Big Girl Room!!

Before

 After!!

It's official! Miss Hailey now has a brand-new room, complete with a BIG GIRL BED! We have been talking about this event for several months to prepare her (she doesn't do well with sudden change) and she had gotten really excited about it. As we got closer to getting the furniture, she would tell everyone who would listen that she was getting a big girl bed and giving her crib to Baby Sister because she's not a baby anymore. We really haven't been in any big rush to get her a new bed because, although she is 2 1/2 years old, she has been quite happy in her crib and has never made any attempts to escape. Getting her new furniture also involved moving her old furniture into the new baby's room, which meant moving the guest bed out of that room and into the former office, which meant moving the desk out of that room all together! Whew! However, since we are a mere 3 months from the new baby's arrival, we decided it was finally time to get it all done. We picked out the furniture last week and Hailey could barely contain herself, she was so excited to get it. She asked every single day if it was time for her big girl bed to come. Finally the furniture came on Friday and she was literally BESIDE HERSELF with joy! She was bouncing on the bed and screaming "I LOVE MY BIG GIRL BED!!" It took me a whole extra hour to get her settled down to actually get in it and go to sleep! She's done awesome sleeping in it at night, but naps have been more of a challenge. I think it might take a few days for the novelty of the new bed to wear off before she actually settles down enough to nap in it. She lay down in it for 2 1/2 hours today and just talked and sang to herself the whole time. Hopefully she'll get back on track with the naps soon, she definitely still needs them... and so does Mommy!!

But just look at this happy face!!!

Dance Party!!

Welcome to Hailey's impromptu dance party!! She absolutely CRACKS.ME.UP!! I don't know where these killer "moves" came from, but I could watch them all day long!

(I took this with my cell phone so it's kind of small. Click in the bottom right corner to watch in full screen)

Cruisin' to Paradise

Our Ship - Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas



 You may remember from this post that we were supposed to go on a Southern Caribbean cruise back in September, but were thwarted by a little tropical storm and didn't get to go. Luckily, we had bought the travel insurance the first time so we had a 75% credit from what we originally paid to apply to a future cruise. We had until November of this year to use the credit but since Royal Caribbean won't let you travel after you're 24 weeks pregnant, it was now or never! It ended up working perfectly because March is one of the best times of year weather-wise and we had a beautiful trip! I'm so glad we got to take one more relaxing trip before our lives become a lot busier!

Day 1 - St Croix
Usually when we plan a trip, we both do endless amounts of research on the best things to see and the best places to go. For some reason this time we didn't do any of that (I think since the trip got cancelled last time we were in a little bit of denial about actually going this time). So, we decided to just wander off the ship in each port and try to find a good beach. In our first port, St Croix, we had heard that there was an underwater reef trail at Buck Island so we decided to see if we could find an excursion to take us there. We booked a catamaran through Big Beard's and they took us first to the beach side of Buck Island and then to snorkel the reef. The beach was AMAZING, with white sand and crystal turquoise water. The reef was actually kind of disappointing, most of it had been destroyed by a hurricane 20 years ago and it hadn't really grown back yet. The water was also pretty choppy so after taking a look around and seeing a few fish, most of the people got back on the boat early and soaked up the sun. St Croix was really pretty and we had a great taxi driver who gave us some history of the island on our way back to the ship.

On the boat to Buck Island

Enjoying the gorgeous water on Buck Island

Baby's first tropical vacation!

Day 2 - St Maarten

When we were planning the cruise the first time, I had read about Orient Beach in St Maarten as being on of the most beautiful beaches on the island. Since we didn't really know where else to go, we decided to head over there. When we got to Orient Beach, it was PACKED with people! We usually prefer beaches that are quieter and less populated so we weren't sure where we wanted to sit for the day. We walked up one end of the beach, checking out all of the different beach bars and weaving our way through all the people. Then we walked to the other end and found a part of the beach that was clear, calm, beautiful, and quiet. It also happened to be the clothing-optional section of the beach. We decided that it really was the most beautiful part of the whole beach so we decided to hang out there for the day. There was a little bar and a floating platform in the water perfect for sunning, and quite a bit of "interesting" people watching. We had a great day but they were very strict about absolutely no cameras  on that beach so we didn't get any pictures other than this one in front of the port!



The only picture after a day on the nudie beach!



