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  • Morning Sickness Blues

    My first pregnancy was quite the adventure to say the least.  However, I have to admit that after the first four months, my morning sickness wasn’t so bad.  I found out quickly that milk products triggered it.  So, I gave up cow’s milk in favor of soy.  In fact, I haven’t had a glass of cow’s milk in almost three years now.  And while I had morning sickness up until two days before I delivered, I didn’t have it everyday.

    Boy that is not case with this pregnancy.  I’m finding out that everything seems to trigger it.  I can no longer drink orange juice, sodas or kool aid.  Pretty much anything sweet tastes completely gross and sends my stomach into overload.  Yes, this baby is screwing up my taste buds.  So, far I’ve given up ice cream, popsicles, candy (except gummy bears), juice, soda, cereal, pickles and the list goes on.

    The only safe foods are noodles, green veggies, chicken, steak and hamburgers.  This week alone I’ve eaten chicken at least twice and have been starving for at least four days because I couldn’t keep anything down.  This sucks big time because I’m worried that the baby isn’t getting enough nutrients.  And when my hubby commented that my baby bump actually looked small, I started to panic.  I’m trying to patient and wait for my new obb/gyn to fit me in for an appointment but at times I just feel like showing up to her office unannounced and demanding a check up.

    Of course, they reassure you that morning sickness is normal and nothing to be alarmed about, but I’m not convinced that this is normal this time around.  I’m losing weight instead of gaining weight and the prenatal vitamins they prescribed me that are suppose to help with my digestion aren’t working because I can’t keep those down either.  And being in this constant state of hunger is really starting to affect my mood.  I’m grumpy and annoyed all the time it seems.  I don’t like to be touched or even talked to for that matter.

    I miss the old much more cheerful me and so does my family.  I can’t wait until I get in to see my doctor because we are seriously going to have to find a medicine to help with this.  I can’t go the remaining 7 months being hungry or living off chicken.   I want to be able to enjoy this pregnancy.  So, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this will either pass quickly or get better.

  • Us Plus Two

    I know that as of late, I have been really slacking on posting to my blog this month.  It’s not that I’ve fallen out of love with it or anything like that.  It’s just that I’ve been trying to wrap my head around some news I found out recently.  If you follow my personal Facebook page or follow me on Twitter, then you probably I already know that I recently found I out I am preggers with baby numero dos!!!

    When I first found out I wasn’t sure how I felt.  I’ve mentioned on here a few times that if I did have a second baby it should be four years from now.  Having two small children to care for pretty 24/7 has always been a scary thing for me.  Moo keeps me busy enough for two kids now.  So, how will coop with a two year old and newborn next June?  It’s alot to prepare for mentally and emotionally.

    A part me feels like I’ve robbed Moo of being the baby.  Even though she has been pasted the baby stage physically is now considered a toddler, still she was my baby and the baby of our family.  She’s so used to being the center of everyone’s attention-mine, Mimi (aka Grandma), her aunts and uncle, etc.  I just hope that she’s able to adjust and doesn’t look at the baby as a threat.  It can happen because as over joyed as my niece was to have Moo in the family, she was really jealous of all the attention Moo got.

    And even now that they are both older, she still can’t stand when Moo gets more attention than her.  She whines, she pouts, she screams and she’s even been know to lash out physically at Moo.  However, she is very protective of Moo when it comes to other people including family members.  I just don’t want Moo experience any type of jealousy or resentment for her new brother or sister.  (I think it’s going to be a girl because girls are dominate in my family.)

    Next on my list of worries is money.  Babies are expensive!!  We were able to save money of formula because I chose to breastfeed Moo.  My hubs wasn’t super stoked about my chose because he was of course thinking about himself, but by the time she got here and he saw how much cribs, diapers and clothes cost.  Plus, he educated himself on how much more healthier breastfed babies turn out.  He’s been very supportive since.

    I’m just wondering how we’re going to afford baby numero dos.  I mean there’s maternity insurance to get which costs like an arm and a leg almost.  We have another crib, set of bedding, clothes, etc. to buy.   Not to mention that we have to find another place because this duplex is just not big enough to house all the extra baby stuff we’ll have.  So, we’ve decided to buy a home and that in itself is very stressful.  With the house market in the shape that it’s in we’ve decided that maybe getting a custom build home or modular home is best for us.

    I already own an acre and some change of land.  So, rather than let it continue to sit and go to waste we’re going to build our home on it.  With the custom homes we’ve looked at, it won’t take forever to build because the frames come prebuilt like off of Extreme Homes.  And since I only have 7 months to go, we have to decide pretty fast what we want.

