So. Much. (Bella 5 Mo)

I'm not going to waste time with niceties this go round. I have A LOT to catch up on. I have been blogging in my head for like a week now and I have some good stuff to spit out. I've decided since I will likely not post next week as I'm sure I will later promise to do in this post, I will outline what we are going to cover today. That way, if you're taking notes, you can make sure not to miss anything ;)

1. Jones Family News (new jobs and baby updates)

2. Potty Training (could fall into news category, but there is a lot of Sh*t to talk about....literally)

3. Fitness update 

Let's get started:

Jones Family News:

Since the beginning of the year, Dans company announced they were liquidating. There was no date as to when, but there was certainty that his time at Flexi was coming to an end. Dan started the year job hunting. This is a difficult task for most, but I am proud to say that my husband (and also one of the smartest people I know - if not THE smartest) is a highly sought after individual. He was recruited by a company based out of Houston for a Treasurer position. (Let me rewind about 5 years. Dan sets career goals. He ALWAYS meets his goals. When we started dating, Dan told me he wanted to be a Treasurer before he was 40. His 40th birthday is May 27.) While accepting this position would mean a huge change for our family, it was something we were entertaining based on the salary, the title and the doors that would open for him and our family later, and the fact that Houston, while not Dallas, is a short enough trip to make keeping in touch with family very attainable. He was flown out twice in 2 weeks, 2 weeks after that was given an offer. The offer was far less than we could validate relocating our lives for, so he continued to search in Dallas while they "came up with a counter offer" (aka interviewed more candidates in Houston that would take the salary they were offering). Dan was interviewed for another position in Ft. Worth. This position was a small step down from where he was....and the company, while CLOSE to Dallas, would still mean at least double the commute and the salary was not compensating for that. Although it was not a position/company he loved, we were considering it because after all, I may work, but Dan pays the bills. He is the head of our house and the provider in the financial sense of things. He knows that he has to have a job and is always very proactive about his career. The Ft. Worth company offered him the job, and while we were still holding out for Houston, and Dan was still actively searching for options closer to home, he managed to delay his answer for a few days. He was offered the job on a Tuesday. On Thursday, his recruiter called and said they had a position he would be perfect for in Plano. The title was Treasury Manager (a step down), but salary was competitive and the location could not be more perfect. He interviewed Friday at 11. They called his recruiter back immediately and set up another meeting with the rest of the Board members (this company is set up more like a law firm than a corporate office). Long story short, they offered him the position of Treasurer (after meeting him and realizing what he would contribute to their company), and he accepted. In an ironic turn of events, Houston came to Dan and offered him exactly what he had asked initially along with a bonus for relocation. He turned them down as we decided that being close to family was worth a lesser salary. So, there you have it. It was a stressful few months. The prospect of moving had my stomach in knots. The prospect of Dan not finding something had my stomach in knots. There were lots of stomach knots around here.....but we are settled now. This company is going to be very good for our family in the long run, however, sometimes that comes a long with some sacrifice in the beginning. At the moment, we are sacrificing time together. Dan works long hours and of the 5 weeks he's worked there, he's been out of town for 1 full week, and is leaving again tomorrow for another week. I don't have to tell any mommy how hard it is to go it alone for a full week.....the travel is something neither of us expected and honestly, we're not sure how much will be involved total. So, we're just doing it day by day. And so far, Dan's work at the company has made a huge impact and his value is apparent to everyone who hired him. So, for now we suck it up and wait for the big pay off ;)

As for the rest of us, we are getting along fine. Bella is such a good tempered baby. I just can't get over how much she smiles and coos. Her whole face literally lights up. She loves watching her sister jump around and be silly, and I can't wait to see them interact even more. She is now sleeping very well at night. She will still wake up once or twice, but mostly to have the paci (that stupid God forsaken paci) put back in her mouth. As I was blogging in my head one night, I was going to share with all moms my thoughts on paci's. As I got up for the 900th time to put it back in her mouth (this was a rare night, but one that I really wanted to sleep), I was going to ward off paci's in general. I was going to rave about their pointlessness and how they contribute to sleep deprivation in the early months (for mom only). But then, that 901st time I put the paci  back in her mouth, she went to sleep until morning.....and I ended my blog o' rage against pacis and remembered that without it, I would have actually had to try to soothe her ;) We took her 4 mo pictures last week and I am waiting for the edits to get back to me, then I will make one big post just about her, as Dan calls her - our little PortaBella :) She's kind of a chunk. The cutest kind. She is really moving around more lately, loves the little bouncy play things and is scooting to the point where I feel like she could follow me around the house if she were so inclined. She is still not rolling from her stomach to her back yet....and I am still OK with that. Mia started sitting around 5 1/2 mo, so I feel like that is our next milestone (and eating solids) and I am really looking forward to it :)

