Our Christmas!

My favorite day of the year has come and gone.. and I have to say, it was amazing!

{I can't wait for Addison to "officially" be a part of our card next year!}

Every year, our Christmas celebration starts on Christmas eve. But this year, it started a couple days earlier! On the 22nd, Keith's sister had a small get-together at her house because their mom was down from Maine. I had to work, but there were plenty of pictures taken :)

--

Keith's aunt had a little party at her house on the 23rd where we exchanged presents and did a Yankee swap. Aubrey had a blast playing with her cousin and we had fun spending time with family we don't see too often.

When we got home Sunday night, we pulled out the Gingerbread House kit that Aubrey's elf, Jingle brought her that morning!

Thumbs up!

--

Christmas Eve started off at my sister's house. We have a potluck every year, and this year we brought a Caesar salad and some reindeer cupcakes that Aubrey & I made :)

{Keith getting some baby practice!}

{She could not wait to rip this open when we got home!}

After my sister's house, we went over to Keith's dad's house for a bit for another Yankee swap, more family time, and good food. After we left there, we headed home and went right to bed so Santa could come and work his magic!

When we woke up the next morning, we found that Jingle had barricaded us into the bedroom using red crepe paper! Aubrey got excited and busted through it before I could get a picture, but it was pretty sweet! The look on her face when she saw what Santa left under the tree was priceless. 

{Santa pulled through with the #1 thing on her list! Doc McStuffins Doctors Kit!}

{Another one of her favorites? The dog's pig toy that oinks. Yes, really}

{"Hey, this isn't mine!" (Santa had to wrap Daddy's new razor because it wouldn't fit in his stocking}

{"Hi Santa! Thanks for all of my presents!"}

{See those Squinkies on the floor? Yeah, those will be the death of me..}

After opening all of her presents from Santa, we found Jingle on top of her new play kitchen with a gift (Build-a-Bear Workshop gift card! Score!) and a note from Santa saying that he lifted Jingle's magic and she could touch/hug him to say goodbye. I think she was a little nervous to touch him because she's watched the Elf on the Shelf movie a million times in the past month and in the movie, the elf got really sick when one of the kids touched him.  But after explaining that Santa said it was okay, she was all for it :)

All in all, it was an amazing holiday! Aubrey got some pretty neat stuff, and so did Keith & I! 

Our favorites...

Aubrey: Doc McStuffins doctors kit, Peppa Pig playhouse (we even went to Toys R Us the next day after going to Build a Bear to spend some of the Christmas cash she got on some more accessories!), Melissa & Doug Sticker Book, Arts & Crafts kit, Mrs. Potts tea set, Just Dance Disney Party

Keith: the Xbox Kinect that I gave him early because his old Xbox wasn't working half the time, Celtics starter jacket, Assassins Creed 3, and a gift card to a movie theater from Aubrey so they could go see Monsters, Inc

Me: Kindle Fire, a sweater from American Eagle that I need to return for a different size (but oh man, is it comfy and warm!), and a couple charms for my Pandora bracelet (Aubrey's birthstone and a key with a heartshaped keyhole). 

How was your Christmas? What did Santa bring you?

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{31 weeks}

How far along? 31 weeks!
Baby stats: Our little cupcake weighs about 3.3 pounds - about the size of a pineapple - and is over 16" long! About 4 more inches until she is the size her big sister was at birth! She's starting to gain more fat under her skin. Can't wait to squeeze her little chubba cheeks!

Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? Noooope
Sleep: I wish sleep could be my job.
Best moment this week: Christmas, hands down. I think this was our best Christmas to date. But I will do a separate post about that in a bit.
Miss Anything? Belly sleeping.
Movement: Lots. 
Food cravings:  Gold fever wings from a local restaurant. Hubby is going there tonight with his family but I have to work. Saaaaaad face. But at least he will bring me home some!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Have you started to show yet: Yes
Gender: GIRL! 
Labor Signs: Just some pressure.
Symptoms: None
Belly Button in or out? Kind of starting to poke out
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :)

Looking forward to: Countdown to the new year!

{30 weeks}

How far along? 30 weeks! In the final stretch!
Baby stats: Addison weighs just over 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage! mmm) and is about 15.7" long. Her eyesight is getting better, even though I'm sure there's not much to look at in there.

Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? Nothing new
Sleep: Yes please
Best moment this week: I'd say I'm a good 95% done my Christmas shopping! And I got Addison the sweetest pair of PJs that I've had my eye on for months, and they only cost me around $5 because they were on clearance!

