Big Changes

A couple weeks ago we put Lacey down for the nap and were cleaning up our house. I turned around to the most adorable little girl standing behind me. She was so proud of herself for being able to get out of her room by herself. We put her back into her bed, and sure enough she was out within a couple of minutes. This is one thing I wasn't really prepared for. She hasn't ever tried to climb out before, so I was hoping I would get lucky and not have to deal with her climbing out. We immediately dropped her her mattress down to the floor and we thought that solved the problem. 

A couple days ago she figured out how to climb out, even with the mattress a good 8 inches lower. We considered getting a tent to go over the top of the crib... those were like $200 so that went to the bottom of the list. We thought about maybe turning the crib around so the higher side wasn't against the wall anymore. We ultimately decided to see how she would do without the crib. I bought her a little teepee for her birthday just last week so we stuck her mattress in there and took down the crib. Turns out that was the best decision (knock on wood). 

I had to sneak in to see if she was actually sleeping on her bed or where she fell asleep

She is sleeping better now than she has been in the last few weeks. She doesn't try to get out of the bed, she doesn't cry, and she is sleeping really well. She loves being a big girl... maybe it's time to potty train?

Worries and To-dos

My best friend out here in Milwaukee was due 2.5 weeks before me. We were so excited to have our babies so close together! She ended up having her little boy, Kaden, last week (2.5 weeks early). Although I'm pretty sure that my baby won't be coming early it kind of got me thinking about how unprepared I am for this one.

I have a to-do list about a mile long. I want to have my whole apartment deep cleaned before I bring home the baby. I want to organize all of our stuff in our basement so I don't have to when we move in like 10 months. The room that will be the baby's room is currently more like a storage room then a bedroom. So I need to go through and pack up everything to put it in the basement. I wanted to make this baby a quilt, but that isn't looking like it is going to happen before the baby gets here. I am just feeling a tad overwhelmed by how much stuff I have going on. 

Then, on the other hand, I am sitting here panicked about how little time I have with just Lacey. I'm rushing around trying to check off everything on my to-do list, and I've forgotten to enjoy the last couple weeks of it just being me and Lacey all day. I feel guilty. I feel like I should be using my time to make sure she knows how loved she is. Make sure we get out of the house as often as we can because I don't know how often we will be going out once the baby arrives. It's probably silly to feel like such a failure, it isn't like I'm going to completely ignore Lacey once the baby comes. I just know that my relationship with her is going to be different, and that scares me a little. 

I love that my world can usually revolve all around her. I love that she is a mommy's girl. I love that I can usually drop what I am doing to play with her or help her. I love that she trusts me, and wants me when she is in pain. In the next month, I don't know if I will be able to do those things and be those things for her anymore. 

I hate being sick

I have a sinus infection. I was really hoping that it would go away on it's own, but it was just getting worse. I decided to quickly get in to see the doctor on Friday to get some antibiotics before the long weekend. The plan was to wait a day or two to see if it would start feeling better, but I started the antibiotics right away.

On Sunday my head hurt so bad. I can't remember the last time I had a headache so bad in my life. I came home from church early and was in tears... note to self, crying does not help a sinus pressure headache. Monday wasn't much better, but I think that might have been due to the fact that we were outside playing all day and the sun really doesn't help with a headache.

Today I am finally starting to feel like a normal human being again!

Last minute plans

today as we were getting our shoes on to make a trip to Costco I saw how beat up Scott's shoes had gotten. He is required to wear white shoes while he is in clinic and he has used the same pair for the past three years. It was time for him to get some new ones. Instead of going to our normal Costco we decided to go down to the outlet mall that is 45 minutes from us. What we didn't realize is the fact the it is Memorial Day weekend. It was absolutely crazy. We had Lacey in her stroller and it took us twice as long to get anywhere because there were so many people. We were able to find so many good deals. Scott has a couple new pairs of shoes and Lacey has a new wardrobe.

It was a pretty great day. We hardly ever decide to do anything last minute, so this was a fun change. To top it off, Scott even made dinner and cleaned the kitchen.

This Stage...

Every new stage that Lacey goes through is my favorite. I love how giggly she is. I love how she loves to be tickled. I love that she is learning to communicate. I love that she will run up and give Scott a huge hug when he gets home. I love that she loves being outside. I love that she know all her animals and tries to do their sounds. I love that she always says "I you" (I love you) all the time without being prompted. I love that she always says please and thank you. I love that she will swing for hours if we let her. I love that she is interested in books. I love that she gives lots of kisses. I love that she has to kiss her own hands after she falls. I love that she loves watching bugs. I love how she says "cupcake."  I love that she says "twinkle twinkle" when she wants to sing songs. I love that she know all the actions to popcorn popping. I love this age... But I'm not sure I love the tantrums and the "mine" mentality.

