Pregnancy Progress and Humor

Pregnancy Progress and Humor

I don't know about you, but this year seems to be the year of pregnancies for practically everyone I have ever gone to school with. Clearly, I am not an exception to this. At 24 weeks, I am well past the halfway point. I have been very lucky in that both of my pregnancies have gone pretty smoothly. Other than a few days of upset stomach/nausea in the first trimester, I haven't really been sick at all.  I was exhausted 1st trimester, but that's about it as far as symptoms.

This trimester has been going very well.  I'm showing a lot more than I did with T, but I'm still all belly.  In fact, people are often surprised when I tell them I'm having a girl.  At least those people that believe in old wives' tales. Ever since Christmas week, I have been back to working out 5-6 times a week.  Although it is sometimes hard to get up and workout, and it is easy to think I have any awesome excuse why I shouldn't have to, I also know I have any awesome reason to workout. A healthy mommy and baby!! I also feel 100 times better on the days I do workout so that is also motivating.

Tyler loves telling people where the baby is and he will sometimes talk to and kiss the baby.  However, I don't think he has fully grasped what is going on and he just likes to follow daddy's example.  Both of my boys have felt the baby kick. Well, sort of. I put Tyler's hand on my belly one day while we were watching Sesame Street together.  Baby Hailey gave 2 really good kicks so I look to Tyler for a reaction.  However, he was so distracted by watching Mr. Hooper surf (it was a very old episode) that he had no reaction at all.  At this point, the kicks are often sporadic and it's hard to get Tyler to keep his hand there waiting for a kick, especially since he doesn't know what he's waiting for. But, I hope to get a reaction out of him soon.

What Tyler really does love is taking the belly pictures every week.  As soon as he sees me write the number of weeks on the paper he is ready with his shirt up for a picture. Below are some of our more recent progress pics. After delivery, I will definitely do a post with every pic from when we first found out til the end so you can all see the progress.

22 weeks pregnant

23 weeks pregnant

24 weeks pregnant

Luckily, I still have my energy up since this is the first week of the spring semester of grad school.  Even though my professors have been forewarned about my pregnancy and due date, and they have promised that accommodations can be made, I can't help but be a little worried about the end of the semester.  This is especially true if this little girl decides to come early.  But we can only take it day by day.  So to relieve some stress, I have a few more pregnancy poems for your enjoyment!

The Battle

I have a foe who is always with me, always on the attack. They’re quick and smart and stealthy, never to be seen when I look back. I cannot seem to loose them, wherever I may go. When I try to fool them, they always seem to know. They kick and punch and jab me every time I take a ride The funny thing about it is it's coming from inside The creature that’s inside me, will never let me rest Despite all that I do for it (I really try my best) I feel you punch my kidneys, I feel you jab my spleen I have to be quite honest, I think it's very mean When I try to go to bed and get a little sleep I sense you calmly lying there lurking in the deep As soon as I lie down at night it’s like an alarm just rung You don’t want mommy to relax, you go and kick my lung I love you little peanut but you need to understand I need to go to sleep sometimes, it's something I demand So please get off the defense and lower down your guard Let’s call a truce, at least at night, so sleeping is not so hard

My Newest Love

I have fallen in love for the third time The excitement of it makes me rhyme They come with me when I go to the gym They make my bottom feel so slim They come with me when I go to work They never make me look like a jerk These leggings are my new best friend My time with them should never end They look like tights when under skirts They’re also great under long shirts They never bother my growing bump Nor fall down when I move or jump If possible they're all I'd ever wear Without a worry or a care I wear leggings nearly everyday And that's the way it's going to stay Until this little babe is born It's the only bottom that will be worn

Cheers,

Emily

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Joining YouTube Unboxing

In a past post, I had talked about my son's obsession with YouTube surprise egg and unboxing videos. It started by innocently putting on Sesame Street and Toy Story videos to entertain him once in a while.  Later he would start clicking the recommended videos which brought him to Toy Story surprise eggs.  This progressed to surprise eggs in general and finally YouTube unboxing videos.  He watches these video regularly and will ask for his swipe (my old iPhone) so he can watch a few videos.

Some videos, he has watched so many times that he can narrate the video along with the presenter or he knows which toy is going to be revealed next.  From this, he would start saying some odd things after opening his own toys.  For example, after opening a new toy he would say, "Thanks for watching, please subscribe, see you soon, thumbs up if you like it." Of course, these are the things the presenters say at the end of the videos.

Separately, my husband has always been a toy collector, since long before I met him.  He collects figurines from various movies and TV shows.  He is a big fan of pop vinyls and various other brands that I can no longer keep track of.  This combination proved to extremely powerful.

