He's Here!

Alec was born Wednesday weighing in at 8 lbs even, just 2 ounces shy of his big sister. We came home Saturday while my parents had Kate at the beach, giving us 2 days at home without a toddler running around which helped get used to Alec's sleep and eat 'schedule'.
I am already so in love with him, no baby blues this time.
Here's hoping sleep deprivation and a crazy toddler don't drive me insane :)

Packing For a C-Section

I've tried remembering what I packed for the hospital with Kate and have been searching lists online to get my hospital bag packed. What's different this time around is I'm going in for a scheduled c-section. So I don't feel the rush to get things packed, and I won't need all the extras for the (possible) day of labor confined to a hospital bed.

Currently my bag contains:

• Going home clothes for me and baby. I stayed in the hospital gowns and Kate was in their wrap shirts and blankets the entire stay.
• Toiletries. Just some deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste, lip balm, hairbrush, and travel shampoo. 
• Lansinoh. I didn't need it last time, Kate latched right away with no problem, but you never know- all babies are different.
• Baby blanket. Kate was swaddled with the hospital's receiving blankets, but those rooms can get cold so we also used the knitted blanket Adam's grandmother made. This time we have one made by my mom.
• Boppy. I remember using it to prop Kate in my hospital bed, but will definitely be using it for nursing as well this time around.
• My folder of maternity leave paperwork. A lot has been done already, but there's still a lot to do after baby is born that I can get done while in the hospital.

Things I'll grab the morning of:

• iPad, phone, camera, and chargers. 
• Gift for Kate from Alec. I've heard that having the baby give a present to the older sibling when they come to visit at the hospital helps with some of the jealousy they may feel. Alec got Kate a stuffed Mickey Mouse to go with her Minnie.

So that's what I'm packing for my planned delivery. I hope I didn't forget anything, and baby stays put until the scheduled date!

37 Weeks

It's almost here. In just two weeks we will meet our little nugget.

This is me at 37 weeks.

I kind of regret not taking bump pics like I did with Kate, but honestly there just wasn't the time and I didn't have the energy. 

The c-section has been scheduled. As soon as I put that on my calendar it felt real. We are going to have two kids. A two year old monster and a little new born nugget. How are we going to manage? How is Kate going to react? I guess we'll figure it out in 2 weeks.

Big Sister Practice

While I don't know what is going on in Kate's head, I do know she is becoming more aware of the baby growing in mommy's belly.

She had been taking care of her doll and giving it kisses and blankets and toys. She has also become more interested in other babies. Recently she started giving kisses to my belly.

giving kisses to the baby who is covered by violet and, sleep giraffe, and a blanket

If you ask her what is in my belly she will say 'Alec', or if you ask where Alec is she will point to my belly and say 'right there!'. I don't think she really gets that Alec will one day be out of my belly and will be coming home with us, but I'll keep trying to tell her.

way back at 21 weeks

Here's hoping Kate will be a great big sister!

She's Two!

I don't know how it happened, but Kate is now two.

We had her birthday party a couple of weekends before her actual birthday because of Adam's schedule. Unfortunately there was a downpour of rain (and some snow!) that weekend so everyone was confined inside of our little house, not able to send the kids out to the backyard to run around. But Kate had fun seeing everyone, playing with the kids, and of course opening presents and eating birthday cake.

Since she is a bit obsessed with Mickey Mouse, we had a Mickey cake, decorated the juice boxes with Mickey stickers, and had a couple Mickey balloons. Then came the Minnie dress, a present from my parents. Kate couldn't have been happier.

As far as what has happened since turning two, well she is definitely testing rules and having meltdowns over silly things. I guess the Terrible Twos really do exist. But I know it all stems from trying to gain more independence so I try not to get frustrated when she is lying on the floor crying or  refusing to take a nap. It is just a phase... "This too shall pass"...

One of her most recent meltdowns was at the doctor's office. She didn't even need a shot, but she wouldn't let the nurse measure her height and that was just the beginning, but I don't need to say anymore. She is growing and her development is great. She is off the charts for height and 95% for weight. Yes, our little monster is a giant.