On to the next bullet point:

Potty Training:

So, about a month and a half ago, we started actively potty training Mia. We had her in pull ups for several months before that, but we noticed that honestly she treated it just like a diaper, so we were basically just paying triple what we should have been paying for diapers. She would go tee tee on the potty whenever we put her there, but she had no interest in telling us ahead of time. Finally, when Bella started sleeping through the night and I felt like I had finally woken up from a 4 month coma, I decided to go balls to the wall and send her to school in panties. How is it that these things are so much more traumatic for me than for her?? I had anxiety about it all day! I kept checking to see if they had changed her clothes at school and I even called a couple of times (I think my crazy girlfriend came out). But, as it turns out, my kid is a rock star :) She did have 2 accidents the first week and they were both within the first 30 minutes of the first day. Since then, she has had one or two, but mostly if they are outside playing and she doesn't think to tell someone she has to go because she's preoccupied. 

Well, that paragraph was terribly misleading.....I should probably have specified that this was for tee tee ONLY. My child now has a fear of going #2. For a while she would still go in her pull up at night (we are using them until I run out at night), but now it is at the point where she just doesn't want to go. At all. Anywhere. Well this is concerning. She went about 3 days without a poop, so finally after camping out for an hour in the bathroom with no action, she waited until just before she got in the bath and pooped all over the bathroom floor.....perfect. I think the night after that, she pooped on the floor downstairs somewhere. Let me just tell you, there was about a week where all i could remember was how mad I would get at Luci for pooping inside, but here I was, assuring my 2 yr old that "everyone has accidents every once in a while"  and "it's no big deal, see mommy cleaned it up!" because every time this happened, it was a super dramatic tear filled 30 minutes of screaming. Oh....did I mention this was the week Dan was out of town??? Yea. Super. So, here we are. Now, not only will she not go in the potty, she does not want to go in her pull up either. Our routine at night generally consists of about 3 trips to the bathroom lasting anywhere from 15-30 minutes at a time, where we (being myself, Mia, Bella and Regan the pup) sit in the bathroom and hang out while Mia sits on the toilet and tries to convince me through tears that she is "done" because "it's plopped!" which it never has, and she never is. 

Seeing as how we have lots of time to visit every night I have tried to psychologize her and figure out where this fear is coming from. One night she told me "there is a tiger in my tummy, and it's trying to get out of my booty!" well, there you have it. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't poop either if I thought a tiger was going to come out of my butt. Not really sure where to go from here. I guess we just keep camping until something happens. The good news is, she went last week on the potty one night. Kind of made those hours spent on the bathroom floor worth while....almost ;) I'm hoping by the next blog I have much better news on the poop front. In the meantime, I could use some prayers....for patience, and for poop ;)

And on the last note: 

Fitness update:

Lets talk ladies. Do you remember before you got married and you had time to work out before you headed up to meet your friends for hh on an average Wednesday night? I seem to recall actually getting up BEFORE work, going to the gym, then coming home after work and running. Wow. Just wow have times changed. Here's my update....I ordered Focus T 25, because let's face it, we ALL have 25 minutes a day!! No, no we don't. I get up at 5:30 every morning and don't stop working (either job) until my last child is in bed asleep by 8:30 on a good night. Now, at 8:30 I still have not washed bottles, straightened up my house or eaten. I would have to be pretty dedicated to do all of that and then STILL do a 25 minute workout.....some nights I am that dedicated. Others, not so much. So let me sum it up.....I'm still working on finishing up week 2 while in all actuality I should be wrapping up week 5. Mind you, me and everyone in my house have been sick for going on 8 days now and my husband was out of town for another one of those weeks making my "free" time even more non-existent, so I'm not going to be down on myself about that. And honestly, if you are a working mom of two or more whose husband works long hours leaving you to do most (ALL) of the childly/housely duties alone and who also travels (what has now amounted to) 1/3 of the time and you find the time to work out 5 days a week....write a book. You will sell AT LEAST one copy.

