Photo Dump Wednesday: Last weekend's activities

We had an awesome weekend as a family last weekend and we were able to get a lot done. We relaxed, J brought up and cleaned up items for the baby while I did the household shopping. Then I packed my hospital bag and put a few things in order around the house. 

On Saturday, JOE's child care provider cared for JOE for a few hours while J & I went out to an early dinner. We figured we might not get a chance to go for another one until baby arrives so we took full advantage of the situation. 

Our initial plan was to go to the Indian restaurant that recently opened not too far from us but by the time I was done giving JOE a bath and doing her hair, we missed their lunch time. I am moving slower these days and I think seeing all the baby stuff may have given JOE a bit of anxiety so she was in rare form on Saturday therefore prolonging the amount of time it took to do her hair. 

So instead of the Indian restaurant, we decided to go to the Nigerian restaurant not too far from us. J apparently, was craving some pounded yam and egusi :-). I kid you not! Scroll down and see :-D.

 

  

Apparently, I was interrupting JOE's iPAD time. She was none too happy about this picture.

  

Once JOE's hair was done, J and I went on our merry way! I had also washed my hair earlier and it was twisted hence the hat. I do like the hat though. It was one of the gifts I got from J for Christmas. I am also sporting a new shade of lipstick. I wasn't entirely sure about it at first but then I wore the hat and realized "oh, this works!" 

Well, we got to the restaurant and J ordered egusi and pounded yam.

 

 I ordered some jollof rice with fried plantains.

 

See what I mean? Homeboy couldn't wait to dig in! He actually was using his hand (the traditional way) and a fork to eat. It was so funny, I had to take a picture. At least he was a good sport about it :-).

At last, in the battle of Man vs. Food, food won! J gave up half way through the meal. But don't fret! He packed it up and had the rest for lunch the following day :-).

The meal gets his seal of approval. He was very satisfied :-D.

I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch too. I should add that J also ate some of my food which might be why he wasn't able to finish his.

 

 

After our late lunch, we headed to a nearby mall where I visited the candy shop there. These are my 2 favorite chewy candies and I loaded up. I even carried them in my pocket book so I wouldn't have to share them at home. HAPPY MOMMA!!!

That evening, after we got home, JOE and I cuddled up on the couch to relax. I decided to snap a mommy/daughter selfie with strained smiles :-). Don't blame me. She mimics what she sees on my face. This picture actually made me realize just how much JOE looks like me! I never saw it before until this picture.

This one is a random picture. JOE "painted momma's nail". Ummm...she missed the entire top half of my nail! And then insisted on taking a picture of it. How cute....

 

 

 
So while doing the household shopping on Saturday, I found this cup! Talk about a great find! Remember how I told you I am the ice lady? Well, this cup really meets that need. I don't have to make multiple trips to go get my ice. I can just make 2 trips per day. And it has thermal insulation. SCORE!!! My $2 find at Walmart :-).

 

 We had a nice weekend and so far, the week is going great. I know I am due for a pregnancy update. Hoping to take a picture of my bump and post either tomorrow or Friday. 

Enjoy the rest of your week!

 

TGIF: JOE's week in review

JOE certainly had a fun filled week thanks to the warmer temperatures we've been having and her new child care provider. Considering she was born in the Fall, my baby sure does love the warmer weather. I am glad because I am hoping to get LOTS of walks in with her once her baby sister arrives. 

So here's JOE's funny for the week. Conversation I had with her on Tuesday went like this:

Me: Since you're only using your bed as a play area, can we convert it back to a crib for baby sister?

JOE: No momma!

Me: But where will baby sister stay?

JOE: Baby sister can stay there (pointing to the house across the street) with Midnight.

Two things about this conversation. 

1. She was pointing to our neighbor's house. 

2. Midnight is their beautiful dog who JOE loves to play with whenever we're over there.

I am not quite sure of what to make of that conversation. Her child care provider tried to have a discussion with her about sharing her toys yesterday and I was told JOE pretty much had a variation of the same conversation above because she doesn't want to share her toys. Needless to say, I am now on the hunt for a book that will help her adjust to the changes that are about to occur.

Anyways, here are some pictures from JOE's week. 

Here she is cheesing it for the camera as she writes on our front walk.

 

"JOE's work of art" :-).

And my little princess at the library. I think we need to work on her cheesing smile :-). 

 

 

And here she is riding her Dora Mobile. J & I got this for her for her birthday last year. She NEVER once showed interest in it until her friend played with it during their play date on Saturday. I guess that's one way to get kids to enjoy their toys.

