Oh baby!

I've been waiting to write this blog post for ages...but I've been putting it off. I think it's partly nerves and partly lack of energy...but mainly nerves. Putting it in writing makes it so much more real, you know?

Anyway, I'm "out" now to the world, except for my blog, so I figured it's time I come clean.

12 weeks!

I'm pregnant!!!

Yes - semi-surprise baby no. 2 will be here on or around September 27 [heaven willing]. I've known from Week 4 of my pregnancy that I was actually pregnant, which was two months ago...so keeping it a secret for this long has been really, really hard. I suck at keeping secrets, but with so much uncertainty during the first trimester of pregnancy, I wanted to keep my mouth shut as long as possible.

But after my second doctor's appointment at 11 weeks - and after hearing that sweet, sweet sound of my baby's heartbeat - I decided I should either come clean or let my growing baby bump come clean for me. So, my mom took this picture, sent it to family, then I posted it on FB:

Isn't his shirt absolutely adorable? :)

I still can't believe that I'm pregnant. It's this surreal feeling...until the nausea hits again. Then I definitely believe I'm pregnant.Morning sickness started around Week 5, got worse around Week 8 [that's when I went on Zofran as needed] and is still lingering at Week 12. My days have gotten better, but my nights have sucked - between the lack of energy and the nausea, I've had no appetite after 5pm and hit a wall at 7:30pm. My productivity just stops, and I'm on the bed ready to fall out. Poor JJ has been so patient with his sickly-feeling mommy; I just hope this nausea finally starts to fade soon. I also hope my taste buds return to normal soon...nothing really tastes the same, and I really don't have any cravings because of nausea. I can't wait to be able to eat and not feel like crap for the rest of the day.

I find myself stopping to look in the mirror a lot and smiling, not quite sure I believe that another one's on the way. I have all these nerves about it [how will JJ adjust to a sibling? am i really ready to raise two kids? holy crap, by the end of this year, i'll have two kids!], but I'm just so, so excited. My parents are excited, my sister's excited, Joe's super excited...it's such a fun time in my life, and I'm hoping to enjoy every moment of it. Time is already flying, and I don't want this pregnancy to slip by.

Now that I'm out, I actually have something to blog about - yay! I'll be on more often [i hope] to talk about life, mommyhood and the second time around. I've got a little survey to finish out my first blog post about Jelly Bean [JJ's nickname was Peanut until I knew what I was having; this time, it's Jelly Bean]:

12 weeks, 2 days
Total weight gain: I think total has been five pounds.
Maternity clothes? I've been using a maternity band since my bloat bump started at like, Week 6. I'm still in a lot of my regular clothes, but those are becoming way too small nowadays...so I've recently starting buying maternity pants/shirts, and I've started busting out the maternity clothes from the first time around.
Sleep: Well, considering it's after 4am...yeah. Sleep has been hit and miss lately. I usually sleep solid for 4-5 hours, then I'm up and wide awake. I really need a new bed.
Best moment this week: Staying up past 9pm. I seriously never stay up past 9pm anymore...and on Wednesday night, I was up until 11. Not sure I'll see a night that late for a long time!
Food cravings: None so far, to be quite honest. I have random cravings that come and go, but nothing constant. I will say, though, that I really like root beer nowadays - and I usually hate root beer.
Gender: Not sure yet - will find out in 5-6 weeks!
Labor Signs: Yeah...still too early for that.
Belly Button in or out? In.
What I miss: Being able to eat. I hate my picky palate nowadays.
What I am looking forward to: My wedding anniversary and husband's birthday are both next week. Even though J's deployed, both are special days for me. Oh, and my mom's on spring break next week, so JJ gets to go home and spend time with someone who's actually functioning all day.
Weekly Wisdom: Everything happens for a reason. I keep telling myself that.
Milestones: I'm a week away from second tri! Time is absolutely flying right now.
Differences between #1 & #2: There have been so many so far. With JJ, m/s and nausea didn't really settle in until I was a good 8-9 weeks pregnant. This time, I've been sick and feeling like crap since Week 5, literally. And I never really threw up with him...ha. Not the case this time. I've also had different tastes this time than last time, and I'm definitely showing a heck of a lot sooner with this baby. With JJ, I got away with regular clothes until like, 14 weeks - again, not the case this time.