Since I came to the realization that until my little one goes to bed and stays asleep 100% (or even 90%) of the time and my other one poops daily to avoid the getting up after bedtime to scare me into thinking she's about to poop, then I'm not going to work out 5 times a week. I will literally be thrilled if I do it twice a week.

 Despite this shift in my reality, my body image has remained the same.....and that is something that I still want to work on. I saw a friend post online about Plexus Slim. Its a drink you take with an accelerator once a day and people have been shown to have amazing weight loss results on it. I have done a lot of research on the product and it is all natural and the benefits in addition to weight loss are pretty incredible. Anyway, I plan on making a whole separate post about it once I have some before and after to share from mine and Dan's experience, but if anyone is interested in checking it out and trying it with me go to my site: plexusslim.com/margaretjones 

I joined Plexus, but mainly so I could get the products at a reduced rate. Don't worry, I'm not going to be bogging down emails or fb pressuring anyone to try it, but if the claims this company makes show up for Dan and myself, I figured it might be a product worth sharing with those who are interested. So....don't unfriend me! :)

I guess you're noticing there aren't any pictures in this post.....That will come soon (see I told you I'd promise an unrealistic new post soon ;))

Results of Phase 1......and beginning Phase 2

Ok, so I warned you that follow through was not my strong suit. I did not lie. So, instead of posting after my 7 day hunger strike cleanse, I am posting 7 days and 1 week after the fact.

My starting weight was 132. My goal (my weight at my first dr visit....when I still fit comfortably into my size 2s) is 121. In my mind, with this cleanse, I was going to drop 10 lbs (even though I was only really shooting for 7) in a week....done AND done. Yea, rather than losing 7 lbs, I further proved that you can't believe everything you read online. Mind you, I am aware that I am not a huge person, I don't have a TON of weight to lose and the weight that I do have is mainly because I just spent a year not caring what I shoved in my face. Soooo, I get that 10 lbs, even 7, would have been a lot for me to drop in 1 week. Below is a picture of me the first night:

I knew that I would likely not post (as much as I really really wanted to) on day 7, so I was smart and kept notes on my phone. I feel like these notes were necessary to capture how I was feeling during this ridiculousness....

Day 1 - All Fruit (132.4 lb)
HARD day! Need coffee. Want to punch the TV when fast food commercials come on. Cried a little when I had to toss the leftover mac n cheese from Mia's dinner. Feel bloated....and tired.
Day 2 - All Vegetables (131.4 lb)
Better day, got to eat a baked potato....highlight of my week so far!
Day 3 - Fruit AND Vegetables (no baked potato) (130.7lb)
Totally doable. Pretty hungery today....was able to eat out though AND stay on cleanse! Go Ghengis Grill. Pretty sure I cheated and had a drink today *STOP JUDGING ME!* ;) but in all fairness, I chose to do a cleanse during the most stressful week of my month
Day 4 - Banana and Yogurt (129.7)
Despite the fact that I don't love bananas or yogurt, not a horrible day
Day 5 - Chicken/Turkey and tomatoes (128.6)
I took turkey deli meat to work with me and tore into it like a savage at breakfast. it was a good day....totally manageable. I did sprinkle a little salt on my tomatoes and managed to get 4 of the 6 down during the day. Bought a rotisserie chicken for dinner and ate most of it by myself. Have I mentioned I love meat?
Day 6 - Turkey/Chicken and veggies (130.4)
I did fish instead of chicken. Did have some cocktails with dinner (it was V-Day). Super bummed that I gained weight on this stupid cleanse! Hoping its b/c my plumbing is a little clogged (*I am literaly copying verbatim what I logged on my phone....I should filter more*)
Day 7 - Cabbage Soup (129.4)
They forget to mention that the soup yields approx. 900 servings, smells good though. Hope I like it because I have a years worth sitting on my stove. First few bites - this is the best soup ever! Next few bites - wow, that is A LOT of cabbage. Trying to finish FIRST bowl - that texture is really off putting. Kind of feel like I'm going to yak in my mouth if I have to take another bite. Long day. So hungry but the thought of another bowl of soup makes me cringe. Made Mia pizza bites for lunch. wanted to ravage her plate even after she licked all the toppings off.
Morning of Day 8 - 128.4 lbs

