Nash Edward James

On May 24th at 7:21 pm, Zach and I met our second little blessing. He came at 40 weeks 3 days. He weighed in at 8 lbs 4.5 oz.. A whole pound bigger then his big bro! 

When I first held him, I just melted. He stole my heart right away. He was absolutely beautiful. He reminded me of his big bro so much. They looked identical! 

I didn't have the easiest labor with him (like I did Zane) but it was 10000% worth it.  

Zach was so supportive during the whole process. Not that he wasn't with Zane's birth, but things were different this time around. He actually watched this time and was really talking me through the process. It helped me a lot. He clamped and cut the umbilical cord and bonded with Nash right away- just like he did Zane. 

He was born with longer blonde hair (Zane barely had any and what he did have was dark).  Nash's isn't long on the top of his head though. 

On our way home!

He is so cuddly. 

So many things are new and different to me this time around. I only had Zane home 2 days before we were back in the hospital, so I really didn't get the opportunity to really bond with him the way I wanted to. He also didn't eat, so I didn't get to breast feed him like I wanted to either. I don't even remember taking care of his circumcision because he was in the NICU while it was healing. Now, I am experiencing a lot of things for the first time.. even though this is my second boy. 

Nash is just the sweetest little baby. He looks at me with his big eyes and I just fall in love with him all over again. He loves to suck and is already obsessed with his wubbanub.. just like his big bro! 

By the way.. how stinking cute is his dinosaur wubba??? Love it! He also loves to lift his head already! He always wants to see what daddy and Zane are doing. I can tell he already wants to be one of the boys now and start playing with them. He sleeps good and sometimes I have to wake him up at night to eat. 

I can't even describe the feelings I am having being home with my two boys. It is just amazing. Zach went back to work the day after we got home from the hospital and I haven't had any big problems. I even took them both to Nash's first doc appt by myself and they did great (thanks to my double stroller). 

Zane has been a great big bro. He is still a little rough with him now but that's to be expected. He covers him up with blankets, puts his wubba in his mouth, says "hi" and waves to him, and checks on him time to time. I'm so proud of him. They are going to be the best of friends. 

Look at these two... 

Zane on left and Nash on right. I have to admit, zach and I make some handsome little boys. 

Finally! A pic with his eyes open! 

I just love these boys so so much! I am one lucky wife and momma! 

Short and sweet post so I can get back to my boys! 

More to come! 

Zane updates- 20 Months

I have been very anxious to meet Nash, but it hasn't taken any attention away from my amazing, smart, handsome little man, Zane. He amazes me everyday with his milestones and overall personality. 

He's 20 months old now and is growing up more and more each day. I feel like I have to brag about all of his updates because I am such a proud mommy. He makes my heart melt. 

Here are my updates...

He is such a little boy... Makes the "boy noises" (that's what I call them) when he plays, just likes all boy things in general. 

He loves cars and trucks. He will make his "car noise" say "beep beep" and crawl on his hands and knees to push them around the floor. 

He likes to build with blocks. 

He loves playing with all kinds of balls.. shooting basketball hoops and playing with his Tball set. He impresses me with his skills already. 

He loves to have a playmate. He will grab my finger (or anyone else's) and say "play" and drag you to his playroom, room, wherever to get you to play with him.

He has (almost) all his teeth.. His last bottum tooth is getting ready to pop through and then all we have left is his 2nd molars. He had 3 coming in at once! Ouch! 

His vocabulary amazes me. He pretty much will repeat everything we say and is putting words together now. Our favorite thing is him saying "mommy" and "daddy" instead of "mama" and "dada". Zach and I think it's so cute! Also, when he screams "OH, NO!" It's so funny. It is still hard for me to understand him sometimes but I can usually determine what he is saying.

He is obsessed with Elmo. I really don't know why... He asks to watch "Elmo" all the time but gets mad when I put on sesame street and Elmo isn't on it the whole time. Haha. He has 3 Elmo stuffed animals and likes to carry them around. He never really watched it that much before he started liking him. It's pretty cute though. 

He LOVES books! He will bring zach or I book after book to read. His favorite is Nurse Nibbles. Even if I try to hide it in the mess of books we have, he will find it. This can sometimes go on for 30 mins or so.. Lol he just loves to read I guess!

