Bumpdate: 34 Weeks

Okay I am really starting to freak out that I am going to have 2 kids very soon! We are going to be a family of 4. Yikes!!
According to BabyCenter, Madison is about 17.72 inches long and 4.73 pounds. I know she is more than the 4.73 pounds because she was 4.7 when I went to my doctor appointment over a week ago. Growing like a weed!!

My mom and I compared this photo to my photo from just 4 days before I had Brayden. If I am going to get to be the same size as I was with Brayden, I have a lot of growing to do still. Take a look at "The Belly" tab at the top of the page to see bump photos from Brayden.

-Due Date: September 11

-Weight Gain: +20 pounds total so far

-Gender: GIRL!

-Nursery: We finally ordered the dresser and it should arrive in hopefully about a week. Then I will finally be able to get the room put together. Right now it looks like a bomb went off with all the clothes and decorations spread out all over the room.

-Movement: She doesn't just kick anymore...it is full on twists and turns. Lately she has also been sticking her butt way out and it makes my stomach all crooked!

-Clothing: All maternity. I do miss my regular clothes though!

-Cravings: Nothing really but I have been eating BBQ potato chips which is weird for me. That is usually something I can totally live without but every time I am at my parents house, I pull out the bag and have some chips.

-Overall Feeling: Not too bad but sleeping isn't so great so I am usually pretty tired. I am also out of breath pretty quickly so chasing after Brayden is getting difficult. I can only chase after him a few times and then I am pooped out. Poor Brayden! Lol.

-Fears: No new fears this time. I am still fearful about the pain after birth and then juggling a toddler and a newborn. Just a few days ago though I hung out with a friend that has a 9 month old little girl and Brayden did great with her. He was sharing toys and showing her his toys and didn't even care that I was holding her and playing with her. It was such a relief to see him react so well to her.

Wordless Wednesday!

Even though this little boy is definitely showing his toddler behavior, he can also steal my heart in just a moment! For instance, yesterday while taking maternity photos, he actually gave me a really long kiss and also kissed Madison!! I was such a happy momma. He was so great during the whole photo session and was very excited to be running in a huge field of grass and trees. It's the simple things that make us happy and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Bumpdate: 33 Weeks!

With only 7 weeks left, if I am lucky, I am finally starting to feel a little more ready for Madison to arrive! She is now 4 pounds 7 ounces and 17 inches long! About the size of a pineapple. I just had an ultrasound on Friday and the doc said everything looks great and Madison is growing right on schedule. Just what every mom wants to hear!

-Due Date: September 11

-Weight Gain: +20 pounds total

-Gender: GIRL! Madison Kay

-Nursery: I think I finally have almost everything although nothing is set up or put away. I need a dresser still so I currently don't have a place to put most of her clothes. I will be ordering the dresser at the end of this week, when my 20% coupon is valid, and then I think the room will finally be ready. Probably just in time for her to arrive. It takes 1-2 weeks for it to be delivered to the store and then we need to bring it home and hubby will have to put it together. I do have all the other basics for the room though like sheets, a changing pad and covers, a laundry hamper, diapers, wipes, clothes, blankets and such. It is almost all taken care of. I am relieved! Oh and instead of spending $80+ dollars on a brand new swing, I bought this one from a lady on Craigslist for only $40. It wouldn't have been my first choice as far as colors go, but it will do the job and it will keep Madison more at my level (rather than a portable one that is closer to the ground) which will make putting her in and out much easier.

-Movement: Still tons and tons of movement and I love it, most of the time. Even while my doc was doing the ultrasound, Madison kept moving around and making it hard for her to see all the things she wanted to. Ha! We are going to have our hands full with this little girl!

-Clothing: All maternity. I have been living in my maxi skirts and dresses lately. They are the most comfortable thing for me to wear right now...and they keep me pretty cool.

-Cravings: Again, no new cravings this week. I have been eating pretty horribly though so it's back to healthy foods and tons of fruit.

-Overall Feeling: Had you asked me this yesterday, I may have just burst into tears. I was very emotional yesterday and that probably had to do with the fact that I had woken up at 3:30 in the morning and could NOT go back to sleep. I even came out into the living room, watched a little tv and tried to get back into bed but nothing was helping. Finally, at 6:30 am I just started crying. I was so frustrated and tired. Luckily, my parents are my saviors and offered to have us come over as soon as Brayden woke up so I could get some rest. (Since hubby works at night, he is sleeping during the day and can't help out.) I got to take a short nap and then do a quick trip to Babies R Us to get the rest of the things I needed for Madison. I had a great night of sleep last night and today I am feeling wonderful!!! I have picked up the house, put a whole chicken with a seasoning paste in the crockpot, took Brayden to the park and got his lunch ready all before noon. It was a great morning! Hopefully this continues (the good sleep) so I can get everything set up for Madison.