There is a first for everything

Today was exhausting.

Lacey has had a cold for the past few days and is now in the lingering cough phase. Last night we had a dinner with our Landlord and a bunch of his tenants. Lacey had a cough, but we didn't think too much of it until we were on our way to the restaurant and she started throwing up. At first it was just a little, but then it was everything! Every time we gave her a sip of water it would come back up. We were driving one of our neighbors so we decided to go and just tough it out. We figured it wouldn't be a problem since Lacey was as happy as could be after that and her stomach was completely empty by that point.

We decided to give her a couple pieces of bread to see if she would be able to keep it down. Nope. Then a little water. Still didn't keep it down. We had already ordered our food but I didn't think it was a good idea to stay much longer so I asked a neighbor to give Scott a ride home so I could take Lacey. Luckily we were on the look out, so every time she threw up we caught it in one of their little to go trays. I had a couple in my hand when I walked out just in case I needed them on the way to the car.

Fast forward to today. Lacey was so happy when she woke up. She ate breakfast like a champ and she was being so cute. We decided to go to the Zoo with one of our friends. She loved it and was in a great mood the entire time. Then on our way home she started coughing. I was worried it would turn into throwing up so I handed Lacey one of the trays that we used the night before (a clean one). She did her best on the drive home to throw up into the tray but she doesn't quite understand the whole concept of holding the tray horizontally instead of vertically. She threw up into the tray and it just ran down and into her lap. When I got home she was covered, the car seat was covered, as soon as I picked her up I was streaked with throw up. I got her cleaned up and down for a nap.

I was so stressed out about how I was going to make it to my nanny job in a little over an hour. I hurried and took off her carseat cover and washed it the best that I could in the sink and then dried it. I was just so overwhelmed and I was still covered in Lacey's vomit. Then I texted the parents and asked if any other arrangements could be made. They are the most amazing and understanding people ever. They took care of it and I was able to stay home with Lacey and help her to feel a little better. This was the first time since Lacey was born that I had tears because I was so overwhelmed and grateful. I'm just hoping she gets better soon!

Beach Time

It was actually warm out today, so a bunch of us girls decided to go to the beach... (the beach of the midwest... Lake Michigan) This was Lacey's first time, and she wasn't really sure what to think when we first got there. She didn't like the feeling of sand under her feet and just wanted to be held for a while. Then we went down to the lake and it was FREEZING. There were like 20 little kids running around and splashing in the water so I thought it would be warmer than it was, but no... it was COLD.

Once Lacey had a few minutes she decided that she loved it. She loved the sand, and the rocks, and the water, and the other kids. She loves to be outside and playing. It was great being able to be outside and not feel freezing. We didn't even need to wear a sweatshirt! Lacey found a little cup and played in the sand for a good 30 minutes without running off. I think that is the longest amount of time that she has ever been content hanging out in the same spot. It was wonderful to be able to sit and socialize with some of the other moms.

I can't wait to take her back to the beach when we have another warm day. I am so tired of this cold weather that we have been having. It's May for crying out loud. That means we are going to skip Spring completely and be hit with Summer weather. I will probably regret saying this later, but for now, BRING ON THE HEAT!

The Final Final

It is crazy how fast the past 3 years have gone by. We are just about to go into our final year of dental school.

Scott just took his last final of school EVER. It has been a long week of studying for him, and a long week of me trying to keep my distance and not be too distracting. Now it is done, he is finished. His fourth year is just going to be clinic. He will have to take his licensure exam, but that isn't really a class test.

I am so proud of how hard Scott has worked to get to where he is today. I am so grateful that he is the one who is still in school and not me. I don't think I would be able to do what he does. He spends long days studying and working with patients and then comes home and is a great dad and husband. He helps me around the house, he changes diapers, he takes Lacey to the park. Scott is a freaking Rock Star.

I think he is going to be an amazing dentist... in a year. Weird... he's going to be a dentist. I laugh sometimes when Scott is describing procedures that he did in clinic because it is hard for me to realize that he is actually doing the procedures. He is pulling peoples teeth. He is numbing people up. He is drilling on peoples teeth. He even spends some time in Oral Surgery doing things that are even harder for me to imagine him doing. Next year about this time he will be Dr. Scott Robinson DDS. Mind Blown. How did we get so old? When did we become grown ups?

Here's to no more finals in dental school.

She's the adventuring type

This girl knows what she wants and she will go to whatever lengths she needs to get what she wants.

Today I walked into Lacey's room where she was playing and found her climbing into her crib from the rocking chair that we have in there. She wanted one of her binkies and couldn't reach it from the side so she decided just to climb in by herself. She was so proud of herself. Where do they learn these things?