Oh, and Happy St. Paddy's Day!

The Big Chop.

The last time I cut my hair was like, 2009. JJ was still a baby baby when I chopped my hair last, and I've let it grow since that chop. Over the last few months though, I've gotten really tired of how long it's gotten and how hard it's been to manage it. So, right after the new year, I decided that I wanted to go ahead and cut it. It's not long enough to donate [and my ends are awful anyway, so donating would be pointless], but I still wanted it to be chopped. A few days ago, I called the salon where my sister gets her hair cut and made an appointment for yesterday at noon.

In the days leading up to the cut, I was seriously nervous. I mean, chopping hair isn't an easy thing to do - it's not like you can glue it back on [that's what my hairstylist told me right before the chop]. But once I got in the car and headed to OKC, I knew there was no going back. Well, and I didn't want to go back after battling with my hair for the upteenth time after my morning shower.

Anyway, this awesome woman named Erica cut my hair. I could see the slight fear in her eyes [seriously] when I pulled my hair out of my hair tie and told her I wanted to chop it. I thought she was going to just wash and cut it [which is what has happened the last few times I've cut my hair], but no - she spent 1.5 hours straightening it, which was freaking insane in my book. I didn't mind sitting there that long, because we had some great conversation...but the fact that she stood for 1.5 hours and dealt with my hair was insane. THEN, she still had to cut it and re-straighten it, THEN she had to cut layers in it.

But by the time she was done, I was in hair heaven.

Before [with an instagram filter applied]:

After [again, with an instagram filter applied]:

I haven't had my hair this short in ages - but I love love LOVE it. It's still straight, and I wore it that way today, but I'll wash it out in the morning and see how it looks curly. Right now though, I'm loving it straight. I think I'm going to maintain this look for the next few months, see how it goes...I'm determined to keep my hair happy and healthy this time around. I totes think I look a lot more like my mom now [she just cut her hair super short, too], but my sister doesn't think so. I also don't think she was a big fan of the hair cut. :P

It's been awhile since I've made a change this big, but I'm glad I did it. I feel like a whole new person - refreshed, energized, younger [even though being almost 26 isn't exactly old] and just better. I'll be sure to take a picture and post it once I wash my hair and get it curled.

And there ya go - The Big Chop. I'm so glad it's over, and I'm so glad I did it.

It's March. When did it become March? Ya know, when 2012 started, I was determined to make this year stretch out as long as I possibly could...and yet, the first two months [including the extra leap day!] are completely gone. How are we nearly a quarter of the way through this year already?

I am currently suffering through a head cold, which I hope disappears sooner rather than later. I'm almost done with enrollment advising, which means I've seen a lot of students over the past couple of weeks - and I know some of them have been sick. The random weather changes - rain and cold one minute; sun and warmth the next - aren't helping, either. Oklahoma didn't have any semblance of a winter this year, at all. Considering the past three years, we've had major snow storms hit that have just about shut down the state and made it feel like winter just a little bit, having practically no snow this year has been super weird. I know I shouldn't complain, because snow storms suck when you live in a state that can't handle them, but I'm complaining just a little bit. I wanted at least a little bit of snow dang it. Ah well.

Our little family has had to make an adjustment of sorts lately - husband is now deployed. Having him leave was harder on me than I thought it would be, so I kinda shut down a little in order to adjust...but now that he's been gone for a bit, it's not as hard to handle. I worry all the time, I check the news way too much now, and I wait by the phone to see if he'll call...but I have faith that he will be fine and come home safe sometime this year. I miss him, but I know the time will pass quickly once we get to the home stretch. It's still a little weird, knowing he's not stateside for the time being...