So....there you have it. I lost 4 lbs. I starved myself and ate a lb of cabbage in 1 day....and I lost 4 lbs. Take it or leave it. I personally would not do it again. But, you never know until you try it, right?

Here's a pic of me after:

Not a huge difference, BUT I can fit into a pair of pants I could not fit into before this AND I have lost the muffin top I had in 2 of my other pairs of pants. Was it worth it? Maybe. Could I have accomplished the same thing by eating right and exercising? Definitely. But who wants to read about that business....;)

So, on to phase 2. I gave myself a week to be a fat ass, but luckily have remained at 128. I started my Focus T-25 tonight, so I will be walking around like I have arthritis for the next 3 days. I'm determined to see this through too though....and I'm getting the t-shirt dang it!

On a side note, since this is a blog that is SUPPOSED to be centered around my kiddos, I will be posting soon about how awesome they both are and what is going on in their little lives. sneak peak though: Bella's almost rolling over and we are POTTY TRAINING Mia!!

Accountability

This is gonna be a quick one, so hold on tight! I need to be held accountable.....so you've been nominated to do just that. I am almost 14 weeks post baby and I am still up 10lbs and mountains of cellulite from my pre-baby body. I don't need you to tell me that I just had a baby. I don't need to know that it takes TIME for the weight to come off. And for real, I don't want to hear that "all things considered" I look pretty good (not that I'm saying that's the case, but this is not a fish for compliments post). What I DO need is for you to tell me to SHUT UP and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Ok, Ok.....no need to be so harsh. I'm doing something. I have a plan. It's three fold (I feel like the best plans are.....and that is based on absolutely nothing scientific):
1. 7 Day cleanse (goal - drop 7-10lbs)
2. Focus t25 (a 10 week workout DVD set that I intend to order AND COMPLETE to firm up)
3. Maintain. (goal, to never again have should-be-firm parts of my body jiggle every morning when I brush my teeth)

My better half and I have decided we need to do something drastic to get the ball rolling so we decided on  a 7 day cleanse that I found on Pinterest (because where else do you look for stuff like this?) They say that you can lose 10+ lbs in a week on this cleanse. I don't know who "they" are, so in all fairness, "they" could be liars. What I do know is that we are about to see firsthand.

Most of you (I am assuming I don't have a huge following) know that follow through is not my strong suit. I tend to get distracted easily by things like toddlers and sleep.....and wine. But I figure 7 days is one week. If I can't do something for one week, then seriously.....my cellulite is not my biggest problem.

I don't normally post specifics about my weight and measurements because I like to stay in denial about what I weigh and how big my ass is, but for the purposes of accountability, I will be posting my starting weight and the results after the 7 day cleanse and then weekly(ish) during phase 2.

In case you were wondering, the cleanse I'm doing is not some crazy juice cleanse (I HAVE to chew my food) and it doesn't involve any pills. It's just mostly eating fruits, veggies, lean proteins and some weird soup:

So, there you have it. I'm laying it out and hoping that by posting it publicly and I will actually make it through all phases and come out on the other side a healthier, happier Mommy/wife/friend/daughter/blogger....wish me luck! :)

*And in case you were worried, I'm no longer breast feeding, but that is another post entirely.

Week 1: Survival (Bella 9 wks)

Well I know you have all been sitting around on pins and needles waiting to see how my first week back went. Don't you like my ego-centric delusion? I know, I dig it ;) But regardless of your "want" to know, I'm going to tell you anyway....