-Fears: I am back to fearing the pain after giving birth. I am confident that everything during birth will go great like it did last time (fingers crossed) but I remember being in a lot of pain once we got home. It was hard to get up and down off the couch and now I will have a toddler wanting to play on top of having a newborn. I know I have a great support system here and my MIL will be here as well so I just need to actually take it easy this time. I need to remember that my health is just as important as Madison's and Brayden's and that I can count on others to do things for me. And that it's okay that the floors are a little dirty or there are dishes in the sink. I will just need to rest this time and not try to be the supermom I tried to be last time. 

I am also a little afraid of Brayden reacting to Madison. I am going to keep a few of his birthday presents hidden and use those on days where Brayden doesn't really feel involved and it having a rough time. Hopefully that will help him adjust to Madison and the fact that he has to share my time. I fear the day that hubby is working, my MIL has gone home to Alabama, and it is just me and the two kids. Obviously I will make it just fine but I know this will be a learning experience for everyone and I just hope we can all learn quickly.

Whew. Sorry this was so long but I am clearly feeling a lot of emotions and typing this all out really helps me to process. Oh and if you have any tips for dealing with a 2-year old and a newborn, I would totally appreciate them!!

Brayden's Birthday Bash: Arrrgggg!!!

If any of you remember, we had a HUGE monster party for Brayden's first birthday. It was absolutely crazy! This year I decided to keep Brayden's party very small for several reasons. 1) I can't afford to feed about 50 people on top of purchasing all the decorations and Brayden's present. 2) Brayden got so many presents last year that we literally just opened one of the last few about a week ago. It has taken over a year to open all those presents. Ugh!! We definitely have the space to hold all those presents especially with Madison arriving so soon. 3) I wanted it to be easy. I didn't want to be running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. I wanted to actually enjoy my son's birthday and spend time with him. 

Everything was perfect! Brayden still got a ton of presents but it's totally manageable. I am going to be going through them this weekend and deciding on a few things to put up and away that I will be able to take out on a particularly rough day after Madison comes (I know we will have those days and I think a small present reminding him how much I love him would really help!). 

If you saw the sneak peek picture from my bumpdate, then you already know we had a pirate theme party! It was so fun and actually not very expensive. I was going to DIY some decorations but I found decorations so cheap that it would have been more expensive to make them myself! So instead of boring you with my words, I will let the pictures do the talking! 

No cake this year...just cupcakes made my ME! And I got the food picks with the grey polka dot paper at Target and just added pirate stickers.

Tables were decorated with beaded necklaces and baskets of Pirate's Booty for guests to snack on.

Such a ham!

This was the appetizer table. Table cloth from Party City and my mom already had the awesome chests that we filled with snacks like trail mix and chips.

Carrying in his presents!

Still so spoiled!

Easy way to know which cup in yours....pirate stickers on each cup. (Unless you are me and can't remember which stickers you had....then you have to write your name too!)

Pirate balloons from party city and polka dot balloons from Target.

Awesome pirate tattoos from Party City...Brayden picked out this extremely TOUGH parrot for me to have!

While opening presents, he got a tooth brush and insisted on cleaning up his teeth!

Blowing out his candle (from Target).

He took one bite of his cupcake and didn't want any more. He actually asked for his drink. Haha!! (He doesn't have sugary things very often!)

Having a blast playing with all his new toys!

Grandma and Grandpa got him a freaking police car!!! Spoiled rotten by them!

We got him this trike! He has gone on a ride in it basically every day since his party! He loves it!

As you can tell, the party was a huge success. Brayden was a little grouchy but that's because he didn't get to take his regular nap at 12:30 since the party started at 11. He was entertained though and once he got some food in his belly, he was a little happier. He did great opening all his presents. I thought for sure he would get stuck on a present and refuse to open the rest of them but he kept moving right along! It was a huge help that hubby kept passing him a new present to open and I would move the already opened present off to the side. 

The party was pretty short (I think everyone was gone by 2:30) but it was perfect! Brayden got to go down for a nap and then wake up and play with his toys all over again. 

I can't thank everyone enough for coming to Brayden's party and making his 2nd birthday so special. I still can't believe he is 2! Lord help up with the terrible twos that have already started.

Madison's Baby Sprinkle!

My mom was nice enough to throw me a baby sprinkle for Madison (along with the help from my grandma) and it was amazing!! I am so lucky to have so many great family members and friends that completely spoiled us! I think this is the first baby girl in our family in a very long time so everyone had a blast shopping for the frilly stuff! Although it was a warm day, we had the party in my parent's backyard and it was perfect. 

My mom did such an awesome job decorating!

Baby socks will forever be the cutest!

Sparkle shoes!

All the gifts...like I said, SPOILED!!

Playing a few baby shower games! 

Diaper cake! No baby shower is complete without one.

Sister! So glad she was able to come down for the weekend!

Momma/party planner!!

Ready to open gifts

So many cute outfits!!

Grandma!

Feeling baby Madison move around like a dang acrobat!