Anyway. February was a little crazy for us, but in a good way. My dad was able to come home for most of the month on R&R, and it was definitely nice to have him around. The family took a weekend trip to Great Wolf Lodge, which was sooooooooo fun [just like it was over Thanksgiving]. This mam treated herself to a spa mani/pedi as a Valentine's Day present to myself, which was so wonderful. I really need to pamper myself more often, because I really don't do it. JJ had a lot of fun swimming and running around the hotel, and my sister and I had fun doing the Magic Quest game with JJ's wand [yes, we're really 12 years old at heart]. I'll have to post pictures once I dig out my camera and upload things.

I wish I had more to report, but as usual, life has just been mellow the past few weeks. Once enrollment advising is over, I hope to get my life back - work has absolutely swamped me since the semester started, and I hope to finally catch up and get things back on track [i haaaaaaaaate being behind]. And, I can admit it - I've kinda been in a funk over J leaving, so I need to snap out of it and get things back in gear. I'll get a good start to that this weekend...I'm chopping off a few inches of hair. I am so excited for my first hair cut in like, 2.5 years, and I'm looking forward to reclaiming my hair and not being irritated over it. Pictures of the chop to come!

Happy 2012 [20 days later]!

Holy moly. Are we 20 days into 2012? Didn't 2012 just start like, yesterday? Sigh.

I hope all of you had a great holiday season! Ours was pretty great, mainly because we got to spend it all together as a family. J was home for my entire Christmas break, which was fantastic. He and I got a lot of quality time in [and i actually got a kiss at midnight on new year's this year, woot], and he and JJ got in a lot of time, too. Wish my dad could've been home, but hopefully this past Christmas was the last one we'll all be apart.

JJ and Daddy at the grandparents'.

I got some great gifts, as always - my iPad I got in July was my big gift, so I really wasn't expecting anything. Got new kitchen stuff from my sister, a ton of new jewelry [yay!] from my parents, some OSU stuff from husband and other random little things that have slipped my mind in the near month since Christmas came and went. We got some snow on the 23rd, but it was gone by Christmas Eve - ah well. After the Christmas Eve blizzard of 2009, I'm over snow. I got my White Christmas [and then some].

New Year's Eve was a lot of fun. This was the first year since before JJ was born that I've gone out and actually done something. J and I went to the Thunder/Suns game [and he got to try and shoot the half court shot for 20 G's! he didn't make it, but he did walk away with a hundred bucks - works for me!], then we went out with some friends to Cafe Nova. Place was stupid packed, but we still had a good time toasting champagne, taking pictures in the free photo booth and just hanging out. And, as I mentioned before, I got my New Year's kiss - which means 2012 is going to be fabulous. :)

Champagne toast to ring in 2012!

Now J's back at training to deploy, and I'm super SUPER busy with work. At the moment, I'm neglecting finishing chores in my apartment to blog, but oh well. I have energy for the first time in nearly two weeks, so I need to take advantage of it. And, since I 1.) never finished the other part of my 2011 countdown and 2.) haven't blogged since 2011, thought it was fine time to update. I wish I had something exciting to share, but I really don't at the moment...work has been super crazy that my free time is spent sleeping or cleaning. I honestly don't remember the beginning of last semester being this nuts - I've been back to work for almost three weeks and am STILL catching up. Craziness.

2012 promises to be a crazy, awesome year for me, J and JJ. We hope to expand our family, possibly make a move and see off/bring back a third of our little family. While 2011 overall was a pretty good year for us, I hope that 2012 is even better. It's already gotten off to a great start, and I hope that great start continues. Now that we're in a new year though, it's time to do some new things. I'm going to change up this blog a little bit and restart my 101 in 1001. I pretty much quit working on it because I lost motivation - and I need a fresh start. So instead of letting it expire in June, I'm going to revamp it to things that are relevant to my life now and restart it. I'm determined to get as much of it knocked out as possible, because I really like the idea. I'm also going to restart my project 365, starting on my birthday. I know that 26 will be a crazy awesome year for me, and I want to capture every moment.

