The winner is...

As promised, though a day late (pregnancy brain?), Skyler chose the winner of the EcoStore Giveaway. And the winner is....

Little Dude's Mama! Congrats to you, as soon as I can pass your information along your free cleaner will be off in the mail. Thanks to everyone else who entered, especially those who delurked to say hi.

Speaking of giveaways, my bloggy friend Jamie is having one of her own. She's giving away a $50.00 gift certificate to Maggie Maternity, something I wouldn't mind picking up myself :). I know a few of you out there are in the market for maternity wear as well, so might want to stop by and enter!

As the belly grows - 27 weeks

One more week and we are into the third trimester baby! I can't even believe that is possible, time really does fly. I already thought I was getting bigger, but something must have happened recently because I have been getting a lot of comments lately that I have 'popped'. I would agree with them, Mason is kinda hanging out there now. Also, so is my belly button. This didn't really happen last time, but now (especially after a good meal) my innie is definitely an outie. Just another funny difference between this time and the last.


I am starting to become more achy, starting each morning with my hips feeling like they just might go their separate ways. By the end of it all last time I was wearing a lovely garment that Andy sweetly referred to as a diaper but was really an all around belly support. I haven't had to resort to this just yet, but it's heading there. I feel like I am carrying Mason differently than I was Skyler so we'll see.

I can also feel that Mason is getting bigger in there too, I still get the frequent jabs and pokes but more and more often I feel his whole body shifting and the long rubs of some solid little body part pushing out against me. He also performs a most unsettling move that feels like a good solid kick to my nether regions, it's strange where those baby bits manage to reach. Even more strange when these particular karate moves are performed while I am trying to quietly sit through a meeting at work.

We have been accumulating items for the nursery and are getting close to starting the putting together process. I feel a bit behind with it all and probably a bit in denial seeing as the time we have to do all this is quickly decreasing. Just 13 more weeks...

P.S. If you haven't had a chance yet be sure to enter the giveaway I posted about a few days ago. I will be, with Skyler's assistance, picking the winner this Sunday!

The help

Skyler is quite a fan of the outdoors. He often can’t wait for us to move our lazy bums out the door so that he can get to exploring and doing something worthwhile with his day. He especially enjoys getting to use big people tools when outside, this is a double bonus. With spring slowly making it’s appearance we are in the process of tackling the mess that is out outdoor landscape. Unfortunately for Andy the bulk, if not all, of this will land on his shoulders as a pregnancy lady is neither the most helpful or desirable of aides in outdoors chores. Fortunately for him Skyler seems more than willing to pick up my slack. He tested out all of the different tools Daddy had out for work today, the hardest part was convincing him to give them up and come in once it started to rain. Hopefully this ethic sticks around through his teenage years.

EcoStore Giveaway!

Spring is here and so is the cleaning, so what better time for a cleaning supply giveaway! I recently received some products from EcoStore USA to try out and I am already a big fan, particularly of their Citrus Cleaning Spray. Way back when we first started preparing for Skyler's arrival I decided I wanted to make a switch in my cleaning supplies. Not only was I concerned about the repercussions of Skyler getting his hands on the household cleaners, but I also didn't like the idea of all the chemicals that might be landing where he ate and played. Prior to receiving these products I had been using a simple Clorox spray, which was good in meeting my desire to not be spraying unknown chemicals onto our homes surfaces. The one complaint I had was that it didn't quite measure up to the task of cleaning through the messes my husband makes in the kitchen and the ones Skyler would make around the house. My coffee table in particular never responded very well to this treatment and more than once I had to go over it several times to get all the yogurt/juice/cracker what have you off of it. Problem solved with this cleaner, which surprised me because I was skeptical that a citrus based cleaner would be able to clean thoroughly and not leave a greasy sheen (which I have encountered with other citrus based cleaners). It works incredibly well and is now my go to cleaner.


