) and we ended up turning Eliza forward-facing. She is too tall (per her seat) to make it rear-facing much longer, so I figured with her birthday just a couple weeks away, we might as well just turn it now. Big girls!!!! The girls were finally off to bed, a little late, and, of course, Eliza fought it. I hope she’s not reverting to being a terrible sleeper again! That would be awful timing! Christian hung out in the garage with his friend, Lorenzo, for a while, so I finished up Game of Thrones and settled in for a long night of insomnia. Ugh, pregnancy is not for the weak!!

Time to do some registering!

Until Next Week! XOXO

2016 - Week 16

Week 16, and it was quite a week of random crap. Baby check-up, a busy weekend, some quiet nights and lots of pregnancy hormones and continued insomnia this week.

Monday kicked off another week. The big girls and I were up, ready and off to daycare/work. Christian had a dentist appointment today (which went just fine – got the all clear for another 6 months), so he dropped Eliza off at his parents’ on his way to his appointment. I have to somehow turn this into a permanent thing, because it’s seriously such a relief not having to stop at two places in the morning! I’m back to a completely unmotivated phase at work right now…between the exhaustion, all of the stuff I’d rather be doing at home, the baby planning and just being distracted, it makes it so hard to focus at work. I picked Eliza up after work, and we made our way home for dinner. After dinner, I cleaned up a little around the house, and watched some TV with the girls, while Christian was off to work. A pretty quiet night, just how I like it!

I actually felt cute today, and had to take a picture to remember it, LOL

On Tuesday I was feeling beyond exhausted. I wish that I could just get ONE night of really good sleep! I got the girls up and ready…and talked to them about their upcoming fieldtrips (Amelia to the zoo, Olivia to a farm). Both of their teachers contacted me about chaperoning, but I didn’t want to commit if for some reason the girls really didn’t want me to go (you know, mom’s are so embarrassing!). They were both very excited though, and thought it was super cool that I would be there with them, which made me feel very loved. So, even though I’ll be totally exhausted and super pregnant, I agreed to go with their classes. I took a long lunch to go in for my latest baby appointment today. First up, I had to drink the oh-so-delicious glucose drink for my glucose tolerance test. I’ve passed this with flying colors with my previous 3 pregnancies, and even did one early on this pregnancy and passed, but there was no getting out of it. While my hour was passing, I stopped in for my check-up My blood pressure was NORMAL….AGAIN! I couldn’t believe it. And, still no weight gain, which is super amazing! I really don’t NEED to gain anything, so if I can keep this up, we’ll all be very happy campers. She listened to baby and everything checked out just fine. Back in two weeks for a check-up, and then I’ll be starting my grown scans at the following appointment. Hopefully everything will check out fine at my first scan, and maybe I won’t end up needing them regularly!! Fingers crossed. After my appointment, I was back to the lab to finish out my hour and do my blood draw, before settling back in at work to finish out the day. I got my results later in the evening…and, as expected, passed with no concern. Whew! After work, I picked Eliza up, we had some dinner and watched TV and Christian was off to work. The girls were off to bed so I caught up on some Hulu before heading to bed myself.

Wednesday was honestly just a standard day, all around. Up, ready, girls up and ready, daycare drop-off, work all day. Picked Eliza up, home for dinner and a quiet night. Christian to work. Days with no little extras are few and far between, so I’ll take it!

25 Weeks, 5 Days

On Thursday, we were up and at it. Off to work and daycare. The day went pretty quickly, and I “had” to leave early to pick the big girls up from daycare. Christian had a mandatory supervisors meeting to attend, so he wasn’t able to pick them up today. With their issues at daycare, I try not to have them there any more than necessary, so rather than have them pick the girls up day, I just took some time off. We stopped home to hang out and relax for a while, before heading out to pick Eliza up. All of the afternoon school-age kids were excited to see the girls…they ran right out to the playground to play and hang out for a while, while I got Eliza packed up and ready to go. We finally loaded back into the van, grabbed some dinner, and settled in at home. After dinner, we played outside for a little while to take advantage of the nice weather. I’m not ready for summer hot, but I’m hoping the warm up sticks around. After some playtime, it was time for showers/baths and relaxing time. I have Olivia completely converted to showering, she’s over the bath, but Amelia is still holding on strong. She loves to just lay in the water. I guess I can’t blame her, but it would be easier to just have her hop in the shower too! We finally had some quiet time, and everybody was off to bed.