 Day 3 - St John, Antigua
We literally had no idea where to go when we got off the boat in St. John. The minute we stepped off the ship we were bombarded with taxi drivers wanting our business. It was a little overwhelming so we just walked out of the port area and onto the street to get our bearings and try to figure out what we wanted to do. Once we got a little further out, we found a cab driver who had a laminated poster of several different postcards with different beaches on them. He recommended Jolly Beach as a beautiful beach that wasn't usually crowded so we decided to head there for the day. OH. MY. GOSH it was INCREDIBLE!! It was unbelievably calm and the water literally glowed turquoise! The water was warm and and the sand was powder soft. We spent the day lounging on beach chairs and Bryan even mustered up the energy to take a kayak out for a little while. We enjoyed this beach soooooo much and we agreed we would definitely come back to Antigua again!

The amazing Jolly Beach in Antigua

So beautiful it was hard to believe it was real!

 Day 4 - St Lucia
We did a little research on the ship of possible beaches to go to and had picked one that sounded amazing situated right between the Pitons (the twin peaked mountains that are a famous landmark in St Lucia). Unfortunately, when we got off the ship and asked, it was a 1 1/2 hour cab ride to that beach so we had to change our plans. We went to Reduit Beach in Rodney Bay, which is one of the most popular beaches on the island. Fortunately we were able to find a quiet piece of beach in front of a resort and they let us use their beach chairs for free (can't beat free!) One cool thing at this beach was this tiny little junk boat that turned out to be a swim up beach bar boat! Bryan got a yummy coconut concoction made with fresh coconut water, papaya juice, and rum. It was a little overcast for part of the day and while the beach was pretty, it wasn't quite to the same level as the previous beaches we'd been to on the trip. I would have really liked to see the beach in between the Pitons, Jalousie Beach, but with the time constraints of when we had to be back on the ship, it would have taken up most of the day just getting there and back. I guess we'll just have to go back again so we can check it out!

Enjoying our "babymoon"!

 Day 5 - Barbados
For this port we again printed out a list of the best beaches in Barbados to help us decide where to go. We had selected Payne's Bay, but when we got off the ship and asked at the tourism center, the woman there told us that there were no facilities at that beach. Since I was a bit sunburned we really needed to go somewhere that had chairs and umbrellas, so we picked another beach from the list, Brighton Beach. When we got there we were disappointed because the cruise ship and industrial docks were in our eyeline and there was a strange smell wafting across the beach. We went for a walk and discovered a refinery just a few yards to the right of where we were sitting. I have no idea why that was listed as one of the best beaches, I'm sure the island has plenty more that deserve that title. We decided to try and find another beach that smelled a little better, so we asked one of the locals to recommend another beach and he told us to go to Blue Monkey Beach. He said it was beautiful and there are sea turtles that are just a few feet off from the beach. When we got there, and got settled on our beach chairs, we discovered we were actually at Payne's Bay! I don't know what the tourism center lady was talking about because there were chairs, umbrellas, bathrooms, and a little beach bar there. What other facilities did she think we wanted?? Payne's Bay was beautiful and we thoroughly enjoyed the rest of our day in Barbados.

Day 6 - At Sea
After stopping in a different port for the last 5 days, we enjoyed having our final day at sea. We slept in and then spent the rest of the day by the pool. I got a massage and pedicure and Bryan took a nap. It was a great way to wrap up the trip.

We really enjoyed this cruise a lot! It was a perfect itinerary because we got to see so many different places at once. The ship was great and the food was excellent! We ate in the dining room every night and had a great time with our server. We skipped the shows in the evening and went to the casino instead. We gambled 6 of the 7 nights and ended the trip completely even, which is a total win in our book! I'm so glad that we got this time together, especially free from the distractions of work and real life, to just enjoy each other. Who knows when we'll get to do something like this again!

20 Weeks!

(I'm actually 21 weeks pregnant today, but I totally meant to post this last week)

I'm halfway to being a mom of 2 and I can't BELIEVE how much faster this pregnancy is going. I think a big part of it is that I started looking pregnant a lot faster this time which made it feel real much earlier. At this point I am feeling like I look huge already, although people (who I suspect are lying to me) keep telling me I look little and cute. I'm going to choose to believe them, lies or not.

