Kylie Says

"No way, Jose!"

To me as I'm trying to get her into her carseat. She must have picked that up at school because neither Rex or I say that. Silly kid.

25 Weeks

How far along? 25 weeks 5 days

How big is baby? Approximately 1 1/2 pounds and 12" long

Total weight gain/loss? 12 pounds

Maternity clothes?  Yep. I was wearing a lot of my regular shirts but now my belly is getting too big, so I am mainly in maternity clothes. And I am in love with my secret fit maternity skinny jeans from Motherhood Maternity. They are soooooo comfy and they stay put on my waist! 

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep? Pretty good. I've been a lot better about going to bed earlier and that has helped a lot! And right now I'm only getting up once a night to pee since thankfully little man has moved up off of my bladder.

Movement? All the time! Baby Seth is a moving and grooving little man. It seriously feels like he is doing barrel rolls half the time.

Food cravings? Still milk. And carbs. Any carbs. Bread, pasta, cookies, cereal, any of them. Which is probably why my weight gain took a huge leap. 

Gender? Boy

Labor Signs? Nada

Belly Button in or out? Out. Boo.

What I miss? Energy. Not having to pee every hour.

What I am looking forward to? Having Kylie feel him kick. Rex has felt him move a lot but every time I try to have Kylie feel him move he stops! All ready practicing his little brother antics.

Best moment this week? Sleeping in until 9:30 am on Saturday. Seriously. Kylie and the chihuahuas usually have me up by 7:30 am on weekends so this was a pleasant surprise.

Milestones? Only 100 days to go! 

22 Weeks

So baby Seth wants to be a giant apparently. At my 20 week ultrasound they estimated him already weighing a whole pound! He's in the 83rd percentile. Hopefully he slows down a little bit, I don't want him breaking any records or anything. Ky weighed 6 lbs 15 oz when she was born at 41 weeks so I'm hoping Seth is around the same size, I really don't want to push out a 10 pound baby! But he is happy and healthy and the doctor says he looks perfect. My placenta is where it should be and my cervix is locked down tight :) 

In unpregnancy related health news I have a sebaceous cyst on the top of my head and had to have it lanced the other day. Getting a shot on top of your head is not fun. And I have a follow up appointment next week with a possible referral to a surgeon to get the cyst removed post baby. 

How far along? 22 weeks 3 days

How big is baby? Big. 1 pound already and almost a foot long!

Total weight gain/loss? 5 pounds

Maternity clothes?  I'm 50/50 right now. My jersey maxi skirts are definitely my best friends right now. I can only comfortably button one pair of my regular jeans right now.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep? Ok. I probably get up twice a night to pee since this baby has made himself at home on my bladder and hasn't moved.

Movement? Every night about 9 he starts kicking up a storm and now I am feeling him move throughout the day as well.

Food cravings? Milk. Now it's probably more like 3 gallons a week. And Oreos. Give me all of your Oreos!

Gender? Boy

Labor Signs? Nada

Belly Button in or out? In, but its getting awfully close to being out...

What I miss? Energy. Not having to pee every hour.

What I am looking forward to? Feeling him moving more and more as he gets bigger

Best moment this week? Seeing baby boy at my 20 week ultrasound last week. He was being stubborn, of course, and didn't want pictures taken of his spine.

Milestones? 20 week ultrasound 

20 Weeks

My half baked post! I can't believe I'm already halfway through this pregnancy. This time it seems to be just flying by compared to when I was pregnant with Ky Bug.

How far along? 20 weeks

How big is baby? The size of a banana. About 10 oz and 6 1/2 inches

Total weight gain/loss? About 5 pounds gained so far, I think

Maternity clothes?  I'm 50/50 right now. My jersey maxi skirts are definitely my best friends right now. I can only comfortably button one pair of my regular jeans right now.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep? Ok. I probably get up twice a night to pee since this baby has made himself at home on my bladder and hasn't moved.

Movement? Every night about 9 he starts kicking up a storm and now I am feeling him move throughout the day as well.

Food cravings? Milk. Now it's probably more like 3 gallons a week

Gender? Boy

Labor Signs? Nada

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss? Energy. Not having to pee every hour.