Doing some swinging!

Friday was my day off, YES!!! We slept in a little bit, and I got the girls up and ready to go. Christian arrived home in time to stay with Eliza while I dropped the other two off at daycare. Amelia’s class was a “fine dining” lunch at school today (for good behavior in the lunch room). So, she had to dress nice for school today. Of course, I cannot send one to school in a dress, and not the other, so Olivia had to wear a dress too. And she was VERY bitter that her class has never won fine dining before. Oy, sibling drama! Once home, Christian was off to bed, and Eliza and I spent the day hanging out. I decided to take her to a walk late in the morning, and she went crazy when we passed by the park, so we made a pit stop there. The park by our house isn’t huge, but it’s not very toddler friendly either, so it’s not the easiest trying to chase her around the park. I was getting really hot and tired, so it was eventually time to call it a day and head back home. Of course, she threw the biggest tantrum ever, the entire way home. It was so frustrating, I was hot and sweaty and exhausted, and I can tell that it’s definitely going to be a LONG summer if I’m already this miserable. She went down for a nap once home, so I watched some shows and cooled down. She woke up way too soon after going down, so Christian ended up bringing her into bed with him, and she finished out her nap there. Eventually, I had to leave the couch and my TV watching to pick the big girls up from school. Once home, I made them clean out the van, which they were very annoyed about, but I sure don’t make the mess. It’s amazing, even though I keep a trash bag in the van, the trash never seems to make its way INTO the bag. After cleaning up, we the girls played in the backyard for a while. Our friend across the street, Tristan, stopped over with his little guy, Connor, to hang out for a while. The kids played the night away, the dad’s had a couple beers and chatted, and I had the house all to myself. Heaven! They took a break for some dinner, but that was about it. Eventually, Amelia started acting up and was sent inside (turns out because she “wouldn’t” bring her scooter back from the little drive way on the side of the house….even though he knows she has a really hard time getting it through the grass), so I decided to have Olivia come in and sent them off to bed (it was already after their bedtime anyway). Christian eventually brought Eliza in, because she was crabby and throwing a fit about everything, and he was getting super impatient with her….which just made me super annoyed with him. First his overreaction with Amelia, then his impatience with Eliza…it was 10PM by this time, and she’s 2…gee, I can’t imagine why she was “acting up”! I finally got her calmed down and changed, and I sat with her on the couch for a little while. Of course, it didn’t take long for her to pass out, so she was off to bed. I was not far behind. It was apparent; we were in for a long weekend!

Amelia dressed up for her "fine dining" day at school - so of course Olivia needed a dress as well.

Took this beauty in a walk and a stop at the park

On Saturday I woke up with a pounding headache, and it was totally not the day for it. We had a full day, and I could not let a headache take me down. We watched some TV, had breakfast, and I was off to gymnastics with the big girls. My mom came to watch again, and after class, we went shopping for softball gear for the girls. She “gave them” gear as part of their Christmas presents, but we told them we’d wait until closer to the season to actually buy stuff. Olivia needed new shoes and a bat, they both needed new gloves, and we wanted to get them a bat bag to carry everything in. We stopped at Sports Authority first, and then made a quick stop at Target for a few things. They’re all set – we’ll be hitting the field in a couple of weeks!!! After shopping, we picked Christian and Eliza up, and were off to lunch. After lunch, Eliza took a short nap, while I showered and got everybody ready to go. Next up, the girls and I were off to their friend from daycare, Lizzie’s, birthday party. Lizzie is the assistant directors daughter, and she and Amelia were seriously two peas in a pod until she stopped coming to the center this schoolyear. They are so dang cute together, little troublemakers! The girls had so much fun playing with their little daycare friends, Eliza called dibs on the sidewalk chalk as soon as we got there and never let go, and I had fun catching up with some of the other daycare mom’s. They played games, we ate way too much yummy food, did all of the usual party stuff, and were super exhausted when it was time to leave. BUT, our night was not over. While we were gone, Christian was at our friend, Mariano’s, place to help him hang some TV cords behind the wall of his new place. So, the girls and I stopped there on our way home so I could see his new place and the girls could play with their BFF, Bella. My head was stop pounding, I took some more Tylenol, and we chatted for a while, while the kids played. It was pretty uneventful…until, Bella and Olivia decided to go out on the balcony, Eliza following behind them, and Bella ended up slamming the balcony door closed right on Eliza’s hand. OMG…Mariano was SO upset, and poor Bella felt terrible. Eliza was crying and crying, she would not stop forever. My poor baby, my heart was breaking. I can’t even imagine how painful it must have been. At that point, I decided it was just time to pack it up, and head home. Even though we had eaten, the girls were still hungry, so Christian made them some food before putting them to bed. They were right off to bed as soon as they finished eating, and I passed out on the couch not long after. What a day!