 

 

And here she is on her way to a kid's jump place. Her child care provider took her there. It is a place where kids get to jump to their heart's content and also play basketball. 2 things JOE is absolutely loving right now.

By the way, my daughter LOVES wearing her sunglasses. If it is sunny out, she'll quickly turn to you and say "my eyes! I think I need sunglasses please." Yup, that's my little diva.

 

 

 

Jumping, jumping, jumping!

 

 

JOE's godfather and his wife got her an absolutely cute Minnie Mouse dress up kit as well as a mat puzzle piece. The gifts totally made her day last night when she received it. She's been playing with it ever since.

 

 

And of course, no week will be complete without a trip to the mall. 

 

 

Clearly, this girl had an awesome week while momma and dadda worked. I am glad she's having a great time. It warms our hearts to see how much she is thriving and taking in the world and we are thankful and blessed to have found someone who cares for her and takes her on these adventures when we can't.

This weekend will be spent making preparations for baby and going on a date with J. Yay!!!

Hope your week was as fun as JOE's. Have a blessed weekend and remember to be kind to strangers!

Photo Dump Wednesday: A weekend of fun activities

I am so glad the middle of the week is here. I know I was complaining about the snow last week and now its stopped. I am GRATEFUL for that but can we please get some sunshine with the higher degree temperature? Sure would be nice :-D.

Last Friday, I came home to JOE's lovely craft. I love when I get home and she excitedly tells me about her day in addition to what she accomplished during the day. Below are some of her craft/artwork from her day on Friday.

 

 I especially love this one below because it is one of her hands and her foot :-).

 

What can I say? My baby loves happy faces :-).

Last Saturday, JOE had her first tea party/play date. She had a fabulous time with my friend's daughter (her new friend). My friend M and I were engaged a week apart, got married a few months apart and had our first babies a few weeks apart so of course our daughters are destined to be friends :-). 

I figured I'd make it light and fun for everyone. Since both are girly girls, I wanted something that will appeal to them. Usher in the tiaras, necklaces, rings, mirrors and such. Yup...I spent quite a bit of time at the dollar store :-).

I also made some light snacks for the girls and used a cookie cutter to make heart shaped cheese and turkey slices. I really wanted a star but realized at the last minute I don't own a star cookie cutter and stores often don't carry them after Christmas. Oh well...my goal is to get some this year at Christmas time.  

Don't let the look on JOE's face fool you. She absolutely was having a blast. I couldn't get her to stop long enough to take a picture.

I also printed out some artwork for the girls to color. These crayons were leftovers from her first birthday party. Yup. Nothing goes wasted in our household :-).

JOE had so much fun that she immediately fell asleep when we got in the car to run an errand shortly after my friend and her daughter left. I mean, we hadn't even turned off our street when she fell asleep :-). I count it as a successful playdate/tea party.

Last Friday, I had a sudden craving for Nigerian food. Truth be told, I have had a lot of cravings for Nigerian foods with this pregnancy. More than I did with JOE's. Some of the items I had made but not all. 

Well, when I got home, it was late and J was tired. He asked me what I wanted for dinner and I told him. He said it was too late but he would go out and get me the meal the following day. 

True to his promise, on Saturday, he called the Nigerian restaurant that's about a half hour drive from our house and ordered the food.

1. I love my husband and really appreciate him for making sure this craving was satisfied. 

2. The food, HIT THE SPOT!!! I mean, if you haven't had this meal, you wouldn't understand but eating it felt like it was the best version I have ever had. Does that make sense? 

It was a lot for me though so I was able to get 2 meals out of it. Now, you'd think my weight would go up after eating this massive meal on Saturday and Sunday for lunch right? Nope. At my last appointment, I had lost a little over a pound bringing the total weight gain for this pregnancy to 5.2-lbs. Oh well...we're almost there...

For the readers who don't know what this is, it is pounded yam, fried beef and egusi (melon and spinach soup). YUM!!!

And here's our weekly mommy/daughter selfie. We took this on Sunday evening. We're both pirates. Can you tell? :-).

I just had to take this picture of JOE. Check out how she was sleeping. Her leg is on my pillow. As in the pillow where my head would normally go if I was still in bed. SMH!

I hope you're having a good week so far. I am looking forward to the weekend because I need some rest. My ankles have been swollen quite a bit this week. Can't wait to just lounge around and stay off my feet. J and I will likely be going out on an adult date to check out a new restaurant that opened up not too far from us. YAY!!! I do so enjoy those. More on our date next week.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Pregnancy Update @ 35+ weeks

I love how a new week often brings with it new hope and new beginnings. Mondays aren't the easiest but since switching jobs, I have a new attitude about Mondays. I no longer dread it like I used to and I actually don't mind coming into work. I used to telework on Mondays and even though I temporarily lost that option due to my job transition, I still don't mind coming in 5-days a week versus 4-days. The work is less stressful and I truly feel like I work with people who genuinely care. Such a refreshing thing.

