Age: 3 Months

Height: 23 3/4 inches (50th %)

Weight: 13 lbs 0 oz (30th %)

Milestones: He's a rolly little dude! He can do full rolls. 

Favorites: He loves his mom, the tula, dad, brother and sister, his paci, cuddling and kisses. 

Best Moment: We love snuggling. He is the most lovey little dude and is always in the carrier or held. He loves being in the bath and when he wants to snuggle in close or when he gets excited he rolls on his side, brings his legs up and his arms in like a little ball.
Worst Moment: Not really any bad moments excluding the colic and projectile vom. When he had his shots he had a high fever and his poor thighs were so sore for a couple of days. 

Health: He's growing really well and all the concerns we had at his birth are resolving themselves. He's growing big and strong! 

Eating: He LOVES to eat. He eats all the time. He doesn't eat as much as his brother but he snuggles a lot more. Still breast feeding and no introduction to any foods for probably three more months. He does get formula sometimes when I'm at school. 

Extra comments: Everything is going really well now. School is rough being away from him but it makes me cherish the time home even more. I love his wrinkly little head and his squishy and soft thighs. He loves to suck on him bottom lip and is finally getting some little arm rolls. He always looks surprised and can actually be sat down for a couple minutes. He smiles all the time and loves the sound of the hair dryer.

12 Day Juice Cleanse

OK! So I had a lot of interest on my Facebook page about joining a 12 day juice cleanse with me! I am starting today and going until midnight on the 11th....or maybe longer. We'll see. Today I am just going to share the very basics of a juice cleanse. To see why you should do one look here and to see my favorite recipe go here.

Yellowstone

Whole30-ish

Most of you probably know I am currently waiting for my new computer. Foster poured water all over my old one and completely fried it. Until then phone posts will have to do. 

We have been actively trying to eat better recently. We want to set a good example for the kids and be able to live energetic, adventurous, healthy lives. That all starts with food. This morning we made a Sausage and Apple Sweet Potato Hash. It was too good to not share with you all! It did take awhile to make but it could easily serve 6 or, like we did, serves four with leftovers. 

Foster's Two!

This weekend we had Foster Brady's second birthday party! I seems like just yesterday we were throwing his first birthday. This year he wanted a Minion birthday party so we did a super simple swimming minion party! I was sure we were going to get rained out but instead it was the perfect shady and warm day for swimming. He had lots of friends show up and the big kids swam the entire time. 

We started the day with homemade Mickey Mouse pancakes and bacon then we went to Mamy and Gramp's house to set up for his birthday. While I was setting up Bryson went to grab fruit, veggies and candles and on the way back he picked up Taco Bell so we could eat before the party. Foster had a burrito and taco that he quickly fed to the dog.

Instead of a cake we had minion twinkles but my favorite part of the whole day was when he grabbed one of the veggie trays and brought it over to his little table to eat all alone. When everyone was singing him Happy Birthday he didn't know what to think so he screamed at everyone to stop. 

River was unimpressed with the days shenanigans and just wanted to be held the whole time....wait, that's every day. Lo was so busy swimming with everyone I saw her maybe 5 minutes the whole time and besides that she was swimming around the pool. 

Like any good mom I took a plethora of pictures that I couldn't narrow down, so enjoy 934093275 pictures from Foster's second birthday party! 

River: 1 Month

River Jayce Jude! 

Our big boy is already 1 month! Where has the time gone? He's done a lot of growing and gotten a million snuggles so I am going to do a mini update of his first month and then go over some of my favorite moments we've had with him :) 

Age: 1 Month

Height:  22 inches

Weight: 10.6 lbs, +3lbs

Milestones: Is eating a ton and cuddling considered a milestone? If so than that's what we do. Really though, he is focusing on things and awake more. He still would like to just cuddle on mom all day but now he's playing more :)

Best Moment: My favorite moments are just cuddling with him and I love wearing him in his carrier.  My very favorite time was when we first came home from the hospital and we slept together all day for the first four days or so. I love bonding with the little being that grew in my belly for nine months.