Sunday was a lazy day around the house. Well, lazier for some more than others. Christian barely left the couch, much to my annoyance, while I spent the day doing laundry…sorting, washing, drying, folding, putting it away…cleaning up the kitchen and entryway, and hanging out with the girls. We had a late breakfast/early lunch, and the big girls played outside for a while. Eliza started losing it in the late afternoon, and tantrumed herself right into a nap in the middle of the living room floor. Drama!!!! Christian finally got motivated, and made is way outside to clean up the garage a little and fixed our falling-over mailbox. In the meantime, the big girls started coming in and out of the house, even though I told them to STOOOOOOP a million times, so they wouldn’t wake Eliza up. But, sure enough, Amelia eventually woke her up, coming in to complain about some BS. I finally lost it. Hormones and general rage took over, I pulled the big girls inside and yelled at them, and refused to take them to swim class. I was seriously DONE parenting for the day. In the 4 years they have been in swim class I have NEVER missed a class, but I was not giving in this time. Christian eventually got them ready and took them. I’m sure they arrived pretty late, and of course he forgot half of the stuff they needed (and, they wouldn’t get their usual Sunday shower after class), but that 90 minute break was MUCH, MUCH needed tonight. I’m just way too overwhelmed right now, and it all caught up to me. It was not an impressive mothering day, that’s for sure. The girls had a late dinner after class, and we were all off to bed. Tomorrow is another day…

She was so crabby, she tantrumed herself right into a nap.

Rico, the no personal space cat

Until Next Week! XOXO

2016 - Week 15

Week 15, and it was actually a pretty quiet one. Those don’t come around too often, so I’ll definitely take it, and enjoy it!

Monday we were up and back at it, back to the grind. I was up and ready for work, and got the big girls up and ready to go. Christian had to help him mom with something this morning, so he offered to just bring Eliza over there when he goes. Woot! One drop off is much easier, so I’ll take it! Work was long, and slow, and I was SO exhausted. Who knew sitting at a computer all day could be so dang exhausting!!! After work, I picked Eliza up, and dropped her off at home with Christian, while I took Amelia off to buy some new shoes. That girl seriously DESTROYS her shows, I don’t get it. We finally settled in at home with everybody else for Taquito night. YUM!!!!! Christian was off to work after dinner, the big girls watched some videos before bed, and I played with Eliza for a while, and spent the evening catching up on some Hulu. Perfect, quiet night!

Tuesday was another pretty standard day. The girls and I were up, ready and off for the day. Work, school and daycare, the usual. Our friend Sara, who lives across the street, had an appointment tonight, and asked Christian if he would watch her two kids while she was gone. So, when Eliza and I settled in at home, he was at their house with the big girls and her kids. We had leftovers for dinner once they were home, and Christian was right off to work. So, we girls carried on with our usual, quiet night at home. Thankfully our little, lazy evening routine makes Christian’s move to overnights easier. But I’m sure that will change substantially once this baby arrives…and once it’s summer and the girls want to spend more time outside.

Snuggles with the baby!

Wednesday morning was quite rough. Eliza was seriously a BEAR this morning…and when the littlest is having a bad morning, EVERYBODY has a bad morning. It seriously makes the morning impossible when she won’t cooperate and fights me every bit of the way. Then poor Miss Barb at daycare has to try to calm her down. I think she has more luck than I do though. I had a long busy day at work (aren’t they all though, really?), picked Eliza up after, and we made our way home. I’ve been feeling SO exhausted lately, moreso than usual, and I didn’t expect that to settle back in for at least another month or two. We had some random stuff for dinner, trying to clear out the leftovers/fridge, and Christian was off to work. I basically passed out as soon as the girls did tonight, so it was an uneventful evening.