Happy birthday, Monster!

30 Weeks

(A week late because I'm lame and never got around to taking a bump pic)

 10 more weeks until the due date, but with scheduling a c-section nugget will be coming a little bit sooner.

This pregnancy started off the same way as my first: no morning sickness, some acne, and that's all. But slowly over the past 30 weeks I have been experiencing some differences: acne never went away, much more exhausted, sciatic nerve randomly sending shooting pains down my leg, feeling out of breath after walking. And this one is positioned a lot lower, where I feel like I am further along than I really am. My stomach has also been feeling tight, which I later learned were contractions - go figure, I never had a single one during my first pregnancy until I went into labor.

our big boy, measuring almost 2 weeks ahead because of his big head and long legs

I am so ready to have this little boy and be done with this school year, but I know I am only 30 weeks. My coworker delivered her son at 30 weeks and I can't imagine going through that. So I will happily keep him inside for these last 2 months and enjoy time with Kate (before her life gets turned upside-down).

Toddler Talk

Kate says many words and in the past few months she has been putting phrases together (along with some gibberish). Some are so adorable that the first time people hear them they start laughing and comment how cute it is (seriously...and I don't even know where she got it from).

Here are some of the most commonly uttered phrases:

• Thank you, Mommy (or daddy or Pop-Pop...)
• No like it.
• 1 more time! referring to wanting to eat more, watch another show, anything really
• Do you see ________anywhere? (birds, her toys, mickey, any color...)
• Mommy! Where are you?! she will call for anything, but I love when she calls for me and I'm standing in front of her. 

She will also have a whole conversation with herself:
Mommy! Where are you? Do you see Mommy? Where? There she is!
Or after she falls down: Oops, sorry, you ok.

She also plays games with me in the car: What says....a cow? (or any animal)

I love that she is finally able to tell us what she wants and am excited to hear her vocab grow.

Snow Day Turned Sick Day

Kate is loving all the recent snow (and hot chocolate). But just as I was enjoying my 4 day weekend for the MLK holiday a wave of sickness swept through the family. First my dad, then mom, then Kate (who luckily only seemed to be sick for a day), followed by Adam, and Finally it hit me.

All I wanted to do was sleep. Not how I like to spend holidays or snow days. Since sleeping all day wasn't an option while I was still watching Kate, I resorted to the TV.

Pillow fort on the floor, Mickey streaming from netflix, and a very tired mommy can get a little rest.

I felt kind of guilty to be 'spoiling' Kate juts so I could sleep, but I couldn't even think of what else to do. I try to be pretty strict on TV time every day, so I think a coupe days of extra time won't hurt.

What do you do with your kids when you're sick?

Snow Day

I love snow days. Kate loves the snow. It doesn't matter how long it takes to put on all the gear, or how little time we play outside, she loves it.

Today is a professional 'work from home' day for me and guess what? We are supposed to get 4+ inches of snow. We'll stay inside this morning and if/when the snow starts I'll get Kate bundled up and we'll head out to play.

Kate's New Room (sorta)

Kate is out of her crib for good (update to come)! I gave myself winter break to get her sleeping in the bed, so just before Christmas we moved all the furniture around. Between her room and the nursery, we switched the crib, twin bed, glider, and dresser.

So now Kate has the twin bed (for guests, story time, or a sleepy mommy in the mornings), toddler bed that she sleeps in, and a nice play area. We kept the chest of drawers next to her closet. Not much else has changed. We brought in the play rug from the living room and got a shoe rack to hold her puzzles and doll house.

I love that she has so much space to play, and it can all stay organized- which it does (I think Kate is a little OCD like me). I'm sure there will be many more changes to come. Adam wants the kids to share a room at some point, and I think there will be bunk beds involved. But for now (and the next year at least) this is Kate's big girl room.

Winter Holidays

Wasn't Christmas just yesterday? No? Gosh time is going by too quickly...

Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures at Thanksgiving, but there was good food and the kids had a blast.
I did remember my camera on Christmas, though I didn't get a family photo and it was hard to get a picture of Kate's surprised face when she opened her presents because she made me open  them.

her first present... I think this frustrated her to the point of not wanting to open anymore.

We celebrate Christmas eve at my parents', Christmas day we see Adam's dad and usually go to my grandmother's, then on the weekend we go up to Adam's parents' for brunch. It's a busy few days but I love spending time with our families.

My dad wanted to get a picture of all his grandkids together, and this was the best shot.

I heard Kate say cheese, but I guess that was while she was eating her candy (that I gave her to get her to sit and take a picture).

Kate got lots of  new toys that she was so excited about, but not too many to make our house look like Toys R Us which is a plus. More on how we are organizing her toys later :)

2014

I was never good at staying up on New Year's Eve, so being a mom of a toddler currently baking another has moved up my bedtime even earlier.

"You wanted to sleep in? What's that?"

Add to that the sound of a jiggling doorknob at 5am from the munchkin who just woke up... well you get the idea...

It's tradition to make resolutions for the new year and I have always been bad at keeping them. I am going to be more generic this year so I can maybe actually stick with them.

1. Deliver a healthy baby boy at the end of May, and enjoy my summer home with him.
2. Get a long term sub for the last few weeks of school, and have a better attitude towards next year's class.
3. Get Adam an awesome gift for his birthday/father's day.
4. Go to the beach at least one time.
5. Take more pictures of the kids (including baby boy's monthly).
6. Do more crafts with Kate.

So that's my list... a far cry from the 'lose weight' goals I always seemed to set, and fail.

Surprise!

Yes, it HAS been a while since my last post.... but anyway... lots of updates to share: new car, rearranging furniture (and a big girl bed for Kate!), Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the best update of all- Baby Stybs #2!

Due May 25th, 2014. The kids will be just over 2 years apart, which could be nice, or it could be a horror show (I'm guessing it'll be a bit of both).

After losing the last pregnancy we were very careful about who we told and when. I even waited until my second tri appointment before making it public (wanted to make sure we could hear the heartbeat first).

We waited to find out if Kate was a boy or girl, and I think I'll miss that surprise, but finding out now makes other things easier (name, clothes,...)

I'll post the other updates when I get around to writing/loading pictures.

Halloween Happiness

I have never been big into halloween (aside from school parades and trick or treating) but I couldn't resist getting a super cute costume for Kate.

 This was her first year dressing up and trick or treating. We just went to one house around the corner and she got one fun sized M&Ms and walked back home.

I wish I got pictures of her running down the sidewalk, wings flapping, arms flailing... it was adorable.

Pets

Kate has always loved Grover. He, however, as not shared the same feelings since she was able to move and squeal at him.
Adam and I are cat  people. We prefer cats to dogs, like their affection and that we can leave food out for a day or two and he'll be fine on his own.

We hate the fur that goes everywhere, and I hate cleaning the litter box, but we deal because Grover has always been a pretty good cat.

Until recently.

He started peeing on the carpet in the corner by Kate's toys.

We checked out what to do- put down foil and a cup of vinegar- and that worked. For maybe a month.

I brought Kate downstairs to play this morning and saw a nice yellow puddle of pee right beside the foil/vinegar.

I grew up with a cat who eventually started peeing on my mom's china hutch. My parents placed plastic sheeting/ foil/towels and sprayed urine gone  to manage the pee. Adam and I decided we would never do that. I loved my cat, but I did not like the smell.

So now, with Grover, we will probably get rid of him. Hopefully we can find a home, or if we take him to a shelter he will get adopted.

It's hard. We have had him for about 4 years. I was hoping the peeing was just a phase and he would be over it.

I wish there was something else we could do, but we will not be covering our house (And Kate's toys) in plastic and constantly cleaning up after his intentional 'accidents'.

