Round Two!!

We've been quite busy and quiet as we've been waiting to announce the news that we are expecting Baby Brine 2.0! It's been a whirlwind, and we're so excited to have safely made it through the first trimester.

 

 

I have to say, the second time has been SO different. A lot more nausea and vomitting, way more fatigue (but I blame a lot of that on bink weaning), and a beautiful little toddler that I got to run after this time.

 

Due April 27, 2015, this little one is due 9 days before Charlotte's second birthday. We always imagined our children would be around 2 years apart, and we are so blessed that has come to be!

 

I really want to start tracking bump updates, since my two pregnancies have already been SO different, so we'll get started with this weeks. A little late, but this is from Monday at 14 weeks.

How far along?: 14 weeks

Weight gained?: 6 pounds as of last week (aka way more than round 1, sigh...)
Showing yet?: A little bit, especially at the end of the day. Still able to hide it pretty well!

Clothes?: Working from home full time has allowed me to stay in my non-maternity sweats. I can still wear some jeans and dress pants, but they get a bit uncomfortable. Still sporting all non-maternity tops.

Cravings?: Anything salty
Adversions?: Coffee. I know, right?

Sleep?:  Pretty good. Rocking my second cold in the last 2 weeks, but managing to sleep pretty well. Enjoying the fact that I am not having to get up to pee anymore, which won't last.

Gender?:  Just scheduled our anatomy scan for our anniversary on December 3!

Movement?: Feeling flutters but they're very infrequent.

Symptoms?: I still get queasy in the mornings, so eating first thing is a must. Sporting some fun acne, which is new.

 

And a big sister picture!

 

 

Life as of Late/Bink Weaning

It's been super hectic running around and loving up on my sweet Charlotte girl. I can't believe she'll be turning 17 months next week. Times flies when you are having fun, that's for sure!

 

 

 

Our baby girl is full on toddler mode these days, talking up a storm and oh so very active.

 

Her vocabulary expands daily, and she constantly amazes me with how grown up she seems. I know soon enough she'll be talking in full sentences! Here are some of her most frequent words:

 

Mama

Dada

Baaa Baa (her lamby)

Char Char (that's what she calls herself, I die)

Apple

Milp (aka Milk)

Wawa

Waffle

Ball

Cup

Up

Down

Elmo

Buh-Bye

Owl

Fly (loves airplanes!)

Wagon

Shoes

Socks

Bow

Brush

 

 

I know she's probbaly in the average range for vocabulary, but I just want to bottle up the way she says some of these words! When she hears or learns a new word, she looks at the way your mouth is moving so she can mimic. It has to be the sweetest thing I've seen!

 

Another thing that we decided to attempt this past week was bink weaning. I honestly don't know WHY I felt the need to wean her, but it jut tseemed like time. Her teeth are almost all in and I feel like it can't be good for her. Anyway, aside from that, we decided to goes balls deep last weekend. On Saturday night, we tried cold turkey. Girlfriend was PISSED! We ended up cutting the tip of her bink off and gave it to her. She fell asleep okay, but woke up in the middle of the night once and struggled to get back to sleep.

 

On Sunday and Monday, for both naps and bedtime, she used the cut tip bink. She was up more frequently than usual and her bedtime routine seemed never ending.

 

On Tuesday, her teachers at day care decided to not give her a bink altogether. She took a great nap for them so we thought we were making some progress.

 

Tuesday night was HORRIBLE. I am not trying to sound dramatic, but she struggled big time. Her normal 5 minute bedtime turned into an hour and a half. She ended up losing her bink so she's been sans bink ever since. She cried, we checked in on her, she cried more, and eventually she was out. She woke up once that night and Hubs went in and checked on her, changed her diaper, and laid her back down. She got up and screamed for a minute, and then slept until morning.

 

*KNOCK ON WOOD* We've had some pretty successful bedtimes since then. More to come on if she regresses or anything, but overall it wasn't as painful as we expected.

Charlotte at 15 Months!

Charlotte will be 15 months in a week, and I've been majorly slacking on documenting everything that's been going on. I swear we've been to the pediatrician every week since she turned 1. It's been exhausting and super frustrating. Let's hope she's healthy for the rest of summer & fall!

 

 We've been loving our little lady's personality these days. She's got SO much energy and so much to say. She babbles all. day. long. I personally love it, because I'm a talker & I finally feel like I'm getting a good conversation with her haha!

 

We were at the doctor's yesterday, so these will change once she goes to her formal 15 month appointment in August, and these are her stats:

 

Weight: 21 pounds, 11 ounces

Height: 28.5 inches

 

Girlfriend is wearing a size 3 shoe (ready to size up soon!), and size 3 diaper. We bought 4's, but once they get wet/full, they sag. This is no bueno, so we'll be going back to 3's.

 

She's still wearing 12 month clothes, but will likely need some 18 month things soon. She's getting a big buddha belly that's hard to fit into some of her things ;)

 

 

We're down to one glorious nap, which ranges from 2-3 hours. She normally goes down around 1:00 at day care, but at home we can get her down a little earlier. During this time I run around like a maniac to cook, clean, do laundry, help Hubs with yard work, or contemplate taking a nap.

