Nesting mama!

It's official -- I have entered full-on nesting mode. 😜😜😜

It's crazy. It's intense. It's real.😝😝😝😝

And tomorrow is May 1. That means we will hopefully meet BBL2 this month! Yay!🤗🤗

Perhaps that realization alone has sent me into overdrive. Here's a list of what we got accomplished today with a sense of urgency:🤓

1. Greg planted lots of beautiful plants and flowers in the front of our home. We can't wait for them to bloom!🌺💐🌻🌸🌼🌷🌹

2. I organized and exchanged all of our winter shoes and coats for spring and summer ones. Here's hoping for more warm weather moving forward!☀️☀️

3. I completely updated my pregnancy journal through Month 9.📒📒

4. I wrote all of the thank you notes from my work baby shower.📝📝

5. Laundry is done and folded, even our winter coats for next year!🏆🏆

6. Several frozen meals are ready for post-baby!🍕🍔🌯🍽🍼

7. The nursery is organized, even down to outfits and diapers! And thanks to my work shower, we have plenty in all sizes. Score!👶🏻👶🏻

8. Grading and planning for my Saturday school class is up to date. 📝

Still to be done:

1. Pack hospital bags for us.

2. Install infant car seat in our van.

3. Order new breast pump.

4. Secure care for Will and Dexter depending on timing of baby.

5. Organize maternity clothes by season (I'm a weirdo).🌟🌟🌟

Did I mention I LOVE organization? It's a weird affinity of mine.👏👏👏

I feel really revved up now, so perhaps I should do some light reading, calm breathing, calm the **** down, and go to bed.💤💤💤

BBL2, we are ready for you, but please cook at least a few weeks more, if not more!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

#babyprepinfullforce #nestingtotheextreme #bringit

Stop the madness!

Let's talk about forming habits. 🤓🤔

Yes, they say it takes 3 weeks of doing something every single day for it to start to become a habit for you. I agree.😎🤓

I'm a big routine person, which works well for me, especially as a toddler mom. Toddlers LOVE and thrive on routines, Will included.👶🏻👶🏻

But lately, I haven't been satisfied with my evening routine after Will is in bed. I spend a great deal of time answering work emails, organizing, cleaning, and putzing around on Facebook. As a result, the only down time I get is walking the dog or time with Greg. 🐶💗

I miss real books. Audiobooks and my Kindle are great, but I miss the feel of a good hardcover or paperback in my hands before bed of a title NOT related to school, coursework, or YA intended for my students.📚📚📚

I want to make time for reading the old fashioned -- and best -- way again. I'm going to try making this a nightly habit, rather than ending my day on social media. I think this will ultimately be a healthier, more relaxed, and balanced person at the end of the day. 🌟👏🌟👏

Who's with me? Who has a new habit they want to start forming??💞💞💞

Oh, and an addictive habit I need to stop ASAP? Buying Lularoe through online parties. I have more than enough of their amazing butter leggings, tops, and adorable dresses. Stop, Kay! Stop the madness!!😂😂😂

The perfect day!

There were a lot of things I could or should have accomplished today on my day off (thanks to the Primaries). 😜

But I chose to ignore my to-do list and put myself first. Yes, I did. And I don't feel guilty one bit.😉😀😜

And it was a perfect day. Some highlights and/or things that brought me happiness today:☀️☀️☀️

1. Not setting an alarm clock. Will and I even slept until after 7!😀

2. Relaxing with Will over breakfast and bringing him into school to find a special shelf of cars and trucks waiting for Will from his fave current teacher! 

🚒🚑🚗

3. AM Barre class. 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

4. A fabulous prenatal massage, made even better with the gift card I redeemed. 💗

5. Leisurely lunch at Panera where I spent time catching up on reading for pleasure!🍽

6. A powerful matinee that needs to be seen -- Barbershop: The Next Cut. It's a telling commentary on race relations and ongoing gang violence in Chicago with a hopeful and action-oriented message. #chicagostandup👏👏

7. A Starbucks Oprah Chai Latte.☕️

8. A fun and entertaining trip to Wegman's with Will.🍣🌮🍲

9. SO much fun with him outside on the playground and then going for a long walk with Dex.💫💫💫

10. Winding down with some great interactions with friends and a Greek yogurt mini cheesecake from Wegman's.🍮

Life is good. Take time for yourself. Stop putting everyone else's needs in front of your own. You won't regret you did.👏👏👏

#makeYOUapriority #takeadayforYOU 💞💞💞

Great day!

Preparing for your second child can be a bit anticlimactic. 😬

No one really cares.😁😁

"Oh, it's your second? I'm sure you know what to expect! You know what to do!" 😂😂😂

Ha!! That couldn't be further from the truth.