 
Miss Anything? Wine, especially with Christmas being so close. 
Movement: Lots. 
Food cravings:  None really
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Have you started to show yet: Yes
Gender: GIRL! 
Labor Signs: She's head down, which makes for lots of pressure. But otherwise, no
Symptoms: None
Belly Button in or out? Kind of starting to poke out
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :)

Looking forward to: Countdown to Christmas!

{29 weeks}

How far along? 29 weeks!
Baby stats: Little lady weighs about 2.5 pounds (the size of a butternut squash! yum) and is just over 15" long. Her head is getting bigger to make room for her brain and her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature for life on the outside!

Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? No new ones yet *knock on wood*
Sleep: Sleep is gooood
Best moment this week: Not pregnancy related, but Aubrey had her Christmas dance recital! She and all of her friends in her class did a great job! 
Miss Anything? Vino.
Movement: Lots. 
Food cravings:  Spinach queso dip, which was satisfied last night when we had a family-double-date with my best friend and her daughter to see The Polar Express!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Have you started to show yet: Yes
Gender: GIRL! 
Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks.
Symptoms: I thought for sure I was in labor last week.. it was so scary! More about that in a second.
Belly Button in or out? Kind of starting to poke out
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :)

Looking forward to: Countdown to Christmas!

So last Friday, Aubrey had a doctor's appointment for a 6 month weight check. She is a peanut and they wanted to make sure she was growing okay between her 3 year check up and now. She is still on the small side but she is growing steadily! They had to do some bloodwork to rule out anemia, since that can be a cause for weight on the lower side. They also gave her a flu shot. My hormones are through the roof right now and I was alone with her so naturally I was freaking out because she was going through so much. I hated having to hold her arm down so they could draw blood, and feeling her squeeze me so hard when they gave her her flu shot was heartbreaking.. but obviously two things that needed to be done. 

She has been mentioning seeing "black spots" in one of her eyes, and also that she has something in her ear.. so they checked her ears and found a ton of wax so they had to clean that out, which was more trauma for her. She just was NOT a happy camper, and I can't say that I blame her. They told me they would be having someone contact me to set up an eye appointment with an eye doctor. So off we went to run a few errands and just as I was getting near home, the doctor's office called me asking if I could make a 10:00am eye appointment. It was almost 9:30 at that point and I was in a completely different town so I asked if we would be able to schedule it for Monday. They called back 5 minutes later and said the eye doctor wants to see her today, and that we can't wait til next week. So obviously I start freaking out and call my mom and she comes with us to the appointment. They had to dilate her eyes, and the woman who did it was being less than patient considering she was dealing with a 3 year old. She was so quick to rush us around and was pretty snippy so that wasn't helping my nerves. The doctor himself was amazing and took his time to answer all of our questions and as far as he can see, Aubrey's eyes are fine. He sees nothing wrong and said the black spots could be just from her rubbing her eyes, or they could just be occasional floaters. We  go back in a year, unless she starts complaining about them more.

By this point I was not feeling good at all. I kept getting sharp cramps and lots of pressure "down there", and had a hard time catching my breath. At one point I was convinced she was going to fall out of me. I called Keith at work and he came home and we went to the doctor's. The NP checked me out and everything was normal, and she said it sounds like I was having a bad anxiety attack. I've never had one so I had no idea what to expect. It was awful, but I'm glad that it wasn't labor!  She wrote me a note to take the night off of work and Keith & I went out for dinner while his sister took Aubrey shopping. It was a nice impromptu date night, since we haven't had one in a while. :)

{28 weeks}

How far along? 28 weeks!
Baby stats: Miss Addison is the size of a Chinese cabbage, weighs about 2.25 pounds, and is roughly 14.8" from head to toe. She can blink her eyes and even has eyelashes (aw). She can see light that filters through the womb.. time to break out the strobe light. She is also gaining more and more weight! Yay chubby baby cheeks!

Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? No new ones yet *knock on wood*
Sleep: Sleeping great, until I get a leg cramp. Those seem to happen multiple times a night :(
Best moment this week: My iron did go up a little bit from last week, however it is still lower than they were hoping. I go back in a week and a half for more poking and prodding and then we will take any necessary steps to try to improve it.
Miss Anything? Belly sleeping.
Movement: A ton!
Food cravings:  Coconut shrimp.. yum.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Have you started to show yet: Yes
Gender: GIRL! 
Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks.
Symptoms: Heartburn, lots of painful twinges when she moves a certain way.
Belly Button in or out? Kind of starting to poke out
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :)

Looking forward to: Christmassss!

