Busy Busy and Feeling Barfy

The Architect went to Hong Kong this past week and we stayed busy while we was gone.  Mostly, eating out.  haha  Cooking just makes me want to barf thinking about it.

Wednesday after we had lunch with Heather, we came home and I let Estella have more FroYo.  I figured there was no way that was the source of her allergic reaction, bc she eats yogurt SO much at home.

Well, sure enough, exactly like that morning, about three hours after eating it, she starting breaking out exactly like she had that morning.  She started breaking out right before bed, at 10pm, so I sat up until after 1am watching her, making sure it wasn't going to get worse and impair her breathing at all.  It didn't seem to phase her when she was away, and didn't hinder her from falling asleep.  And I stayed away watching her (and watching Call the Midwife on Netflix) until it had peaked, no more welts were popping up and they were starting to go down.  By that point her legs were completely covered and her arms were almost covered as well.  Scary stuff!  And SO weird!!

Since it was late at night, she had eaten a lot more than in the morning, and her breakout was more widespread over her arms and legs, I went to give her some Benadryl…but the dosage said "under 6 years old - ask a doctor".  So since she didn't have an troubles with it earlier that day, I just kept a close eye on her and let her ride it out again.

It was crazy, bc I would see a red spot, and I would watch it.  Slowly, a small white bump would appear in the middle and then it would grow and grow and grow into a raised welt.  And then several of them would all grow together into one huge one.

By the next morning, all was gone and they didn't leave a mark!  WEIRD!
Thursday morning we went to a toddler music class at the library and then to lunch at Chipotle.

Friday we stayed home and vegged all day because it was a dreary, rainy day.  That night, one of my new friends from church, who is quickly becoming a best friend - I just LOVE her!, came over and brought take out Thai food and we watched the Bruce Jenner interview and gabbed until midnight!

Then Saturday we picked the house up and got ready for daddy to come home!  His plane landed over an hour early, and little E and I were still napping, so he cabbed it home.  He came in, started unpacking, doing laundry, took care of the cat litter, trash and mowed the back yard, and then E finally woke up.  She was SO excited her daddy was home!  We then got ready and walked over to the pool.  We got chicken quesadillas and french fries (their fries are the BEST!) and little E was in HEAVEN!!  She loves nothing more than the "blue pool, daddy, mama, baby, fries!"

I love this little girl more than words can describe!

My Lunch Date & Her First Allergic Reaction to Something

With my hangover-esque-nausea in full gear, the only thing that sounds remotely good is hangover food.

Monday I took E to the Chiropractor and then we stopped in Chick fil A.  

This little girl LOVES her some fries!

I then let her play in the play area and she had so much fun.  She climbed all the way to the top (and then I had to climb up there to help her get back down….)

We then stopped by the church to play on the outdoor playground there.

It was a GORGEOUS day and she loves the swings and the slides so much.

I figure we need to go as often and we can before it gets too hot.

Tuesday morning we met up with some of the girls from my Bible Study group to do a book club and let the kids play.  

Afterwards, her and I went to Pei Wei for lunch.

She LOVED it.

She shared my hot and sour soup, and then gobbled up some of my ginger broccoli w/ chicken and brown rice.

Then yesterday evening, we walked over to ifratelli to get pizza take out for dinner.

I pushed her in the stroller over there, because it was a beautiful evening.

After picking up the pizza, I got us a big FroYo to go as well.

We came home and Estella got her first bit of pizza.

She liked it, but didn't eat very much of it.

She also tried FroYo for the first time and liked that too!

Today we met my best friend Heather for lunch and went and had Pho for lunch.

Soon after we got there, I noticed E's cheeks were rosy.  I remember thinking it was a little odd.

I ordered her some fried rice and when it came and I was cutting the chicken and helping her eat some of it, I noticed what looked like a bite on her arm.  It was a raised welt that was red all around it.

I then looked up her arm and on the back of her arm up near the tricep, there was a big patch of them and it was all red. 

