Home. {a tour}

Days after moving in back in 2005!  

Our house is on the market.  Listed officially.  For sale!  Our home.  Our first home together.  We've been here for 8.5 years and we BUILT this home together.  Literally!  Ok, not literally, a construction crew built it, but we chose everything!  I love our home and we've made it our own.  I'm obsessed with my paint colors and I know every square inch of this house.  This is where we brought our puppies home.  This is where I brought my first baby home!  This is the home we lived in when we got engaged and when we got married!  Are you sensing a trend?  I'm a little sad to leave.

Moving is so bittersweet!  I'm sad to leave our first home.  SO sad.  We're moving to be closer to my husband's work which makes me happy for him.  It also makes me happy about the opportunity of him coming home for lunch and possibly him coming home earlier in the evenings!  Even though I'm sad about leaving our first home, I'm excited for new beginnings.  I'm excited create a space for our family of 4 (+2 adorable furballs)!  I'm so excited to make another house our home!

Reminisce with me for a minute...here are some [MLS] pictures of our first home.  I will miss it so much!

Foyer

Formal Dining/Living Room

Kitchen

Dinette

Great Room

Great Room again...I love our fireplace!

Powder Room

Guest Bathroom

Nursery

Guest Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Loft (Playroom/Office)

Backyard

As much as I love this home, there are many things I would love to change....
-I would love to have white woodwork.
-I would love to have upgraded countertops.
-I would love to have hardwood floor (or even laminate!)
-I would love to have a finished basement for the kids.
-I would love to have a flat backyard with space for boys to be boys.
-I would love to have wonderful neighbors that can turn into wonderful friends.

I'm hoping our next home will be just as wonderful as our first, even better!  When I get sad, I just try to think of a line from one of my favorite songs.  [I may or may not be listening to the song on repeat while writing this post.]  You make your house your home and I'm excited to create a new home with my growing family!

{via}

Bumpdate: 16 Weeks

16 Weeks!
Baby is currently the size of an AVOCADO!

Next Appointment: I'm SO excited for our anatomy scan on 11/25!  

Gender: We're adding more BLUE to our family!  Check out our reveal photo.

Total Weight Gain: I got the whole scoop at my appointment on Monday!  I'm up a total of 3lbs (as of 16w4d).  I didn't realize that I actually lost a pound early on but that doesn't surprise me since I was so nauseous and had no appetite!  

Maternity Clothes: I'll be honest, I wore two maternity shirts!  I didn't need to but I just LOVE how long and comfy they are!  Plus I got a really cute one on clearance at Old Navy and I feel like it doesn't "look" maternity and I love to wear new clothes right away!

Sleep: I've been extra sleepy lately!  You'd think I was still in the first trimester.  I feel the urge to go to bed super early and I never want to wake up in the morning (who does, though)!

Movement: I'm waiting very patiently (not really) to feel Baby2 dancing around again.  Occasionally I'll feel some flutters, but nothing like that dance party at 15w!  I'm so excited for consistent movement! 

Food Cravings/Aversions: This week I was definitely craving cheese and crackers.  So random!  One night the only thing that sounded good for dinner was cheese and crackers!  Luckily my amazing husband ran to the store while I was feeding Carson his dinner.  Since then, I've had cheese and crackers many more times ...so yum!  As far as aversions, I'm still not loving the idea of meat but I was at least able to cook some ground turkey for my poor husband!

Best Moment This Week: Hearing Baby2's strong little heart beat on the doppler!  150bpm. <3

What I Miss: Nothing big that I'm missing this week!

What I'm Looking Forward To: I'm so excited I only have to wait 2 weeks until my next appointment...which is also the anatomy scan!  I am also excited to start feeling Baby2 move around more!

Extra Notes From the Week: The doctor noticed my blood pressure was higher this week.  (When not pregnant, I take medication for essential hypertension.)  During my pregnancy with Carson my blood pressure lowered enough that I was able to get off all medications.  Dr. G compared my blood pressure now to my blood pressure at this point during my last pregnancy and it was significantly higher.  She said she's not worried yet, but it's "concerning".  Especially since I've been having a steady stream of headaches.  I've already been monitoring it at home but I need to keep a log and bring it to my next appointment.  Depending on the log and my reading at the office, I may need to get on medication.  Cross your fingers I don't!  

