31 weeks and counting...

I feel huge and I am only 31 weeks.  Every time I go somewhere there is always one person to point out either how big I am or that baby is coming soon.  It is one of those things that is inevitable.  Fortunately I haven't had any strangers try to touch my belly.  I don't mind people I know doing it but strangers are a totally different story.  Also people have been asking what I am having and when I say girl I get a thank God reaction.  You must be so happy it isn't a boy.  Believe me I am beyond excited we are having a girl but that wasn't why we decided to go again.  I was fully expecting another boy.  I know a lot of people who have tried many times for the opposite sex and they keep having the same gender over and over again.  Happy to have this chance to complete our family.

Happy Birthday to my Youngest Baby

I can't believe 3 years ago my youngest boy was born.  We spent the last few days celebrating his arrival into my life.  If you have been following the blog you are aware that my boy has had speech delay and we had a lot of concerns for him but I am happy to report he has been talking like crazy.  The progress has been pretty astounding especially compared to where we were a couple of months ago.  So this mama is finally breathing a sigh of relief.  Happy Birthday to my little 3 year old!!!  I am looking forward to a year full of even more learning, growing, and fun.  So thankful to have you in my life.  You are my rainbow baby blessing!!!!

***late birthday wishes 

My Current Diet

I am on a very strict gestational diet along with blood testing to make sure my sugars are level.  I am basically for an intents and purposes in my normal diet a vegetarian.  I have no problem with eating chicken or fish but I haven't really being doing that.  But since this new diet I have been incorporating chicken and fish.  It has been hard for me to adjust but I will do what it takes to make sure my baby girl is as healthy as possible.  Basically a gestational diet is very low carbs and high in protein with veggies as well.  The protein counteracts any sugars that are accumulated from eating carbs or sugars.  I don't have to worry about the sugar part I am not a sugary type of individual but the salty potato chips have had to take a backseat.  Fortunately, it is only temporary I go back to normal after delivery and my gestational diabetes are always under control with a diet which besides the protein is really no different than my normal everyday diet.  The only thing that gives me comfort or makes me feel better is I have about 8 more weeks of this intense diet.  I have already lost quite a bit of weight which can be a little alarming.  I am looking forward to my little one being on the outside so I can go back to my normal routine.

New School Year

The time has come once again for another year of school to begin.  In my opinion, summer went very quickly.  My boy was excited but a little hesitant this morning to start school.  I think once he gets into the swing of things he will be just fine.  I used to get really anxious and excited every first day of school.  New clothes, new supplies, new teachers, new friends it can be a little overwhelming.  If you have a kiddo starting school today I hope they have a great first day back and a wonderful school year.

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Glazer Museum

In Tampa there is a great touch museum with tons of interactive experiences for your little one.  The admission for adults is $15 and children $9.50. Right now they have a coupon for BOGO admission which is a great deal.  http://glazermuseum.org

The first floor of the museum has a giant splash table complete with make your own sailboat, pipe building,  and a weather learning area.  There is also a mock sailboat area in the back of it is a kiddie sand area.  There is also a toddler play area with toys and they have story time as well.  My kiddos could spend hours at the splash table area.

The second floor is jam packed with tons of things to do.  There is a stage with costumes, construction area, garden, publix grocery store, outback restaurant, firefighters area, and sports area.  There is so much on this level it is a little overwhelming for my boys.  I did have a hard time the first time I went keeping everyone together with so many areas to explore.

Right now they have a Wizard of Oz exhibit on the 3rd floor and it was super adorable.  They had scenes from the movie that you could walk into and take photos.  They had a bike like the witch that you could pedal.

Wizard of oz slanted house

We had such a great time at the museum and my boys can't wait to experience it again.  If you have the opportunity you should definitely check it out

***This post is not sponsored or affiliated with Glazer Museum.  All opinions are completely my own.

Lunch Box Ideas

I have a super picky eater.  Every normal thing you would give a child my boy is so against eating.  It is really frustrating.  So I have been racking my brain and the internet for interesting and appetizing lunch box ideas.  Some of the suggestions I have seen for picky eaters are not at all for picky eaters.  So far I have found a few interesting ideas that I want to share with you.

Pizza Pinwheels

I found this recipe after a search online.  My boy enjoyed the pizza but only wanted the ones that looked pretty.  If they didn't turn out just right he wouldn't eat it.  This is one of the many things I mean by picky.
http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/23702/pizza-pinwheels/?mxt=t06rda

Corn dog muffins

I haven't had the opportunity to try these out but I know my boy will like them.  He likes corn dogs and these are the same thing just in a more compact size.
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/mini-corn-dog-muffins-155136.aspx

Make your own lunchables This is one I have actually discovered myself my boy has been so insistent on lunchables and all of those ingredients are so bad for you so for a pizza lunchable I do an english muffin, shredded mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce, and pepperoni.  I do them all in separate compartments or bags.

We also do make your own sandwich.  I normally put a sub roll, meat, cheese, mustard, pickles, tomatoes in again separate containers or bags and he has fun putting together the sandwich that he wants to.  A lot of time he just eats the parts separately but as long as he is eating it I am a happy mama.  There is nothing more frustrating than a full lunchbox coming back home and a starving child after school.

For sides my boy loves cut up apples (I put some lemon juice on them so they don't brown) and peanut butter.  He also like chips and salsa and guacamole.

I hope you have a successful year putting together lunches for your little one and if you have a child who is a picky eater hopefully you will find the foods that they love to eat that you can feel good about giving them.