He is such a good little eater. He loves carrots and broccoli, meats, cheese, fruits.. Everything. Zach and I usually don't have too much trouble getting him to eat unless we are out at a restaurant with family. He likes his routine which is eating with mom and dad at the dinner table each night. He also knows to say his prayer with us before we eat. He will grab our hands and sometimes even bow his head when we pray before dinner. He also uses his utensils really well. He loves to feed himself applesauce or yogurt. 

Here are some of my Project Life pages for this summer...

It's obvious that he really loves spending time with daddy. 

He loves the homemade Popsicles I made. I have a ton of recipes pinned on Pinterest, but I kinda just winged these. I used blueberries, strawberries, pears, apples, organic whole milk vanilla yogurt, and almond milk. They turned out pretty good apparently because he loves them. 

And how cute is this page of Zane and his bubby??? Can't wait for them to finally meet. 

He is fully transitioned into sleeping in his toddler bed. Last night, Lexi was begging to be in his room with him. So I let her in, and she climbed up on his bed. So cute. 

He hasnt fallen out at all but I have kept a blanket on the floor just in case. 

He LOVES playing in water. He is a water baby for sure and I love it! I can't wait to get him to the lake this year. It'll definitely be a blast! 

Downsides... 

Especially because of the teething, he wants his wubba "pacifier" a lot. We have decided not to break him of it yet because of the baby coming. I would hate for him to give it up and then just regress when the baby comes. So we aren't rushing it as of now. 

Now more than ever (because I'm 40 weeks pregnant) I am having a hard time playing with him. He wants me on the floor and it just hurts my back too much. Sadly, he's been watching Elmo more than usual (bad mom status).. But let's be honest, sometimes I need a break. Lol

It's hard raising a little boy at this age and teaching him not to hit but letting him "rough house" with dad. It's one of Zach and Zane's favorite things to do.. They love wrestling with each other, being rough, and just being boys in general. But I'm trying my best to teach him it's only ok to "hit" when playing with daddy. Sometimes I'll catch him hitting at inappropriate times.. Hopefully this will get easier the older he gets. 

On a side note...

I just received my most recent order from SkinFood by Aubrey. I am loving my new "you say tomato" lip balm! Look at how pretty it is! 

Oh, and I also use her detox charcoal soap and her body butter on my face. It is so refreshing! 

I also bought the charcoal tooth polish. It looks scary because it's pure black, but I've heard good things and I'm anxious to see how it works!

Stay tuned! 

Just relax????

I am always on the go... and that's an understatement. I may be a stay at home mom, but my days are anything but "lazy" "relaxing" or "uneventful". I try my best to give Zane as much attention and play time as he needs. Needless to say, this isn't easy while being 39+ weeks pregnant and just exhausted. 

He's 20 months.. He's active. And I love it. Most days, we are outside by 9:30 or 10 (depending on the weather). I tried my hardest to get him as many outside toys for this summer as possible mainly because I know I will be busy with a newborn soon. We also had concrete poured for a more suitable backyard area for him to play and have his toys. I mean look at this setup.. 

How could he get bored with all these fun things!?!? From pool time to a sandbox.. He should be set. But we have big plans to have lots of family fun in the sun this summer. Lots of trips to my sister in-laws parents pool (thanks aunt Leslie in advance!!), zoo trips, water parks.. Zach and I can't wait to show our boys a good time! Of course, Nash will just be hanging out, haha. But at least I won't be pregnant and will be able to enjoy these great times with my boys! 

Most of the time, people will tell you to be really active and walk a lot to induce labor. Well, that's not going to work for me. I have walked basically my whole pregnancy and have always been active. So if anything, I think little Nash is pretty comfy in there with all my activity. So my best friend told me to do the opposite.. just relax!! Sounds like the perfect idea! I tried, but it just doesn't work. Especially with a 20 month old.. Lol. But I am trying. Zane likes mommy to play with him, read him books, and I make sure I do those things.

Also, I think I have been nesting for the past few weeks. I have cleaned my house top to bottum! Multiple times! Then I've been trying to keep up with it and it's exhausting me. My OCD is in full force. But I have decided to take a chill pill and just sit. This is what my morning is consisting of today.. Relaxing in my Florida room watching the today show. What you can't see is Zane hanging out underneath my legs. Lol

Zane and I spent the ENTIRE day with my mom yesterday. We were out shopping, lunch, thrift stores, etc from 9am to 5. So today, I'm really tired! But, we had a blast! We are so ready for Nash to arrive. But sorry to say, all my "activity" yesterday didn't induce labor. 

