Belly Baby Baby Bump!!!

After almost 19 weeks of belly (and we won't mention what else!) growth, here is what my "bump" looks like! I call it my Belly Baby baby bump---say that 10 times fast!

Taken @ 18 weeks and 5 days...that's alotta belly! :) Aaron has affectionately started calling me "Big-girl" again...thank God I have a good sense of humor! :)

My Belly Baby Baby Bump!

As I was uploading these pictures, I took a trip down memory lane and looked at a few photographs of my pregnancy with Johnathan...and oh, my, goodness, I had forgotten just how robust (okay, yes, HUGE!!!) my belly and the rest of me had gotten! I guess this is what I have to look forward to...

...24 weeks preggo with our Baby J...though I was on bedrest, so the lbs. had really started to pack on at this point!...

...27 weeks, and looking, well, quite pregnant!...

...30 weeks, you can tell I wasn't afraid to eat, no sir! Bring on the food!!!...


...32 weeks of beautiful baby bumpness!...

...34 weeks and *growing*/counting!...


...okay, the weight has really started to pack on, and I still wasn't through yet, 36 weeks along with our sweet Monkey...


...taken just days before his birth, my big ol' baby bump, which looks more like a mountain than just a bump! I guess I can handle looking like this again!!!

Oh, but I almost forgot the most "dreaded" part...
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...the post-delivery swelling!!! ;) Goodness, am I really going to look like this again???!!!

But, seeing the precious little face of your new baby makes it all worth it...

...and remembering what used to be just pales in comparison!
(Although, if you asked me if I wanted to look like this again, I'd still say yes...just no to the bikini part.....those days are over! Moms in bikinis with toddlers hanging off of them just don't go!)

*Grace*

Proud of our Firefighter!

This past Thursday, Johnathan's Tio/Aaron's brother, David, graduated from the Houston Fire Academy and is now officially a firefighter for the Houston Fire Department! We were able to take a trip to Houston to be with David and the rest of the family, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time, and are especially proud of David and all that he has accomplished! Here are a few pictures of our trip!

Our hotel, The Inn at the Ballpark...quite nice, and it had tons of baseball photos and memorabilia...just perfect for Johnathan!

David and his fellow academy brothers during a house-fire simulation.

Getting out of all that heavy (but extremely important and lifesaving!) gear...I think that all together they wear about 80 pounds of gear!

Dr. Aldape and Firefighter Aldape...what awesome brothers!!!

Ava & Johnathan, hanging like little monkeys! Too cute!

David heading up the procession down to graduation! (*Sorry for the bad pic, but you get the idea!*)

Way to go David, we're so proud of you!!!

*****I'll be back shortly with a Belly Baby Baby Bump post! ;)*****

Sweet Feet

The other day as I was packing for a trip we were about to take, Johnathan was enjoying a lazy morning on our bed watching one of his "hermies" (aka, movies). As he relaxed while munching on a leftover waffle from breakfast, I snapped a few shots of him enjoying the good life...what a little cutie!


As he lay there, I couldn't help but to notice his sweet little feet sticking out from under the pillow. And, maybe it's just me, but I think that his little feet are one of the most precious things about him---okay, well one of a million little things I love about him, but still, I just love his little feet!

Absolute cuteness!!!

Belly Baby Pictures

***Belly Baby***

A few weeks ago before my little surgery, we got these cute sono pictures of our little Belly Baby. This first one is my very favorite...isn't his/her profile just adorable?!!



This is a view of the face & hand...yes, it's okay if you think it looks like a little alien! ;)


Tummy & Face - all pictures taken at 14 weeks, 1 day.

Wintersong

Staying Organized & A Sneaky, Quick Chili Recipe

About the time Johnathan was born I started getting a magazine called Parents. Though not all the articles and stories come from a point of view that matches my own values, there is still a lot that I've gained from reading through it each month. After several months worth of magazines stacking up and cluttering our house, I decided to go through each issue and cut out the articles that were especially helpful, recipes that looked fun to try, etc. So, now, almost two years later, I have a binder that is chock full of helpful advice that coincides with how we're trying to raise our little family. I also have stock-piled some yummy (and sneakily healthy!) recipes that are apparently kid-friendly too...and so far the ones that I've tried have worked out pretty well. Which brings me to the recipe I want to share with you...