Soon Dad started fueling T's desire to collect toys.  He started buying him Mashems and Shopkins which he had seen in his perusing of YouTube.  This totally impressed my toddler who would open and describe and line up the toys as he had seen done in his videos.  Eventually he wanted his unboxing of toys to be recorded.  We did a few unboxing videos of Tyler and dad on Periscope, but those only last for 24 hours.  Seeing how popular some of these YouTube channels had become, we decided to join the ranks of YouTube unboxers.

My son officially has his own YouTube channel with 2 videos posted so far and more on the way! We created a quick intro for him showing pictures of him playing with some of his favorite toys using iMovie.  We then recorded a few videos of Tyler unboxing toys with his dad.  We also recorded him and dad building a small Lego set which we then sped up in iMovie for a speed build video.  Two videos are posted so far and a few more are in the pipe line.  We also saved most of the recordings from Periscope which we hope to edit and upload onto YouTube as well.  Our goal is to record the unboxing of toys and figures that the boys would have purchased anyway.  Once we get a decent following, we plan to do giveaways of any doubles we get.  We are also looking into donating some of the doubles we get.

You can check out our channel at the link below! Please like and subscribe to support the T Monster and for your chance to be notified of our giveaways.  We already have a decent collection of Shopkins doubles, so stay tuned!!

Tyler's Toy Time

Cheers,

Emily

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Telethon Wrap Up and Gender Reveal

So, this weekend has been major for our family. We had T's onstage debut in Telethon for Santa and we found out the gender of baby #2!! Because I like to do things in chronological order, we start with Telethon for Santa.  If you really can't wait to find out, you can always scroll down and then come back!!

So this week was T's theater debut and I must say I am thoroughly impressed.  He spent practically every day last week at the theater helping is dad and Uncle Chris put together the set for the show, often missing naps.  Then he would spend all evening at rehearsal.  He never caused a problem or had a fit and he was a delight to his fellow actors.

Opening night of the show was Friday and I was every so slightly nervous of how he would react to an audience.  It was like he didn't even know they were there, except when he got a laugh, which he utterly enjoyed.  He actually got 2 big laughs in his first show! The first was when he sneezed in the middle of my line.  The second is when he kicked his feet when one of the other elves has to hold him awkwardly to make it seem like he's never held a baby.  In all he had to be carried by 2 other people during the show and he never made a fuss or reached out to mommy.  This 2 year old definitely has what it takes to be in theater! Back stage he was quiet when he had to be and he actually enjoyed watching the show from side stage when he had the chance.  He even had a cold which didn't affect his good behavior one bit!

Besides the show this whole weekend has been crazy! Friday night I had work, then taught a hip hop class, and then had the show.  Saturday, T had dance class then the matinee show, then an ugly Christmas sweater party.  Sunday was the gender reveal shoot, another matinee performance, and finally dinner at Aunt Katie's for her birthday and a visit with Santa.  Some things had to give, but it was a long weekend none the less.

Here are some pictures from the show!

Back stage with mom and dad.

Telethon for Santa 3

On stage, acting!

Here's the full cast!

Soooo now it's time for the GENDER REVEAL!!!

Sunday morning we went to the park and my sister in law, Katie, had filled a big box with balloons.  The idea was to have T open the box and we would learn the gender based on the color of the balloons.  We then did a variety of shots with the balloons.  It was so much fun and I love the shots that Katie got.  It definitely captured our emotions and excitement.  It's a GIRL!!!

Here are some of the shots:

You can check out Katie's work at http://www.katiejoyphotographyny.com. She is great to work with and very patient with kids.  Far more patient than you might be, lol!!

I hope you enjoyed our weekend recap! Stay tuned Thursday for our Christmas craft project!

Cheers,

Emily

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Why Not Add One More

This is quickie post to explain me being MIA for like a week. I have been feeling tired and run down and pretty much not like my normal energetic self. This is completely atypical for me. I eat well, I workout, and so generally, I am one of those super annoying always active people.

These last few weeks, not so much...

So, we did some tests and went to the doctor, and we can now officially say "We are expecting #2 in May 2016!!"

In a way this is nice because it forces me to take a break and take some things off my plate. For example, I will probably not be performing for a while or competing in pageants. I will still be teaching dance however, which is awesome since I need some dancing in my life!! I will also still have my nonprofit to run and my job and grad school. So still plenty to do!!

We will also be moving prior to the baby coming (fingers crossed). We definitely need more space if we hope to fit another person in our house.

T is super excited to be a big brother although he has no idea what that means. I think he just likes to say the phrase. Either way we plan to try to include him in things as much as possible. For example for the gender reveal I want to have him open a box and then either blue or pink balloons will come out. I know he won't know what it means, but I thought it would be a fun way to include him. We also got him a big brother book and shirt.

Any other ideas on including your kids in prepping for a new baby are definitely welcome!! Definitely put your 2 cents in the comments!!