At this point, I just want him to come on his own and enter this world healthy as can be. I already love him so incredibly much. Zane is anxious to meet him as well. His bag all ready to go!

I still have tons of things I need to do.. But they involve orders for Redo4U and getting ready for my best friends baby shower! Omg I can't wait to celebrate little Ethan! And of course, planning lake trips! Lots going on this summer, but we are excited! 

But first, let's have a baby (soon).

Toddler bed tips and tricks

This week, Zach and I decided to completely transition Zane into his toddler bed. He is 19 months (will be 20 months on May 23rd). I wanted to share my tips and tricks of how we transitioned him. For us, it was extremely easy. Of course every child is different, so my methods won't be 100% effective for everyone else like they were for me, but it's worth a share! 

I want to back up a little bit...mainly because I believe transitioning was really easy due to how we got him to sleep in his crib when he was a baby. Zane started sleeping in his crib between 2 and 3 months old. We started by rocking him to sleep and then slipping him into his crib to finish his nap. He got more comfortable being in his crib that way. As time went on, we would just put him in his crib awake and turn on his lullaby music. If you have read my page about "mommy must haves" you will remember this little device.. It is one of my all time favorite things we have for Zane. 

It plays several different lullabys and also shines a light with pictures on his ceiling. It has a timer as well. 

We are "those" parents that let him "cry it out" is his crib when he was younger. And we are not ashamed of that...  This is NOT easy... But for the sake of him transitioning well and our own sleep as parents, this was the best way for us. It didn't last long... He leanered quickly how to self soothe. He has always used a pacifier and I think that helped a lot and also his music helped.

If you are in the middle of this transition and you find yourself having to go into their room, DO NOT pick them up. Instead, rub their back/head/tummy, (whatever you like) and try to soothe them by not taking them out of their crib. We never started bringing him into our bed so fortunately enough, we won't have to "break" that habit. Of course he has ended up in our bed here and there throughout the past 20 months.. But by no means is it an every night thing. However, I will say that when you start it, it's easy to continue it and harder to break the habit. Zane had a few "bad" nights one week where we would bring him in our bed and it was starting a habit. We quickly noticed it and stopped it immediately. Zach and I need our bed for us. This is just our personal opinion obviously and it is what has worked best for us. 

When it came to transitioning him into his "big boy bed" we did a lot of the same techniques. We started by buying him a new bed (his crib will be going to the new baby). We made it a BIG deal with him. He helped assemble it with dad and I made it seem like the best thing ever. I would say things like "oh, you get to go night night in your comfy bed!" "You're such a big boy!". I also made it as comfy as I could. I bought him a comfy pillow and comforter. 

We started by taking nap in it. To make sure he would stay in bed, I would turn on his music and pat his back to make him fall asleep. It went well. If he would wake up too early, I would walk him back to his bed and do it again. It took patience some times.. He didn't always fall asleep right away.. But I was consistent and that's what matters. We did this for a couple months. We weren't in a huge rush. Again.. Consistency is key!

When we decided to transition him completely, we put up a baby gate outside his door to make sure he couldn't get up in the middle of the night and walk around the house without us knowing. We again started with laying him in bed, putting his music on, and patting his back. I didn't want to just place him in his bed after he was asleep because he wouldn't know where he was. The first night he woke up at 5 but went back to bed. Every other night, he slept until his regular wake up time.. Around 7 or so. It has been a week now and for the last couple nights we were able to just tuck him in, give him kisses, turn on his music, close his gate and he would fall asleep on his own.

Zach and I are so proud of him. He has acted like such a big boy and made the transition incredibly easy on us. The best advice I can give is to stay strong, determine the "rules" between you and your significant other so your on the same page, and follow through. If you teach them that if they cry or do "this" or "that" to get their way, that is what they'll do. Kiddos are smart and they know how to manipulate us parents. Also, start early. I knew that he was fully capable of sleeping in his own bed, so I went with it and he did great. Not every child is ready at the same time though. You know your little one and what is best for them. 

I guess there really wasn't much to it for us.. Probably because it was something we started months ago and just now decided to complete the process. If you have any tips/tricks, please share!! 

Oh, and we are still waiting on Nash to arrive. Currently at 39 weeks.. Today (may 17th) is the second due date they gave me... The 21st is the original. Come on, little guy!! 

Family Fun

This past weekend was Mother's Day, and we had the perfect weekend full of family.

We spent Friday evening with Zach's side of the family and we went out to dinner. The kiddos were great. They are getting so big and love to hang out with each other. They would have loved to run around the restaurant the whole Time (which they did for a bit).

