A Pregnancy Woe

One of the not so pleasant pregnancy enjoys I am currently enduring is the dreaded insomnia. And its not so much that I can't go to sleep.. that is never an issue.. I am usually tired enough to fall quickly to sleep! However, staying asleep the whole entire night is another story :/ I'll be officially 20 weeks on Sunday and the also beloved heartburn/indigestion has set in as well which is one of the causes of my growing pregnancy insomnia. And of course I have not stocked up on the much needed supplies such as tons and tons of Tums (mental note for my next grocery list). So I am currently forced to try to sleep in an almost sitting up right position which is not the most comfortable and my back and neck later regret. Not to mention I am always warm if not on the border line of hot especially when I sleep and I like it to be cold while I am sleeping but with a husband and a dog in the bed.. its always too hot for me so I fidget with the covers. And let's not forget that there are nights my brain just does not turn off.. and soon as I do get woken up by something else my mind mentally goes through a list of the thousand things I have stored in my head.. stupid stuff that can surely wait till morning but the brain is already running off with these ideas and wont be turned off easily. Ugh! Its so frustrating... but also a simple reminder that its just my pregnant self getting me ready for what is to come in the next 4 1/2 months... because then I will be up again probably around this same time feeding a newborn. So then I will be prepared, somewhat :)

Pics from Our Weekend

Weekend Recap

Another week and weekend has flown by... this summer is going by quickly and I can't say I'm complaining! I am ready for fall.. my favorite season and bring on the cooler weather. Its definitely been hot here lately, blah :/ Nevertheless, we had another good weekend despite Henry being under the weather most of it. He has had a fever several days in a row during the week with no other obvious symptoms and around Friday/Saturday his sinuses finally started draining allowing him to feel much better! Friday our weekend kicked off with Brandon getting off early and by early I mean before 5 which was a nice change. We decided to eat out for dinner and went to Olive Garden and it was very yummy. We had not been there in a while and even being sick Henry did fairly well. After dinner, we went over to Target and walked around and picked up a few things we needed. Then it was back to the house where Brandon and P played the Wii for a little bit before getting ready for bed.

Saturday morning, Henry woke up and was feeling much better. He had no fever and seemed to be in good spirits. We did our morning routine and Brandon asked if we wanted to go down to Nashville and explore the Centennial Park where the Parthenon is located. Of course, I jumped at the chance to get out of the house for the day! So we got ready and headed out... drove there and found the park easily. We found a parking spot near everything and walked down to the McDonald's to grab some lunch before we got started. We first checked out the Parthenon which was incredible and admission is FREE for active duty military and their families. We did not know that before going down there so that was a definite plus :) It was pretty neat and even P found it enjoyable. It was a little crowded but the building flowed well. After the Parthenon, we walked over to the playground area and let the kiddos play before driving back home. It was a good park and had lots of shade so the kids had a blast! Then we loaded up and headed back home. Both P and H fell asleep in the car and luckily Henry continued his nap at home as well. Brandon mowed the yard when we got home and I ran up to Walmart to pick up a few things for dinner. Brandon grilled out hamburgers and it was very good. After dinner, we took a walk around the neighborhood and played out front for a few minutes before bath time and getting ready for bed. I rented the movie, Just Go with It featuring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Anniston, at the Rebox at Walmart and we watched it after the kids went to bed. It was a cute, funny movie and a good ending to our Saturday.

Sunday morning we spent around the house being lazy and I got caught up on some laundry. Around 1030, we got ready to head to the pool and I packed our lunch to take with us. The weather was great and the pool was refreshing. We all had a great time and easily spent a few hours there before returning home so Henry could get his nap. We all rested while Henry napped.. P watched a movie, I read my book, and Brandon & Murray napped :) It was a lazy, restful afternoon. I ordered pizza for dinner and we ate outside and played out in the backyard as well as took our usual walk around the neighborhood. Then it was time for baths and get the kiddos ready for bed. Another great weekend under our belts to start the week off right :)

Sunday Review: Baby Gear

Since I am in baby mode, I thought I would share some of my new found favorites when it comes to the infinite list of baby gear out there. Luckily this being my third baby, I have learned what is better to splurge on and what items are must haves (at least in my opinion).