    On top of all of that, we just got a new car like three weeks ago.  So, I’m just like past worried about how tight our money is going to be.  But I’m still overjoyed that I am able to bring another life into this world.  Life is precious and should be cherished not regretted or resented.  I’m convinced that this will all work out and is part of God’s plan for our lives.

  • Us Plus Two

    I know that as of late, I have been really slacking on posting to my blog this month.  It’s not that I’ve fallen out of love with it or anything like that.  It’s just that I’ve been trying to wrap my head around some news I found out recently.  If you follow my personal Facebook page or follow me on Twitter, then you probably I already know that I recently found I out I am preggers with baby numero dos!!!

    When I first found out I wasn’t sure how I felt.  I’ve mentioned on here a few times that if I did have a second baby it should be four years from now.  Having two small children to care for pretty 24/7 has always been a scary thing for me.  Moo keeps me busy enough for two kids now.  So, how will coop with a two year old and newborn next June?  It’s alot to prepare for mentally and emotionally.

    A part me feels like I’ve robbed Moo of being the baby.  Even though she has been pasted the baby stage physically is now considered a toddler, still she was my baby and the baby of our family.  She’s so used to being the center of everyone’s attention-mine, Mimi (aka Grandma), her aunts and uncle, etc.  I just hope that she’s able to adjust and doesn’t look at the baby as a threat.  It can happen because as over joyed as my niece was to have Moo in the family, she was really jealous of all the attention Moo got.

    And even now that they are both older, she still can’t stand when Moo gets more attention than her.  She whines, she pouts, she screams and she’s even been know to lash out physically at Moo.  However, she is very protective of Moo when it comes to other people including family members.  I just don’t want Moo experience any type of jealousy or resentment for her new brother or sister.  (I think it’s going to be a girl because girls are dominate in my family.)

    Next on my list of worries is money.  Babies are expensive!!  We were able to save money of formula because I chose to breastfeed Moo.  My hubs wasn’t super stoked about my chose because he was of course thinking about himself, but by the time she got here and he saw how much cribs, diapers and clothes cost.  Plus, he educated himself on how much more healthier breastfed babies turn out.  He’s been very supportive since.

    I’m just wondering how we’re going to afford baby numero dos.  I mean there’s maternity insurance to get which costs like an arm and a leg almost.  We have another crib, set of bedding, clothes, etc. to buy.   Not to mention that we have to find another place because this duplex is just not big enough to house all the extra baby stuff we’ll have.  So, we’ve decided to buy a home and that in itself is very stressful.  With the house market in the shape that it’s in we’ve decided that maybe getting a custom build home or modular home is best for us.

    I already own an acre and some change of land.  So, rather than let it continue to sit and go to waste we’re going to build our home on it.  With the custom homes we’ve looked at, it won’t take forever to build because the frames come prebuilt like off of Extreme Homes.  And since I only have 7 months to go, we have to decide pretty fast what we want.

    On top of all of that, we just got a new car like three weeks ago.  So, I’m just like past worried about how tight our money is going to be.  But I’m still overjoyed that I am able to bring another life into this world.  Life is precious and should be cherished not regretted or resented.  I’m convinced that this will all work out and is part of God’s plan for our lives.

  • Going Green for Moo

    As many of you know, we’ve been battling Moo’s ezcema for almost two years now.  We’ve been through dozens of prescription creams and even more over the counter creams, lotions, etc.  Each time we tried a new cream or whatever, I was always a little hesitant.  Have you ever looked on the back of those tubes and bottles?  There are tons of chemicals in those things.

    So, when Maggie contacted me from Ecostore USA, I thought this would be a great time to try some natural products to help soothe her skin allergy.  After all, what could it hurt?  I’d already tried a million nasty chemicals on her skin and they either didn’t work and just worked for two days and then quit.

    And visiting Ecostore USA, I saw just how far living GREEN has come from just a few years earlier.  I mean they have household cleaners, products for your pet, your hair and more.  Of course, I had to check out their Baby Care selection.  At first, I was waiting to be overwhelmed by the amount products from which to select from but was pleasantly surprised that the selections were simple-soap, body washes, moisturizer, shampoo, and balm.  I know that people are always talking about wanting to have options, but less is truly more sometimes.

    I decided to go with the Baby Moisturizer because the key to fighting ezcema is keeping the skin moist.  And Moo’s skin can get very dry.  I mean we go through quite a few bottles of moisturizer here because I have to apply it so many times during the day.  And I also chose the Coconut Bar Soap because coconut oil is good for keeping the skin moist as well.