My Sneaky, Quick Chili Recipe (adapted from a recipe in Parents magazine)

-1 pound of ground chicken...this meat is very lean so you don't have the grease run-off like you do with ground beef...you could use ground turkey as well

-1 can of diced chili tomatoes

-2 cans of chili beans

-1 medium sized zucchini (shredded...thus the sneakiness for veggie-hating kiddos!)

-salt, pepper, garlic powder or whatever seasons you want to taste

*Brown ground chicken for 5-10 minutes until cooked through. Add the tomatoes and chili beans. Mix in your shredded zucchini...sneaky, sneaky!...and throw in whatever spices you want. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Serve over Fritos and top with some shredded cheese. Yummy!

I made this a few nights ago and it was delish! Johnathan loved it (without cheese, of course) and especially liked that he got to have chips with dinner! Haha! I would say that this recipe would feed a family of 4, so double it up if you need more or if you want leftovers.

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In belly baby news, I have been feeling sweet little kicks and jabs throughout the day for the past couple of weeks. Right now it tends to move a lot at night...Johnathan was like that too, from what I remember...and last night it was kicking really hard for being so small (just 17w3d) so that even Aaron could feel it for several minutes. Very precious. I feel awesome right now, and hopefully everything is going okay internally...from how I feel I would guess that it is. ;)

Okay, y'all. Talk to you later!

Happy Trails to You!

Yesterday I let Johnathan make his own trail mix snacks...which he just loved to do! Mostly he liked all the extra taste-testing that he got to do along the way...but, since he was eating pretty healthy stuff, I didn't mind the munching that he did in between mixing it all up! If you want my recipe for this tasty and toddler-friendly snack, it's pretty simple...

...(all measurements are approximate as I just grabbed the ingredients from the bulk food bins at our health food store in town)...

Happy Trails Trail Mix
-2 cups miniature pretzels
-1 cup halved cashews...plain/unsalted
-1 cup sunflower seeds...plain/unsalted
-1 cup of carob chips (you could do semi-sweet/milk chocolate chips, but Johnathan can't have any dairy, so I opted for the carob)
-2 cups of mixed dried fruits---apricots, raisins, apples, etc.
-1 cup of dried blueberries...a real treat...those things are expensive!

Mix it all together...let your toddler or child help!...and store in Ziplock bags. I put individual servings in each bag to make snack-time a breeze!

Have a great weekend, y'all!

*Grace*

One of Those Days...

Yesterday was just one of those days where I needed a drink...of coffee that is...my go-to drink when I need to relax and just chill out a bit. I think sometimes that I could survive off of that liquid alone, I simply love it, but I realize that I need some actual plain water in my diet...especially since I'm preggo at the moment...so I limit myself to one cup of joe a day...unless I'm really frazzled or worn out, then I allow myself an extra mug-full...and yesterday was one of those I-really-want-to-pull-out-my-hair days.

Taking care of myself the best that I can I've tried not to leave the house too much unless it's really necessary, but staying home a lot tends to wear on my nerves, and a bit of cabin fever has set in lately. So, thinking that the outdoors would do me (and Johnathan) and bit of good, we decided to take a walk around the block. It is fun to see life through a child's eyes...and little sticks, seed pods, rocks, leaves and other various items that were scattered along our walk became prized possessions to Johnathan who gathered them with reckless abandon. His little hands held tightly to his treasures until he found something better, and then rocks and seeds would fly as he threw them away as quickly as possible to grab another handful of nature's goodies.

After being gone for about 30 minutes or so it was time to come home...which was not something that Johnathan wanted to do. He ran into several people's yards as I tried to get him to actually obey me without putting up a fuss. He is getting really fast when he runs, and I actually have to jog to keep up with him---which is not something that I'm supposed to do in my current "condition"...so I was getting frustrated because he would NOT listen to me, and even gave me his very defiant little look that told me that he didn't care what I was saying, and that he wanted to do what he wanted...not what mommy wanted. Needless to say we probably looked a scene as I tried to get him under control---which didn't really happen. He was going crazy, and I was frustrated...mostly because I felt like I was overexerting myself to keep him from running out into the street as he tried to get away from me. Ugh! The joys of parenting!

After we finally managed to get home it was straight to nap-time for Monkey (after some disciplinary action!), and then straight to making coffee for me as I tried to gather my sanity. I realize that moments like Monkey's meltdown yesterday are inevitable during child rearing, but they sure aren't fun.

