Connor vs. Chloe

I thought it would be interesting to write down the differences between my two pregnancies so I can share it with my kids one day. I figured now would be a good time while it's still fresh in my brain.

Connor

This sweet little boy was a total surprise! When Cary and I first moved here, we had not even been married a year. Before we moved, we decided that we wanted to wait about three years to start having kids so that we could have a few years to ourselves and so Cary could get two or three years of school behind him. Well, as usual, God had other plans. In October of 2008, we went to the Outer Banks with some good friends of ours. They left their girls at home and it was just the four of us for three days. It was awesome. Little did we know it would be our last trip alone. I was approaching that time of month when we left and figured I would start while we were gone or when we got back. When nothing happened I, of course, got suspicious, and scared. After waiting a week, I finally decided to take a test. Yep, it was positive. I wasn't sure whether to laugh, cry, or scream. So I did all three. I was excited, nervous, and wondering what Cary was going to say. It was a whirlwind of emotions. I waited three days and took another test just to be sure. So we made a doctor appointment and thus the journey began.

Here are some highlights from my pregnancy with Connor

-I was four weeks when I found out.

-I was seven weeks at my first ultrasound

-I started having "all day" sickness around week six and it ended around week ten. It was right before we went to my mom's for Thanksgiving. I was so grateful that I could eat again! Whoever started calling it morning sickness really had no idea!

-Cary did not want to know the sex of the baby, but I just had to know. I am a planner and I wanted to know pink or blue.

-I didn't really have any specific cravings, other than tacos, but my sweet tooth grew into a three headed monster. Cary and I had recently changed our diet and cut out a lot of sugar. We didn't drink our tea as sweet and we really cut back on desserts and such. However, with Connor I wanted something sweet ALL THE TIME!

-My only real aversion was to milk. I could not just drink plain milk. Even the thought of it made me feel nauseated. I could drink chocolate milk and I was ok with it in my cereal, but once the cereal was gone, any left over milk went to Cary or down the drain.

-I didn't feel Connor move until about 22 or 23 weeks. I know he was moving long before that and I just wasn't sure what it was supposed to feel like.

-I found out first hand what real labor pain feels like. My water never broke, but I was seven and half centimeters dilated when I got to the hospital.Thankfully, they were still able to give me an epidural.

-Connor was due June 23, 2009 so I mostly went through the winter and spring with him. It was just starting to get really hot when I had him.

-Connor was six days early. Born June 17, 2009 and was delivered vaginally

-I didn't have any problems with his pregnancy. During my second trimester, other than having a bump, sometimes I didn't even feel like I was pregnant.

-This one is hard to admit, but I gained 43 pounds with Connor. I lost all but ten pounds of that by the time I got pregnant again.

Chloe

This pregnancy was totally planned. We decided that three years between our kids was a good gap and we figured Connor would be potty trained by that time and we wouldn't have to be buying and changing two sets of diapers. We decided we would start trying around January of 2012 and hopefully be pregnant by May or June so I would not have to go through the summer pregnant. I have many mom friends who have done it and I just refused to be one of them. Cary wanted to start trying during the summer of 2011, but I was just not ready. I wanted another child, but the thought of having two scared me. After a couple months of praying and letting God have control, which is really hard for this control freak, we started trying at the end of August 2011. I knew this could potentially mean having a summer pregnancy, but we were both ready and there was no need to put it off. We were hoping to be pregnant by November/December so that when we went to my mom's for Christmas, we could share. No such luck. Funny enough though, I was pregnant, I just didn't know it yet and my brother and his wife announced that they were pregnant!! Can you just imagine if we had both announced it? My mom would've been hysterical!! In a good way though. Again, I knew I was supposed to be starting soon and figured I would while we were gone. When we got home and still nothing, I only waited three days and I just couldn't wait any longer. I took the test and didn't even have to wait two minutes. It started changing the second I peed on it! Here we go with journey number two!

