Baby #2 - 34 weeks

How far along: 34 weeks

 

Baby's size: Honeydew melon (5lbs. 2oz., 18.2" according to our ultrasound today!)

 

Weight gain: 25lbs.

Maternity clothes: Ohhh yes...although I prefer not to wear clothes at all! ;-P

Stretch marks: None

Sleep: Now that I've got a good "wind down" routine, I'm sleeping pretty good! Lots of tossing and turning though, and I get up to pee at least once.

Gender: BOY!

Movement: LOTS! Rolling, kicking, and hiccups!

Best moment this week: Our diaper shower over the weekend. What a wonderful day!

Worst moment this week: On Friday morning my friend and I took our kids to a local park, and it was quite overwhelming. The kids are at such a crazy and wild age and rarely follow instructions or rules, which is really hard when you're 8 months pregnant (me) or you're wearing your 6 week old (my friend). BBUUTT the good news (and quite frankly the whole point of our trip) is both kids took 2 hour naps! Woohoo! :)

Looking forward to: Josh is taking Thursday and Friday off work, so I'm looking forward to a little date day on Thursday (while Jacob is at school) and a fun family day on Friday/HALLOWEEN!

Food cravings: Still breakfast foods, specifically pancakes! Ha!

Weirdest food I ate this week: Pancakes THREE TIMES this week! :)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Labor signs: None

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks, light cramping, sore back, tired, hemorrhoids, baby brain, itchy stomach, my linea negra is starting to form and I'm starting to get melasma on my face

Workouts: A couple walks to the park this week.

What I miss: WINE and a general feeling of comfort...

Similarities/differences between last pregnancy: Very similar, although I'm starting to feel like a pile of crap! Don't think that happened until further along with Jacob. Check out my last pregnancy at 34 weeks here.

Things that suck: Nothing, really....I can't complain about anything!

Things that don't suck: We had an ultrasound today. It's always so neat to watch your baby on the inside. He was sticking out his tongue ALOT and already making some suckling movements. So crazy! :) Here's a few pictures...



baby face



baby foot - measuring 3" already, which happens to be the same as Jacob's foot at this gestational age

 



And of course, sweet baby profile



Judson's Diaper Shower

Over the weekend, one of my dear friends threw us a BBQ diaper shower. To say we are blessed is a complete understatement. I'm still beaming from happiness! We are far more blessed than we deserve, and are so incredibly thankful for all our family and friends.

My sister took a TON of pictures for us, so this post will mostly be pictures. Let's get started!

 

My sister-in-law made these amazing party favors! They're little BBQ sauces with "Judson" and his due date. How totally adorable and people can actually use them (the sauce inside is delicious!).

 

 

Here's the food table and diaper cake. We had the most delicious BBQ spread, complete with mashed potato casserole, brown sugar baked beans, coleslaw, and sliced brisket sandwiches. Everything was perfect! And I love the diaper cake- the little lamb on top says the Lord's Prayer! What a special present for sweet Judson!

 



Baby showers the second time around take on a whole new feel, since we all have kids now! I just love watching the kids play together!

My mom got in on some of the playroom action.

After the kids played a bit and everyone chatted, it was time to EAT! Please excuse my cellulite upper thigh in nearly all of these pictures. I knew that dress was a tad too short for me, and all these pictures prove it! :-|

Somehow this was the only picture I got of the three of us...

 This ham was l-o-v-i-n-g the beans and potato casserole!

My parents gave Jacob a little tractor at the shower, so he didn't feel left out. Such a sweet gesture! It nearly brought me to tears, just thinking about how his little world is about to be rocked and he has no idea.

Various party pictures...

Jacob and Emma (my best friend's daughter) had to hug and kiss goodbye. You know I'm saving these pictures for their wedding!

A picture with all my sweet hostesses! From left to right: my two best friends from HS, my sister-in-law, ME, my sweet friend who opened her home to us, and her mom (who happens to be our neighbor and Jacob's third Grandma!). Love all these ladies so much and am so thankful for their friendships.

And the aftermath. Poor nugget was wiped-out after such a fun day!