Baby Jogger City Mini Double

I have learned with having two how important a GREAT stroller really can be and with adding another to the bunch it has become even more of a priority to me. Henry will barely be 2 when baby comes and thus will still need a stroller on most of our outings. So a double stroller is a must but there a lot of options out there. I have reviewed and raved about the BOB double stroller in a previous post and still agree it is the best of the best but also comes with a hefty price tag to match its superness. The Baby Jogger City Mini Double is almost as highly praised in reviews and a cheaper price tag. The features this stroller have are phenomenal! And I was able to score a 2010 model on Buy Buy Baby website for around $300 which is a steal. I am looking forward to getting my hands on it and trying it out :)

Moby Wrap

This is a new infant carrier I am trying this time around. It gets amazing reviews and can be used up to 35 pounds. Most users agree that the Moby wrap supports and evenly distributes the weight of the baby easing the pressure of carrying the child to one specific spot... which means no more back or shoulder pain. I haven't been too impressed by infant carriers in the past but have never felt the need to have a really good one. However this time around, I want to make sure I have the best. With three kiddos having a infant carrier is important to me since I'll never know what situation I find myself in... what if I need to go grocery shopping with all 3 of them or what happens when we go to the children's museum (which is not stroller friendly especially if I go by myself) or when we go to the library. There are too many situations that could arise and especially during those few first months when its easier to have baby in the car seat or infant carrier and wear them. And its a good price at around $40. So its a must for me just need to decide which color, ha! :)

Bassinet

This is a Badger Basket Oval Bassinet in natural with ecru bedding. I found this also at Buy Buy Baby and thought it was just adorable and would be perfect for our bedroom. Since we live in a Cape Cod style house which means the master bedroom is downstairs and the other bedrooms are upstairs, its a bit overwhelming to constantly truck up the stairs several times during the night when the baby is needing to be fed. Plus with Henry and baby sharing a room, it would be harsh to let them share the room while baby is still waking up multiple times during the night and disrupting Henry's sleep. I don't want to deal with that nor would it be fair. So a bassinet or pack n play would be a must for us! We had a pack n play for Henry when he was a baby, but it was quite cumbersome and took up quite a bit of room in our bedroom. Also, we now have it at Mimi's and Papa's house so Henry always has a place to sleep when we visit and we don't have to worry about making sure we pack it each time we travel. I love the uniqueness of its oval shape and think it will fit perfectly in an open corner we have. Its so precious and I can just imagine baby sleeping in there.

Weekend Recap

Well it was another short weekend for us, but I'll start off with what we did on Friday since it was a pretty fun day and added to our overall good weekend! Friday morning, the kids and I got ready to go to the local park/playground. I packed us a picnic lunch and we headed that way. I wanted to get there early so we could beat the heat of the day. We got there around 945 and no one was there.. we had the whole park to ourselves. It was great! We took a few breaks to get in the shade and hydrate then we ate our lunches and played some more. We stayed around 2 hours and by then Henry was really feeling it and ready for a nap. So we headed home and he was out before we arrived at the house. Henry took his nap, P watched a movie and I had some needed quiet time myself. That evening when Brandon got home for work, we decided to go out and about. We ate dinner at Zaxby's since everywhere else already had a 30 minute wait but we still enjoyed it! Then we went over to the mall and walked around. Brandon finally got a new pair of running shoes at Foot Locker.. he snagged a great deal on them too.. originally priced $130 asics for $40 plus military discount. Then we grabbed some dessert at the Great American Cookie place before going into the bookstore. We came back to the house and got the kiddos ready for bed. Great day :)

Saturday morning, we piddled around the house some before getting ready to head to the pool on Post around 11. I packed our lunches and we enjoyed lots of fun in the water. We stayed a few hours before returning home to let Henry nap and the rest of us rested as well. Saturday night we had already planned to have a babysitter come to watch the kids so Brandon and I could have a much needed date night. We have used her before back in April when we had the Brigade Ball to attend and the kids did really well with her. We had her come over around 715ish since we were going to a later movie and it made it easier on the kids as well.. they were already fed, bathed, and in pj's.. so Brooke just had to put them to bed at their perspective times. I was really excited to be able to go out.. it doesn't happen very often.. and we look forward to the time alone! We ate dinner at Fujiyama and it was oh so yummy!! Then we had tickets to go see the latest and final Harry Potter movie at 925. It was very good and did not disappoint!! We got back home around 1130 and I took Brooke home (luckily she doesn't live too far from the house!). We definitely enjoyed ourselves and know it was worth it! All in all, a fabulous Saturday :)