Here are some highlights from my pregnancy with Chloe

-I was six weeks when I found out.

-My 'all day" sickness started at seven weeks and ended at week 18. Much longer than with Connor.

-My first ultrasound was at week nine.

-I started having pelvic girdle pain during my first trimester. I thought it was sciatica at first, but the symptoms were not matching up completely. I just stumbled upon pelvic girdle pain by accident when reading up on sciatica. The symptoms are almost identical, except for a few. With sciatica, you get shooting pains down your legs, and numbness in one or both legs. I was not experiencing any of that. I just had a constant sharp pain on my left side in my hip and butt. Sometimes it hurt so bad that I could barely walk. Sciatica usually doesn't come up until the third trimester, although it can begin sooner. Pelvic girdle pain can start in the first trimester and go all the way until the end, which was the case with me. I did not have any issues with this with Connor, except for the couple times he sat right on my sciatic nerve and my left leg gave out.

-My second trimester was not as great this time around. Mostly because I was almost halfway through it before my nausea finally subsided. Thankfully, it was right before Easter so I could enjoy a yummy Easter dinner!

-Cary and I both wanted to find out the sex this time. Mostly because we needed to know if we would need anything. If it was another boy we were set. If it was a girl, we would need clothes. We did have some gender neutral things that we could use for Chloe, but mostly we had to get all new clothes. Thankfully, my mom is still working at a thrift shop in Gatlinburg and since she has to sort through most of the stuff that comes in and she gets a discount, she was able get us most of what we need for really cheap. They have clothes come in all the time that still have the tags on them! She brought over two big bags when they came over for Connor's birthday.

-I had some specific cravings with Chloe. One night I wanted rocky road ice cream and waffles to eat together. My three headed sweet tooth monster reared it ugly head again. I also craved tacos again. I love Mexican food anyway, but for some reason when I'm pregnant, I want it all the time.

-My only aversion was to pork. I love a good pork loin with some apples and potatoes, but my nausea set in right after we had a pork meal and just the smell of Cary eating the leftovers made me want to throw up. So needless to say, I didn't have any more pork after that. It's funny how different my aversions were. After Connor, it was a long time before I could drink plain milk again, but with Chloe I craved milk. Especially in my third trimester. We were going through about two and half gallons a week because I drank so much.

-I felt Chloe move right around 18/19 weeks. Since I knew what it felt like, it made it a lot easier to know when it was her moving and not gas or something else.

-Chloe was due September 14, 2012. so I got the summer pregnancy that I really didn't want. However, compared to some of the other summers I have gone through here not being pregnant, I was pretty lucky. We really only had about 2-3 weeks of really hot weather. June didn't really get hot until the end. I was not looking forward to July or August, but for most part they were not so bad. Granted, I was still hot 95% of the time.

-Chloe was four days early. Born September 10, 2012 and was delivered via c-section.

-This pregnancy was much harder on me than the first. Not only did I have the pelvic girdle pain, which was very painful, I was sick much longer, and I had Braxton-Hicks this time around. They started around week 28 and they got more intense as my pregnancy progressed.

-I did a lot better with my weight with Chloe. I only gained 30 pounds. It was still a little more than I wanted to gain, but it is much less than with Connor and it will be easier to loose.

Here are a few comparison pictures

 My first ultrasound with Connor

 My first ultrasound with Chloe

  Sex reveal ultrasound with Connor

 Sex reveal ultrasound with Chloe

 

Connor's newborn picture

Chloe's newborn picture

Some of my faves...

About two years or so ago, a friend of mine shared a blog post with all of her favorite things. I thought it was such a fun idea so I decided to do the same. I meant to do this about two years ago when I read her post, but I just got lazy and never did it.

Sooo, here are a few of my favorite things.

Best movie series of all time. Period.

 Favorite tv show of all time. Cary got me the box set for Christmas one year and I've lost count of how many times I've watched the series in it's entirety, including commentary.