I then scanned her whole body and it was on her legs too.  I knew immediately it was some sort of a reaction and wondered what to do.  Do I leave and get some Benadryl?  Do I take her in to a clinic?  She was acting fine and didn't seem to notice any of it, so I took pictured and send them to my bestie Teagan to get her opinion.  Her breathing was fine, so I continued to watch it.

It continued to get worse in that the welts were spreading, but then by the time we left the restaurant, it seemed to have peaked.  

She kept asking to go to the park, so since we go right by it on the way home, I stopped for a little bit and let her ride the swings and go down the slide.

We then came home and she took a nap.  I laid with her and napped too, and by the time she woke up, everything was gone.

I have NO idea what could have triggered a reaction like that.

Every day, I look at this sweet girl and just melt over how beautiful she is.  I love every ounce of her.

I just LOVE her curls and love taking pictures of them.

After her nap, we went outside to check on our "seeds" and to get some fresh air on the back porch and blow bubbles.  

She put on her rain boots and tonight she LOVED the pink roses and wanted to play with them all evening.

I can't imagine having two kids and how my love for a child can be like this at the same time for another being.

It's incomprehensible.

I'm SO excited to see her as a big sister!  She is so loving and sweet and I think that she will love having a sibling.

First Day at the Pool - Six Weeks

Yesterday was a GORGEOUS day!

We went to church and I had Estella dressed in a pretty white smocked bishop dress with white sandals and white pigtails.  

When I picked her up she was wearing a navy T-shirt and some teal pants.

Someone had a mega blowout, so they had to put extra clothes they had at the church on her! 

Oops.

So we headed home, and changed into our swimsuits for a day at the pool!

It was our first day of the season at the pool and she LOVED it.

"More blue pool!  More blue pool!"

That's all she has been saying since.

The ACMs were in Dallas last night and the place was crawling with Nashville.

I'm horrible at recognizing celebs, so the only person I recognized was Steven Tyler - not exactly a country star, but he was there as a presenter.  

It was fun watching the moms of multiple kids and seeing how they juggle them.

I am still pretty daunted by how I am going to handle two kids!!  EEK!

We had lunch by the pool:

Chicken tacos and pina coladas for The Architect

Chicken quesadillas for me

Cheese quesadillas and fries for Estella

She tried quesadillas for the first time, and I think she liked them really well.

A new food - YAY!

She LOVES fries!  So she gobbled those up!

She had so much fun that she didn't want to leave.

We are in for a REALLY fun summer!

I was officially 6 weeks yesterday and baby #2 is the size of a lentil!

It is definitely starting to feel real by the way I feel.

I have this constant weird, queasy feeling in my stomach. 

It is like a hangover, or like when the stomach bug isn't quite 100% gone.

I am constantly wanting to eat, but yet nothing sounds good.

In fact, the only thing that sounds good is junk food - pizza, thai food, mexican, etc.

Basically, hangover food!  haha

It is all coming back to me, EXACTLY how I felt last time.

I remember feeling crummy, but now I remember exactly what that felt like.

I hope it doesn't get too bad, because right now is definitely bearable!

Nausea

Tomorrow I will be six weeks and the nausea has officially started. It isn't bad yet, but it is definitely here. My stomach just feels off. Not much sounds good and my stomach has this constant hangover feeling.

I'm crossing my fingers it isn't as bad this pregnancy as my last, and that I also know better ways to handle it and help it. 

I think its starting...

In addition to the PMS, my anxiety has been through the roof!  Thank goodness for my balance oils that truly do help!

This afternoon/evening, I am having weird indigestion and it dawned on me, that I think this is the beginning of my nausea/food aversions.  I think this is how it started last time, and I think it was right around this time too.

It's a catch-22, because on one hand it SUCKS, but on the other hand it is reassuring that everything is going ok.

I stocked up on ginger kombucha, which I think will be heavenly if it does kick in.  Tomorrow I need to make some chicken soup to be prepared for if it does rear its head!

