The New Man in My Life

I am so happy to announce that on September 2nd, 2014 at 7:50am, Mark Walter made his entrance into this world!  Everything went 100% as smoothly as imaginable, which is a complete 180 from his big sister's birth, but that's another story for another day.
 
 
This handsome guy weighed in at a healthy 9lbs even, and was 21 1/4 inches long. 
 

 



 Big sis MK has been in love with him from the start!

 

 

Did I mention that MK is loving being a big sister?



 

We are so excited to have this little addition to our family.  He is so sweet, cuddly, and best of all- he's an easy baby!!

 

 

 
 
 

Hospital Bag: Older and Wiser

There are a lot of things you do differently the second time around as a parent.  I remember packing my hospital bag when I was pregnant with MK at roughly 30 weeks, and cramming it full of a bunch of crap that never got used. 

This time is pretty different.  For starters, I'm having this baby in five days or less, and I just packed the majority of my things earlier this afternoon.  I remember what I did and did not use last time, and what I wish I'd had. 

I'm no great photographer, plus it was storming today when I took these photos, so natural light was nonexistent, but here's a quick run-down of things I'll be taking with me this time around:

The pathetic attempt at an overhead shot:

 

So here's the basic overview, keeping in mind that I know I'll be having a c-section and will be in the hospital for four nights:

-nursing tanks, nursing bras, t-shirt, and regular tank top

-yoga pants

-nursing cover

-nursing pads (disposable and reusable) and lanolin

-Kindle, Flip Video and phone charger

-blow dryer, hair straightener

-toiletries bags

-Boppy pillow with this cover

-Bamboo post-partum wrap

-Baby's going home outfit

Here's a much better shot at the baby's coming home outfit that I found on eBay.  It's from Carter's but is no longer sold online.

 

Once I realized how horrible the photos I was attempting to take in my room were going to turn out, I decided to skip trying to take photos of the items in my toiletries bags.  I have a bigger bag of things I'll need in the shower and once I get out, and then I have my smaller make-up bag, which I'll grab in the morning on the way to the hospital.  Here's a grouping of the items in my big bag.  

 

Tresemme <span>Lightweight Conditioner</span>
Olay <span>Face Anti-Aging</span>

 

I have travel sized versions of most of these products in my bag, but here's the general idea:
-shampoo and conditioner
-body wash
-hair products, comb, and brush
-facial wash and moisturizer
-make-up removing wipes
-night cream and serum
-regular deodorant
-aerosol deodorant- With a C-section, I won't be able to get out of bed for a day or possibly two.  Also, once you have a baby, the night sweats come at you like nobody's business, so by the time Thursday morning will roll around, I'm sure I'll be a little stanky.  Spray deodorant will help.
-toothpaste, mouthwash, toothbrush
-Not Your Mother's dry shampoo- I am planning on only washing my hair once or twice during my hospital stay.  This will help me ward off the grease and dirty hair smell
-Shave gel (I know I'll have a hard time attempting to shave my legs, but I absolutely cannot stand unshaven pits, amiright?)
-Spray lotion and hand crème- my skin gets DRY

A few other things I'll be bringing that I haven't pictured are our good camera, some flip flops, cozy socks, a cardigan or robe or something like that, slippers, some snacks, and a book and trashy magazines.

Ken's going back to work for the days immediately following baby's arrival so he can use his full paternity leave when I'm back at home.  During the days, it's just going to be me, baby, the nurses, and the occasional visitor.  That's why I'm bringing reading material.  Ooh... maybe I should throw some Harry Potter DVDs in the bag, too, for good measure :)

Am I forgetting anything here?  I think that's enough!

Friday. Five.

Even though I stay at home now, I still get pretty excited for Fridays, because it means Ken will be home for the following two days, and we can hang out as a family.  I'm especially looking forward to this weekend because we have no plans other than a pool party with friends.  It will be a good one!

Before I dive in too deeply to the weekend ahead of me, here are five things that made me smile this past week.

1.)  I made this cake for my friends' son's first birthday party.  It's one of my all-time favorite cakes I've ever made.  And, bonus for us- making cakes always results in cake scraps, and cake scraps always equal cake balls in our house.  So, we've been snacking on those all week.