I had Josh unload everything in Judson's room, and when I finally went in there, I was so overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, I just had to take a picture! We got 800+ diapers and 1,000+ wipes, plus loads of other goodies!

 

Sweet Judson, you are so loved already and we cannot wait to meet you! Please stay put for another month or so, but then you're welcome out any time! We love you, little boy!

Five on Friday + Oh Hey, Friday!

Hey, y'all!!! Happy Friday! I am so so thankful it's Friday and the weekend is upon us! Jacob is napping, so I literally have hours until daddy is home. Woohoo! :)

 

Today I'm linking up with the lovely ladies of Five on Friday and Oh Hey, Friday! So, let's get this party started! :)

ONE.

Lately my patience has seriously been worn thin. I wake up cranky, I go through the day cranky, and it isn't until Josh gets home that I can truly relax. Makes for long days (and weeks). Jacob's pre-school posted this on Facebook this morning and it really resonated with me. After a wild trip to the park with friends this morning, it's just what I needed to read. Breathe and relax.

TWO.
On the subject of wild and crazy, please look at this picture. This is how Jacob insists on eating his lunch. Ha!

THREE.
I rescheduled our maternity pictures for mid-November, so my bump would be bigger, which gives me a little more time to plan our outfits. We're taking them outdoors at a nature preserve, so I'm thinking creams/oranges/navy. I loooove this picture and plan to recreate it, with Jakey in the middle. :) Thoughts?



source

FOUR.
I also started thinking about our newborn shoot. I love the lifestyle look, like in our own house. But I really want some pictures like I did with Jacob, in front of the backdrop. Soooo I dunno?! Making decisions while 7.5 months pregnant shouldn't be allowed! :) Here's our outfits for that.

Picking out outfits for 3 guys is actually so much fun! I love coordinating with different prints And it's nice because dudes don't have accessories (which is not really my strong suit). I get so giddy just thinking about future photo shoots with all my boys, especially once Judson can crawl/walk and show off his outfit. EEK! Loves!

FIVE.

 

Accessory Jane is running a pre-order for these goooorgeous Tartan Plaid Blanket Scarves that are so hot right now. $28 is a great price and AJ is a lovely business, I've always been extremely happy with everything I've ordered from them, and these ship in 2-3 weeks!

Hope y'all have a looooovely weekend! We have our diaper shower on Sunday, which I am so looking forward to! Can't wait to see all our friends and family, and celebrate sweet baby Judd!

Baby #2 - 33 weeks

hair & makeup today...you so lucky! ;)

How far along: 33 weeks

 

Baby's size: Head of lettuce

 

Weight gain: 25lbs (after a massive breakfast at Original Pancake House...yum!!)

Maternity clothes: Yes, mostly all, except a few sweatshirts.

Stretch marks: None

Sleep: Sleep has been seriously sucking, and I've been getting the worst headaches because of it. I had a major meltdown on Friday afternoon, after Jacob woke up super early and barely took a nap. So I decided to switch up my bedtime routine- I've been taking baths before bed, putting my phone away until the morning, and reading. And it really seems to help!

Gender: BOY!

Movement: LOTS! And sometimes its kinda painful!

Best moment this week: Spending quality family time this weekend and checking things off our to-do list!

Worst moment this week: Probably Friday afternoon, like I mentioned earlier.

Looking forward to: Our diaper shower this weekend!! Woohoo!

Food cravings: Nothing, really...

Weirdest food I ate this week: Nothing, really...I totally expected to list a ton of fried fair food this week, but we didn't really eat anything crazy this year!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Labor signs: None

Symptoms: Tired, heartburn, tight tummy, shortness of breath, hemorrhoids, Braxton Hicks

Workouts: A couple walks this week

What I miss: Wait for it...WINE!

Similarities/differences between last pregnancy: Very similar! Check out my last pregnancy at 33 weeks here.

Things that suck: Nothing. Feeling really happy this week!

Things that don't suck: The cooler weather! Woohoo!!!! I ordered holiday shirts for Jacob over the weekend, and mayyyyyybe a Christmas shirt (or two) for Judson. Getting excited!!