Brayden decided to test out Madison's bathtub! Haha!

Jackie...love her!

And Toni! Practically my other sister.

I am so incredibly thankful to everyone that came and spoiled us rotten! I think Madison has enough clothes to get her through her first 9 months no problem! It was such an amazing day and I couldn't ask for a better support system. Everyone is so ready to have baby Maddie arrive!

Bumpdate: 32 Weeks!

I know I say this every week but I can't believe I only have 8 weeks left (maybe!). Madison is now 3.75 pounds and 16.7 inches long! She is getting big and taking up more space. Finally I can feel, and see, her movements above my belly button.

The bump picture for this week is also a sneak peek into the baby sprinkle from the weekend! More pictures and details to come!

-Due Date: September 11

-Weight Gain: +19 pounds total

-Gender: GIRL! Madison Kay.

-Nursery: As of right now, we still just have the crib ready. I plan on getting a lot done this week so hopefully I will have more to show you next week. 

-Movement: As I mentioned before, I can feel her movements everywhere now! She moves my entire belly which hubby thinks is very weird! I love when I lay down at night and Madison just goes crazy!

-Clothing: All maternity and lately it has been just maxi skirts and dresses. The last few days have been very warm around here so the lighter the clothing, the better!

-Cravings: I haven't been craving shrimp lately so it's just been fruit. We will see if anything new pops up before baby Madison comes.

-Overall Feeling: Exhausted. We had a crazy busy weekend with my baby shower and Brayden's birthday party and it was non-stop! I am taking today to recover and then hopefully getting a lot done the rest of this week to prepare for Madison.

-Fears: Getting everything I need. I got so many clothes for Madison but I still need a few things before she comes. I still need a dresser, a monitor, a swing and then smaller basics like crib sheets and diapers. I know we will get it all but I just need to buckle down and really get everything done and prepared.

Also, here is a sneak peek from Brayden's birthday party!

Swords, tattoos and skulls with cross bones! Arrrgg!

Brayden Turned TWO!!!

It is official. Brayden turned two yesterday. I am sort of dying inside from a breaking heart. How can my baby boy, born just yesterday, be two years old?! At the same time, Brayden cracks me up on a daily basis and it is so fun to hear the new things that come out of his mouth! He is talking in full sentences most of the time so we have actual conversations with him. I absolutely love that he talks so well and can communicate his wants and needs. It's such a relief that I don't have to guess what he wants {although I will be back to that very soon with Madison}.

Speaking of Madison, Brayden is getting more used to the idea of having a sister. We set up her crib and Brayden knows it's for Madison. We will see how he does when she arrives but I have high hopes that he will adjust quickly.

Back to Brayden...we went to his new doctor for the first time today and he did really well. He is right at 30 pounds {75th percentile} and 34 inches tall {50th percentile}. The doc was really pleased with his vocabulary and activity level {running, jumping etc.}. Everything looked great and I am one happy momma!!

Likes:
Water
Baths
Running
Singing
Dancing
Drumming
Cartoons {Elmo, anything Disney, Sprout channel}
Fruit {Cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries, banana}
Broccoli
Cheese
Carbs {noodles, bread, crackers etc}
Movies {Baby Genius, Tangled, Lion King, Up, Ice Age, Toy Story 2}

Dislikes:
Getting in trouble {spanked, time outs}
Leaving to go home {sometimes he won't say goodbye}
Diaper changes

Honestly, he is so happy 99% of the time. He isn't happy when he doesn't listen and gets in trouble. Then I see tears while he sits in time out for like a whole 20 seconds. Then we say sorry, give hugs, and move on. We are starting to see the "terrible twos" that everyone talks about. He will purposefully ignore what we say or do the opposite. Obviously that is when the consequences come up but he is still such a good boy! We are so incredibly lucky and I can't even imagine how Madison will make our lives even better. Life is so amazing right now and I know we just have greater things coming our way {new/better jobs, a house hopefully in the next few years, maybe another baby if we can afford it...}. Brayden has made us into an amazing family and I can't wait to see how he is as a big brother.

This is how we spent Brayden's actual birthday! His party won't be until Sunday so all the big stuff is happening then. It was a very low-key day! We went out to breakfast and had some awesome French toast and then wasted away our day with a nap and cartoons. Later, my parents came over to enjoy Brayden's birthday dinner and a trip to the park. Then some awesome peach dump cake for dessert!

Oh and you can't forget the free slurpee on 7-11 from 7-11! Brayden liked it but thought it was too cold!

He liked our singing so much that he requested we do it again! Silly boy...doesn't know what good singing sounds like!

He was upset when we were done singing. Oh and he had decided that he didn't want to be two, he still wanted to be one.

He loved the dessert though!!

We had a great day and I can't wait to come back and show you everything from his party on Sunday! Hopefully I will have that up by Tuesday....we will see how exhausted I am from this crazy weekend {baby shower tomorrow and then Brayden's party Sunday!}.