When I first started blogging, I hadn't realized how much it would take to maintain it. Now that my life is balancing out and I understand that blogging is a commitment, I'm going to do better about writing things down. This blog is my way to communicate with those who are curious, those who know me and those who love me - and I want to share my memories with all three groups [and anyone else that will listen]. For those still reading, thanks for sticking around - I promise there will be lots from me in 2012.

Thnks fr th Mmrs 2011 [part one].

I know I've been saying it to myself for most of the year...

...but seriously. Where the heck has the year gone?!

It seems like yesterday I was ringing in 2011, but now it's just about over. It's the last day of the year, and I'm now forcing myself to accept the fact that a new year is upon us and this one is quickly drawing to a close. 2011 has been a year of ups and downs for me, but there have definitely been more awesome moments than sad moments this year. In no particular order, I present 5 of my 10 favorite memories of 2011:

1. Watching my baby boy grow into a toddler. JJ turned 3 earlier this month, and the fact that he's 3 is still blowing my mind. He grew so much this year...from potty training to ditching the pacifier to forming full sentences, it's been a fun year as a mommy. It's been amazing to watch him grow and develop - and to teach him the way of sports. He loves watching basketball and playing with his basketball and soccer goals...yes. This mama is starting her son out early on the sports. I adore that boy more and more every day.

JJ and I in January 2011...

...and JJ in November 2011. Big kid!

2. Going to Vegas with my sister. My sister has had this thing lately with taking trips for her birthday [she already has plans to go to DisneyWorld for her 25th, and we spent her 23rd birthday in Dallas and went to Medieval Times]. For her 24th, she decided to go to Vegas - and I definitely said I was going. Not even having my gallbladder removed four days before the trip would stop me from going. This was my third trip to Vegas, and it was by far my most fun - went with a great group of girls, had lots of yummy drinks, and I didn't pay to get into a single club. I can't wait to go back!

Made a new friend at Caesar's Palace. :)

Me and the girls, starting the trip off right - limo ride to the hotel!

3. Reconnecting with family. My paternal grandfather passed away in March, and my family decided to go to the funeral. My dad spent nearly 24 hours flying home from Afghanistan, then we drove 24 hours [straight] to North Carolina to be with my family. We almost didn't go, but I'm so, so glad we did. Before the trip, I hadn't seen my dad's side of the family in more than 10 years - and to reconnect with them was fantastic. Even though I spent my 25th birthday at my grandfather's wake, being with my family was incredible. I hope to visit in 2012.

My wonderful Aunt Glo, me and sis.

Pretty girls! Cousins Chernessa and Tiffany [plus baby!] with JJ, sis and me

4. Spending time with my husband. I adore my husband - more than I can put into words. But I haven't spent a lot of time with him this year because of deployment schedules and us living in separate cities [for now]. I did, however, get to spend more than just 48 hours with him three times this year - Colorado in March [the Springs is freakin' beautiful]; here in August when he came to help me out after surgery; and right now. He came home on the 23rd and is here for two more days. I'll miss him when he leaves, but I cherish the time we've had this year and know we'll have more of it in 2012 when he's back from deployment. I love you J.

Hubs and I on 12.30.11. After 7 years, 2.5 years of marriage and a little boy, we're still going strong.

5. OSU football season. Yes - a couple of sporting events will make my list, starting with this year's football season. Now, I've been an OSU fan since I started there in 2004 - and I've always faithfully stood by their side, through thick and thin, since the 2004 season. I can honestly say, though, that I never saw this season coming. I thought last year would be as good as it got for awhile - boy was I wrong. OSU finished 11-1, won their first Big 12 championship, beat OU for the first time since I was in high school, and they had their highest BCS rank ever AND will play in their first BCS game ever. While I'm still a little bitter about the national championship snub, this year will forever go down as the best ever. So proud of my Cowboys!

Sis and I at the OSU/KState game in November. Proud OSU grads baby!

Bedlam aftermath: storming the field. That night was EPIC.

