Belly Bandit!

Ok Mommies!! I was just on Pinterest and came across this belly bandit thing. So I went to the website and started checking it out. It looks like it might be something I would be interested in, especially if I end up with another c section. But I wanted to know if any of my friends have used one. The reviews on line are all over the place.  Sounds like the bamboo one is the way to go, but that you'll have to buy a smaller size after a few weeks. 

So I'm thinking IF I do buy one of just buying it in a smaller size and wearing it a few weeks after I give birth to get around buying two. 

ALSO, this might just be a weird thought but if I have a c section and wear this, is it going to heal me differently. Like I just imagine those three different layers of atitches all mushed together and healing to each other because this thing is supposed to be tight. Is that a weird fear???

So any thoughts or reviews would be appreciated!!! 

Blah blah blah

Yesterday was just one of those blah days. It wasn't a bad day, but it definitely wasn't good. Dans been out of town since Monday so I'm on mom duty 24/7.... Which I really don't mind cuz I feel like it gives me and the boys lots of time to bond and do random things that we don't normally do. Like stay up late and watch movies- or take them to lunch and shopping. We've had fun, but I'm tired! I don't know how single moms aren't zombies! Or women who have husbands in the military. I have so much respect for women who do it all on their own all the time or for extended periods of time. 

Anyways! Back to yesterday! I was running on about 5 hrs of sleep, which for me is about half the time I think I need. Rafe came in my bed around 630, so I turned on our tv and let him kick me in the face for an hr while I tried to sleep. I don't get this phase he's in! He won't cuddle.... He will crawl up close to you, prop his feet on you and if he wants Ur attention he just kicks. SO ANNOYING! Damon came in and cuddled for a but then they were ready for breakfast. I wasn't ready to crawl out of bed yet, and was feeling extra mom zombie pouring their cereal. I sat down on the couch then remembered I needed to give them their medicine..... Let me rant on that for a second.... My kids have been sick for weeks! No- we all have been sick for weeks- but if it's just Dan and I it's fine, when it's the kids I want to pull my hair out after a week. It started with Damon getting pink eye, then rafe got it, then Damon had a head cold, rafe got an ear infection and head cold, 2 weeks later their coughs settled in their chest, rafe has a double ear infection- even after the antibiotic. Now we r about 10 days later and I think we are over the worst! Dan and I have been sharing this nasty head cold cough can't sleep can't breathe thing that blows! It's been 5-6 weeks now. And while we're at it- I want to rant about obamacare. What. The. Heck. $600 a month for our family? NO THANKS! How is that supposed to help me? We opted out and are paying the fee. This month we've gone to the dr 3 times and have paid about probably $400 for dr visits and medicine. That's a lot of money, but when I put it next to the insurance premium, I'm ok with it.

Ok rant over!

So after they had breakfast we lounged on the couch for a good hour and I got a little nap. Can I just say how much I love that my kids will sit and watch a show and I can sleep right next to them? Awesome!

We went to the gym, and I think this is when I got in my funk.... I was huffing and puffing trying to get my time in on the elliptical and I see an old man a few rows ahead of me. His hair, the back of his neck, his little hunch.... Reminded me so much of my grandpa. So I'm kind of enjoying some memories of my grandpa while watching this old guy.... Then I caught a glimpse of his profile. I instantly start tearing up. He looked so much like my grandpa. So there I am- huffing. Puffing. And trying to hold back tears, which I'd you've ever tried to do that while huffing and puffing you know that you almost hyperventilate haha. So the rest of the time I was trying not to be a creeper bit couldn't help but watch him. I wanted to just go up and give him a hug. Say hello. But I didn't want to be a bawl baby or a super creeper. But then I went full creeper and took his pic and sent it to my mom. Yeah. Weird. Anyways, it threw me off and I couldn't stop thinking about my grandpa for a good part of the day.

