Ball Pit.......

We made Brayden a Ball Pit from his old pool; cheap switch over but hours of fun & entertainment for all.  He loves the darn thing so much & even takes all of his toys in there with him (he loses them in there too) & just loves it.  Those little balls get every where & under everything but who cares my little man is having fun!!!

Here is B is in pool (back in June)..............

And here he is in it now............

(notice in almost all of the pictures he has toys in there with him)

Lost his toy & asking momma "where did it go?"

12 Weeks (yesterday)......

Due Date: May 6, 2011
Total weight gain: 2lbs. (doctor says that I am under weight so I will need to gain more weight this time; I told them that I will only be gaining the same 32lbs. that I gained with Brayden........NO MORE)
Morning Sickness: nope
Cravings: all things sweet, chocolate, sugary & spicy.  It is wierd though because I didn't have any of these cravings with Brayden until the end!
Sleep: I wish I could get more than a few hours.  I had this issue when I was pregnant with Brayden (& I have never been a good sleeper anyway) but I have no problem falling asleep but I can't stay asleep.
I can't live without: Water; I am so thiristy all the time.
I miss: Wine.......Ravenswood Red Zinfendel to be exact
I am looking forward to: We have a doctors appointment on Monday at 3pm & we will get to see our little one!!  We have to go see a specialist because of Lance's heart & lung issues & to get some other things looked at more closely too (I will explain later)
Milestones: Getting out of 1st trimester
Exercise: Walk with Brayden 5 mornings a week & let me tell you our neighbor is very hilly & his stroller is VERY heavy so I get a very good workout.  I am going to start my pregnant pilaties this week too.
Diet: I was eating healthy before so now I am just trying to stay away from all the sweets I am craving
Movement: Not yet
Gender: We will find out November 23rd @ 10:30 am
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Shot:

Show Us Your Life - Brayden's Nursery

Kelly's Korner is doing the "Show Us Your Life" Fridays and I have been wanting to post pictures of our new house since we moved in months ago so I am going to join & show our work in progress!

This week is Nursery's & everyone loves to look at those so here is Brayden's:

Book Shelf Build By Daddy

Changing Table - my least favorite part of his room

BUT there is a plan in motion to get it fixed up just right!!

 

 He is quite the ladies man!!

 Closet - I am in the middle of cleaning it out so please excuse the mess.

My FAVORITE view of his room.......

Here's a photo taken at his birthday party with out the bite protector on his crib.........

 B's bedding is cute & perfect for our little boy

 

All Brayden's friends sleep with him at night & he will wake up in the middle of the night just to turn on the aquarium!  When he gets older we are planning on putting a real on in there for him.

 More friends at the other end of the crib to keep him company & the Bulldog to protect him.........

Dresser & Lamp

 

His Bear & Dog that he says good morning & gives hings & kisses to EVERY morning.......

without fail!

This will soon be moved into the new baby's room; sadly he hasn't let me rock him in forever.

Without the glider he will have more room for more toys........

 

He loves his room & I feel like it fits him perfectly.............

Sweet Dreams Sweet Brayden

Soon enough we will start planning the new baby's room; most likely I will be asking for opinions before we even know the baby's sex (which by the way we will find out on November 23rd @ 10:30am)!!

Trying Not To Judge........

I have admitted in the past that I am a reality TV junkie & that fact has not changed!!  Our DVR has been or is set up to record wonderful shows like Jersey Shore, Big Brother, Teen Mom, 16 & Pregnant, Amazing Wedding Cakes, Say Yes to the Dress, Hells Kitchen, all of the locations of The Real Housewives, & so many more.  Now that I am pregnant I am finally catching up on them all; I don't know why but I had it with Brayden & I have it now with the new baby............insomnia!!!  I am not sure if it is a good or bad thing but I love that I can watch "my shows" when I can't sleep!!

The latest & greatest location for the Real Housewives is Beverly Hill & I just recently I got to watch the premier & of course loved the show (as I do all of the locations) but I have to admit that I was honestly actually really shocked by one of the ladies on this show.  It was in the mist of a conversation between a few of the ladies Camille Grammer (Kelsey Grammer's soon to be ex-wife)  shocked me.  The ladies were just randomly talking about their children & she says she used a surrogate when having both of her children.  I was trying NOT to pass judgement but was really caught of guard & of course my initial reaction was "how vain can one person be?".

