Family Christmas

Since we were not all able to be together on Christmas Day, we had a 'Family Christmas' almost a week later. Mom was in Vegas, Amanda, Bryce & Cam were up North with Bryce's mom & Ash was up north with her boyfriends family. Although, Ash wasn't able to make it back for this, either - we didn't even know WHEN she was coming back.
My mom made a yummy dinner - of course (: And I stuffed my face wayyy too much. haha. Who doesn't love lots of yummy food with family?! Then we opened all of our presents (:

Bransyn got a new outfit, a Thomas the Train flashlight & a Winnie the Pooh bath toy thingy from my mom (there's one more from her, too... but more on that later ;)

Ryan got a new outfit for the gym, some cheese, meat & crackers (from that place in the mall that always sells that stuff during the holidays... ahh, can't remember what it's called but he LOVES that stuff!) and also a set of 5 little bottles of hot sauce. (that probably sounds weird, haha... but this guy is obsessed with hot sauce & loves trying new ones!) She also got him the gun to go along with his 'Call of Duty' game (since it's for the wii) but he got that early so that he could use it when he got the game from me for Christmas.

I got a SNUGGIE! (: a cute zebra print scentsy with a pack of yummy scents, a bare minerals make up set, and a bunch of cute clothes - some of which are maternity clothes, but they are actually CUTE... which is hard to find! I don't know how my mom always finds all the good stuff, but it never fails that all the clothes she gets me are super cute! (:

We got her a big clock for her living room! (:



Annnnd, the big present she got for each of the boys.....

BASKETBALL HOOPS! (:

So much fun! (:






Thanks mama for such a wonderful family Christmas! We all had a great time (:

21 weeks!

This baby girl is definitely growing! (:

Not only is my belly growing, I'm sure every other part of my body is as well! Lately, I have been wanting to eat EVERYTHING. I swear, it takes me forever to get full! I have never been able to eat as much in one sitting as I do now. Sometimes, I even eat more than Ryan! haha. It's so weird, because I was never this hungry, or ate this much when I was pregnant with Bransyn. It's also crazy, because I never really had cravings with him, either! I seriously crave at least a few things a week. Right now, chicken wings sound uh-mazing! Funny thing is, I'm not usually too into them! haha. I really need to start exercising, because I am going to be hating life after she is born if I don't! My 'baby fat' came off quite easily after I had Bransyn, I was wearing my pre-pregnancy jeans the very first time I tried them on when he was 11 days old. I have a feeling that will not be happening this time! haha. I would really love to go to the gym to just walk a few miles on the treadmill a few times a week. I can't wait until it gets warmer outside so we can get back to our nightly walks! I miss them! I would also LOVE to be able to swim in a nice, warm pool! I would probably be in it every single day!

B's dr appointment

Well, I was finally able to switch Bransyn's doctor! I was trying to get him into a different doctor in the same clinic he was in so that we didn't have to change everything, but none of the other doctors are taking new patients :(
So I decided to switch him over to the St. George clinic with Dr. Hubbard. I took him in today to see if this Dr could figure out B's pukey problem.
I explained to him what was going on & he actually asked a lot of questions, and listened to me while I asked questions & did the best he could to answer them. Which is alll I wanted. For someone to try to understand what was going on, to figure this out.
He wasn't sure what is going on, but I can definitely tell he is looking more into it than Dr. Smith was! He prescribed a pill for us to try (I can't remember what it's called!) for 3 weeks & if it helps, we will wean him off of it. If he continues to throw up after that, Dr. Hubbard will refer him to the pediatric GI specialist, Dr. Kadu, to figure out what is wrong. I am SO glad he is willing to refer Brans so soon! It was HORRIBLE having to watch my child cough & be miserable for SEVEN months, until Dr. Smith FINALLY referred him to the allergy & asthma specialist.
So we will do 1/4 a pill for 3 weeks & see how he does. I'm hoping this will help him, but I would also like to know WHY it's happening, so hopefully Dr. Hubbard will be able to narrow it down to something if this does work.
Crossing my fingers, cause I am SO sick of watching my poor baby be miserable!

