Top 10 things I LOVE about being pregnant...

I am very fortunate to have gone through another pregnancy with hardly any issues. Really the only bad thing other than getting the Rotovirus and some colds is my heartburn but other than that I really can't complain at all so here are my Top 10 LOVES about being Preggo:

10. I don't feel like I have to maintain that flat stomach when I wear something a little on the tighter side.  I can feel and look bloated for a reason!
9. Maternity clothes are way more comfortable. Hey you don't have to worry about any button or anything jabbing into your belly or anything fitting super tight.  Oh yeah, wearing ballet flats are cute on preggo women.  You don't need to wear any heels of some sort.
8. You get extra care when you are out in public.  For instance, the 3 of us just went to Chick-Fil-A and Sean took Hunter to go play on the jungle gym that they had so I was left to get the food for us.  The manager came out from around the counter and told me to go ahead and sit down and that the cashier would bring us our food! I was like I'm not that preggo, but sure!
7.  You don't feel guilty if you go back for seconds =)
6.  Having a frozen yogurt is part of your daily diet. Also extra snacks!
5.  Your husband helps you more around the house.  Sean helps me pick up the extra toys around the house so that I don't have to bend over even though I do it multiple times throughout the day.
4. I'm still the sexiest one out at our pool.  Sean and Hunter are a tie for second.
3.  Pedicures are a must! Whether they are given to you by your husband (thanks, Sean!) or you get them professional done.
2. No pressure to drink when others around you are.  LOL!
1. A good excuse as to why you were late that day to work.  I admit I'm usually late at least once a week but it's not just me now that takes slower to get ready, it can be Hunter too!

Okay and in case you are curious about a few reasons that I have that are on my DISLIKE list of being preggo:

- Yep, can't come home on a Friday night and have that glass of wine that's been calling my name all week.
- You worry that your body will never go back to being skinny again (or at least somewhat back to normal). 
- Getting up from the floor while playing with your son worries you each week on how you are going to get up!

Other than that, like I said, I have no complaints and I'm very blessed to go through another pregnancy with no issues and couldn't be any happier!  Can't wait to have my house full of boys even though I know I will be a busy mom!  BTW, last week I had my doctors appointment and I am at 22 pounds that I've gained so far.  I still have a little less than 3 months and they say you average about 4-5 lbs a month so it looks like I'm right under gaining the 50 lbs that I did with Hunter...keep your fingers crossed!



Here are some outtakes that my friend here at work took of me.  Almost 28 weeks pregnant. 



What have we been up to?

I admit.  I've been a little slack on my posts, I guess I can blame the pregnancy and us being quite busy these days. So here's an update of what we've been up to.

First of all, my husband has been working his butt off.  I appreciate his hard work and helping us save some money before Tyler is here and even though we've been missing him, we've been enjoying the moments that we do have with him.  If he's not working a regular shift, he's been picking up OT at the Marlins and Heat games during the week:

Looks like he's hardly working, huh?    

 

At Monkey Joe's on a rainy afternoon...."Weeeeeee!"

"Beep, beep!"

I'm currently 26 weeks pregnant. Please note that I had to look that up to verify that! Haha. This pregnancy I know about what week I am but not like I knew with Hunter down to the week and day!  I'm trying to just not think about how much farther I have to go because I think it will just go by slower. I have been starting to have some moments where I'm slowing down but I still pretty much have my energy.  This belly can get in the way at times =).  Me and Hunter have been playing so much with his cars and trucks.  He is definitely all boy. I love it though.  I would rather play with boy toys than girl toys.  I guess that is why God is blessing me with 2 of them because I can tolerate so much to their roughness and playtimes (for now at least).  

Here's a recent belly shot of me taken at work. We were joking around with the liquor bottles one afternoon and got a little carried away...haha. (Btw, even if I could drink I would not choose a dark liquor anyway!) 

Hunter thinks that Millie is a "horsey" sometimes so Sean put them both on his lap (poor Millie). Millie loves playing with Hunter. They're so cute when they chase each other around the house. 

