... naughty little boy!

Today, after I went to the bathroom really quick, I came back to find this:


Elliot had pulled out, emptied, and climbed into the drawer beneath the stove.

I said, "what are you doing, silly boy?" and this is the response I got:





THEN, only a few hours later, I was blowdrying my hair, and peeked into the kitchen again to discover-


That Elliot had figured out how to open the pantry. This was literally the ONLY cabinet in the kitchen not locked, because it has really tall doors, so he has nowhere to grip onto in order to pull it open. I've watched him try to open it before, and he could never figure it out... so I have a sneaking suspicion that our cat Charlie may have been the culprit. Especially since he just so happened to be poking his head into the pantry...


As I was taking the above picture, he proceeded to dump out a box of spaghetti...




I figured, since it was already dumped all over the floor, I might as well let him play with it.


... but I forgot that the FLOUR was also on that same shelf.


He had a grand time playing, but it was less fun for me to clean up.



What can I say, other than boys will be boys?

It is absolutely impossible to stay mad at this little guy. One minute, he's doing something bad, and the next, he's snuggling up against my chest or giving me a kiss! He is one of the sweetest babies I've ever met. Seriously. I'm not just saying that because he's my son, either.


See? Snuggling with Daddy {and his beloved blankie} after his nap.


Getting into trouble is exhausting!!

... I'll have TWO of these little troublemakers before I know it, too. Oh boy!

28 weeks!

How far along? 28 weeks 2 days.
Baby’s Size: a rutabaga :) 13.6"-14.8" & 1.5-2.2 lbs
Total Weight Gain: 20 lbs... oh boy!
Bellybutton: IT HAS OFFICIALLY POPPED! I don't really like how you can see it poking out through my shirts.
Stretchmarks: no new ones, but if you look closely enough you can now see the VERY faint white marks (about 1") that I got around my belly button at the end of my last pregnancy.
Maternity Clothes: still none, wearing all of my regular clothes- I wonder how long I'll be able to go before I have to give in? I only have a few pairs of jeans that still fit {with the belly band}, but it's getting too hot here for jeans, anyways.
Gender: a ROWDY baby boy.
Movement: He's been moving like crazy- and sometimes it hurts.
Sleep: I have officially entered the "I can't sleep because I can't get comfortable, and WHY AM I SO HOT?!" stage of pregnancy. Blah.
Symptoms: huge increase in Braxton Hicks this past week or two, and my belly hurts most of the time. To be expected, in the last trimester.
Food Aversions: red meat- but I don't really eat that anyways.
Food Cravings: candy, which is great since Easter is right around the corner ;)
Best Moments this week: Aaron had a four-day weekend, and we took advantage of it! From swimming/hiking at the river to cooking out with friends, we really enjoyed ourselves and the time we got to spend together. I also had a lot of fun taking St. Patrick's Day pictures of Elliot- and I have a bunch more to post. I'll probably do that tomorrow :)
What I miss: Not feeling like a whale. haha.
What I am Looking forward to: OB appointment in a couple weeks.
Milestones: How do I only have 12 weeks left? Crazy.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Elliot says, "HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!



Hope you all are enjoying your day! We're all wearing our green and are having a cookout at our house to celebrate with our friends. :)

Elliot: 15 months!

FIFTEEN MONTHS?! I can't believe it. It's mind boggling, really. It truly blows my mind that my sweet baby boy is already fifteen months old.