{27 weeks}

I have seriously been such a slacker with the updating. The past two weeks have been pretty rough. Nothing really eventful happened that was pregnancy-related around my 26 week update so I'm just going to skip it.

How far along? 27 weeks! Third trimester, woop woop!
Baby stats: Addison is the size of a head of cauliflower, which is one of the main things I was craving for Thanksgiving. No holiday is complete without a crock pot full of brocolli, cauliflower, and cheese sauce. Yummm. Miss Addie Grace weighs about 2 pounds and is about 14.5" long. If she were born right now, her chances of survival would be pretty good. Her lungs are still immature but would be cable of breathing with medical help. Don't want to think about that though! As much as I would love a little newborn for us to all snuggle on Christmas, I don't want her here til February! She has hiccups like ca-raaaaazy and her kicks are getting to be so strong they are starting to stop me mid-sentence <3

Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? Nope, but the ones from Aubrey are more visible with  my stomach stretching. 
Sleep: Sleeping great, until I get a leg cramp. Those seem to happen multiple times a night :(
Best moment this week: Passing my gestational diabetes test! I was diagnosed with it when I was pregnant with Aubrey so I was a little nervous. However, my iron is dangerously low. They had me start tripling my iron intake and I need to go back on Monday for bloodwork to make sure it's working. If not, other steps will have to be taken. 
Miss Anything? Belly sleeping.
Movement: A ton!
Food cravings:  My B&J's Pumpkin Cheesecake craving has finally been fulfilled! I got so excited that I bought 2 pints to last me just in case I can't find it again.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes
Gender: GIRL! 
Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks.
Symptoms: Cramps, heartburn
Belly Button in or out? In. But it's kind of funky looking.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :)

Looking forward to: Tomorrow is December 1st!! Say whaaat?! Our Christmas decorations are up, and 2 weeks worth of Christmas movies are scheduled to record to the DVR. I am one happy momma! Coming to you shortly: my December bucket list, pictures of our trees, and introducing you to a very special friend!

Happy Thanksgiving

I can not believe how fast this year has gone by. Like seriously, weren't these pictures from Thanksgiving 2011 taken just yesterday?

So much has happened this year. It's hard to believe that we just celebrated that little baby's first birthday a couple weeks ago and that Aubrey's hair grew about 6 inches. It's even harder to believe that this was taken 3 years ago to the day:

{aubrey's 1st turkey day!}

We have a lot to be thankful for this year. A happy, healthy 3 year old. A healthy, active ballerina fetus who uses my bladder as a squeeze toy at all hours of the night. Our family and friends. My pink zebra print Snuggie that Keith surprised me with last week (okay, so maybe I'm the only one thankful for that.. but it keeps me so warm while I sit at the computer!)

But at the same time, I can't help but to feel a little down this year because I know that a family very close to my heart is hurting. Out of respect for the family I won't go into any further details.. but if you pray, please pray for a miracle. I hate that the last two times I have seen one of my best friends in the world has been for tragic matters (she lives across the country). Even though we haven't talked as much recently, I've spent the last 2 afternoons at the hospital with her. Talking, crying, hugging. Praying that her mom will be okay. Carrying on like no time had gone by since the last time we saw each other. That's how you know you have a real friend.  

This has put a lot of things into perspective for me. Life can change in a split second. I always knew that, but it is really hitting me hard right now. It's like reality came and slapped me in the face. I called my mom tonight after I got home and we talked for an hour. I can't remember the last time we did that. 

Too often we take things for granted. One day, we're not going to be able to just call up a loved one to say hi. One day, we would do anything to hear their voice one more time. Always say "I love you". Never say goodbye when you're angry. Call them just because. Make them feel special. Because one day, you won't be able to.

We are far from rich. We have far from everything. We are far from perfect. But I am so, so thankful that I get to share my life with such amazing family and friends. Especially my wonderful husband, and my two little ladies.

Happy Thanksgiving, from our family to yours.