Easy Potato Soup [Tasty Tuesday]

Now that the weather is getting frigid cold in Ohio, I figured it was time for some soup!  If it were up to me, I would eat soup all year.  My husband tends to disagree.  This potato soup is super easy and perfect for chilly days!  My husband always insists he needs something to go with his soup in order to feel full.  With this soup, he was totally satisfied!  The only meat was the minimal turkey bacon topping.  I consider that a success in this house!

What You Need:
1 bag frozen diced hash brown potatoes
1/2 large onion, diced
1 quart chicken broth (I used reduced sodium)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 cup half & half cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese + extra for topping
6-8 slices of bacon, crumbled for topping (I used turkey bacon)
green onion, diced for topping

How to Make:

• Combine the first 7 ingredients in your crock pot.  Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.  (Alternative: cook on HIGH for 4 hours.)  I like to use these to make for an easier clean-up!
• Using a potato masher, mash mixture until potatoes are coarsely chopped and soup is thickened to your liking.  I like to leave some chunks of potatoes!
• Stir in half & half and shredded cheese.
• Serve with optional toppings for your dinner guests: shredded cheddar, crumbled bacon, and chives.

**This recipe is modified from a recipe found on cdkitchen.com.

My Favorite Lansinoh Goodies!

I was recently contacted by the lovely folks over at Lansinoh.  I was so excited when they asked if I would be interested in reviewing some of their products!  I loved Lansinoh products during my early days of breastfeeding.  Lansinoh's Breastmilk Storage Bags and Disposable Nursing Pads were just a few of my favorite things.  {To see more of my breastfeeding must-haves, check out my post from World Breastfeeding Week!}

Did you know that there are other brands in the Lansinoh family including mOmma and Earth Friendly Baby?  I had no idea these two amazing brands were part of the Lansinoh family!

Lansinoh was kind enough to send me some of the wonderful toddler feeding products by mOmma as well as some bath time goodies from the Earth Friendly Baby line AND some handy Lansinoh wipes!  It was like Christmas morning when the package was delivered - so many fun things to check out!

First let's start with the Skincare Products.  Lansinoh sent me Lansinoh Clean & Condition Wipes.  I love these wipes because they are so gentle (hypoallergenic!) on baby's skin.  They have a nice baby fresh scent that I love.  The wipes are nice and thick which means no tearing while cleaning up those yucky messes babies create!

"Check out these wipes!"

I was also fortunate enough to test out the Earth Friendly Baby Shampoo and Bodywash and Earth Friendly Baby Bubble Bath.  Both of these products come in a lovely, unique mandarin scent.  Did I mention they are totally certified ORGANIC?

Here is my opinion on the Earth Friendly Baby Shampoo and Bodywash and Earth Friendly Baby Bubble Bath:

• Wonderful, clean scent.
• Shampoo lathers up very nicely and rinses out easily.
• Both products use are free from artificial coloring, synthetic fragrances, and parabens.
• Ingredients are plant-derived.
• Body wash seems very gentle!

Now onto the Meal Time goodies!  Lansinoh sent me the Straw Cup with Dual Handles, Mealtime Soft Spoon, and Fork.  All 3 products are BPA and Phthalate free!

The spoon and fork are so unique!  They are designed for babies 6months+ and have soft tips to be gentle on gums.  The unique rounded design encourages the utensils to turn upright when dropped which prevents contamination of the tip of the untensil!  You can also extend the handle by placing the travel cap over the sphere shaped handle.  Because Carson is 17 months, I think these utensils are a little too young for him.  The spoon works great, but the fork doesn't quite pierce the foods he is eating these days.  We also had an incident with the spoon while we were using the travel cap as an extended handle and he pulled it apart, splattering yogurt everywhere!  I will say though, I'm very excited to use these with Baby2 when we first are introducing solids, I think they will be perfect!  The travel cap is a real bonus for on-the-go families!