It's nearly 3am now  - and husband keeps tossing and turning, which means my typing is waking him up - so I should head to bed and finish this in the morning. As you can see, 2011 was full of memories and fun times...my final five will be up soon. :)

My holiday bylaws.

Man. Is it seriously the holiday season already? Christmas is like, 12 days away, and the year is quickly coming to a close. I'll do one of those "this is what happened in 2011 that made it awesome and not-so-awesome" posts after Christmas, but for now, we'll focus on Christmas.

My best friend and I were talking today about random holiday ramblings [our failure as wives - and women - because we can't wrap presents, how we don't know what to get our husbands etc.], and during that conversation, I came up with a list of holiday bylaws. Now, I'm not saying you have to follow these - they're my own that I made up, after all [and if you're listening to anything i say and am taking it seriously, i'm seriously impressed]. I do, however, ask that you consider them as you read my made-up list of bylaws for the Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year's season, in no particular order:

1. It’s OK to cuss out one present while wrapping gifts - two if you're really feeling like things aren't going your way. If you do that to a third, you might want to consider paying someone to wrap for you.

2. Dec. 13 [which is today!] is National Hot Cocoa Day. Take advantage [and, if it fits your fancy, spike it with a little somethin’ extra].

3. NO CHRISTMAS MUSIC BEFORE THANKSGIVING. Show Thanksgiving some respect yo.

4. Do not leave your decorations up past the end of January. That includes outdoor Christmas lights. No matter where you live, they are not meant to be left up all year. You got them up there; now stop being lazy and take them down.

5. Before you take your family Christmas photo, please refer to Awkward Family Photos. That will tell you what NOT to do. Or just think of it this way: if you're going to look back on it a day, 10 days, 10 years from now and wonder what the eff you were thinking...don't do it.

Just one example - many more on the site. Don't.Do.It.

6. Wrap your gifts please. This is literally the one time a year you have to wrap gifts [most people I know just stick birthday gifts in gift bags, so even that important of a day doesn’t get proper wrap respect]...so whether you pay someone or do it yourself, wrap it. Wrap it good.

7. If you’re going to do holiday baking, be sure not to overindulge. It’s so easy to take a cookie dough spoonful here, a scone there, a cupcake here, a sugar cookie there...and then you wonder why you’ve gained 10 pounds by the time it’s all said and done. Just watch it.

8. When people ask you what you want for Christmas, TELL THEM. Or at least point them in the direction of your Amazon wish list. Otherwise, don’t bitch when you shrug your shoulders and they get you Spongebob shot glasses. Or one of those singing fish plaques.

9. It’s perfectly acceptable to watch Christmas movies meant for those 10 and younger - you never outgrow those [think: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman]. What’s not acceptable is kids watching Christmas movies meant for adults - they're definitely too young for that [think: Bad Santa and A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas].

This will never get old - and is safe for all ages. Some other holidays movies...not so much.

10. On the same token of the gift giving, listen to people when they tell you what they want. More likely than not, they really want that gift. You could be exiled to the doghouse/naughty list/bad friend list if you don’t. Fair warning.

11. Don’t try to be all cute and wear cheerleading shorts with some Ugg boots and a college hoodie when its 30 degrees below zero outside. Put some clothes on. Frostbite is not worth trying to impress someone.

12. College football bowl season lands during the holidays. Cut your favorite college football fan some slack and let them watch some bowl games. Even if it’s the Crispy Chicken Wrap Bowl, let ‘em go - this is the last of college football until September. That’s a long time - trust me.

Couldn't resist reppin' my school, who's Fiesta Bowl bound. I WILL be watching. Try and stop me.

 
13. Don’t set New Year’s resolutions if you’re going to give up on them on January 2nd. At least make a half-ass attempt at them before throwing them in the trash.

14. Have a DD if you’re going to go out and party hard on New Year’s Eve. You don’t want to ring in 2012 in a jail cell with people who might try to sleep with you or eat you, do you?

15. Don't be a Grinch, Scrooge or whatever [out loud, at least]. It's the holiday season, and a majority of people actually enjoy this time of year. If you don't, keep your mouth shut and put on a smile so you don't ruin their holiday spirit. And attend their holiday parties - at least you'll get food and decent company [hopefully].