Sunday did not start out so hot! I did Brandon's ARMY laundry.. and apparently he had a cheap ink pen in one of his pockets I didn't notice and it exploded in the dryer.. luckily the only item of clothing that got damaged was a set of uniforms and of course the dryer! BOO! I was so upset! I was able to get some of the ink off with nail polish remover but some spots still have a blue hue to them. Oh well, live and learn I guess :/ Thankfully, the next load of laundry I did was not affected! So needless to say, it kind of set a mood for the first half of the day. We just stayed around the house and didn't do much of anything. After lunch, Henry took his nap and we all had some quiet time. I took a bit of a nap and felt in a better mood after that! We woke up Henry from his nap a bit early and headed to the children's museum in downtown Clarksville. Both kids really enjoyed their time there and had a lot of fun! We stayed for awhile till almost closing time and then walked down to the Blackhorse Pub and Brewery for some yummy dinner. It was very good as always.. we had not been there in awhile and enjoyed it! Even the kiddos did well even Henry who is starting to get in that stage, ha! We came back to the house and the kids and I played out back while Brandon cut the yard. Then we took Murray on our usual walk and played out front some more before getting in the bathtub and get ready for bed. Henry and P both were ready for bed soon after! Another good day with the fam! Glad my sour morning turned into a great afternoon/evening!

Flashback Friday

Henry just two days old.. Brandon took this pic while we were still in the hospital.

Cannot believe he is going to be 18 months next month!

He was such a good, sweet baby.. and I am so happy to see the little boy he is turning into!

The Nursery Part 1

In honor of the baby on the way and the change up in our family life, I thought I'd write a few posts on his/her room i.e. the Nursery. When we first found out we were pregnant back in April, we were a bit perplexed on how the bedroom situation would work out for us. 2 spare bedrooms + 3 kiddos= someone is going to have to share. Our house is a decent size but no 4th bedroom and not even an extra room to turn into a possible bedroom. So then the question was who was going to share?!?! Should we wait and found out the gender of the baby then if its a girl, her and P could share a room or if its a boy, him and Henry would share?!? But would that be fair to Peighton to have her share a room with her baby sister.. even if they are both girls, they will be 5 years apart. Then we thought about letting the baby have its own room and letting P and H share a room.. at first it seemed like a good idea and it might work short term but they are opposite sexes and 3 years apart. So then it was decided that Peighton would have her own room regardless.. she is the oldest (she'll be 5 in January if you can believe it, ha!) and no matter what the gender of baby, it will still be only 22 months younger than Henry. Plus Henry is such a mellow kid, I don't think he'd mind sharing with his younger sibling even if its a girl :)

But then the decision of which room would go to which kid or kiddos... our house is similar to a Cape Cod with two bedrooms and a bath upstairs.. its not a full second story since the bedrooms are technically in the attic. But luckily one of the spare bedrooms is HUGE.. the entire width of the house.. about 11 by 20... and has an entire wall that is use able space (no closet, doors, or windows). It use to be P's room when we first moved in but since the two younger kiddos have to share a room, it only made sense to give that room to them and move P to the smaller of the bedrooms. It has worked out really well. There is more than enough room in there for a crib, toddler bed, dresser, changing table, chair, and train table. Since Henry is still sleeping in his crib we still had all of his furniture and P moved up to a twin size bed so her old toddler bed was available to pass down to Henry when he is "truly" ready (we have tried several times to get him to sleep in it but he just cries.. that's for another blog post some day, ha!). Because its an "attic" bedroom it has a dormer at the front of the bedroom where the only window in the room is and that is where the train table is. It fits perfectly in that space and has a shelf underneath the table that has worked out well for holding all the containers of cars and trains Henry has. On the long wall, there is the crib parallel against the wall with the dresser in the middle and the toddler bed after that also parallel against the wall. There is only a small space of wall where the double closet is and that is where Henry's "Go anywhere" Pottery Barn Kids chair and huge basket of books. On the wall to your left when you first enter the room is the changing table centered on the wall. Thankfully, that room does have a double closet and after some storage/organizing solutions it will work well for two kiddos to share. (I will post pictures on here when I feel its almost complete.. but its already looking very put together!)