My amazing colleagues showered another colleague and me with an awesome baby shower this afternoon. Complete with diaper towers and diaper donations, other gifts, and delicious cake and food, we truly felt loved. I never expected anything like this for my second child and am truly blessed.💞💞💞

I appreciated the chance to hear advice from several colleagues on going from one to two kids. Here are a few:👏

1. One is a lot easier. You should've stopped there.😂

2. Don't feel like you need to constantly split the kids up, a la divide and conquer parenting. Get the boys used to being around each other early on.🚗🚗

3. Ask for help and actually take people up on their offers to help! Make lists of what you could use help with.👏👏

4. Expect everything you learned about parenting from your first child to be thrown out the window. Your second will be completely new and different.😱😱

5. Still try to sleep when the baby sleeps. 💤💤💤

6. You'll have two boys. Know where the nearest Urgent Care is.😉

7. Talk just as much to the new kid as you did with the first -- and no baby talk!!😜😜

8. Embrace all the differences between your first and second children.💞💞💞

9. Still remember to take time for yourself!💗

10. And remember that this too shall pass. 🌟

What other advice can you Mamas give me?? 

Crazy road trips!

Many people say I'm crazy to attempt the kind of road trips we like to do with a toddler and dog, let alone in late pregnancy. 😜😜

Perhaps I am. 😂😂😂

Yesterday morning, we left the house at 8:10 am and arrived in CT by 3:45 pm. We then left for home today at noon and got home at 6:50 pm. The whole point of our whirlwind weekend travels? To get to officially celebrate my amazing father-in-law and his retirement at an honorary dinner given by his firefighters' association. The event was initially supposed to be two weeks ago (when we also drove up for a quick weekend) but then had to be moved due to some sort of crazy double booking at the restaurant. So, the first weekend was all about celebrating him with my brother-in-law and his girlfriend (who couldn't change their flights), and this weekend marked the official dinner. 😀

As I've mentioned, Don is an incredible man who worked his way up from firefighter to battalion chief in his 37 year career with his fire department. Seeing the profound admiration and respect all of the men there have for him was humbling and quite legendary. He is truly the definition of a steadfast, hard-working, selfless, caring, and never-wavering leader who was never afraid to speak his mind of stand up for what was right. I truly admire him.🌟🌟🌟

On another note, we were up at the crack of dawn this morning to attend A Day Out with Thomas (the tank engine), and it was totally worth it. Will was in awe of everything, and his mind was completely blown when he got to sit in a real firetruck. Nirvana. Complete nirvana.🚒🚊

What is it with boys and their firetrucks? I love that there is special family meaning behind them too.🚒🚒🚒🚑

Start the week off right, Warrior Women, and perhaps find your own version of nirvana? Right now, that is sleep for this exhausted mama. 💤💤💤💤

What's happening??

And just like that, I have gone from being the "you're so small" to the "oh my gosh you're going to pop soon" pregnant woman. 😂😂😂

And I'm cool with it. 💗💗💗

6th grader, staring at my belly: "What's happening?!"

Me: It's OK, Steven, I'm pregnant and going to give birth next month."

6th grader: "Ooooooh."

He then began knocking on my stomach, asking, "Who's there?"  and then promptly ran off, talking to himself. There's a middle schooler for you!! 😜😜

Greg is still not clear how I got so big, seemingly overnight. I like to take it as a good sign that all is well with BBL2. After all, he's supposed to be gaining about 1/2 pound per week now, and I think it's safe to say he's doing just that. #goodboy #fattenup 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

Let's also discuss just how constantly HUNGRY I am. 🍽🍽🍽🍽🍽🍽🍽🍽🍽🍽 It's bad. I may even need to go back downstairs now for some popcorn. Mmmmmm, popcorn. I could also eat peanut butter all day, every day. Very bad. 🍴🍴

My sugar tooth has been off the chain this week too. 🍫 That's also bad. I'm still working on taming it. I rarely ask Greg to go get bizarre foods for me, as I haven't had many strange cravings this pregnancy. However, I NEEDED a chipwich tonight. It was clearly a life or death matter. It took a bit of imploring, but I eventually got my way, of course. 😇😇😇

In other news, our maternity pics turned about beautifully well. I will post some of my favorites below.💞💞💞💞

TGIF and happy weekend, Warrior Women!!! 

Advice...

In keeping with yesterday's theme, here are 10 tell-tale signs others are keenly aware of -- and possibly terrified by -- your late stage of pregnancy: 😳😳😳

1. They immediately stare at your belly. 😮😯😯

2. They want to touch your belly. Always ask, people; always ask.

🤗

3. They immediately offer you their chair or hold the door open for you. 😀😀

 4. They can confidently say, "Congratulations!" without fear. It's now apparent you haven't just gained a few pounds for the heck of it. 😜😜

5. They say, "Wow! You're big!!" Yes, idiot, I would hope so. I'm due next month, after all.

 😜😜

6. People begin describing their own children's birth stories to you. Unless it's a happy one, fool, I don't want to hear it. Thank you very much. 🙏🏻🙏🏻

7. People are shocked when they see you up and moving, like I should be sitting or lying down at all times. Um, NO. 💪🏻💪🏻

8. Everyone constantly asks you what you're naming the baby. You'll find out when he's born, thank you, just like everyone else. 😉

9. Then they suggest names for you. One student suggested Bruce for BBL2. No thanks. 😂

10. They instantly pick things up for you when they fall. Love that.

💗💗💗💗

And the bonus sign is:

They love to joke about your water breaking and how awful the birth will be, saying I'm in for it and am crazy to have two boys so close in age. 😱😱

No, sweetie, I'm not the crazy one. You are. Don't let the door hit you on the way out. 😜😜😜