What I am looking forward to? My 20 week ultrasound

Best moment this week? Well, more like creepy moment of having one of the new teachers at the daycare come up and rub my belly with both hands for a good 20 seconds. Totally unannounced too.

Milestones? Halfway through this pregnancy!

Maybe We're Not Crazy After All

I have to admit there are times where I think Rex and I are absolutely, positively crazy for deciding to have another kid.  I mean, do we really have the time, money, energy, etc. to raise another child?  Kylie keeps us plenty busy. And she's been our baby for three years and this is going to be a whole new ball game for the three of us. Ky gets plenty annoyed with her younger cousin, Kaid, and she is stubborn and independent.

But some how being a family of four just seems right. A nice even number. Someone for Kylie to grow up with and sometimes terrorize and to share memories with. Two carseats in the back. Another stocking at Christmastime.  A baby for all of us to love on and wonder at and spoil. 

And then there are times like that above. Kylie and I babysat Kaid one night and she was sweet and helpful. She was beyond thrilled that they got to take a bath together and made sure I washed his hair properly. I cut her nails and naturally I had to cut Kaid's as well. They were allowed to watch one episode of Seseme Street before bedtime and Kylie insisted that Kaid lay down with her so they could share a blanket and cuddle. Pretty soon Kaid was out cold and Kylie would look down at him and then at me with this huge grin on her face.

And I thought, "Maybe we are doing something right."

So I'm Pregnant. Again.

I've been horrible about updating this blog. Like really horrible. So if you don't follow me on Instagram... Surprise! I'm pregnant! Like 19 1/2 weeks pregnant. 

This pregnancy has been so much different than Kylie's, which I knew it probably would be, but you never really know until it actually happens, right? 

First of all, it took us less than a month to conceive this lil nugget. We were in no particular rush, we wanted another baby but weren't going to stress over it. But yeah, about 3 1/2 weeks after my Mirena was removed baby #2 made itself at home.

Morning sickness. Yuck. I hardly had any with Kylie, but this baby did a number on me the first trimester. It didn't help that I spent the first part of this pregnancy during a a hot and humid Texas summer, so I found myself getting sicker as the heat got more intense. Luckily, the nausea dissipated as the first trimester came to an end. But even now I can barely stomach chicken, which has really been my only food aversion this time around. 

With Kylie we didn't find out her sex until about 20 weeks, where this time we actually found out at 13 weeks at our genetic screening ultrasound. It's a boy! And it'll be confirmed at my 20 week ultrasound coming up. So if our lil nugget stays a boy, he'll be Seth Judson Rexrode.

And boy, this baby can move already! With Kylie I had an anterior placenta so I wasn't able to feel her move until 23 weeks roundabout. This little guy started making his presence known at 15 weeks and has been kicking hard enough that Rex has been able to feel him already!

How far along? 19 weeks 4 days

How big is baby? The size of a mango. About 5 1/2 inches and 1/2 a pound.

Total weight gain/loss? About 5 pounds gained so far.

Maternity clothes?  I'm 50/50 right now. My jersey maxi skirts are definitely my best friends right now. I can only comfortably button one pair of my regular jeans right now.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep? Ok. I probably get up twice a night to pee since this baby has made himself at home on my bladder and hasn't moved.

Movement? Every night about 9 he starts kicking up a storm and now I am feeling him move throughout the day as well.

Food cravings? Milk. I'm probably drinking about 2 gallons a week just by myself. 

Gender? Boy

Labor Signs? Nada

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss? Energy. Not having to pee every hour.

What I am looking forward to? My 20 week ultrasound

Best moment this week? Kylie having conversations with the baby. "He's funny, mama,"

Milestones? A couple more days and I'll be halfway through this pregnancy!

Almost 12 weeks

Dear Three Year Old Kylie

It's been awhile, and mama is sorry for that. Since your birthday was in the beginning of August and it is now October, I'm a little behind the times. You've been growing up so much lately and don't seem to be stopping anytime soon. 

You still love your books. Every night you choose at least three books for us to read at bedtime. Lately your favorites have been a collection of nursery rhymes, the Little Critter books, and a book about pirate piggies. 

Spaghetti, or "noodles" as you call it, is your favorite food. You ask for it every night for dinner. Though sometimes I can convince you to eat heart shaped pancakes for dinner every once in awhile. You love eating Eggo waffles for breakfast before school. And the other week you helped me make banana bread and you absolutely devoured it!