Worst Moment: He HATED the Dr's office but didn't make a peep during his heel prick. He just screamed the whole appt 

Health: He's doing amazing. He's growing like crazy and hitting/surpassing all of the milestones he should be. We have another appt for his heart and a check up with shots next month but ever all he seems to be doing really well. Foster was even sick and River managed to stay healthy eve though everyone else caught a strain of it. 

Eating: Obviously eating is going great. He's my little chubby boy! Him and Foster were less than a pound different in weight when they were born but River is already two pounds more than Foster was at this age. 

Extra Comments: This month has flown by! He's been with us the entire time, work and all and is always held or in the carrier. He's our baby baby and he's already getting spoiled rotten. And I love it! 

Meeting Brother and Sister

After I was a little more functional Lo and Foster came to meet their new little brother. Lo was immediately smitten while Foster was a little more stand offish. Foster wasn't sure how to act with the new baby so he started testing the limits in the hospital but he adjusted well since we've been home. Lo has been at her dads since we've been home but I'm not worried about how she'll be with River at all. She is absolutely in love with all babies and is such a good big sister. Whenever someone else would hold River in the hospital she would ask them if she could hold him again. 

The Morning After Part III \ III

I could write about how River slept on me all night, about all the family that came to celebrate him or all the kisses he got from dad. I could say how I exhausted I was from a day of laboring and a night of recovering from a c section, but, instead, I think I'll just leave these pictures here so you can see the love for yourself that was all around the day that River was born. 

OR. Part II / III

The OR is a strange experience. It's something very medical for a very personal experience. It is the farthest thing I could have imagined ten months ago when I was planning my perfect home birth. While I planned what I would have wanted in a c section I never really considered it a possibility. My body knew what to do and while I was transitioning in what I would consider a perfect way, but my sweet baby was having problems. 

Labor. Part I / III

I've decided to split River's birth story into three separate parts. There is just too much to put into a single post. When trying to figure out how to split it up I was trying to think of all the different emotions I felt and what needed to be talked about where. In reality, the best emotion I have to the day of River's birth and the next couple of days after is distance. I felt like an outsider watching what was happening with zero control. I completely gave up any control I had and put my faith in my doctors and nurses that they would do everything they could to get River and I through labor safely. 

Lo's Kindergarten Graduation

When we started Lo in kindergarten a year early we had no idea how amazing she would do. We knew she would learn to read and add but I had no idea that her already huge heart could get even bigger. She is still the most kind hearted, spunky little girl I know and I am so proud of her for continuing to be sweet and sticking up for other people. 

What I wasn't prepared for was her sudden dislike in vegetables. If you have been following awhile you know we eat a ton of veggies in our house. My kids love veggies and normally we have that instead of meat but now veggies "aren't cool". Well, I just didn't know that ;) In her bio she said her favorite food was "spaghetti without the veggies".... smack talk at dads cooking during a graduation, ouch. Another thing I wasn't prepared for was the "new" slang. Did you know the word stellar is coming back? It is. 

39 Weeks Bumpdate

I wish I had some fun and exciting news about big changes and that my Dr is pretty sure I'm going to go into labor today...in fact, I am actually already in labor and didn't even know it.....but yea, that's not the case. I had my appt today and there is basically zero change from last week. I am still 2 cm dilated and 75% effaced. That is the same I was with Foster when I was induced. We set an induction date for next Wednesday, June 3rd (my due date) at 5:30 am. I am still getting a ton of blood work done and if there are any changes for that then it could be sooner. 8 days isn't far away at all! I am really bummed that it's looking like I won't get my 100% natural birth that I want but I am just so thankful that River has made it to term that I am trying to focus on that instead :) 

38 Weeks Bumpdate

We have made it so far! I am so excited to be at the end of this pregnancy! Two weeks tops and little River will be here! But most likely sooner after talking to my Dr....but he also thought River would be here by 34 weeks, so what does he even know ;) I am 2cm dilated, 70% effaced and his head is not longer moving up and down, it is engaged. I am a little more skeptical that I will be going too soon just based on my previous pregnancies and how I have been progressing this time around. 