Lacey went into the kitchen today and she was being super quiet, then I heard some of the cupboards opening. We usually keep the cupboards latched shut, so I wanted to see what she was getting into. She had pushed over one of our kitchen chairs to the counter, climbed onto the counter and was getting into one of our upper cabinets. Seriously?

Today she fell off the kitchen table. I feel so bad that it happened, she was playing with a spoon and a bowl at the table. I figured that I would let her entertain herself for a bit and I left the room. I heard a crash and she was screaming. Scariest thing ever, I had no idea if she hit her head, broke a bone, all I knew is that she was screaming and just wanted to be held. She is usually pretty good about telling me where she hurts but she wouldn't let go of me. She just wanted to cuddle. I checked her head a million times, but I didn't see any type of bruise or bump forming. I guess it is time to gate up the kitchen again.

This was all in one morning. Lacey definitely keeps me on my toes. Hopefully she can stay adventurous without getting into too much trouble.

Go Brewers!

Tonight we went to the Brewers game with some of the students from Scott's clinic. I feel like it is aways such a different feeling hanging out with his classmates then it is hanging out with our normal crowd. We are usually the only ones who have a kid and we are usually the only ones who don't have a beer in our hand. Everyone just ogles over how cute Lacey is. Lacey is going through a stranger danger phase right now, so she isn't sure what to think about all the people coming up to talk to her.

She was a trooper, she didn't fuss too much all night and we stayed out almost 2 hours past her normal bed time. Lacey isn't too fond of sitting in one place for longer then about 30 minutes, she mostly wanted to walk around and explore. Luckily we got to see 3 home runs while we were at the game. The mascot, Bernie, goes down a big yellow slide on the side of the field (Lacey thought that was pretty cool and kept asking us to take her to the slide). They also do a series of fireworks to cheer on the home run. Every time the fireworks stopped Lacey would turn to me and would ask to do it one more time. After the fifth inning we went and grabbed some Dip n' Dots. Lacey thought they were pretty great. The only problem was that she wanted to feed them to herself. Dip n' Dots don't stay on the spoon as well as normal ice ream does, so it was a little messier than I had intended it to be.

The weather was wonderful today, so here are some pictures from earlier in the day. Sometimes I watch a little girl who lives in the building over.

Finally!

Today the weather was finally in the 50's... low 50's but still we were so excited that we could go outside and not freeze! We were able to spend a couple hours outside today, swinging, going down the slide, stepping on ants, and playing with the different toys we have in the cul-de-sac.

Lacey has decided that she has an opinion about everything lately. I will ask her if she wants to do something and she will think about it then usually shakes her head and says "no." Tonight, as I was putting her down to bed she asked me to sing her 1 more song. She stopped me mid-song three times wanting me to sing her a different song. Sometimes she does a great job communicating what she wants, other times she gets frustrated because I don't understand. Every day she is getting better at letting me know what she needs.

My view

Sometimes I forget that I'm pregnant. I'm not super big or uncomfortable and Lacey keeps me pretty busy. Then I get a glimpse of myself as I walk past a mirror or by a window at a store. Yep, there is definitely a bump now. I'll have to take a side view sometime, but for now here is some proof that there really is a baby growing. Even if I don't believe it sometimes.

I can't believe that I'm already 23 weeks along. That just seems crazy to me. Time sure has gone by quicker this pregnancy. I'm a little scared about what having two is going to look like for me. One minute I feel like I can take on the world, but then the next I wondered what I got myself into.

I know we still have plenty of time, but I am starting to worry about what we are going to name this one. It took Scott and I a while to agree on the name Lacey. This time seems to be proving even more difficult. 

Stop dropping your food!!

I know that every child goes through a stage that they drop everything on the floor... but why? Seriously it is so frustrating sometimes. I can't count how many times in a day I have to mop up a sticky mess because Lacey felt like throwing her food off her tray. Scott came home tonight and so I was trying to get the house as clean as possible so I told Lacey that we were trying to make dad happy and she needed to keep her food on the tray. Apparently that did the trick. She would hold a handful of food off the side of her tray and say, "no" then she would put it back over her tray and say "happy." I wish I would have gotten it on camera because it really was kind of funny. No food ended up on the floor during that meal!

That smells good

Lacey has been really into coloring lately. The girl I nanny for has an art set that Lacey is obsessed with. Every time she sees it she asks me to open it for her. It has crayons, pencils, paints, markers. There are a couple markers in the set that are scented and now Lacey has to smell her drawings. It doesn't matter what she is using to color with, she will scribble for a minute and then proceed to lean over and smell her picture. It made sense to me, because I knew why she was doing what she was doing but Scott just thought she was crazy.