    I’m happy to report that we have been using both products for about three weeks and we are ezcema free.  Her skin is becoming less and less dry which is great with fall already here and winter fastly approaching.  Who would have known that the key to my fustrations would be going Green in terms of skin care products?  I just wish I had thought about this before I tried all those creams and other products with all those nasty chemicals.

    I encourage you all to head over to Ecostore USA today and try out some of their products.  Trust me their prices are reasonable for the quality and safety of their products.  Why continue to pollute our bodies and homes with harmful chemicals that could really kill us and aren’t even all that good for us to begin with when there is a healthier and safer alternative out there.  I’m telling you all that when it comes to my Moo, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her including going GREEN!!

  • Early Childhood Education – Acquiring Sign Language

    Let me just say that I was a little apprehensive about doing post since I didn’t write it.  I’ve never really posted a full post submitted to me by someone else.  However, Sign Language is a subject that hits home for me and decided to go ahead with this.  I hope that you all will find this information very benecial and thought provoking.

    One of the keys to surviving in a tilted economic system in which opportunities to achieve a decent standard of living will be limited is versatility – and the ability to communicate articulately in a variety of ways with the widest possible audience. This includes bilingual ability as well as the ability to communicate in non-verbal ways for the benefit of the disabled – primarily the deaf.

    At the same time, a growing shortage of qualified interpreters fluent in American Sign Language has led to more career opportunities – and if current trends continue, it’s likely that skilled ASL interpreters will have little problem securing lucrative employment in a society where such a commodity is destined to be in short supply.

    Signing Before They Can Speak

    A great deal of research has clearly demonstrated that the early years – ages 2 to five – are the best time to educate children in different modes of communication and language. This goes beyond the spoken word (though it is an optimal time for children to learn a second language); many young children have an aptitude for signing as well.

    This is not as odd as you may think. As you know, many indigenous peoples around the world, including American Indian nations, have used sign language for centuries to facilitate communication with other tribes with whom they do not share a language. Some paleontologists and anthropologists theorize that Neanderthals – who apparently lacked the vocal mechanism to produce many spoken words – depended a great deal upon hand gestures to communicate.

    In fact, recent research suggests that sign language is innate. An article published in the Boulder Daily Camera in 2003 presented strong evidence that babies as young as six months old communicate with their hands:

    “…by 6 to 7 months, babies can remember a sign. At eight months, children
    can begin to imitate gestures and sign single words. By 24 months, children
    can sign compound words and full sentences. They say sign language reduces
    frustration in young children by giving them a means to express themselves
    before they know how to talk.” (Glarion, 2003)

    The author also cites study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development demonstrating that young children who are taught sign language at an early age actually develop better verbal skills as they get older. The ability to sign has also helped parents in communicating with autistic children; one parent reports that “using sign language allowed her to communicate with her [autistic] son and minimized his frustration…[he now] has an advanced vocabulary and excels in math, spelling and music” (Glarion, 2003).

    The Best Time To Start

    Not only does early childhood education in signing give pre-verbal youngsters a way to communicate, it can also strengthen the parent-child bond – in addition to giving children a solid foundation for learning a skill that will serve them well in the future. The evidence suggests that the best time to start learning ASL is before a child can even walk – and the implications for facilitating the parent-child relationship are amazing.

    Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas

    Emily and Kathleen are Communications Coordinators for the network of Georgia child care facilities belonging to the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose child care schools. Primrose Schools are located in 16 states throughout the U.S. and are dedicated to delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum throughout their preschools.

  • I’m Back!!!

    I’m sure that a few of you probably wondered if I’d fallen off the map or was taking a little break from blogging.  Not at all.  I love my blog and it has become my stress reliever and given me the courage to do so many things.  My little sister had a birthday the week before last and I decided to go back home and celebrate with the fam.  However, what started out as just a weekend stay turned into a week and a half stay.

    I’m not complaining though because I did get to go to bed earlier than normal.  That’s all thanks to my niece who helped to wear Moo out with many hours of play after school.  I never knew how much I missed having a playmate for Moo.  I knew she missed it, but I never thought I would miss it.  It was nice seeing them play together again.  It was great to be able to spend time with my mom and do lunch together everyday.

    I ran into some of my old teachers, attended a celebration ceremony for my cousin (he was promoted to Captain in the Army!!) and went to church.  The best part was just being surrounded by the people I loved.  I did do something huge though!!!

    I got MARRIED!!!!  Yep, Thursday, we decided to elope.  Jay and I have been together a long time and we just decided that in order to be good parents and truly be followers of Christ, our life had to line up right.  While it wasn’t the wedding I’ve been dreaming of or planning it was romantic and perfect.    I felt like Carrie Bradshaw, when she married Mr. Big in the courthouse in a no label dress.  You think you want the big glitzy wedding because that’s what everyone expects and you’ve been dreaming about it since you were a kid. 

