Spring Break 2016

For the 6th year in a row, we rented out our home for Austin's big SXSW Festival and fled to our beloved town of Wimberley. Iyla and I were there for 6 nights, BC for 4 (due to a work conference)- and it was as tranquil and relaxing as expected.

Here's a summary of our break in photos, starting with our lovely cabin:

Upon arrival to our cabin, we showed Iyla her new room & new toddler blow-up bed, to which she promptly took a great 2 hour nap!

It was raining for the first two days we were there, but that didn't deter us. Iyla loved wearing her rain jacket & boots and finding every puddle there was to jump in:

She also found this kitty in a downtown store window, and wouldn't leave its side for a good 20 minutes:

We returned to one of our favorite Wimberley restaurants, The Leaning Pear, and tried out their rope swing:

On two of our mornings, Iyla and I dropped BC off at a local coffee shop to work and headed out for our own adventures. The first morning we attended a story time at the local library, and the 2nd morning we headed out to the EmilyAnn Theatre for a showing of Aladdin:

The grounds of the EmilyAnn Gardens were an absolute kids' dream come true, complete with play houses, a wooden boat, a Cinderella coach, dinosaurs, and fairy gardens!

Back at our cabin, Iyla brought out her own theatrics by converting my eye pillow into the perfect "Minnie bow:"

Our friend Andy drove into town one evening to join us, and we all headed out to the gorgeous Trattoria Lisina winery & restaurant, where we taught Iyla the art of fine dining:

We spent many mornings strolling around the downtown shops and parks, always with Iyla's purse in hand:

On Day 5 when BC had to leave for his work conference, I broke out a new set of princess dolls for Iyla, which were a huge hit and quickly became regulars at every place we dined:

We had a fun play date with Wimberley friends Harper and Tatum:

Went out for ice-cream:

And then packed up the car to head to Phase Two of our vacation: a road trip to Houston to visit Mimi and Grampy! We stopped along the way for cookies lunch:

Iyla and I were roommates while in Houston, and she loved her special new toddler bed. We each "read" in bed at night before it was time for lights out:

Iyla played with Mimi and Grampy all day every day. Here, a little dress-up styled by Grampy:

Dinner out at a local Italian restaurant, Johnny Carino's:

Then it was time to head back to Austin to finish out the break. Iyla and I headed out for a breakfast date and a SXSW kid's David Bowie tribute show:

And finally, to cap off our break we took Iyla to her first ever movie: Zootopia at our local Alamo Drafthouse Theater! She loved it and thankfully did great.

All in all, it was a fabulous 2016 spring break!

20 Week Updates: Baby 2.0

How far along? 20 weeks today- halfway through!

How big is baby? At our ultrasound last week, baby was estimated at 10 ounces. My apps say that baby is about the size of a mango now, 10 inches long.

Weight gain? Ahem…. I seem to have gained 2.5 pounds since last week! I am not entirely convinced that is all baby… as we had a date night last night complete with a big steak dinner and I haven't been…. well, as 'regular' as I'd like this week. 127.6 total on the scale this morning.

This week's belly photos courtesy of the Target dressing room

Sleep? It's been pretty decent with the re-integration of 1/2 a tab of Unisom nightly. Last night, however, I did have crazy insomnia, likely due to a mix of the chocolate mouse dessert we had (heaven!) and my mind spinning over the house prep toward leaving town tomorrow.

Food cravings/aversions? Nothing new or notable here.

Symptoms? Constipation has been really bad this week, despite nightly Magnesium and Colace. My hips are still tight after sitting, but feel a bit better overall- likely b/c I haven't been doing much (ok, ANY) exercise this past week. My chest is ever so slightly less sore, but definitely has grown into its full pregnancy glory. When trying on new bras today (it's well time to update the ratty ones I am still wearing from Iyla's pregnancy 3.5 years ago)… I first discovered it is VERY hard to find 34D's, and then found that even these were a bit small in the cups for me! Every.thing is growing.

Big sister? Poor Iyla came down with a tummy bug last Thursday. When I went to greet her in the morning, she said her tummy hurt and I quickly noticed vomit on her pajamas and in her bed. After I stripped her soiled clothes off she immediately laid down on the floor, a sure sign that she wasn't feeling well. Luckily it was a pretty mild bug overall- she threw up a total of maybe 5 times in 24 hours, almost always after trying to eat something. She had a fever for 12 of those hours, and luckily was into taking the chewable Tylenol tabs I'd run out to purchase (I told her they were "medicine candy" and that's all she had to hear!). I was SO grateful there wasn't any diarrhea, which I can't even imagine also having to deal with. And *knocking on wood* so far BC and I- four days later- haven't come down with it, though BC does have a knack for falling ill on vacation and we do leave for Wimberley tomorrow…..here's hoping we are genuinely in the clear!

A few shots of Iyla from the past week…. here, an initial burst of energy playing on the first morning of her 24 hour bug:

We made a video fort

The fatigue quickly caught up with her

Day #2 of the bug found Iyla feeling better overall, but still really weak and tired from not haven eaten much:

Still managing to smile for a selfie!