Aubrey, the little girl who lives next door, is your best friend. You get so excited every time we pull into our driveway and see her outside playing. You two love to jump on her trampoline, kick balls, swing, wear princess shoes, and walk our chihuahuas together. Y'all get along despite your age difference since she is five and started kindergarten this fall.

You're a great helper around the house. We will do the dishes together, wipe off the table, water the outside plants, and weed the garden. You love taking the dogs on walks (Coco and Mimi are your favorite ones to hold). You dislike putting your toys away though, and they slowly spread through the house if we don't keep up with it.

Pink is your favorite color, and you are constantly reminding us of that. You love dressing yourself and if your outfits are not all pink, they definitely have major pink elements in them. You wear your new neon magenta Crocs everywhere.  And you informed us that this year for Halloween you are going to be a pink princess.

You're such a goofy, love able little kid. You have your difficult moments, that's for sure, especially now that you have to do everything "by myself!" But you have the cutest little crooked grin, you randomly give us hugs and kisses, often tell us secrets (which is always I love you), and you love to cuddle when you are tired. You make up stories about your baby dolls and stuffed animals and cars and markers. You love helping me baby sit your cousin Baby Kaid. And I love everything about you, Bug.

Love, Mama

Dear Kylie

I keep willing time to slow down.  Everyday you turn into a bigger and better version of yourself.  I swear that just yesterday I put a little bitty baby down for a nap and today I'm trying to convince an almost three year old to slow down for just a couple seconds to grab a bite to eat.  I keep thinking that each stage you go through is the best, but then each time you grow up some, I find myself loving you even more. 

You are able to occupy yourself more and more.  Your favorite thing to do as of now is take all of your clothes out of your dresser and put them on the coffee table and couches.  You arrange each article of clothing just so and then you keep rearranging them.  Sometimes for even for an hour or so. 

Kylie Bug, you are finally making friends with the dogs, Nova in particular.  She is the only chihuahua allowed to sleep in your room with you and she is graced with kisses and hugs from you.  The other day you even shared your mango popsicle with her while sitting outside on the grass in the hot sun.

A couple weekend ago your daddy bought me a new pair earring and you were immediately smitten with them.  You were so heartbroken that you couldn't wear them and in a few short days you convinced your daddy to let you get your ears pierced so you could have earring like me.  Ky, you were so brave sitting in that tall chair all by yourself in Claire's, holding your pig, Yellow.  You chose a pair of sparkly pink hearts to adorn your little ears.  You held your daddy's hands when the girls pierced your ears, and you were so brave, Bug, only crying for a little bit afterwards.  More from the surprise of it than anything, I think.

At daycare you are known as Little Miss Sassafrass.  And Kylie, you come by that name quite honestly, let me assure you.  You sure are full of life and spunk and energy, and it's very noticeable to the people who spend their days with you.  You're extremely loyal to your friends, on the playground the other day, I dared tell one of your friends to go down the slide the correct way, and you rounded on me to "Leave my Kailyn alone, mama!" 

You choose kids that are just as spirited and wild as you to be your friends.  At daycare it is Kailyn, the rough and tumble little girl with four older brothers, and Riley a sweet but mischievous little boy.  You have become fast friends with our neighbors' daughter, Aubrey, despite a two year age difference.  You two love bouncing on her trampoline and swinging each other on our tree swing.

I love you more and more with each passing day, Bug.  I can't even begin to imagine life without you.  You bring so much joy and excitement (and I admit, a little frustration) to your daddy and mines days and we love you with our whole beings and then some.

Love you bunches and bunches,

Mama

Kylie Says

This past Saturday night I was putting Kylie to bed and before our prayer I always ask what she is thankful for, and this is what she said.

"I thankful for my daddy. I thankful for my earrings.  I thankful for cupcakes.  And donuts!"

Poor ol' me didn't even make the list.  Daddy always rates a number one spot on the thankful list.  I'll have to ask him his secret...

Kylie Says

A conversation between Rex and Kylie the other week.

Kylie "Daddy, I have pink pig."

Rex "Oh, you do? What's his name?"

Kylie "Yellow."

Rex "You have a pink pig named Yellow?"