 



 2.  I've really been having a good time with MK this summer, going to play at playgrounds and hanging out in our back yard.  Kids are so easy to please.  Just a hose and some room to run around will keep them completely happy. 

 

^^Baby bump photo bomb in the background up here^^

 
3.)  MK and I hit up an amazing consignment sale yesterday and I got some really cute fall clothes for her, and a few pieces for the baby.  I let her out of the stroller for a little bit, and immediately regretted it when she refused to get out of this toy car for about twenty minutes.  I almost bought it, but thankfully, she got distracted by a dollhouse and eventually climbed out.
 
By the way, I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I get the cutest clothes and best deals from shopping consignment sales.  It's almost like sport to me.  I can't get enough of it.  I'm a tiny bit bummed that many fall sales are happening so close to my delivery date with baby #2.  I think I'll be missing out on a lot of good stuff!

 

4.)  I had my 37 week check-up on Wednesday, and baby is still sounding good and moving a ton.  My doctor actually made me cry at this appointment.  I love my doctor.  She was telling me how impressed she is by my healthy weight gain, good blood pressure, lack of swelling, and overall excellent health this pregnancy.  She said I'm doing much better than most of the women she sees.  I can't express how much these words meant to me, since I was completely lazy and gained so much weight last time.  It's nice to hear that my efforts are paying off, and that baby and I are benefitting from my good choices.

 

And, here's a picture from yesterday morning of my baby being all weird, and hanging out on my left side.

 
 

 

5.)  Baby will be here in TWELVE days or less!!!  I can't contain my excitement for it.  I have been having some moderate contractions a handful of times each day, but nothing that makes me think active labor is starting.  I'm okay with following through with a repeat C-section, but it would be exciting if I got to experience going on my own.  Only time will tell!

 

 

Happy Friday!  Have a good weekend, everyone!!

 

Linking up!

 

Toddler Favorites- Bath Time

Life with a toddler seems to move at a crazy pace.  We're always up and moving, chugging along, and trying to keep up with this busy life.  This typically results in MK ending up sticky, dirty, covered in food, and me occasionally asking, "what iiiiiiiiiiisssssss that?" While attacking her face with a Boogie Wipe.

Luckily, homegirl LOVES bath time.  Not only is bathing essential to overall hygiene, it's turned into a great way for her to mellow out before bedtime each night.  I just love reading her a bedtime story with her hair all clean, and her skin smelling like lavender. 

I always like to read about things other parents are using with their kids, so I thought I'd put together my own little list of bath time favorites.

Aveeno <span>Kids Bath &amp; Body</span>
Walgreens <span>Bath Toys</span>

We love the Boon Frog Pod as our toy storage system.  It mounts to the wall and the front portion is a big scoop with tons of holes for drainage. 

These Sassy Bath Toys are so cute and fun.  I like that they're just a little bit different from the typical bath squirters.

This towel is so great!  It's the perfect size for a toddler.  MK has outgrown pretty much all of the "baby" hooded towels that we got at our baby shower, but this one is bigger, and a heavier material, so it's perfect for her.  I may go back and get the giraffe one, too!

MK is a big fan of the cling letters.  They're a spongy foam, and she likes to name the colors as we stick them to the sides of the tub.  I name the letter, she says the color, and I feel like I'm sneaking in a bit of education with our bath time. 

I had bathtub crayons just like these when I was a kid.  They were some of my favorite things, and I think MK loves them just as much as I do did. 

For our favorite personal products during bath time, I absolutely love Aveeno baby.  I've been buying Aveeno products for myself for years because I find them to be gentle and hydrating to my dry, irritable skin, and the baby line does not disappoint.  I also love the coupons and price point! 

I am also proud to announce that MK's hair is finally long enough to *really* need a good combing after her bath, so I pulled out another classic from my childhood.  The Suave Kids Double Dutch Apple De-tangler spray is just as effective on her curly locks as they were on mine 30 years ago.


So those are our bath time favorites.  They're not too exciting, but they work for us!  Are there any other exciting products out there we should be trying?