Our Weekend

We had a lovely October weekend, complete with a trip to the pumpkin patch (finally), a pumpkin spiced latte for mom, a little art project for Judson's room and lots of play time!

As the weeks go by, I get really emotional knowing there's only a few left with our little family of three. I want to cherish and enjoys these last days, and play with Jacob as much as I can.

On Saturday afternoon, we met Josh's sister, her husband and their daughter (my niece!) at a local pumpkin patch.

We had so much fun! They had a corn maze, hayride, playscape area, little ride-on tractors, a big old tractor to play on, face painting, fresh roasted corn and kettle corn, and of course- tons of pumpkins!

 

Jacob loved running around looking at all the pumpkins and playing in the corn field. We didn't actually do the corn maze because there was a line, and mommy is a little claustrophobic. :)

Baby brother even got in on the fun! I don't know why, but I'm loving corn stalks/fields this season. Maybe because they're pretty rare in this neck of the woods?

Before we left, we had to get a picture of the kids together. Seeing them love on each other makes my heart so happy! They are just the sweetest, and I look forward to watching them grow up together! Cousins are such a special part of life.

We went to dinner afterwards, but of course I didn't get any pictures there...I was too busy eating! Ha!

On Sunday, we were pretty lazy. Spent a lot of time around the house, trip to the grocery store and the park, and I let Jacob paint a canvas for Judson's room. I can't wait to share the final product, and the rest of his nursery with y'all! We're getting so close to finishing!

Hope y'all had a nice weekend, too! Next weekend all my very best friends will be in town for our diaper shower!! I can't even believe it's already here, and I cannot wait to see all their faces.

State Fair of Texas

We took Jacob to the State Fair yesterday and oh my goodness, we had so much fun!!! This age is such a blast- he remembers things, he understands and gets excited over stuff. Which definitely makes lugging all our crap to something like that much more pleasurable and quite honestly- worth it.

We started off the day at the auto show. This is, by far, Josh's favorite part and Jacob is quickly learning to love it, too! It's so so cute seeing them jump in and out of all the cars and trucks. Jacob nearly died when he saw the Jeeps. If you know anything about my boy, it's that he LOVES Jeeps!

This picture is awful, but I love seeing both of them smile so big. They were in heaven! (oh, and PS- notice the water bottles in the cup holders, he insisted on putting two drinks in there! Ha!)

Next we walked by Big Tex, a State Fair must! It was the perfect timing because he said "Howdyyy, folks!" right when we walked up! Jacob was thoroughly impressed! (nothing like a little double chin selfie...eww...but Jacob and Josh look good!)

A first for us this year was the Children's Boardwalk area. It was really neat! They had face painting and temporary tattoos and sidewalk chalk. Of course, Jacob wanted nothing to do with any of that. All he really wanted to do was R U N. So typical! But I did get a few cute pictures of him checking out the horses and elephant.

 

Next up was the petting zoo. Some pictures worth noting...

That HUGE pig. It's the first time I've ever seen it actually stand up and walk around! Talk about whoa!

That camel scared the  s h i t  out of Jacob. And that picture might be the best picture from the whole day!

And lastly, that baby llama. Le sigh. Cutest damn thing ever, and it was only 3 days old!!!

 

Next up- FOOD! Corny dogs, fresh-squeezed lemonade and tater twisters were on the menu. YUMMY! I kept trying to find a few of the new fried things, but it seemed we walked past them or missed them all together. Whatev.

Last thing we did was hit up the dog show. Jacob was dancing and clapping, it was so cute! Somehow I managed to not take a picture of the actual dogs, but Jacob was adorable! ;)

 

AANNDD according to this picture, I'd call the day a success! :)

Baby #2 - 32 weeks

Look at me! I actually got dressed, but still couldn't pull it together enough to do my hair. :)

How far along: 32 weeks

 

Baby's size: Coconut

 

Weight gain: 24 lbs.

Maternity clothes: Yes!

Stretch marks: None

Sleep: Ugh, this week has been crappy! Between Jacob teething and coughing at night (and waking me up), thunderstorms in the middle of the night, and me waking up to pee...blah blah blah...it's been an awful week of sleep for me!