Now onto the theme of the Nursery... if you know me or have seen our house, we are pretty neutral people or I should say more earth toned.. we go for the greens, browns, kakis.. which is why our kitchen is a sky blue and our master bedroom a grey because we wanted to stray from the "norm." Both P and Henry's nurseries have been fairly earth toned and neutral as well. Even with first born girly Peighton, I did her room in sage and cream and her bedding was a toile pattern. Henry's room was cute in its chocolate browns, sage greens, and cream with giraffes as its theme in the bedding. Since we still don't know what the gender of the baby is and regardless it will be sharing a room with Henry, I wanted to do something that was fun, colorful and matching. I really wanted their bedding to match.. I just think the room will look more cohesive that way. I turned to Pottery Barn Kids in search of some bedding and I was NOT disappointed. PBK has wonderful bedding and room ideas.. so unique and so many ideas to pick from.. plus their bedding is well made and lasts! Henry's furniture is oak and the toddler bed use to be white before Brandon painted it to a blue color.. so I knew I wanted some color. I was drawn to PBK's line called Island Surf. Its like a Hawaiian theme with fishes and bright colors. I liked it! And I really thought it would look well in their room. My aunt graciously bought both the crib bedding and toddler bedding and I immediately put it all in the room. Now its not exactly girly bedding but it doesn't exactly scream boy either so I think it works well regardless of what baby turns out to be.. and I most importantly wanted them to match more than anything else! We have a few more touches to add to the room.. new curtains and a new lamp to match the bedding.. as well as some new fabric storage containers in bright colors to go at the bottom of the changing table and some wall art.. but slowly but surely it is turning into the ideal room for the two munchkins :)

A sneak peek of the bedding (courtesy of PBK online):

Weekend Recap

Well the end of long weekends are officially over.. Brandon had only the typical Saturday and Sunday off. So although our weekend felt short, we made it up for it in FUN! Saturday we all slept in a little which is always a blessing! Then we had breakfast and got ready for the day... we ventured out to Toys R Us where we purchased one of Henry's Christmas presents. It is the Mega Bloks Thomas the Train Mountain Adventure.. it was on sale for HALF off.. so instead of almost $100 we got it for $49.. I think he will really enjoy playing with it!! He is definitely into trains, blocks, and of course Thomas! So this will be his "big" present under the tree on Christmas morning. I am on the ball this year.. I already have plans to go back on Thursday when P is at school to get her big present from us.. the Vtech Mobigo which is also on sale $10 off plus i have another $10 off coupon... what a DEAL and why not get them now! With baby on the way and due before Christmas, I seriously want all my shopping done the weekend of Thanksgiving! Anyways, forgive my rabbit trail.. I get so excited about Christmas especially this year.. Brandon will be home for it and we'll have a new baby to celebrate :) After Toys R Us, we went to Target to pick up a few things including diapers for Henry. Then we came home to cookout for lunch... we had BBQ chicken, potatoes and beans.. it was yummy! During Henry's nap time, I rested some while Brandon mowed the yard and P played outside some. Then that afternoon after Henry was up, I packed us a picnic dinner and we went to the local park to eat and play on the playground. It was still quite warm but there was some shade and the kids had a lot of fun! We spent a good hour just playing. Then to cool off, we headed to the local Berry Bear for some delicious frozen yogurt!