Our Christmas (:

{ornament that represents our very first family Christmas in our own home}

{bransyn's 3rd Christmas ornament he picked out}



We had a wonderful Christmas this year! (: It was our very first Christmas as a little family, in our own home! It was pretty bittersweet... I have never spent a Christmas away from my family before, but it was nice to just have us 3 together (:


Christmas Eve wasn't too eventful. I woke up pretty sick, so I kind of just bummed around all day, while Ry was out with Brans. Then I had to get a few last minute items, that I kept forgetting about. We are keeping the tradition of opening Christmas pajama's on Christmas Eve. I couldn't find any for me & Ry (well, I kinda didn't look, cause I kept putting it off! haha) But we got Brans some cute 'Cars' jammies that he loved! He knew just how to open the presents this year! (:

After he opened his jammies, he thought it was finally time to open all his other presents. He was not happy with me when I told him he had to wait until morning! haha

{forgot to flip this one, oops!}
Baby boy sleeepin! (:

Our tree after Santa came! Sorry it's blurry... Nikon camera's SUCK!



Ry & I both woke up at about 7:30 Christmas morning... it was crazy! I felt like a little kid, but I wasn't excited for MY stuff... I was excited to watch Bransyn open his presents! I was literally looking at the time every few minutes, waiting for 8am to come so I could go wake Brans up (:
After it was finally time, I went in his room & he did nottt want to get up! haha. I felt kind of bad, but hey... I had been waiting long enough ;) I kept telling him that Santa came & that he could finally open his presents, but he just kept trying to lay back down. After a few minutes, I had convinced him to get up & see what was left for him! (:

He walked out of his room & around the corner into the living room, saw his 4-wheeler & went straight to it with a huge smile on his face! (: We had been talking about it for so long, every time anyone would ask him what he asked Santa for, he would say 'Fourliller!' and get all excited! So I'm sure he was happy to finally see it! (:

He hopped on it & started pushing the sound effect buttons! Then I showed him what how to work the foot pedal & he was off! haha. Although, there was not much room for him to go very far in the house. He ran into daddy on the rocking chair. But that didn't bother him... he sat on it for a good 15 minutes, just pushing the buttons & just hangin' out! (:

I was finally able to get him over to all his other presents to open! (: It was soo much fun, cause he actually knew how to open everything this year! Last year, he just wanted to play with everything & got too distracted! Which he DID want to play with everything right away this year, too... but I kept telling him he had more & he got so excited to see what was in each package (:

There are too many pics to post them all, so I'll list everything he got Christmas morning:
From Santa-
Fourwheeler & Buzz Lightyear
In his stocking-
Hot wheels cars, flash cards, a coloring book, shampoo, a new toothbrush & toothpaste, fruit snacks, pretzel m&m's & the first Ice Age movie
From Mommy & Daddy-
Spiderman action figure & fourwheeler, little people fire truck with blocks, color wonder paper & markers, a bucket full of animal figures, a big huge monster truck, a helicopter, an airport with lots of people & an airplane, little people zoo, Toy Story 2 DVD, (since he already has the 1st & 3rd) a phonics toy (I dunno what else to call it! haha), and LOTS of clothes!

{forgot to flip this one too, dangit!}
Ryan got the Call of Duty video game, some new work pants, and he chose for the rest of the money to go towards stuff for his truck (of course) which is SO boring & I was bummed, but that's what he wanted & wouldn't stop bugging me about it! ha He also got a bunch of stuff in his stocking, that I don't remember! haha

I got a new pair of boots, the Eclipse DVD & a carpet cleaner! Also, a bunch of little things in my stocking!