Tonight I'm going out with my Bible Study group girls for a GNO at Taco Diner.  I plan to full enjoy chips and salsa and queso and their deelish brisket tacos.  Mmmm!!

PMS

So I think I officially have a pregnancy symptom - PMS.  Other than this, I still am in disbelief that I'm actually pregnant because I feel so great - stomach and energy wise!

But man, the PMS!

Holy cow, my emotions are raging!  I feel so bitchy and have zero patience.  Which is making things really bad with a toddler.  I am struggling with discipline, because I'm not sure how to get through to her without spanking.  I don't want to spank her, because of how frustrated I feel when we are in the moment.  And I feel like time out is useless because I don't think she would fully grasp it at this point.  But I don't know what to do.

My bitchiness and lack of patience with her is making me feel so guilty, so I am on the constant roller coaster of angry/frustrated and then guilt.  Ugh, it sucks.

I HATE having this negative energy and stress being emanated onto a growing being - which brings on more guilt and stress.

Right now, I'm not sure what is worse - this or nausea and fatigue.

And man, am I feeling like the biggest failure of a mom these days.

"Hi Baby Girl!"

My 5 week photo taken last night:

Last night I went with a close friend of mine to dinner. It was recently her birthday so that was our excuse for a girls' night out. We went to an indian reataurant for some delicious Indian food. I LOVE indian food. I had the chicken tiki masala. Mmmm. I ate the whole thing and could have probably eaten anther whole entree of it. 

I'm still feeling awesome. I'm tired really early in the evenings but that could be because I'm not sleeping well bc E isn't feeling well. But it is reminiscent of my last pregnancy when I'm ready for bed at 8pm!  My appetite is raging and I'm SO hungry all the time! Especially when I first wake up, which isn't typical for me. 

This morning when Estella woke up, she was saying "Baby. Baby." and I told her I didn't know where her baby was. She sat up, looked at my belly and waved to it and said "Hi baby Girl!"  It was so so freakin' cute. I never want to forget that. The other night I asked her if she thought it was a boy or girl and she said "girl!"  Ever since she calls it "baby girl". If it's a boy, she's gonna be in for a big surprise! Haha

5 Weeks

(I meant to post this yesterday)

Today I am 5 weeks and little baby is the size of a sesame seed!

These early days always make me so nervous, because the updates on the app give such monumental things happening - major organs being formed, the spinal cord and neural tubes coming together.  Pregnancy last time gave me a renewed faith in God, and I am reminded of this again these last couple of weeks.

First, how everything has to happen and come together to even get pregnant, and then how one cell divides and grows into a baby with a beating heart in just THREE weeks!!  It is too much of a coincidence that this all happens by chance, and I firmly believe it is the art and work of a perfect God.

This morning we went to church, and then home to relax, nap, and enjoy dinner together.


























































I am still feeling awesome - no nausea or fatigue, and I'm excited to keep trucking away on my spring cleaning list.  A clean house is such a breath of fresh air!

For dinner, I baked salmon, steamed broccoli*, and roasted cauliflower*,  beets*, carrots*, and sweet potatoes*.

My child ate lentils* cooked in my chicken stock*, salmon and feta cheese*.  

She definitely got her mother's taste buds!

Reason #542 why I LOVE my Midwife

I had my annual well-woman exam about three weeks ago with my midwife - the one that is a CNM.  I absolutely LOVE her.  All three of the ladies at the birth center are strong Christian women, who encourage my faith every time I am around them.  I think it was 100% in God's plan that I found them - and then through them found our pediatrician who is absolutely phenomenal in all the same ways).

I was telling her about my cycle and how it has been off over the past few months with late ovulation, short luteal phases and no cervical fluid.  She attributed most of it to nursing, and gave me a few ideas of supplements that could help without weaning.  

