Photo Dump Wednesday: Weekend activities

I planned on posting this on Monday but got really busy so instead, I'll be posting it as part of photo dump Wednesday. 

Last weekend, J & I decided to tackle another task we've been meaning to do. Last year, we created a rose bed and used stones to frame it. We intended to do the same for the rest of the flower beds in front of our house but we never got a chance to until last Saturday. 
So while JAE slept, we set up the baby monitor and had JOE help us around the yard. 
As they say, "team work makes the dream work." I dug the well for the stones and J filled it in with pavers' sand and the stones while JOE acted as the "back seat driver" by telling us "you missed a spot!" or "can I help?" or "don't spray me with the water" or "momma, can I have a frog?" By the way, my response to the last statement was "ewwwww...momma pick up frogs!"

Anyways, here are pictures of the yard.

The before...

The after. We really like how it turned out.

Also, turns out peepholes don't come standard on doors! Who would have thunk it? I've always had peepholes in the doors of places where I live so it was a surprise to me when we built our home and didn't have a peephole in the door. We frosted the side panes for privacy and for the longest time, I've been wanting a peephole so I can see who is on the other side of the door before opening. 
I ordered this peephole from Amazon.com. J and I were both able to install it in our front door. The entire thing took less than 20-minutes to install. Score one for quick and easy DIY projects.

Now on to our weekly mommy/daughter selfie. I just love the different expressions on JAE's face. JOE is already a pro at selfies.

This is JAE's "here we go again...I'm not sure about this" look.

This is JAE's "enough is enough" look.

This is JAE's "fine. You win but I refuse to smile" look.

And her "you're still at it mom?" look.

But as they say, practice makes perfect. The next day, JAE was in a better mood. Here's her "OK. I won't fight it" look.

And her "oh, this is not so bad. I'll even attempt a half smile" look. 

And her "OK OK. I indulged you. Now, let's move on" look. I already know that JAE will be the one making faces in pictures. I love it!

Be still  my heart! I took this picture while pumping last Friday and J was getting the girls ready for the day. Love them, love them!

I hope you're having a great week so far! I was recently tagged by Call me Mummy to blog 7-random things about me. I am in the process of putting together that list and hope to post that blog next week. 

JAE's 2-month update

And just like that...maternity leave has come to an end!

I started back working (teleworking full time for the month of June) on Monday. While I do welcome the break I get during the day from caring for a baby, I really miss spending time with JAE. Yes, I get to see her randomly during the day when I go to get breakfast or lunch but its not nearly enough. 
It would be nice if the US decides to start doing what other countries are doing and provide new moms with paid maternity leave. That way, new moms can spend more time with their babies before going back to work. However, I am not complaining. I feel very lucky to have the option to telework as part of my transition back to work. Not everyone has that.

Yesterday, JAE turned 2-months. Time is going by so fast! I feel like it was just last week I pushed her out! Its true what they say about time waiting for no one. 

JAE smiles a lot now. She'll hit you with the biggest smile if you get close to her. She LOVES her sister JOE who is also the benefactor of a ton of smiles and giggles. Its just so cute to watch.

JAE is also a lot more alert. She still a very good sleeper and typically only cries for the basics...food, needs to be burped or is too hot.

Her  facial expressions when trying to take a selfie often crack me up.  

Here is big sister JOE reading to her. At first she was attentive.

Then she started asking for her food by looking up at me and putting her hand in her mouth.

Speaking of food, I had to take a picture of this. My first 6-oz output with this baby. I know it doesn't look like much but this is 2 meals for JAE and since I hate pumping, I am hoping my output continues to increase so I can store more milk for her when I go back to work and start cutting back on pumping.

Coincidentally, yesterday also marked another milestone. I packed up all my maternity clothes yesterday since they (thankfully) no longer fit my post baby body. 

While packing these items, part of me got sad. I wondered if I'd get to wear them again for another pregnancy. I sure hope so but like I posted earlier this week, it is all in God's hands.

I am almost done with my first work week post maternity. It was a hectic week and I am very much looking forward to the weekend. 

Photo Dump Wednesday: Hodge Podge

I know I haven't done one of these in a while. I figured now's as good a time as any to start back up. 

This is a hodge podge of random pictures taken in the last 7 - 10 days. 

I have made rice for lunch the last few weeks. I finally decided that perhaps it was time to change things up a bit. So this week, I decided to make spaghetti and ground beef. It was definitely a hit at home and JOE can't get enough of it. 

I took out the back braids in my hair to go get a new passport picture taken since I have to renew my passport. While I was at it, I wanted to see how long my hair is now. I am really amazed at how much its grown in such a short period of time.

And here is the reason I took out my hair. Both pictures are 10-years apart. Gosh...I have aged! Well, I like to think I am now more "seasoned" :-).

JOE is always asking for me to take a picture of her and JAE. This picture is from Monday night. She wanted to hold JAE so I let her. The look on JAE's face is priceless. Its like she is saying "really? You held me so you can take a picture?"