Anyways, here's an update on baby #2. 

How Far Along? 35+ weeks. Less than 2-weeks to "full term" and 5-weeks to "estimated due date." As a matter of fact, as of today, I can officially say "I am due a month from today." Wow!!! I feel like telling time to SLOOOOOOOOOWWWWW DOWWWWWWNNNNNN.

Size of Baby? Now over 18-inches long (almost at her full length!). For comparison, baby is now about the size of a honeydew melon and weighs about 5.25 pounds! I was up another 2.4-lbs as of last week Tuesday. Bringing my total gain for this pregnancy to just about 6-lbs. My goal is to stay under 10-lbs. Fingers crossed.

Maternity Clothes? Fully in them now but I am still able to alternate maternity clothes and pre-pregnancy clothes. So far, I can still fit into some pre-pregnancy items.

Stretch Marks? So far, nothing new has cropped up. But I can't always see around my round belly anymore and due to my skin discoloration, I am not sure if the mirror is being honest. For now though, I haven't noticed any new ones. The skin discoloration though is MAJOR! Conversation with hubby last week went like this. Me: YIKES! Why didn't you tell me of how much darker my back got? Hubby: Well, I noticed it but I didn't want to alarm you. Me: Ummm...you didn't think I would eventually notice it in a mirror? I mean, seriously!!! :-/

Sleep? It has gotten worse. Last Friday night, I woke up 8...yes EIGHT times to pee between the hours of 9pm and 6am. Does anyone have a cure for pregnancy related insomnia? It is kicking my butt! And to make matters worse, I was just told this morning not to drink coffee. Dag it!

Food Cravings? ICE ICE baby! Still on that. I was diagnosed with pregnancy related anemia. I am on iron meds for that. I take the meds but I still crave ice/cold stuff or the other extreme (hot foods). We're almost there so I am not too concerned about this one. I can't wait to stop waddling to the cafeteria everyday for ice though. It is my daily routine. I come to work, sign in then get up and walk over there (not a short distance either) to go get ice. 

What I Miss: I still really miss spending more time with JOE without feeling so tired or winded. Being able to get on the ground and play with her without wondering how I'll manage to get up with my aching hips. Carrying my baby girl whenever she asks. She is so curious and always wants to see what's going on around her but I am often so tired that I can't carry her all the time.

What I'm Looking Forward To:  Packing my hospital bag next weekend. This was supposed to be done 2 weeks ago but we've had such busy weekends that I haven't had a chance to do it. So we're hoping to get to it this weekend. 
Also, I am already pinning ideas on Pinterest for our "Sip and See". We decided since we're having a repeat gender, we will do a sip and see for after baby arrives. 

Symptoms? Sleepless nights, more swollen feet which is happening more and more now so per my OB, I have to keep my feet up for at least 30-minutes everyday. She also said it will help with the frequent peeing at night. Not sure its helped with that but it has certainly helped a bit with the swelling. Per my last appointment, baby is already head down. Happy to know this because it means she is also getting ready to meet us in a few weeks.

Movement? YES! LOTS AND LOTS of movements. They are slower BUT the kicks are more intense now because they have more strength to them. 

Belly Button In or Out? Still very much in. It never came out last time with JOE's pregnancy so I don't think it will this time.

Labor Signs? Braxton Hicks!!! They have moved from the "feeling uncomfortable" stage to the more "intense" stage. Not painful but enough that sometimes, I have to stop what I am doing and take a deep breathe. 

Best Moment of the Week? Seeing this baby at her 3-D sonogram. It is absolutely amazing how much she looks like JOE. Oh and yeah, we have another one with lots of hair :-). Should be interesting doing both their hair as they grow up. I guess YouTube will be my friend.

Weekly Wisdom: Listen to your body! I often have a thing for overdoing it and then by the time I hear my body, I am way beyond a point of discomfort and am in pain. I am learning to be better at this and J has been very good with telling me to "slow down". 

Pictures? Yup. Here are a few pictures from last week and one (side by side of my bump) from this morning.

My baby girl sticking out her tongue. Funny thing is we went with JOE and every time she talked, the baby would stick out her tongue. I see they are communicating already even in utero :-).

Another picture of her. Wanna see how much JOE and her sister look alike? Check out the next picture.