The actual exam was about 10-15 minutes, but I was there for at least an hour.  It is such a personal relationship that is developed over pregnancy using midwifery care, that now when I go in for my annual appointment, we also enjoy each other's company and catch up with each other.  She told me about her grandkids and what they, along with her kids are up to.  I filled her in on us, and The Architect's crazy travel schedule and how great things are going at home and as a family.  I told her that we are ready and trying for a second baby, but between preventing for a while bc of an upcoming trip, my cycle being off, the yeastie beasties that I struggled with for so long, and The Architect's travel schedule, it just hasn't happened yet.  And I told her my conflicting thoughts: fear of it not ever happening, and also both of us aren't getting any younger, but then I also told her that I have been completely okay with it not happening yet, because I am terrified of how to do a newborn with a toddler!  

She told me that I am scared and can't fathom how to handle that situation, because God only gives us tools only when we need them.  And since I'm not in that situation yet, I don't have those tools, because I don't need them.  She told me about Corrie Ten Boom and in her book The Hiding Place, her father wouldn't give her her train ticket until right when they were boarding the train, and how God is the same way.  He only gives us things when we NEED them.  

It was such a beautiful conversation and analogy that I left with such peace over the possibility of getting pregnant and facing that situation of the newborn days PLUS a three year old.  

And I had no idea at the time, that probably on that exact day, was the day we got pregnant.

4 Weeks

Today is the last day of being four weeks pregnant, and the last day that baby #2 is the size of a poppy seed.  (A nickname for this little one hasn't stuck yet…)

I'm still feeling great!  I have really small things here and there that I swear I feel pregnant, but overall I still feel great!  I'm SUPER hungry!  Yesterday I was hungry all day, but nothing sounded good.  Today I'm super hungry and just eating everything!  Eggs* w/ blackberries*, cheese* & ancient grains crackers*, celery* & broccoli* w/ guacamole, cole slaw*….  I'm just grazing non stop.  At least it's all nourishing choices!

I started spring cleaning (nesting?? kidding!) this morning and vacuumed the downstairs while The Architect went behind me with the steamers and steamed the floors.  I did everything except our bedroom and bathroom.  I want to finish that tomorrow, and then maybe wash the baseboards.  That would be three BIG things crossed off my spring cleaning list.

I think we are going to go out to eat tonight at La Hacienda - our FAVORITE restaurant.  We ate there SO much when I was pregnant with Estella, and tonight will be night one of I'm sure many more yummy meals there over the next nine months….with no margarita for me.  It's SO crazy to think that one day soon we will be eating there with TWO kids in tow!!!  EEK!  SO exciting!!

Giving

This past semester, the Women's Bible Study that I am a part of studied the life of Moses.  There were SO many things that I learned and was challenged with, and it was absolutely wonderful.  I loved every second of it.

One of the challenges was to serve more, and to do so in the moment with small things.
To pay more attention to God and listen to Him when he tells us to give or serve.

There were three specific instances that I had an opportunity to give, and because of the study, I acknowledged that voice telling me to do so, and I did.

A couple weeks later, we got a check in the mail from our insurance company.  It was a refund check on our homeowners policy.  I had changed some things when it renewed at the beginning of the year, but I hadn't done anything in over a month, so I called to ask why we were getting a refund.  I wanted to make sure everything was still correct.

The lady on the phone went over our policy and said that everything was correct, confirming all my changes and additions, and she said that it looks like our premium went down, but she couldn't explain why it went down.

I firmly believe that that check was a gift in return for me being obedient and giving when prompted.

Easter 2015

A couple weeks before Easter, I took Estella to Neiman Marcus in downtown Dallas for pictures with some bunnies.  The best part about going, is getting to ride the escalator!  Why go to Six Flags, when we can go to the mall!

She was SO excited to see a Mama Hop (photographed with her - and she was pregnant during the photo shoot!), a Daddy Hop and two Baby Hops!  She was shy about petting them, but she loved seeing them and saying Hi!

We walked up and there was not a single person there, so they were able to take a long time with her, getting her to warm up and they took tons of pictures - and I couldn't decide between these two, so I got both!