 

 

Meals are SO tricky right now. She's so disinterested in eating a solid meal and prefers to graze all day long. It's really frustrating, and we're trying to get better at giving her better options. She loves carbs, hates meats, and picks at fruits and veggies. She loves PB&J, milk, watermelon, grapes, yogurt & green beans.

 

She loves running around outside (which has be pondering what we'll be doing to burn energy in the winter months!), playing at the playground, diggy in dirt & "pretending". She'll play with her babydoll, give her hugs, play tea with her teaset, and help mama with chores.

 

She's really independent these days, and we need to find ways for her to help. This can be tricky, but so much fun to see her get excited when she does something on her own!

Charlotte's Pink Lemonade Party

I found some of the cutest ideas for Charlotte's birthday party on Pinterest (DUH!) and was SO excited to do a lot of DIY's along the way. I started planning details and making purchases in March, as many mom's know, time is of the essence. It seemed much less daunting to plan a party for 50+ people by planning so far ahead.

Here are some shots from her big day!

 

Tissue Paper Garland from The Flair Exchange

 

Kraft Boxes from Shop Sweet LuLu

 

Pinwheels from Pottery Barn Kids (sold out)

 

I love getting my sunflowers from Trader Joe's! $3.99 for 4-5!

 

Lemonade Stand DIY, crate from Michael's

 

Smash cake, decorated by my cousin & I!

 

Dr. Seuss Book

 

DIY tutu

 

 

Petite Lemon Poster

 

We had such a fun time celebrating Charlotte's first birthday. She was spoiled beyond belief and loved every minute of it, most especially when it came time for cake!

Happy 1st Birthday, Charlotte!!

As I logged onto blogger to post this, I saw it's also my 100th post- how ironic!! Two big milestones today!

First off, a HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my favorite one-year-old girl!! It's so hard to remember life before you. This year has taught me so much- how to love unconditionally and without limits, and how to be patient. Also, that this life isn't about me anymore, and making you smile is my number one goal. You have brought so much joy into our lives, and so much happiness. 

You may be pint size, but you are full of spunk and energy. I hope that you never lose your open mindedness- your smile lights up a room. Your princess wave has been known to make someones day and your smirk warms the coldest of hearts. 

I love you so much, my princess! You have been the best thing that's ever happened to us, and we couldn't imagine loving you more, though we'll try. You'll always be out little munch, the spunky baby girl who stole our hearts. Thank you for teaching me SO much about being a mother, and thank you for choosing us.

Mini Meal's: 11 Months

Charlotte went through the puree phase quite fast. She never really liked them for more than 2 months, and once she figured out how to grab the spoon, well, she wanted to grab the food as well! We had to quickly come up with finger foods for her to enjoy, which can be fun, but also limited at this point in time.

 

She's not a fan of protein (we've tried chicken, pork and beef), and loves veggies and grapes. I can't get her to eat bananas, pears, or apple sticks, so I'm needing suggestions!

 

Her veggie preferences are peas, cooked carrots, butternut squash and green beans. I've tried broccoli and she wasn't enthused either

 

She enjoys sucking the marinara off cooked pasta, but rately eats the pasta itself.

 

Our two other go-to items are yogurt and cheese. I buy these in the snack sizes from Costco and cut them into sticks. She loves them and will sometimes eat 2 at a time.

 

I'm waiting for her to turn 1 before I give her strawberries and peanut butter. I'm hoping those will also become go to items, but we shall see.

 

So, what are you little one's go to meals? I love suggestions!  

11 Months!

I feel like over the last month Charlotte has grown so much that I've statred to refer to her as a toddler. Ah the "T" word! I want my baby to stay a baby!

 

I've loved watching her grow and develop. This past month we've maintained her diet and routine, which has been nice. She's doing so many more new things, so I'll focus on that this month instead!

 

- "dat?" Is her newest trick. She loves to point at things to inquire about what they are. I love this and enjoy teaching her all about the new things shes observing!

 

- Babbling all.day.long. This girl went from random babbles throughout the day to full blow talking non-stop. The "mamamama" and "gagaga" are my favorite. I'd say it's the female in her ;)

 

- She's been taking a few steps unaided here and there, but is mostly content on crawling, which she is quite efficient doing! We try to get her to walk but she's very stubborn and will only do it if SHE wants to.

 

- Loves to stand and squat, which is hilarious to watch her do. Her legs have to be a tiny 10 inches long. Love her and her pint size!

 

- Playing with things that are not toys is probably her #1 favorite thing to do. Fine by me, less clutter in the living room! Whoop!

 

- Eating off our plates. Ya, I hate this and hope to not make it a habit. She eats table food but typically eats dinner much earlier than we do. She's been pushing back her bedtime a bit, so we've been eating dinner while she's still awake which means she wants to eat everything we have. This includes putting her whole hand in my ketchup. Nice!

 

We've been loving this stage and I'm probably going to melt down when she turns 1. She's been the light of our life and we can't remember life before her!