Round and round

As I was wide awake at 3 am last night, trying my hardest too go back to sleep,  I started thinking about this poor neglected blog.
I seem to blog in waves. I write and write and write. Then nothing. Then I do it again.
I could try to change that, or just go with the flow and write when I feel like it/ remember. I know there are some who say you should write everyday. I just don't have the energy for that. I am overwhelmed at work and we have some family things come up and we are still trying to figure out how to expand/remodel our kitchen.

So for now I guess I will just write whenever I remember.

And because picture-less posts are kid of sad I leave you with this.

We were up in the PA mountains for a family wedding and Kate stole the show- walked up to the groom during the ceremony, sat on the steps, tried to use the unity candles as a drum... you know, all the things I would have prevented if I wasn't taking pictures and Adam wasn't up at the alter.

Little Horses

My grandmother  took us to the Land of the Little Horses. We used to go when I was little, and it was finally time for Kate to get to experience the fun.

You can walk up and pet/feed the little horses before the show. Kate would walk up to them, then just before petting it she would turn and run away.

During the show, the little horses, along with some dogs and goats, show of their tricks. Kate wanted to get up to the railing and touch them again.

After the show we walked around the farm, saw a lot of animals, 'rode' the tractor...

...and some fake horses...

....And of course took some cowboy pictures.

If you're ever in the Gettysburg area, I highly recommend this farm. You could literally spend all day there and any kid who loves animals would have a great time.

Children's Museum

Prepare for a photodump of our trip to the National Children's Museum. We went this August with My friend and her son.

It was kind of expensive ($10 each plus parking) and there was only so much for them at their age level that we only spent about an hour there. But the kids had fun, and were so exhausted they slept the whole way home.

My Little Monster

I don't remember how the nickname started (maybe with the shark hoodie towel), but we have been calling Kate the Kate-Monster for ever. So, naturally, it was no surprise that our little monster developed an obsession a love for dinosaurs.

Some of the things she takes a liking to are no longer her favorites after about a month or so, but dinosaurs have stayed.  She will roar for you, loves to watch and sing to Dinosaurs Go Rawr, and can now say the word dinosaur.

When trying to plan out this Halloween, I knew she needed to be a dinosaur of some sort. I found something that might work at Costco, but they didn't have her size. I thought about making a costume- all I would need would be green pants and hoodie with taped on spikes or something.

Then I found out that Kid to Kid was unveiling all their Halloween costumes on Saturday. I had some things I wanted to sell anyway, so we went hoping to find something.

And for $8 we got it! (actually I didn't have to pay because of the store credit I got for selling old crib sheets and toys, but the price can't be beat)

OK, OK it's not a dinosaur... more of a dragon... but she doesn't know the difference. Kate absolutely LOVES it. She ran around the house in it and cried when I hung it up in her closet.

It fits her well, is easy on/off, and is actually the one we looked at last year at Old Navy (but decided against getting her a costume).

I cannot wait for Halloween.

Bumps and Bruises

And scratches and scrapes.

Kate has fat  wide feet, and when I noticed her sneakers were getting a little snug, I went to Stride Rite to get her measured (figuring they would have a good selection of wide shoes). Yup, she was measuring bigger than the size shoes she was wearing.  So we looked around, tried on some sneakers, and picked out one to buy. It cost way more than if we just went to Target or Payless, but I figured she needed good quality,  durable shoes now that she is running.

Well, after only a month I need to replace her 'good quality, durable shoes'. The velcro is completely frayed and actually falling off the straps. One shoe has even fallen off of Kate's foot while she was walking.

And now Kate's knees are covered in scrapes. Maybe it's a coincidence, maybe it is because of the shoes, maybe her feet are growing too fast for her to adjust the way she walks. Either way I am annoyed that I have to replace shoes after 1 month.

I am so disappointed and frustrated. Adam encouraged me to write to customer service and request a refund or a replacement pair. They actually responded and said I could take them to the store for a replacement.

Though, we've been so busy and I already bought her new shoes at Payless, I don't know if we'll actually get back to the store for a while.