24 Weeks 5 Days, moving right along!

This one made an appearance tonight and I got her to take a picture with me. My biggest love.

Thursday came, and was not my Friday/Thursday, so that always bums me out quite a bit. The girls and I were up and kicking off another day. I picked Eliza up after work and we made our way home for dinner and some family time. Christian was off to work, and after dinner, the big girls settled in with their tablets, as they usually do. I battle with myself all the time over those dang tablets. I know there are studies all over talking about limiting screen time and all that, but I don’t know how I personally feel about it. Honestly, I was basically raised on TV. I am obsessed with TV, always have been. It was my mental escape. It got to the point where I couldn’t sleep without the TV on, I couldn’t do homework without the TV on in the background. But, as bad as that sounds, I turned out just fine (maybe a little lazy, LOL). I did well in school, I was social, I didn’t have issues concentrating. Now, when it comes to the kids…if they spend a couple hours at night, quietly watching Netflix or playing games on their tablets – it allows me to pay attention to Eliza, the attention hog, and get some downtime. But, it makes me feel guilty…like I should be forcing them to actively play and do things. BUT, they’re in daycare/school ALL DAY LONG, where they do play and interact and learn and socialize. Ugh – what’s a mom to do?! Anyway, while they indulged their obsession today, I played with Eliza and watched the American Idol finale. It was SO awesome to see so many of the old contestants back on the show. I admittedly got a little emotional over the finale – it’s really the end of an era! The girls were off to bed, I watched a few final shows, and then settled in for my nightly insomnia. Ugh – miserable. One thing in my mind is that I think I have finally finished all of the possible fidgeting that I can do with our budget, specifically for childcare, so I have an (initial) outlook through 2017. It’s isn’t pretty, it’s still super painful, but I think it could be WAY worse, and I think we may just be able to pull this off. I know that Christian hates driving the car, but I’m hoping he can hold out, and the car can keep on truckin’, for a while longer so that I don’t have to try to work in another auto loan. If that happens – then I don’t know what the heck we’re going to do! I also informed KinderCare that the big girls won’t be staying for the summer, or returning next school year, which was REALLY hard. Even though we have issues with some of the kids there, I LOVE the teachers and the directors, and they seriously treat the girls like family. It’s going to be a really hard adjustment, and I’m not looking forward to telling the girls. I’m hoping that we can really hype it up though, and tell them how super cool the YMCA program is going to be though. Maybe if I could turn my brain off and stop thinking about stuff like this all night, my insomnia wouldn’t be quite so terrible…

Today, Eliza also hit the 23-month mark. She's 30lbs and 33.5" Tall. I cannot believe it. One bit. My sweet baby is going to be 2 years old in less than a month! She's grown too fast, she's way too smart, she's the funniest little girl that's ever lived and I simply cannot imagine life without her. We're going to have to do away with her 24 month clothes any day now, and move her to strictly the 2T stuff. She's a little non-stop chatterbox, with SOOOOOO much to say. She loves to look through her picture books and tell you what everything is, and she hasn't caught onto my "I'll race you to bed" game yet. She's definitely the most sensitive of the family, and loves to console people when they're upset or sad - I'm not sure where she gets that skill from, but it sure is sweet. I hate to see her grow, but I sure can't wait to see what this little girl becomes! Time to finish up some birthday plans, and her next big mission will be potty training!!

Friday FINALLY arrived, and we were up and off for the day. The big girls to daycare/school, Eliza to my mom’s, me to work. And it was a SERIOUSLY long, quiet day at work. LOOOOOONG day. Those are the worst. When it was finally quitting time, I picked Eliza up and we made our way home. I was feeling absolutely worn out, b-lined it straight to the couch, and had a super lazy night. I just could not function. We had dinner, the girls had a dance party, and we ended up having a pretty early night. I was seriously hoping to catch up on some sleep.

Pile Up!

