baby registry help

A couple months before we found out we were expecting a baby we sold all of our baby stuff. Crib, stroller, car seat, everything!! It was all pretty beat up and just taking up room in our house and we knew we wanted to replace everything anyways! Well here we are two weeks away from finding out the gender of our baby and the only thing we've purchased for the little one is a pack of diapers! And the only things we did keep was the high chair and the Pack N Play.

So I need your help with my baby registry. 

What baby items do you love?

What items do you think is a waste of time?

Is there a certain swaddler you like? Or bottles, swings and formula that are better than others?

There are so many cool new baby things these days that didn't exist when we were shopping for baby Kyson. So please help a girl out! We're getting ready to register and we need some tips!

And because I'm reminiscing on having a baby...

I can't believe how much he's grown and changed. But still looks the same! ..sigh!

16 weeks

- I've lost weight at every appointment up until my last one, which really doesn't make any sense. I eat all day long!! Not that I'm complaining! But, I finally gained 1 pound!

- The only pregnancy related side affect I'm feeling is heartburn. And it's a killer! Thank goodness for milk!

- I'm still waiting to feel the baby move for the first time. It was around this time that I felt Kyson kick for the first time so hopefully it's real soon!

- My skin, hair and nails are looking and feeling absolutely amazing!!

- I hated being pregnant my first time around more than anything but I'm really enjoying it this time! It's much easier when you know what you're doing!

- Still trying to decide if I want another C-Section or a vaginal birth (Kyson was breech). These big decisions are always so hard for me. Has anyone else had a vaginal birth after a C-Section?? Please share your experience with me!

- I'm not really craving anything right now. As long as I have food in front of me, I'm happy haha

- Everyone asks me what I want. I really hope this one is a boy. I really want Kyson to have a brother!! So think blue :)

the good, the bad, the ugly

The Good

-My energy has made it's grand reappearance!

-We find out the gender of our baby at our next appointment.

-Having the most beautiful warm weather.

-Having flawless skin, healthy nails and fast growing hair! Thank you Pre Natals!

-Made a killer dinner tonight!

-Knowing I have the best family in the entire world! So lucky to have them.

The Bad

-Finding out the base pool is closed all summer due to budget cuts.

-Dealing with so many headaches!

-The smell of syrup makes me want to die. (it's crazy what pregnancy does to you)

-Thinking about how much a new fence is going to cost us!!

-How homesick I am!!

The Ugly

-Looking like I need to hit the gym.

-How dirty my new car is! Poor thing.

-Kyson's play room is very ugly right now!

-Our front yard needs some serious TLC.

After everything that's gone on this week I'm extra thankful for everything that I have! I'm thankful to have a home that I own, a car to take me places and necessities at my fingertips. So many people go without and I know that I take things for granted far too often. I'm thankful to have a family that takes care of me, friends (and blog friends) that are there for me and Heavenly Father and Jesus that love me! I've truly been blessed in my life and I honestly have nothing to complain about (although I still do, oops!)

instaLOVE instaLIFE

Isn't instagram wonderful?

I spend far too much time looking through friends insta's and I'm not ashamed! I love being able to see inside my friends lives who live far away. That sounds kind of stalkerish but isn't that what social media is all about?

Just kidding it's all innocent, for me anyways. Promise!

Here are my most recent insta's. If you'd like to follow along through my insta journey, then I'd love to have you and follow back. 

denisemadsen1

 Enjoying the beautiful surroundings in Texas. I always plan my outfit to match plants!

 

 Meeting a fellow blogger. Loved her and can't wait for next time!

 

 Announcing baby #2!!

 Dallas Blooms. It was such a gorgeous garden and I can't wait for next year!

Having fun at Six Flags with my bestie, even though I'm pregnant.

 Cheesecake Factory!

Celebrating 26 years of this guy! Isn't he so handsome?! Happy Birthday lover boy!

weekend fun

This weekend we went to a little local car show. It was small, low key and not much going on but it was kind of cool. It was windy and kind of disgusting outside but we had fun!

 Out of all the cool, nice cars there, Kyson wanted a picture with this one.. Whatev!

 Wind ruins everything!

Kyson decided the best place to stack rocks was on top of this car!! I was having a little chat with him when Dave decided to take a picture of the car that matched me.

Every year Abilene does a huge animal adoption weekend. All the shelters get together at Petsmart and does real cheap adoption fees and shots for the little animals. Last year over 230 animals were adopted over one weekend! So we took Kyson to play with all the puppies and almost adopted one. The only reason we didn't was because Kyson didn't like it, so we went home! That little snot!

