Nanny to Mommy

That's what I read on BabyCenter today (or a prune according to TheBump or a Strawberry if you look at my side bar and see my LilyPie ticker).


Original Source

The exciting news this week? Baby has fingernails. FINGERNAILS!

Now for the other stuff. I want to stay open with all of my readers. I was in the beginning through my first pregnancy's journey and I want to through this one as well. With that said, I have a doctor's appointment on Monday. I have been spotting the past few days. Very lightly. But I am past the point where it could be implantation bleeding. I haven't been doing anything crazy, like lifting boulders or running a marathon. So I'm impatiently awaiting my appointment. Today, my nausea has subsided and that just makes me even more nervous. I never spotted with Sweet Pea. I read that some women have more cramps and spotting with the second, but I don't know how true that is and can't find any explanation as to why. My sister-in-law is a nurse and she said she thinks I am fine. It's so wonderful to have a medical professional in the family. She eased my mind a lot.



So needless to say, I have been taking it easy. I was craving steak yesterday and Hubby took me out to get one. We also played trivia for the first time in ever. Sweet Pea did so good that we are thinking of making it a weekly thing. Sweet Pea is also mastering potty training. She has become a pro. She even stayed dry through dinner last night. I couldn't be more proud.

My appointment on Monday makes me nervous because not only because of what I have going on, but I also have to go by myself. Hubby couldn't get it off work because of Labor Day being so close and my mother-in-law is watching Sweet Pea for us. The only time I went to an appointment by myself, I had to go straight to the hospital to be induced due to pre-eclampsia.
So needless to say I haven't been sleeping well and a bundle of nerves.



Something else exciting has happened today, I got an email confirming I am official Nuby Mommy Blogger. So keep an eye out for exciting reviews and possible giveaways! I am very excited to be a part of their team because I have been loving Nuby products for almost three years now. And I can't wait to share their new products with all of you.

So that's how we are doing this week. How has your week been going? Please share below or if you have a post, I'd love to see for myself. :)

Okay so technically turned over to 9 weeks preggo on Friday. I have Mommy Brain and Pregnancy Brain combined. It's bad around here. Bare with me, please. :)
According to The Bump, our baby is now the size of a green olive (a grape according to Baby Center). So I handed my Hubby a jar of these Private Selection Garlic Stuffed Olives that we had in the pantry and said, "This is the size of your baby." We got a good giggle out of it.



I did this little what's going on this week thing when I was pregnant SweetPea, so I will try and update each week. :)

How Far Along?
9 weeks (& 4 days as of today)

Total Weight Gain:
None as of yet. :)

Sleep:
I had some restless sleep last night, but I have been exhausted and since I'm not uncomfortable yet and besides crazy pregnancy dreams that I can't remember the next morning, I have been sleeping ah-may-zing! Sometimes with naps for good measure. :)

Cravings:
Ice CREAM! But I haven't been giving in. ;)

Movement:
Nope. I have been feeling phantom flutters since a few weeks after I gave birth to SweetPea, so if I feel anything I still think that's what it is.

Best Moment This Week:
When we ask SweetPea if she wants a brother or sister, she says brother. We will also ask her where the baby is and she points to my belly and says "Tummy Baby" or "Baby Tummy".

Milestones:
Graduating to fetus. :)

Favorite Moments:
Re-Announcing our pregnancy to family at the family reunion on Saturday


It's crazy how many things are different this time around. Laws are different for goodness sake! LOL Here's my little go to list. I have been asked why didn't you I something so many times by family that it truly is getting ridiculous. So I decided to make a go to cheat sheet, so we can go step-by-step exactly what has changed since the almost three years since I was pregnant with SweetPea.

Things That Are Different This Pregnancy: 1. cell phones, smart phones, apps - I got an Android smart phone that my pregnancy brain is making me forget the name of when SweetPea was first born. And it was considered a smart phone, but Androids didn't have all the apps that iPhones had back then PLUS there are even more apps now for smart phones that make keeping track of diapers, feedings, and all sorts of other things that would have been really useful! Like reminders for weekly/monthly pregnancy photos, tracking weight gain, or staying social on message boards. PLUS my phone I had when I was pregnant with SweetPea was a crappy flip phone with terrible picture quality.

2. breast pump through insurance - Thanks to new legislation, you can go through your insurance to get a breast pump. I had a hand-me-down Evenflo Comfort Select Double Performance Dual Auto-Cycling Breast Pump that my sister-in-law gave me. It was horrible. And although some people just aren't good at pumping, no matter what they do, I think my pump was a major problem in my pumping situation. It would have been nice to get Sweet Pea use to a bottle, so I could have a guilt-free night every now and again.