On Saturday I was even more exhausted than I have been. Between pregnancy, being uncomfortable, insomnia, life chaos – I’m just drained. I woke up with the girls, we watched some shows and had breakfast, and I eventually got the big girls ready and off to gymnastics. My mom came to watch today, but I was not the best company as I couldn’t even find the energy to chat with her. Once home, I again made my way right to the couch. I seriously hope this passes soon, because I cannot be this useless for the next 3 months! We had plans to go to lunch, but I just couldn’t do it. So, Christian and the big girls went to Buffalo Wild Wings, while I got Eliza down for a nap and rested the day away. They dropped some food off for me, and then he took them over to his parents’ house to get out for a while. After a very nice, long nap, Eliza was up. We ate a late lunch/early dinner, hung out and had a quiet night at home. The big girls ended up talking my in-laws into an overnight, so Christian left them there, and stopped to meet his friend for a couple of beers on his way home. Eliza was off to bed shortly after Christian arrived home, so we watched “Daddy’s Home” (so funny!!) and passed out immediately after. I was really hoping that with the room to herself, and a later than usual night, Eliza would sleep in…

He's literally this close to my face, all the time

I think we've found baby's coming home outfit!!! SO DAMN CUTE!

I noticed today how long Eliza's hair is getting. So crazy! She still rocks a serious mullet, so hopefully the sides fill in soon, LOL

Which she did!!!! Sunday arrived, and Eliza ended up sleeping until 10:00AM!!! Of course, I did not sleep that late, but hey, I got to get up on my own, and sort laundry in peace! What more could a mother want?! The rest of the day was fairly quiet. We watched some shows, I worked on laundry, I showered and was eventually off on a long, peaceful Target run. Once home, we had some lunch and unloaded groceries, and I hung out with Eliza while Christian showered and was off to pick the big girls up from his parents’. With Eliza’s late morning, she didn’t end up taking a nap today. Once Christian and the big girls were home, we played outside for a while, taking in the one-day spring beautifulness, before heading off to swim class. We had a late dinner after class, and the girls were up WAY too late, so we’ll definitely be in for a rough morning tomorrow.

Until Next Week! XOXO

2016 - Week 14

Week 14, off and running. This week was overall a pretty standard week for us, but ended with an actual, adult night out and some extra cleaning chores. Getting this house back in order!!

Monday was quite a hectic day. Christian’s mom had a dental appointment today, so she couldn’t watch Eliza. Since 4 and 5 days cost the same amount at daycare, she was in for a FULL week at the center. It was really nice only having one drop off, that’s for sure. After everybody was up and ready, we were off. I dropped the girls off, and then settled into work for a long, busy, crazy day. After being down sick all day Saturday, and Easter yesterday, my to-do list was a mile long. So, I left work early, and got to work. I stopped home to sort laundry and get a load going, then made a quick run to the DMV to get new tabs for the van (thankfully, it was actually quick – in and out!), and then finally stopped at Target for a loooooooooong overdue run. We needed so many groceries and a ton of “house stuff", so it was a long, exhausting, spendy trip. I stopped home to unload and get everything put away, kept laundry going, unloaded and loaded the dishwasher, and even cut up some veggies and made green smoothies for the week. Seriously, BUSY! I haven’t felt so accomplished in a very long time. While I finished up all of the house tasks, Christian picked the big girls up from school. Then, I was off to get Eliza from daycare, while Christian started dinner. Finally, settled in for the night. We ate and hung out with the girls and did some general picking up around the house before Christian was off to work. Before bed, I had the girls clean their room and make their beds, which they are NEVER very happy about. I’m determined to get them into the habit though. Once the girls were in bed, I did some final cleaning, and then settled into bed to relax and watch some shows. My back was seriously killing me, and I was beyond exhausted, but it was quite a successful day.

