9/27/13

Here we grow again.....



That's right people, WE'RE PREGNANT!  We could not be more excited to welcome baby Graves #2 in March 2014.  As before, this came as a little bit of a surprise.  Kind of.  Remember in sex ed class how they would stress that "withdrawal" is not an effective form of contraception?  Apparently that is not just to scare you.  We were going to start trying/stop preventing this fall, so our plans were just bumped up a few months.  We could not be more excited to be blessed with another baby.  I will be 15 weeks on Tuesday, and its true when they say the second pregnancy flies by!  It is also true that every pregnancy is different.  It is definitely hard to be pregnant, and take care of a toddler at the same time.  There are no days of just coming home, and laying around on the couch all afternoon.  I have this little human that has needs, and I cannot deprive him because I am tired.  We flew right through the first trimester, so I'll give you a few details:


Sick, sick, sick.  As I was with Hudson I have been really sick with this baby.  I will say, I don't think I have been as sick.  I did opt to take Zofran this time around, and when it works it is like a miracle drug.  Sometimes it just doesn't kick it. and I have spent a lot of time with my head in the toilet.  I don't just get nauseous when I am pregnant, I puke.  Once I get started it is non-stop.  I have had more afternoon/evening sickness with this baby.  It lasted about 15 weeks with Hudson, so I am hoping we are about to turn a corner. 

Weight:  The sickness is probably the reason I have lost 1 lb so far.  Things definitely change quicker the second pregnancy, my pants are already getting tight, and I live in dresses.  Unfortunately I am off seasons with this one, so I am going to have to stock up on new maternity wear. 

Exhaustion:  Surprisingly I have not had the exhaustion I experienced with Hudson.  When I was pregnant with Hudson I remember thinking "I don't know how people do this and take care of another child."  I think there are two things that play into this: 1. it's mental.  As I said before, I don't have the option of laying around all afternoon.  I know I have to come home and take care of Hudson. 2.  I have been very diligent about working out this time around.  I have maintained getting up at 4:30, and going to boot camp 3-4 days a week.  It sucks so bad, but it makes me feel SO much better when I work out.  There have been some weeks I have slacked off from being sick, but in general I have been very good about working out.  I have also been running/walking a lot.  Now don't get me wrong.  I have spent most of my weekends being lazy/taking naps, and I go to bed at 8 on some nights.  Just in general I have not felt as tired this time around. 

Food Aversions/Cravings:  It is so funny to me that I crave things I don't even like when I'm pregnant.  Like pancakes, sausage, and soda.  I love water, and typically drink a ton of it,but I am struggling to choke it down.  I hardly even drink soda, and I cannot get enough of it.  I was actually really good about not drinking caffeine the first 12 weeks, but I started having my 1 cup of coffee in the morning, as soon as that was over.  I admire people who go the whole pregnancy without caffeine.  I could never do it, and Luke would probably divorce me.  As with Hudson I have craved cereal, fruit, and peanut butter..  I cannot get enough apples, and  anything that involves them.  Thankfully I am pregnant in prime season.  The only consistent aversion I have had is meat.  Sometimes I will smell something that turns me off, but its comes and goes.  I was eating a salad the other day, and I took, a bite of something that turned me off.  I only had a few bites, and had to throw it out. 

I have had the worst acne with this baby, and I never experienced that with Hudson.  I feel like a kid going through puberty.

Sleep:  I have had a really hard time falling back asleep after going to the bathroom.  With Hudson I could sleep standing up, but I'm having a much harder time with this one.  


I think that is about it.  I am going to try to be good about doing weekly updates, but I am not making any promises.  A lot of people have asked about Hudson, and he has no clue what is going on.  I hope he is more aware when it gets closer to time for my due date.  Either way, he is going to find out when March rolls around.




9/19/13

Happy Birthday Hudson!

It is so hard to believe you are two years old today, yet its hard to believe what life was like before you.  Dull, would be the first thing that comes to mind.  You constantly keep us on our toes, and entertained.  It's been so long since I have done an update on you, I don't even know where to start.  We couldn't get a Dr. appointment until Oct. 2nd, so I will have your stats later.

Eating:  You don't eat as well as you used to.  Gone are the days of you gobbling up anything I put in front of you.  You love strawberries, banana, peas, chicken, rice, pasta, eggs, and fruit snacks.  You are very sporadic with your eating too. Some weeks you eat non stop, others you won't eat at all.  You rarely eat much dinner, but always wake up starving.  I know this will probably change daily for years to come.

Sleeping:  Thank the good Lord above you are sleeping through the night.  I am even skeptical to write it in fear of jinxing it.  I would say you started sleeping through the night consistently about two months ago.  You still have random nights you will get up, but it is rare.  Your mommy, and daddy thank you very much for the rest.  You are also sleeping in your bed all the time now, which is another blessing.  I should be ashamed to say that you still take a bottle at night, but I'm really not.  You only suck it for a few minutes to fall asleep, and then we take it away.  I know a lot of people have opinions about this, and judge me.  I would be willing to bet those people either don't have kids, or have one that sleeps well.  If giving you a bottle is what gets you to sleep at night, after the struggle we have had sleeping you can have it until you are 5 years old for all I care.  I'm sure you will be wearing braces one day either way.  You have a blue blanket with silk around the edge that you are really attached to, and insist on dragging it around at all times.  My favorite time is when you get in bed with me on Saturday morning, and we snuggle.

