Congratulations, Ryan!

We want to send a huge congrats to Ryan on doing so well on his first semester of Rutgers Camden Law and achieving Dean's List for the Fall 2011 term!  He earned a GPA that puts him in the top 25% of all students enrolled at the law school (full-time and part-time combined).  

Additionally, he made First Year Honors List based upon a law school GPA that puts him in the top 25% of the first year class as well.  

Reagan and I are so proud of him for this accomplishment and all of the hard work he puts into school!  We know how hard it is on him to be away from the family so much with working full time and attending classes three nights a week, but his determination is paying off.  WE LOVE YOU!

Time For a Name Change UPDATED 3/8/12

And the winner is..... "Peddle to the Metal" as recommended by Erinn, a fellow mom-to-be and sorority sister of mine from Drexel.  I truly appreciate everyone's feedback and suggestions in renaming our family website.  There were a ton of great recommendations, which actually made it hard to choose from but I think Erinn really capture what our life is about now.... the insanity of being a young (growing) family taking on probably more than we can chew.

The Countdown is ON!

I had my 36 week OB appointment today and finally feel like the end is in sight with this pregnancy.  For those of you that know me well, you already know that I freely admit that I do not enjoy being pregnant.  Thankfully I don't gain a lot of weight but I still find it so uncomfortable to have a growing human being inside of me that is intruding on my short torso.  Enough complaining, baby boy will be here soon enough and I can quit my hypochondriac worrying. 


Onto the details from today...


How far along? 36 weeks, 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: 15lbs, 1 pound gained from last appointment.
Fundal Height: he didn't give me an exact number but was happy with current growth
Sleep:  falling asleep is now a challenge and trying to stay asleep past 3am is an uphill battle
Best moment this week: getting together with friends to celebrate Jeanine's birthday & finally finishing the baby's nursery
Worst moment this week: Reagan's bedtime after quittingthe bottle cold turkey
Movement: after an extremely quiet Wednesday last week where he had me pretty worried, he's back to normal.  His stretches completely protrude out of my skin and I'm able to decipher where an elbow is
Food cravings: ice chips (can't get enough of them)
Labor Signs: uterine & back contractions
Weekly Wisdom: just trying to make it through the day
Looking forward to next week: touring the maternity ward of the new Virtua Voorhees hospital (nothing like waiting until the last minute)

Because I've been having more frequent contractions the Dr decided to do an exam and said that everything is "progressing" for the good so thankfully these contractions are starting to do their business!  We also got have a quick sneak peak at the little baby boy because I asked the doctor to check my fluid levels since this is about the time with Reagan that they started to get low... thankfully all was good there too.  He also made note that the largest pockets of fluid are down by the baby's head and said that if my water breaks on its own (which it didn't with Reagan), there's "going to be a big gush"... great... good luck cleaning that up, Ryan.  

Until next week..

15 Months Already??

Erase that evidence... a lady never tells her weight!

Well, if we're being technical, Reagan was 15 months back on February 8th but due to scheduling we just had our 15 month checkup at the pediatrician today.  Besides the fact Reagan's now old enough to throw a fit or know when something's coming that she won't like, it was a great appointment!  It took a little squirming and screaming but her height came out to be OFF THE CHARTS and her weight was right on track with the curve she started when she was born.

Length at 15 Months: 34.5 inches (literally off the chart)
Weight at 15 Months: 25 pounds, 8 ounces (approximately 80th percentile)

Reagan started talking the doctors ear off as soon as she entered the room, which prompted the doctor to say "obviously she's pretty chatty"... um, I think that's an understatement, the doctor should be happy that she didn't receive the hand talking that usually accompanies Reagan's talking points.  After we discussed her development and abilities at this age, the doctor was impressed and said she's doing everything she should be and then some!!!!  Score ;)

Downside to this appointment?!?!

The "Quit the Bottle" discussion and 2 shots that "are going to sting her unfortunately" according to the nurse.  As if being 9 months pregnant taking care of an extremely active toddler isn't enough, now I need to rock the boat and cut the bottle at bedtime cold turkey.  Warm milk in a bottle is the only way this child drinks milk and going to bed with a bottle is just as comfortable to her as her beloved giraffe.  Now before you judge me for letting her go to bed with a bottle at this age and bottle rot and all... let me tell you that we are diligent with brushing Reagan's teeth and she herself will walk around brushing her teeth because she thinks it's fun.

Back to cutting the bottle cold turkey... naptime was pretty easy without a bottle but bedtime was a whole different story.  We did our night time routine as usual, except cut out the bottle, and after 2 hours of screaming, crying, and me going in to rock her, I finally gave in and let her lay in my bed until Ryan was due home a few minutes later.  Part of me thinks she was just trying to wait for him to get home because after a few minutes of snuggle time with her Daddy, Reagan went down without a bottle and finally WENT TO SLEEP... granted it was close to 10pm, but I'll take the win that she fell asleep without a bottle.