We survived. All of us. No doctor visits, no total breakdowns (aside from the typical nightly ones centered around....well, just about everything I ask Mia to do at night), and only the standard amount of guilt. I think for me, preparation has been key. An insane amount of preparation (and thank you to Robyn for the much needed advise on how to prepare for going back to work with 2 kids :)). On Sunday night I pick out outfits for both girls for the week and have them prepped and easily accessible. I have Bella's bottles made and in the fridge, I have one set of pump parts clean (and I clean the other in the morning). I know what I am going to wear that day and have Dan's and my lunch packed and ready to grab in the fridge. I have my alarm set and a morning bottle ready to go for Bella as well. In the morning, Dan feeds Bella and I pump. Once I'm done, I shower and get ready, we put the bouncy chair in the bathroom so he can get ready when I get out of the shower. When I'm done, I get Mia up and dress her. Dan dresses Bella and puts her in the carseat while I pack up her bottles, my pump, and lunch. Dan helps me get both girls to the car....then we're off.

I was nervous walking in to daycare the first day. Mia had been off schedule for WEEKS  and, I was of course SUPER anxious about leaving my baby for the first time. To my surprise, Mia walked into her classroom, hugged me and said "I love you, momma!" and sat at the table to have breakfast. Hurdle one - done. Then I walked across to Bella's class, she was fast asleep in her carseat. I was able to talk to her teachers and go over all the "necessary" instructions, and the teacher nodded and smiled as though she was hearing these things for the first time because she had never taken care of a newborn before.....then I kissed my sleeping baby, and walked out. Hurdle two - done (surprisingly painlessly). I didn't even cry......until I pulled out of the parking lot. I managed to pull myself together before I got to work though, because I was pretty sure hurdle three was going to be the hardest (the actual being away).

I walked in to work and had an email waiting from our CFO. I went to her office where she proceeded to tell me I was being promoted and would be getting a raise. Ummm.....Welcome back to me! I am now the analyst for the biggest clients in my division of the company. It's a lot more work, and likely more hours....but it is also a pat on the back for a job well done, and I am grateful for it. I think that cemented my decision to go back to work, and minimized my guilt. At least I was recognized for being good at my job AFTER being away for 8 weeks.

Now my first day back was on a Thursday so I only had to wait through 2 days before I got to spend time with my babies again. The weekend was wonderful and this past week was my first full week back. The girls both did amazing at daycare. Mia loves her teachers and her friends and I am always greeted with a smile and a hug. Bella is a favorite in her class (can you blame them??) and she is generally sleeping peacefully when I come to get her. Our nighttime routine is coming around. The hard part is getting them both fed once I get home. Once dinner is over, we go upstairs to bathe Mia, Bella normally sits in my lap and watches, or sleeps in Big Sister's bed until we are done. After bath time, we come down stairs and all snuggle on the couch watching Mickey until it's time for bed. Normally daddy is home by then, so he takes Mia upstairs and I am finally able to relax for the day (well after dinner at least).

I know before I was super concerned about sleep. Well, Bella is doing....better. We haven't worked out all the kinks, but its coming along. She normally falls asleep about 7 or 8 and wakes up around 12:30. After she eats, she will go back to sleep until anywhere between 4:30-5:30. I try to go to sleep around 9 at the latest, so I can catch a few zzz's before the midnight feeding. So, all in all, Im getting 6+ hours a night of broken-ish sleep. The good news, is that she is now sleeping in her pack n play for at least  the long stretch. I will put her back in there after the midnight feeding, but if she decides to pull a crazy 3AM wake up, to my bed she comes, because I do not believe in getting out of bed at 3AM anymore....no thank you. If she comes to my bed I've at least bought myself another hour and a half or so. 4:30 is still a stretch, but it's at least doable in my book.

So, there you have it. We survived. it's every bit as hard as I thought it would be, but it's also every bit as worth it.

Will I have another child in the future? No....HELL NO. But am I SUPER stoked about having 2? You betcha. I wouldn't trade it for anything for the world.

Boo Boo's first day of school

Love this smile :)

Mia is helping me feed Boo....best big sis ever!

"What's that momma?" She always asks questions she already knows the answer to ;)

Bella-Boo: The week 8 worries....

