Its a Hero

life with a toddler

3rd Baby, 3rd Trimester !

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It’s here! It’s here! And it hit me like a smack in the face. In fact, I didn’t even realize that I’m *in* my third trimester until I got a BabyCenter email telling me. Oops?

The beginning of the last trimester is a tad bit bittersweet. Mostly because I’m certain this is our last baby. So this is the final last trimester — and the final last of everything from here on out.

But it also means I’m entering the home stretch! Woo hoo! So here’s where I’m at with this pregnancy thus far — and there’s a twist at the end of this post! 🙂

Nausea / Morning Sickness. 

The sickness has mostly subsided. I do still get nauseous if I forget to eat in the morning or if I don’t snack throughout the afternoon; but other than that, it’s over! Thank goodness!

Cravings + Aversions.

My craving of beans seems to have subsided some, but it’s been replaced with fish. Not just any fish — specifically, fried fish — with loads and loads of tartar sauce. I suppose it’s (again) not the worst craving to have. I’m not over-indulging in my fried fish craving, but I’m caving on occasion. Other than that, no real aversions.

Regardless of what I eat I seem to have awful heartburn. Not uncommon. I didn’t have any heartburn with Ari and he was bald for the first 18 months of his life; with Remy, on the other hand, I had awful heartburn and indigestion and she was born with a full head of dark hair! So I guess I’ll take the heartburn if that means that baby number 3 will have hair (fingers crossed)!!

Life with two littles. 

This pregnancy has certainly been less dramatic than my two others. I’m thinking it’s because I just don’t have time to slow down and pay attention to every little symptom I’m having. Thanks to having the two small people to take care of, I just haven’t given this pregnancy a lot of thought.

Because of (all of) our schedule(s), our life has been pretty business as usual this pregnancy. Even now I’m shuffling the kids from playdates to activities to the grocery just like I would any other time. Life is just… normal.

Exhaustion + Activity. 

I. am. so. tired! The fatigue definitely didn’t end in the second trimester. And it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be letting up anytime soon.

So I’m taking (almost) daily naps in the afternoons. And I’m still waking up exhausted and falling asleep around 8:30PM nearly every night.

But I’m also really active. I mean, besides chasing my own two kids around; I’m also still chasing around a gazillion other kids at work.

And I’m still teaching cycling at the Y and regularly taking other classes (like zumba!). I think it’s helping me stay extra active. Ha.

Gender Reveal?

I know I said that we weren’t finding out the gender. Buuuut… we did.

I know, I know! I can’t believe we did!

But this means that a gender reveal is coming very, very, soon! So stay tuned!

Random things.

– I took my glucose test last week. I haven’t heard the results yet, and, even though I’ve never had any issues with gestational diabetes, I get nervous every single time I have to drink that orange drink! Fingers crossed!

– We bit the bullet and bought a minivan! It was inevitable — I know. But it all happened so quickly. We found the right minivan while I was sick with the flu (we took two kids car shopping while I was sick with a fever and the flu… super fun).

– I have zero idea of how much weight I’ve gained. I haven’t asked and my doctor hasn’t said a word. I tend to only weigh myself at the beginning and very end, because otherwise it just freaks me out.

– I am down to bi-weekly appointments with my OBGYN. It’s weird to think that. So so weird. How is it here already!?

 

With all this being said, the next 11 weeks are going to fly by. I’ll update a bit more regularly from here on out 😉 But I’d love to hear your thoughts for our tie-breaker-baby — do you think baby # 3 is a BOY or a GIRL?!

 

 

Halfway There! // Baby Number 3, 20 weeks

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Wait, didn’t I just make our pregnancy announcement for Baby Number 3!? Sure as heck feels that way! But here we are, at 20 weeks and 5 days already.

And you know what that means?! It means that we finally had our 20 week anatomy ultrasound! Funny enough, the day leading up to the appointment was a complete disaster. I’ve had a nasty sinus infection for days and both kids were losing their minds (AKA – it was naptime). Oh, and Chad couldn’t make it from work, so I was flying solo.

But all of the crazy was washed away when I finally laid eyes on the teeny human who’s been kicking me from the inside!