Today is going better...I think. Johnathan has a very independent little spirit, and although I know that it will be a wonderful quality when it's channeled in the right direction, it sure is tough right now as we're in the early stages of trying to get him to see that mommy and daddy know best, and that he needs to obey us because we're only looking out for what's best for him.

On a happy note, I am starting to teach Johnathan to count from 1-10 and we're also going over the alphabet. He really likes it so far and keeps asking for "more, more" when I'm going through our flash cards. His intellect has really been blooming lately, so Aaron and I thought it would be a great time to introduce him to some of the foundational building blocks of learning. He is loving puzzles these days, and we're going to have to get him some more advanced ones. Also, he has mastered where to put the right shapes in his wooden blocks box. He is also really enjoying reading and his favorite new word is "car!" We're also working on animal sounds---he's got the dog's bark and the cat's meow down pat, so we're moving onto more. One activity that I thought he would enjoy more is coloring, but he isn't that interested in sitting down to do that! We do his flash cards right after lunch, when his belly is full---and while he's still strapped in his high chair! Haha! He likes it though, for at least 5-10 minutes, and then he's ready to go play. I'll take whatever I can get!

I'm off to "relax" while Johnathan attempts to take his nap! See ya later!

*Grace*

Plumbing Problems

Here's an "embarrassing" story---though actually, I'm not really that embarrassed about it---to help lighten the mood on this Monday afternoon...

The past couple of weeks we've been experiencing some plumbing problems here at the ol' house. They started out with our toilet almost overflowing when the washing machine was draining. The pipes in our home are all connected, and when one area gets a clog in it you just never know which room is going to be affected. After several visits from two different plumbing companies, we finally got the washer/toilet issue figured out...but then the bathtub started to drain really slowly...I mean like it would take about 6 hours to drain the half-full tub...yuck! So, after some other tinkering (and pipe replacing) the main issues were fixed and we had full use of all the modern conveniences that indoor plumbing provides.

So onto today...we currently have a pair of plumbers (no cracks involved, thankfully!) taking care of some of the smaller issues that have crept up over the past months...constant dripping in the tub, a leak under the kitchen sink, disposal that kicked the bucket, etc. Things are being fixed, yay, but in the meantime our house is a bit inaccessible in certain areas...the main place being the bathroom. Being a second trimester preggo lady, I don't have to pee quite as often as I seemed to during trimester 1, BUT my "plumbing" is on a fairly regular schedule, so if I drink a glass of water you can be guaranteed that I'll have to pee within the hour! That being said, and since I am the lady that I am, (and not wanting to divulge to these strangers that I have to use the restroom) I decided to revert back to my diaper days and simply use one of Johnathan's diapers to relieve my poor bladder. So, as Johnathan played in his room I simply emptied myself into a diaper that claimed to be leak-proof...and you know what???...it worked! Sweet relief! And the plumbers were never the wiser! Ha!

*FYI, an aunt of mine told me about using the diaper as a last resort when you're in dire straights and just have to use the bathroom...I'll withhold her name...but you know who you are...and THANKS!!!*

Caught In Between

Lately I've been feeling like I'm caught in between doing what's "best" for Johnathan and doing my best to make sure that this pregnancy goes as well as possible. If I take care of Monkey the way that he needs to be cared for then I am up on my feet and not taking it easy for the baby. If I take it easy for the baby's sake then I'm almost constantly frustrating sweet Baby J. because he doesn't understand why mommy is just laying around like a lazy bum. I guess I can't have the best of both worlds...but I can keep trying to do what I can to make the best of the world that I'm living in. It is hard to realize that I can't be everything to both of them right now...and it brings to mind a conversation that I had with my mom just a week or so ago.

Years ago, when she was very early in her pregnancy with another little "P" my mom asked a friend (and I'm paraphrasing here) how she could be everything to all her children...how far could she "stretch" her love for each of her kids to have all of her all the time...and you know what???...her wise friend told her she didn't have to be everything...that her children (me included!) would get our love tanks filled through her (and my dad) and through each other. Like I said, I've paraphrased our conversation, but what I took away from it is that I shouldn't have to feel like I'm 100% responsible for every bit of happiness and love that my children feel. Not to say that I don't pour all the love I have to give into each of my precious kids, but I need to realize that there are other people in their lives that will help fill those little love tanks too.

