lil bro 36 weeks

My first thought about being 36 weeks pregnant is that time has seemed to completely stop! I feel like the weeks are dragging but I guess that's good so we feel like there's more time to get some last minute things completed around the house before turning our attention to caring for a newborn...and toddler! My second thought about being 36 weeks pregnant is that I now feel LARGE and very pregnant. I'm finding it hard to stand for extended periods of time, bra's and shorts/pants are uncomfortable. I find myself grunting and moaning anytime I move which sparked Reid to ask, "Is something wrong?" Well no, I just have a large protruding belly! Sleep has gone out the window. I'm so restless, achy (thank you Colorado rain), anxious for his arrival and all that needs to be done, and I now I'm in the bathroom every 10 minutes as this kid loves to push on my bladder. BUT it's not all horrible! I still love feeling him constantly on the move and it's still so surreal feeling his little limbs poking out. So while I feel like time is at a standstill right now, I can't believe that in 4 weeks our little family will be complete!

Last weekend I finally decided to schedule a shoot for some maternity pictures. A friend from my mom's group Maggie, who also did our announcement pictures, did AMAZING! and I'm so thankful the rain held off for us to get some pictures in!!

How Far Along: 36 weeks
Sleep: Very restless and now I have a cold!
Best Moment of this Month: Our maternity pictures
Miss Anything: I've reached the point I'm ready for my body back
Movement: Yes, yes and yes! Lots of pushing on my bladder
Anything Make You Queasy: Not queasy, just nothing is appetizing
Food Cravings: Vanilla frozen yogurt and carbonated beverages
Labor Signs: More cramping and pressure
Gender: Boy!
Belly Button: Out
Happy or Moody: Moody only because I'm feeling very "pregnant" and have a toddler who likes to throw temper tantrums
Looking Forward To: A baby shower from Reid's co-wokers
Comparison to Carson

'lil bro 34 weeks

When people ask me my due date and I say July it sounds like I have plenty of time. But then I say, yeah I have about 6 weeks left and I realize how soon our little dude will be here and how much more needs to get done! Thankfully last weekend was very productive and we are on our way to being prepared for our newest bundle to arrive.

We had a great trip back to Kansas and baby travelled well :) I'm so thankful to still not feel as "large" as I did with Carson, but I think it's because this kid has tucked himself away on my side instead of protruding straight out. A few more pregnancy aches are starting to set in though. When I'm on my feet for a while my legs start to feel swollen. They are also very achy in the evening making going to sleep a little uncomfortable. I'm also now getting up multiple times a night to use the restroom and have to place a pillow under my belly while I sleep. It just feels so heavy without some extra support. I'm sure Reid is loving my Snoogle pillow plus two other pillows on the bed to keep myself comfortable. I'm starting to stress out about when our little guy will make his arrival into the world. Since we have no family nearby and most of my friends have kids, I don't want to be a hassle to anyone, especially if we have to leave in the middle of the night...MY. BIGGEST.WORRY! If he can just wait and come the 11th or 12th all will be good! Are you listening little guy?!

Overall I'm feeling great, (knock on wood) I have been sick free for a while now. Workouts are not really happening as I feel like I'm always trying to clean up, cook, etc and then I just want to go to bed. I got a Groupon for fitness classes for Mother's Day so I'm excited to start a prenatal barre class this weekend. I still am taking walks but go at a much slower pace which Snyder does not appreciate. And I can't be out for too long without feeling like I'm about to pee my pants. Food is still hit or miss. Nothing ever sounds appetizing and I have no patience to prepare anything. But I'm trying to make due. Carson is becoming more aware of my belly and loves giving his brother kisses (as does daddy too telling momma how cute her belly is). Hopefully he'll cooperate for our maternity pictures this weekend!

Carson is TWO!!

Ladies and Gentlemen we have a TWO YEAR OLD!! I can't believe this day is here and I do not know where time is going. Carson is developing more and more of a personality as the days go on. We are in full fledge toddler stage and while it's exciting to see him learning so much and taking everything in, it is also very tiring dealing with his attitude and temper tantrums. He knows what he wants but can't quite express it and it leads to lots and lots of tantrums. Carson loves to throw himself on the floor and make a stiff body while screaming at the top of his lungs. And this kid has some big lungs!! Carson still doesn't talk much on his own but he is good at repeating what you say. We are focusing on making him "use his words" instead of pointing followed by the "eh" sound which is driving me CRAZY! Definitely no sentences but I'm sure the day will be here before we know it. His biggest accomplishment is knowing his numbers 1-10! I guess letting him watch his favorite Scout and Friends Numberland video has paid off, lol.