I love my girls!

And who doesn't love "just because" flowers? J brought me flowers last week. I love that he still randomly brings me flowers especially my favorite colored roses.

I took this picture because just a few short weeks ago, she was so tiny in this swing and now, she is quickly growing into it. Go JAE. She is definitely a good eater. No begging or bribing like we do with her sister.

I love podgy toes. That's my JAE JAE!

And her yummy fingers that captured my heart 8+ weeks ago :-).

This year, we were a little late doing the beautification of our yard since we had our hands full with JAE's arrival. J did most of the work and he did a fabulous job. 

Our rose bed is coming along nicely. We added 3 more rose bushes. Can't wait to see it in ful bloom next year. 

Well, that's it for this week's photo dump Wednesday. I hope you have enjoyed it. 

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Are we done yet?

"Are you done yet?" This is a question I have gotten a few times since we had JAE. Both friends and acquaintances have asked this question to know if we'll have another baby after JAE since we have 2 girls.

Sometimes when people ask me this question, I want to say "its none of your business!" But my mom instilled in me politeness and I often just say "time will tell" or "we don't know." The truth is we just don't know. I always said I'd want to have 3 kids. However, I haven't had the easiest deliveries. And I find myself wondering if I am foolish to be thinking of #3 when #2 just popped out not too long ago.

My girls are awesome. I love them with all of my heart. But part of me also would love to experience what its like to be a mommy to a boy. Which is not to say that I would be disappointed if we go for #3 and end up with another girl. 

My husband would also like a boy but if we go for #3 and its a girl, we would be just as happy. The most important thing is a happy, healthy child.

So in answer to the question "are we done yet", I simply don't know. It is in God's hands. J and I will decide sometime next year if we feel our family is complete. For now, I am thoroughly enjoying being a mommy to 2 awesome, happy and healthy girls. 

J loves his girls. On Sunday after I got up to go pump, J took JAE. She quickly fell asleep. I just had to snap this picture when I came back to the room and saw this. Don't worry...she is safe. We are very careful when she's in our bed.

Our weekly mommy/daughter selfie. Can you tell who will be the kid making faces in pictures? One guess...its the kid who isn't smiling :-). Scroll on...

Apparently, we bore JAE.

And here she is saying "oh you mean, I should smile? But why???"

I love this picture. JOE and JAE truly are the best parts of J and I. I feel so blessed every morning when I wake up to their beautiful faces.

Question of the day:
Would you go for a 3rd child if your first 2 were of the same gender? If so, why or why not?

Hair Update

I haven't done a hair update in a while.  That's because during my pregnancy,  I didn't do much other than put it in a puff or wear it out.
My hair did grow but I'm not quite sure of how much given the fact that I haven't straightened my hair in over a year.  I was planning on getting it straightened just so I could see the length but I am yet to find a good natural hair stylist.  I have stalked a few on instagram and sadly, the before and after pictures they post of their work tells me they are too scissor happy. I am not anti-trim. However, my experience has taught me that most hair stylists that I have encountered are scissor happy.

Since having JAE, free time is a luxury and I just can't dedicate time to doing my hair when I'd rather catch up on my sleep. 

Instead,  I have been keeping my hair in braids and just co-washing it once a week. So far, so good. When I had JOE, I kept my hair in a bun and ended up with a lot of matted hair and breakage. I ended up having to cut my hair. That began a journey that would eventually lead me to the decision to go natural. 

My natural hair journey started in February 2014. My last texturizer was in October of 2013 and I did the big chop in October 2014 figuring that I'd get a growth boost from pregnancy hormone and I did.

This is primarily how I wore my hair towards the end of my pregnancy with JAE. This picture was taken hours before I had JAE. Little did I know then :-).

This was another one of my go to styles.

Like I did when I had JOE, I wore a bun to the hospital.Only this time, I had no bonnet on when I had the baby. JAE came too fast for me to worry about the state of my hair.

Afterwards, I put 2 french braids in my hair.

Then I wore 2 puffs for a couple of weeks. Occasionally taking it down to moisturize and seal with oil.

For our family photo sessions, I decided to do a flat twist in front and puff at the back.

Shortly after that, I put my hair in 4 single braids and that's how I have worn it for the last 2 weeks with the exception of yesterday when I took it down for a meeting.

Since I haven't had a chance to blow out my hair, I wanted to see a comparison of my hair from last October. This is a picture of my freshly washed and braided hair.

Here is a comparison of my hair from last October. It really has grown quite a lot in the last 7-months.

I plan on continuing with my current regimen until I am able to get time for a blow out and flat iron. I will likely need a trim at that point. I am also almost 2-months postpartum. I started shedding at about 3 months postpartum with JOE'S pregnancy. 

This time,  I will be taking manetabolism at my 12-week postpartum mark to try to stave off the shedding. I'll be sure to document my before and after when I do that.

If you have any good postpartum shedding prevention or minimization advise,  please share them.