On Tuesday, we were off and running again. Girls to daycare, me to work…another LONG day. I did get to leave early (again) though, for my latest pre-natal check-up. Of course, when I arrived, I was told my doctor was 45 minutes behind. Um, yeah, I’m not sitting around the clinic for that long. I tried to bargain with the receptionist, telling them I seriously only need my blood pressure checked…that I’ve been through this enough times, I’m not concerned about the actual check-up stuff. They eventually found an OB with an opening, and got me in right away. They checked my weight, and THANKFULLY, still no gain, and checked my blood pressure, which amazingly was actually normal! That NEVER happens. The doctor did say it’s common for your blood pressure to go down between 20-30 weeks, when everything is pretty settled, so she said it will likely go back up. I’ll take the normal while I can though! As she went through my records, she did verify that I am indeed labeled high risk, and mentioned that they would be starting bi-weekly growth scans when I’m around 30-32 weeks. Oy! I mean, I’m excited to see the baby as much as possible, but the growth scans are so stressful!!! I just need to remind myself how off they were with Eliza’s estimates, and not let it get to me. They checked for his heartrate, and, per usual, he would not cooperate, at all. We could see, feel and hear the baby moving around, but she only got a couple quick listens in, not enough to get an actual reading on him. Such a troublemaker already! All in all, everything checked out well. I picked Eliza upon my way home and settled in for the night. Made dinner, we ate, I got some more laundry going, and Christian was off to work. I was so exhausted, I could barely stay awake tonight. I had to sneak the girls off to bed a little early, and seriously passed out right away.SO TIRED!

On Wednesday I woke up feeling just completely drained. It’s been SO hard to get out of bed lately, and even harder to stay awake at night. But, alas, no rest for the weary. We were up and at it, got the girls ready, and dropped them off at daycare. Work wasn’t quite as crazy as it has been, but that just makes the day go by a little slower...which is also no fun. I picked Eliza up and got right to work at home. Seriously – DETERMINED to get this disaster of a house in shape! I got more laundry going, started dinner, unloaded and loaded the dishwasher, and worked on the usual, every day clean-up. After dinner, we got a little family time in before Christian was off to work. I watched some TV, the big girls watched some videos, and I played with Eliza while folding laundry. Finally, the girls had their baths and they were off to bed. Another early, sleepy night for this mom!

23 Weeks (and 5 days). Looking every bit as exhausted as I feel!

Thursday was my Friday, and so very welcomed this week. Everybody was up and off, ready for the day. It was another busy day today…I actually ended up working a little late trying to tie up all of the loose ends and get ready for the weekend. At least, overall, the workweek went very fast this week! I picked Eliza up after work, and we made our way home for the night. Christian was already gone, with the big girls, to bring them over to his sisters for a birthday dinner/celebration. He took the night off of work so that he could spent some time with his family (and, to use up some PTO that was expiring). Eliza was in a pretty crabby mood most of the night, but we played and laughed and still managed to have lots of fun. I put her to bed and settled in with my shows, and everybody else arrived home pretty late. Of course, not the best idea on a school night, but hopefully they’re young enough that they’ll survive. I went to bed SOOOO looking forward to a fun, LONG weekend!

Friday was my day off, nothing better!!! After a late night, we let the girls sleep in a bit, before taking them to daycare. Today marked the end of Eliza’s full week at daycare, and seriously – it was SOOOOO amazing having my Friday off all to myself again, AND only having 1 drop-off every day. If I had not ended up with this surprise little baby on board, Eliza would be going to daycare full time right now. Oh man, this week made me jealous for that lost plan. Christian was home, and since he didn’t actually work last night, he should’ve been up doing stuff around the house, or we could’ve done something just the two of us, but instead, he was super lazy ALL DAY LONG, and basically slept. Made me so mad. I was going to devote today to cleaning up the basement, but decided that if he’s going to be lazy, I am too! Other than a few loads of laundry, I basically spent the day catching up on Hulu and doing nothing! Woot!!! Christian eventually showered and got “ready for the day”, while I picked the big girls up from school. Eventually, we were all off to pick Eliza up from daycare, and stopped at Chili’s for dinner (YUM!!!) before settling in at home for a quiet night. While it didn't take a ton of effort, I did get the little guys clothes put away...gonna have to start getting things organized sooner or later!