The straw cup is a very unique design.  It looks nothing like Carson's other sippies which made him very interested!  They also sell a design without handles.  Carson is always busy these days so I think the handles are helpful for when he only has one hand free to hold his drink!  This unique cup was voted "Product of the Year" in 2012 for the Toddler Mealtime category!  The straw folds into the lid when closed for protection when not in use.  One downside I see to this cup is that it has a lot of parts which makes for a more meticulous cleaning job!  However, I've found that most "leak-proof" sippies are the same way.  I'll take a few extra minutes cleaning the actual cup if I don't have to clean spilled milk everywhere from a leaky cup!  I also was a little bummed that the spherical shape made this cup hard to fit in the side pocket of my diaper bag as well as cupholders in the car seat and stroller.  It also has a slower flow on the straw so that took some getting used to on Carson's end.  (He is used to drinking from straws with faster flows.)  Otherwise, Carson really loves it!

Wondering why it was so slow coming out.  :)

Did you know the Lansinoh company was founded by a breastfeeding mom?  (So cool!)  Also, they have a blog!  Check it out: On Cloud Mom.


Note: I received these products from the Lansinoh company in exchange for my honest opinions and review.

We're Having A...

A few weeks ago I shared our big news with you all.  {Thank you SO much for all of the congratulations and special messages, it means so much to me!}  I also had everyone guess the gender of Baby2 on my post about old wive's tales.  Last I checked, about 3/4 of you thought I was going to have a girl!  Before our elective ultrasound, I put my final guess in writing.

I know I've been holding you all in suspense for a while now so.......scroll down for the big reveal!

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That's right, we're adding another adorable little BOY to our family!  I'm so excited for Carson to have a built in best friend.  I can't wait to watch them grow together and develop a brotherly bond.  I also am thrilled that I get to put Baby2 in Carson's old outfits.  I'm waaaay too excited to do some side by side comparison photos!  Speaking of comparisons, I can't wait to see if this baby will look like his big brother or totally different!  Oh, the suspense!  The boys will have birthdays only a month apart so I'm hoping we won't have to buy many new clothes for Baby2!  Yay for saving money.  In all seriousness, I feel beyond blessed to be adding another member to our growing family.  I guess I am now officially a BOY MOM!  :)

Side note: I will most likely be referring to this little boy as "Baby2" for a while because names are SO HARD!  Hopefully the husband and I will be able to agree on something before April 24th!  :)

Also, it took over 160 photos to get that one decent shot AND we went through 7 balloons!  Who ever said toddler photo shoots were easy?!

Here's a picture of Carson at our very exciting appointment!

Carson's grandmas came over to hear the big news and they were greeted by Carson bringing this baby pumpkin to them!

This is how I told a few of our close friends through text message:

October/November Goals

Here's a look at how I did with my October goals:

1. Read 1.5 books.  Semi-success.  I completed one book and started another but I'm not really halfway through yet.  The book I finished, Defending Jacob, was really good and even had a twist at the end.  The one thing I didn't like about it is that was WAY longer than it needed to be!  The author went on and on about little details that were meaningless to the plot (in my opinion).  I still consider it a good book, though!

2. Go Green at the grocery!  Semi-success again.  I go to the grocery store about once every week which means four times a month.  In October I remembered to use my reusable grocery bags 2/4 times.  Initially I was keeping them in the house and I almost always forgot them so I moved them to my car.  The problem with that is that I keep them in the trunk area with the stroller....which I never use at the grocery store!  I think I need to start keeping them with my cart cover!

3. Go on a date with my hubby!  FAIL...again!  We did have a night without Carson while we were in a wedding on October 11th but we haven't had a special date night for the two of us in SOOOO long!

4. Try a new recipe.  Success!  I tried a new soup recipe that I'll be sharing with you all very soon!

5. Try out a new story time or a new park with Carson.  Success x 2!  We visited a new park AND a new story time!  It's starting to get too cold to try new parks so I'm glad we did this while the weather was still decent.  I'm looking forward to more story times during the colder months, though!