 I have a secret love affair with this place. It seems to be worse when I'm pregnant. I crave/craved tacos constantly with both Chloe and Connor, but it has always been a favorite of mine. Three of my favorite memories are tied to this place.  First, my mom and I would make several weekend trips up to my grandparent's farm in Missouri during the summer. We would always stop at this one Taco Bell that was right off I-55 in Arkansas. We always had to leave on Fridays when my mom got off work, so we would drive about half way and stop to eat. Secondly, in high school, my best friend and I would make late night Taco Bell runs all the time and then come home and watch movies. My third and most favorite memory is my first date with Cary. Andrew Peterson is one of my favorite musicians. There was a concert in Nashville that was featuring several Christian artists that we both liked, but especially Andrew Peterson. The concert was a total surprise for me. I had to work until 4pm the day of the concert and we had to drive from Jackson to Nashville, which was about a two hour drive. All I was told was that I needed to get home, get showered and be ready to leave at 5pm sharp! When Cary came to pick me up, he had Taco Bell waiting in the car for us to eat on the way! I loved it and it turned out to be an amazing night!

Couponing. I love couponing. Especially when I can get results like this. Groceries are expensive these days so anytime I can get a good deal, I go for it!

I love huskies. I've always wanted one. Maybe one day...

Fried green tomatoes. Need I say more?

I would eat sushi almost everyday if we could afford it. I never had sushi until I met Cary. I always thought it meant raw fish, but it actually refers to the rice. We have learned how to make it at home, which is much cheaper and a lot of fun.

I anticipate the arrival of this every fall!! It's one of those drinks that people either love or hate. There is no in between. I LOVE IT!!

I love puzzles. The more pieces and the more difficult it is, the better! Cary got this one for me for Mother's Day this year.

I've been a Chapstick lover for years. The peppermint was always my favorite. I got this as a free sample in the mail and I like it much better than Chapstick.

This amazing looking dessert is Black Tie Mousse Cake from Olive Garden. This is another one of those, I would eat it everyday if I could kind of things. Cheesecake of any kind is a winner in my book. This cake is dark chocolaty, cheesecakey, creamy mousse goodness!

In my opinion, these are the best cars ever! You can run them into the ground, fix them up and run them into the ground again! We are now on our second Honda and I still love them!

If it were not for fireplaces and snow, I would hate winter. To me, there is no reason for it to be 19 degrees outside unless there is fluffy, soft, frozen water all over the ground! Plus, what goes better with a snowy day than a nice cozy fire to snuggle up in front of?

 This, of course, is my favorite little boy, but I also love hammocks. This one even has a pad to cover it and a pillow to lay on. It is SO comfortable. This is where I relax when Cary is grilling, or where I read a book on a cool fall day.

As I mentioned earlier, I love Andrew Peterson's music. I could listen to this CD at least once everyday. I know every word of every song. No matter what kind of day I have had, even really good days, this CD will always relax me and help me put life into perspective.

I'm not much of a reader and I never have been. It's just been in the last year or two that I have gotten a new appreciation for it. Mostly for two reasons: 1. Cary is a reader. 2. I want my kids to be readers too. I figure one of the best ways for that to happen, other than to read to them on a regular basis, is for them to see the two of us reading on a regular basis. I read this book in high school for a book review and I fell in love with it! I bought a copy in college and I read it periodically.

 Another favorite book of mine. A friend of my brother's gave it to me as a gift when I graduated high school. It was not until my second or third year of college that I finally decided to read it and I was hooked! This is the only book, from which a movie was made, that I can say, "I read the book first." I really enjoy the movie and have it on DVD, but the book is SO much better!!

This is definitely one of my guilty pleasures. Without will power, I would probably consume at least two of these a day.

A few recent photos

Babies, babies, everywhere!

Almost a week ago, my new niece, Alice was born! This is my brother, Justin and his wife, Sophie's new baby girl. She was born Saturday, August 11 at 12:30am. She was 8lbs. 3oz. and 22 inches long. She definitely got my brother's long legs! 