Lacey will color for quite a while in one sitting. I wish it was something that would entertain her while I could get something else around the house done, but very close supervision is needed. She loves to color on EVERYTHING... the table, the chairs, the couch, the wall, the floor. I need to keep a close eye on her and tell her, "only on the paper" every couple of minutes. She knows that's the rule too, because she always looks straight at me right before she starts to color where she isn't supposed to.

And now it's his turn

Scott has an away rotation all week. He is spending his time up in Lac Du Flambeau. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere about 5 hours from here. That means that I will be parenting solo for the next 5 days. Right when I get back he has to leave... I'm ready to have my family back. I hope that this week goes by quickly.

Home!

I am so glad to be home. I can't believe how much I missed being away from Lacey and Scott. It was nice to have a little time away, but I appreciate my life a little more now. Yesterday I was all for getting up early and getting home early. I wanted to be back home with my little family. Well, we ended up staying up and talking well into the night. I think it was about 3 in the morning by the time we finally went to bed.

We met some really fun girls whose husbands are going to dental school in San Antonio. They were pretty funny and we had a TON in common. We stayed up laughing and talking for forever. Every time we said we were going to bed the conversation would start up again. I hope that we keep in touch. I know it's silly. We have only known then for a couple days, but I think we could really stay good friends.

I was so anxious the whole way home to get home to Lacey. I was really hoping that Lacey would be excited to see me when I got home, but it was the opposite. Scott and her came to pick me up at one of the girl's houses and Lacey was asleep when they pulled up. I sat in the back next to her, just in case she woke up. She opened her eyes for a second, glared at me and then went back to sleep. After we got home and she was actually awake she was clingy and plain cranky. Everyone said that she was such an angel while I was away. I guess she was saving up all her crankiness for me. Either way, I am so glad to be back home with my little clan.

After 3 nights away, sharing rooms with 3 different people I am happy to be home in my own bed sharing with my one and only.

Finally some fun time!

After listening to a bunch of political stuff this morning during breakfast we were able to go out and see a little bit of Cleveland. Kimmy had been there before so she recommended going to the little farmers market thing they had going on.

We got to try some amazing fruit from some vendors and then we grabbed some lunch before heading back to the hotel. For lunch we grabbed some amazing gyros. They seriously were so yummy. Since getting pregnant I just don't have the appetite that I once had. I was only able to eat half of it before I threw out the rest. Usually I have Scott around to eat all of my left overs.

 After we got back we had to go on a trolley tour of the city. I wish we could have just sat around and hung out in the nice weather all afternoon. The tour was fun, but it was also a little too long. 3 hours, going around in circles.

Then we had our closing gala. We got dressed up... sorta. I'm not huge yet, but any of my nice dresses definitely don't fit me anymore. I look huge in pictures, but really I'm not that big in real life.

Meetings, meetings, meetings

So much for getting a good night's rest. I got to share a room with my friend and her 6 month old baby. He was up for  the majority of the night. I think that my friend felt really bad about it, but there wasn't anything she could do. I started my day off pretty tired and cranky.

From what I had heard about conference it sounded like we would have time to hangout a little, maybe go explore the city. It wasn't like that at all today. I guess we did finish up the day around 6:30 so that gave us some time in the evening to ourselves but I feel like we had not stop things on our itinerary all day long.

In the morning we were able to go listen to a lecture about fraud in the dental office. It was a huge eye opener. The lecturer had lost about 125,000 because his office manager was skimming money from his accounts. How crazy is that? Now I know that the books are something that we definitely want to be keeping a close eye on. Not because we don't trust the person who will be keeping them, but just so we can stay informed about how the practice is doing.

There were several other meetings that pretty much bored me to tears. Luckily, my friend brought her little boy to all of the meetings.  He was a great and much needed distraction during some of the more boring parts of the day.

The last meeting of the day was great. I got a lot of information about the organization and what they do. I also learned a lot about disability insurance, life insurance, and loan consolidation. It was great having a meeting directed right to the student spouses, most of the other meetings were directed toward practicing dentists. The best part of this meeting is that I was able to win a prize! I swear I never win things, but this time I did. I won a Galaxy tablet! How awesome is that? It was a great way to finish off the long day.

After the meetings we went out with a bunch of girls to go get some dessert. We went to a cute little cupcake shop just down the road from the hotel. I'm not a huge cupcake fan, but they were pretty delicious. It was great being able to go out without having to worry about chasing around a toddler.

What a LONG day.

Just as I thought, my day started off with tears as I left Lacey with our neighbor. She didn't even seem to care that I was leaving. I know that she didn't realize how long I would be gone, but she was content just playing with her friend.