Gender: BOY!

Movement: Lots!

Best moment this week: Loooong story...but Judson's dresser has been backordered for MONTHS now, and I was getting really anxious about it, mostly because I felt like I couldn't move forward with the nursery and/or wash/organize all the baby clothes until I got the dresser and I was kinda at a standstill. AANNDD with November right around the corner, I've gotta finish the nursery, so I can start focusing on the holidays and Christmas shopping (can't even believe I'm saying that)! So on Tuesday when I got the 165101561 email from the manufacturer saying it was backordered again, I was really upset! I almost cancelled, but the lady said they would possibly have it back in stock by that Friday, so I decided to wait until Friday and then make a decision. Guess what was delivered not an hour after that? The dresser! I couldn't believe it! And I'm finding it very strange that the manufacturer didn't know it was shipped? SO weird, but whatever! Mamas happy! I was able to wash and organize all of the baby clothes, which I now realize we don't have enough of. But that's a whole other can of worms. :)

Worst moment this week: I had a teeny tiny meltdown on Sunday morning. But nothing a little cry and mommy timeout couldn't solve! :)

Looking forward to: State Fair, first pumpkin patch visit and our maternity pictures! ALL in the upcoming week! Yay!

Food cravings: Nothing, really...

Weirdest food I ate this week: Nothing, really...

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Labor signs: None

Symptoms: Tired, heartburn, tight tummy, shortness of breath, hemorrhoids, Braxton Hicks

Workouts: A couple walks this week

What I miss: WINE!

Similarities/differences between last pregnancy: Very similar! Check out my last pregnancy at 32 weeks here.

Things that suck: I'm starting to feel tired again, which really limits my productivity. Gotta take advantage of the time when daddy is home!

Things that don't suck: The weather is starting to change, and I'm so beyond happy!

Recipe - easy & delicious chili

I've been keeping this recipe from y'all. Mostly because it's delicious and in Texas, a good chili recipe is worth it's weight in gold. And could win you some serious awards. But, I'm gonna go against my better judgement, and trust that none of y'all will steal my recipe and enter it into a chili cook-off against me. ;)

 

 

You can easily add more chili powder, or even some cayenne, to make it spicier. Since Jacob enjoys eating the beans out of chili, we have to make ours pretty tame (although the flavor is on-point).

Ingredients

1lb. ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

30oz chili beans

15oz dark red kidney beans, drained

15oz petite diced tomatoes

15oz rotel

16oz tomato sauce
1 tbsp. cumin
2 tbsp. chili powder

Directions

1) brown ground beef with the chopped onion

2) drain the kidney beans (do not drain the chili beans)

3) mix all the cans of stuff, drained kidney beans and ground beef/onions into crockpot

4) add seasonings

5) cook on low for 4 hours

We serve our chili various ways, I think this is a personal thing. I like mine frito pie style (with Fritos on the bottom, then chili, then cheese, and sometimes sour cream on top); Josh likes his with a shit ton of saltine crackers and cheese. On "special occasions" (think TX/OU or Halloween) I like to bake up some tater tots and serve the chili over those, with cheese.  

Honestly, any way you serve this, it will be good. This is the best chili I've ever had!

Enjoy!

Five on Friday + Oh Hey, Friday!

Linking up with all the lovely gals for Five on Friday again this week! And this week, I got invited to join Oh Hey, Friday! Sooo...we're linkin' up double time! FUN! Sharing a few items that I've already put on my Christmas List. So, Santa- if you're reading....hint, hint ;)



ONE.

With Baby #2, I think I'll be doing a lot of babywearing and nursing in public. Neither of which I did much of with Jacob, because I didn't really have to! I'm thinking this breastfeeding cover that turns into a scarf is genius and the perfect accessory!

TWO.

I've been on the hunt for a great wallet/wristlet that can hold all my credit cards, money, cell phone and keys. I think this one is totally versatile and would be so easy to throw in a diaper bag or yank out when I'm out alone (gasp).

THREE.