Crayola Experience

In Orlando just recently they opened a new attraction in the Florida Mall that my boys have been really excited about.  When my oldest was 2 we took a vacation and during our massive road trip we went to the Crayola Factory in Pennsylvania.  He had such a great time there that I was really looking forward to a version of it opening in our area.

The price of admission is $19.99/person and they have annual passes for $39.99/person.  We don't live far from the experience so we paid the extra $10/person for an annual pass.  Everything beyond that is free within the attraction.  When you go inside each person gets 2 tokens, the tokens can be used to get modeling clay or to make your own crayons.  The crayons can be personalized with an icon and your name.  The crayon comes out of the machine separately from the wrapper.  The wrapper can be placed on by your child with a rolling machine.  

There are a lot of play area opportunities with toddler specific area and a bigger kids playground.

There are a lot of art themed areas throughout including melted crayon spin art, painting area, coloring areas, and interactive personalized areas.  If your child is interested in how crayons are made a must see is the crayola factory tour which was entertaining enough for both my 6 and 2 year old.  It is a sit down show that has video interaction with a live guide.  

***This review is not sponsored or affiliated with the Crayola Experience or Crayola.  This review is entirely my own and zero compensation was provided in exchange for my honest review.

Gestational Diabetes Rollercoaster Again

Well I took the 1 hour sugar test and of course my number was super high.  As I have previously mentioned I don't eat sugar or drink it.  I know that it isn't just about sugar but I think a fair test for me would be to eat a heavily carbed meal and test me then.  It was strongly encouraged that I take the 3 hour by the nurse practicer that I saw for the very first time.  Along with a serious guilt trip about how my baby is in danger.  This is not my first time dealing with this.  She was pretty unsupportive with advice and options.  So after discussion my husband and I have decided instead of stressing out the baby with another sugar test we are just going to be testing from now on while I follow my strict gestational diet.  This was a very stressful decision for me to make I hate getting my blood taken but my supportive, amazing, wonderful husband has offered to do the actual testing for me. The worst part for me is the finger prick and doing it wrong.  He is doing it all for me. This is the only way I can feel comfortable doing this.  I am still having anxiety over the whole situation-I can't help it but by letting my husband help me it has become a tad less stressful for me.  One thing that worries me about this diet is I lose quite a bit of weight on this diet.  With my youngest boy he came out small and lean which freaked me out.  Hopefully my little girl will be ok.  I also had an ultrasound for my 28 week check and I am a little scared to find out that my girl is breech.  I am hoping that this changes as well.  Hopefully she will descend to head down easily.  Some people would get comfort knowing what is going on with their baby but all the extra testing really stresses me out.  They also have been on my case at the doctor's office to schedule an induction but the main doctor hasn't been in.  So I found out at my appointment that my doctor was in so I asked about scheduling induction and I get oh you have plenty of time to do that???  I get a different answer all the time at this office.  I am so thankful that this is my last pregnancy and I am really fortunate to be having a girl this time.  I know for certain I don't have it in me to go through this process again.

Pretty Little Liars

I have a bit of an obsession it is a show on ABC Family called Pretty Little Liars.  A lot of people refer to this show as a teenager's show but I have been hooked in for quite some time.  I am really looking forward to the Summer Finale which totes some answers to some really anticipated mysteries.  Among these is the reveal of A which I am eagerly awaiting.  I have even dabbled in the theory blogs on the internet.  If you aren't a fan/watcher basically the premise is a group of friends have basically been tormented by some unknown person who knows their secrets and tries to control them and their actions.  Recently they were kidnapped and locked in a bunker that resembles their bedrooms and they had various tortures mainly mind related.  It is a really messed up individual who has been messing with them. 

For the already PLL fans:  I am going to just put out there who I think that Charles/A it is Wren.

 It seems to be the only character that would make any sense.  I also feel that Redcoat is either Melissa or Cece.  Either way I am looking forward to finding out and Tuesday evening can't come fast enough.

Unusual Baby Registry Find

I was at Target the other day making a registry for my little girl and I found I really interesting product that made me laugh.  They are now making Upspring Baby Milkscreen Home Tests.  The unique this is this checks for alcohol in your breastmilk.  I could see this coming in handy occasionally but I am sure there is the random mom registering for boxes of these.  It really is a good way to really test your milk so you aren't wasting milk or giving your baby milk with too much alcohol in it.  I generally don't even take the risk and abstain from drinking while breastfeeding.  As I have gotten older drinking really isn't that important to me.  Plus it gives me something to look forward to after my little one is weaned.  What is your take on drinking while breastfeeding?  Would you put these on your registry?

***This product is not affiliated with this Learning to Pee with the Door Open.  These are my honest opinions on this product and zero compensation or quarry was made for a review.  

The Gear Up for Back to School

We have been living the lazy hazy days of summer with a pretty relaxed schedule the last couple of weeks.  Part of this fact is due to the fact that it is either super hot out and or raining so I haven't been too motivated to get out often.  We start the new school year here on August 24th and I can't believe it.  I feel like the summer has whizzed by.  I have enjoyed having my oldest home with my youngest they are playing really excellent together.  I think part of this is due to my 2 year olds sudden improvement in speech which has made it a ton easier for them to communicate.  I have started to try to prepare my upcoming 1st grader for the back to school schedule.  Long gone will be the days of sleeping in, so I have been gradually creeping back bedtime.  He is really excited to go back though I think this is mainly due to anticipation of seeing his friends from Kindergarten.  I am hopeful that they placed at least one of his good buddies in his class.  I have seen a general outpouring of a lot of parents who are more than ready for their kids to go back to school.  I can honestly say I don't feel that way.  I have really enjoyed having him home and we are going to miss him when he is at school. Ready or not here the school year comes.

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