The budget for each of us wasn't very big this year, but we were both okay with that, it's not a big deal to us! (:

Brans after he was done opening presents, ready to play with all of his new toys! (:


After all the presents were done, I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast, then my dad came over. We gave him the gifts that we had gotten for him, and he brought us a new washer ;)
We kinda just hung out at home most of the morning, let Brans play with all his new toys, then we had to head up to Ryan's parents house at 11 to do Christmas with them, before the rest of their family came over! (:

While we were there, we opened presents with his parents & his sister & her husband. We got them all gift cards (sooo exciting, I know... but I put Ry in charge of his family this year & that's what he chose to do. Always taking the easy way out ;) hahah!) Bransyn got a really fun set of flash card puzzles, a truck and a few outfits from his grandparents. Then he got a few more outfits from Ryan's sister & brother in law! Ryan got a nice warm coat, some slippers, a coffee maker, and a new wallet from his parents. They got me a steam mop (Ahh, I am STILL sooo excited about this! haha I have been wanting one forever!) and a camera tripod. And our 'joint' gift was a reallly nice knife block thingy, which we have been needing/wanting but every one I look at is super expensive! haha. The one they got us is amazing! (:

After that was done with, his extended family started showing up & we got everything ready for Christmas lunch/dinner. It was sooo yummy - of course! I swear I could of eaten alll day! haha. After we ate, we had a white elephant gift exchange which was super fun! They usually draw names for a gift exchange, but they decided to change i t up this year! I ended up with this neck massager thingy & Ry got a bunch of little flash lights that he can use for work! (: After we were done with all that fun stuff, I went & took a nap, cause I was quite exhausted! I think everyone just kind of hung out, & watched movies and Bransyn dragged a few people outside so he could ride his four wheeler! (: That kind of went on for the rest of the day, which was nice... cause I love just being able to relax & enjoy everyone's company on Christmas! Oh, and then of course everyone played cards later on. You can always count on them doing that at all of the family gatherings ;)
About 9pm was when we decided to call it a night & head home! We let Bransers play with his new toys a little bit more when we got home, before putting him to bed.
It was definitely a great Christmas and Mr. B got spoiled and enjoyed the day! Couldn't ask for anything more than to spend the day with my 2 amazing boys! I'm a little sad that this was our last Christmas with just Bransyn, but I totally can not wait until our little lady joins us next year! (:

I hope everyone had a FABULOUS Christmas! ♥

20 weeks!

My big 'ol belly!

The first 'front view' pic, with my cheesy little man ;)

Annd, a comparison picture of my belly from both pregnancy's! I have been feeling like I am SO much bigger this time around, but I guess not! They actually look pretty dang close!



I am officially halfway through this pregnancy!
Okay, well I guess I am MORE than halfway there, since I will be getting induced a week early. So really, I only have 19 weeks left, instead of 20.
But still, 20 weeks is exciting! (:


Not a whole lot has changed with how I've been feeling. I guess my sciatic nerve hasn't been AS bad lately, but only because it comes & goes, so it's not consistent like it was. It still hurts just as bad! :(

Other than that, everything is going good (: She's moving more each day, which I LOVE! I just wish she would let her daddy feel her moving every once in a while ;)

20 week appointment.

I had my 20 week appointment today.
Again, nothing too special happened.
Heard baby's heartbeat - sounds great! I did forget to ask what the HR was, though :( I always get so bummed when I forget, cause I like knowing if it stays about the same every time. It's been pretty consistent staying within 150-160 the whole time, though! (:
She also measured my uterus for the first time this week & it is measuring right on!
My next appt is on January 19th & I will have another U/S on the 24th!

