Second Trimester Faves: Round Two

     The second trimester is sometimes called the "honeymoon" stage of pregnancy, but for me it's the stage that flies. With Davis and now with this baby, I felt oookkkkaaay for the first trimester and then when the second trimester hit, I felt great but busy! This time the majority of the second trimester fell during the holiday season, so it's been a constant whirlwind. If not for Keith putting the crib together and cleaning out the front bedroom, we would have absolutely nothing done! I can't believe that I'll be doing baby laundry again in a few weeks.

     Last time, I feel like it took me a long time to "pop," but with this baby, I started popping much earlier. My beloved rubber band trick didn't last long before my zippers were begging for mercy, and I thought I snapped a rubber band more than once. We're mostly in leggings now, but even those start to roll down sometimes. This baby is not playing. We're about to get large over here. 
The belly is not playing this time...

How far along?  26/27 weeks! What on earth?!

How big is baby?  Kale/Lettuce - 14+ inches and almost 2 pounds

Gender?  #boymom! We are so excited for another sweet boy! I have heard from so many two-time boy moms that there is nothing sweeter than your boy having a baby brother!

Sleep?  Still pretty good. I don't stay asleep long (that's a combination of me, my alarm, and my bladder), and I've brought back my big feather body pillow. It is life.

Maternity clothes?  Lots of leggings. I have a pair of maternity skinny jeans that I'm wearing a lot (although I learned with this pregnancy that they aren't actually maternity...just larger. That bruised my ego, so I had to put them away for a few weeks...), but I haven't pulled out anything full panel yet. I'm thinking of buying myself a few more flowy shrouds though.

Symptoms?  I feel human! I have had some pain in my sciatic nerve area that is very unpleasant, but it's not constant. The belly is here, and baby brother is either suuupppper low (no thank you) or in my stomach (no thank you). I spent a few days dosing on Mylanta, no real heartburn, but just yucky indigestion. Overall, though I'm feeling so good (and so big...and so slow).

Movement?  Tons! Lots of big rolls, almost like he gets stuck then uncomfortable and then has to adjust. I feel a lot at night too.

Wedding rings on or off?  Still on! 

Cravings or aversions?  Carbs still always sound good, but I don't need them like I did in the first trimester. I'm mostly eating normally.

What I miss?  I still miss my normal complexion...and having full use of all my clothes.

Best moment?  Of course I loved our ultrasound, and getting to feel baby kicks again has just been the best! I will never get tired of it.

Christmas Home Tour...a little late

     It's the day after Christmas. We are coming down from the glitter, present, family, cream cheese high and resting at home. Davis totally "got" Christmas this year, and had such a fun time! I loved watching him open presents and say "thank you" and tell me that Christmas is about Baby Jesus "when He was borned." My heart, belly, and house are very full.

     I also realized that in the six (what?!) years I've been blogging, no matter how intermittently my posts have come, I have never not shared Christmas. So I'm here...a little late...a little tired...but sharing my Christmas because I LOVE it, and because I reference these posts yearly to remind myself of where I put things.

It looks crooked...and it kind of is, but I promise it's very sturdy!

     I'm still hearing it about our bald, skeleton tree from last year, but I think I've redeemed myself this year. In other news, we selected it in the daylight with no rain, and I did not drive my buggy into the sliding doors at Lowes. #winning

     Every year our tree stays a lot the same, but I love all of our ornaments! Pretty themed trees are beautiful on my Instagram explore page, but these special pretties are my absolute favorites, and I could never do Christmas without seeing them. As always, some favorites include my butter ornament from the Paula Deen store and my giant stuff ins.

This nativity is one of the things I most look forward to putting out each year. It  makes a huge statement on the shelves and is so pretty to look at!


I did something totally different with the mantel this year. I have got to up my garland game next year though. I'm going to do some after Christmas ornament shopping to zhuszh it up.


I also went a little nativity-themed on these shelves. I cannot stop with nativities...there are worse vices.

     Keith's favorite part of our home is obviously the deer head on the wall. He tells me frequently that it's a "once in a lifetime deer." Whatever that means... Anywayyyy, this year I mentioned that I wanted to fancy Rudolph up a little with a pom pom garland, and I came home to a grinning husband and this...

He is so pleased with himself.

     I kept the dining room pretty similar to last year, but I did add a giant poinsettia that I got from my Secret Santa.


