Hair Ideas Please

I don't know what to do about my hair. I just made an appointment to get it cut on October 16th (exactlly 6 months after my last cut). It is getting really long and I always have it back in a messy ponytail. I just am sick of always having it back. I don't want to go really short and I cannot do bangs because of my cowlick. But, I'm looking for some ideas for a cute, fun and easy to maintain cut. Feel free to comment or send pictures that I might like. I NEED something fresh. Thanks ladies (and maybe gents). Below is a close up picture of my hair now. I can't believe I actually had it down.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for....

1. The right to vote. Grace is filling out my sample ballot and practicing for the day she is allowed to vote. Don't forget to vote on November 2nd this year. If you live in Illinois you can find out who will be on your ballot and info on some candidates here.

2. The consignment store a few blocks away. Grace has several pairs of jeans that are entirely too long so I hit up a local consignment store and scored 4 pairs for $13 total. Now I don't have to roll them 5 inches like in the picture above and I put a few pairs of jeans away that will serve her much better when she is taller.

Curtis Orchard

This weekend we took a trip to Curtis Orchard with our friends Teresa, Bryan and Ava Rae. We had a fun time eating apple donuts, petting goats, looking at pumpkins, and trying to stay warm. It was a windy and cool fall day so a great setting for an apple orchard. Here are some pictures.

16 Weeks Pregnant

Just checking in with a 16 week pregnancy update. I only have a few things to report. I had a doctor's appointment last week which went ok. I had gained 3 pounds which is what I think I had lost so I'm at my starting weight. I also enjoyed hearing the baby's heartbeat again. I have to take my glucose tolerance test early (usually taken between 24 and 28 weeks) to check for gestational diabetes sometime in the next couple of weeks because there was a little bit of sugar in my urine. I'm trying not to be worried because it is normal to have a tiny bit of sugar in your urine when you are pregnant and I had just eaten a bowl of coco puffs and had nothing to drink. So, pray it was just that.

I'm also happy to report that I have finally seen improvement in the way I'm feeling. Last week was pretty good. I was able to get out of the house a few times and was only throwing up first thing in the morning most days. I did that my whole pregnancy with Grace so I wouldn't be surprised if that happened again. As long as I feel good the rest of the day though it's no big deal. It's just the way it is for me.

Below is my 16 weeks picture. I'm wearing all maternity clothes now. I could probably get away with regular shirts. I just figure I might as well wear maternity shirts to get some use out of them and not stretch out my regular ones. I can't get my pants buttoned so I'm definitely in all maternity pants.

Paci

Grace at 2 months with her paci.

Contrary to popular advice we gave Grace a pacifier while still in the hospital after her birth. Everywhere I read said to wait if you are nursing so the baby doesn't get confused. Well due to lack of sleep and a brand new little being entering our lives we were the confused ones and really needed her to stop crying. So she got a pacifier.

Now Grace is 17 months old and still uses her pacifier during naps and at night. We debated long and hard as to whether we were going to take it away from her or just let her keep it. We ultimately decided to let her keep it since she only had it while sleeping.

Within the last week Grace has seemingly gotten really attached to her paci. Whenever I ask her if she wants to go to bed she runs to her room saying "paci, paci, paci." I'm not sure if she is tired or just knows if she agrees to go to bed she gets her paci. A couple of times she has pointed to where we keep them and thrown a fit because I wouldn't give one to her. We are still sticking to the only while sleeping rule but I can see how things could be interesting when she has to give it up someday.

2nd Trimester - 14 Weeks

Aaaah, it is finally here. The second trimester. Too bad I don't really feel any differently. O well. With Grace I was feeling better by 17 weeks so I keep telling myself the worst case would be I only have 3 weeks left of this ickyness. Here are some updates on this pregnancy....

I forgot about all the weird things that happened to my body while pregnant with Grace. Some of them are returning and some are new...

Skin: I didn't have any issues with my skin while pregnant with Grace but this time around I'm getting major dry spots. I've had to switch to super powerful lotion and that doesn't even help.

Hemorrhoids: Pregnant women get hemorrhoids during pregnancy and often times during delivery. I know you can get lots so I feel fortunate that I only got one during my pregnancy with Grace. It is back.

Stress Incontinence: I didn't even know what this term meant until I was pregnant. Here is a good definition..."Stress incontinence is an involuntary loss of urine that occurs during physical activity, such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercise." Don't forget to add during vomitting. Not only am I worried about puking in public but also peeing my pants while puking. It happens. Maybe I should just wear Grace's diapers.

Food: Please feel free to bring me the Greek salad from Panera with a cinnamon crunch bagel and hazelnut cream cheese on the side any day. I cannot tell you how many times Matt has gone to get this for me. I just had a huge dinner and want it now that's how much I crave it.

Weight Gain: Ok, I haven't actually gained any weight yet. But I will. It didn't even phase me when I was gaining weight with Grace. I gained a nice round 30 pounds and felt ok about it. I wasn't one of the lucky people who lost it all in a month. It took a good 9-10 months and then a couple of months after that to feel comfortable with my body again. Then I got pregnant again.

So now I have this mindset of I finally fit into my clothes and I like them and now I'm growing out of them again. O no! So I hope I gain only 30 pounds again and we'll see how slowly or quickly that weight comes off. Also, due to the fact that I didn't spend 3 weeks in Europe eating carbs before this pregnancy like I did before getting pregnant with Grace I am starting out lighter. So, I can't complain about that.

Finally here is my 14 week belly shot...

Favorite Books

Just so you don't think that all we do is watch TV I thought I'd post about Grace's favorite books. This girl loves to "read". She would rather bring me book after book after book than play most of the time. And she definitely has her favorites. I was going to do her top 3 but I couldn't narrow it down so we're going with the top 4 (and they are clear favorites).

#4. Go Dog Go

My Aunt Melanie got this book for Grace and she loves it. She loves looking at the pictures of the dogs. She also loves the pages where two dogs greet each other with a hello. When she brings the book to me to read to her it is usually accompanied by her saying "hello, hello" just like the dogs do.

#3. If You Give a Moose a Muffin

This book was a hand-me-down from some friends who had 2 copies. They chose a great person to give this book too. Grace usually says "moose" multiple times as soon as she sees this book. There is one page that where the moose gets scared by saying boo and Grace loves this page. I think it is the whole reason she wants me to read the book.

#2. Clara and Asha

Our friend Holly gave this book to Grace before she was born. I think this one might be my favorite. I just love the illustrations. I think Grace likes it because its about a giant fish. She always brings this book to me stating "Ashy, Ashy, Ashy" which is the name of the fish.

#1. Happy to be Girls

This is the mother of all books. It is a clear number one in Grace's book of books. Thanks to Jacque B. for giving this to Grace shortly after she was born. We have had multiple and very dramatic meltdowns because we wouldn't read it to her. It is safe to say that Grace is obsessed with this book. Because of that we keep it hidden and only take it out when we are ready to read it over and over and over again. But when we do read it, it is so cute to see Grace. The book is very has a singsongy feeling to it when you read it. Before I even turn the page Grace is reciting the next words or sounds as best she can. It is crazy how much she loves it and has picked up on what comes next.