This Month:
♥ Elliot weighs 22 lbs and is 31.4"
♥ he's wearing mostly 12 month clothing, with the occasional 9 month bottoms
♥ he still isn't walking on his own, but getting better at walking while holding only one of our hands
♥ he also loves to literally RUN back and forth through the house behind his push walker
♥ loves to "organize" and sort things- like our pots and pans, toys, etc.
♥ he wants to spend ALL of his time outside
♥ he will crawl upstairs and wait by the tub if you tell him it's "tubbie time"
♥ recently, out of the blue, he has become attached to one of his blankets. He always wants to rock in his rocking chair with it after he wakes up and brings it downstairs with him in the morning. I leave it on the couch usually and he will crawl over and lay on/cuddle with it every once in awhile.
♥ he REALLY loves to brush his teeth and we have to try to avoid the bathroom at all costs because if he sees the toothbrushes he flips out haha
♥ his only real word is still "baba". He starts asking for it whenever he is tired, and now also when he is thirsty, even though we don't give him bottles during the day and call his sippy either his sippy or his water
♥ he understands almost everything we say, though. If we ask him to get something, or tell him to do something, he will. He's really quite a sharp little cookie!
♥ he is still so darn sweet- loves to give kisses and hugs to anyone and everything
♥ he is very impatient and stubborn, and will SCREECH if he needs help/wants something. Usually, if you tell him to ask nicely, he will, though. It goes from "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!" to a nice soft, "ahhh?" PS: "ahh" is how he asks for something, usually while pointing at or banging on whatever it is he needs help with.
♥ he loves putting his shoes and socks on and if he sees you with them, will sit down and stick a foot out for you :)
♥ he also LOVES to "clean" by pushing the vacuum, mop, or swiffer across the floor. He knows which closet they are in and will bang on the door and ask me to open it until he gets what he wants.


Just a visual- isn't it amazing how much they change in so little time?

Our family of 3... for now!

Just wanted to apologize for all that complaining yesterday. Sometimes you just have to get things off your chest, you know? Things are looking up today... another warm day in Texas {although cloudy}, and Elliot and I went to the park with some of my new army wife friends. He had a blast climbing all over the jungle gym {that kid has no fear, I tell you!} and walking around with me. He's really getting his balance and I think he'll be walking on his own soon. Elliot pretty much ignored the other babies and toddlers and did his own thing... but he's not used to playing with other kids, so that didn't surprise me. I'm sure he'll figure it out eventually!

It ended up being super hot and sunny yesterday, and Aaron came home from work early, so I decided to take advantage of it and get a friend to take a few family pictures for us. Before we know it, baby Sully will be here, and I want to try to remember this time that we had as a little family of three.

I'm only days away from the THIRD TRIMESTER!

Holy smokes! He will be here before we know it. And apparently, Aaron's request to stay in the states until after the baby is born and deploy two weeks later has not been approved by batallion yet... which means he may have to deploy early May. :(

Luck of the Irish... or not?

I may be irish, but I certainly haven't had the best luck lately...

Source: lulustiles.blogspot.com via Jess on Pinterest

I'm about to tell you why you probably won't see anything like this in my house. Not anytime soon.

Last week, I finally got around to meeting two other super awesome army wives who each have 3 kids under 3 {so are basically my new heroes/role models} and set up playdates with them. I was really excited about this- because, a) it would give Elliot an opportunity to actually socialize with other babies his age... or, who am I kidding, other kids in general. He spends all his time with adults. and b) I was looking forward to picking those mama's brains for tips/tricks/etc about parenting kids close in age. If you read this post, you understand why this was so exciting to me.

WELL. Elliot chose the day after meeting said supermamas to come down with his first cold in 7 months... and apparently those germs were just gathering and strategizing over all that time because this is one WHOPPER of a cold. There is thick green mucus everywhere, he coughs until he can't catch his breath, his chest is rattly, and he refuses to eat, sleep, or do anything other than cling to his mama.


Elliot the last time he was sick... he looks like this now, only way worse.

So obviously we missed both of our arranged play dates. Boo.



THEN, on Tuesday morning, I fell down the stairs. Hard. Don't laugh! Have you ever tried carrying a screaming, snotty, sick child down the stairs before sunrise with a yowling cat weaving between your legs, no glasses on, and a baby belly knocking off your center of balance? Don't. It felt like I broke my tailbone, and I started having so many contractions back to back that I couldn't even tell them apart, so I decided to call my OB. Instead of reassuring me, she basically yelled at me to get my butt to Labor & Delivery immediately... so once we found a babysitter for Elliot, off we went. Seven hours later, after bloodwork, ultrasounds, and talking to several different nurses and doctors, they unhooked me from the NST and released me on strict orders to take it easy. My husband got the next day off to take care of Elliot and I, which was nice.
... and I thought, surely, nothing else could go wrong... right? WRONG.

Today, we found out that Someone hacked our checking account, stealing not only all of our money but also putting us almost a grand in the hole, for the second time in the last 6 months! This is AFTER we got a new debit card, changed all of our passwords, etc. So we are now in a battle with the bank, and as soon as everything is resolved, we will be switching banks... which is always a hassle.