My mom (aka Mimi) came to visit over the long holiday weekend and we had a blast with her.  We didn't really do a whole lot but was so nice to just relax and enjoy each other.  We definitely had our share of eating (well, at least Tyler did) and Hunter really enjoyed being with his Mimi. He was saying "Mimi" all the time before she left and it was so cute to hear him calling her that.  She also got to witness Hunter saying his first 3-word sentence, "I see you (daddy)".  Sean was playing with his blanky and putting it over his head and would pretend that he was hiding from him and Hunter would yank down his blanky off of Sean's head and say, "I see you, daddy!!".  Ahhh, I love it!  He's definitely been picking up alot more on his vocabulary these past few weeks.  He's saying more now on his own and less on demand and its so cute to hear him just say them out loud at any time. 

Morning before Mimi left.  (I know another "paci" shot!  I let him have it in the mornings for a little bit until he "wakes up" and we have been working at giving up it up but I admit it's tough =)

We also had a chance to take Mimi to the beach that weekend....it just so happened to be super windy but we still had a great time.  Hunter is still trying to get used to the sand between his toes and still trying to figure out what is up with those waves out in the ocean. 

This is how much Hunter did not like the sand nor the waves when Sean put him down.  Haha.  I think he wasn't used to the sand being wet down by the shore and on top of the noisy waves he was not having it.  We're not giving up!

On the way back from the beach, we always stop at this park on the way back and let Hunter play and get all of his energy out.  This park is one of those state of the art parks.  We have so many around us but this one by far is his favorite. Everytime we pass this one, he goes bananas in his seat and starts screaming, "Park, Park, Park!".... 



For Memorial Day we went to a family like place called Gulfstream Park where they race horses, restaurants, shops and  live music.  They also have an area where the kids can run around and the parents can sit around and watch them. I forgot my camera and my iPhone that night (my preggo brain these days) so luckily my mom had her camera with her so we took some photos.

We went into a children's store where they had a giant size Mickey and Hunter when bananas over it.  He was so happy to see him that I suggested to him that he should give him a kiss.  So he did!  Hunter has become quite generous with his kisses lately.  

 

We love our Mimi!

We've also been switching around stuff in our rooms at the house.  We're almost done with the playroom and in the meantime we are getting ready to decorate Tyler's room!  I'll post pics when its all done but I admit, I'm am getting a little antsy on wanting to get the room done its just a matter of finding time for my husband to help.  He has been warned.

We're also planning a trip to Myrtle Beach to meet up with Mimi, my brother and his wife, Jessica next month and we're so excited!!! It will be my last vacay for awhile....a loooong while actually so I will definitely try and enjoy myself to the max with my family.  Can't wait!

Struggles with being a parent....

I've been living here in South Florida since 2006 (dang, 7 years!) and honestly, I knew before moving down here that Sean was going to be the "One".   Before even thinking of having kids, I knew that we would have our obstacles and challenges ahead for us before we really settled down getting married and having  kids.  I knew that the day would come when I officially became a mom and that time would just tell when we were going to have to face all the challenges that come with not having my parents nearby (my parents are separated)  to help or any sort of extra help like alot of my friends do.  Sean's parents do live in S. Miami but it can be a bit challenging for them to come visit at times and Sean's mother still works.  So, that in itself, I know is hard. This is something that I've had to work through since the day Hunter was born.  I'm not trying to throw a pity party for myself but I do realize that it could be alot easier if we had some extra help (free and hassle free kind!).  For one, trying to find someone to watch Hunter for a full day on the days that day care is closed (holiday) and Sean and I both have to work.  Two, what if Sean is working and I'm running really late getting home to pick him up from daycare? Also, I can't just leave him with anyone (there are a bunch of crazies out there)!. With that being said, here are a few options that Sean and I have created for ourselves:

1.  If Hunter is sick and Sean has to work, I just stay home.  One, who wants to take care of a sick baby?  Two, he only wants me anyway and I'm just going to worry my little heart out for him the whole day if I were to go to work.

2.  Luckily, Hunter's teacher (former) absolutely loves Hunter and she has watched him before if Sean and I have to work and the day care is closed.  She lives near us and I just drop him off over there.  She knows him just as well as I do and how can I not trust her! I felt really bad asking her one day because I know its her day off too (she works in the 4-5 yr old class now) but she immediately agreed and has told me numerous times to call her if I need her.  Plus, she goes and checks on Hunter at school alot for me and texts me every now and then a photo of Hunter =)

3.  Sean's sister has watched Hunter occasionally for a few hours at night if we want to go out on a date as well as our neighbor who is 20 yrs old.  So this is perfect!