Every year I think of moving my pom pom, glitter picks to the living room tree...but I just love how they look with the red and green and gold!


This basket tray is my decorating life!

     Every year, some part of the season kind of settles in with me, and this year was no exception. In Sunday school a few weeks ago, we read the verse "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." (Luke 2:19). I have always loved this verse, but I never really "got it." Of course Mary treasured the moments surrounding Jesus's birth. Of course Mary thought about how special He was and probably was honored still to have been chosen and for the shepherds to have come to worship...but then what?

     We talked about how Mary may have treasured up these moments and pondered them for the rest of her life and throughout the life of Jesus. When she was in the throes of mothering a toddler and possibly feeling like the task was beyond her, did she ponder again those moments? When Jesus was in ministry, and she couldn't protect him the way mothers always want to do...did she ponder again that this was part of God's plan? When Jesus was arrested and tried and crucified, did she look back on those moments of worship in Bethlehem and treasure that time anew? Her calling was unique and undoubtedly hard. She didn't know that first night in Bethlehem what Jesus's life was going to look like. But the Word does tell us that she treasured up that time and pondered it. I'm thinking she pondered it a lot. I would have clung to those moments, to the call, to the words of the angel like a lifeline. When the world seemed to turn against her Son, she had such moments of glory to treasure and ponder...but we do too!

     That first moment we experienced salvation. That time that the Lord gave us a "peace that passes all understanding." When we heard the call. When a prayer was answered. When a fear was stilled. When we were given a strength and a conviction that we could not explain. Those are the moments we can treasure up and ponder in our hearts. When life gets hard (and it does), we can ponder those moments again. I'm reading that verse differently now than I ever have before, and I'm so thankful for it!

First Trimester Faves: Round Two

     I am very.very.very late with this. As in...starting the third trimester in a few weeks. But I want to remember this time. I talked about finding out last time...still kind of weird for me. I am an over-planner, over-thinker, over-analyzer, and that two week wait after THE "two week wait" was brutal. I was totally convinced there was something wrong with me (aside from the obvious mental problems...).
     Nevertheless, here we are closing in on the third trimester in spite of the four week wait, the first trimester anxiety, the desperate need for carbs, and all the other pleasantries of the first few weeks of pregnancy.
     Similar to when I was pregnant with Davis, I felt weird about telling people. Maybe it's the squealing, maybe it's the "knowing" looks people give you. I was going to keep things to myself until after the first trimester, but scheduling appointments and dodging questions proved a little too much, so my grade level and principal knew at about eight weeks. I did wait to tell the rest of the staff until after the first trimester - donuts for everybody!



Although this was taken in the first trimester, you are not seeing a baby bump. That is, in fact, a food baby from the massive amounts of seafood I had just eaten. Also, on my face is the mania of that Dollar General pregnancy test drama.


How far along?  Currently 25 weeks...but everything else will be about the first trimester.

How big is baby?  Cauliflower!

Gender?  We know! Buuuutttttt I'll wait until my second trimester post to tell about that!

Sleep?  First trimester sleep was no problem. As in I wanted to sleep all the time. I had a few weeks of C.R.A.Z.Y. dreams, but falling asleep and staying asleep were nothing. 

Maternity clothes?  I made it through those first weeks on the rubber band trick although, #spoileralert, it did not last as long this time. I did pull out my maternity camisoles pretty quickly because #comfy.

Symptoms?  I was achier this time. Maybe I was just more aware of it, but I was crampy early on...and sometimes stabby! My skin instantly did terrible things again. I'm like a teenager over here. My hair was weird for awhile. ANXIETY. I don't know if it's a pregnancy thing or a me thing, but the entire first trimester has me wrecked. I remember that with Davis so clearly and was hoping it would be better this time. It.Was.Not. Now that I'm giant and feeling lots of kicks, I'm obviously much better, but this is a weak area for me and there was/is a lot of praying done in those weeks (and now).

Movement?  I was hoping to feel it earlier, but no such luck.

Wedding rings on or off?  Still on! 

Cravings or aversions?  All carbs. Potato chips. Olives. Pickles. Basically anything salty or carby or processed. 

What I miss?  My normal complexion. I know it's vain, but being pregnant sometimes just makes you feel like a big gross teenager. Shiny. Moody. Spotty. Unpleasant. 