Those of you who know me might know that I don't really do well in groups larger than 2 or 3. I am pretty quiet, I don't really talk or take part in what is going on. I become an observer and just watch... I don't know why I do it, but I kind of hate that I do. I guess I do know why I do it, I over analyze everything that I think about saying, but the time the thought is approved the conversation has usually moved onto a completely new topic. I hate talking over people. I decided that this trip would be different I wanted to try and be part of the group instead of worrying about fitting in with these girls. (They all do stuff together, I have a different group of friends that I hang out with regularly so I thought they would be a little clickish)

The drive was long... longer then I thought it would feel. It might have been that the van we rented was so uncomfortable. It might have been the fact that being pregnant in general is just uncomfortable. I don't know, it just seemed to take forever for us to finally get to Cleveland. Once we got there it was just a little awkward. I almost wish I would have stayed home with Lacey. I didn't know anyone. Two of the girls had gone the year before and they knew pretty much everyone. I was a long night of observing...haha.

Before Lacey went to bed I wanted to say good night to her. So I pulled out my phone and did a video call back home. Lacey went crazy she was so sad and all she wanted was her momma. I cried again. Man, that girl really knows how to pull at her mommy's heart strings. Maybe video call wasn't the best idea. I'm glad that she missed me and my life wasn't just obsolete.

I'm leaving...

I'm leaving both Scott and Lacey for 4 days and 3 nights. I decided to attend a dental convention with some of the dental wives out here. We are going to rent a mini van and drive down to Cleveland for a couple days. A part of me is so excited. Another part of me is extremely sad.

Tomorrow morning I am going to drop Lacey off with one of our friends. This is the first time that I have ever left her for more than an hour or two so I have no idea how she is going to react. As soon as Scott gets home from school he will pick her up and have her for the rest of the weekend. A part of me really wants her to be happy and have a great time while I am gone. Then a part of me, a selfish part of me, wants her to be sad and miss me. What if she realizes that she doesn't really need me. What if she is perfectly fine without me? My whole life revolves around that little girl, and I'm afraid that by me leaving she will realize that she doesn't need me.

I know it is so silly to be so worried about everything. It will only be a couple of days. I almost want to call the whole thing off, just stay home and spend the weekend with my cute husband and little girl. I'm already tearing up a little bit just thinking about leaving the two of them. I am sure that tomorrow will be even harder.

Now repeat after me...

Lacey is starting to try and say more words now.  She's like a little parrot. She tries to repeat almost everything I say. Then once she gets a new word down she repays or over and over again.  It's pretty funny.

She's even attempting phrases.  She will say "where are you?" "I love you" and "here you go." Is pretty funny.  Sometimes it's clear as day what she is trying to say, other times I really have to think about it or have her show me.

I feel like every stage we get to it's my favorite. She is really starting to show her personality.  She is friendly, sweet, hungry,  sassy, playful,  and just so much fun.  I can't say it often enough how grateful I am that she is my little girl.

Anatomy Scan

Today I got to see our little peanut. I was kind of hoping to go in, find out it was actually a boy and then plan some elaborate way to surprise Scott. Well, she is still a girl, and I'm still just as excited! I can't wait to see Lacey become a big sister. I can't wait to put the two of them in matching outfits.

The baby looked perfect. She was a little stubborn and the ultrasound took forever, but everything looked great. I wonder if she will look more like me. Lacey is almost 100% Scott, so I would love for this one to look more like me. Maybe as a reward for going through the whole pregnancy. On second thought Lacey is ADORABLE so I would be happy to have an even mini-er Lacey running around.

Better Safe then Sorry?

Maybe this is too much information, but the last week or so Lacey has had some diarrhea. We were thinking that maybe the new toothpaste we were using was the cause. She then started to act sick, she lost her appetite, her nose was super runny, she stopped sleeping through the night, she has been acting miserable. Then tonight she started screaming and pointing at her diaper. She has been complaining about her diaper the last couple of days, I thought it was mostly just because she has been pooping like 6 times a day. Tonight was different, tonight it was screams of pain. I swear the only times I want to talk to a doctor is when it is the weekend or after hours. My first thought was maybe a UTI? I called the after hours line and they told me to take Lacey in to the ER at the children's hospital. That was a long couple of hours. They had to use a catheter to get a urine sample. Turns out everything is fine. I hate being one of those parents that freaks out at every small thing, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Wahoo! Half Way!

I can't believe I am already 20 weeks! I have my anatomy scan on Monday, can't wait to a) verify it really is a girl and b) make sure this baby is strong and healthy. This time around I have an anterior placenta so I haven't really felt the baby move much. Someday a I completely forget that we have another baby on the way.

I'm really excited about adding to our family, but I am a little scared. I'm not sure if I'm ready to already be halfway to having baby number two.