    However, the truth was I’ve changed since I was a child.  I was just as happy standing there with my mom and Moo as witnesses saying ‘I do’ to Jay as I would have been in front a church full of people.  I’m really glad that we just went ahead and did it.  And my mom certainly felt honored to have been made a part of it.  We’re officially a family and I love it!!!

    Hope you all have been having a wonderful week/weekend.

  • Costume Parties!!!

    Warning this post does contain material that is not suitable for persons under the age of 18!!
    With Halloween almost here, I know that most of us have already ordered costumes for our little darlings, but now it’s time for us adults to order costumes for ourselves.  Halloween is not just for kids.  Didn’t you all see that episode of the Real Housewives of New York from season 2 (I think) where Kelly held a huge Halloween Costume Party for the who’s who of NY?  And that got me thinking back to my first year of college.  In high school, I had never been much of a party girl because I knew that education would be my ticket out of my small town.
    So, I kept my head in my books.  Not to mention, my mom is minister and let’s just say she was not big on parties.  In her mind, sex, underage drinking and drug use was the only thing high school parties offered.  She claimed that kids in my generation didn’t truly know how to party, but took it to the extreme.  And to a certain extent she was kind of right.
    However, once I was officially on my own I wanted to discover just what I had missed out on for myself.  No, I wasn’t going to partake in any drugs or sex.  However, I did partake in some underage drinking once or twice, but not to the point where I wasn’t aware of my surroundings.  Drink but keep it classy.  Anyways, my first major party outing was at this club with my new found bffs.
    One of my friends had saw her roommate with some flyers for this really cool pajama/lingerie costume party.  And we just had to get in.  The party was being hosted by former cast members of MTV’s The Real World.  We were giddy at the chance to meet some celebrities even if they were reality tv stars.  So, we set to work all that week putting together our costumes. 
    My costume consisted of a cute lace nightie from Victoria Secret paired with black men’s boxer briefs and a black bra from WalMart and fish net stockings.  Oh boy if my mother could have only seen my get-up she would have died.  We get to the club and discover that we can’t get in without the flyer (a minor detail my friend forgot to read from her roomie’s flyer). 
    Anyways, here we are all sexied up in our outfits and heels.  It’s winter time and freezing out.  We had been lucky enough to catch a ride from one of our classmates on his way to work Uptown Charlotte but we weren’t about to walk 15 minutes in the cold back to our dorms.  So, as we’re talking about how we’re going get into this club, who walks by us?  None other than Ruthie from the Real World Hawaii.
    At first we didn’t notice her because we were in deep conversation but then my friend who talked us into coming to the club says “Hey, it’s Ruthie!”  We all turn and look.  It is her and she’s standing two feet away from us smoking a cigarette.  On her way back in my friend says hi.  We weren’t expecting her to stop and strike up a conversation but she does. 
    She says hello and asks why aren’t in the club.  Of course, replay her our story of how we don’t have the flyer to get in.  And she tells us to follow her that will be her VIP guests for the night!!!!  Our jaws about hit the floor!!!  We were going to get in.  She walks us back to the entrance and tells the girl taking the flyers “This are my friends and they’re coming in with me.”  The girl says we didn’t tell her that we came with Ruthie and she lets us thru.
    Oh boy, we had the time of our lives!!  We danced to our hearts were content, got free drinks and sat at Ruthie’s table with her.  It was amazing.  We did get the sense that she had a slight crush on my friend.  It could have been the fact that she had her double E sized boobs jacked up exposing her cherry tattoo.  LOL.  I’m not sure what time we left the club but I do know we will never forget our first adult costume party!!
    And to help you make your first costume party experience just as memorable my sponsors over at Lingerie.com are offering my readers 10% off their orders with this code
    Lingerie.com
    They have an excellent selection of costumes and sexy lingerie like

    They offer costumes and lingerie in regular and plus sizes.  Don’t forget to check out their clearance while you’re there.  And for a limited time you can get FREE shipping on all orders over $50!!

    Disclaimer: I am being compensated for this post.

  • Versatile Blog Award

    Good morning!!!  I just want to say that I am so honored that Sharina from Surviving Motherhood loved my blog enough to give me the Versatile Blog Award!!!  I’m super stoked because this is like my second blog award.  I feel like I just won a Grammy or Moon Man from MTV or something.

    Seriously, it means a lot to be given an award by one  of my readers.  It means much more to receive this award from someone who is a fan of my writing than from some organization or committee who is just reading my blog for the first time.  I really appreciate Sharina for even just remembering me for this award.
    