Mommy Wars are a First World Problem

Quite a few of my Facebook friends have recently shared this blog post, lamenting the ridiculousness of "Mommy Wars" and how we, as moms, sometimes feel the need to adapt our parenting based on the friends we'll be seeing on any given day.  While I love the fact that the underlying message is that we shouldn't be giving a crap about what other moms are doing, or what brand of cheesy snacks they are feeding their kids, I am forced to laugh at the nature of this post.

Don't get me wrong, because I really do love it when the moms of the world band together to support one another, but people actually buy different snacks based on whom they'll be seeing? 

Am I the only person who does not have stuff like this anywhere on my radar? 

We are currently a one-income family because I lost my job and haven't been able to find one since.  While I love-love-love staying at home, we didn't come into this situation by choice.  We've had to work very hard to make it work.  We bust our butts to budget and shop within our means, and I am really freaking proud to say that we haven't carried a balance on our credit cards one single month. 

That being the case, MK doesn't get her pick of all of the cheesy snacks under the sun.  The snacks we bring to the playground are the ones that are affordable and that our entire family will eat.  She gets Greek yogurt, string cheese, grapes, Wheat Thins (well, the Target brand version of them...), and pretzels.  If we regularly kept more expensive snacks in the house, she'd probably get those.  However, Ken and I were not blessed with good metabolism or beach bodies, so we try to keep healthier stuff on hand.  That, and that alone, is why MK gets those snacks. 

When I pack a bag for our outings to the Zoo or the park, I don't think for two seconds about what other moms will be feeding their kids.  I open our cabinets, consider the options, and grab the food that will last for several hours while we're out. 

In my humble opinion, both bunnies and goldfish are privileges.  As is juice.  MK gets milk and water to drink-that's it!  This is because water is free and milk is good for her bones.  We don't have it in our budget to add juice to her diet.  It's as simple as that.

So, my message to the moms of the world is this: Please stop worrying about stuff like this.  If you can afford to buy two different versions of the same snack, you do not need to be complaining.  You probably have less to worry about than a lot of other people.  Feel grateful.  Feel free.  And take two seconds off from thinking about stuff like this, and go play with your babies instead.

Weekend Re-cap: Less is Definitely More

Maybe it's the fact that I'm a 31-year-old, pregnant mom and wife, but I find myself more excited about weekends without plans than weekends with a lot of things crammed into a few days.

This past weekend was one without any plans, and it was just what we needed.

Friday started off with a quick 34-week check-up at my doctor's office.  Baby is still measuring big, and his or her heart rate was nice and strong.  After that I hit up the grocery store for my big monthly shopping trip, and we rounded out the evening with Chinese take-out.  Our fortune cookies were noteworthy.  Ken's said, "Your wife will bring you much joy in life," and mine made me feel confused, but hopeful:

Whatever that means...

 

On Saturday, I got up and did a big shopping trip to Target to get things that our grocery store didn't have.  I know a lot of people will think I'm crazy, but I plan out my shopping trips in great depth.  It pays off for our family, though.  With coupons, my Cartwheel app, and our Target RedCard, I knocked $30 off of my total.  That's $30 worth of free food and home goods. 

 

Ken not so subtly planted an idea in my head that I should bake some kind of brownie/blondie concoction, so I made something remotely along those lines.  It didn't turn out *great* but we still enjoyed it. 

 

Neither one of us felt like cooking dinner, so we packed up the little lady and headed out to Five Guys.  When we finished eating, we didn't feel like going home yet, so we made the bold choice to walk around Toys R Us with MK to try to get an idea for possible birthday gifts for her before we get too busy with the new baby.  We learned two things from this excursion: 1.)  She does really, really well if allowed to just walk on her own.  2.)  This kid likes EVERYTHING.  This is a really good thing, because we will be able to get away with virtually any birthday gift, but a little frustrating at the same time, because we have no idea what to get her!  Oh well, we have about three months to figure out all of that.

 

We went home, got MK all tucked into bed, and then Ken and I continued indulging in bad food.  We used the bars I made earlier in the day as the base for some home-made brownie sundaes.  Then we cozied up on the couch and watched The Heat.  From what I saw, it was really funny, but unfortunately, I fell asleep about halfway through.  So pregnant.  So tired.  