So we get home and I'm doing to usual- lunch, clean, laundry, tried to get rafe to nap.... Not going to happen. So then I jumped in the shower. Both kids crying and screaming through the shower door that they wanted to come in. Ugh. I hate that! It's so weird for me to have two little boys and do that now. I feel like I'm going to scar them for life!  So I rush my shower trying not to yell at them for screaming and crying and throwing fits on the floor. I finish getting dressed and put rafe back in his bed. It's 3:30. Late for a nap but he clearly needed one. He fell asleep quick, and Damon and I hung out and finished getting ready. After about an hr I went to wake rafe. I needed to go to the store and we were going to go see my brother and his wife and little girls. I'm trying to wake rafe up, putting on his shoes and jacket. And he just doesn't want to wake up which is rare. He's always quick to snap out of it. So I'm cuddling him...... And then he puked.... All over me, him, his bed, everything! Didn't see that comin! So I rush him to the bathroom... We only made it to the hall and he puked again. On the floor, the wall and baseboards, everything. He's got it all over him, me, his hair and face, and he wants a hug. Why not? We're both covered in puke, we can share. Haha so gross. So i showered him off then got both boys in the tub, cleaned it all up and changed and did some more laundry. I felt so bad for him! He's been so sick, now I thought he was getting better, then bam! Pukefest.

The rest of the night we cuddled, had chicken noodle soup, and watched a movie and had popcorn which is their favorite. I was feeling better seeing how much fun they were having and it felt so perfect to be cuddled up on the couch with my little guys. Bedtime went so well, and I was feeling good so I thought I'd make their favorite poppyseed bread for breakfast. So I start baking. Then realize I don't have eggs. I didn't get to the store due to the pukemania.....but I'm already into the recipe. Freak. Luckily I had some bananas so I mashed those up, thank you google for the tip, and it turned out ok. But by the time I sat down to fold 4 loads on laundry I wasn't feeling well. Cold sweats and dizzy. What the? It came out if no where. So I just sat there folding laundry, sweating, and looking out my giant windows for the peeping Tom whose been in the area this week. I totally thought he was going to hit my neighborhood cuz we r in the country and it'd be harder for people to see him. And it was foggy. I totally freaked myself out but I'm trying to be a big girl and stay at my own house while dans out of town. I usually head out to my parents, but knew id be fine here.... Until I got online and read that story on ktvb about the creeper! Yeah I didn't sleep well haha

Anyways! This is a super long and random post, but I just thought some of you could relate to those blah days when you just want to face plant into a pile of chocolate and have a two hr massage before bed time....

Thankfully this morning is off to a better start! Rafe seems happy and went all night with no puke, and Damon's been extra sweet;) here's to the crappy days, that make the normal days seem awesome!

Potty Training!

Say hello to a mom who only has to change one babies diapers now!! Yayyyy!!! I can't tell you how overdue that was! Sheesh!

When Damon was like 2 and a half I attempted to potty train him. He seemed like he was ready. He showed all the signs so I thought, let's do this! Yeah, he wasn't ready. He would go just enough to get a treat and keep me happy then would go and empty his bladder somewhere else. So I waited for a few more months. Tried again, same thing. Then we moved to Texas and my pediatrician told me not to worry about it until we had settled in. We have been here a month so I decided to try and again and this time it went great! He's had a few accidents here and there, but the last 2 days there have been no accidents and I don't need to remind him to go! I'm so glad it's finally stuck! And another cool thing is that he doesn't pee at night, so there's really no potty training at nighttime needed! The last three nights he's gone all night with no pee in his pullup. He usually always had pee in his diaper so I figured I'd potty train for daytime, and work out night time later. But it's like the better he does in the day, the less he goes at night. And I even do the big no no and give him a sippy cup of water at bedtime. It's just something I've always done and since he was in a pull up I just didn't care. It's so dang hot here and the last thing I want is for him to be dehydrated. That was my first thought when he stopped peeing at night, but he drinks a lot of water during the day. We can go out and get groceries or whatever and he holds it until he can get to the bathroom. He was scared to death to go in a public bathroom the first time I tried to potty train. But this last time I made him go in the regular toilet, and I think it's less intimidating when we go in a public bathroom now. So it's no problem to him, although he hates the loud flush! haha

I'm so glad he's finally potty trained! I finally feel like I don't have to worry about him being 8 and in diapers;)  Rafe watches Damon's every move, so maybe I'll potty train him sooner. Like in a year haha. I'm not ready to do this all over again. I can't wait for the day when there's no more diapers! That'll be weird!

Comforting Pink Line

Let's get a little up close and personal shall we? Here's a little fun fact about me.....
I love this....