How we passed much of the day

By Friday night she was feeling much more like herself, having eaten and kept down a couple of meals. We were so happy to have our energetic girl back!

Joy!

And here are a few more shots from school this past week:

Most looking forward to? Our Wimberley getaway, which begins in T-24 hours!

19 Week Updates: Baby 2.0

How far along? 19 weeks today!

How big is baby? The apps say that baby should be around 6 inches long crown to rump and a 1/2 pound in weight- about the size of a mango. It notes that babies usually have gone through a big growth spurt in the past week, which accounts for some of my symptoms listed below! Baby is also developing a protective layer over her skin called "vernix" that protects her from the affects of the amniotic fluid.

Weight gain? I am up to 125 now- for a 1 pound gain from last week and a 15 pound total gain so far. With Iyla I'd only gained 3.5 pounds at this point! I am still so curious if my overall weight gain will balance out toward the end, or if this is just going to be a bigger pregnancy overall.

I still can't believe how BIG this belly is… and I'm not even halfway through the pregnancy 

19 weeks with Iyla- ha! 

And this is 29 weeks with Iyla, at which point I'd gained 15.4 pounds- about the same belly & gain as now. Still following my trend of looking and gaining (and feeling!) 10 pounds ahead of my first pregnancy. 

Sleep? It was bad enough for most of last week that I dusted off my Unisom, and that has been a miracle worker the last few nights.

Food cravings/aversions? No real cravings this week, but one strange aversion. Several weeks ago I went through a phase of wanting bean burritos every day for lunch. Yesterday I decided to re-stock burrito supplies in an effort to have more quick, healthy, filling options on hand at home. Well, I took one bite of that bean burrito and absolutely could not stomach any more. Sooo- seems beans are out for now.

Symptoms? This week has been marked by extreme daytime drowsiness/fatigue along with an increased appetite, likely due to a growth spurt with baby. I have also had a doozy of a week with my hips & inner thighs- I'm in pain almost every time I rise from sitting. From my expert googling (haha), I suspect I may have what is termed "Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction." Since this started as a twin pregnancy with double the hormones, I think my body started really cranking out the relaxin, loosening things up a bit early & intensely. Sadly the only real cure for these ails is giving birth. Stretching and yoga help alleviate some of the symptoms, but I am usually in pain again with restricted movement shortly thereafter.

Big sister? BC was out of town for business last week, and Iyla seems to have an uncanny knack for sleep regressions & acting out when he is away. I am guessing it has to do with his absence- sensing it and needing extra reassurance & attention. But HOLY HELL. Being pregnant (and in pain) while having your 3 year old toddler up her anty through fighting sleep and also fighting anything else you ask her to do is not for the faint of heart. I was absolutely exhausted and DONE by the time BC got home. It was a trying week for sure, but I am happy to report that within a few days of BC's return Iyla's temperament is evening out again.

Weekly Mama/Iyla date night

Hamming it up before school. These faces!

School photo of friend Socrates carting my little wizard around

She's in this outfit almost every time I arrive for school pick-up!

Driskill happy hour with Mama & Papa

Morning park time with Papa

Most looking forward to? We have our big Anatomy scan ultrasound later this week, and I'm excited to see the baby again! So hoping everything looks good and healthy with her measurements.

Little Heartbreaker

Every week Iyla and I attend a sweet little "Music Together" class. There are about 6 other kids in the class with us, ranging from 12 months-3 years old.

In particular there is one little 3 year old boy named Max who is just the most darling thing ever. He is smart, observant, & full of giggles. And he is sweet on Iyla.

This became evident a few classes ago when he started making a point to come sit right next to her and ask that she help him in any cooperative activities. He also seems to be extra full of giggles when in her presence.

Last night when he arrived to class, he quickly came over and sat right next to us, even though his mom and little sister were seated across the circle.

When it came time for a drumming activity where each kid was given two sticks to bang together, he very excitedly started banging his sticks on Iyla's.

She wasn't having it.

She quickly hid her sticks behind her back and stuck out her tongue at him, a new move she has developed in the past "growing" week, full of sass. I told her that this wasn't very nice and to just say "no thank you" if she didn't want to play that way. He got the hint and moved on.

Toward the end of class there is another activity where the kids help "blow out" all the lights, then snuggle down with their parent or caregiver to listen to a soothing song.

No sooner had Iyla and I laid down than little Max came running over and snuggled in right next to Iyla, rolling on his side so his body faced her. She immediately got up and laid down on the other side of me. Max quickly followed suit, running to the other side and again snuggling in right next to her. Again she got up and moved, again he followed. This time she took things up a notch and gave him a shove in the face. Poor Max was crestfallen.

I reminded Iyla that this was not a nice way to communicate and to tell him "no thank you" if she didn't want him there. She then very loudly and forcefully said NO THANK YOU to him several times in a row, until a sad Max finally retreated to his mom.

Not to be deterred, at the end of class Max came up and asked Iyla if he may please have a hug (cue my heart melting!). Thankfully Iyla obliged, and all was well again in the toddler world.

Iyla Grace- breaking hearts and taking names since 2012