Don't be this guy.

That's all I've got for the holiday bylaws for now...I reserve the right to add more randomness to this list as I see fit. Happy Holidays all!

To my son. My 3-year-old son.

To my 3-year-old little man:

Are you really 3? Like, really? I feel like just yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital, and now, you're in the middle of your toddler years. Good heavens.

This past year has been incredible. You have changed so much that the person you are now is a complete 180 from the person you were a year ago. I think this year has been the biggest change for you that I've seen in your short time on this planet, and it's been so much fun to witness.

Us right after your 2nd birthday - Dec. 2010

And us right before your 3rd birthday...Thanksgiving 2011

I know you may not be able to tell, but you have grown so much in between those two pictures. I think the last stats I have from your last doctor's visit is 33 pounds...no clue on the height, but I know you're more than 36 inches tall [Mommy should get a measurement, eh?]. You're so big!!

You are definitely your mother's son. Mainly because that's all I really watch, you love sports - especially basketball. You're a very big OKC Thunder fan and love wearing your Kevin Durant jersey and pajamas. However, you will watch any basketball game that's on, which is awesome. You loved going to OSU football games, but you started getting freaked out by the crowds after the second game of the season, so you mainly watched them at home with me or Grandma. Next year, though - I bet you'll want to watch. You're also a big fan of your basketball goal that you're getting ready to outgrow. Don't worry - Santa may bring you a new one this year. :)

You are a very big Elmo fan - we watch the same Elmo's World DVD [hands/ears/feet] multiple times a day...we've watched it so much that you know the songs, some of the words and where Elmo counts. You can count to ten easily and, on some days, will count to 15 without skipping a number. We're still working on 16-20, but we'll get there.

You're a big, big fan of music and dancing. You get that from your aunty and grandpa, that's for sure. Some of your favorite songs include Itsey Bitsey Spider, Patty Cake, the ABC song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and a couple of Hawaiian songs that your grandma has taught you. When a song with a good beat comes on, you start bopping around, no matter where we are. You have some incredible rhythm!

The Terrible Two's weren't terrible, but you definitely had an independent spirit [still do!]. You have a way of doing things and want to do everything by yourself [you're so much like your mommy in this respect that it's scary]. You are definitely a routine kiddo, also like your mommy. You love helping Mommy clean up, especially by helping vacuum and start the laundry. You also like helping me "fold clothes" [which basically means that you move everything from the dryer to the basket, then you dump the basket on the floor so you can sit in it] and put up dishes. Such a big, big helper!

We're still working on fully getting you potty trained, but I think we're getting there. You never like to sit still for long and are always moving around. You still like sitting in your high chair, even though you graduated to your own table and chairs months ago. You're a fan of art - you love to draw on the whiteboard your grandparents have for you at their house, and you enjoy coloring and writing on things with regular ink pens. You also like Play Doh, but you try to eat it - so we don't play with that as much as before. :)

Technology is a friend of yours. You love playing with my iPhone and turning on/off my laptop and iPad [you're so smart that you know the code to unlock my phone and your grandma's phone!]. You have a VTech eReader that you use every single day - you love the Elmo and Dora the Explorer cartridges, but you have others that you play with, too. You may be too smart for technology before too long - maybe you'll work with computers or something? That'd be awesome. :)

Your are using more and more words everyday, which is exciting. You're putting together full sentences and expressing yourself more, which makes this mommy super happy. But, you also love to mimic things and copy words - guess that's the best way to learn, right? You're very good at mimicking. :)

I can't believe all of these little paragraphs - and then some - make up the person that is you. You are such an amazing son, and I would never trade you for the world. I wish I could put into words just how incredible you are, but I can't. I am thankful for every moment, every giggle, every kiss that I get with you, and I'll never take it for granted. I'll always be your no. 1 fan, and I'll always be there as long as you need me. I love you so much baby bear. Happy 3rd Birthday.