Girls Trip

Every year a dental spouse organization that I'm a part of holds a conference. I haven't gone in the past due to not having the time off work, or Lacey being too small. This year I decided to go. There are 4 of us "dental wives" going together.
This year it is in Cleveland, we plan to all drive down together and have a good time. We leave next Thursday. It's just starting to hit me that I am going to be leaving Lacey for almost 4 whole days. The longest I've ever been away from her is a couple of hours. I'm a little sad that I won't be here for her. She will have a babysitter one day and then Scott will have her Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I'm now questioning my decision to go. Things might be a little rough for Scott, or maybe Lacey will forget all about me. Either way I kind of feel like a bad mom for leaving her.

A little Lost

I love being a mom. I love that Lacey loves me more than anyone else in this world. I love that I know her better than anyone else in the world. I love being able to brighten her day. I love seeing her light up as she figures out the world around her. I wouldn't change being her momma for anything.

I have found that I have kind of lost myself. Being a mom means that I don't have all the "me" time hat I once had. Someone asked me what I like to do in my spare time and my first thought was "spare time? I'm a mom, I don't have spare time." Usually at that point in the conversation Scott butts in and starts naming all the things I'm good at.... Or at least I used to be good at them. There are so many things that I used to love, used to be good at, used to be able to say when asked about my hobbies. 

I'm making it a goal to spend Lacey's nap time doing the stuff I used to love, hopefully I can find me again. 

Money always seems to be the problem

Money has been on mind a lot lately. I think it is because I have been thinking about close we are to closing this chapter of our life. It is getting more scary to think about as time goes on. 

This last week I have been really trying to figure out a way that I could make a little extra money on the side. I'm currently nannying for a couple different kids, which puts a little bit of money in the bank, but that will be ending soon and I don't think I am going to want to continue doing it after baby #2 comes. I've thought about an Etsy shop, or trying the whole blog thing again. I've thought about trying to learn graphic design (on my own, so I don't have to pay for school) so I could do some free lance stuff. I know that we probably won't NEED the extra income but I don't think it would hurt either. I wonder if I will get over stressing about money or if I will figure out a new game plan once I'm done nannying. 

Conference weekend

I love conference weekend.  I get to stay at home in my pajamas all day and hear the leaders of the church talk. Man,  I took for granted conference weekend pre-kid. It's so much harder to pay attention when you have a little girl as cute as Lacey running around and wanting to play. I'm going to have to go back and read the talks since I wasn't really able to pay attention.  The thing I love about conference is  how it gives me the kick in the butt I need to work on self improvement, work on being a better mom and wife, and just better in general.

Looking forward to the future

We have about 14 months until we are done with school! The idea of getting into the real world is scary and so exciting to me. I can't wait for Scott to come home and be here me for the day. These days his time home isn't always being home. He has studying, and projects, and assignments. So a lot of the time, even when he is home, he isn't really home with us. Once he is done with school he can come home and enjoy time with us.
Once we are done with school, reality will sink in and I'll realize how in debt we actually are. We will have to really crack down and a be frugal, even if we have a pay check. We are going to be in the red for a long time. I don't think I realized how poor we are going to be after this is all done. I was ignorant to think that once Scott was a dentist life would be great, we would have play money and live a more luxurious lifestyle. I know we will be comfortable even while paying back loans, but I'm still afraid of how all those loans are going weigh down on me. Right now I don't even want to think about how in debt we are, there isn't anything we can do about it at this point.
That being said, I can't wait to join the real world and stop living the student life.

The binky dilemma

Lacey LOVES her binky! Every night before bed she needs to have one in her mouth and another one in her hand.  That is the ONLY way we can get her to fall asleep without a fuss.  Scott wants to start to weak her from the binky. We only allow her to have one (or two) during nap time and bed time. 

When we get her out of bed we make her leave her binkies in her crib.  The last few days I have found her like this in the middle of the day.

She pulls a box over and then attempts to climb up her crib.  Then she gets stuck and won't let go until we come get her.  She's been fairly dramatic about the whole thing.  She will lay down next to her crib and cry. Sometimes if she is acting toed enough I'll ask her off she's ready for a nap. She usually responds yes and will sit in her crib sticking on her binky for a good 20 minutes before asking to get back out.  It's so frustrating.  Scott is wanting to completely wean her and the thought of that is so overwhelming.  Do I first wean her from the hand binky? Or do I take both away,  cold turkey and just try to get through a few REALLY rough nights.

Wish me luck!

This time around hasn't been as much fun.

My pregnancy with Lacey was pretty average. I had a crappy first trimester and then things started to look up for me. I started feeling better, I got my energy and appetite back, I could feel her squirming around. This time it has been so different. I'm still a little nauseous most days. Some days are worse than others and I occasionally have a great day but I still don't feel like a normal human being.