Afterwards, we stopped by Staples and she had to "help mama" on the way to the car.

The weekend before Easter, we took our spring pictures and then went to The Architect's office for their company's family Easter Egg hunt.  This was her first egg hunt and she LOVED it!!!

On Good Friday, we went to Chick Fil-A for our small group leaders' daughter's one year birthday party.  She had SO much fun that night, playing with several kids her age, including her best friend Ari, eating french fries (her special treat), and playing in the play room there.

I'm not sure if there is a greater joy, than watching your toddler having SO much fun!!

Saturday morning, the day before Easter, we went to our church for an Easter Eggstravaganza.  It was a carnival-like event with a petting zoo, egg hunt, bounce houses, balloons, face painting, and much more.

When we first got there, we stayed outside where the petting zoo was, because I wasn't sure what all there was for a toddler on the inside of the church.  

She was shy with the animals, but did pet the bunnies and goats.  And she was excited to see more Mama Hops and Daddy Hops.

We then went to the egg hunt, which was in the playground, and ALL she wanted to do was ride the swings.  So I had to keep distracting her away from the swings to hunt eggs!

Once she picked one up, shook it, and heard something inside, she was more interesting in finding the eggs, just to see what was inside.

After the egg hunt, we met up with our small group leaders' family and went back to the petting zoo where she again, was fairly interested in petting the animals.

We then went inside to the toddler area and she got to experience a bounce house for the first time….and she LOVED it!!!  She jumped for over an hour in there!!

We then went to a different room and played in a ball pool until it was time to go.

And then FINALLY, since the egg hunt was over, we could ride the swings. 

Except someone beat us to them.

So she sat SO patiently waiting for her turn.

WHEEEE!!!

(She calls the swings "blue whee" bc the usual park we go to has blue swings and she says "whee" when she swings".  It's so cute!)

We then got home and after realizing I never got a picture of the two of us, we took a selfie!

After a much needed nap, we headed downstairs to plant our "magic beans"!

And then we headed into the dining room to dye eggs.

She LOVED dying eggs!  

I only bought an 18-pack, and next year I need to remember to buy more because she loved it so much!

(and then there are more for mama to make deviled eggs with!)

Us crazy-haired girls!

I put her to bed, and was so tired that I ended up dozing off with her.  I woke up at 1am and realized the kitchen was a mess and Daddy Hop and Mama Hop needed to come.  So I got everything ready:

Her basket with books, markers and paint, 

and her eggs all hidden around the dining room.

Sunday morning I got up early to get ready for church to be there EARLY, and she woke up earlier than I had hoped, so I rushed her into our bathroom to hang out with me while I got ready. 

I didn't want her to wander around and see the Easter Bunny stuff.

We got to church in time to get her in her class and I got a seat.

The Architect landed right as church was starting, and took a taxi to the church.

It was an awesome service, and the energy of a packed house on Easter Sunday makes me tear up (more than usual) during the praise and worship.  During the song "Great I Am", I couldn't even sing, bc I was crying so much.  I just LOVE LOVE LOVE our church.

After church we went to The Sports Club for their Easter Eggstravagaza Event.

Estella and Daddy decorated cookies, 

we had a family picture made, then decorated a little flower pot to decorate and plant a sunflower, then checked out their petting zoo (from a far bc it was so chilly), and then headed inside for the egg hunt.

We had to hold her off from the eggs for an hour, and when it was finally time, she ran in, and then just wanted to walk back and forth over the bridge that was decor.  The Architect had to redirect her back to the eggs!  haha

She had more fun and filled her basket!

We then saw Daddy Hop and got a quick picture before heading home.

When we got home, she got to see what Daddy Hop and Mama Hop left her!

And find all the eggs that they hid!

By now, she was a PRO and found them all with little to no help!

And then we went outside to see what her magic beans grew - lollipops!!!

It was such a FUN Easter Season and it has made me absolutely LOVE and cherish this age!  

Two is my most favorite age so far!!!