If I’m being honest, for the first time this whole pregnancy, it finally felt really real. Like, I finally put a ‘face’ to this pregnancy. Does that even make sense!?

Well here’s what else is going on this pregnancy:

Nausea / Morning Sickness. 

Still frequent. It sucks. But it’s hit or miss, which I’m not certain is a good thing because it can take me down out of nowhere.

Cravings.

Still protein-packed foods like beans, beef, lentils, etc. Oh, and fish sandwiches. And chili. So odd, I know. Oooh! And avocados.

Aversions. 

Grilled chicken still. I think the thought of poultry just grosses me out, but when I eat one of Ari’s nuggets from Chick-fil-A, I’m like “eh, this isn’t bad at all.” Other than that, I’m mostly alright with food. I’m not overly hungry, but I’m also not starving myself.

Working out.

I’m not going to lie, this is pretty hit or miss; but it’s still more than I worked out with my other two pregnancies. I am still teaching cycling and still coaching gymnastics at the YMCA, but I’m also registered to take a bunch of fitness classes. My biggest struggle is getting to them because they are mostly in the evenings and I’m always wiped out by 6pm.

But chasing two kids around (and even MORE kids when I’m at work — sometimes 10 at a time!) is definitely keeping me active!

Exhaustion.

I. am. so. TIRED. I recently told someone that I totally underestimated how exhausting pregnancy is when you’re in your 30s and chasing around two kids under 5.

I totally underestimated how exhausting pregnancy is when you're in your 30s and chasing around two kids under 5. Click To Tweet

Guys, it’s EXHAUSTING. I’m so tired and I know there’s no end in sight (thanks to a soon-to-be earthside crying baby). I’m just kissing my sanity goodbye. Well, what’s left of it anyway.

Gender reveal?

Well I was team “green” for the first 20 weeks, but now I kind of want to know. I had the ultrasound technician write it in an envelope and so this will be “To be determined/discussed.” 🙂

 

Overall, it’s just really real now. I’ve always been happy, but now I’m really and truly excited! 

Happy 2nd Birthday Remy Bea // PLUS a Baby Gift Card Giveaway

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Oh, my spirited little girl… Admittedly, I did not quite understand what ‘other parents’ meant when they said they had spirited children. I thought, “Spirited?! You just mean misbehaved??”

I can honestly say, I was one-thousand percent WRONG.

Spirited children are just that… full of a wild, untamed, spirit!

That is exactly my Remy Bea. And on her second birthday, I will celebrate her wild spirit.

Because she is also so silly. Her laugh is contagious. And her smile is electrifying.

She is way smarter than I could imagine a child being at her age. And she understands way too much for her own good.

She may be tiny (weighing in at a ‘whopping’ 23 pounds at 2 years), but she truly is a force to be reckoned with.

Looking back, I should have known from her labor and delivery that she would be a spitfire. Making a bold entrance was kind of her thing. Turns out it still is.

It’s hard to believe that in a few months time you’ll be a middle sister. It’s a role I think you were made for. And one you will thrive in.

But for now — well, for the next 20 weeks — I’m going to just going to bask in your presence, Remy Bea. I’m going to continue to be grateful that I’ve had two years of you as my ‘baby.’ Our road has been troubled but beautiful — just like you.

PS. Isn’t her outfit from The Picket Fence in Pittsburgh the absolute cutest?! No worries — you don’t have to be in Pittsburgh to order. Check out their full line of baby, kids, and womens items here.

BONUS! Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter to win a $50 Gift Card to The Picket Fence, which can be used either online or in-store!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

 

This post was sponsored by Nakturnal. As always, all opinions herein are my own.

 

Real Talk: I despise the stomach bug.

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Real Talk: Every single time I have a good grasp on life, a plan of action, and a mission, something goes terribly, terribly, and unexpectedly, wrong. I know that this phenomenon is not something that I, alone, suffer from. I mean, I know it’s just life. But, damn!, the stomach bug has the worst way of (temporarily) ruining our lives.

And last week it did exactly that — it wrecked havoc on our lives. In fact, in the last two weeks alone, I’ve missed nearly 8 days of work. Between Remy getting croup, both kids coming down with the stomach bug, and then catching it myself, we’ve seen our fair share of illness.