With Lo I was 3cm and 80%-90% for over a month then was induced and with Foster I was 1cm and 75% for over a month and only made it to 2cm then was induced. My body just likes to keep babies cooking! I was 1cm and 25% allllll the way back at 28 weeks to 34 weeks. So for at least 6 weeks I stayed the same, and it could've been for 10 weeks because I stopped getting checked from 34-38 weeks. 

37 Week Bumpdate

This has been a pretty good week! And it went by really fast! I keep saying this but since I have gotten into the last trimester the weeks are flying by. Especially since I have been off of bed rest. We managed to get baby's hospital bag packed and the nursery 95% finished. This week we are going to clean out our room (we are moving some books out to our shed and cleaning out closets) and getting our bags packed for the hospital then it's pretty much all upkeep from there! I do have a ton of work to keep me busy these last three weeks....and they happen to be weddings....so that is super exciting and also crazy stressful. WEDDING SEASON IS HERE PEOPLE! 

River's Nursery Reveal!

Oh my goodness we are getting stuff done this week! Ok, kind of. It's not like we had a ton to do with the nursery. We used a lot of Foster's old things and just remade them for little River. If you want to see what the nursery was like before click here. So you can see we did repaint the crib and dresser. The room was just too dark and we wanted to add some pops of color. We added prints all over the room (a new obsession of mine) and just revamped some of the old pieces. Nothing too fancy and I wouldn't say it is 100% done yet but we are officially ready-ish for a baby! I say ready-ish because I definitely underestimated how many of Foster's clothes were just unusable from spit up. They were just bad. We only have around 10 outfits from 0-6months but after 6 months we are set! That just means I get to shop at some of the mama shops on instagram that I have been eyeing ;)

Baby # 3 Hospital Bag (AKA Cut the Crap)

If you've been following my blog for awhile odds are that you have already checked out my previous hospital bag for Baby #2. I stand by that list, it's a good list, but this is baby number three and I was ready to seriously trim the fat and am only bringing stuff that I thought was 100% necessary. Before getting too excited and packing your bag, call where you plan on delivering and see what they provide. Most hospitals will cover some, if not all, of the things I have packed but I am putting them into this list because if my hospital didn't cover this stuff, this would be what I would want to have with me. 

36 Week Bumpdate

Wow! We are at 36 weeks! How crazy is that?! time is flying by now and this week has been absolutely insane. I finished school, helped/hosted some baby showers, went on walks, worked a ton, got larger and by the end of the week baby River dropped! and he dropped hard. All of these pictures except one are from early in the week and you can see the difference. It's a crazy feeling when baby drops, your tummy gets smaller (again, not these pics, I'm huge!) and you start walking like you're holding a ball in between your legs. I had my Dr's appt on Tuesday, everything looked great, I gained 8....yes, 8 lbs and am measuring 4 weeks small...he dropped that much! My Dr. is shocked that I made it this far (which he says every week) and doesn't think I'll make it to next week. He wanted to check me at the appt but I opted out. I'm sure I'll get checked at my next check when he does the Group B Strep test as well. These past two days I have had crazy strong contractions, they make me stop in my tracks and I have to consciously breathe through them. They never get consistent though. I'm hoping I make it to 37 weeks! That would be such a huge milestone and was my next one after 34 weeks. If I do manage to go full term the Dr decided to induce me the week of the 3rd. He said he could do it at 39 weeks rather than 40 but I'd like to give River that extra week to cook if I can :) My bp has been great and the protein and seizures have been controlled so I don't see a reason why I wouldn't make it!  

Mothers Day Wish List

1. These sneaks.
I haven't bought new sneakers since 6th grade. I have been using my little sisters hand me downs ever since we shared the same size. I can't wait to get back into running after little River is here! Time to lose some of the fat!

2. These Sunnies. 

I have been eye balling these sunglasses for MONTHS but they have been on back order :( Well, they are finally  back in stock! I have had the same sunglasses for years but Foster broke them on accident a couple of months ago so I have been waiting for these to be my next favorite glasses for a couple of years :) 

3. Fitbit. 

Mama needs to get back into shape after River is here! My polar watch finally bit the dust after lots of great use and the fitbit is the next great thing. I love that this one has GPS with it. 

