This Week/Random

This has been a crazy week. I don't even know where it went!

Monday Bryan had off but was in bed most of the day trying to beat a cold. We went to a super Walmart in the evening to get out of the house and to stock up on some groceries. :) Hmm I love me some groceries!!

Tuesday felt like Monday since it was the first day Bryan was back to work since before Thanksgiving. The kids and I just chilled at home. We played and cleaned up a little bit and just relaxed. I made beef stew for dinner- it was good but needs more meat next time. I'm freezing the leftovers so I can get more meat and add it in the future. If anything it would be great as a puree for the baby when the time comes...if I can even keep it that long.

Wednesday was a repeat of Tuesday. I was extra tired so I laid low. Bryan went to church in the evening to help out with graphics. I love when he does that- it feeds the creative drive he has and he's so much happier when that need it met!!

Yesterday was amazing. It was the busiest day in a really long time but awesomely so. In the am I took Bryan to work (we were out of the house at 745) and then went straight to Co-op (homeschool co-op at my church where I teach the preschool class). It was a fun morning. The kids had a lot of energy which balanced my lack of energy. Then we came home ate lunch and napped. After naps we hung out for an hour (kids hung out, I got ready, packed a bag for the kids and made an ice cream cake) and then left to go pick up Bryan from work. From there we headed to my older brother's house where we hung out and anxiously awaited the arrival of my parents with my younger sister, Sarah, who has been in Argentina for the last year. It was a great night and we had a blast hanging out with family. The kids handled the busy day really well and went to bed pretty easily.

Randomness:
I am 21 weeks now. When did that happen????? This pregnancy is flying- which at this point I love because I'm starting to get uncomfortable (probably because this is my 3rd baby in 4 years??). But I also hate it because I have to stuff to do and I am having a hard time finding the time to get it done! I have a few projects I need to get done for Christmas- the biggest one being making the kids blankets. But then there's a few projects that need to get done before Cyan comes and I usually can't think of much else until that happens.

Cyan is getting more active now. I love it!!! She's exploring all the space she has (aka not punching my bladder AS much).

Titus was talking to her last night and rubbing my belly. It was such a precious moment. He's such a great big brother (when he remembers to be gentle). I'm excited to see him with the baby. He's so protective of Rya, which I love! I want him to be protective of his sisters.

Rya will acknowledge there is a baby in my belly but she doesn't really get it. She's such a little mother and so the majority of her present for Christmas this year revolve around babies. She's going to be such a big help, once she gets over the shock of a new little person living in our house. I'm slightly concerned about how well she will do, but other than talking about it or reading books, there isn't much we can do but pray. She's used to snuggling with Mommy whenever she wants and while I'm recovering that will be really hard to do.

Titus is coming into our room SOOO much at night. Wednesday night was 5 times. Last night was 4. I don't know why he wakes up and comes in our room. It drives me crazy because lately he wakes me up every single time so I'm getting really broken sleep which sucks. He used to be more stealthy and I'd wake up to pee and he would be there. He actually fell out of his bed last night, for the first time ever. But he was easy to get back down.

Rya slept through the night for 3 nights and then last night was up twice. I don't know if it was a temperature thing or dreams or what. She's easy to get back down but once again more broken sleep for me.

I'm trying to keep reminding myself that this is all just a season of motherhood. Not all seasons are as exhausting. God is good and gets me through each day and thankfully for now both kids still nap in the afternoon so I can too. And I have an understanding husband who doesn't care if I go to bed right after the kids do.

Goals for this weekend:
-Possibly get our tree up and decorated (other house decorations too)
-Laundry- wash the dirty and put away the clean
-Clean up random clutter spots
-Any other cleaning we might have energy for
-Get Rya a twin mattress and start her transition to a big girl bed

Here's some random pics from a few months ago that I love!!

19 weeks, Coffee, Sleeping Arrangements...

19 weeks people! About 20 more! It's going to fly with lots going on at least through the end of December. We have Thanksgiving next week, my sister coming home from Argentina (where's she's been for about a YEAR!), then we have the fun month of December with all the holiday fun that that entails. I'm excited to be distracted for the next month so I'm not constantly thinking about my baby to-do list.

Coffee finally tastes somewhat normal and good to me now! I tried it on a whim yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. Cyan has done a number on my taste buds! I'm still not craving any sugar really which is part of the reason I was avoiding coffee and tea. The only sugary thing that still tasted good to me was chocolate milk. I like enjoying a warm cup of coffee, but I'm not going to go crazy with it. I don't need the extra sugar in my diet.

I realized that we have to move Rya out of the crib before Cyan comes. We were planning on just borrowing or buying a second crib. However with the c-section I can't lift Rya for 6-8 weeks possibly more depending on pain. Bryan will be around before and after work but I can't put her in or take her out of her crib for naps. My mom and mother-in-law will be around to help, but I think it's too much to expect someone to be here everyday for nap time. We are planning on buying her a twin mattress and just putting it on the floor for now while she gets used to sleeping in a big bed. Rya still loves for me to rock her to sleep. Not Daddy, me. So this is also an issue we are going to be working through. We have time but it also stresses me out!