Thanks for all your love and support!! More tips will be coming later this week, don't you fret!!

Cheers,

Emily

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The Liebster Award

I am very excited and honored to have received a Liebster Award, which recognizes new bloggers. The award is given to new bloggers from other bloggers with less than 200 followers. It’s a fabulous way to show encouragement and support to the blogging community. I began creating my blog in August, and I'm just starting to promote and talk about its contents because well, I am a busy mom! I was nominated by Eileen who writes an awesome food and family blog called everydayeileen.com! Eileen has great recipes some of which I have pinned myself, and her story is truly inspiring! I highly advise you all to please check out her blog site everydayeileen.com and like her on social media! She is awesome! The rules, or guidelines, if you will, for the nominees of a Liebster Award are:

Post your award to your blog. Answer the questions that were given by the person nominating you. Nominate a small group of other new bloggers you’ve discovered. Create 10 questions for your nominees to answer. Thank the blogger who nominated you, and link back to their blog.

1 What three pieces of advice would you offer to other new bloggers?

My 3 pieces of advice would be:

1) Just start! you can worry about making your site pretty and adding cool features little my little. The important thing is to get your content out there.

2) Be consistent. It's hard, but regular posts keep people interested and lets new viewers know that this is something you are actively working on. It makes them more likely to subscribe. Even if your post just says I don't have time for a post, you are showing that you are active and aware that a post was due.

3) Have a good mix of fun and content! People come to the internet for info, so you need to provide useful content. But every post doesn't have to be strictly informative. Share fun stories and show that while you have great info, you are a person too!!

2 How did you come up with the idea or theme of your blog?

As a busy mom, it just made sense to share what I have learned about balancing life, family, work, and everything else. I don't know if I'm an expert, but I have definitely learned a lot of tips and tricks along the way.  I have always been super busy/involved, so some of these tips come from my pre-mom life, but all of it is useful now!!

3 What is something you would like to do with your blog that you have not done yet?

Eventually, I would like to have guest posts to expose my audience to other talented bloggers.  I hope to also have the opportunity to post on other blogs down the line.

4 Where would you like to see your blog in one year?

In a year, I hope to have a healthy following and have shared lots of useful advice with my audience.  I am also working on 2 books that I hope to promote here and elsewhere!!

5 What is the average length of time you spend on preparing a blog post?

Generally, about an hour or two including adding pics, and tags and headlines, etc..

6 How much time during the day do you spend on your blog?

I try to post about 2 times a week.  I also send out a weekly newsletter which can take up to an hour to put together. On the rest of the days, I just come on to check comments and messages.

7 Has has social media helped you with growing your blog, and if so, what is your favorite form of social media?

Somewhat, I am still working on that end.  My favorite form is Facebook. Twitter is too fleeting.  You post something and its pushed down the feed in seconds.  I also really like Pinterest for sharing posts.

8 Describe yourself using three words!

silly, smart, ambitious

9 What has been your biggest blogging challenge?

At this point, I'd say getting exposure.  This early on, finding topics to post about is easy.  The difficulty is getting these posts in front of the targeted audience, busy moms.  Some moms feel they are too busy to sit and read blogs, so I try to keep my posts short but informative with a healthy dose of humor!

10 How do you motivate yourself to keep the blog up and running?

I motivate myself with the knowledge that I have something important and useful to share. Even if each post only helps one person, that one person is better off.  I recently had someone tell me that they loved one of my posts and they would be using the info.  Hearing positive feedback in definitely motivating as well!!

So, drumroll please!!! Here are my nominees for the Liebster Award, I really ask that you all check out these websites! These bloggers are providing some great information and I am really impressed with their content, and when you do check out their sites, share the love by subscribing to their blogs or liking their Facebook page, Twitter, etc…

Tassika, www.tassika.com - a motivating blog by a strong and talented woman and author

Katie, www.katiejoyphotographyny.com - a fantastic blog about family and photography.

Here are my questions for you all!

1 Please tell us about yourself and your blog?

2 What inspired you to create your blog?

3 What three pieces of advice would you offer to other new bloggers? (That was such a great question, I had to pass it on.)

4 What is something you would like to do with your blog that you have not done yet?

5 Where would you like to see your blog in one year?

6 Who are some of your favorite bloggers and why?

7 What are your current top 5 favorite things?

8 Describe yourself using three words!

9 What has been your biggest blogging challenge?

10 How do you motivate yourself to keep the blog up and running?

Congrats to the new nominees! These are some great sites everyone should go check out. And once again, thanks to Eileen www.everydayeileen.com !

I am looking forward to following these bloggers and can’t wait to see what they will be posting about next!!