4. Facial/Prenatal Massage. 

Nuff said. 

5. If all else fails a gift card to Nordstrom would be much appreciated. I am in need of some new summer shoes! 

6. But really, the absolute best Mother's Day gift I could get would be my sweet River Jayce. This little boy will be making his debut any time and he would be a perfect Mothers Day present. 

35 Week Bumpdate

I'm just going to jump straight into my update this week because, while I had my long appt., I haven't heard anything back from them and I don't see my Dr. again until the beginning of next week. No news is normally good news! 

34 Weeks Bumpdate

So! First update from my Dr's appt yesterday. I was feeling pretty nervous with Bryson being out of town for a firefighters conference that he would miss the birth because I have been dilated for a couple of weeks now; but I was a 1 cm for a month with Foster then was induced and I was a 3 for awhile with Lo and then was induced. So a 1 isn't too worrisome for me, but I know some ladies go into labor at a 1. 

Hats

Both of my kids have a mutual love of hats, sunnies and pictures of themselves. They will pull out all of sister's hats (not Foster's for some reason) and will try them on for hours. when I tell them it's time to go and to get shoes on they always grab sunglasses and a hat and I end up having to go grab their shoes for them because obviously there were more important things to worry about. 

I was planning on just taking a picture or two but then they would pose and run to the camera, Foster yelling, "See!" the  whole time and then giggling with how cute they looked. These two always keep me entertained when they are home, even if they do destroy the house in 5 minutes and I much prefer them trying on hats than Foster chasing around Lo with his sword trying to hit her and growling/yelling at her. 

33 Weeks Bumpdate

Can we all just agree this is a little mini Bryson?!

First, I thought I would do a quick update before getting into the weekly update. This section may be a little tmi if you get grossed out and don't like talking about cervixes, but if you love it- you've come to the right place. ;) 

Hair Talk

I get so many questions about my hair daily. I try to reply to each and every one in lots of detail but it would be so much easier to just be able to attach a link. My hair has been every color, style and length and I have worn clip in extensions for almost five years now so I feel like I know a thing or two when it comes to keeping hair healthy and dying it all sorts of colors. So if you want allllll the details about my hair and upkeep then I hope you get some answers from this post :) 

32 Weeks Bumpdate

It was another eventful week, and I'm not talking about dying eggs or a fun, family filled Easter; it was filled with more trips to the hospital. A slightly shortened cervix (2.7 instead of 2.8), finding out I'm 1-2 cm dilated (instead of closed and hard), talks of being transferred to the hospital, strict bed rest, hour + long contractions, a whole lot of petty, selfish emotions, and some very, VERY unwelcome comments about how I am putting baby in danger by not being on hospital bed rest or in my bed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

Mental health is important too. So if I want to go out and sit for an hour or I relocate outside on the grass to watch the kids play- I don't need anyone's opinion about it. I am laying down a majority of the day and pick and choose the couple of things I do a week, all of which are relaxing and don't involve rock climbing, biking, or jumping jacks. So thank you everyone for your opinions, but unless you're my doctors, please, keep them to yourself. 

To answer another question I have been getting a lot of this week: 

Yes, I am due early June.

and

Yes, I'm sure.

;) 

Easter + A Gender Reveal

So we'll just cut to the chase. I know you all can't wait to see the pictures of the kids hunting their eggs and playing with bunnies and finding out what we're having is last on your list ;) buuuutttt I thought I would start with our exciting news that we have kept a secret since week 16! (Or maybe even before) 

We were originally not planning on finding out what we were having but you all know how rough this pregnancy has been and how many ultrasounds we have ended up having to have so it's been impossible not to tell that we are having a....

"Coloring Eggs"

I say "coloring eggs" because that was the original intent for the day. We were going to head to my moms house and dye Easter eggs; but Foster had other plans. He was much more interested in playing in the flower pots and with Ms. Claira Rose than some silly eggs. Now, if Lo had been there instead of at her dads for the day, this would be a completely different post. She is all about anything artistic and getting to color on something beside paper is pretty much her favorite thing. 