I'm back. Scattered and frantically trying to wrap my brain around what's going to happen in the next few days, but I'm back. Arabella will be 8 weeks on Wednesday. I can't even believe it. What this means mostly is that she is awake more often, she smiles (best.smile.ever) and coos, she is lifting her head more steadily, she should be sleeping more consistently (but she's not), and lastly......Mommy goes back to work. Yep, work is certainly a 4 letter word for me right now. I can't seem to keep my mind from formulating a plan to keep myself sane through a 9 hr work day on 3-4 hrs of sleep only to come home to 2 children (most likely CRANKY children) and be organized enough to not completely lose my *excuse my French*  SHIT! It seems like all of my waking hours are spent streamlining something that I haven't even had a chance to 'wing' doing yet. And trust me, that is a lot of streamlining because I tend to have A LOOOOOT of "waking hours" these days.

Now that we are down to the nitty gritty, people keep asking me "how do you feel about going back to work?". Well, let me tell you. I feel worried. I worry that Bella is too little to be away from me for that long every week. I worry that they won't hold her all day, like she likes to be held so she can sleep. I worry that they won't know the right way to burp her.....sometimes you have to sit her up to get her to burp, and sometimes it takes a while....what if they don't have the patience? I worry that she will be spending more time with complete strangers than she will with her own mom! I worry that she will cry when I leave....or even worse, that she won't. I worry that they won't know her hunger cues or be able to tell the difference between being hungry and just needing snuggles. I'm just worried.

Being a parent is hard. You have to make hard choices that seem wrong, even if you know they are for all the right reasons. You have to pray and trust that God is going to help you make it through the day without sobbing at your desk because you miss your kid, and you're too exhausted to control your emotions. You have to lean on your spouse to assure you that you are doing the right thing, but that also insists he would "make it work" if you felt like you needed to stay home. You have to trust your mom and other mommys when they say that you'll be ok, just like they were.....even if you cry the first few days. You have to hug your friends and listen to them when they tell you that you're not a bad mom for going back to work.....and that your baby will be fine. Just like the first one is. But it's hard. It's - have a breakdown at your computer while you blog about how hard it is - hard.

So, maybe I'm not as ready as I thought, but I am sure I will make it. And I know that I'm doing the right thing. Everyone has assured me that she will still love me even if I can't stay home with her. And I know that's true.

People say that with your second kid everything is easier. You care less as far as germs and cleanliness, and maybe that's true to a certain extent. I may or may not have stuck a paci that hit the floor (not even the floor in my own house) back in her mouth without thoroughly sterilizing it...but I can assure you with 100% of my being, that there is nothing easy about this. I remember being worried when I got pregnant that I would not have enough room in my heart to love Bella as much as I love Mia. I was wrong. Really wrong. How is it even possible to have my heart exist  in my chest at twice the size it was before November 6 at 1:52PM? I don't know the anatomy of it, but I know that's the case.

Sometimes I feel like this blog is my therapy.....my FREE therapy. So, I guess my hour is up ;) Maybe I'll get around to the details of Christmas and how my flab is progressing (or not) during our next session. Until then, here are some pics of the loves of my life.

I wish I had gotten a picture of her trying to nurse Bella's winnie the pooh doll the other day! Note to self: must nurse in private ;-)

Mia wanted to sit "by" mommy.....fine with me! :)

THIS is what I'll miss the most. 

Arabella Adonia Jones - here at last!

Well hello again friends. It's taken me a while, but only because I know I have so much to say. And ironically, the longer I have waited to get around to updating, the more information I have to report. Odds are good I will leave out a substantial portion of what's going on with us, but given that most of you have children of your own, the details I can probably leave to your imagination as they tend to be the same in the first few months anyway.

So, let's sum up.....I went in to the hospital to be induced on November 6. I had already started progressing and my delivery went quickly and smoothly. I mean, really  smoothly. We met our tiny (6 lb 14 oz) angel just before 2 PM and she was perfect.....absolutely perfect. It was strange because to me she looked SO much like Mia that between the epidural and the surrealness of the situation, I felt like I was in a dream. She had her cord wrapped around her neck when she was born - just like Mia (quickly resolved), she was super calm and quiet with WIDE eyes - just like Mia.....she was beautiful - just like Mia. I think it really took me until a week or so after we got home to grasp the concept that this was, indeed another child....my SECOND child. Now, I am fullly aware that there are two of them, make no mistakes about that. We had a slight "glitch" if you will, with little Arabella's first few days. She showed signs of respiratory distress during the first night and was admitted to the NICU for observation and to be put on oxygen. She responded well and was able to leave with us 2 days later. Because she was in a totally different ward than I was, I was forced to get up and walk far more quickly than I did when I had Mia. The nurses told me this would help with the healing process, which I thought it did....at first at least. I think when I got home, about a week and a half into this little adventure, I started to realize that maybe I was doing too much too soon. I started to be very sore and in a lot of pain from the delivery, so I made a conscious effort to slow down some and have since started feeling less like a train wreck survivor and more like myself.