Next checkup 3 months, although obviously they'll be seeing us before that since we have to take Baby Boy in within a week of his birth.

On a side note, we stopped by the Malvern School today to collect Reagan's belongings she had there and to say goodbye to her teachers and friends.  At first I felt bad that we took her out because she enjoyed playing with all the toys and get ups they had out for the kids... but as soon as we went into her  former classroom to get her stuff, the meltdown started and she made sure to be attached to me.  She was doing everything in her power to make sure I was not leaving her there.  And with that, my conscience was assured that bringing her home was a great decision!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We would like to wish everyone a (belated) HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!  We hope you all enjoyed your day with your Valentine and maybe spread some extra cheer to everyone else.  Below is Reagan's finger painting project turned Valentine Card, enjoy!

Our day was honestly like any other Tuesday... Ryan at work then class, while Reagan and I make ourselves busy... but it wouldn't be a holiday without something going wrong, now would it?  

I changed up Reagan's afternoon schedule to allow for a later afternoon nap so she would be up later into the evening to see Ryan when he got home (class was letting out earlier than usual for this Tuesday).  But with trying to keep up with my usual evening chores - laundry, attempting to pick up the house - and trying to keep updated with important family happenings (more to come later) I lost track of my darling dear angel.  Now, keep in mind, this type of thing doesn't usually phase me; my house is child proof and the gates were closed so I knew she wouldn't be able to go upstairs.    However, my curiosity was peaked when I heard the alarm going off... especially because I hadn't set it yet for the night.  

I ran into the playroom to find Reagan sitting on top of her table looking at me like a deer in headlights as the alarm is screaming.  I entered the code to disable the alarm and got Reagan off the table to distract her into other fun activities.  Now, I've set off the alarm by accident plenty of times and have disabled it within the given time frame before the call center is notified, so I assumed when I entered the pin that this would be the case as well.  

Ten minutes later my doorbell rings and I open the door - pantless child in hand - to find a Washington Township Police Officer asking me if there's a fire at my home.  Talk about a deer in headlights, I just looked at him while I said "no, sir" and then realized that Reagan must have hit the FIRE alarm and not the typical house alarm.  I completely understand what a waste of time and resources it was for this officer to come to my house, however, he was completely unimpressed with my 8.5 month pregnant body holding my small toddler trying to explain away how this little peanut could have possibly set off the alarm.  He let me off with a warning explaining that the next false alarm would result in a fine.  As he is telling me this, we hear the fire truck sirens coming down our street... just perfect.  He told me he would take care of explaining that there was no emergency at our house.  I politely thanked him, and went back inside completely mortified.  

Not five or ten minutes go by and there's yet another ring of the bell.  I'm still holding pantless Reagan and now trying to fend off Roxie because there's been so much activity at the door, and open the door to a fireman (firetruck outside my house) saying he understands it was a false alarm but it's protocol that he come and check with the homeowner.  After apologizing yet again for this whole misunderstanding he asks me "How exactly did she set off a fire alarm?  Do you have an alarm pull in your house?" 

I invited him to show him the panel and the table setup of how my miniature spider man climbed up... 

Besides the fact this picture is deceptive & it looks like a 5 year old couldn't reach the panel, just know that it's well within my super tall toddlers reach when standing on top of the table.  

I'm really not sure if he was more unimpressed with how I let my child climb up on a table and push the buttons or the fact that my child was pant-less and the playroom looked like a nuclear bomb went off.  Needless to say, I feel like Mother of the Year.  Also, as a disclaimer to those of you that may be judging me right now, I have since moved the table to a new location so the super toddler with spider man like qualities no longer makes false calls to emergency personnel.  

I really should have known it was going to be one of those days when I woke up Valentine's Day morning and had to run to the grocery store at 715am because I was out of milk for Reagan and myself, and an hour later when my coffee spilled all over the bed (thankfully it was Ryan's side!).  

Sprinkling a Baby Boy

I was surprised today with a SpRiNkLe for Baby Boy Peddle by my wonderful friends and family.  I was planning to go to Jeanine's under the rouse of our typical Sunday.... get the kids together, get friend time in, and have a nice homemade Italian dinner courtesy of Jeanine's homemade meatballs and gravy.  However, when we pulled onto her street and were turning into her driveway I noticed a bunch of cars I recognized (wink, wink) and was immediately flattered and in awe that everyone was here to celebrate my little man soon to arrive.  The house was decked out in very chic & classy blues and whites, and the lunch was catered by Cosi (my favorite!!!!!!).

