Let it Snow

Let it snow!  Let it snow!  Let it snow!  We have had 2 pretty big snowstorms (Virginia big, nothing close to Boston obviously!)  over the past 2 weeks, which has meant lots of snow days and extra time at home with our sweet, little girl.  Our first storm brought a pretty nasty combination of snow and ice, so we literally were stuck inside for about 3 days.  Around here, they don't plow the residential areas - instead we were left for it to thaw out.  You could literally ice skate in our cul-de-sac if you wanted to! During our house-arrest we enjoyed lots of playtime, cuddles on the couch, and home cooked meals.  It was perfect!  

One day, we braved the cold, bundled Addie up, and went out for some fun in the snow!  We envisioned Addie smiling and laughing, pulling her around in the sled, and loving it!  Turns out we couldn't be more wrong!  Addie was NOT a fan.  She could barely move, was cold, and couldn't decide what to think of that white stuff.  The looks on her face says it all.  Needless to stay, we didn't stay outside long, but at least we gave it a shot!

The following week, we got another big storm of about 6 inches.  We attempted, yet again, to take Addie outside and she was not having it.  It's no surprise to us that our Addie girl is much more of a beach girl, just like Mommy and Daddy.

Hopefully, we will have more luck next year.  Until then, these beach bums have seen enough snow for the year and are ready for some fun in the sun.   Hurry up Spring!

Baby Bump - Months 1-3

Baby #2's 1st official photo taken at 8 weeks

12 week photo of our healthy, growing baby!

1 month Baby Bump 

2 months and counting

Growing bump at 3 months

How far along?  14 weeks

Gender:  Unknown.  This is the first question I get asked when people find out that we are expecting again and to be honest there are perks to both.  Addie and Baby #2 will only be 18 months apart, so it would be awesome to have a girl.  They would be best friends at times and worst enemies at times, but since my sister and I are 7 years apart I feel like it would be really neat for Addie to have a sister so close in age.  On the other hand, a boy would be awesome too.  Eric cannot wait to have his little mini-Eric.  It would be fun to experience having a boy because it would be new and different to us.  Either way, Baby #2 will be loved and spoiled to death!  We cannot wait to find out in a few more weeks!

Feeling:  It's true what they say, every pregnancy is different.  When I compare being pregnant with Addie and pregnant this time, it's like night and day.  With Addie I had a ton of morning (or all day) sickness all of the time, there was very little I could eat and hold down.  This time around during the first trimester, I felt nauseous at times, but never actually got sick.  I can also eat just about everything and I am starving all of the time!  

The most difficult part this time around is the exhaustion.  I was more tired than I have ever been in my life during the first trimester.  Between working and coming home and chasing around a 1 year old I was beat.  I literally struggled to keep my eyes open!  The only other complaint I have is the headaches.  I had these with Addie too and even get migraines when I'm not pregnant, so they aren't anything new to me.  The best remedy is a Pepsi!  I've never been a huge pop drinker, but nowadays I drink a few cans a week.

Now that I am officially done with the first trimester, I am starting to feel more like myself.  My energy is coming back and even the headaches have subsided, at least for now.  Thank you and I'm so happy to see you 2nd trimester!

Maternity Clothes: I officially got out all of my maternity clothes at 14 weeks and my pants no longer fit.  I still wear a lot of my loose fitting regular tops.  My maternity tops are still pretty loose.  My growing belly is growing much faster this time around.  I would wear leggings every single day if I could because they are so comfortable!  

Sleep: Since I have been so exhausted lately (and Addie is an amazing sleeper!), I have been sleeping great these days!  I'm hopeful this continues, but I have my pregnancy pillow ready to go when needed.

Favorite Moments:

-December 20th, 2014 Finding out that we were expecting Baby #2!  I had suspected that I might be pregnant because I was very tired and very, very hungry all of the time (exactly how I was before finding out with Addie.)  I decided to sneak upstairs and take a test one day when Eric was watching Addie.  I had thought for days about all these different ways I could surprise Eric with the news.  I'm not going to tell you the different ways, but instead keep them in my back pocket for the future.  As soon as I saw the positive on the test, my heart started racing and I got so excited!  I decided there was no way I could go back downstairs and pretend like nothing happened.  I couldn't hold it in and ran downstairs waving the test and saying we're pregnant!  Eric was very excited, but I think he was hoping for a more creative reveal.  Now I know for the future, to put my game face on and get the creative juices flowing before I share the news with Eric.  Regardless, Eric and I absolutely love being parents and cannot wait to welcome another baby into this world.  

-Telling Addie that she is going to be a big sister on Christmas morning.  Even though she is too young to remember or understand, it's something I will never forget.