{25 weeks}

How far along? 25 weeks!
Baby stats: Addison is the size of a rutabaga (every time I see/hear/say that word, I get Laurie Berkner stuck in my head..). She's about 13.5" and weighs about a pound and a half. Her hair is starting to grow (which explains why it has been Heartburn USA every day).  She knows which way is up (weird!) and is getting more fat on her bones (she isn't the only one.. if ya know what I mean.. oops)0

Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? Nope, but the ones from Aubrey are more visible with  my stomach stretching. 
Sleep: Napping a lot. Like, a lot a lot.
Best moment this week: Nothing really *spectacular* has happened this week. It has been pretty low-key! No complaints!
Miss Anything? Belly sleeping and wine. 
Movement: A ton!
Food cravings:  Pumpkin Cheesecake B&J's.. and turkey! Mashed potatoes, brocolli and cauliflower in cheese, egg nog.. Ahh I need Thanksgiving to be here now!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes
Gender: GIRL! 
Labor Signs: No. I think the Braxton Hicks have started though..
Symptoms: Still getting those darn leg cramps.. and lots of heartburn. I should open up a stock with Tums
Belly Button in or out? In. But it's kind of funky looking.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :)

Looking forward to: Mowing down on Thanksgiving food! Being pregnant for the holiday season is fun!

{24 weeks}

How far along? 24 weeks!
Baby stats: Addison is the size of a cantaloupe! (Yum) She is officially OVER a foot long and weighs about a pound and a half.  She's growing hair (better be up there with Rapunzel's with all this heartburn I've been having!)

Total weight gain/loss: Haven't weighed myself this week.
Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? Nope, but the ones from Aubrey are more visible with  my stomach stretching. 
Sleep: I think I'm slowly getting my energy back!
Best moment this week: Seeing  Addison's kicks from the outside. It's so amazing seeing my stomach pop out in random spots. :) Also.. ordering Christmas gifts online! I have my great-nephew and my best friend's daughter done! 
Miss Anything? Belly sleeping. 
Movement: Lots
Food cravings:  This answer will not change until I find some Ben & Jerry's Pumpkin Cheesecake ice cream.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not so much this week!

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes
Gender: GIRL! 
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Awful, awful leg cramps. I wake up at least 4-5 times a night and it's always my right leg. I'll have to get some bananas when I go food shopping tomorrow to see if the potassium helps.
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :)
Looking forward to: Holding my baby girl in 15 short weeks!

{23 weeks}

How far along? 23 weeks!
Baby stats: Addison is the size of a grapefruit! She is a little over 11" long and weighs just over a pound! Her face is fully formed (aw) and blood vessels are developing in her lungs to prep her for breathing once she's here. 

Total weight gain/loss: +12 since June. I'm going to go with "my doctor's scale is a little off".
Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? Nope, but the ones from Aubrey are more visible with  my stomach stretching. 
Sleep: So tired these days!
Best moment this week: Having 3 solid days off in a row where I could relax at a decent hour instead of when I get home at 1:30 in the morning, spending Halloween with Aubs,  and finding out I won a $500 gift card in a drawing at work they did as an overtime incentive! Sup nursing bra, maternity clothes, and Christmas shopping?
Miss Anything? Alcohollll. Went out for brunch last weekend with Keith & Aubrey. I know I *could* have had a mimosa, but I am too nervous to!
Movement: Lots
Food cravings:  Ben & Jerry's Pumpkin Cheesecake ice cream.. I know it's out there, but none of my local stores that have carried it in years past seem to be carrying it now...
Anything making you queasy or sick: Yup.. totally got sick over throwing away apple crisp that had been sitting out and completely forgot about. It stunk so bad when I pulled the saran wrap back! lol

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes
Gender: GIRL! 
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Just the norm.
Belly Button in or out? In.. but kind of looks like it's getting ready to come out.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :)
Looking forward to: Christmas shopping!

I have been slacking in the photo department. I've felt like I look like total garbage the last few weeks. Hopefully I will feel normal soon!

{22 weeks}

How far along? 22 weeks!
Baby stats: Addison is the size of a spaghetti squash! She is almost one pound and is about 11" long. She can hear sounds from outside of the womb (which may explain that hard kick to my side I got the other night when driving home from work singing Taylor Swift at the top of my lungs.. lol) She is sleeping between 12-14 hours a day.. and unfortunately it's NOT when I'm sleeping, because her kicks wake me up at night! lol

Total weight gain/loss: +10 pounds since June.
Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: Yes, please!!
Best moment this week: Feeling more defined kicks, and getting Addison some adorable clothes at Target during one of our shopping trips!

and...

Keith rolled his eyes SO HARD at the legwarmers.. but whatever. They're adorable and match the bodysuits!

Miss Anything? Wine
Movement: Tons :)
Food cravings:  Pineapple!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Have you started to show yet: Yup
Gender: GIRL! 
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: RLS, heartburn
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :)
Looking forward to: Meeting this little lady!