Foster was throwing dirt in the air and it was landing on Claira's head and she thought it was the funniest thing. She loves getting into all sorts of trouble with him. They are going to be quite the naughty, sneaky pair when they are both a little bit older. She just knows when he's doing something he's not supposed to be doing and it makes her grin from ear to ear. 

Even though there was not an egg dyed by Foster Brady, we still had a pretty fun time :) 

Life Lately

Life lately has been really relaxed. We have been hanging out at home enjoying the gorgeous weather. The kids and I ran a couple "errands", if you count smoothies and shopping for Easter clothes and pictures frames as errands. It is so much nicer now that it is really warm out to be able to stay home laying down 90% of the day. I'm able to go out back and let them play while I lay down outside. Vitamin D does the soul some good. 

Last week was also Lo's spring break so her and brother were able to play the whole time and they never fought once....ok, that's a lie. The older Foster gets the less cute it is when he attacks her. She went to a 3 hour gymnastics seminar and was trying to show us some sweet moves and Foster kept interrupting her. So not funny. 

Foster's First {Real} Hair Cut

Sweet boy's style was looking a little mullet-ish lately and we decided it was time for his first real hair cut. It made me sad to cut it because it was his soft baby hair but he looks like such a big boy now! We had a couple inches cut off of the sides but I wanted to keep his long hair on the top and I'm so glad we decided to do that! He looks so handsome but he looks like a different little kid. 

I cut his hair once about a year ago to even it out but this was his first time in the chair and he did not know what to think about it. He loves getting his hair brushed, so he was all about that but as soon as he started cutting he didn't know what to think about it but was doing pretty good until he used the clippers. He did not like the noise near his ears. But with a little help from dad he made it through without any tears....

...until we left. He did not want to leave the airplane that he was sitting in! He was crying as we were leaving the shop and reaching for the plane. Luckily there weren't too many people in there so his meltdown wasn't too big of a deal. 

Look how handsome he is! 

31 Week Bumpdate

This was a busy week! I didn't realize how busy until I was uploading pictures to add to this post for Life Lately and decided I'd better make another post for life lately and just keep this one for baby update or it would end up being  a crazy long post. 

This week I got all dolled up for maternity pictures (sneak peek here) that ended up being a total shit show. We were all exhausted because we were watching my niece (she's 7 months) and she was having some tummy issues the night before so we were all exhausted. Foster absolutely refused to take pictures with me and Lo looked super bored in them. So they ended up being just of me and hopefully, we're able to take some lifestyle pictures down the road. 

This may sound silly, but this is such a big week for me! When we started having pre-term labor problems at 24 weeks it was my goal to make it to 31 weeks so there would only be 9 weeks left. Single digits make all the difference for my mind set. I have been setting a lot of little goals since 24 weeks, like pass the FFN test, keep my cervix at 2.8 or higher....just little "goals" that I really have no control over but by setting them as a future "goal" it makes me feel like even though I am not able to control it, my body is taking control and doing what it needs to do. My goals have been weekly, but I am going to set a big goal to make it to 34 weeks! 3 weeks away doesn't seem too far out. The weeks have been going by a lot faster from 28 weeks then they have from 12-27. 

Canon T5i | Nikon D5200 Giveaway

It's that time of year again! Easter is almost here which means it's time for a giveaway! Last year we gave away an iPad air and this year we wanted to change it up a little bit and give you a DSLR camera! These are amazing starter cameras for an aspiring photographer or if you are just wanted some high quality picture of your kids or fur babies! 

I know that a lot of people are picky about whether Nikon or Canon is superior...

+cough+ Nikon +cough+

...so we wanted to give you the choice between the two. 

There are options for unlimited entries to help you increase your odds so be sure to take a peek! 

(If you are on mobile be sure to switch to web view so you are able to follow) 

There will be one winner and they will have the choice between the Nikon or the Canon. Because this is our biggest giveaway of the year we will be checking ALL entries of the winner that is randomly selected. The winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to reply or the runner up will be notified. 

Good Luck! We will stop taking entries on Easter at midnight. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway