My Dearest Little - A Letter Before You Are A Big Brother

My Dearest Little Caleb,

I can't believe that any day now you will no longer be our only little man in the house.  Before that happens I wanted to take a moment to let you know what the past 20 months have meant to me and make sure that you never doubt my, or our, love for you.

I remember the day we found out about you.  I hated disappointment and just knew that that test was going to be negative, once again.  I wanted you so badly, that I was putting pressure on us and because of that I just knew it wasn't going to happen.  And then, we flipped the test over and there it was, the double pink line that we had been waiting for!  Fast forward 37 weeks and it was time for your birthday.

September 4, 2014, the day that our lives changed forever and you taught me what it really meant to be selfless.  The day that you joined our family and made me a mom for the rest of my life.  I can never thank you enough for choosing us to be your parents!

You are so full of life and energy and while there are days when you are a little too much for us to handle, we always put you to sleep at night and lay there in amazement that you are ours, forever!

You are such a happy boy who is learning so much everyday.  There are more times then not that I get sad because I have to go to work and leave you with someone else during the day to learn from, but then you greet me each and every afternoon and I know that you get it.  I know that you understand that we are doing what is best for you and our family.

Any day now your baby brother will be joining our family.  I worry about not having enough room in my heart to love you both equally, but I am reminded daily that I'm sure that isn't possible.  I worry that you will feel replaced or like we needed him more then you.  I hope you never really think that these things are true.  You are the boy who made me a mom first and forever.  While I will love you both equally I know that you will both mean different things to me.

Caleb Tyler you are going to be the best big brother and don't ever forget that you are loved and wanted in our family forever!

Love,
Mommy

Living Room Gallery Wall

So after two years of living in our house, I have finally finished our gallery wall.  I wouldn't say it has definitely been a work in progress because that would be a lie.  We attempted to hang stuff once and after needing to patch some nail holes and not being able to find the correct paint color (the wall was painted before we moved in) we put things on hold.

Last August we decided to try again by changing the color of the wall.  We went to our local Ace and picked out a wonderful yellow and my dream living room was starting to come to life.  We hung a few items, but it wasn't until last Friday that my mom and I finally finished the gallery wall.

Most of the wall is permanent except for the items in the picture frames, two.  The large black picture frame with our family photo in it and the white picture frame with Caleb's photo in it are going to be changing each year.  I decided that I wanted a space to update our pictures and as much as I love canvases, you can't keep redoing them each year without being wasteful.  I plan on printing out our newest family photo each year and we will get a picture of each boy to do the same with so that our momentous events are on canvases and the ever changing life we live will be in the 2, soon to be 3, frames hanging on the wall.

There are two items missing, a frame for Baby E and a canvas that I am creating.  Both of those will be up within the next month, but until then, it is complete and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out!

Items: (Left to Right)
Wooden Number 4: Michael's spray painted black - $7.99
Baby E Maternity Canvas: Sam's Club photo, Hobby Lobby Canvas - $11.50
Picture Frame of Caleb: Michael's painted white, Sam's Club Photo - $12.97
Plate Holder: Gifted from mom, spray painted black
California Print: Gifted Frame, Sam's Club photo - $0.13
Caleb Canvas: Gifted from JC Penny
Wooden H Monogram: Michael's painted white - $2.99
Black Shelf: Wedding Gift
Caleb Maternity Canvas: Sam's Club photo, Hobby Lobby Canvas - $11.50
Mirror: Gifted and painted white
Family Photo: Michael's Frame painted black, Sam's Club photo - $24.96
Heart String Art: Won from Sometimes Sweet Studio
Plate Holder: Gifted from mom, spray painted black
"Count Your Blessings" Print: Gifted Frame, Sam's Club photo - $0.13
Wedding Day Canvas: Sam's Club photo, Hobby Lobby Canvas - $11.50
Trio Tree Canvas: Target (had for years and can't remember the price)
Missing: 
Baby E frame and photo - $12.97
Wedding Canvas - $1.50

Total Gallery Wall Price:
$98.14!

Pricing Disclosure:

We already had all of the paint, mod podge and 

paint brushes so I didn't include those prices into this project.

I also didn't include the cost of painting the wall from

 grey to yellow because we were going to paint it either way.

I was able to keep this gallery wall under $100 because of coupons and DIY.  I bought all the frames on clearance and painted them to the colors I wanted instead of finding frames the colors I wanted and potentially spending more money.  I printed the pictures all at once saving myself multiple trips to the store and depending on where you buy your prints from it could be cheaper the more you order at one time.  I created all of the canvases, except for the one of Caleb, myself to lower the cost of each to $11.50 instead of $30+ using my DIY Canvas technique.

Creating a happy space in your home doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg, but you will have to put the time in to save the money where you can.  I am so happy with how this project turned out and I can't wait until Baby E is here so that we can add his picture up on the wall as well.

Baby Hughes #2 - 39 Weeks

How far along are you? 39 weeks!

How I'm feeling: I am definitely a bit disappointed that I am still pregnant, but I know that this little boy will come when he is ready.  Other then being ready to meet our little E, I have been sick since 36 weeks so that has been completely miserable.  I've gotten cough syrup with codeine, 3 inhalers and a z-pack.  I am finally feeling back to "healthy".

Total weight gain:  I have gained 18 pounds.  I am really proud of myself for keeping the weight under control this pregnancy, although as I have said before, it is probably just because I have been chasing Caleb around and haven't had time to gain weight.  Baby E is healthy though so that is all that really matters.

How big is baby? Baby is size of a pumpkin today!  I definitely feel like there is a pumpkin inside of my belly too!  Baby E should be weighing about 7.23 pounds and be 19.9 inches tall.  However, at my 38 week appointment my doctor predicted that he is almost a pound smaller then Caleb probably.  He is a tiny boy as far as she can tell.

Maternity clothes: Always yes.

Sleep:  Sleeping is still impossible and with being sick it has only gotten worse.  I am still loving my pregnancy pillow but cannot wait to be able to lay on my stomach again, although if I can nurse this time around I realize that will still be a ways off.

Best moment this week: We have everything ready for Baby E's arrival.  All items have been purchased and cleaned.  We won't be panicking about not having something (okay, I will no matter what, but we really are good)

Movement: Baby E is a mover and a groover.  He is head down but he loves his booty bumps up in my ribs.  I am going to miss feeling him inside my belly.

Food cravings: Soda and grapes!

Food aversions: Meats have started taking a back burner for me.  I have no real desire to eat any kind of meat.

Belly button in or out:  We are definitely flat in the belly button department.  Caleb is completely fascinated by it.  Depending on where Baby E lays it could be out a little as well, but I don't have a constant "turkey's done" button.

What I am thankful for: I am thankful that we are still having a healthy pregnancy.  I am thankful that this babe moves around enough every day to let me know that he is happy and healthy in there.

What I'm looking forward to: I am looking forward to meeting our little boy.  Hopefully while you are reading this he is making his way into the world?  Wishful thinking I'm sure.  :)

What's In My Hospital Bag - Round 2

So after searching through past posts I couldn't find where I ever told you what I took to the hospital last time.  And that sucks because I would have loved to remember what we took that we didn't need and what I wished we would have taken.

But after much procrastination I finally packed our bag on Sunday night.

Bag:
I was gifted a new diaper bag, which is actually the exact same one that we already have but in a different color.  I absolutely love it and after almost 2 years, we could use a new one :)

JJ Cole Stachel

For Mom:
I packed very minimally for our trip.  Our hospital provides everything you need while there and although I truly hope to have a better birthing experience this time around, there is no gaurantee.  With that being said, I am bringing a nursing tank, nursing sleep bra, two pairs of fuzzy socks, a pair of flip flops, maternity leggings for going home and a loose fitting shirt also for going home.

For Dad:
Oh my husband.  He is hilarious!  I asked him what he wanted me to pack for him and he said, "just a pair of socks."  What?!?  But okay!  I took it upon myself to also pack a pair of underwear because why would you change your socks and not your undies?  LOL!

For Baby:
Like I said above, our hospital provides everything we will need while we are there so all we are bringing for baby boy is his coming home outfit.  I bought this outfit right after we found out he was a boy and just knew that he would wear it home.  I can't wait to see our little moose :)

Carter's Newborn

In addition to the clothes for each of us we are bringing toothbrushes, travel toothpaste, Simple facewipes, my favorite lotion, some hair ties, chapstick and our nursing pillow.  While the hospital will provide plenty of pillows for us to use for nursing, there is nothing quite as nice as the nursing pillow when you think about it.  I will need to throw in my hairbrush the day of also.

I am also thinking that I might throw in mascara just in case I get a wild hair up my butt and want to put some sort of makeup on.  I am hoping that this delivery goes much different then Caleb's and that would mean I don't feel like death while in the hospital for almost 4 days.

I hope we have everything we need, and if not, then someone will be running to Walmart or Target - both are right across the street from the hospital :)

Is there anything I am forgetting for my second delivery?  Let me know what you couldn't do without in your hospital bag!

Confessions...

Honestly all I can think about now is Brittany Spears and when she sings, "I must confess, that my loneliness, is killing me nowwwwwww..."  haha!

But on a serious note, here are some confessions that have been weighing on my mind lately.

1. Blogging has still not been happening and this is my third week of maternity leave!  At this rate I will have a newborn here before I blog about any of the things I've wanted to blog about before he gets here!
2. I have peed my pants more in the last 18 days then ever in my life.  It's not even funny how often it is happening.  And when you pee your pants that much you can't help but cry and then you cry more because everyone chuckles when you cry over peeing your pants.  It is such a vicious circle!
3. I don't remember what contractions felt like with Caleb.  I remember thinking with Caleb that it was always the real deal and they always told me it wasn't and I would know when it was.  Well for the life of me, I can't remember what that feeling was and so now I'm scared we won't have enough time to get to the hospital and take care of Caleb.  I know, wishful thinking!
4. Ryan and I haven't had a date since February.  This makes me extremely sad.  We never did a "babymoon" with Caleb and I in no way wanted to do one with this pregnancy either, but after he was gone for 4 weeks in March and with the craziness that was my job during that, I really would have liked a night out, just the two of us, where we could eat hot food and do whatever we wanted before our new little man joins us.  I guess it will just have to wait...
5. I don't know how it is possible, but this pregnancy has turned me into a 90-year-old dimension woman.  I cannot remember anything, for anything!  I can't remember if I thought about asking someone something or if I actually asked them and just can't remember their answer.  I can't remember why I went to stores in the first place, although I always find plenty I need while I am there.  This little boy is sucking my mind dry and I'm hoping it all comes back when he is here.
6. I have been hit with sickness three times this pregnancy!!!  With Caleb I got a cold twice, at 8 weeks and 37 weeks.  Both lasted about a week and everything was fine.  This little babe?  Well he wanted to be super kind to his mama and have me get sick 3 times and not just with colds!  I was sick with a cold at 5 weeks, fever at 32 weeks and then a 3 week stint of deathlike plague at 36 weeks.  As much as I love being pregnant, I can't wait to not be pregnant so that if I get sick again I can actually take some medications!
7. Grapes have been my everything this pregnancy!  They are all I want, all day, everyday.  I have had grapes in our fridge for the past 3 months and loving every second of it!
8. I just packed my hospital bag on Sunday night, and it really isn't finished.  For being a person who really wanted to have this baby early you'd think I'd have been more prepared this whole time right?  WRONG!  It is mostly packed now I just have to remember to put it in my car so that we have it when we need it.
9. This is my last pregnancy (unless we win millions in the lotto) and I have so many mixed emotions about it.  I'm completely happy with our choice to have two boys and call it good.  On the other hand, I just love being a mom and carrying these little precious souls with me.  Such a catch 22!

Well I think 9 random thoughts for today is good enough.  Hopefully more posts will be coming soon.  No promises though (obviously!)

Mother's Day Pinterest Project Fail!

Have any of you attempted some Pinterest projects?

Have any of you been successful?

Well I decided to be cutesy and try out one for Caleb's grandma's for Mother's Day this year.  It seemed super easy!

Here is what it should have looked like...

Source

I planned on making ours less "girly" and decided to go with a yellow flower instead of pink.  I headed to Hobby Lobby to get our materials needed and $10 later we were ready to go!

I sat Caleb down, naked in his highchair, and thought, "This is going to be great!"  Man oh man was I wrong!  What kid hates finger paints??  My kid, that's who!  He was so upset that he had paint on his hand!  It took all of me to get the two handprints we needed for the two small canvases.

Here are our results...

Now I know that they aren't terrible and that Grandma's love crafts no matter what, but I wished they would have turned out a little bit better.  Maybe I should have gone with a red or orange flower?

Either way, here is one of my first ever Pinterest project attempts and finished results!  Good thing Caleb is super cute and can give really great hugs and kisses to make up for his lack in enthusiasm about finger painting!

What Pinterest projects have you tried?  Were you successful?

Baby Hughes #2 - 37 Weeks

So it has been 7 weeks since my last bumpdate and I am incredibly sad about that.  I am actually really sad about how much this pregnancy has not been documented, but due to the craziness that has been our lives this entire past 9 months, I am giving myself a break and not being too hard on myself.

At 37 weeks I am once again sick :(  This is the third time this pregnancy, which if you have been sick just once while being pregnant you can imagine how annoying and frustrating it is for a third time of illness to strike!  I am getting some prescriptions today that will hopefully help me feel better for the rest of this pregnancy.

Overall, this pregnancy has been a whirlwind.  It was definitely not as breezy as Caleb's was, but maybe that is just a little friendly reminder from upstairs that this is our last pregnancy and doesn't want me to enjoy it too much? LOL.  But overall, I still love being pregnant and feeling this little boy move inside of my belly.  I will be so sad when it is all over, but I can't wait for him to join our family!