 

On Sunday, I got a head start on making some of the freezer meals I want to have ready for when the baby arrives.  I made 4 recipes, and some of those made multiple servings.  Ken was slightly baffled by all of this, and said, "I feel like you're preparing for hibernation!"  Okay, so maaaaaaybe I'm going a little overboard, but I'd rather be over-prepared.  Sue me.

 

The rest of Sunday was as lazy as humanly possible, and I loved it.

 

Bonus day:  I looked at the seven-day forecast this morning, and it looked like today was going to be the only day this week with no rain predicted.  I decided to take that as a sign that MK and I should get out and do something fun.  I had a few errands to run, but wanted to make sure we had some fun, too.  We took care of my errands right away, and then stopped by the library.  After that, we went to our favorite splash pad at Tilles Park for about an hour, and then I took her (for the very first time!) to the BEST sno-cone stand in St. Louis, The Tropical Moose.  She didn't quite understand what to do with the sno-cone, but it was delicious on a hot day, and we had fun.  She napped HARD after that.

 

I am soaking up these last days of summer, and these last days of just MK and me while I can.  I know twice the fun awaits us with the arrival of #2, but it's hard to imagine at this point. 

 

We have a very busy weekend ahead of us, and I know it will be another good one.  I'm just trying to savor the lazy days while I can!

Weekend Re-cap: Busy Toddler= Happy Toddler

We just wrapped up one of the busiest weekends in recent history, and it was good for the soul.  The only teeny tiny regret I have is that it was so busy that I forgot to take as many pictures as I would have liked.

Our weekend kicked off in the best way possible, with Ken making breakfast for dinner when he got home from work on Friday.  This was especially exciting because it meant I didn't have to cook!  He whipped up some pancakes from scratch and bacon, and all was right with the world.  About a year ago, he discovered baking the bacon, instead of cooking it in a frying pan.  I want to pass on the word about this phenomenon.  It's a game changer.

After dinner, we retreated to the living room to let MK run and play for a little bit before bedtime.  Once she was down for the night, Ken and I settled in on the couch to finish season 2 of Orange is the New Black.  I didn't want it to be over, but now that we've seen the finale, I can finally say that it was one of the most satisfying season finales I've ever seen.  I was nervous from hearing a lot of other people say they didn't like it, but when the big thing happened at the very end, we both yelled out, "YEEEEEESSSS!!" because it was THAT good.

I had big plans for us on Saturday.  Ken plays in an athletic club that was having a tournament in Forest Park, and a high of 98 was predicted for the day.  Yikes.  I didn't let that stop me from cramming as much fun into the day as possible.  I got up with MK, whisked her off to The Zoo, and we powered through it in less than 3 hours.  She had an amazing time, and I LOVE that she is at the age where she can really enjoy doing stuff like this.

 

We left The Zoo at around noon, and headed over to the fields where Ken was playing.  MK was pretty tired at this point, but I figured letting her run around for a little bit longer would be okay.  She usually goes down for her nap at 1:30ish, so I knew we had a little extra time before the meltdown would happen.  We got to sit with some friends and see some of the tournament for a little bit, while MK played with a Nalgene bottle full of ice cubes.  She was pretty happy to be doing that. 

 

After Ken's game, it was nap time, so MK and I headed back home for some R&R.  After she woke up and Ken got home, we headed over to hang out with some friends and their kids.  We had dinner, watched Frozen, and ate mind-blowing ice cream from a local shop.  A good time was had by all.

 

We were pretty lazy for the majority of Sunday.  I woke up and made these cinnamon rolls, which are a big favorite at our house.  Ken went to his softball games in the afternoon, while MK took a very good nap.  I tried taking a nap, too, but at 34 weeks pregnant, I'm having a really hard time getting comfortable and getting good sleep.  After MK woke up, we headed over to a BBQ with some more friends and their kids.  She got to run around outside, climb on things, blow bubbles, swing a baby golf club, and see baby kittens while I got to hang out with fun friends and eat good food.  It was great!

 

We crashed HARD on Sunday night when we got home.  I am pretty sure the rate at which I put on my yoga pants must have set some kind of world record. 

 

It was a great weekend, and I'm glad we're able to get out and do so much before this next baby comes.  The weather is supposed to be beautiful all week long, so I'm sure that a few trips to the playground are awaiting us!

 

Happy Monday, everyone!