It almost just flatout knocked me down. I’ll admit, I did have a couple of breakdowns. Thankfully, my husband saved the day and took great care of all of us! That is, until he came down with it as well.

But perhaps this was the universe’s way of telling me to slow the eff down. Honestly, we needed to. We’re always, always, busy and on-the-go. This kind of halted all of that in a super sudden, super inconvenient way.

I’m just so glad we (fingers crossed) have made it to the other side of the stomach bug.

That being said, I’ve had an awful lot of time to clean my house and I’ve caught a couple of really great deals over the last week!

Did you know that now through November 11th you will get 25% off any toy from Target!?! Just text TOY to 827438 and a mobile coupon will be sent to you! It can be used in-store or online! 

Oh! And the Target Black Friday ad is already out, so you can plan ahead. Check it out here.

So yeah. I may have gotten an early jump on Christmas shopping this year!

Have you started any shopping for the holidays yet??

Here’s to a new week! Hopefully one filled with happiness, laughs, and possibility — and definitely NOT the stomach bug! 😉 xo

 

Explore Ohio // Fun Fall Activities

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Fall has long been my favorite season here in Ohio. We truly get the best of it — the changing leaves, the crisp air, and all of the fun things to do! I’m not talking about your typical apple orchard and pumpkin patch. Nope. I’m talking about all of the things you’ve often overlooked. You know… the OTHER fun things!

So I’ve rounded up a list of my favorite recent adventures that are local AND family-friendly!

Trunk-or-Treat at the Riverfront YMCA.

One of the many, many, things I love about our YMCA is all of the community outreach. And each year at Halloween, we do a Trunk-or-Treat for the community members. This open event is usually a bit of a flop; but this year was a whole other story! Hundreds and hundreds of people showed up, lining up around the entire block, to get in!

It was honestly an awesome experience to see that many people line up and wait to see the ‘trunks’. Oh, and the unicorn from Camp Y-Noah! 🙂

My kids had a blast, as usual.

Holden Arboretum Goblins in the Gardens.

My aunts invited me and the kids to join them for a day at the Holden Arboretum for their annual Goblins in the Gardens event. Growing up in Northeast Ohio, I had visited the Holden Arboretum many times as a child and teenager, but had not been back since.

The kids dressed up in their Halloween costumes and we headed inside for some fun! The days events included trick-or-treating, crafts, playing on playsets from Playground World, a giant maze through the flowers, hayrides, face painting, and — of course — walking along the suspension bridge canopy walk!

It was such a fun day AND my kids were exhausted in the end. Which, let’s be real — that’s the real goal!

Great Lakes Science Center Spooktacular Science!

We’ve been members of the Great Lakes Science Center for almost a year now and, shamefully, we’ve only made it there a handful of times. Well we recently found ourselves with a day to spare and so all four of us trekked up to the science center for some fun!

Ari absolutely loves all of the exhibits, but for the first time, Remy was able to truly join in on the fun, too!

And we just so happened to be there for their Spooktacular Science events! Basically it’s dance parties, fun science experiments, and, of course, blowing up a pumpkin. You know, just normal Halloween stuff. Ha!

The Cleveland Flea.

I am going to continue to scream this from the rooftop — I love the Cleveland Flea! I always have and always will! It’s such an incredibly well-organized event, with so many unique vendors and makers selling their goods.

This month, Remy and I went to the last outdoor Flea of the year. It was a little bit chilly on the eastside of Cleveland that morning, but we got there before the crowds and were able to make her a trick-or-treat bag, which she loved!

She paraded her little sassy booty around that place like she OWNED trick-or-treating! 🙂

Marvel Avengers Live at the Q.

Mimi and Poppy (my parents) took Ari to see Marvel Avengers Live at Quicken Loans Arena for his birthday! I was a tad bit skeptical of how the show would be. I mean, Disney on Ice has a reputation of being awesome; but I just had not heard anything about this show.

Apparently it was awesome. At least, that’s what Ari and my parents both reported! Ha! They said it was filled with action, drama, aerial stunts, and motorcycles galore!

Sky Zone Boston Heights. 