So, regarding my current frustration of being caught in between doing what's best for each of my two little ones, I am having to come to grips with the fact that there is only so much that I can do, and I'll have to depend on God for the rest. I believe that He is able to fill in the gaps and I know that if my children feel the love and care I have for them on top of God's love then everything will be okay.

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Regarding our sweet little "Belly Baby", I am now a day over 16 weeks along...and although I feel great---very little nausea & energized (most days)---I am sort of anxious because this week (week 16) is the week that I had my pregnancy troubles with our precious Gideon and Daniel. Of course I have the stitch in place right now, but I still get a bit antsy because I know that my uterus is now at the point where that stitch really has to do it's job because my body just doesn't have the ability to. So just pray that I don't get too over anxious, that I can continue to trust God for the sweet life of this baby, and that my previous fears from what I know can happen do not put a damper on the happiness that I should feel carrying this little blessing. Fear really can rob your joy...and I don't want that to happen with this child.

Okay, y'all, I'm off to do some minor organization while Monkey is napping! I'll be back soon!

*Grace*

A Good Day

Today has been a good day, a great day in fact. We woke up this morning to freezing temperatures outside, but inside it was nice and cozy, and the perfect morning to make some cinnamon rolls for breakfast! I cheated and baked the pre-made just pop 'em in the oven kind...but they were still good! ;) Out of 8 I am pretty sure that Johnathan ate 5 of them! His appetite has been enormous lately. Yesterday for lunch he ate 2 hotdogs, a whole mango, an orange, a box of raisins and a handful of dried cranberries! Whew! He is going to eat us out of house and home when he's older!

After our yummy breakfast Johnathan and I just lazied around the house, played and I even snuck in a bit of cleaning and organization---after being on a modified "bedrest" for the last week or so I have been itching to get things back in order! Can one actually miss vacuuming??? I think so...I did! So, I managed to clean a bit here and there and I am feeling so much better about the state of my home! When my house is messy I seriously stress until I can get it clean! I know, I'm weird! ;)

In Belly Baby news, I had my post-op visit yesterday with my doctor, and I got all good news! I have had zero complications since my surgery and haven't experienced any of the "side effects" that can sometimes happen. My doctor just asked me a few questions about how I've been feeling, checked the baby's heart beat---nice and strong!---and then I asked him a few questions about what sort of activities I can do now. Since I'm pretty much doing great, all things considered, I am allowed return to my "normal" activities now! Woohoo! Thus the cleaning today! I am still going to take it easy though, and have given myself my own set of restrictions just to make sure that things go as well as possible. Oh, I almost forgot, last night I received a package that was pretty fun to get...my very own doppler to be able to listen to our baby's heart beat at home! Of course a steady heart beat is not indicative of baby's total well-being, but it is very reassuring to hear nonetheless! I remember all the sweet times I got to hear Johnathan's hb at home too, and I just had to rent the doppler again with this baby!

So back to today, it's been wonderful. Filled with lots of fun time hanging out with my favorite little buddy, cleaning and a bit of eating here and there too! ;) I know that this weekend will be awesome too because I will have my hubby home with me the whole time! Woohoohoo!!! (Love you, Aaron!)

Tata for now...and Happy Friday!

*Grace*

Mom's the Word

It's not often that you get to see both of your mothers in one day...but today is a blessed day for me because I've had the pleasure of being with my mother-in-law who has been here since Monday - and after my MIL headed back up to big D earlier today, my own dear mommy flew down to be with me for a few days! Two moms in one day, what an awesome thing! Johnathan is getting in plenty of Nana/Grammy time, and I am getting the wonderful help that I need! Thanks be to God for grandmas who are willing to help...and for grandpas who send their mates as an extension of their own love! (Thanks Grandpa, Thanks Papi!)

Not much has gone on in the past few days...other than a new year beginning---Happy Twenty-Ten everyone! We've just been chillin' at the hive, and Daddy Bee has been working hard to bring home the honey. Mommy Bee has been busy making Baby Bee and Johnny Bee has been busy enjoying his Christmas toys and just plain making a mess of the general state of things...but in a good way! ;) Life is NOT dull with our little Baby J. running around---and that's a good thing!

Alrighty folks, I'm off to be pampered, haha! See you later!

*Grace*