Best moment?  The end of the first trimester...also hearing the heartbeat every time! And I will never forget finding out.

McGuire Party of Four

     Was my post title too vague? WE ARE HAVING A BABY! We are so excited about this sweet new bundle set to arrive in March! The front bedroom has been cleared (mostly), and Keith set up the crib the other day. Davis is so excited, and we are right there with him!


     Being pregnant again has been so similar and so different, and I am so thankful to get to do this again. Similar to with Davis, our first ultrasound dated us behind what we originally thought (by ten days this time), so my due date is set at March 26...we'll see. The start of this road however...not the same. Not. At. All.

     Because I'm an over-planning control freak, I was obsessively counting down the days until I could take a test. I don't know if I've shared this or not, but the Lord has been working on my patience for the past thousand several years. I obviously haven't learned it the way He wants just yet. When I tested the first time at 4 weeks and 1 day, it was a hard no. I was really disappointed, and when I was still in limbo 5 days later, I tested again...another hard no.

     This was all the week before we went to the beach with my family. This kind of uncertainty is not what you want right before a beach trip... Y'all, the beach is one of my favorite places on the face of the earth, and I was loving it, but sooooo preoccupied. Halfway through the week (and 8 days after my last test), Keith and I swung into the Dollar General after dinner and bought the last $1 test they had...big spender.

     It was the kind where you're supposed to use a dropper and check the little window (overshare, but this is for posterity...and to remind me to settle the heck down). Y'all, I needed to know before I walked out of the Dollar General, and the test was NOT giving me the promised results in one minute. So there in the DG bathroom, I broke the test open to see if the lines were just hiding somewhere else on the strip. And because my name is Allyson, it kiiiiind of looked like two lines, but also kind of like a hot mess. So baaaaaack to the test aisle for a more traditional stick variety, and back to our house where I smuggled the tests in.

     After we all went our separate ways for bed, I crept out to test, and it was the most instant, plain yes you've ever seen. I told Keith, "That's the craziest thing I've ever seen in my life." Aaaaaand just for good measure I tested again first thing in the morning before I told everybody over breakfast.


     Early days were verrrry similar to Davis, not a ton of symptoms, and when they were there they were very off and on. Lots of anxiety. Lots of craving olives and pickles. Nothing like pregnancy to keep you on your toes (and on your couch).

     I'm hoping to document about as much as I did with Davis, and now that I'm wellllll into the second trimester I should probably get on that. We know what we're having. We know a name. We are so excited! (Did I mention that part already?!)

Day in the Life: Photo Every Hour

     Last week was fall break, so in addition to being a regular human, I also managed to remember this blog! I love Day in the Life posts, and in the sporadic six (what?!) years that I've been blogging I've never done one. I chose a fall break day because even though it wasn't "normal," I actually stood a chance of remembering to take pictures.


6:30

     It is a rare treat for Davis to sleep past 6:00. I think he can sense me as soon as my feet hit the floor...but he must have known it was fall break because he slept in every day #praisehands. He wakes up ready to go, but I require a few minutes with my quilt...and apparently Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (always).
 
7:30

     What is wrong with me that it took an hour to get my coffee?! Not normal. But this mug, y'all. It was a gift from my sister, and I could not love it more. Luke and Lorelai forever.

8:30

     I finally broke away from the couch (judge.me.) to pay some bills and check email. Davis spent a little time watching TV and actually playing! He's been so much better lately about playing in his room. I don't even care that it apparently requires him to dump out every single toy he owns...

 
9:30

     Still working...still coloring...still ignoring the junk I need to clean off the table. Most of it is Davis's art from school. I've got to find a way to sort and store it.

10:30

     Laundry. All the laundry. Also, the vacuum was not out to vacuum. I use it for killing bugs. I've been known to miss with a shoe, but I can suck a spider up in that hose with 100% accuracy. We've had a ton of granddaddy long legs lately...ew.


11:30

     Davis has been having a ton of picnics lately. He's also obsessed with Mickey's Monster Musical (or Castle Mickey).

12:30

     Nap time is the perfect time for me to watch a little show and get in a few steps. This week I got totally sucked in to those Food Network Halloween baking shows and Beat Bobby Flay! What in the world? I typically only watch Food Network for The Pioneer Woman and Trisha (although I did love Emeril and Iron Chef back in the day), but I couldn't stop myself this week.