Because Bella was in the NICU for the first few days of her life, she was introduced to both formula and a bottle way sooner than I had planned....but we all know how our plans go in these situations. Thankfully, she was still able to nurse once we got home. Because her suction was less barracuda-y than Mia's, she never gets the full amount and is still hungry after she nurses, so in the beginning, I would have to supplement her feedings with formula and then pump to empty myself out....again, not as I had planned. Now, I mostly pump and bottle feed her and have been able to cut the formula down to 2 oz or so a day - none on some days. This is a more ideal situation. I would love to be able to give her ONLY breast milk, but as I faced with Mia, I havent been able to get on top of the demand. Every time I manage to pump a little extra, she seems to be a little hungrier. It frustrated me at first, but only because I was/am sleep deprived and forgot that the whole reason I was pumping was for her.....so if she drank it, it was ok ;-) Amazing how simple concepts escape you sometimes when you are completely exhausted.

Let's talk about sleep. We're going to talk about it, because I would LOVE it if I could get some at some point. She spoiled me the first week or two with a few 5 hour stretches (which at the time I was grateful for), but in the last few weeks it seems my longest stretch is around 3 or 4 hours. And that is IF I go to sleep as soon as she does....which I never can because of the whole pumping ordeal. Good times. Those closest to me remind me that I went through the same thing with Mia.....She's a good day time sleeper but kind of a crummy night sleeper, but to be honest, I dont remember that. Although, i guess that makes sense given that my first kid has slept for 12ish hours a night for almost 2 years.

Since you have been bombarded by pictures of my growing belly for the last 9 months, I guess I should tell you that to my surprise, it's gone. BUT it has left it's friends - my ginormous ass and thighs, which were onced dwarfed by it's presence, but now very much visible in it's absence. I still have 15 lbs to lose, but in my dellusional state, I feel like I can mask it pretty well with sweaters and leggings. I refuse to buy anymore jeans that I hopefully won't be able to wear for long, so.....leggings it is. I have one pair of capris I can fit into but seeing as how we've been stuck inside due to ICE the last 4 days, I'd say it's not exactly capri weather.....of course. I have been working out for a couple weeks now, but just this week started with the love of my life - Jillian Michaels. I very much consider myself a workout DVD connoisseur and she ranks at the top of my list. Although, I have recently discovered a new craze - Barre - and it is pretty awesome....or at least that's what my muscles told me when I couldnt get out of bed due to soreness the other morning ;-) I'm hoping that in the next 3 weeks I can at least drop enough weight to fit into my fat pants so I dont have to go to work with no bottoms on ;-)

I feel like there was so much more I was going to say.....But honestly sleeping and eating pretty much covers the basis these days ;-) Aside from not sleeping at night, she really does have an awesome demeanor. She naps well during the day, allowing me to shower and workout.....even update the blog every 5 weeks! And she almost never cries unless she's hungry. Big Sis Mia has really stepped in and is a huge helper in the diapering department, as well as making sure she has her paci and that her hair is combed (you know, ALL that hair ;-)). I am thrilled to report that I dont believe we have done any real damage to our first born by bringing another baby home, and aside from a hellacious couple of weeks in the bedtime department, things are back to normal and we are all healthy and happy.

Having 2 kids is definitely no joke, and the 4 unexpected snow days certainly validated my need to send Mia to daycare during this time. She is BUSY....and bossy! She talks ALL the time. I swear she thinks the world will stop entirely if every moment is not filled with conversation or song. She is also (as we have learned) listening to EVERY thing we say. If you follow me on fb, you probably know some of the things she says.....I realize I'm partial, but I think she's hilarious. I'm pretty sure that's a trait she got from me ;-)

Well, here are a few pictures from the last 5 weeks......I only have 3 more weeks of maternity leave.....I'm super sad about leaving my baby, but in a weird way, I'm ready for things to get back to "normal" - or our new normal at least. For now I am trying to soak up every minute and every snuggle. I know now how precious they are and how fleeting.....