3. Rear Facing until age 2 - I felt forced to forward face Sweet Pea too early. Before I wanted to. And now looking back at it, others had the dumbest, most selfish reasons. But it is now the LAW that children stay rear-facing until age 2. The exciting thing though, I already have a brand-new infant carrier thanks to blogging. :)

4. No more drop down cribs - We have one and actually this changed right before Sweet Pea was born when we already had our crib. We just don't use the drop down side feature. When people ask us if we had lowered our crib, they need to remember - our crib is already lower than non- drop down side cribs.

I'm sure I can think of some more. But my previous pregnancy turned into mommy brain and now I have it mixed with pregnancy again, making my memory mommy brain worse x2. So that's what's new with us. How has your week been?

Please Vote For Us! :D

I am excited to work with Green Giant on reviewing their new chip varieties: Green Giant Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chip - Garden Ranch and Green Giant Multigrain Sweet Potato Chip - Barbecue! We have been huge fans of the Green Giant chip line for a few months now.



As most of you know I have been on a weightloss journey since September of last year and now that I am pregnant it is even more important that I eat healthy alternative snacks (because goodness knows I don't want to have the blood pressure issues I had with Sweet Pea). That's why I love Green Giant veggie chips. They fit our on the go lifestyle perfectly, but leave me feeling fuller and more satisfied than the alternative with a healthy dose of veggies. You should still eat your, these are in no way a substitute.



As far as snack options goes I feel confident letting my daughter eat them and as you can see she was a HUGE fan of the new Barbecue flavor! Garden Ranch was a personal favorite. I ate it with some hummus to give it that extra nutritional punch. SO GOOD!
Homemade Hummus Recipe:

Pin to Pinterest:

What you need:
1 clove garlic
1 (19 ounce) can garbanzo beans, half the liquid reserved
4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
1. In a blender, chop the garlic. Pour garbanzo beans into blender, reserving about a tablespoon for garnish. Place lemon juice, tahini, chopped garlic and salt in blender. Blend until creamy and well mixed.
2. Transfer the mixture to a medium serving bowl. Sprinkle with pepper and pour olive oil over the top. Garnish with reserved garbanzo beans.

What do you think of Green Giant Veggie Snacks and of the new flavors? Do you have any favorite dips or snacking tips that you would love to try with Green Giant Veggie Snacks? Please share them below!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

You can click on the image to view the original post. Includes and ultrasound picture. :D

I am so excited to share this blog post as part of a paid SocialMoms and Happy Family blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own because we have been HUGE fans of Happy Family's product line for a long time!



When SweetPea was testing out foods, she always had this very clear way of telling me she liked something...
most of it would end up on her. Seriously, she would maybe get a total of two complete bites in her mouth. But her hair, clothes, and high chair received most of the morsels.
One time we were having spaghetti and she loved it so much that she rubbed it in her hair. So we headed up stairs for a bath as soon as she was finished eating. On the way up she accidentally touched the wall (multiple times) and my carpeted stair way. When we came back down stairs, the dog had decided to treat himself to the unrated portions of spaghetti making my (again carpeted) dining room floor a vibrant red color. The bright side? She enjoyed her spaghetti! :D

My daughter has always been a huge fan of the Happy Family product line. Happy Family is the first organic brand to offer a complete line of nutrient-rich foods for babies’, toddlers’, and kids’ growing bodies. Constantly innovating, Happy Family has been a pioneer in the industry, adding extra nutrition to its products—like Salba, the super chia, probiotics, and Choline for brain health—whenever possible

Every parent has had food thrown at them, experienced temper-tantrums, and/or received flat-out refusal to eat something at some point in their parenting career. Bring some of these moments to life by hopping over to the Bright Side on Happy Family’s Facebook page to share a video or written story and image of your own to win $20,000 toward your child's college tuition!



Happy Family also partnered with some great mommy and daddy bloggers to improv their very own "Stories from the Brightside" and bring them to life.
This week it was Kristen Chase from Motherhood Uncensored



How do you get your kids to eat their veggies?

I know some of you have your own viral tells of food time hishaps. So why don't you submit your own "Stories from the Brightside" on Happy Family's Facebook Page and take a shot at $20,000 for your child's college tuition? Don't forget to grab a $0.50 off any Happy Family product coupon while you're there or a $1 off Happy Tot or Happy Baby pouches!

This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Happy Family blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.