1:30

     Is there anything better than a clean kitchen and a fall candle? I got another Pumpkin Waffle candle that I raved about last year. They are only FIVE DOLLARS! A few years ago they had a peppermint that was perfect for January...I'll keep an eye out for it. They're still back in the cleaning section of Walmart. YES! Walmart!

 
     
2:30

     He woke up so happy! He did not get that from me...although the promise of a snack may have had something to do with it.
     
     Davis took a little break from playing to read There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat. I love rotating some of his books seasonally, and he gets so excited for new things to read! Also...yes, I am still in my pajamas because fall break.



3:30

     Two pictures for this hour because the one of just meatballs wasn't as appetizing. I did a little dinner prep for this recipe that I've had pinned for awhile now. Mine wasn't Whole30 because I didn't have almond flour (or arrowroot), but it still turned out okay. We did ours with egg noodles instead of mashed potatoes, and we all liked it for dinner and leftovers. I think next time I'll just do a regular meatball (I have a recipe I like better) and use this recipe for the sauce.

4:30

     Finally dressed with make up on! I had a parent meeting at Davis's daycare, and I didn't think it was appropriate to go in pajamas. I was so pleased with my mom hair today. Every once in awhile my topknots really show up...and every other time they lay down and give up. It's probably reflective of my personality...

     Apparently the hour or so after my meeting until bedtime wasn't that eventful because I didn't take a single picture. We ate dinner. Y'all probably know what that looks like.


7:30

     Bedtime routine: potty, brush teeth, pray, sing, bed. Davis has always gone down really easily. It's why he's my favorite. Side note: I still love his cute little tail in pajamas. Can't stop won't stop.

8:30

     A tree makes everything cozier. I'm kind of sad that there will be a short break in my twinkle light game between Halloween and Christmas... I looked all over town for plain orange ornaments, and could not find any anywhere! I need a little more filler for my tree. I don't want anything too Halloween-y; I'm really more into understated decor...


still 8:30

     I went to Kroger the other day with the sole purpose of buying Count Chocula (because health is really important to me), but they didn't have any. Soooo...I pouted for a minute and then listened to my inner child and left with this instead. It did not disappoint!

     After this Keith and I watched a few shows and were asleep by 9:30. We're party animals. Seriously though, I used to love staying up late when I was in middle and high school, but now you couldn't pay me to stay up past 10:00.

     Not the most exciting day and definitely not normal, but fall break was exactly the rest I needed after a whirlwind first quarter at school. The second quarter always flies by, but I'm hoping to be back more often between now and Christmas!



Life Lately: Extra Late Edition

     Three months...I would say that's probably a new record for me...but I really don't think it is. Oooohhhh well. I'm back (for now). We've lived a lot of life lately. We've had our fair share of couch time too, but I digress. I've got so many different things to write about, and I'm not sure if I want to just toss it all out at once or be a good blogger and divide it into individual posts. Decisions. I'll go with my typical m.o. and just start typing and see where we end up. 

     A few weeks ago we went to our town's International Food and Art Festival and had the best time! I didn't even know this was a thing until one of Keith's work friends mentioned it. There was a parade with each participating country in traditional clothes and tents set up with crafts and food. We had food from Japan, Honduras, the Philippines, and Brazil.
     Davis was mostly really sweet, and we only had to make a mad dash across downtown for the port-a-potty twice...#pottytraining #mamasknow.

     I feel like a have a handle on a lot of mom things, but going to big events makes me feel so scattered! I left absolutely exhausted...but so happy for a day with my boys!

     Before we left, we scooted down a side street to grab a few pictures. I've been living here my entire life, and I had no idea there was such cute building art!   

     If that wasn't busy enough, we had a Sunday School fellowship that night at the pumpkin patch. I didn't get a ton of pictures, but I did snap a few cute ones of Davis. He loved the pumpkins and had plenty of opinions about which ones we should bring home.

 
Last year and this year.

He stayed in this wagon for a hot second before he wanted to climb out and pull it himself. Busy.

     This time of year we stay.so.busy., but I am so thankful to carve out times and memories like this! Davis still talks about the pumpkin patch (or "pumpkin patty") and asked about the parade just the other day. He really is starting to remember the fun things we do, and that makes it even more special. Thankfully we have plenty more to do this fall/winter, and I cannot wait. What have you been up to lately? Any fun fall activities I should be doing?