-Celebrating New Years and our baby news in St. Lucia on our first baby free vacation since Addie was born.

-Surprising our family with the news after we got back from our trip.  We bought Addie and the baby matching shirts from St. Lucia that said "No pressure, No problem."  We wrapped up the baby onesie and gave it to Kristen to open up as a thank you for helping out with Addie while we were gone.  My parents, Kristen, and cousin Bryan were all very surprised and very excited about the news!  We went on FaceTime with Uncle Brian and Carla shortly after to share the news and also called Kristie and Teresa.  

-Seeing our baby for the first time at our first appointment at 8 weeks.

-Hearing the heartbeat and seeing the baby again at our 12 week ultrasound.

-Sharing the news with the rest of our friends and family at 14 weeks with our adorable little announcement pics of our sweet Addie girl.

Miss anything: Coffee!  It's not that I can't have it, but this is the ONLY thing that I despise these days!  It's been months since I had a cup of coffee and I just want to want it again, especially with these freezing winter temperatures we've been having lately.

Movement: No movement yet.  I didn't feel Addie until I was 18 weeks, but I'm hoping this time around it's a little sooner since I know what it feels like.  It's one of the best feelings in the whole world and I can't wait to experience it again...hopefully very, very soon.

Cravings: Waffles, soup and salad, BLTs, fruit cups, anything and everything Italian

Looking forward to:

-Finding out the gender!  I feel like it becomes so much more real when you can think about your son or daughter and not just the baby.  Plus, finding out the gender is the kick start of all of the fun baby prep and shopping!

-Feeling some movement, like I said before it's the most amazing feeling in the whole wide world and I can't wait.

Surprise!

Now that we have been able to share the news with all of our family and friends, I figured it was time to blog about it.  We could not be more excited to announce that Addie is going to be a big sister in August 2015!!!

Top 10 Reasons that I cannot wait for Baby #2 to get here:

10.  The new baby smell - it's the most precious, innocent, and loving smell and I cannot wait for that new baby smell again.

9.   Your hair - this is always a big debate in our house.  Will you be a brown-haired baby like mommy or take after daddy's blonde locks or throw us for a loop and be strawberry blonde? I guess we will have to wait until August to find out! 

8.  I cannot wait to dress you in all of those cute newborn baby clothes.  Whether you are a boy or a girl, those tiny little outfits are adorable and perfect for photo shoots!

7.  I always love to see how babies are the perfect mix of their mom and dad.  I cannot wait to just sit and stare at you and see what features resemble your dad and what features resemble me (or maybe I just want to sit and stare at you because newborns are just fun to stare at!)

6. Baby smiles and giggles - no explanation necessary, they are equally amazing!

5. It has been a blast sharing all of Addie's firsts with her over this past year, from the first day we got to see her in the delivery room to her first laugh to her first Christmas, those are all moments that I will never forget.  I cannot wait for all of the firsts we will get to experience all over again with Baby #2.

4. I cannot wait to introduce you to our families.  From grandparents to aunts and uncles to cousins to close friends, there are a lot of people that are already so in love with you and I cannot wait to see the look on their faces when they see you for the very first time.

3.  It has been amazing watching Eric and Addie interact with each other over the past year.  The Daddy-Daughter bond is a bond like no other, she sure does love her daddy and she has had him wrapped around his finger since the day he laid eyes on her for the very first time.  I cannot wait to experience that again and see Eric and Baby #2 together.

2.  I cannot wait to see Addie interact with her new baby brother or sister.  She is the sweetest little girl and so fun, loving and absolutely hilarious.  I know that she is going to be an amazing big sister!

1.  Becoming a family of 4 and enjoying all of the ups and downs of having 2 under 2.  I am absolutely terrified, but also more excited than I have ever been before.

With that being said, please hurry up August!  We can't wait to hold you in our arms Baby Harvell :)

Playroom Reveal

Ever since Eric and I moved into our house, we knew that we wanted to make some changes.  We did just that over the first 2 years that we lived here, but one room remained untouched.  It was the room off to the right when you first walk into our house.  The previous owners used it as a small sitting room, but we knew all along that it would become a playroom.  I'm sure some of you are thinking, a playroom when you first enter the house, are you crazy?  I might be, but it was attached to our family room and the perfect size.  I have also been a neat freak, but once kids are involved all bets are off and I wanted a functional, fun room that they could call their own (with lots of places to hide all of the toys of course!)  So here's a warning for those of you entering our house, it may not always look perfect, but the mess just means that Addie was busy having a blast!