On Saturday, we went over to my parents house to get some last minute maternity photos and have dinner with the family. My mom took our photos in the backyard and they turned out perfect! I was planning on doing this for awhile now and it suddenly hit me, I'm 38 weeks pregnant... I don't have much more time. Since this is my last pregnancy, I definitely wanted to get some pics to remember it.

Here are just some of the pics...

I have had a ton of people ask me how I have stayed so thin during this pregnancy... and my answer is, "i'm not sure". I really have been eating a lot and snacking a lot. I'm not sure why I haven't gained as much this time compared to my pregnancy with Zane. The only thing I can say is that I have awesome genetics...to be honest, genetics has a lot to do with it. However, I do try my best to eat relatively healthy and I make sure I stay active. Zane and I take a lot of walks, so I suppose that may help.

Also, here are some great family pics we got after dinner on Saturday...

Zane at (almost) 20 months

Grandma and her grandbabies

My sister in-law (Leslie), niece (Scarlett), brother (John), myself, Zane, and Zach

Just taking a walk with grandma

My grandma (Donna) with her Great- Grandbabies

My step-dad (Jeff), and Zane

My momma and I

On Sunday morning (Mother's Day) my boys surprised me with new hanging flowers for the front of the house, a precious card, and a new fan for our Florida room. I was previously complaining to Zach that I have been too hot in the Florida room during the day... lol so he was nice enough to get me a new fan! sounds silly, but I was very excited. He also went and got me Dunkin Donuts for breakfast (my request). 

We spent the rest of the day at a cook out with my Schamel family. We don't get together with them often, so this was very special and fun! We got to visit with the whole family. Even my aunt and uncle were in town from New Mexico. 

Scarlett and Zane

Zane Marshall

My daddy with his grandbabies

My aunts and Grandma Schamel

Overall, it was the perfect weekend!!!

It's baby month!!

May means baby Nash will be here soon!!

Some updates... 

I'm still craving cereal. Any kind. Sometimes I'll eat 3 bowls a day! I'm starting to want more sugary kinds too... I just can't get enough. And I drink about 8 glasses (at least) of water a day. 

I'm starting to get uncomfortable in the evenings. Sometimes he is just in a weird position where I can't get comfortable. I also wake up in the middle of the night and every once in awhile I can't fall back to sleep. Really nothing too major to complain about. 

Zane is so ready to meet his little bro. He loves giving my belly kisses and saying "bubba". Oddly enough I really think he knows what he's talking about. He knows there is a baby in mommy's belly. I know he is going to absolutely love his little bro! 

Bag is almost packed! I just have some odds and ends to pack last minute. Nash's is packed and ready to go! Daddy's will be a last minute thing.. He doesn't require much.

I have finally got everything I need. We just got our double stroller and it is the bomb.com!!! I love it! We went with the contour tandem double stroller. It has tons of different options.. The kiddos can face each other, forward, backward... It does it all! Check it out! Can't wait to actually use it. If you're interested in seeing it in action, you can go to the toys-r-us website and watch a video. I wasn't able to paste the link while on my phone. But here is a pic of all it's options.

I've read all kinds of reviews and they were all positive. It moves easily and fits everywhere. At first I really wanted a side by side... But after getting advice from other mommies and reading reviews I think this is the better option for us. I wanted a side by side so the kids could interact. But, this allows them to be facing each other and away from each other if needed.. Ya know, siblings aren't always going to be getting along. Lol 

And it was a decent price.. A lot of other strollers I looked at were close to $500. This one is at babies-r-us and was around $250.

Doc updates...

The last ultrasound I had (4/29), they said he is estimated to arrive/measuring at May 17th now.. But I'm not going to get my hopes up... I just hope he shows up on time! 

I'm at 125 lbs and still gaining. No stretch marks. No swelling.. Yet. I hope I don't! I'm still wearing my wedding rings without any struggle. I can't remember when, but I think it was about a month before I had Zane that I couldn't fit my rings on. 

Honestly, I think constantly lifting my 19 month old has kept me in shape.. Haha and we walk a lot. 

Here's and update on baby bump pics...

I've only missed a couple weeks.. It's not easy keeping up with weekly photos but I'm so glad I have. This is my last pregnancy and I want to remember and document everything! You can definitely tell I've got some sun between weeks 36 and 37! Woohoo! 

Here's to just a couple (hopefully) more weeks!!!