I also received their Toilet Cleaner and, for some baby cleaning, their Baby Sleepytime Bath. I wanted the toilet cleaner in particular because I feel that of all the household cleaners we have currently our toilet bowl cleaner is probably the worst offender in it's list of chemicals. Not something I enjoy having lurking under my kitchen sink. I was also pleasantly surprised by how well this product works and am glad to finally have an alternative to the toxic products we used prior. The Sleepytime Bath was also great, it's a liquid not a soap as I had been expecting - but this actually turned out to work quite well. It has a wonderful lavender smell and quite frankly I have been contemplating using it for myself instead of Skyler. He's become more of a shower kind of guy lately anyways.

The great thing about all of these products is that they are all made of very safe ingredients. The labels all stress their motto, No Nasty Chemicals. Something I can appreciate. If you visit their site you can read more about the reasons behind all of their product development as well as see what other products they have to offer. For the purposes of this giveaway though I will be giving away on of the three products I tested out. All you need to do is leave a comment letting me know which one you would like and a week from now (the 29th) I will have Skyler pull the winner's name from a hat. He's very unbiased, I promise. If you want a second chance to enter just link to this giveaway on your own blog and let me know that you did so. Happy Spring!

The final countdown

Is anyone else out there a fan of Arrested Development? I look at the title for this and can't help but associate it with that song and Gob Bluth. Sorry, sidetracked. It's now only one hundred more days and then Mason baby is out, of course it is likely it will be less than that, but the number just seems so significant. Likely because as it's the end of the triple digits and the days will only speed up from now until d-day.

My nesting, and apparently baking bug is in full swing. I finally ordered the bedding for Mason's room (thanks tax refund!) and am anxiously awaiting it's arrival so that I may choose a paint color. I spent this past weekend taking out all of Skyler's 0-3 month clothing and washing it with a fresh round of Dreft. We also have already received some new clothing just for Mason himself, so I of course needed to wash and fold those as well. The smell of all this fresh baby laundry really takes me back to Skyler's early days, not to mention looking at all the tiny outfits. Skyler was near on nine pounds when he was born and those newborn clothes were still big on him. It's hard to imagine someone so small again...

The baking is something new, I think. I don't remember being a baking fiend last time around, but in the last two weeks I have had a major upswing (from my usual nothing) to baking a couple of loaves of banana bread, some from-scratch blueberry muffins, and Irish soda bread last night. Not sure where this came from, but at least Andy can't complain any more about the lack of activity my KitchenAid receives. For now at least:).

I am definitely starting to feel the slowdown too. I am getting bigger and clumsier, and carrying Skyler up the stairs is no longer a reasonable option. Fortunately he doesn't seem to mind not having this mommy valet service. Overall I am feeling good though, and the thought of getting the nursery put together does help me retain a little bit of energy. Thank goodness for nesting.

As the belly grows - 25 weeks

Little Mason man will be twenty five weeks (gestationally speaking) tomorrow. That means only fifteen more weeks(ish) until he enters into this side of the world. I can't believe how quickly the last few weeks have flown by. It scares me to think how quickly we will now move to thirty and *gulp* beyond. I have definitely popped, I know this both by my own observation and the willingness of the general public to now make their own observations. I have been receiving a lot more comments from strangers lately, mostly women asking if I know what I am having. Though I did meet a lovely homeless man while I was parking my car today who inquired if it would be rude to assume I was expecting.

We also had a doctor visit today, all is going well and I am measuring right along if not a bit ahead. Technically I am measuring at 26 weeks, but again I am just going to keep sticking with the 26th of June as it's too much hassle to keep switching. Mason's little heart was ticking along at 150, he gave the doctor a run for her money as he was being a squirmy little bug and she had to keep readjusting to get an accurate reading. As Andy has noted, and I have noticed too, Mason is much more of a mover than Skyler was in utero. Skyler pulled lots of kicks and jabs, and by the end of it I seemed to constantly have a foot lodged in my ribs. Mason seems much more interested in full on body movements, lots of stretching,flipping, and scooting around. I also found out that thus far I have accomplished the astonishing feat of only gaining 13 pounds. This is practically a miracle if you compare it to the weight I have gained by this point with Skyler, you could pretty much triple that number and it would be accurate. Now if I can just keep it up...