It's comforting. Stress relieving. It makes me sleep better too.
About every month right before shark week, I convince myself I'm pregnant! Seriously almost every month. Then Dan freaks out a little, and we convince ourselves that it will be ok! And we can handle 3! Right???
Then I break down and go buy a test.
Take the test.
Freak out for the longest 3 minutes of my life.
Then do a little happy dance and squeeze my kids and laugh at how ridiculous I am. Then I get just a little sad. Maybe another one wouldn't be so bad? Then Damon pokes Rafe in the eye with my mascara and I snap back to reality and think, yeah I'm good.
I'm not on BC because it makes me feel all weird and emotional. So we use.....alternative methods. And it hasn't failed us yet! But it's never 100% and that makes me nervous. We don't have insurance right now and our kids were both around the 25k range. Plus I'm just not ready to add another one. Damon isn't even potty trained yet...that's a whole post in itself, stubborn kid! My signs of being pregnant are usually pretty similar to when I start my period. Sore boobs, I'm tired, hungry, and cranky. Sounds like a blast right? So that's why I always freak out, because the signs are so similar!
There are definitely days when I think I could be done having kids. But then I think how fun it would be to have a girl! And I think I want one of those. SO down the road in probably a year or two we will think about it. But right now.....our kids are a little crazy and are a two man wrecking crew. They tag team me all day long. And I can't wait for bedtime to come so I can take off the mommy hat, then I see them sleeping and just want to wake them up and squish and kiss those chubby cheeks and realize how lucky I am to be their mommy and how much they have changed my life! Who needs to pee with the door closed anyways?

Toddlers Sharing Rooms!

Hey Mommies!!! So we just moved to TX and I have had my boys sharing a room for the last month of two. It's been working out pretty well, but there are times when it drives me crazy! I put them in the same room to help with the transition. I tried it after a few weeks at my parents house when my kids sleeping sucked! Bedtime routine would take like an hour, then Damon would be awake forever, Rafe would just cry and cry, and they would both wake up during the night and super early. So we all started sleeping in the same room and all the issues went away. I could tell they loved having eachother in the room. So when we moved we put them together. Bedtime has been cut in half for sure, and they are normally pretty good about just going to sleep. Naptimes are pretty impossible. Damon always wants to go wake Rafe up and play with him when he's napping, and I think Rafe has gotten used to having someone in the room with him, so now it's harder to fall asleep on his own. So he rarely naps. Right now he's passed out on the couch, which has been good so far haha! We'll see what happens in five minutes though. So nap times have been rough and now at bedtime Damon will cry for us if he's not tired and it keeps rafe awake, making both kids fussy the next day. You know how it is. Crappy nights sleep, cranky babies the next day!
Any advice? I've started giving them quiet time during the day in their room and will put a movie on for them. Sometimes they fall asleep, other times they just watch. Which has been nice to just have some time for myself.  But I don't like playing movies at night for them to fall asleep to. Theyve been getting lots of tv lately! Should I play music? Keep a light on in the room? or seperate them until they are older? We talked about getting them bunk beds, but I think they're still a little small for that. Mostly Rafe. anyways, any thoughts on how to make Damon be better about having Rafe in there with him?

Toddler Bed Drama for this Mama

Alright, basically this whole toddler bed thing is NOT working out for me. I just want to put the crib back together so he's trapped again. haha But I know since I've already got this far, I need to keep going and be consistent. It's taking a while, but I can see an improvement. The other night we put him to bed at 8 and he went down great and slept all night! Last night he fell asleep in the car, and when we got home and changed him into his jammies, he was wide awake and played for an hour and a half. We have to leave his lamp on in order for him to stay in his room. Which bothers me. I want him to learn how to sleep without that, but baby steps right? So he will stay in his room but is noisy and keeps opening and closing his door and wakes up the baby. Last night he came in our room at 4:30....and slept there all night. If that becomes a habit, I'm going to scream. haha I want him in a toddler bed, I just want him to stay there and sleep well all night! Wishful thinking, right mom's? I guess overall the fact that he stays in his room, and eventually falls asleep and usually stays in his bed all night will have to do;) Any tips for this transition? Earlier bedtime? no naps? Sleeping on his floor with him? Or do I just let him kick and scream until he gets it?

Toddler bed Drama!

If you haven't read my post on our family blog about Damon being in a toddler bed....and the pain in my you know where that it's been, read it here!
www.meetthemorleys.blogspot.com
I could use some advice!!