On Saturday, we actually slept in a bit, which is always so amazing!! Then, it was time to do lots of cleaning around the house, mainly focused on cleaning up the main level of the house. We cleaned our room, the girls’ room (including some work on their closet), the bathroom, the living room and the kitchen. It’s so nice when the house starts really coming together. Amidst the cleaning extravaganza, we had some breakfast, watched some movies and spent time with the girls. Finally, it was time to shower and start getting ready for the evening. My Dad and Stepmom were in the area, so they stopped over to chat for a few minutes. Then, my mom and Christian’s friend, Lorenzo, arrived around 4:30 for tonight’s events. First up, we had some pizza and cake for a late birthday celebration for Christian. Then, my mom was on babysitting duty, while Christian, Lorenzo and I were off for some adulting, to see the “Comedy Get Down Tour”. It was so exciting, and we actually got there nice and early. We settled in, raring to go, and they ended up starting exactly an hour late! WHAT?!?! I wouldn’t normally care too much…I mean, I was kidless, actually out, and there was a TON of people watching to do, but I was stressed out about how late it was going to go, knowing my mom had to drive home after. Thankfully, once the show was up and running, it was quite entertaining. George Lopez was up first…he did his bit, and then emceed the show. Christian and I saw him a few years ago, while I was pregnant with Amelia, and his material has SERIOUSLY changed since them. And, I must say, I much prefer his old stuff. His old stuff was very centered around his family, and “growing up Mexican” and I just loved it. His new stuff was still funny, but much more sexual and a lot of drug stuff, which I wasn’t really a fan of (I know, I’m lame). Next up was Charlie Murphy, who was the one comic that I didn’t know. Apparently he was from the Dave Chappelle Show…which then had me worried, because I HATE Dave Chappelle. But, Charlie was actually very funny, way better than I expected. Next was Eddie Griffin, who seemed to actually be the crowd favorite. People went CRAZY when they announced him…and I was not a fan, at all. His comedy is not my cup of tea, at all, in fact the only part I really enjoyed was this Religious piece he did, which wasn’t necessary funny, but kind of thought provoking…basically about how “your bible”, written by man, doesn’t control my religion…that I believe in God, and I believe in MY religion, and the way he talked about it really struck a chord with my feelings. Next up was D.L. Hughley.  Was kind of nervous about him, because I know he’s pretty political and can be controversial, bit his set was actually hilarious. I think he was my favorite of the night. He was very funny, had a lot of different material and interacted with the crowd a bit. Finally, Cedric the Entertainer closed the show out. He was also really hilarious, did a great job. We ended up leaving around 11:30, and got home about 12:15. Oh my gosh, I was so exhausted!!! I knew it was going to be a rough day tomorrow, but it was totally worth it. My mom left right away, Christian and Lorenzo hung out for a while, and I watched a little TV to wind down before passing out. Adulting is hard!

Going Out!!!

Sunday brought us a busy end to a pretty busy week. We were up and at it. Christian was being lazy, and wouldn’t get up, but we had “promised” to take the girls to Perkins for breakfast. So, instead of sitting around waiting for him, I packed the girls up, and we had a girl’s breakfast out. Thankfully, they were all pretty well behaved. Once home, the girls played the day away, I rested for a bit, and then I got to work. Today’s main task was getting the basement picked up (or, as much as possible anyway). I got everything put back into the room it belonged in, and got the toy room basically all done and organized. I have to clean up the spare room still, clean the laundry room and vacuum before putting the living room fully back together, but it’s getting there. Christian ended up taking the big girls over to his friend, Mariano’s house, so he could help hang his TV up in his new place, and the girls could play with their little best friend, Bella. Eliza woke up from her nap, so that’s when my cleaning came to an end. I played with her for about an hour, before everybody else arrived home, and we were ready to head off to swim class, the first of their new session. I’m not sure why, but there were literally only about 10 kids in the entire session…and no little kids (so no constant crying or screaming from the baby class). It was really cool – the girls will get a lot of one on one, and it was so peaceful! Olivia is in Intermediate 2 now, and all the way in the deep end. She did really well, and is, of course, so small compared to the rest of her class. Amelia ended up getting bumped up to Intermediate 1…they passed her last session, but I had already signed her up for the same class, and wasn’t sure if I was comfortable moving her up. But, they still thought it was appropriate, and she actually did REALLY well, I was so proud of her! She’s seriously growing up so much…really starting to listen and try. She has come a long way! After class, they showered, got dressed, and we stopped at Target for a few things before settling in at home. We had a late dinner, I watched “The Walking Dead” season finale (SO CRAZY!) and the girls were off to bed. It was a late night, and I’m so not ready to start another week, but, alas, Monday was upon us.

Ready for the day...

Breakfast with my little loves

Until Next Week! XOXO