Here's the belly:

Veinte y tres

Twenty three months today. Your dad says that after you turn two it will be a little odd to continue counting your age in months, he might be right. He also decided that yesterday night was his last night calling you our baby, you're the big boy now. In a few short months your brother Mason will be here to fill in the position of resident "baby" and he doesn't want you to feel like your title has been usurped. So from now on you are our big man, big boy - not a baby anymore. Not that you seem much like a baby anyways, nor have you for a while.


Your vocabulary and comprehension has exploded over the last month, even just the last week. You are much more specific when requesting something, asking for the blue towel or wanting to see the red cool car. Of course you will still be stubborn when in the right (or wrong) mood and refuse to "use your words" sometimes, but we know you have them as you use them all the time. Unfortunately you seem to have inherited my stubbornness. Your dad claims it's all from me, not a bit of his own. Though I disagree with him openly, I secretly agree. You have my stubbornness and my particular ways. You like things just so. Fortunately you have also inherited your father's goofiness and sweet nature to counteract these things. You are an amazing mix of the two of us, and an entirely amazing little person of your own.


In a month you will officially be a two year old. This last year, your second year, has flown by ridiculously fast. Of course a lot of things occurred over the course of this past year to make it disappear even quicker, but it seems like you hopped straight from one to two in a short period of time. You are such a funny and engaging little boy, I can't wait to see what more you will become. We love you, big boy.

I survived

But just barely. Travel, as a pregnant lady, with a toddler generally sucks patootie. I packed, I planned, and the kiddo generally behaved pretty well; but I am still worn out, exhausted, and not looking forward to repeating this act in a few more weeks. The flights went pretty well, going there Skyler was pretty excited by the whole concept of flying on an airplane and all the new toys. He had a bit of a meltdown towards the end of the flight but conked out after about five minutes. Poor guy was just exhausted. Going back was a later flight and the boy acted liked we had fed him a pound of chocolate and some shots of espresso, he was all over the place. He must have gotten up and down out of his chair fifty times before deciding his time would be better spent opening/closing/then opening the window shade. Not sure where that manic energy came from, but towards the tail of the flight it ended the same with a meltdown and a passed out toddler. The trip itself was good, but took a toll on me mentally and physically. I have a LOT of family in New Mexico, and they were all new for Skyler. He handled it all with good grace, generally, but he was definitely out of sorts and was much more irritable and clingy than usual. Can't blame him really. I am glad we did it, but even more glad that it is over. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts on how to survive toddler travel, they were very helpful. My addition to the list: don't do it, or if you do perhaps either you or your toddler should be medicated. Your pick. Phew, time for some rest.

The highlights of the trip: meeting Great Grandpa, and going home

Tips for toddler travel?

So we have a flight to catch this weekend, and another one in a few more weeks, and it will be the first time we have flown with Skyler past the age of one. It will also be the longest flight we have taken him on thus far, the others being quick one hour jaunts and this one being a four hour marathon by comparison. I have a little backpack full of new goodies, munchies for the monkey, and plan on bringing a travel dvd player all in the hopes that our toddler will not be a terror. People can't give a pregnant lady too dirty of a look, right? Does anyone have some advice regarding how best to survive travel with an almost two year old, some sage bits of wisdom I might be missing in my preparations?

One of the less pleasant aspects of pregnancy

Swelling, blech. I have officially had to take off my wedding bands because I am afraid that if I wait any longer they won't come off at all. At least without some sort of assistance. It's a little frustrating because with round one I really didn't experience any swelling until about a month before Skyler's arrival, and even then it was due to some extended car travelling. Lately I have been finding my poor feet swollen at the end of the day's work, and as demonstrated by the picture above my fingers are not exempt either. I have switched over my plain gold band that I received from Andy on my first Mother's day to my left ring finger, because it feels a bit odd wandering around visibly pregnant and sans ring. It has Skyler's name, dob, and gemstone (luckily a diamond) engraved on the inside of it - so it's passable. Still a bit sad I had to give this up so early. I also have some travel in my near future, including a flight to New Mexico this weekend, so this everyday swelling bodes nothing good post-flight I am sure.