Dear Davis - 2 Years

     Well, Bud, I’ve put it off for a month and a half now, but you’re definitely TWO! We’ve already celebrated you (and continue to celebrate you every.single.day), but I wanted to remember all of your two-year-old stats.
     It’s been a busy month for you! You went to Vacation Bible School, you partied, you got a new baby cousin, and you’ve spent a lot of quality time with Mama – we love summer! Over the past year you have grown in every way. You are bigger and stronger and smarter than ever, and we love watching you grow.

     When people talk about you, the first thing they usually say is what a good talker you are…and they are not wrong. You talk all the time. I got an email the other day that said a child your age might know up to 70 words, and I laughed out loud. You know approximately 10,564,809,464 words and are learning more every day!
     You ask a lot of questions and expect an answer every time. You still love to read, and are getting so good at “reading” the books on your own. I’ve been saying since you were born that you’re really intense. All of your feelings are wide-open 100%, and it’s still true. There is not much in between with you, and when you decide you want to do something, you go all out. (Currently your efforts are focused on jumping into pools…)




Summertime is for playing outside, getting sweaty, and lots of baths!
Loves
Running and Jumping
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Reading
Puzzles
Talking
Fruit


Stats
Length: 35 in. (50-75th percentile)
Weight: 28 lb.(50th percentile)
Head: 95th percentile
Eating: Like a toddler – everything or nothing. When you’re in the mood you love green beans, pasta, cheese, fruit of ALL kinds, and pretty much anything else.
Sleeping: Welllll…you get out of bed before 6 almost every day and come to our room. But you’re a good sleeper and a great napper. Early to bed, early to rise always.


When we told you that you could go out in the rain, you got SO excited!


Why play in the yard when you can sit with Mama and eat graham crackers?


First snow cone date - success!

Orange for you, wedding cake for me.

     Davis Malcolm, you are THE BEST part of our family, and we love you so much! I will never get tired of being your mama. Seeing you learn and grow is so fun and sweet and rewarding. Your big personality blesses me (and challenges me) in the best way. I cannot wait to see what kind of fun we’ll get into in year TWO!

Go Davis Go

     I don’t know how it’s possible, but Davis is TWO! We are six days post-birthday, and I’ve never seen a more two-year-old two-year-old. He has so much personality and so much energy and so very much sass. We love him so much and had the BEST time celebrating him last weekend with our family. We were able to have the party outside on our back deck, and it was so FUN!

     We went with a Go Dogs Go theme because it is a major favorite right now. I tried not to go too much into a car theme or dog theme, and I love how it turned out!

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     I printed off every Instagram print of Davis from the past year to make some fun displays. I thought I might find a fun banner or bunting in my colors that I could hang them on like I did last year but no such luck. I bought all the scrapbook paper (on the table) thinking I would make a banner, but then my (hero) mother found those tissue paper pom pom garlands at DOLLAR TREE. Done and done. I also hung two strands of twine vertically in another window and clippped pictures to those…but they didn’t photograph very well.

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     We did basically the same food as last year, but of course I color coordinated the fruit (#becauseobviously). The idea with the green frosting was to make it sort of like the dog party at the end of the book…but I can never get food coloring to do quite right.

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     Present time was a big deal this year. I think Davis got one of every single kind of outside toy on Earth. He is going to have such a fun summer!  He is good to go on tools and trucks and sporting gear of any kind! Parties are a little overwhelming for kids, but I have loved getting to see him rediscover each of his gifts over the past few days.

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     This leaf blower was a last-minute thing I picked up and ended up being such a hit! He ran through the entire bottle of bubbles right away.

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     Apparently that face plant is just how Davis eats cupcakes at this point in his life. I’ve seen him do it three or four times now. So funny!

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     We love Davis Malcolm so very much, and it is one of my greatest joys as a mother to see people love on him! His party was just a perfect (albeit tiring) day full of love and fun. Davis loves seeing all his people and was so sweet to everyone. Any sadness at seeing my baby grow up is way overshadowed by the joy of seeing him come into his own! We are going to the doctor on Monday, and then I’ll be back to share a little update on him…and just in case you think this kind of photo-op is, in any way, true to life…

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This is much more our speed. A healthy dose of defiance and “bye, y’all!”