19 week Anatomy Scan

I had my anatomy scan/ultra sound today. Ryan wasn't able to go cause work's realllly busy, so my friend Savannah came with me so that I didn't have to go alone (:
Anyways, everything is looking good so far. She doesn't have any of the chromosomal abnormality 'markers' Bransyn had, so I was pretty relieved about that. She actually said that baby's neck skin looked perfect, so she didn't even NEED to take the measurement. So I was pretty relieved.
She did, however, see a little spot on baby's heart. Which of course I felt my heart drop as soon as she said 'see that little white spot on the heart?' But I learned that at this point, it is nothing to be concerned about. She said all it looks like is some calcium build up. Which is actually quite common, she said that she see's it on average about 3 times a week. (she had just done an U/S the day before & saw the same thing!) They don't know what causes it or how it gets into the heart, but it is harmless. If it is NOT calcium, it could be a mass. But the tech is pretty confident that that's all it is. She explained to me that when this happens, the spot will normally show up in the middle of the left side of the heart. A mass will usually be attached to the side/wall of the heart. In baby's case, it is in the middle of the left side. Also, the calcium spot will move along with the heart as it beats. A mass will not, it will just sit there. Which it was moving along with hear heart beating. So 2 good signs & just the fact that it looked more like the calcium spot, I guess. Of course, I am concerned about this, but I am trying to stay as calm as possible & not stress about it, because I worried WAY too much with Brans, for nothing. But of course, it's my baby, I'm gonna worry. I just know it's more than likely not a big deal, so until we find out other wise, I'm gonna keep my stress levels down. It will be MUCH better for both me & the little miss! I will have a follow up ultra sound in about 6-8 weeks, just to make sure it's not getting any bigger. The follow up will be for that reason AND because little Missy Mae would not move, so the tech couldn't see every part of the heart that she needed to see. This baby is SO stubborn! I even had to have a, uhhh, 'not so fun' ultra sound after we were done with the 'normal' one, because she couldn't get a good view of my cervix to make sure it was measuring long enough. (she did try to measure it anyways, but I guess it was REALLY short, so she wanted to double check!) She thought it was because I didn't have enough water in my bladder (HA! I drank SO much water before I went in, I knew that wasn't why!) But come to find out, baby girl was sitting right on my cervix so that's why she couldn't get a good view of it. It is measuring nice & long right now though, so that's a good sign! I'm very relieved about that, as well. (the surgery I had on my cervix last August could of made my cervix thinner, making it possible for it to open up prematurely, which we do nottt want to happen!) Anyways, I'm glad that everything is good so far. She is measuring right on at 19 weeks 1 day (I am exactly 19 weeks today, so that's a veryyy good measurement!) and her heart rate was at 158!
And yes, baby is still a girl ;)

19 weeks!

I am still feeling about the same this week. Although, my sciatica hasn't been acting up as much, which has been WONDERFUL!
We have also discovered that baby is just like her brother was at this point... she moves for mama all day long, but as soon as someone tries to feel her move, she stops. It's kind of funny. But she definitely doesn't like to be TOLD when to move. Sometimes if I really wanna feel her, I will give her a little shake or poke & I get nothing back. Brans would at least move when I bugged him ;)
Had an ultra sound today - I will update about that in another post. & I have my 20 week appointment next Wednesday!

Santa!

We took Bransyn to see Santa last night! He was so excited when I was talking about him before we left & on the way there, but when we got there & he actually SAW Santa...

The excitement wore off a bit ;)

He did walk up this far by himself... but the last 2 feet we had to give him a little push & I had to sit him on Santa's lap.

He definitely didn't know what to do! haha. He didn't cry at all, but he just kept staring at Santa & then at us.

He did, however, tell Santa that he wants a 'bubuzz' (buzz lightyear) & a 'fourliller' (four wheeler) for Christmas!
We shall see what Santa delivers ;)

18 weeks!

18 week belly! definitely growing, but I kind of feel like I am larger than I should be right now? Oh well, I love it & am actually looking forward to getting even bigger! Yes, I know I won't be saying that anymore in about 10-15 weeks!
I have been feeling better lately, thank goodness! I still have my moments of nauseous-ness, but definitely not as frequent as before!
I'm also not getting headaches anymore - well, for now.
Still pretty dizzy, but it's to be expected the whole pregnancy.
Sciatic pain, on the other hand... whoa. I could seriously do without. Sometimes I want to cry when I get the feeling to sneeze (when the sciatica is acting up) because it just KILLS to have my body move at all.
She is starting to move more & more, and the 'bigger' movements are starting now. Although, they aren't very frequent yet. Sometimes I will stick the remote on my belly & she will make it 'rock' from kicking/moving. I used to do that with Bransyn, too! I can't wait until my stomach starts going CRAZY! (:

17 weeks.