Now onto new goals!

November Goals

1. Read 1.5 books.  I'm keeping this goal since I almost met it last month.  Just for a 2013 goal update, I'm on my 14th book and my goal was 25 books for the year.  Unless I start counting the hundreds of picture & board books I read on a daily basis, I think I might not reach my goal.  Womp womp!

2. Start pinning ideas for Carson's big boy room.  It seems silly that I need to make this a goal, but I keep putting it off because it makes me sad to think Carson is going to be getting a new room soon!  Whenever we move (someone buy our house!) Carson will be getting a new room no matter what.  If we end up staying in this house, Carson will probably move to the guest room so Baby2 can take over the nursery.  It's hard to think of ideas when I don't know if we'll be here or somewhere else!

3. Go on a date with my hubby!  I'm adding this one again since I've failed so many months in a row now.  I think we need to make a point to do something with just the two of us....hopefully a movie because I'm craving one of the sandwiches that our dinner theater serves!  :)

4. Save more money with coupons.  I used to be SO good with my coupons!  Now I have about 3-4 coupon insert packets that I haven't even gone through yet.  I need to set time aside during nap time or after Carson goes to bed to cut and organize coupons and then make my grocery list accordingly.  I also need to try to use the coupons that I can load onto my store loyalty card!

5. Visit somewhere new with Carson.  Last month we had fun exploring a new park and checking out a new story time.  This month I want to do something else new.  I'm not sure what the weather will be like so that's why this is a vague goal.  Maybe we'll do another new story time, maybe a park, maybe something through our city's rec center...who knows!

Bumpdate: 15 Weeks

15 Weeks!
Baby is currently the size of a NAVAL ORANGE!

Next Appointment: I'm waiting very impatiently for my doppler appointment on November 11th!

Gender: We found out on 10/25 and I'll be sharing the big news with you this week!  Be on the look out!

Total Weight Gain: Still waiting to find out on 11/11.  Since our house is on the market our scale is not easily accessible.  I don't have a huge problem with that! :)

Maternity Clothes: Still none and I'm not complaining!  It will be fun to unpack a whole "new" wardrobe soon though.  Unfortunately last time I was pregnant I was working so a lot of my maternity wardrobe is business casual.  I might need to do a little shopping.  Just a little so my husband doesn't murder me, though! ;)

Sleep: Sleep is still good.  My nook continues to be my magic sleep remedy.  If I feel super awake, I'll get it out and I usually can't make it through a chapter!  (And no, I'm not reading a boring book!)

Movement: Remember last week when I said I swore I felt flutters?  Wellll, I definitely felt Baby2 moving around in there this time!  Nick was even able to feel it once which amazed me!  I didn't feel movement with Carson until 21w so feeling movement at 15w is SO exciting!  It happened on Halloween Eve so maybe Baby2 is saying (s)he is going to be a big fan of trick or treat! :)

Food Cravings/Aversions: My major craving was definitely peanut butter fudge.  I saw it in my recipes and HAD to have it right away.  I made a huge batch and took some to my pregnant friend.  Fudge = a pregnant girl's best friend!  As far as aversions, I haven't really wanted meat still.  I even almost picked the pepperoni off of my pizza but it started to take all the cheese with it so I gave up.  

Best Moment This Week: Feeling Baby2 dance around in my tummy.  I've missed that feeling SO much!  I hope it becomes a regular occurrence soon! :)

What I Miss: Jimmy Johns.  One of my friends told me they went there the other day and I felt so sad that I'm not "supposed" to eat it.  I think I might have to cheat or get one and heat it up!

What I'm Looking Forward To: I'm really excited to hear Baby2's heartbeat again.  I'm also excited to continue the name discussion with my husband!  I love talking baby names but the decision is so hard!

Extra Notes From the Week: I'm pretty sure it's safe to say my nausea is officially gone!  (Or at least on vacation.)  I felt great all week (besides headaches).  


I know I don't have a bump yet but I've definitely been growing...here's a comparison from 7w to 15w!  Baby2 is thickening me up!