Sunday was a GREAT day as well... we woke up at our usual time and I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Then we lounged around the house until we decided to head to Nashville for a part of the day. We went to eat lunch at Calk of the Walk.. it is very yummy and unique place to eat. Brandon and I split the sample platter which had homemade chicken tenders, fried shrimp and some of the best catfish I've eaten. P had the kid's chicken dinner and Henry sampled a bit from everyone. All in all, it was a good meal! Then we went over to Bass Pro Shop and walked around.. always a good place to spend an hour, ha! Then we headed back home and decided on the way that since it was so hot we would go to the pool on Post. We quickly changed when we got home and headed that way.. it was crowded but manageable.. and it was definitely refreshing! Both kids had a blast playing and swimming and we easily spent two hours there before returning home for dinner and our usual nightly routine. Another fantastic weekend with the fam!!! :)

Sunday Review

It has been awhile since I did a blog on this subject but today I am reviewing the 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan. Why you might ask?!? Because due to our recent news and expanding of our family it is our new car! When we found out we were pregnant again, we knew the Ford Edge would not accommodate our growing family especially since all three kiddos would be in car seats. We researched several different types of cars.. SUV's that had the 3rd row seat didn't have any cargo space and P would have to climb over the middle seat to get to the third row, bigger SUV's that had cargo space and more leg room between seats were pricey with horrible gas mileage.. so it seemed our only option was a minivan. The dreaded minivan, ha! I personally think they've come a LONG way since their first appearance and what other car is going to suit all of our needs better of a family of five. Then we started comparing the different options and brands out there.. the Honda Odyssey is definitely the sharpest of all of them but way out of our price range and I also liked the Volkswagen Routan which is quite similar to the Grand Caravan. All in all, we decided on the Dodge because it offered all of our "must haves" in a price we could comfortably afford... in fact our car payment did not vary from what we were use to. The options I deemed a must have can be found in most (if not all) of the vans out there on the market today. The two top priorities for us (more importantly me) were Captain's chairs and power doors (all 3 of them). Captain's chairs were important because it allows the third row seat to be accessible by anyone whether it be Peighton or my mom which was important since Henry and the baby would dominate the two captain's chairs with their car seats. Power doors were also a must because this is the luxury item only minivans are equipped with and with 3 kiddos in tow who wouldn't want to be able to push a button and the rear doors open up with ease. And the back hatch is also power which I got spoiled with when I had the Ford Edge.. it's also a huge convenience factor I wasn't willing to part with. The Dodge Grand Caravan "Crew" which is the model we purchases also comes with a touch screen radio display including Satellite Radio which has been a bonus as well as a back up camera which is a HUGE safety feature. Also Dodge minivans are notorious for their stow n' go storage and seating capabilities. We've owned ours for over a month now and are still quite pleased with it especially me as the main driver of it as well as transporter of munchkins it works really well for our family. And another big positive of the minivan that you cannot get with any SUV that seats at least seven (unless maybe it's a hybrid) would be the amazing gas mileage. The Grand Caravan has an "econ mode" button that helps get even better MPG's. We average about 18 around town which I deem sufficient but on our recent trip to SC and back we were averaging around 26 on the interstate enabling to get over 400 miles on one tank of gas even Brandon was thrilled about that! All in all, we are quite pleased with our purchase and even if you never though of yourself as a minivan kind of family it works for us and our needs!!

and baby makes FIVE

Yep that's right... this is my "official" announcement that we are (more so I am, ha!) pregnant with baby Doggette numero 3. I am actually 16 1/2 weeks along and although this is my first blog on the main event its been a big part of our lives for the past few months. We found out in early April and we've told our family and close friends but I haven't made any type of official comment on Facebook or on here. But I figured many more know by now via the grapevine, ha :) Brandon and I weren't not truly trying but not not trying either and it has worked out for the best. The timing for a third is working well for our family especially considering Brandon will not be deploying till next December (earliest would be November). So he will definitely be here for the birth and almost the entire first year which is something he missed greatly when Henry was baby. We are excited even P is looking forward to the new newest addition.. I can't say the same for Henry since he truly has no idea what's going on. Sometimes I think having more than two kiddos can be a taboo subject.. its definitely life changing and I think if we would have dwelled on the pros and cons list too much it would have never happened. Having three will be an adjustment and cause us to change our daily routine but nevertheless I am anxious to see how this baby will fit into our lives and our family. Plus, Doggette party of five has a nice ring to it!! :)