Kylie "Yep."

Rex "Where is he?"

Kylie "At Auntie Step's.  He poops outside."


So yes, my kid now has an imaginary pet pig named Yellow.  Thank goodness he poops outside. 

Growing Up (A Little Late)

This is really hard for me.  I've kept this buried deep for a long time, and that I rarely share with anyone.  I never finished college.  I never even came close to it.  In my family where everyone is a college graduate for three generations on back, this makes me the black sheep. 

Oh, I was right on track for college and everything.  I graduated top ten in my high school class of over 600 with a GPA of 4.3.  I took Advanced Placement courses and passed their tests with fours and fives.  I was 5 points away from getting a perfect score on the English portion of the SATs.  I was was offered admission to several state schools such as California Polytechnic University and Texas A&M, and also to several small private schools back East where I was even offered large scholarships.  Everything was on track.  I decided to attend Cal Poly so I could still live at home and registered for courses in the fall.

And then I burned out big time.  Started off fine and then slowly just stopped attending my classes.  I had met my husband over the summer and for once in my life I felt wild and free.  I had been the perfect child for so long, always concentrating  on school and my horses.  I had never dating in high school, never even kissed a boy.  It was my first romance and I was caught up in it.

I don't blame Rex for it at all though.  He always encouraged me to go to school.  Hell, half the time he would drive me an hour to school for my classes.  But I wouldn't go.  I'd go to the library or student center and sit and read.  And then Rex would pick me up and I'd say that class was great.

I only went to Cal Poly for one semester and then dropped out.  Later that year I enrolled in a community college, but then did the same thing.  A year or so later, I tried a different community college and did it again.  And finally just stopped trying.  Rex and I were expecting Kylie and we were both working to make sure we had enough money for a baby.  And then I'd always say I'd go back to school after Kylie was born but then it still never happened.  Kids are expensive, life is expensive.  The economy was crummy.  Both of us needed to work.

I still feel the shame washing over me just as strong now as it did way back then.  How could I be so stupid?  I feel so inadequate now.  Rex is the main provider for our family.  And here I am, almost twenty-six years old, and I make minimum wage.  And the only reason that it's actually feasible for me to be working for so little is that Kylie's day care is only $5 a day since I work there too.

I'm sick and tired of watching my husband work tirelessly to support us.  I hate living paycheck to paycheck sometimes.  I want to stop sitting on the sidelines of my own life and actually do something.  But I've gotten so out of touch with myself that I don't even know what I want to do anymore.  In high school I was dead set on agricultural business.  Then I leaned towards being a teacher.  Then a nurse.  But now I don't know. 

So I finally put my big girl panties on and called and set up an appointment with a college counselor.  To help me figure out where I want to go and how to get there in a timely manner.  I want my daughter to look at me and be proud of me.  Hell, I want to be proud of me for once.  I'm not trying to be all pity party and woe is me.  I'm hoping by putting this out here, that it will help keep me on track and accountable to myself.  And I'm going to need all the help I can get. 

Poop

luckily she's cute

Kylie started going pee in the potty at about 19 months.  Not reliably, but at least once a day.  By 25 months she was in underwear and maybe only peed her pants once a week.  Now, not at all.  She even stays dry at nap time and throughout the night.

Poop is an entirely different matter.  Kylie is a little girl with an iron will.  An amazingly stubborn iron will.  With pee she allowed us to bribe her with stickers and treats and praise.  For the last 9 months she has refused to poop in the potty. Once in a blue moon she would go in the potty, but would get uncomfortable when we showered her with praise and preferred to go about her business as usual without any fuss.  When it was time to poop she would go and hide.  At home, in her room, and at daycare, behind the small hill (more like dirt mound that the slides are sunken into) on the playground.  So I knew that she knew that she needed to go.

We tried bribing her with stickers, candy, and special outings.  Nothing.  We tried having her sit out after going in her pants.  Nope. We constantly explained how big girls go poop in the potty and only babies poop in their pants.  Nada.

To make matters worse (to me at least), one of the little girls in my daycare class basically potty trained herself and was in underwear by 22 months.  Peeing and pooping in the potty.  And here I am with my 2 1/2 old who hides behind things to poop in her pants.  Insert sad face here.