Carson is a boy through and through and loves finding sticks and rocks to throw in puddles. He prefers to be outside and LOVES the water. I think he is going to have lots of fun this summer. He isn't wanting to be held as much which is good as my belly grows! He knows his brother is in mommy's belly (sometimes he even lifts his own shirt up) but I don't think he has any idea beyond that. He is doing great at daycare and hardly cries when we drop him off. One day he even ran straight to the teacher and gave her a hug. We are struggling with his big boy bed and he seems to want to sleep on the floor instead. We are also having trouble figuring out when to put him down because he takes an hour (sometimes more) at bed time. I was hoping it's a phase, and it still might be, but it's been going on longer than any other phase he's been through. So who knows?! Speaking of phases, we went through the "let's take our poopy diaper off phase before mommy and daddy get me in the morning, " which was oh so fun! HA :(

Carson's first role as a two year old was being a ring bearer at his Uncle B's wedding. Even though I was stressed to the max at how he would do, he ended up doing great despite having to walk down the aisle with a cup of cheerios. But everyone said he was darling and he made it down all by himself! Since we were back in Kansas for the wedding, I also decided to have a Little Blue Truck birthday party which turned out great. We were able to celebrate with family and friends that we don't get to see as often as we'd like. Happy 2nd Birthday little dude. You keep us on our toes, but we love you very much!!

Someone decided to take their diaper off while trying to go to sleep. Daddy to the rescue!

Walking around Ken Caryl

The handsome ring bearer

White tie and all!

Ring bearer needs fuel to get down the aisle

Family photo from the wedding

Run-away ring bearer

With Grammy and Nonni at the reception

Little Blue Truck 2nd Birthday Party

I can't believe we just celebrated Carson's 2nd birthday!! This year we were back in Kansas again so I decided to have a get-together to celebrate. I settled on a Little Blue Truck theme and I think it turned out very cute!! One of my sorority sisters, Morgan, helped with a few decorations and they were "the icing on the cake."

Sheep said Baa! - We made lemon-blueberry cupcakes and decorated the wool and faces with icing and the eyes were tiny marshmallows with a another dot of frosting

Cow said Moo! - A simple cheese and cracker platter

Oink! said the Piggy - Pigs 'n a blanket

Beep! said Blue - Homemade oreo cookies (regular oreos would work too) as "spare tires"

The layout of everything

"Sheep said Baa!" 

"Cow said Moo!"

"Oink! said the Piggy!"

"Beep! said Blue"

Farm fresh fruits and veggies

A honey-banana cake with butter cream frosting

Before the party, I took Carson out for a little photo shoot and he did surprisingly well. I got some pretty good pictures, even if I had to settle for I-phone pics because my camera battery was dead.

We had so much fun celebrating with our Little Blue Truck theme and Carson loved blowing out his candles. He was spoiled by family and friends and we are so thankful to have such wonderful people in our lives. Happy Birthday buddy! Mommy and Daddy love you very much!

Trying to sit down in the bags was the best "present"

Working on posing for the camera

Being silly with Uncle B

The newlyweds and the birthday boy

Family photo #1

Carson and Grandpa

Bubbles with Aunt Jess

Bubbles with Aunt Jess, Aunt Lauren and Cousin Elliott

Nneeiigghh!!

The birthday boy

Family photo #2

Thank You cards

'lil bro 32 weeks

Ah! I'm 8 months pregnant and have done NOTHING to get baby's room ready. Nesting will be in full swing next month as we get ready for our little bundle to arrive so very soon!

This past month was filled with mostly lows unfortunately. I was hit with the illness bug and it also happened to be during the week Reid was away for work. Then the following week Carson's daycare was closed for 3 days and it was stressful having him home. So we can safely say I have been majorly slacking in the workout routine. I have also had a lot of food aversions this past month and it has been hard to eat. Thankfully things are starting to look up and I've been feeling much better this past week. At this point in my pregnancy with Carson, I felt like I was HUGE by the end of the day, but thankfully I haven't had that feeling yet. I am wishfully hoping it means this baby won't be as big ;) This baby also seems to move so much more than Carson did, and I thought Carson moved a lot. I also had the "luxury" to take a break from mommy duty when I took a week long work trip to Dayton, OH. My co-workers were kind enough to surprise me with a nice baby celebration.

One exciting thing that has happened in the past week or so is feeling a strong connection toward my new little man. It's been hard to focus on this pregnancy with a toddler running around and then whenever you tell people that 1. it's your second child and 2. it's another boy, I mostly get comments like "well aren't you going to have your hands full." So to finally be excited about our new bundle was a welcoming feeling! We can't wait to me you!!

How Far Along: 32 weeks
Sleep: Still the same a few bad nights followed by a good night
Best Moment of this Month: My connection to our new little man
Miss Anything: Running in the beautiful spring weather
Movement: All the time and more painful movements as well
Anything Make You Queasy: Leftovers and salmon
Food Cravings: Not this month. More food aversions
Labor Signs: Nope, but I have started cramping more.
Gender: Boy!
Belly Button: Half in/half out
Happy or Moody: Aside from being sick, I was mostly happy
Looking Forward To: A trip to Kansas
Comparison to Carson