For part of Ari’s birthday weekend extravaganza, my sister and brother-in-law treated him to a morning at Sky Zone in Boston Heights. It was our first time visiting this location and it did not disappoint! They have Toddler Time on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sunday mornings, which is awesome because then you don’t have to worry about our little ones accidentally being trampled by bigger kids (which is especially a concern when your children are extra small, like ours).

They played, they laughed, and they had the best time!

We can’t wait to go back during these chilly Fall mornings!

Kalahari Resort + Waterpark in Sandusky. 

One big adventure our little family took last week was our very first trip to Kalahari in Sandusky! It was part of Ari’s birthday present from us (even though it was a week after his actual birthday). We made the hour + drive to Sandusky (home of Cedar Point!) during naptime, alas, neither child napped in the car. Eh, can’t win ’em all!

We grabbed a quick bite from Danny Boys (umm, delicious pizza, calzones, and pasta!) before heading to the room to check in. Our room was really nice — with two queen beds and plenty of space to set up the pack + play for Remy!

The waterpark itself is massive. Truly massive. We did several walk-throughs, just to see everything, prior to settling into a spot at the back of the park where the kids could freely play in 10-inches of water, exploring every tiny water slide (appropriate for their age, of course!), and laughing up a storm.

By the time supper time came around, we were all beyond wiped out. I mean, just look at those exhausted kiddos! LOL! We went to a tiny place called Eats N Treats. With the online reviews alone, I was skeptical. But the yummy philly cheesesteak and ice cream was just what we needed to fuel us for the night.

The next morning we woke up and headed right back to the waterpark. It was nearly empty and it was glorious! The kids barely made it an hour before we had to call it quits and head home.

All of this fun has been keeping us oh-so-busy!

So tell me — what other places in Ohio would you recommend visiting as the seasons change and the weather gets cooler? 

 

Back to PRESCHOOL Must-Haves!

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We JUST started back-to-school last week! I was READY! I know, I know.. preschool is just a few days a week, for just a few hours a day. But being on this schedule saves our family, ya’ll!

Ari is currently enrolled at the YMCA (where I work) for preschool. He attended two-day preschool last year, so this year I bumped him to 3-days. And, even though it’s *just* preschool, it’s important to make sure we’re all prepared for a change.

A backpack. Ari needs to take his swim trunks and a towel to school with him, but even if he didn’t, he would take a backpack. Preschoolers are always coming home with art projects and letters from teachers explaining what they did that day. It’s just the easiest way to keep all of that in one place until preschool pickup.

PS. Ari picked out his own backpack — this Skip Hop unicorn backpack. One of the many reasons I love this kid so damn much! 

Reusable snack bags. No, Ari doesn’t get ‘snack time’ during school; but as soon as school is over, that kid is hungry! I mean, aren’t you after you spend a morning learning your face off?? Haha! 🙂 So these snack packs come in handy!

A Water Bottle. Honestly, what is it about preschool that makes kids so dang thirsty!? If I forget Ari’s water bottle, he will chug all of the water from mine. So I always have his water bottle full for him so he can drink up as soon as I pick him up.

We happen to love this Contigo Autoseal kids water bottle! It works perfectly and is the absolute perfect size for my little guy.

Dry erase lapboard. This lapboard is key, y’all! One thing that amazed me from Ari’s first year of preschool was how quickly he learned his letters and how to write his name. Like, for months the only thing he would say when someone asked him how to spell his name was “A – R – I… Ari!” 🙂 But that is because we practiced — a lot!

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Age appropriate flash cards. Knowing that preschoolers learn by playing, Ari and I make games out of flash cards. He already knows his colors, shapes, and numbers; but this year we’re working on sight words so he’s ready for the next step (ahhhh!! kindergarten!!).

New shoes! I’m not team #AlwaysNeedsNewClothes. In fact, we buy so many of our children’s clothes gently-used from a local consignment shop. I always find Gap jeans and Gymboree clothes (with tags on!) for, like, three bucks! Heck yes! But one thing I never skimp on is shoes. Our children stand, play, jump, and run, nonstop. It’s so important that they have support. So I have actually purchased several sizes in these Stride Rite shoes so that I can just have them on hand for when he grows!

So if you’re a mom of a preschooler, what would you recommend to have for preschool-readiness?? Did I miss something?

If you’re not yet to the preschool years, Pin this post for later!