17 weeks preggo with the little miss! (:

I love the fact that I can refer to the baby as a girl now! Soo much better than saying 'it' or him/her! haha.
I swear the second trimester has been worse than the first so far. I'm pretty sure I throw up more now, even though I am just as nauseous as before. And I'm even more tired. And pee more. And the dizziness is more extreme. Whoever said the first trimester is always the worst... lied. haha.
It's okay though, cause every little movement I feel makes it alll so worth it!
I seriously can't believe it's possible to love someone so much before you have even met them!
I just sit & touch my belly & feel her move, just amazed. I remember doing the exact same thing with Bransyn.
I sooo love my kids ♥

My new headband!

I wanted to share the new headband I just received tonight!
I got it from a lady that is from my November mommy board that has a business making headbands & fun stuff like that.
I usually don't buy stuff for myself, (I would of gotten it in newborn size if I had know the baby was a girl at the time I ordered it) but there is a story behind this particular headband.


This headband was made for a family that Stacie - the owner of the shop - is friends with. In the middle of October, their 8 month old little girl named Stella, went in for open heart surgery. I'm not sure what was wrong to begin with, but obviously something severe enough to need the procedure. She made it through the surgery fine, but had some trouble during recovery & sadly, didn't make it. So to help the family out, Stacie made this head band, which can also be a brooch, called the Stella & every single headband or brooch that is sold, 100% of the money goes to the family of this sweet angel. They are $12 each, & $2 for shipping. If you are interested in helping out & supporting this family during such a horrible time, you can become a fan on facebook & let her know what you want, what size & how many.

Petunias In November

She also has TONS of other cute things, that I will be ordering for our little Miss! (: Check her out!

It's a. . .

girl!!!!

Yep, that's right. We are going to have one of each & couldn't be anymore excited! My mama instinct was definitely right on this one. I just knew it was a girl. And I'm super glad I was right. Don't get me wrong, it would have been wonderful to have 2 little boys. But this baby just might be our last, so getting to experience raising one of each, will definitely be fun! ♥

I'm sooo excited to have a little girl! All the headbands & bows, dresses, girly outfits, cutesy shoes, PINK!!! Ahh, I just can't wait to start shopping & preparing for this little lady! And I am finally not going to be out numbered. haha. Ryan will have Bransyn to do all the boy things with, & I'll have baby girl to do all the fun girly things with. Of course, Brans will always be a mama's boy, {at least I hope!} & I'm sure this baby is gonna be the biggest daddy's girl! So it will be just perfect.

Her first name will be revealed when she is born, but her middle name is {98% sure} going to be Mae. The only thing stopping me from making that 100%, is because I'm not sure if it would be stupid to make her middle name the same month she is born in, just spelled different. But I might just not care ;)


Anyways, here are a few more pictures of our baby girl. They aren't the greatest, because she did NOT want to move out of the position she was in. No matter how much the U/S tech poked at & shook her, haha. She was quite comfy curled up, upside down with her head laying on the placenta. Actually, more like burried in the placenta. We could only see half of her face, because the other half was hiding (: Oh well, maybe next time!


The side of her face. Like I said, you can't see it too well.

Not sure how well everyone else can tell, but there are definitely ten little toesies right there!!! (: I have counted them many times ;)



This was the position she refused to move out of. (feet curled up at the top & head at the bottom) haha, must be super comfy!

She had her hands up above her head pretty much the whole time. I love that you can see her little pinky finger sticking out in this one ♥


Laying upside down with her legs crossed!