4.  We also have some friends in the neighborhood whose daughter is 2.5 yrs old and she is expecting her second child the same day that I am due!!!  Sean works with the father so it works out perfectly for us to call each other if we need some help.  Hey, both of our houses are baby proofed!

4.  We have also looked into Care.com. because there is going to be a time that I really just need someone reliable to watch Hunter (and Tyler) one day because I have this or that to do and Sean is working.  I wanted to check it out now so that Hunter is aware of who that person is and isn't completely freaked out.  Sooooo, we are going to try out a few "nannies" or babysitters and see which one we like.  Don't get me wrong, its a bit pricey but since its a reliable source, I have to look into it.

5.  Sean and I are joining a church that has a pre-school with it and are planning on sending Hunter there when he turns 2 (that's when they start taking them, they don't take infants..).  What better place to meet other moms and just explore some options for us and join a church!

Now that I am in the middle of my pregnancy, I am starting to really see how even more difficult it will be when I return to work (when and if I do...lol).  We're pretty much settled now in our new community so what better time to branch out some more.  If anyone else out there has any other ideas, please pass them along! 

Update on The Hapgoods...

I thought of giving an update here on how we all are doing. 

Sean has been working so much in the yard before it gets super hot even though its already 85 degrees during the day but we really needed to fix up our backyard.  We spend our weekends out here 90% of the time and have turned it into a family friendly venue!  Here's the shed that finally arrived after 3 weeks of building it:

Sean pressure washed the outside area which looks a ton better than what it looked like before (sorry I didn't take a before photo but trust me it looked really bad!) We're also waiting on an order of our new patio furniture:

My wonderful husband posing....

We don't have much of a side yard because the other side has the boat but we were able to till up all the weeds and old grass and start fresh (thanks to our wonderful neighbor!) and put sod down.  Sean has also started a garden for us and is surprising me of what he is growing.  I know he is definitely growing tomatoes because I've already had a few but we'll see what comes up! 

The day that they put the sod down.

Here's what it looks like a few weeks after.

We're looking into re-doing our guest bathroom (finally!) before baby #2 is here because I know that if we don't do it now it will be a hundred years until we do it.  Lucky for us we have a super handy neighbor that is going to help us do it.  We are going to replace everything including the bathtub! Yikes!

On to Hunter....

Let's just say that he has entered into what is known as the "Terrible Two's" or rather more like "Testy Two's".  He seems to do everything that he knows he is not allowed to do and on top of that he looks at me with a silly smirk on his face to buy himself some more time to keep doing what he is not allowed to do. Haha.  It's so hard to keep a straight face with him too because of that silly smirk he gives me but I have been a trooper and he abides by what I say after a couple times of telling him.  I even had to throw out the counting "1-2-3" deal.  Not that he had a clue what it really means but he got the point somehow. Ahhhh, what can I say?  He's exploring more things and learning more with them so I can't blame him.  

He's also been swimming pretty much everyday for the past 3 weeks between Sean and I teaching him.  He can now swim underwater to get to the steps.  I'm so proud of him.  He wants us to let him go and just swim on his own because he gets so excited but he's not THAT ready yet and I'm not sure I am either but I believe by the end of the summer he will be swimming around like a little fish  (I'll post a video at some time.  I'm having issues with our video camera not uploading to the computer).

Me, I'm 22 weeks along and I feel great.  At times, I am tired from chasing Hunter around but that of course, is normal.  My only complaint is heartburn. I've got it so much earlier this time around and have been drinking milk and a few Tums when it gets pretty bad (they're by BFF's right now).  I have been worrying about how I am going to be even at 30 weeks because it is just now starting to get a little tough.  I try not to think about it but just like everyone else, I'll manage. 



At work we celebrated, National Walk Day.

We have also decided (finally) on what we are naming the baby and its Tyler Aaron.  I'm so happy now to call him by a name rather than the "baby".  I wanted a name that ended in "e-r" like Hunter and had 2 syllables.  Nothing too long and nothing too popular even though Tyler is somewhat popular but not overly.  We've also been curious how this baby will be and how he will look.  Will he look more like me?  Or look just like Hunter?  Will this baby have by eyes or Sean's?  Guess we'll find out in September!