My due date is December 18 but both P and H were 8-10 days early so it could be possibly earlier than that but YAY for a Christmas baby!! I think its funny that all three of my babies will have winter birthdays.. January, February and now December. Today was my 16 week OB appointment and everything is going well. Baby's heartbeat was measuring good at 159 bpm. I gained 6 pounds since my last appointment in mid May. I was actually pleased with that number considering I had not gained any weight between my first two appointments. Plus I worry a little bit that I am pushing myself on a day to day basis between all my usual housework and tugging Henry Clay around daily. But most days I feel alright and get to relax at night when the kids go to bed. Next appointment is the first part of August as well as my 20 week ultrasound.. SO looking forward to putting a name with this precious baby!!! <3

Weekend Recap

What a fabulous long weekend!! Nothing like a 6 day weekend to round out the summer fun!! :) Because of the 4th of July weekend, Brandon had Friday through Monday but put in a pass for his weekend to include Thursday allowing us to head home to SC for the weekend!

Thursday began very early as we were on the interstate by 530 in the morning. But the drive was uneventful and Henry had no major meltdowns and we arrived at my parents' house by 500ish. P was super excited to see us as we were her, especially Henry.. I think he missed his sister lots! Brandon unloaded the car and we got settled some before heading out to get some dinner at the Kickin Chicken. It was very yummy and I always enjoy eating at unique places you can't find anywhere else. It was getting late so we headed back to the house to get Henry ready for bed. Then my mom, Peighton, and I went to Publix to pick up some groceries we would need for the weekend. It had been a long day for us and needless to say ready for bed that night. Friday, Henry woke me up at 615 so we watched cartoons and played until everyone else stirred for the morning. We got ready for the day and headed over to Granny's and Grandaddy's house. We had a delicious lunch with them as well as a nice visit. They were happy to see the kiddos and we enjoyed spending the day with them! We left mid afternoon so Henry could go down for a nap but that wasn't the easiest task and I had to lay down with him but luckily we both fell asleep and got in a decent afternoon nap. Friday evening we spent around the house.. we had a house full of guests... my aunt and uncle from Florida drove up that day for the week and my dad's half sister Kendra and her husband came in for the night to visit with us since they were vacationing in Myrtle Beach, SC. I had not seen her since I was a little girl so it was nice to be able to visit with her again. All in all, it was a mellow, low key evening! Saturday morning, Brandon went out to the shooting range with Dustin and the kiddos & I went Outlet shopping with my mom and aunt. We grabbed some yummy lunch from Buffalo Wild Wings before we hit up the stores. There was some great sales and deals because of the holiday weekend. My aunt bought me some cute clothes for a belated birthday present. My mom got P and Henry each a new pair of shoes. We girls ( and Henry too) had a good time!! That evening Brandon and I had a double date night with our great friends Celeste and Dustin. Thankful the grandparents and aunt & uncle were able to watch the kiddos for us! We had a wonderful time... first stop was dinner at Bumba Gumps in downtown Charleston... I had the coconut shrimp.. it was very yummy!! Then we walked around some downtown before heading back into town to the movie theater to see the new Transformers movie. It was very good and I highly recommend it especially if you've seen the others. However, we went to the 1015 show and the movie was 2 1/12 hours so it was almost 130 in the morning before we made it back to the house. But we had a lot of fun and really enjoyed ourselves!! :) Sunday morning was mellow for us before heading over to my mamaw's pool for some fun in the sun! P is become quite the little fish in the water and Henry had a blast himself! We all had a good time and Henry took a great nap that afternoon, ha! For dinner, we all went out to Logan's Steakhouse and then to Marble Slab for some yummy ice cream. That night I finished getting things packed up and organized for our trip back home the next morning. Monday morning came early and we got up and ready to go. We were on the road a little after 6 and again had no major problems heading back home. We were back to our house by 400ish. Brandon had yard work to do as well as clean out the car while I unpacked suitcases, put away clothes and do up some laundry. Then Henry and I ran up to Walgreen's to get fresh milk and some dinner from Arby's. The kids were exhausted and had baths and were in bed around 8. Brandon and I caught the fireworks from Post in our backyard and turned in early ourselves. We received a call shortly after we went to bed that the CG issued a DONSA (day of no scheduled activity i.e. no work) for Tuesday. I know Brandon was happy and we all enjoyed a good night's sleep.. no one stirred before 8 am, ha! :)