    Rules For Winning This Award
    ~Thank & link back to the person who gave you the award.
    ~Share 7 things about yourself.
    ~Pass the award to 15 other bloggers you’ve recently discovered and think are fabulous.
    ~Contact the bloggers you chose & let them know about the award.
    My 7 Things
    1. I’m a mommy of one very busy one year old little girl.
    2. I’ve been engaged to  my fiance for almost five years!  Long time I know. 
    3. I’m a Fashion Merchandising major.  I know you’re probably wondering why I did just start Fashion Blog right?
    4. I’m the second oldest of five kids, but I really feel like the oldest and often get pegged as being the oldest by other people.
    5. I love horses.  I’m like totally obssessed with them and secretly dream of owning a black stallion one day.
    6. I have an addiction to reality tv.  I’m talking Teen Mom, Real Housewives, Jersey Shore, Kate Plus 8, Cake Boss, etc.
    7. I drink soy milk.  I always heard that it tasted bad, but since I had an allergic reaction to cow milk during my pregnancy and had to switch to soy, I’ve been hooked ever since and haven’t had cow milk in almost three years!!! 
    My Fab 15

  • Versatile Blog Award

    Good morning!!!  I just want to say that I am so honored that Sharina from Surviving Motherhood loved my blog enough to give me the Versatile Blog Award!!!  I’m super stoked because this is like my second blog award.  I feel like I just won a Grammy or Moon Man from MTV or something.

    Seriously, it means a lot to be given an award by one  of my readers.  It means much more to receive this award from someone who is a fan of my writing than from some organization or committee who is just reading my blog for the first time.  I really appreciate Sharina for even just remembering me for this award.
    
    Rules For Winning This Award
    ~Thank & link back to the person who gave you the award.
    ~Share 7 things about yourself.
    ~Pass the award to 15 other bloggers you’ve recently discovered and think are fabulous.
    ~Contact the bloggers you chose & let them know about the award.
    My 7 Things
    1. I’m a mommy of one very busy one year old little girl.
    2. I’ve been engaged to  my fiance for almost five years!  Long time I know. 
    3. I’m a Fashion Merchandising major.  I know you’re probably wondering why I did just start Fashion Blog right?
    4. I’m the second oldest of five kids, but I really feel like the oldest and often get pegged as being the oldest by other people.
    5. I love horses.  I’m like totally obssessed with them and secretly dream of owning a black stallion one day.
    6. I have an addiction to reality tv.  I’m talking Teen Mom, Real Housewives, Jersey Shore, Kate Plus 8, Cake Boss, etc.
    7. I drink soy milk.  I always heard that it tasted bad, but since I had an allergic reaction to cow milk during my pregnancy and had to switch to soy, I’ve been hooked ever since and haven’t had cow milk in almost three years!!! 
    My Fab 15

  • Growing Up Too Fast

    So, it me the other day that my little Moo will not be so little for much longer.  I felt very sad because I must admit that I have greatly enjoyed having her need me for simple things.  And tried to explain it to one of my friends and of course they didn’t understand because they don’t have kids and just couldn’t sympathize with the emotions I was feelings.  The more I tried to explain it to them the more they were convinced that I was overreacting.  The conversation ended with me being highly frustrated that they would blow my feelings for my child off as nothing and needless to say I haven’t been exactly dying to talk to them again since.

    My point is that Moo is almost two and while she still needs me for basic survival, she has become so independent so fast that it really took me by storm just watching all the things she can do by herself now.  Like for example, she can untie her sneakers even if I double loop them.  She can undress and redress herself.  The clothes may not always be on the right side but they’re on the right body parts.  She can drink out of regulars glasses without a lid.  But that’s only when she’s really calm isn’t running thru the house with it.

    She can unlock the screen door, close the front door,  and reach all the locks on the bedroom doors.  She’s a master at climbing.  I mean we’re climbing up on the couch, the table, the bed, clothes baskets, the entertainment system and anything else she can pull her little body onto.  We’re making progress with learning how to brush our teeth good, but she can get a the job done sans me.  She’s feeding herself and even knows how to unwrap gum and candy.

    She’s opening the refrigerator door, trying to operate the microwave and flicking channels with the remote.  I could go on and on about the things she can do and how I miss being able to do them for her.  Thus, I have decided that instead of going into her second birthday with a looming sadness, I’m going to just cherish the moments and capture the memories as they come.  I know that there are greater adventures out there for us to face together.  Even as I type this I’m watching her out the corner of my eye eating a piece of cake and I know that no matter how old she gets I’ll still be her mother and never replaced!