We received lots of wonderful gifts to help us prepare for the baby!  Lots of clothes (phew!  otherwise he'd have a lot of pink mixed into his wardrobe), super cute baby boy shoes (I mean seriously, could they be any cuter?), gift cards for those final purchases, bedding accessories to complete his nursery decor, and another monitor so I can big brother both of my kids!  Katelyn used her DIY craft lady skills to make a super cute diaper cake that I have on display in his room for the time being :)

I have to send a big THANK YOU to everyone for attending and for your wonderful gifts for Baby Boy Peddle.  I had such a wonderful afternoon with a very special group of women, and am so lucky to have each and every one of you in my life.  We are so blessed to have such a close group of friends and family to celebrate this special time with.

Photos from the day!

PS - I can't wait to reciprocate the love... 2012 is the YEAR OF THE BABY among our friends!

Big Girl Booster

Reagan absolutely LOVES sitting in the wooden highchairs at restaurants because she's actually seated at the table instead of a distance away, the way she is in her highchair because of the tray.  Obviously we won't need the highchair for Baby Boy Peddle for quite some time but we thought now would be a great time to get Reagan a booster seat so she can sit at the table with Mommy & Daddy when we eat.

Thursday Morning
Breakfast in the highchair!

Thursday Afternoon
Writing a list in her new booster seat at the table

Friday Morning
French toast & sausage breakfast in the new seat

After doing some research on the internet to decide if we wanted a booster seat or a restaurant-style wooden highchair, we decided to go with the Graco Blossom Booster Seat from where else but Amazon.com using our Prime membership, which gets u free 2-day shipping on most items.  One of the main reasons we went with a booster seat is that it attaches to a chair we already own and we don't have to clear out a chair from the table to fit the restaurant-style highchair.  Obviously there are plenty of "prettier" seats on the market but I actually like how neutral this is and it doesn't obnoxiously stand out.  Plus, the added bonus is that it can be used with Reagan's baby brother when it's time for him to sit at the table since it's tan and not hot pink!  I really like this particular booster seat because it has 2 security straps that go around the chair back & chair bottom to ensure no slipping when Reagan is in the chair.  It also has a 3-point safety harness to keep her seated while she's in the chair.  She's still do young that I wanted to make sure she would stay seated when in her chair.  And lastly, it's made of an easily-cleanable plastic, perfect for cleaning up those "learning to feed myself" messes Reagan makes while trying out her hand at silverware.

She loves sitting in a chair just like Mommy & Daddy, but this new milestone doesn't come without some issues to tackle.  One of those being that my dining room chairs are light-colored fabric seat backs (pictured above) & seat cushions (aka very easy to get dirty), and the next challenge being how much Reagan loves to bang things together.  Needless to say, I'll be making a purchase this weekend of a table pad to protect it from tiny diners!!!

Jelly Bean Jungle

Reagan turned 15 months today!!  I can not believe less than a year and a half ago we didn't even have this beautiful little girl in our life and now she consumes every second and I couldn't imagine a day without her.  She is the happiest and brightest baby, and we get so much enjoyment out of watching her each day learn something new and develop into an independent toddler.  

Reagan - 15 Months Old

We attended our first play date today in the new Meet-Up group I joined, Chic Moms of South Jersey.  Some of the ladies and their children met at Jelly Bean Jungle (JBJ) in Mount Laurel, and we had a blast meeting new people and playing with other kids.  JBJ is marketed for children ages 5 and under, which personally I really like because it keeps the young kids together and makes me worry less about big kids being too rough (trust me, I know kids here can still be rough but I felt it was better than 5+).

Reagan's favorite activities were of course the ball pit and the mini slide.  The big ball pit made me hold my breath a few times as some of the wild boys would jump in from the sides without regards to any other kids in the pit already.

They also had other activities like a climbing maze and a miniature carousel, but Reagan wasn't too impressed with those things yet.  I think she loved just having a huge ball pit at her disposal, and of course that there were other kids running around like maniacs :)  We're hoping to go again soon so Ryan can join in on the fun!

So Close, Yet Still So Far Away

How far along? 33 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 14 lbs

Fundal Height: 31.5 weeks 

Sleep:  Waking up a couple times a night to go to the bathroom, tossing & turning has begun
Best moment this week: My weekend with friends and family :)
Worst moment this week: Nothing to complain about!
Movement: He moves a ton and is always trying to get comfortable, which means I'm extremely uncomfortable as he pushes into my ribs and hip-bones.
Food cravings: French fries
Labor Signs: Same as always... lots of Braxton Hicks.  I've been on  a weekly OB schedule since 28 weeks and thankfully no cervical changes yet!
Weekly Wisdom: None.  Just learning that I can't get everything accomplished that I want to.    

Looking forward to next week: Going to Jelly Bean Jungle in Marlton on Wednesday with Reagan for our first playdate with a local Moms group I recently joined.