Something I've lusted over for a year now is this Herringbone puffer jacket at JCrew. It's just so beautiful, and would go with everythang!!

FOUR.

I wear two "J" necklaces every singe day. I never take them off, even for showers or working out. They were pretty cheap and are starting to get a little tarnished (and dare I say rusty!), so I'd really like to "upgrade" to better quality necklaces, considering I wear them 24/7. These Stella & Dot necklaces are gorgeous, high quality and I can have the entire name engraved on them, which I love!

FIVE.

And last, but certainly not least. I need/want a new watch. My MK watch has been through the ringer. This one is classic.

What about y'all?? Have you been eyeing anything for Christmas already? Or am I really just that shallow? Cheers!!

Baby #2 - 31 weeks

How far along: 31 weeks

Baby's size: Butternut squash

 

Weight gain:  20 lbs.

Maternity clothes: Yes, mostly all

Stretch marks: None

Sleep: Pretty good!! I wake up at least once to pee, and it often takes awhile to fall back to sleep. BUT, I'm feeling good!

Gender: BOY!

Movement: Lots and lots! His movements are so strong these days!

Best moment this week: Going to Fort Worth to visit family, and just enjoying our little family of 3 while we can :)

Worst moment this week: Nothing, really...

Looking forward to: Cooler temps, finishing the nursery, my sprinkle in a few weeks!

Food cravings: Nothing, really...

Weirdest food I ate this week: Nothing, really...

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Labor signs: None

Symptoms: Tired, heartburn, tight tummy, shortness of breath, hemorrhoids, Braxton Hicks

Workouts: We went for a couple walks this week after dinner.

What I miss: WINE!

Similarities/differences between last pregnancy: Absolutely the same! I'm thinking the baby bump is starting to look similar, too! Check out my last pregnancy at 31 weeks here.

Things that suck: Honestly, it's still this HEAT! It's supposed to be 96 today! What.the.heck.

Things that don't suck: TX/OU is this weekend! Woohoo!

Our Weekend

We had such a lovely weekend, I just had to document it!

Saturday we drove to Fort Worth to eat lunch with Josh's dad, sister, and her husband and daughter (my niece!!) for my father-in-law's birthday. We had some delicious pizza at Cane Rosso on Magnolia. I wish I would've taken pictures of the pizza- it was all SO AMAZING and the nutella dessert pizza totally sealed the deal. We will be back. This was the first time the kids have really interacted, and I absolutely LOVED watching them! Autumn (my niece) kept grabbing at Jacob's face and he is just totally in love with her. It really melted my heart. I can't wait to watch them grow up together.

When we got home, we watched all the awesome college football upsets and lounged around. Then after dinner, Josh and Jacob played in the backyard for a bit. I took this aaaaaadorable video, and had to share it! Have you ever seen something so cute in all your life?! I didn't think so.

 

We discovered that Jacob is cutting his 2-year molars, and had an awful night Saturday night. Like Jacob crying/whining every hour ALL.NIGHT.LONG. We were ALL so exhausted by the time he finally woke up at 9am.

Needless to say, Sunday was spent in PJs on the couch, watching cartoons and drinking coffee. (side note: I'm not even drinking caffeinated coffee right now, but somehow drinking decaf coffee kinda does the same thing. Or atleast I'm tricking myself into believing that?? LOL)

After Jacob's nap, we packed up and drove to a local Target where the entire cast of Car's was. Talk about an OMG moment. Jacob saw the cars from the street and immediately starting shouting "get out, get out" on repeat. It was soo cute!!!

 

After crawling around all the cars and taking pictures with them, we headed to Chipotle for a nutritious Sunday dinner. That will probably be the last huge meal I eat before baby comes, I just can't stomach it anymore. I was literally burping alllllll night. Woof!

Anywaysssss....Sunday night was a bit better. We gave Jacob Motrin before bed, which I think helped him. He only woke up twice. Hoping these teeth push through quickly, although I've heard that these are by far the worst. Sooo...that's exciting.

Hope y'all had a great weekend, too! The fall temps definitely make it easier to get out and enjoy life! Cheers!