A couple weeks ago, I finally gave up.  I was tired of constantly worrying and fretting over my child's bowel movements.  When she had an accident we didn't make a big deal about it.  We'd tell her that it was okay and to make sure she told us next time she had to go and we would sit on they potty.

And lo and behold on Saturday she told me she had to go potty and I took her to the bathroom and sat her down on the toilet.  And she pooped.  Today at daycare she told her teacher she had to go, and even waited for one of the helpers to come get her to take her to the bathroom.  And then she pooped in the potty again.  I think she's finally getting it.  Hallelujah.

It's times like this that I feel horribly inadequate at being a parent.  I got too caught up in the whole "mommy race" and comparing my kid with others.  And she's not like the others.  Not at all.  She's wonderfully unique and stubbornly independent.  I learned that I have to let her do things in her own way and on her own time.  And she will grow and learn and poop in the potty.  Because in the end, all of our kids do.

Gardening is Good for My Soul

One of my favorite things about living in South Texas is having a garden.  I was born and raised in the California desert, so a big garden was never in the cards for me.  Sure, my dad and I planted some peppers and eggplants in pots, but even those we had to completely enclose in chicken wire to keep the ground squirrels from eating them.

But out here, where it actually rains and the dirt is actually dirt and not sand, I am able to have a garden.  I started off fairly small, I think it's about 10' x 12', and planted watermelons, pumpkins, lettuce, spinach, corn, potatoes, strawberries, squash, green beans, cucumbers, carrots, and onions.  They're a mix of seeds and seedlings that I bought and that my dad gave me.  I've already had some failures, the carrots, strawberries, and watermelon seeds have yet to sprout after being planted a month.  I might try to find some seedlings or plants to replace them or just move some of my other seedlings to their spots when I thin them.

I love the fact that I am going to be able to feed my family with food that I grew myself.  That I put a lot of hard work and worry into.  I love going out there in the morning and seeing another little leave poking out of the damp earth.  Kylie and I water the garden together every afternoon when we get home from the daycare.  I use the hose and Ky uses her green hippopotamus watering can.  At least once a week we try to go though the garden and weed out all of the darn crab grass that just refuses to give up its hold on the area.  Ky needs careful supervision with the weeding as she does not yet discern between seedlings and weeds. 

So we spend our evenings out under the warm Texas sun with the earth on our hands and bugs buzzing lazily around our heads.  And we are happy.

Heirloom tomatoes, romaine lettuce, and spinach

pumpkin spouts at my feet

Kylie Says

Yesterday, when we were returning from a shopping trip to Whole Foods (which really is a trip since the closest one to us is 45 minutes away, major sad face), Kylie told her aunt:

"That was fun, Auntie.  I want to do it again."

San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo

 

 

 

 

a. my first deep fried snickers bar b. Thompson Square in concert on Valentine's Day c. rodeo d. the highlight of Ky's day: the merry go round e. look at the camera Ky f. fine, I'll tickle you then! g. Ky's introduction to fair food

And, as usual, I'm slacking.  This all occurred back in February.  Y'all know how it is, right?

Lovely Things

from Country Living

 

i want this garden.  desperately. 

 

from Peachey Photography

i know i'm already married and don't plan get on getting married again, but damn, i love this dress.



from Pinterest



i want a fox now.

 

from Pinterest

how awesome are these pictures of the moon?!  i want to do this now.


this post on dear baby on raising a three year old girl.  ky's only two but it really struck some chords deep inside of me about the mom i want to be. thank you melissa.

 

i'm seeing these people on valentine's day at the san antonio stock show and rodeo with my better half, his sister and her boyfriend.  we don't do the whole lovey dovey dinner thing in this house.  we go country!

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Kylie

 

I know I say this every time, but I cannot believe how much you are growing up.  Gone is my little girl who toddled around and babbled in Kylie talk and here is a little girl who runs and jumps and tells me she doesn't like the clothes I picked out for her.  I love watching you grow and learn and laugh (you're the most ticklish under your chin).

 

Mama doesn't work two jobs anymore, so we have been spending a lot more time together and I'm really getting to know you better.  I haven't realized how much I missed you this past year when I was working anywhere from seventy to eighty hours a week. We sometimes drive each other crazy with just the two of us at home during the week with daddy at work, so we visit Auntie Steph, Brian, and Baby Kaid or we invite Auntie Lou over dinner. 