Black Fridayyyyyyy

This year was my very first time going 'Black Friday' shopping! I wasn't going to go, cause I don't care to stand out in the cold, in a huge crowd getting pushed & shoved, just to save $3 on something. (okay, so most deals are a bit better than that ;) but just sayin') But I found out that the outlet stores in town opened at 11pm Thursday night, so I thought it wouldn't be too bad to go see if I could find some clothes for Bransyn, for a good deal. (since the Children's Place is my favorite place to shop for him lately. Also, Gymboree & Osh Kosh have some cute clothes sometimes, too!) And since there are so many stores there, it wouldn't be too crowded walking outside, & inside the stores. We arrived about 20 minutes before the stores were supposed to open, but surprisingly, Osh Kosh was already open, so we headed in there. I didn't find a whole lot in there, but everything was 10% off of already lowered prices. So I got Brans some jeans & a cute shirt. Amanda also got a few things for Camden. My mom had an extra 20% off (I believe?) a purchase of $50 or more, so we just combined our stuff to save more! I ended up paying about $12 for the whole outfit. The only thing I have to complain about at Osh Kosh, was the line we were in. The computer crashed, or something. so it took for EVER. There were people that got through the other line before we did, that we saw walk into the store after we were already in line. it was ridiculous. Oh well though (:
Next, we went to Gymboree. The whole store was 25% off. I found some cute shirts that were already marked down & I ended up getting them for $3 each! I got 6 total, so I spent (with tax) $19 & some change. The line in there was INSANE, though. Wrapped around the whole store. But still, I could not pass up $3 shirts!
After we were done there, we were waiting to go to a drawing they were having. They had one at 1am, 2am & 3am. The winners got a gift card for all of the stores. So needless to say, we stayed to see if we won any of them. We didn't :( So through out the whole time we were there, we did those at those 3 times. We were even gonna leave earlier, but wanted to stay until 3, because that one was a $500 gift card.
After the second drawing, I wanted to see if I could find any shoes for Brans. So we went into Sketchers. They didn't have ANY cute little boy shoes, so I looked at some that I would like. I got some $70 boots for $30! And they are sooo cute! (: That was my favorite deal of the night! I was soo excited. haha.
We also went over to the other shoe store there (I always forget what it's called!) & they didn't have any good boy shoes, either. Boo. So we headed to the last place we needed to go - The Children's Place. Their sales were AMAZING! 50% off of everything. But, the line was literally zig-zagged through ALL of the boys clothes. There was NO way I was able to even look at anything, because there was someone standing right in front of every rack. So we decided that we would do the last drawing, go over to Walmart to see if they had any good toys, then come back so that we could at least look through everything.
My mom wanted to go home after the last drawing, (she was the only one who drove) so me & Amanda met up with Ryan's cousin & his girlfriend who were heading over to Kohls, & they said they'd just drop us off at Walmart while they ran into Kohls.
We walked around Walmart trying to find good deals for ever. The electronics sale hadn't started yet, so it just looked like a normal day through out the store, just with people sitting on blankets & chairs around the thing they wanted when the sale started. I really wanted to get a Shark steam mop, that was advertised for $36 (normally MUCH more!) but we couldn't find them anywhere, & the employee's were NO help, what so ever. We asked 3 different people & they all just told us 'oh look here, look there' didn't even help us look to see if there were any left. Horrible emplyee's, if you ask me! So I ended up getting 2 dvd's for $2 each & a pair of pj's for Bransyn & one for Camden for $4 each. Still pretty good deals!
After that, we headed back over to TCP. The line was MUCH shorter that time, so I got my shop on (: I found a TON of cute stuff, for amazing deals! I can't remember what my total was before they took the Sale prices off (didn't show up on my receipt) but I spent $54 there & got a lot! I also had a 15% off purchase of $50 or more there, but I didn't know about it until the next day! :( So anyways, Bransyn is set on Winter clothes now.
The grand total on what I spent on JUST clothes?
$85
What the total would of been if I would of paid full price for everything?
$250

AMAZINGGGG!

Definitely doing it again next year. SO worth it! (:

16 weeks

{this was about 2 hours after I stuffed myself - since it was Thanksgiving & all - so I'm sure I look a bit bigger! also don't mind me all weird lookin'... I got ready quick, ha}


I have been feeling this little munchkin moving a lot. I can even feel him/her from the outside if my hand is on my belly & I can see some of the movements poking out, too. It gets me sooo excited everytime! I still can't wait for my belly to start going crazy when baby gets bigger! haha.
I have been having reallly bad sciatic nerve pains, lately. Like SO bad that I can barely move or walk when I get them.
I'm pretty sure I already have the pregnant waddle going on. Sometimes from the sciatic nerve pain, but also because, well, cause it's just more comfortable to walk that way! haha. It's not super noticeable yet, but I can tell when I do it.
Still sick. Still tired. Still dizzy. Still annoyed.
hahaha
Ohh pregnancy, how I love it.