Over the summer, we made some huge changes in our house.  We had the playroom and hallway painted a light, airy blue color - much more welcoming and playful than the dark greenish color that was there when we moved in.  It really opened up the room and brought in a ton of light, I loved it.  The next big change was the floors.  We finally had our nasty, dog hair covered carpets ripped up and got hardwood floors put down.  They look absolutely beautiful and we couldn't be more pleased with how they turned out.  

Now that those 2 huge changes were made and Addie was quickly growing more interested in playing (and her toys were piling up with no where to put them), we decided that we needed to create a playroom for her.  We decided that our Christmas gift to her this year would be a finished playroom, something she could use and enjoy for years to come.  

I love to decorate and I love projects, so I immediately went to Pinterest for inspiration and quickly had a vision in my head on how I wanted it to look.  I'm very lucky that Eric kinda just trusts me in this area, yes he offers his opinions, but for the most part he will let me create what I have pictured in my head.  I knew I wanted a ton of storage, a chalkboard was a must, a kids table and chairs, adult seating would be a plus, and a fun, kid friendly environment.  We decided to go with a beach theme (shocking I know) and a color scheme of light blue and neutrals - white, gray, and wood.  

Here's is our official playroom reveal...hope you enjoy!

The Before Picture - An ugly, dark empty sitting room

After

I LOVE the storage bench that I created inspired from Pinterest of course.  We bought 2 bookshelves from IKEA and I turned them on their sides.  Then I bought a large piece of foam and fabric from JoAnn Fabrics and sent Eric to Home Depot for MDF board.  I used a staple gun and made the seat cushion.  

Here's another picture post-Christmas and Addie's birthday.  Her playroom is not full of toys and we spend hours in there every single day.  She loves it and so do we!

What better decor for the playroom that pictures of our sweet, little girl - all beach inspired of course!

I bought these frames from IKEA too and put pictures of Addie and her friends in them.  I love that they are plastic and she can play with them too.

Addie loves her anytime chair from Pottery Barn, but she also loves to climb on it (and fall.)  Therefore, her stuffed animals hang out in her chair most of the time, unless Eric or I are there to keep a very close eye on her.

The perfect sign for our perfect playroom.

I bought this wall art off of Etsy and I absolutely love it!  It's perfect for our beach themed playroom!

Addie loves to draw on her chalkboard!  This is another thing I made using things from IKEA.  I bought a poster board frame, it was super cheap.  Then, I just spray painted it with chalkboard paint.  I bought the plastic planters from IKEA as well and hung that below to hold her chalk.  

The table and chairs is also from IKEA, also super cheap, and also spray painted with chalkboard paint.  Addie loves to sit in her chair and draw or play with her laptop.  Eric and I like to joke that she is checking her emails, just like daddy.

My Favorite Things - Months 11 & 12

Here are a few of my favorite things from Months 11 and 12:

• We celebrated your first Christmas and it was a blast!  We enjoyed starting a lot of our own family traditions this year, including going to Christmas Eve mass, followed by Chinese take-out for dinner, and opening one present when we got home.  In your Christmas Eve box, you got new pajamas, a new Christmas book, and a treat.  We woke up bright and early Christmas morning and opened presents and ate a yummy breakfast before we were off to Pittsburgh.  Your first Christmas was a Christmas that I will never forget.

• You turned ONE!  It seems like you went from a sweet, little newborn to an active, lovable toddler over night.  We had a blast celebrating your big day with all of our closest friends and family...Minnie Mouse style of course!

• Addie, you learned to give hugs and it is adorable!  Right now, your baby doll and elephant stuffed animal get all of the hugs.  It is so sweet.

• Now that your so active you get really worn out throughout the day.  When you start to get sleepy, you lay your head on my shoulder and even snuggle with me (or Cooper) on the couch while we watch at episode of Mickey Mouse.  Since you have never been much of a cuddler, I soak up every minute that I can right now.

• Your lovey has become one of your favorite things.  I love that you snuggle him close when you sleep at night, it's so cute.

• I am still obsessed with your hair.  It has gotten so long over these past 2 months and it's even getting some curls.  It may not always look perfect, but I still love it, craziness and all.

• We bought your first pair of shoes this month and they are absolutely adorable!  You look so grown up and even keep them on,  which is a miracle because you have never been a fan of shoes or socks.

• The facial expressions you make crack me up!  It's hard to catch them all on camera, but you have oh so many.  Some of the best ones come at dinner time, you sure are the center of attention at every meal and I think you like it that way.

• "Sooo BIG" is one of your favorite games, so it's one of my favorite things.

• The positions that you fall asleep in are always interesting.  You actually prefer to sleep on your stomach, but sometimes it's like you were sitting up and just couldn't keep your eyes open any more so you just lay your head down and are out.