Dave also volunteered for the Boy Scouts to participate in a outdoors competition of some sort. Dave was awarded for being so awesome at knowing his stuff. I'm glad to know that if we ever had to live off the land, Dave would be able to keep us alive! And I'll be able to nurse his rope burned hands back to health!

baby appointments

I had my first baby appointment at 7 weeks 3 days. Basically to confirm I was pregnant. I was shocked when I found out I was getting an ultrasound! Apparently that's how they confirm it these days. Times have changed since I was pregnant with Kyson! She did the ultrasound and we were able to see our little gummy bear for the first time. Kyson was hooked to the screen! It's crazy to think that last time we were doing this, it was him on the screen. Time flies! 

There's our perfect little baby! This picture about gave us a heart attack! That second little spot isn't another baby, just so you know. It's the yolk sack! We, however, thought it was another baby. As in twins! My doctor laughed at us and told us what it was. We had no idea there was a yolk sack haha. We're kind of clueless!

After our appointment we hit up Burger King. This pregnancy is so strange compared to last. I am always hungry. For about five weeks I ate full sized meals every two hours!! I ate more than Dave and Kyson combined! And if I didn't eat within 2-3 minutes of feeling hungry, I lost my appetite and got sick. Last pregnancy I had zero appetite and every time I ate, I threw it back up. Seriously every detail is complete opposite than last time. Have I said that enough times yet? Anyways I was pretty convinced that I had gained at least 5 pounds when I went in for my 11 week check up. Nope I lost 2 pounds, which makes absolutely no sense. I ate a ton!!

Things are finally back to normal with my diet and I'm so thankful. I was actually getting tired of eating!! Now if only I could figure out a way to get my energy back.. Last time I was able to sleep all day and night. I can't do that this time around because I have a four year old to take care of and let me tell you, it is hard! Every time I sit down to relax or just catch my breath, Kyson needs something. Every. Single. Time.

I can't catch a break with him. I love him but since I've been pregnant I swear he's become 100 times needier than normal! So any ideas on how to get some extra energy? Caffeine has no affect on me, it never has.

I promise there are good things about being pregnant, it's just a big adjustment especially since it's a whole new experience this time around. I have a new doctor this time and I'm praying I don't have to have another C-Section.

I'm not really showing yet other than the very flattering chubbiness of early pregnancy. My boobs are ginormous but not very tender. I feel like I need a whole new wardrobe just to cover these bahama mamas up! They're definitely large and in charge and it's driving me crazy. Dave has different feelings about them. Ha!

We're so excited about having another baby but for now we're enjoying these last few months with Kyson while he's an only child.

dallas getaway pt 2

We took our time getting up and ready the next morning. We didn't leave our hotel until almost noon!  In spirit of it being General Conference we wanted to go walk the temple grounds in Dallas. We found it, only to find the gates were closed! Which kind of shocked us, walking the temple grounds as a kid was something I did often on Sundays. But we took pictures anyways!

After, we went to the Texas Discovery Gardens to go to a Butterfly House. It was the funniest, saddest experience I've ever watched Kyson go through. hahaha

Kyson is all about the biggest, fastest roller coasters but when it comes to butterflies, he craps his pants!

Ok so maybe I was a little afraid of the pretty butterflies too. They really liked dive bombing my face! Dave and I were laughing the entire time walking through this because either I was freaking out or Kyson was. It was hilarious! Once we were finished torturing Kyson with killer butterflies we were hungry for some good food! The Cheesecake Factory!

Lemon Herb Chicken + Butterfinger, Caramel, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, Chocolate Cheesecake = Heaven on Earth!! It made baby very happy! 

We decided it was time to go home and get back to real life. It was the best weekend with good friends, fun times and great food. Just what the doctor ordered! Can't wait to go back.

P.S Happy Birthday to my amazing hubby! 26 looks good on you :)

weekend getaway pt 1

We spent the weekend in Dallas, again. We go there a lot! Since living in Texas, Dallas has been our favorite getaway location. Our first stop was Six Flags. We met my bestie and her family there and had the best time! Even though I'm prego and could only go on the tiniest of rides it was still fun. I learned that Kyson is an adrenaline junkie and was ready to tackle the huge roller coasters. Too bad  for him he wasn't big enough to ride them yet. I was relieved though! I've turned into a worry wart mommy! We spent all day there, and even though we only went on the kiddie rides it was so much fun! I even got my first sunburn of the year!