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T's First Dance Class

Today I brought T to his first dance class. As a dancer, this was a day I was waiting for, for a very long time. It was also my son's first class experience without one of his parents with him. As a family, we are lucky enough that I work days and my husband works part time nights and weekends, so T is able to stay home and not attend day care. His one other class experience was swim class over the summer, but his dad was in the class with him. This time he was on his own.

As a dancer mom, I had mixed emotions. I couldn't wait for his first class, but I was unsure of how he would react. He had watched me teach class numerous times, but now he was the student and mom was going to off with the other moms in the waiting room.

At first he was excited to have space to run around in the dance room, but when class started he wasn't so sure. I stayed in the room at first to see if he'd warm up, but I soon realized he would not be participating if I was there. I took my first opportunity when he was detached from me, to make my getaway.

Conveniently, the dance school has cameras so you can watch your child from the waiting room. I watched as T stood by the door waiting for my return. He was intent on the class however. Soon he edged his way closer to the action. Eventually he stood with the group. By the time it was time to tap at the bar he was ready. Admittedly, he wasn't the best at following directions and was generally facing the opposite way at the bar, but he was participating!! I couldn't be prouder!!

This is especially noteworthy as he is also the youngest kid in the class and the only boy. The class ranges from 2.5-5 and he just turned 2.5 a few weeks ago. All in all i think it was a success. He already attempted to kiss one of the girls and came out of the class saying "T shuffle." What was helpful is that his teacher is one of my closest friends so he didn't feel like everyone was a stranger.

I can't wait until next Saturday to see how he progresses!!

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Surprise Eggs And Family Finger?!?!

This one goes out to the moms of toddlers and preschoolers. When my son was really small sometimes when we were out, we would let him watch videos on YouTube. It started out with us parents choosing Toy Story or Sesame Street videos as these were his favorite characters. Eventually, he learned how to pick his own videos to watch from the ones suggested. This led him to find the biggest baby crazy I never knew existed:

Surprise Eggs

You can find surprise eggs all over YouTube from all different channels and accounts. Some videos provide narration of the toys that are found in the eggs, others just provide music. The eggs are either plastic or chocolate wrapped in foil and generally feature various cartoon characters. Inside the eggs are small toys, stickers and key chains. Surprise eggs are difficult to find in the states as they are not distributed in the U.S..  This led us to have to order these eggs online so my son could open a few of his own.  We have purchased a few boxes which we have given to him for special occasions.

On the other hand, the watching of egg videos eventually leads to watching videos for Shopkins and Mashems and pretty much any other toy that comes in a blind bag or surprise box. These other toys are available in the U.S.

These videos can be anywhere from basic to elaborate with puppets, animation, and giant eggs decorated in play doh to look like popular characters. My son can now sit and watch several videos of people unwrapping surprise toys in a row and be fully entertained. He now knows characters from shows he's never even seen because he's watched the toys unwrapped. He can even narrate a few of the videos with the host.

One time we went to a friends house who has a daughter about 6 months younger than T (my son) and she was watching Bubble Guppies. My son immediately started naming the characters. My friend asked me if he liked the show. I responded, "He's never seen it. He just knows them from watching their toys being unwrapped on YouTube." She looked confused; I told her just wait, her daughter will be doing it too!

Due to this obsession, we now have 15 Mashems at home several Shopkins, a minecraft mini figure and a few mini pops from Funko. When at the store my son will recognize any toy that comes in a surprise bag or box and proudly announce the name of the character. While this makes is easy to pick little toys every once in a while that we know he'll love, it makes it difficult to walk by the toy aisle of any drug store.

This brings me to my son's other YouTube obsession: Family Finger

This is a video of a hand and a song about the different fingers. The song starts out "Daddy finger, daddy finger, where are you? Here I am, here I am, how do you do?" They then repeat this for mommy, brother, sister, and baby. This can be very easy to learn for toddlers. Parents are on the fence of whether this is good or bad....

This video has thousands of versions using images of pretty much every cartoon character. So for example, there's a Toy Story family finger where each finger is one of the characters from the movie: daddy finger = Woody, mommy finger = Bo Peep, brother finger = Buzz, sister finger = Jessie, baby finger = Potato Head. The song is pretty catchy much to every parent's chagrin. My son has taught every member of our family the family finger song. He can sing this song endlessly without getting bored. Somehow he doesn't find it as mind numbing as his parents do.

Luckily, we are not alone. My husband was in H & M recently and he heard another toddler singing the family finger song. The toddlers dad confirmed that his daughter was also obsessed with the videos on YouTube.

Is your toddler or preschooler obsessed with family finger or surprise toys? Are they obsessed with something else from YouTube?

If you too have a child obsessed with Surprise Eggs you can find an assortment of eggs here: Eggs This is where we got them for the T monster and he loved them!! He also reenacted his own surprise egg videos...

Cheers,

Emily

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