I'm beyond tired these days. Maybe it's because I am chasing after my crazy 1 year old all day, maybe it's because I'm not sleeping well at night, maybe it's because I'm not eating enough because nothing sounds good.

I'm almost 19 weeks and still haven't felt this baby move. Maybe once or twice, while wearing some tight jeans... And bending over, I might have felt some movement. Stupid anterior placenta! I started feeling Lacey move around 17 weeks and I loved it.

Dr. Appointments are more of a hassle this time around. Am I supposed to get a babysitter for Lacey? Do I take her to all of my appointments? It was exciting with Lacey to hear the heartbeat and get all my questions answered. This time I don't really have many questions and those 5 minute appointments are cramping my style.

Apparently, my face hates me being a mom. I broke out pretty bad when I was pregnant with Lacey, and it didn't get any better after. Probably because I was breastfeeding. Then I got pregnant before I stopped breastfeeding. So I guess this mess of a face is sticking around until I'm done having kids.

Don't get me wrong, I'm super excited and can't wait to have this baby in my arms but I'm not really digging all these pregnancy side effects.

I can't do it.

I've come to the realization that we just have too much stuff. Some of it I have kept for sentimental reasons. Other things I don't want to throw out or give away because maybe I'll need it some day. I know that I need to debunk, but I don't know how to do it. I don't know where to start. I wish I could live a clean organized minimalist lifestyle, but I just don't think that is an option for me.

Occasionally I will get in the mood to throw everything out. I just hope one of those rare moods comes along soon, before baby #2 comes.

She's a little artist

Lacey has recently decided that she loves to draw and color. Before she was more interested in sucking on her marker or eating her crayon. Now she spends a good 10 minutes coloring when given a crayon and some paper. She still takes a bite out of the occasional crayon, but now she also likes to color.

Today she was coloring and then she went into her bed room. We were watching another little girl too and I could hear them playing with some toys. Then it got kind of quiet. Then I could hear the sound of crayon being dragged back and forth on the wall. She was so proud of her artwork when I ran into the room to stop her. Luckily crayon really isn't to hard to get cleaned off the wall.

Driving through the night

Lacey was a champ on the drive out to Arkansas, but I think we scared her. Every time we got in the car she fought to get out of her car seat. we were a little worried about doing another 10.5 hour drive with her. Last minute we decided to pack up and leave right after dinner. That meant driving through the night and then getting home close to the time that Lacey would be waking up for he day. Scott has a talent of falling asleep anytime, anywhere. He insisted on driving the whole way home, and I didn't want him to try to push through being super tired. That meant I was awake the entire time, asking him questions, talking to him, singing to music just to make sure he was good to drive. I don't have that problem, it takes a conscious effort for me to fall asleep. Even when I am super tired. I haven't ever accidentally fallen asleep somewhere. I offered to drive multiple times, but each time Scott said he had it covered.
Lacey was actually awake for a good portion of the drive home. I am so grateful that we loaded a couple movies onto the iPad and that we charged the iPad before we left.

She would watch a show for a bit and then she would doze off. Every time she woke up she wanted me to come back and sit by her. I just wanted to get home as fast as we could so I didn't want to have to pull over everytime she woke up. I took the headrest off of the passenger seat and got pretty good and crawling back and forth between the front seat and the back seat.

I didn't want to have to pee a million times so I made sure not to drink anything after we decided to drive through the night. Scott on the other hand downed a couple monster energy drinks which went straight through him. He had to pee every hour. He didn't actually stop every hour, he would just let me know we would need to stop sometime soon. We made it back home with only making 3 stops . 

She was a trooper and because she missed some sleep it meant that she slept for a couple hours after we got home. Scott and I survived the day on only about 4 hours of sleep, taking different shifts with Lacey. It was such a fun trip. I'm so glad that we were able to go visit Heidi and Steve and show them how cute our little girl is.

Scott was so wonderful. He drove the entire way without a single complaint. He slept for 4 hours then he got up, unloaded the car, unpacked everything, picked up the house, and then let me nap while he played with Lacey. I'm telling you, I got lucky with this guy.

Lacey loves her animals

Heidi and Steve have a little dog named Oscar. Lacey loves to chase him around their house all day. The only problem is that she is a much bigger fan of him then he is of her. He is okay for the first few minutes and then he starts to growl at her. She is slowly starting to learn to back off when he starts growling.

Neither Scott or I are pet people so odds are were ably won't ever have any pets for her to love on. Lacey called Oscar "offk" it was so cute. She would hear his tags on his collar jingle and call out for him.