We were going to give up our big room for the girls to share and we still might but last night we started entertaining the idea of keeping our room. We just really like it. Cyan will be with us for a couple months (I'm assuming) so the extra space would be nice anyway. Plus our kids don't spend an overwhelming amount of time in their rooms other than sleeping.

I was going to include more in this post but my kids are done cooperating with Mommy's computer time. Have a great day!!!

And the Name Is...

I had my 18 week sonogram this past Wednesday. I was so nervous leading up to it as I have been in the past with sonograms that there was going to be a problem or something. However baby looks good! Cooperated with the needed measurements and moved around enough to be cute but wasn't a psychotic break dancer like Titus.

Baby cooperated for us to find out the gender too!! I'm super excited to announce we are having a GIRL!! Her name is Cyan (sigh-ann) Mercy. Cyan is the specific shade of blue from the primary color wheel. This was a name Bryan has loved since before we ever had kids. I picked Mercy for the middle name because I always thought it would be awesome to have two girls with the middle names of Grace and Mercy. But also because I want her to always be reminded of God's mercy on her and to have mercy on others.

I do have to admit was originally disappointed when we were told it was a girl. I don't know why but I have a weird attachment to the boy baby clothes I have and I wanted a chance to use them again. We also decided on the name Lincoln if it was a boy and I absolutely love that name and really wanted to use it. I even tried rationalizing using it for Cyan. BUT it is a really masculine name. I still think it's awesome and would have used it if Bryan would have been on board. But as time goes on I am sooo super excited to have another daughter. Granted the thought of two girly-girl teenagers makes me want to cry. I'm so not girly, but I can learn! Titus is an amazing big brother (when he isn't fighting evil monsters that are of course Rya without her knowing about it :)  ). I'm excited to teach him to be a leader and protector for his sisters. He already shows a lot of protective qualities and I LOVE it!!

The sonogram showed I have a low lying placenta- which means the placenta ends less than 2cm from my cervix. This could be a problem if I was going to have a vaginal delivery, but I'm not. It could also be a problem if the placenta was in the front of my uterus where the doctor would have to cut for the c-section. BUT the placenta is in the back so my doctor is 100% not concerned and is even happy about where it is.

I gained 4 pounds since my last appt...2 WEEKS AGO!!! I'm not happy about that!! BUT I don't think I've really been eating bad so I can't really complain. I could be more active but I usually have the attitude of I'm going to gain what I gain. When pregnant with Titus I LOVED desserts. I could pack those things away! And with Rya I barely ate any! But I gained about the same with Rya as with Titus. So I think I'm pretty destined to gain roughly about 35ish pounds. I am going to try being more active this time around but if that doesn't work I'm not going to cry about it. I will gain what I gain.

Okay I'm off to battle with the clutter upstairs. Here's a pic of Cyan's cuteness!!

Hair Follow-up/TOMORROW!!!

So a quick follow up on my hair. I washed my hair last night again with just baking soda and water. I think I used too much baking soda- I ended up dumping some down the drain because I didn't need it. Then again I used a pea sized amount of regular conditioner afterwards. I will not be repeating that step again. I think that is the cause of the weird texture- the slight greasy feeling my hair has. My hair feels thicker and is really knotty to play with but i can brush it out just fine and put it up when needed. Next time I wash it I'm going to make the conditioning rinse with apple cider vinegar and water. Between now and then or at least right before I might add a little bit of coconut oil to my hair- a little bit can act as a conditioner. A lot and it's a mask. I want to try both.


TOMORROW!!! Is my 18 weeks sonogram. We get to see baby and hopefully find out what we are having. I'm super excited but also nervous. I always get nervous ahead of time until I know that baby is right on track and doesn't have anything developmentally wrong/challenging. Once we are in the clear for all of that I relax and enjoy it more. I'm feeling more movement these days- not necessarily more in amount but more as in strength. One kick or punch this morning really surprised me!! I LOVE this part of pregnancy!!!

Can't wait to announce what we are having and the name we have chosen!! :D

Crunchy Weekend

Apparently this was my weekend for upping my crunchy game. :D

Friday night I was looking forward to taking a shower. I have been debating on and off to switch to the no-poo method of washing my hair. I have avoided it because, well I'm lazy, and I really haven't been in the mood to deal with transition hair. I've heard it can be greasy and unruly. But lately my hair has been ridiculously greasy anyway. Maybe it's pregnancy hormones or the fact that I've needed to use a little conditioner to be able to get a comb through my hair. I don't know. But either way Friday night I decided to just try it and see how my hair felt after. I could always wash it the regular way after if I wasn't satisfied. So I grabbed a small snack container and poured a bunch of baking soda into it. In the shower I slowly added water to make a watery paste. I rubbed the paste into my roots and scalp and gently ran the rest of it over my hair as I rinsed it out. My hair felt kind of dry and knotty but not terribly so. I decided to use a pea sized amount of conditioner on all my hair but the roots just to make combing it easier. 