Dear Leprechaun: please bring me my luck back.
Preferrably before St. Patrick's Day. Thanks.

Source: thecraftingchicks.com via Jess on Pinterest

Sensational Saturday

Ever get sick of eating the same old things? Looking for new recipes to try?

I know I was! Tonight, we got together with some friends, picked out a new recipe to try, and made it. It turned out delicious, and we had a blast! It was so much fun that we decided to do it every weekend.

So, I've decided to add a new little weekly feature to my blog... and I'm calling it Sensational Saturday. {Okay, so I'm not the best at coming up with creative names.} Basically, we will try a new recipe every week, and I'll blog about it! Yay.



This week we decided to make Skinny Spaghetti with Sauteed Chicken and Grape Tomatoes.



Ingredients:
5 skinless chicken breasts, sliced in strips
Cooking spray
1/2 tsp each of dried oregano and dries basil
kosher salt and fresh pepper
16 oz thin spaghetti
3 cups grape tomatoes, halved
12 cloves garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped
extra virgin olive oil
Italian dressing {we used Kraft Tuscan Italian}
2 cups chopped fresh basil
2 cups shredded cheese {we used sharp cheddar and pepper jack}

Directions:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.



- Season chicken generously with salt, pepper, oregano and basil. Heat a large skillet on high heat. When hot, spray with oil and add chicken. Drizzle with italian dressing. Cook until no longer pink. Remove chicken and set aside.

- Add pasta and cook according to package directions.



- While pasta cooks, add olive oil to skillet on high heat. Add garlic and sauté until golden brown (do not burn). Add tomatoes, salt and pepper and reduce heat to medium-low. Sauté about 10 minutes. Then add chopped basil and continue to cook 4-5 minutes. When pasta is drained, add pasta to tomatoes and toss well. If pasta seems too dry, add extra olive oil. Add fresh basil and chicken and toss well. Serve and top with good shredded cheese.



Yum!

For original recipe, click here. {I altered the recipe a bit}

My nature boy.

It has been SUPER nice here lately- in the 70's and 80's over the past couple weeks. It's a good thing, too... because Elliot has decided that being outside is pretty much the best thing ever. He charges out our back door the MINUTE he finishes breakfast, and spends pretty much all day outside, other than his naps. It rained a few days ago, and he pretty much acted as though the world was coming to an end because he couldn't go out and play.


See? Happy as a clam, playing on the jungle gym.


Sticks- one of Elliot's new favorite chew toys.


Elliot pointing and saying, Mom, look! A bird!! Which in Elliot speak sounds like, "BA! Baaa! Baaaaa!" He is absolutely OBSESSED with birds. If you ask him where the birdies are, he'll look out the window until he sees one... and yell and laugh and grin once he sees it. If, every once in awhile, he doesn't spot any, he will hold his hands up and shrug, like, "I don't know, mom, where are they?" It's uber cute. I should take a video of my little birdwatcher one of these days.


My little tree hugger ♥


Off on a mission.


I'm absolutely in LOVE with this picture!

Oh, PS: Elliot is now back in cloth diapers exclusively, and I am building up my stash in order to cloth diaper two under two.
You can expect a post about this in a day or two. :)

I haven't asked for a vote in... ages. In fact, I think I may have completely missed a reset. So, if you have a spare minute, would you mind clicking below and voting for us? I'll vote back! :) Thanks.

26 weeks!

Click HERE to read my 26 week post with Elliot.