 

I love how much you stretch when you wake up in the morning, you have done this since you were a wee, bitty baby.  You are extremely picky about your clothes now (sad face).  You are not afraid to tell me what you think about my outfit choices.  "Mama, I don't like this," is usually what I hear as you race to your room to get new clothes.  Lately your favorite outfit has been a ruffly dress, jeans, and the cowboy boots daddy and me got you for Christmas.  I am finally allowed to do your hair in the mornings now, which is especially helpful now since we are growing your bangs out.

 

You gag on broccoli, but can stomach green beans and avocado.  You love mandarin oranges, strawberries, and blackberries.  This winter I introduced you to hot chocolate with whip cream and you are totally smitten with it. 

 

Books are still very dear to you, at bedtime we read no fewer than three, and oftentimes in the afternoon I find you holed up in your room, amidst an ocean of books on the floor, chattering away with yourself as you flip through them.  You'll even get mama's books and flip through the pages, reading away. 

 

But don't get me wrong, you still love your "TV" time on mama's ipad.  This is what you call Netflix, you silly little girl.  I think you already can use my ipad better than your dad and I combined.  I have to keep it out of your reach or I find you sneaking away with it to play Toca House or watch Wallace and Gromit. 

 

You are such a smart little thing.  You can count to ten, know your colors and shapes, are getting pretty darn good at coloring, and love to sort stuff.  You absolutely love music. Daddy's heart about burst the first time you sang all the words to the Distiller's "Beat your heart out" in the truck.  Besides punk rock, you will dance to just about anything.  If a good tune comes on your hips start swinging and then you're bouncing around like a crazy person.  The other day at school to get out of taking a nap you sang "Jesus loves me" complete with the signs to Ms. Jenny (by the way, it didn't work, you still had to take a nap).

 

You are a wonderful little helper.  When we get home from school you help me take out the dogs on their leashes.  You always walk Dakota and Mimi for me.  You'll help with the dishes, but I think most of the water ends up on us and the floor.  You especially love helping me outside with the flowers and garden.  You pull weeds, rake leaves, and help plant flowers.  And you help me decide where to put any new additions.

 

Lately you are classifying everything into daddy's, mama's and baby's.  Rocks, bikes, cups, everything.  You let me know who is who and which one belongs to who.  Silly goober.

 

I love you with all of my heart and then some.  I am in awe that God created such a beautiful daughter for your daddy and me.  I thank him everyday for you.

 

Love, Mama



Kylie Says

"Mama, I eat the pop pop wit my mouf."

As she points to the picture of the lollipop on her block and then to her mouth.

Kylie Says

In response to a classmate who says he wants a big truck.

"Pay Pay, you too young."

And upon seeing my blue headband and my pink cardigan.

"Mama, you no match."

And upon discovering that I sewed up her beloved little bear while she slept.

"Mama! You fix my bear! Thank you!"

I'm Alive (and so are Rex, Kylie, and our six chihuahuas)

Wordy title, I know, but it is an apt description. I just realized that I haven't done anything here since October. Poor, sad, neglected blog. Insert multiple sad faces here. Needless to say, life has gotten in the way, but mostly with good things so I'm not complaining. Since its late and I'm lazy I'm just going to make a list of stuff that's been going around in our neck of the woods.

Kylie was an owl for Halloween. We got our truck stuck in sand that night too and had to have Rex's brother in law pull us out.

Rex got a Harley and Ky's in love with it. Like gives it kisses every morning love.

I quit my job at the restaurant. I actually get to spend time with my family now.

Kylie pooped on our bedroom wall. Don't ask, you do not want to know.

We cut our own Christmas tree. It only took us two hours and about three miles of hiking around the Christmas tree farm to find the right one.

Rex turned 27. I baked him two cakes because the first one crumbled into a horrible cake blob. The second one turned out perfect because my mom figured out that my oven's thermostat was off.

I have the most adorable, albeit a bit rambunctious, group of one year olds in my class at the day care. I mean, one little boy does the whole up high, down low, too slow high five thing. They kill me.

My mom and dad came out for Christmas and spoiled us rotten with their gifts and company.

We took some big steps towards being debt free!

And goodnight for now...