Here are the 20 week stats:

• Weight gained so far: 5 lbs (not too shabby, and with as big as I feel, I expected more!)
• Maternity clothes: The weather has been really up and down so I'm still managing to wear some of my non-maternity sweaters. I don't want to spend money on long sleeved maternity shirts because I'm hoping that any minute it is going to warm up and I'll be able to wear my short sleeved maternity shirts from last time.
• Sleep: Still going pretty well. Occasionally getting up to pee but not every night. However, now that Hailey is potty training, she doesn't like to be wet. Ever. Including in the middle of the night. Which means she's been waking up once or twice a night crying and wanting to be changed. Doesn't she know I'm not supposed to have to wake up in the middle of the night for another 5 months?!?
• Pregnancy symptoms: I've been going to the chiropractor for my lower back and hip pain and it turns out it is actually lower lumbar and sacroiliac misalignment. After 4 adjustments, I am already feeling better, which is awesome! I've also learned a few stretches to try when my hips are hurting so I've been doing really well.
• Gender: Girl!! No progress on a name yet... Bryan is killing me with his unwillingness to commit to one! I'm dying to name this little one so we can start telling Hailey what her baby sister's name is, but he basically feels that until the birth certificate is in our hands we've got nothing but time. Has he met me?!? Doesn't he know I am a capital P Planner???
• Movement: I started feeling little popcorn pops at about 17 1/2 weeks and they've been getting stronger ever since. I can't quite feel them from the outside yet, but they're definitely becoming more kick-like. She tends to move around most at night and I'm loving it!

Next up, we leave for our cruise-that-wasn't on Saturday!! We had to use the credit we got for having to cancel back in September before November of this year, and since I don't plan on leaving a 3 month old baby for 8 days, we are going now! Babymoon here we come!

IT'S A GIRL!!! (AGAIN!)

We had our 20 week ultrasound today and found out that Hailey is going to have a SISTER!!! Bryan was convinced that we were having a boy from the moment we found out we were pregnant (not because of preference, just his feeling). He was just as confident that Hailey was going to be a girl, and he was right that time, so I let his conviction sway me into thinking we were having a boy too. We were fully prepared to hear the ultrasound technician tell us we were having a boy, so imagine our shock when she said GIRL!! I had her check about 10 times before we left just to make sure because I was in such disbelief.

I honestly would have been happy with either a boy or a girl, but I am really thrilled that Hailey is going to have a sister. I never got to experience having a sister myself, but I look at my friends who have sisters and my friends who have 2 daughters and I think there is a really special bond that sisters share. I am really excited that she is going to get that experience and that I am going to get the experience of parenting sisters. It makes me happy that Bryan is excited to have another girl too. While we know that no two children are alike, we feel we already kind of know what we're doing with a girl. It's also a nice perk that I get to reuse the 3 giant Rubbermaid bins full of girl clothes I have saved! :)

Pee-Pee In The Pot-ty!!

This is going to be a long, detailed post because I want to remember exactly what lead up to Hailey starting to become potty trained!

Last weekend Hailey spent the weekend with my in-laws because I was sick and Bryan was out of town. According to my mother in law, Hailey asked to use the potty and peed in it 3 times while she was there. This was pretty shocking to me since she has wanted absolutely nothing to do with the potty at home. Every time we ask her to sit on it, she throws a tantrum and says " I no sit on the potty!!!!!" We have been trying not to push the issue because we didn't want to make potty training a negative thing for her. However, after hearing how well she had done with her grandparents, we decided to try again. Here is a rundown of what I like to call "Hell Week".

Monday- We decided to try putting Hailey in underwear so she could feel if she was wet. In the morning she was willing to sit on the potty, but no matter how long she sat, nothing happened. Of course, as soon as she stood up and left the bathroom, she wet her pants. We ended the day with 5 accidents, 0 hits on the potty, and 2 meltdowns.

Tuesday- We took the potty to daycare and encouraged Debbie to have Hailey try to go potty. Hailey was very resistant in the morning and even had to have a time-out for throwning a fit. Debbie called me and I talked to Hailey on the phone and told her she had to try to sit on the potty. After that she tried a few times, but again, nothing happened. That night we went out for dinner and when we got home I had Hailey try to sit on the potty before we got ready for bed. She sat down but then started putting her hands in between her legs and saying that her bottom hurt. She asked for her pull-up and started to get upset. I told her that her pull-up was dirty so I just pulled up her pants and told her to wash her hands. As soon as she stepped up on the stool she peed her pants.

Wednesday- Hailey sat on the potty a few times at daycare without a fight but didn't manage to make anything happen. After daycare she had swim lessons and I decided to have her try sitting on the potty when we got home. She started putting her hands in between her legs again and asking for her pull-up, so I knew she was about to pee. She DID NOT want to sit on the potty so I had to physically hold her on it because I knew pee was coming any minute. She screamed her head off, so loudly in fact that Bryan came running downstairs thinking she had burned herself on the stove! Sure enough, she peed on the potty while I held her on it and then she was proud of herself. We made a huge deal, did the potty dance, gave her an M&M, had her put stickers on her chart, etc. Despite the previous screaming, we ended the night on a very positive note.

Thursday- Hailey had a HORRIBLE day at daycare. She refused to sit on the potty and had a nuclear meltdown, complete with hitting, kicking, and scratching Debbie. She was in a bad mood all day and had to have several time-outs. I felt conflicted because on the one hand I didn't want to force Hailey to use the potty if she wasn't ready, but on the other hand I couldn't let her think that it's okay to throw a fit like that and then get what you want. When we got home she was in a pretty good mood so before dinner I told her to sit on the potty. She came into the bathroom with me and I took off her diaper but she refused to sit down. I felt like she was about to pee so I took off her pants and socks and let her stand in the bathroom naked. I watched her like a hawk and as soon as I saw her start to pee, I whisked her onto the potty and made a HUGE deal about her peeing on the potty. Again, she got an M&M, sticker for her chart, we did the potty dance, and called Daddy at work to tell him.  She went to bed in a great mood and I decided I'd try to have her sit on the potty over the weekend and if we still didn't have success, we'd take a break and try again in a few months.

Friday- I woke up Friday morning thinking to myself, "I really don't want to deal with potty training today!" But, I knew I needed to stick with it a little longer so I told Hailey that we were going to get up, have breakfast, sit on the potty, and go to Little Gym in a very matter of fact and casual way. During breakfast she said, "I can't go on the potty" so I told her, "we're just going to try and if you go, great, and if you can't, that's okay too." After breakfast Hailey said, "let's sit on the potty Mom!" After she sat down she said, "I hafta pee." I told her to go ahead and she said, "I trying!" Suddenly, she went!!! We were both SO EXCITED and she was really, really proud of herself. After we got back from Little Gym she tried again before lunch and did it again!! Just sat down and went! Then after lunch she did it AGAIN! I was blown away!  The rest of the day went the same way and I just couldn't believe it! I don't know what changed between Thursday night and Friday morning but whatever it was, it was working!

Saturday, Sunday, Monday- For the past 3 days Hailey has peed on the potty about 40 times and has only peed in her diaper at naptime and at night! She has gone at home, at a friend's house, at her grandparents' house, and on a regular potty at a restaurant! She has told us herself that she needs to go a few times and the rest of the time we ask her if she needs to go and she tells us yes or no. We haven't had to deal with pooping yet because she always goes during her nap. I don't even know how to begin to approach that one but for now I am just BEYOND THRILLED with how well she has been doing! She goes back to daycare tomorrow so I'm hoping she is able to go there as well as she has been going at home. I am SOOOO PROUD of my little boogie-boo and I cannot believe how big she is getting!!

16 Weeks!

I can't believe I'm at the 4 month mark already! This pregnancy seems like it is going by a lot faster than the last time, probably because this time I'm too busy chasing after a 2 1/2 year old to sit around daydreaming about my baby-to-be all hours of the day and night.

Here are some of the belly stats at the 16 week point:

• Weight gained so far: 1 lb (Woo hoo!! Bring on the Girl Scout Cookies!)
• Maternity clothes: So far I'm still in my pre-pregnancy buttonless cotton work pants and most of my regular shirts, but I have been wearing maternity jeans for over a month!
• Sleep: So far so good... except for getting up to pee around 1am every night.
• Pregnancy symptoms: Zzzzzzz...um, I'm a little more tired than usual. I've also been having pain in my hips/sit bones which I thought was possibly sciatic nerve pain but my nurse practitioner said she thinks is just deep muscle and ligament pain. If I can find an hour 30 minutes 10 minutes any free time, I think I am going to try a prenatal yoga DVD that may or may not still be in the plastic wrap from the last time I was pregnant.
• Gender: Anyone's guess at this point. I had a dream it's a girl and when you ask Hailey what she thinks she's going to get she says "baby sister." Bryan is positive it's a boy and he was dead-on last time so maybe he's got some kind of baby gender sixth sense or something.
• Movement: Not feeling any movement yet but I can't wait! That was one of the most special things for me about being pregnant last time, I'm really excited to experience that feeling again.