I have gained a total of 19 pounds this pregnancy and I am really proud of myself.  I blame thank my lovely toddler for this mostly because without having to chase him around 24/7 I probably would have gained double what I gained while pregnant with him (33 pounds)!  I think the fact that I have been sick 3 times, was so nauseous for the first 4 months and alone with Caleb for probably 2 solid months out of this pregnancy were also big factors.  We have 3 (better not be more then) weeks left with this babe in my belly and I am hoping to not gain more than 6 more pounds before he is born.  I have high hopes that since I didn't gain as much weight this time it will be easier to drop the weight this time also.  I will still have that lovely toddler of mine to chase around, so hopefully he helps mommy lose those extra lbs!

I am officially on Maternity Leave.  I started Monday this week and while it was completely weird in the beginning, I am so glad I am taking this time.  I took Mat Leave with Caleb at the same time, but it was just me and Hank so I got bored a lot more easier.  This time I get to enjoy these times with Caleb while it is just me and him left before his brother joins us.

I can't believe that he could be here any day now!  As much as I want to meet him, I am happy keeping him in there for a little bit longer, since this is our last baby.

I should also probably start packing a hospital bag huh?  And install the car seat?  Oh second pregnancy problems! :)

Maternity Pictures 2016

We paired up with the fabulous LG again, from LG Grow With Me Photography, for our maternity pictures and, as always, they turned out absolutely amazing!!

LG is a great photographer to work with and is always so flexible and great with our family.  We found a location that we wanted to try out and she was more then excited to try out a new spot as well.  We settled on Auburn Ravine Park and Preserve.  It is about 20 minutes from our house and has the most gorgeous meadows right now with wildflowers.

LG worked great with our crabby Snug Muffin who decided that unless he was able to run through the meadows on his own, he was not down for pictures.  It was an interesting afternoon.

We had our pictures taken on Sunday afternoon, she had our sneak peaks up by Sunday night, had the gallery available for our choosing by Monday and after we made our final selections we had our finished, edited photos to us Thursday night!  Can we just talk about amazingness!!??

If you are in the Sacramento area I cannot recommend her enough!

Now onto the pictures!

And if you missed our maternity pictures that she did with Caleb, you can check those out here!

I can't believe that we will be a family of four so soon!

Life For The Past 3 Months Really...

So it makes me incredibly sad that this blog has taken a huge back burner!  I hate that I haven't been documenting this pregnancy like I did with Caleb's and how I haven't been keeping you all updated on our debt journey or things going on in our lives.

Life for the past 3 months have been chaotic, to say the least.

Where do I even begin?  I'm not really sure but I will try to catch up as much as possible.

January - the end of hunting season for the husband and the end of an annoyingly long run at a new employee to take over my job so that I could get "promoted".  January was definitely not my favorite month this year so far, but it also wasn't the worse.

February - a month full of preparation.  My job was getting crazier day by day and we were having scares with Baby E left and right.  All of this plus we were preparing for Ryan to leave for an entire month and that would mean it would be me (7 months pregnant), the dogs and Caleb alone for 4 weeks.  Thankfully, my job got it's act together and we found an amazing person to take over my job so that I could go to my new position and another amazing person to take over for me while on Maternity Leave!  I could feel the stress going away day by day.  We then got the all clear from every doctor about Baby E and we were good to go.  This baby was going to stay put where he was and my job was going to finally be at a stress level that I could handle.  We still had the stress of preparing for Ryan to leave, but now that two of my three stressers were gone I knew we would be okay.

March - Ryan was gone.  It was rough.  We had our trial run at this back in December when he was training for two weeks a few hours away and although I knew I would be able to handle it all, it was more stressful because this time he was halfway across the country!  Ryan left on a Sunday and it was me, Caleb and the furboys for the next 4 weeks!  It was a lot!  I definitely didn't take care of myself like I should have, but Caleb and the dogs were fed every day.  #winning

Ryan was able to call and facetime with us almost every single day which really helped Caleb.  This was the furthest distance he has been from Caleb since he was born and also for the longest amount of days without seeing him.  It was definitely hard on our entire family but we survived and it has made all of our bonds that much stronger.

In March I also had a great baby shower that we did a ton of DIY projects for that I can't wait to blog for all of you.  I have about 10 projects to blog about so hopefully those will be coming very soon.

April - The last month we had as a family of 3.  It is crazy to think about, but now that it is May we are going to be a family of 4 any day now.  April was busy and hectic as usual, but in a good way.  Ryan came home from Louisiana and we started living our lives back together as a family.  I finished out my last month of work and we tried to prepare for our new little bundle.  We transitioned Caleb out of the crib and redid his room to be a big boy room (also a post coming on that hopefully).  I definitely started nesting and deep-cleaned items around our house that most people don't even think about.

I am excited to be on Maternity Leave and being able to have the opportunity to spend quality time with Caleb before we have another baby.  Also, I really want to try and get things organized and put together in our house while I have the time off.  Over achiever?  Maybe, and most of it probably won't happen, but if you write it down it's more likely to come true, right??

Stay tuned!