 

On the left is JOE and on the right is her sister. To me, it was like looking at the same person. They even had very similar mannerisms when their 3-D was done. It'll be interesting to see how much this baby will look like JOE.

  

And here's a side by side of my bump. Not much really has changed. The left picture is the week before last and the right picture was taken this morning. I feel like I actually lost some weight in the last week since my last appointment. We'll see this evening when I have my appointment.

 

 

I am so happy we FINALLY have a week without snow. Yippee!!! Perhaps that means Spring is upon us? One can only hope. Have an awesomely blessed week! 

Week in review. I am so ready for Spring

This past week was COLD! I am sure I am not the only person who is ready for the Spring to get here. Even though I often suffer from Spring allergies, I will rather take that compared to this cold, icky and sometimes depressing weather. Although, don't get me wrong, I do like the "free" days we get from work when we get significant snow and I appreciate how beautiful and clean everything looks after it snows.

On Monday, on my way to work, I stopped and snapped this picture. Everything just looked so beautiful and the sun was just coming out. The picture doesn't do it justice. Times like this, I wish I had my "big girl" camera to capture the true beauty...hint hint to the hubby ;-).

Things have been  going well with JOE's child care provider. J & I are so thankful for how smooth the transition has been. With her assistance, JOE now knows her primary colors, they've learned quite a few new songs, JOE can now count to 15 (she used to stop at 10) and her vocabulary is improving everyday. We are really impressed with the lesson plans she puts together for JOE. Plus she and JOE get to do lots of girly things like their hair and nails. How cool is that?

Here is JOE's coloring from last week.This is my baby's first art work made for her momma. I know its not much but it made me very proud :-). Now, we just need to learn to color inside the lines.

And here's more art work they did last week. JOE couldn't wait to share this with us. I love how excited she is at the end of the day when we get home because she has learned something and wants to share it with us. She is like a sponge and soaks up everything around her.

Thanks to my very awesome friend, after complaining to her about how long it takes to do JOE's hair, she ordered me some products to try out on her hair. The first one we've tried is the one on the left (Ouidad Krly Kids). I have used it a total of 3-times on JOE's hair and let me just say doing JOE's hair has taken a complete turn for the better. What used to be a 90+ minute task now takes less than an hour to co-wash, detangle and braid. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! The first time I used it, I was 80% satisfied. By the 3rd time, I was 100% satisfied.
I want to finish with that one before I move on to the other 2 products my friend ordered. So far, I am loving the Ouidad product.

 Here's JOE's hair after I did it last Saturday.

I told her to turn around for me to get a picture and she wanted to do a dance move for me :-).

 Here's a close up of JOE's hair. It is long but she isn't ready for it to be cut yet though and neither is J. She loves to shake her braids after I do her hair and part of me is eager to see just how much longer it'll grow if we continue to let it grow out.

I also just recently discovered these No Slip hair ties from Scunci. These things are AWESOME! I love them because they are gentle on JOE's hair and when I take them out, she doesn't have as much hair loss as when she used the regular ones. Plus it stays in place for an entire week. Not bad!
I always let JOE pick her own colors for her hair and let her tell me where she wants them (front or back). I figured it is a good way to get her involved in decision making when it comes to her hair.

Last Sunday, JOE finally got to wear one of the dresses her Aunt M got her to church. She looked so cute in her dress and silver tights with her princess bright pink sequined shoes. Too bad I didn't get a chance to get a picture of the full outfit.I took this picture with the intention to do that and forgot. Yup...that's pregnancy brain for ya :-).

And here's our weekly mommy daughter selfie from last week. We figured we'd stick out our tongues this time around :-).

 

Yesterday, we got an unplanned day off work due to the snow. To keep JOE busy, I decided that we would make bread rolls. JOE is so awesome in the kitchen. She is very eager to learn and help! Just one of the million and one reasons why I love this girl so much! 

Anyways, here she is helping with the bread mix. We made it from scratch and used this recipe. At the last minute, JOE decided she wanted us to add raisins so we did.

 

The rolls tastes DELISH and JOE was very proud of herself. The best thing about these rolls is that you don't even need butter or anything additional. They taste great by themselves.

 

And after all that work, JOE decided to rest on the couch and watch the iPAD. She actually asked to "go sit and watch iPAD momma. I'm tired!"

As you can see, we had a full but awesomely blessed week. Next week, I'll be doing another baby update. I planned on doing one this week since we got our 3D done on baby #2 on Wednesday but I forgot to take a belly shot. 

Also, we are now fully in prepping for baby mode! Baby items to be purchased this weekend. Woohoo!!!

Hope you had a great week! Have a fabulous weekend and remember to be kind to strangers!