Our very first family photo :) Welcome, Arabella!! We love you already

My precious girl in the NICU on day 2 :-(

Heading home as a family of 4!!

Mia was so glad to have us all home....I heart this pic, big time.

new momma's know the value in this picture.....liquid gold.

please direct your attention to the slippers. LOVE THEM.

My baby holding my other baby.....she is the best big sis ever :)

if the sun is not up, most of her sleeping is done RIGHT here.

Mimi decorating her Christmas tree

She did so well

snuggled up to head out! Also, where she does her best sleeping ;-)

our first AWAKE smile!! 

seriously, does it get ANY cuter than this?!

I feel like the attiTWOde comes across correctly in this picture :)

Didnt have any interest in the makeshift sled mommy made, but didnt want to go inside until every icicle was broken off her slide. what a weirdo ;-)

Mia always used to do this too :)

Our little helper :)

Hmmmmm ;-)

We got Bella's Newborn session out of the way too and this time, since we have a moody toddler to include in a pic, we did them at our house. I think they turned out AWESOME :)

There are two that I intentionally omitted since I JUST sent out her birth announcement and our Christmas cards, but I'm sure you'll see them popping up on FB in the next week or so ;-)

I hope everyone has a VERY Merry Christmas!!

38 Weeks - END UPDATE

Well hello friends! Today I am 38w4d pregnant. And.....we have an end date :) I had said from the get go that I would wait up to a week after my due date to consider induction.....well things change. That's the drawback of writing all my thoughts out on a public forum like this. You all know how quickly my mind jumps from one idea to another ;-) This is just going to be a quick update because I have WAY too much getting ready to cram into what little time we have left, so to make a very long story short.....We will meet little Arabella sometime on Wednesday (this coming week). I have remained at 1cm since 36 weeks (which is further than I ever got on my own with Mia) and not really progressed much since, but my doctor and I have talked and agreed that it is time to meet the newest Jones. I will be inducing on my 39 week marker. I could not be more thrilled!

As you can imagine, even with 9 full months of notice that we will be welcoming another little gift from God, there is still plenty left to be done. Mostly erroneous things like organizing MY closet and of course the pantry and the garage....you know, all those places that our new little one will be hanging out most often ;-) Dan and I have our bags packed and are finalizing plans for our first little one while we are at the hospital. Why is it that SHE is my biggest concern?? We have both our parents IN TOWN and willing to help as much as we want, not to mention she LOVES them.....probably more than she loves us. But I just keep thinking to myself that we are deserting her. I have issues. I realize this. She will be fine, and so will we......So, moving on. We are also in the midst of trying to sell our car. Dan purchased a new (to us) vehicle last week so we are trying to rid ourselves of the extra one we have lying around before I lose the rest of my spare time to an infant who requires my boobs every 3 hours and a toddler who requires the rest of my body for the remaining hours of the day. I think there is a chance I have over committed :) I will wrap up work on Tuesday and we will head to the hospital at a TBD time on Wednesday morning. I could not be more thrilled. We, of course, are still praying that she decides to surprise us and make an appearance on her own, but in case she's comfy in there (as Mia was), we decided to create a plan B.

As for how I'm feeling physically.....I feel 38w4d pregnant. I am huge, I am not sleeping well and I am having painful contractions that come out of nowhere and make me feel like I have some sort of spasm disorder. I realize this is all part of the process and I feel very blessed to have had such a complication free pregnancy thus far, but I will also say that, aside from feeling every little movement of my tiny dancer, I will not miss being this pregnant. It's not a ton of fun. BUT I know the payoff is worth every ache and pain and every extra lb.

If you think about the Joneses in the next week, we'd appreciate any prayers and positive thoughts you want to send our way. And stay tuned in to instagram and facebook for photo updates of our new precious addition! In the meantime, here's the last few of me:

 37 Weeks

38 weeks