How far along? 26 weeks 1 day.
Baby’s Size: the length of an english cucumber- about 14" long and a pound and two-thirds.
Total Weight Gain: Not entirely sure, as I forgot to weigh in, but when I last checked, my weight gain had suddenly skyrocketed!
Bellybutton: it's juuuust about popped out. This is new to me- it never popped my last pregnancy.
Stretchmarks: still nada!
Maternity Clothes: other than a few tank tops and my bella band, I'm STILL wearing all of my regular clothes. I'm pretty proud of that fact!
Gender: another precious baby boy.
Movement: Sully has officially entered the "dance party" phase- where he kicks, punches, flips and turns enough to make my whole belly change shape. This is my favorite stage, when the movement is crazy, right before they start to get too squished in there to really do flip flops and rolls.
Sleep: Pregnancy when you have a 14 month old = the cure to insomnia. Still sleeping GREAT.
Symptoms: not a whole lot. If it weren't for my growing belly, I don't even feel pregnant when little Sullivan is sleeping. I am starting to get headaches again, but it's hard to tell if its from my allergies now that it's getting warmer or from being pregnant.
Food Aversions: none, really.
Food Cravings: ICE CREAM and dark chocolate, can't get enough!
Best Moments this week: date night. This is becoming a regular thing for us, because we have finally found a great babysitter and, well, we have to take advantage of this time while we can before Sully is born and Aaron deploys.
What I miss: Running and working out, lately. I'm so excited to get back into really good shape after this baby is born!
What I am Looking forward to: buying some more things for Sully. He's all set in the onesie and sleeper department, thanks to his big brother's hand-me-downs, but I still want to get him some new stuff anyways.
Milestones: Last week of the second trimester?! Seriously?!!!!

let's get real.

I think people often try to paint this perfect picture of their lives on their blogs. I mean, even when all hell is breaking lose, or the world seems to be crumbling apart around them, there they are with their bright, sunny, cheerful posts and pictures!

Well, I try not to do that. After all, the main reason I created this blog was to use it as a sort of living baby book, to document my life when my children were young {since we all know the time just flies by!}. That means I have to talk about the tough times, the not-so-good, along with the great, right? Right.

So, if you don't mind, let's get real for a minute.

Source: sayingimages.com via Jess on Pinterest

Lately, I've been seriously stressed out. This pregnancy is just flying by... I'm almost in the third trimester already {how did that happen?!}. It's been smooth sailing so far, thank God, but... folks, every night I collapse onto the bed utterly exhausted... and that's after a day caring for only one! Although things could change at any time, right now it looks like Aaron will be deploying to Afghanistan as soon as his two weeks of paternity leave are over.... if his first sergeant keeps his word and lets him stay home until after Sully is born. Everyone else is deploying in early May.

Source: trimblecrafts.com via Jess on Pinterest

I'm not trying to complain too much... I knew what I was getting into when I married my soldier. I knew that, most of the time, I'd be raising our kids on my own. But suddenly, it's really starting to sink in. The other day, at the grocery store, I nearly had a panic attack wondering how in the world I was supposed to buy food when there is only enough room for one baby in the cart. I mean, I guess I could wear baby Sully, but still. Then, while doing laundry, I realized that I will either be forced to do it at like 3am when both kiddos are sleeping, or tote them both AND a heavy laundry basket back and forth to the laundry room... which I don't even think is possible. I don't have enough arms or hands! Then there's the matter of bedtime... we've been shortening Elliot's bedtime routine lately, because what if {god forbid} Sully were to cry while I was rocking Elliot to sleep? Would I have to start the whole {rather tedious} routine all over again??

Elliot has absolutely no idea that he has a baby sibling on the way. His world is about to change in a big way, and we have no way to prepare him. He points at the ultrasounds and I'll say, "that's your baby brother!" but I know he doesn't get it. I feel bad, because I think he might resent the fact that this little creature came along and stole his mama from him. He'll enjoy having a brother to play with someday, though. I just keep reminding myself of that. My brother is almost nine years younger than me, and I would have done almost anything to have a sibling close to my age. As a young child, I was lonely and jealous of all my friends who had brothers and sisters. That's one of the main reasons we decided to have our kids close together- for them. I know that, but sometimes I still feel a little selfish. And I worry that poor Elliot will have a tough time adjusting.

Source: shannondarrough.com via Jess on Pinterest

I knew going into it that having two kids under two would be hard, but I guess I always thought I'd have someone around in the first weeks or months, until I get settled into a comfortable routine and have really gotten a handle on the whole "mama of TWO" thing. Now it looks like I won't be so lucky.

Source: Uploaded by user via Jess on Pinterest

I love my husband, I love Elliot, and I love baby Sullivan, even though I haven't met him yet. I also love our little life, and all the doors the Army has opened for us. I guess I just need to remind myself to just take a breath every once in awhile and just relax. Everything will work out. At first, our life might not be perfect... things may be rocky... but it will be perfect for me. ♥

Source: pinterest.com via Jess on Pinterest

To those of you with kids close in age...
how do you do it?
Do you have any tips/suggestions??