After the shower I was able to comb my hair no problem. It definitely felt different. Parts of it felt greasy and parts felt very dry. And my hair felt like that all weekend. Brushing it would make it feel smoother again and wearing it up reduced how dry and knotty it felt. I kept checking for signs of grease all weekend and haven't seen any. I haven't really checked yet this morning but my hair doesn't feel any different. 

I'm going to keep going with this and then possibly might test with regular shampoo in a week or so. I thoroughly enjoy not having to wash my hair everyday because of greasy hair.

The other aspect of my crunchiness this weekend was with Essential oils. Rya came down with a cold and wasn't sleeping well. Friday night I didn't have any oils yet so I put Vicks on her feet with socks and then rubbed some into a wet washcloth that I hung in front of her fan. That seemed to help although around 3 am she woke up and then had a hard time settling back down. 

Saturday morning I went to a local store that sells essential oils and other herbal things as well as some other stuff. I bought Rosemary oil to put in our humidifiers because it can help clean out your sinuses and make it easier to breathe. I also bought Lavender oil because it can help calm and induce rest. Which after being up with Rya for almost 3 hours Friday night we needed rest. I have some maintenance work to do on the humidifiers so for nap time Saturday I just put Rosemary oil on the washcloth like I did with the Vicks. It definitely seemed to help. I like the smell of it! Just rocking Rya in the same room as it helped clear my nose out!

I put a couple of drops of Lavender oil on Rya's feet Saturday night and she slept all night. Did the same last night and she got up once but she fell asleep pretty quickly. I used it on Titus last night as well. He still got up a few time we but he calmed down and fell asleep quicker than usual. I do NOT like the smell of the lavender. It doesn't smell like the conventional lavender scent that you would get in a store. Although, I'm not a huge fan of that smell either.

I've enjoyed my crunchy weekend. I'm going to keep going with the oils until Rya clears up (and Bryan who now has a cold).

Hope you all had a good weekend!!

It's Friday!!

I'm so excited it's Friday! We have no plans this weekend, except to hang out as family. We might work on the house a little bit and catch up on some clerical stuff. But if not, that's okay! Rya seems to have a cold so I want to make sure she can get a ton of rest this weekend.

My kids love to dance. I can turn on music, Youtube, or they will even play Just Dance. They just love to get down. It's adorable and great exercise for them. And me, when I'm not too lazy to join in. One of our pastors told Bryan about this awesome band called The Rizers. They are an animated band and make super cool videos. The best part about this band? Their songs are straight Scripture. It's a great way for my kids to get more Scripture in their day and they learn Bible verses without even realizing it! It's good for me too! The songs are really catchy as well.

Here's a Youtube link so you can check them out. I HIGHLY recommend it!
http://www.youtube.com/user/therizers

I hope you all have fantastic weekends!!

17 weeks

-I haven't figure out how to get pics on here from my phone so I don't have a new picture. Oh well!

-The heartburn has kicked in! Really with only tomato-y stuff or anything spicey. Tums are my friend and so far they are working.

-I have a little jr sized basketball sized belly. I love it! I love actually looking pregnant vs just looking like I ate too many cookies. Depending on the day I'm still in that phase but it's becoming more and more obvious.

-I am still pretty exhausted. I think the first trimester exhaustion is gone but I'm still beat! I think it's more getting woken up from deep sleep in the mornings and from naps. I try not to take naps but I can't keep my eyes open anymore. But I always feel worse after.

-I need to get my butt moving on making some maternity pants. I can't really fit in my jeans anymore. I'm using the hairtie trick to keep the button closed but the zippers are getting tight too. I pretty much live in sweats at home but don't want to do that going out. I'm outgrowing the pants a friend gave me. They were very much appreciated but short lived! I'm good on shirts whether it's regular shirts or ones I had or borrowed.

-I am getting the nesting urge for projects but of course I don't have the energy to do anything about it. I don't usually get the crazy cleaning aspect of nesting- just organizing and projects.

-Titus is getting really excited for the baby and Rya talks about it more. Poor Titus wants the baby to come right now and doesn't understand he has to wait another 5 months.

-We were planning on Titus sharing a room with the baby if it is a boy. But that kids can't sleep through noise. Rya crying wakes him regardless of when it happens and they are in seperate rooms! So the baby will room with us a little longer than planned then we will reevaluate when the time comes.

-18 weeks sonogram is in one week!!! I am praying this baby cooperates and shows off the gender. And also that everything is healthy and growing the way it should.

-I've started to feel the baby move with my hand. Bryan even felt it once. It's awesome and one of my favorite things about being pregnant. :D