13 years

This is a little hard for me to write. It's a pretty sensitive subject and has been for the last, well, 13 years.

13 years ago today I lost my dad. I was only 12 years old. I have officially lived over half of my life without him here, and for a lack of better words, it sucks.

{I don't have many pictures of him. He wasn't really one for getting pictures taken.. This one is my favorite. 1989. }

He had a fairly short fight with cancer in 1999. Not even half a year. By the time they diagnosed him, it was too late to do anything. He was in the hospital for a little while, but before long we had him home in a hospital bed with hospice coming. He gave up eating and drinking. I remember the morning he died, I asked him if I could make him one of those Carnation instant breakfast shakes and he said no and I got upset with him. A few hours later he passed while I was at school. 

I hate that he missed me growing up. My graduation. My wedding. Aubrey's birth day. I hate that my girls will never know their grandfather.. that he will never be able to come up with awful nicknames for them (like he did for me, and no I will not tell you what it is because it's embarrassing lol), he won't be able to stick his dentures out of his mouth and flap them around and make them laugh. They won't spend endless summers with him up at the fairs he worked at. 

All they have are a few pictures, his grave, and the stories that I have in my memory. All I can do is make sure that it's enough.

1930-1999

♥

{21 weeks}

How far along? 21 weeks!
Baby stats: Addison is the size of a pomegranate! She went through a huge growth spurt this week, gaining approximately 4" in height and 2.2 ounces!

Total weight gain/loss: +8 since June. Oh yeah, packing on the pounds now..
Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: I loooove sleep. Sundays are my favorite days because they always result in a 3 hour nap/doze while watching football with the hubby :)
Best moment this week: Apple & pumpkin picking with the family, and more solid kicks from Miss Addison.
Miss Anything? My oversized PJ shirts that are getting snug.
Movement: Tons :)
Food cravings:  Ben & Jerry's Pumpkin Cheesecake ice cream.. I know it's out there, but none of my local stores that have carried it in years past seem to be carrying it now...
Anything making you queasy or sick: No :)

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes
Gender: GIRL! 
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: More restless legs. I took 3 laps around my work building the other night and they didn't bother me, so I think I just need to get more exercise in. I really need to unfreeze my gym membership..
Belly Button in or out? In.. but kind of looks like it's getting ready to come out.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :)
Looking forward to: Getting the girls' room started.

Family Fall Fun!

This past weekend was a blast! We have been trying to get to an apple orchard or a fair for the past month but the weather has been less than perfect.. but this Saturday we couldn't have asked for better weather! 

I began to panic as we reached Friday and I couldn't find an apple orchard that was still open. I promised Aubrey that this would be the weekend and she was so excited. The orchards around here always open really early in the season, so by the time October rolls around, the apples are slim picking. A friend recommended an adorable farm about 20 minutes away that we had never even heard of. 

Saturday morning, the first words out of this little lady's mouth were "Are we going apple picking now?!?"

{bright & early - ready to go!}

Our first stop was the corn maze! Not only was this Aubrey's first corn maze, but it was mine as well (I know, I know). 

{"Daddy's eating my head!"}

Before our hayride, I naturally had to make everyone pose for a cheesy family photo op:

{they'll thank me for this later, right?}

{hayride!}

After our corn maze and hay ride tour of the farm, we decided to pick out some pumpkins to carve. Aubrey found the perfect one for her!

We had to get into the car to drive down the dirt road leading to the apple orchard, but of course we had to stop at the farmstand and get some apple cider donuts, chocolate chip cookies, and pumpkin whoopie pies. All were fantastic! Besides the whole 'not being able to have pumpkin beer', I am loving being pregnant in the fall! So many yummy foods to splurge on and nobody thinks twice if I go for a second donut ;)

Aubrey had so much fun finding apples on the trees!

We were blown away at the amount of apples left in the orchard. We ended up getting over 23 pounds of apples for just $20.. so much cheaper than the farm that we usually go to! We have definitely found our new favorite farm and Aubrey can't wait to bring Addison back next year to show her the ropes of apple and pumpkin picking :)

We made a pit stop on the way home to pick up pumpkin carving patterns. Aubrey had fun scraping out the pumpkin brains..

{"Ewww, this is digusting mama!"}

Naturally, my child picked out Angry Birds patterns..

While Aubrey & her daddy finished up carving the pumpkins, I sliced up some apples and put an apple crisp in the oven. Topped with ice cream, this was the perfect way to end our perfect day!