Not much to update, really. Sucks when there isn't much change.

BUT. We do find out if we are going to have another little man, or a little lady THIS upcoming Monday! Yayyyy!
My guess is. . .

Girl.
I definitely think that the reason this pregnancy is so different than the last one, is because of the different genders. I really do just have that 'feeling' that it's a girl, too though. At first, I just thought it was wishful thinking, so I thought I was just thinking it was a girl because I want one so bad. But now I just know it (: We'll see in a few days! Can't wait! (:

{almost} 16 week checkup.

I had my 16 week checkup today - a day early. It was with Lisa again, I'm guessing Dr. Lunt was busy. Not a big deal. This is why I really like having the both of them... keeps the waiting time down! haha. Heard the baby's heartbeat again (: LOVE that sound! It's at 153 bpm. Didn't have too much to talk about this time, not many questions since the last time I was seen. That's pretty much all we had to do, so we just chatted for a bit. These earlier appointments aren't too eventful, but it always makes me feel better when I get to hear that sweet little thudding sound. After I left the office, I headed over to Quest Diagnostics to get my blood work done. Which is always my favorite. Okay, not. I can't stand getting blood drawn, or having IV's. I actually hadn't had blood drawn for over 2 years, since I was pregnant with Bransyn! & my last IV was when I had my surgery in August of 09, so it's been a while! I was super nervous & always feel sick to my stomach whenever I have to get it done, so I was kind of afraid I was gonna puke on the phlebotomist, since I was already pretty nauseous from the pregnancy. But as soon as she called my name back, I jumped right up into the chair & stuck my arm out. I've found myself to be a lot braver this pregnancy so far ;) haha. I always hate the initial poke. It hurts. But usually after that part's over, I don't feel anything. Well, not in this case. I don't know if the needle she used was defective or something, or if she was just moving it a lot. She did have to take 4 viles of blood, so it's quite possible when she took one off to put the next on, she moved the needle around a bit. (I know, nice thing to think about huh?) So it KILLED the entire time. I wanted to cry. It started to get worse more towards the end, so I turned my head over by my right shoulder (she was taking the blood out of my left arm) and kind of had a 'stink face' cause it hurt so bad. The lady assumed I was holding my breath & told me not to. BUT I WASN'T HOLDING MY DANG BREATH! She just could not understand it. haha. Anyways, after she was done, she asked me how I was feeling, & at first I felt fine. Then about a minute later, I closed my eyes & tilted my head down & she asked if I was okay, & I said I felt a bit light headed. She said that I looked reallly pale, as well so she had me put my head down. It helped quite a bit, but she also got me a cup of water & after drinking that & sitting there for a few minutes longer, I felt good enough to leave.
So that was my first blood draw adventure of this pregnancy. I reallly hope I don't have to have it done as much as I did with Brans! But I guess if I do, it'll be worth it!

B's 2 year check-up!