 This is what Kyson wanted as a souvenir..

Isn't the chubby stage of early pregnancy so attractive? It was a great day but man were we exhausted! After Six Flags we went and got some grub. We were starved. Vashti and Danny had never had In N Out so we had to show them what it's all about. It didn't disappoint!

Finally we went to our hotel and started to relax! This hotel was nuts! It was brand new, crazy modern and nice and WAY cheaper than any hotel I've ever stayed in! It was amazing.We spent the evening swimming in their heated pool. Kyson was having the time of his life! The poor kid doesn't know how to swim yet so he was jumping in to Dave's arms the whole time, except for once. Kyson decided to jump into a part of the pool where no one was and started drowning!! You can't exactly run over to him while in the water so we had to move as quickly as possible, which still wasn't very fast and grab him. I about had a panic attack and Kyson? He wanted to do it again. The kids fearless!

 the smiliest baby I've ever met!

Mommy loves!

This day was so fun but so exhausting! Especially for this pregnant girl! I crashed the second I hit the pillow.

Part 2 tomorrow :)

how we found out

Dave and I had been trying to get pregnant for a while so we were watching for all the signs of being pregnant. After months of trying I scheduled an appointment with my OBGYN to figure out why I wasn't pregnant yet. She told me that it takes most couples up to a year to get pregnant. Asked me some questions about my body, health etc, gave me advice and this powdery drink mix that helps women conceive and sent me on my way. I was feeling really discouraged about the whole thing because it was so easy getting pregnant with Kyson (TMI?). I hadn't been on birth control in years and felt like I was pretty healthy. So was it so hard to get pregnant? I got home and realized that my period was a day late but blew it off. Once Dave got home I told him everything the doctor said and he told me to just go take a pregnancy test. I told him no that I didn't want to waste another test to just be let down again and that if I didn't get my period in the next couple days I would take one. Two days later I woke up and decided to just take a test since I was still late. It was instantly positive and I started ugly girl crying! Too bad Dave was at work but I had all day to figure out a fun way to tell him. 

We had these little mailboxes from Target that we got for Valentines Day and decided to write him cheesy love notes and stick them in his mailbox. I made sure to give subtle hints that I was pregnant on each note. I felt so clever! I got all dolled up and patiently waited for him to get home.

Once he was home, I waited a couple hours to tell him so he wouldn't have any idea what was coming! I grabbed the camera, stuck the pregnancy test in my pocket (gross) and handed him his mailbox. He was so confused and I was so proud of myself!

 

 I guess I was a little too subtle because he had to read them a few times and still didn't get it. I'm just too smart for my own good. So, I just showed him the test instead! haha

Now that's the reaction I was looking for!

Here are my notes. Don't judge me, especially the last one!

(the last one hints at 9 months)

We were shocked because only two days earlier I was asking my doctor why I wasn't pregnant yet. And only a week earlier a test said negative, little did I know I already was! 

I was four weeks along when we found out!

We feel so blessed that God is trusting us with another one of his babies! Already this pregnancy is the complete opposite from my last one. I feel great! No sickness at all, just very, very tired. All. The. Time. I feel like an infant that sleeps 16 hours of the day.

Thank you everyone for the support and love. I'm surrounded by the most amazing people!

a day in dallas

I seriously did not even realize that it was April Fools Day when I posted my last post. It was not a joke, I really am pregnant and we are thrilled! Bad timing on my part, oops! :)

Last weekend we spent the day in Dallas. Since living in Texas, Dallas has been our favorite getaway place. It's close, it's easy and there's so much to do! It was a quick trip since this pregnant girl can't get her butt out of bed in the mornings. Luckily I have a son who sleeps in until 10-10:30 every. single. day. He must get his love for sleep from his momma!  Anyways once we got to Dallas we went to the Dallas Blooms  flower festival. It was gorgeous! It was a little overcasty but that just made for cooler temperatures! It's barely spring and I'm already thrilled about days with cooler temperatures! Ha!

Did I forget to mention that Dave was bribed at work with money to shave his head? Yeah, this wife doesn't like it!

It was so pretty! All these pictures were taken on my new iPhone and uhh the camera quality is amazing compared to my last phone!

After the garden we met up with the lovely Tiffany for dinner. I love meeting other bloggers! She has been a blog friends from the very beginning and I'm so glad we were able to become real life friends! She's so sweet and I loved chatting with her!

The only picture we took and it's blurry, of course!

We had a great day in Dallas and can't wait to go back!