You are a terrible morning person.  As soon as I get up I turn your lamp on, and pat your back to start waking you up.  I have to go in several times to nudge you, let you lay in your bed for a little while, and finally get you up.  It is always questionable how bad your mood is going to be.  It's never good in the morning, but we never know how bad it will be.  This is a trait you inherited from your daddy.  Between the two of you it's rainbows and butterflies at our house in the mornings.  You are usually happy by the time we leave the house.

You currently love Thomas the Train, Rio, Curious George, and playing outside.  We spend most of our afternoons at the park down the street.  You are such a mischievous little boy.  You would much rather climb on EVERYTHING or get into things you are not supposed to, than play with your toys.


You have such a strong willed personality, and I have no idea where that comes from :).  You want what you want, exactly when you want it.  If you don't get it, you have a complete meltdown.  If these fits do not end soon, you are going to put your mom in the grave.  Nothing makes me crazier than when you act out in public, therefore we stay home most of the time.  You still act like a complete donkey if we try to go out to dinner.  I know this will all get better the older you get.

You escaped the church nursery two Sundays ago.  You came into the sanctuary running and screaming right in the middle of sermon. The nursery teacher who was filling in for Mrs. Carla was chasing after you, I should have warned her you like to break out. I felt so bad for her.  Normally you do really well in there, and never cry.  I think the new teacher confused you.  Your Daddy was sitting in the back, and you ran straight to him.  I never even turned around, because I knew it was you, and I was embarrassed.

You are not scared of anything, and it scares me to death.

You get more and more fun everyday.

You are not much of a talker, at all.  You understand anything we tell you, but rarely repeat it.  I don't worry too much, because you are a boy, and I know you are stubborn.

You are a mama's boy through and through.  You love on me, and give me kisses all the time.

I have come to the realization that you are two years old, and do not need to be carried everywhere.  I am trying to teach you to be more independent, by letting you walk more.  It is a struggle to make you hold my hand, and I'm sure people think I am abusing you by the way you act.  We have also started using a booster rather than highchair.  I let you drink about of a "big boy" cup  (no lid) with meals.  In another effort to teach you independence I let you have your own cart at Kroger the other day.  I literally died laughing the whole time. You ran through Kroger like you were on Super Market Sweep, with your daddy running after you trying to rein you in.


I wish I could document every funny/mischievous thing you do, but the list would be never ending.  It is something new everyday.

You LOVE to Face Time.  You always call Leigh, and I am sure she especially loves it at 6 AM.  I also know she will be really excited when you actually talk to her, rather than mumbling.

You and Maddie are at a hitting stage.  I am waiting for the day one of you knocks the other one out.  You fight over everything.  I know this is just a stage, and will pass.  Hopefully nobody gets seriously hurt in the meantime.

My motto in life these days is "ignore it."  You are at such a difficult age as far as disciplining you.  You know when you are doing something you shouldn't be, but you don't understand consequences.  If we correct you or stop you from doing something, you throw yourself out as if it's the end of the world.  That is where the "ignoring it" part comes in.  It is best to just walk away, and let you have your fit. If you decide you want to dump a box of Cheerios in the floor, and proceed to eat them, I let you do it.  I choose my battles.

You really love flushing the toilet,  pulling the air vents off, and throwing things down them.  It's a good thing your daddy is a plumber, and I don't even want to think about how many Matchbox cars we have lost.

You have an odd obsession with toenails.  I'm not sure if you see daddy clipping his or what, but you seem to think the whole toenail comes off.  We have to keep our feet covered, or you try to pull them off.

Mom got up bright and early to make you a special birthday breakfast of funfetti pancakes, bacon, and eggs.  As usual you woke up in a foul mood, wouldn't eat any of  your food, and acted like a brat all morning.  I long for the days where I am appreciated.  In the meantime I will continue to create these traditions for you, because I know how much you will appreciate them when you are older.









Hudson,
You are the absolute light of our lives.  You make us absolutely crazy one minute, and melt the next.  There is never a dull moment in our house.  You can NEVER be left alone, or you will be into something you shouldn't. I know it sounds like life is miserable, but I am just being honest.  I really meant it when I say, I wouldn't have it any other way.  You have so much personality, and keep everyone entertained.  We decided to forgo a big party this year.  We started the tradition of going to Rain forest Cafe on birthdays with Macy, so we are doing that tonight.  We are having a small family party at the park on Sunday.  You are such a blessed little boy, and have so many people that love you.  I am so happy that God chose us to be your parents, and cannot wait to see what this next year has in store.

What I have learned in the past two years:
Throw out all the rules.
Everyone will have an opinion.
Throw that out the window too, and do what works best for us.
Never compare your child to other children.
Being a parent is the most rewarding, yet challenging job you will ever have.
Everyday is an adventure.
Seeing your husband with your child will make you fall more in love with them everyday.
I never knew I could love a human being so much.

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