I finished watching the show but kept thinking about what she had said & kept wondering if she did it because of vanity & not wanting to ruin her perfect Beverly Hills body or if there was a real issue that kept her from being able to carry her children on her own so...........I googled it.  I am not sure why but I HAD to know the reason for why she & her husband decided on this route & her reason was she has IBS (Irritable Bowl Syndrome).  So again I googled IBS & found that Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder that affects the large intestine (colon). Irritable bowel syndrome commonly causes cramping, abdominal pain, bloating gas, diarrhea and constipation. Despite these uncomfortable signs and symptoms, IBS doesn't cause permanent damage to your colon & can be controlled by following some dietary suggestions & guidelines.  All good information right & yeah it sounds painful & quite awful HOWEVER what I did not find is any reason why this condition (however uncomfortable or painful) is any reason for her not to have carried her own children.  So was this a reason for her use so that she really wouldn't be judged for her vanity??  I know that Hollywood is a different place to live in than Buford, GA but women around the world all struggle with some of the same issues & this is a major one as far as I see it!

I guess what disturbed me about this & maybe why I was particularly bothered about this (to the point of using google like a mad woman) was women (like myself) struggle with their body image & self esteem on a daily basis & I know that for me it gets worse while being pregnant.  Let me just say that since I was about 16 I have worried about the way I look & I know that it is not the healthiest way to live but have been working on it this issue over the past few years & have slowly been moving toward seeing my self in a better light & looking more on the inside & less on the outside.  I do not starve myself or the baby but I do constantly worry about what I am eating, how much I should eat, is this better than that, or how much weight will I gain if I do indulge in that delicious ice cream sundae..........it is a day to day struggle that I deal with BUT wouldn't ever change the fact that I love being & feeling my children grow inside my body.

I am sure that there are women out there that have IBS & have gone through painful pregnancy's & I just wonder do they see what Camille used as a reason for using a surrogate as a slap in the face or would they have done they same thing if they too had her money??  I know that it is so wrong to judge & "to each his/her own" but this really struck a cord with me & I just had to vent & get it out. 

I pray daily that God will help me to get over my body image issues & that it happens sooner in my life rather than later; I pray for strength to worry less & enjoy more on a daily basis; I pray that I do not pass these silly & selfish issues on to my children & I pray for inner peace.

Worst Mom Ever......

Yep, that is how I am describing myself right now.  I am tired, getting frustrated at everything &  over all feel like I am the worst mother to walk the planet.  I have been feeling really good as far as the pregnancy goes but over the past week I hit a wall & everything makes my stomach hurt.......not sick, but hurt & on top of that I am getting frustrated with everything & I mean everything VERY quickly.  I find myself taking a lot of deep breathes so as not to take it out on B..........what kind of a mom am I; I am going to get mad at my 14.5 month old because I am tired........real good Mitzi.

I hope this passes very soon & I am back to my old self very soon because I hate this feeling & I don't want being pregnant to affect my days & nights with my beautiful, growing, laughing & very independent little boy!!

Here are some pictures of B at his 1st ever baseball game.  We went to his cousin's game a few weekends ago & we had the best time!!!

Watching his cosin Max play........

Paddy Caking w/JuJu

 Loves his cousin.........

A HUG from his cousin Caleb........this is a big deal for Caleb since he doesn't really hug!!

 Brayden & his Aunt Cindy taking a walk........

What A Difference..........

I have heard that most women "pop" or "show" a lot sooner & quicker with their second child & all I have to say is it is true; my belly is already pushing out like crazy & it is not bloat or gas!!

This is when I was 11 weeks with Brayden.........

And here is me at 11 Weeks with Baby G #2 (yesterday)

I am amazed at how different I look belly wise & how horrible I look in the picture Lance took last night.  I look like I just rolled out of bed not off the sofa.  Anyway at this rate I will look 9 months pregnant by Christmas.........

So Many Faces.........

It amazes me just how expressive Brayden is with his face; some of these faces that he makes crack me up to tears!!  He will just be sitting there playing with a toy, reading (not really) a book or just walking around & he will look at me & just make a face & I will die laughing & then he laughs too & it is the best heart warming feeling EVER!!

 Better watch out momma cause here I come.

He sticks out his tongue when he is concentrating so something (like his Puddy)

 Trying to make a car noise (he tries to do both "vroom" &/or "beep beep")

Wrinkles his nose up sometimes when he smiles (just like me)

Again trying to make a "vroom" sound but he just ends up spitting a lot

 Heart Melting Smile