Animal Fun

Today we went through a drive through safari park.  We got to drive through and see a lot of cool animals.  It was a lot of fun and Lacey got a kick out of seeing all the animals.

After the drive through part we were able to go to the petting zoo part.  It was so much fun.  We got to pet a cow, goats,  llamas, and tortoises. We got to see wolves,  birds,  kangaroos, snakes, and monkeys. We even got to feed a giraffe.  Scariest thing ever,  haha.

Still figuring it out

Sometimes I feel like I have the whole mommy thing down. I get on a schedule, make healthy meals, keep up with laundry, and both Lacey and I are happy campers. Then there are days like today where Lacey wakes up a couple hours earlier then her normal wake up time. She took a nap around the time she would normally just be waking up. It throws everything that I thought I understood out the window. Meals get pushed back, extra patience is needed, and I have to figure everything out as the day goes on.


Lacey wasn't wanting to take a second nap, but we all know that she needed one. She ended up falling asleep while sitting up on the couch. She wouldn't let me move her to the crib, but I could pretty much move her anywhere else. She cuddled with Scott for a bit, and then me, and then we put her in the recliner to finish up her nap.

It is crazy how strong-willed such a tiny person can be. She knows what she wants and doesn't give up. Right now, I don't really appreciate that she wants to make her own decisions and stick to it no matter how many times I say no or try to distract her. In the future I think that it is always a good thing to know what you want and be willing to go for it.

I'm going to get fat...

We have gone out to eat so many times during the lady few days!  I'm seriously going to get fat before we leave.  I've done pretty good about eating well since getting pregnant,  but I'm on vacation and I'm eating like I'm on vacation.  

Today I ate the yummiest deep fried chicken stuffed avacado. It was so yummy.  I kind of have a thing for avacado.  I could eat avacado with every meal. Now I need to learn how to make deep fried stuffed avocado at home. 

Our first day out here we ate some amazing Thai food. I love coconut curry, and it was the perfect amount of spicy. We are probably going to back again while we are here.

We ate gourmet grilled cheese on Monday. I love not having to cook! I hate what eating out is doing to our wallet. I seriously think I've gained a pound a day since we have been here. Pregnant or not that is too much weight to gain.

Warmth and wind

Today it was in the 60s! It was sunny and beautiful! Heidi and Steve took us to a gourmet grilled cheese place in Fayetteville. It was pretty good,  but I think I like just a good ol' regular grilled cheese better.
It was sunny and warm when we finished eating.  We went and played a little mini golf. Once we were outside for a bit the wind really picked up.  I'll take the wind of its going to be sunny and warm. I thought I played pretty well,  but I got last place.

Lacey was pretty cute as she chased down balls,  sat on the rocks, and tried to jump into every fountain she saw.  It was a lot of fun,  but Lacey sure can be a handful sometimes.

Arkansas day 3

Heidi and Steve have a little dog named Oscar. Lacey LOVES dogs,  so all she wants to so all day is run around chasing him, and shouting.  It's actually really funny to watch.  Oscar does well for the first 5 minutes but then he is a little overwhelmed by her and starts growling. 

I love that lacey is so adventurous but I don't want her to learn the hard way that when I dog gets annoyed he might bite.  He nipped at her once,  but I don't think he really got her.  It's sad to see her get so excited and then have Oscar get grumpy.  He has been spending more time outside and locked in a room so Lacey can rub around freely. 

Today was still cold outside.  I'm so ready for warm weather! It's supposed to be in the 60s tomorrow, which will be wonderful.  I just looked at the weather for Milwaukee and it isn't really supposed be over 50 until the end of April. I hate winter.

Vacation

Every time I think about going on vacation I think of having a warm breeze and spending a lot of time outside. We were so excited to come to Arkansas where it would be nice and warm. I guess we brought the cold weather with us when we came. It has been cold and rainy since we got here. It is supposed to warm up into the 70s in the next few day and we are so looking forward to it. Lacey has been so cooped up and she has no idea how much fun it is when the weather finally starts to warm up for the summer. She has gotten a small taste here and there but it's been mostly chilly even when we say it "warm" outside.
Arkansas, don't disappoint us please! We want it to get warm soon!

First day in Arkansas

Lacey's schedule is all thrown off.  She took a couple naps yesterday,  which was great for the car ride,  but she didn't go to need until late.  She woke up early,  napped early and was just cranky today.

We did get to go eat at a yummy Thai restaurant! Of course we also had to go to Walmart... where else would we go after driving 700 miles to the home of Walmart?

Lacey's first road trip

What a LONG day!  Lacey was great,  very few tears were shed. We had to make a couple stops to get out and stretch our legs. We had a lot of different toys for Lacey to play with. She  spent a lot of time coloring and playing with her baby doll.