Bransyn's 2 year/24 month check up was today!
He is now 25 pounds - 19th percentile, and 32 inches tall - 18th percentile.
It's so crazy to me that he has only gained 7 pounds in a year. I know that sounds soo horrible, but he's just a little peanut, I guess. He is healthy & doing well, so that's all that matters! I'm pretty sure he doesn't keep weight on very well because he is just sooo active & running around ALL the time, so whatever he puts on, just comes right off! He's gonna be a teensy little kid just like his mama!
Dr. Smith says that he looks like he is doing really well. She asked me a bunch of questions about what he is doing (ex. making sure he says a certain amount of words, jumping with both feet, ect. stuff that 2 year olds should be doing) & I was pretty proud to say that he is doing everything that she asked! (:
I also talked to her about his throwing up issues. I'm not sure if I have mentioned it on here before, or not... but he has been randomly throwing up a LOT. He is not one bit sick, so that's definitely not where it's coming from. Sometimes he does cough so hard that he throws up (the coughing is caused by his asthma, that apparently act up more in the winter) but other times, he'll start coughing BECAUSE he is going to throw up. It's just at random times & I have NO idea what could be causing it! When it first started happening, I thought it was caused by milk. So I started adding about 1/3 water, to 2/3's milk & that did help... for a minute. But then it started happening even after he hadn't drank anything. I was trying to watch & see when it happened & what he had been eating whenever it happened, but there is really nothing in common with each time it happens. Anyways, she told me that it could be his whole milk & to stop giving him whole milk, & just do 1 or 2%. Uhhh... well duh, what do you think adding water does to it?! Makes it not whole milk anymore. He still does it with 1 & 2% Milk, as well. She said she doesn't think it's milk that is causing it, but who knows! I really dislike this doctor, because of her lack of concern & not even looking into anything really. (which YES, I will be changing his dr as soon as I find a new one to take him to) I'm hoping that we can figure out what is going on soon, cause it's soooo sad to have him suffer through throwing up all the time. And I really hate that it randomly happens, because then I can't always control where it goes, unless I keep him next to the toilet 24/7... which uhh. No. ha
I also talked to her about our peanut & egg allergy suspicions. She said that since he throws up everytime he has eggs (NOT when they're baked/cooked into something, but like plain eggs) that he most likely is allergic to them. As for the peanuts, she said that it's weird he threw up & broke out in hives when I gave him peanut butter (when he was about 13 months old - haven't tried again since then) but yet, nothing happens when he eats food that is cooked in peanut oil. She said that if he was for sure allergic to peanuts, then he would have a reaction to the peanut oil, as well. I would reallly love if she would let us do a food allergy test, but again with the lack of concern. She said that we can try putting a dab of PB on his skin & see if his skin has a reaction to that, but I dunno how well that will work. I'm suuuper scared to give him peanuts, since it's realllly bad if you ARE allergic, but I just want to know for sure! Maybe his new dr will actually care enough to get it figured out!

Besides the little pukey issue, our sweet boy is doing very well! (:

Bransyn's Birthday Party!

We had a great turn out at Bransyn's birthday party this year! (: We had the party up at Ryan's parent's house, because it was the biggest, cheapest place we could do it at. haha. I was kind of nervous that it would be suuuper crowded since soo many people were invited, but it turned out okay (: His theme was a 'Candy Land' type thing (NOT like the game, I just don't want to say candy theme?! haha) Everything turned out pretty well, besides I wasn't too thrilled with the cake I made. I thought it would be reallly simple, but boy was I wrong! haha. And the fact that I can never have anything done on time. But that's okay, I just looked like a bum the whole time, cause I had no time to get ready. Oh well, allll that mattered was how stinkin' cute my 2 year old looked! (: Here are a few pictures. We took a ton, but it would take forever to post. And I'm horrible, because I was running around trying to get everything done, that I totally forgot to take a picture of JUST him standing there, for a birthday picture :( And, for the second year in a row... forgot to do a family picture of the 3 of us. Of course, I got a picture of him with EVERYONE else. Ahh, I'm lame. Anyways, here are a few pics (:

This was the table set up. Chocolate bar, candy bar & kids treat bags!

The present table. Which looked NOTHING like this after everyone had arrived... this was only a few people's gifts! He got SO spoiled!

Lemonade & chips.

Sandwiches!

His banner! I love how it turned out (:

The 'candy bar' again.

Chocolate fountain, which was a HUGE hit. It was messy at the end, but everyone loved it (:

Pinata! Little man loved whackin' at it! (:

Singing happy birthday! He loved that everyone was singing to him! haha, he had the biggest smile on his face, then knew exactly how to blow the candles out (: My cake might not of been too pretty, but it sure tasted yummy! (:

Opening his billion gifts! We had to go through them FAST, cause I was afraid he was just gonna try taking everything out right after he opened it, like last year. haha. Surprisingly, he sat there the whole time & opened them (: He's super impressed with all his new toys & clothes!

Annnd, probably his favorite gift, the one he had been talking about for WEEKS before his party. his bike aka 'mo-sy-so' (motorcycle) that he got from his grammy.


Thank you to EVERYONE that came & celebrated this special day with us! We appreciate all of you, especially the ones that came from out of town! (: And thank you for spoiling him ;) He can't get enough of all these new toys! ♥