In addition to this new addition, Cary's little brother, Kurt and his wife Amanda are expecting next March! Chloe will be here in about three weeks as well. Oh my that's a lot of babies!!

He's finally ready.

 After a few months of encouragement and anxiousness, Connor is finally ready to start potty training!! We've been asking/encouraging him for a while now about using the potty. We got him a potty book that makes the sound of the toilet flushing and a kid laughing and since he loves CARS, Cary got him a CARS seat that sits on top of existing toilet seat. He was really excited when we showed it to him and wants to read his potty book almost every night before bed. About a week and a half ago, he finally asked to sit on the potty before bed. We waited....nothing happened. We repeated this every night for the next week or so. FINALLY, a couple of nights ago CONNOR PEED IN THE POTTY!!! He has only done it a couple more times so we are still in the very beginnings of this. We are still working on pooping. He always poops right after I put him down for nap, so I then have to change him or he will not go to sleep. We think he has figured out how to hold it until after we put him, so that we will come in and change him, thus prolonging his nap. Clever little booger. So we decided to try putting him on the potty before nap time as well to encourage to poop in the potty instead of in his diaper. We were hoping to have him potty trained before Chloe arrived, but at least we have a good start. Cary will be off the entire month of September after we have her, so he is going to work more intensely with Connor. Since he will be home all day, he will be able to take him to the potty more often during the day so that he will learn to tell us when he feels the need to go. Please pray for us as continue in the new adventure. 

Stock up shopping trip

It's been a long time since I have blogged about one of my shopping trips to Harris Teeter. At the beginning of this year, I decided to do less of that and blog more about our family happenings. As stated in my previous post, it's been a crazy year and blogging was put on the back burner all together. I still plan to do less shopping trip blogs, maybe just once a month, and more family blogs. 

This past week was Super Doubles week at Harris Teeter. It turned out to be one of the best for us at this time. With Chloe on the way,via c-section, I've been needing to stock up on several things to get us through September since I will be recovering from my c-section and won't be able to do much for about four weeks. My mom is coming to help, but with a very energetic three year old, a newborn, and me to take care of, I didn't want her to have to worry with a lot of shopping. Other than some weekly basics, milk, bread, eggs, etc, she won't have to and can spend more time with us. 

Over the course of seven days, I made 12 trips to Harris Teeter and one to Kroger, they are having a Mega Event this week that included pasta and I needed to restock. It was a tiring week, but in the end it was totally worth it! And yes, my entire kitchen table is covered, minus the fridge and frozen items. So here goes!

Total before savings $691.02

Total spent $181.57

Total saved $509.45

Percent saved 74%

-2 bags Doritos

-12 boxes pasta

-4 boxes Lucky Charms

-2 boxes Honey Nut Cheerios

-4 boxes Lipton tea

-6 boxes Kleenex

-4 boxes Kashi granola bars (free)

-2 boxes Nutrigrain bars

-11 Zoneperfect protein bars

-4 boxes Ziploc bags

-4 (2pk.) Gerber baby food (I'm going to make all of Chloe's baby food, like I did for Connor, but I got all four of these packs for $0.44, total, not each.

-1 jar Earth's Best baby food (free)

-8 pouches Bumble Bee tuna (free)

-4 jars Smucker's simply fruit

-4 bottles Softsoap hand soap

-3 bottles Listerine mouth wash

-1 pack Stayfree pads (free)

-1 pack Always pads (free)

-6 packs Poise liners

-1 bag Simple facial wipes

-2 bottles KY jelly

-6 Speed Stick deoderants

-2 Old Spice deoderants

-4 bottles All detergent

-2 bottles Method dish soap

-1 tub Pampers wipes

-3 bottles Johnson's baby wash

-1 bottle Johnson's baby lotion

-1 bottle Johnson's baby powder

-1 bottle Suave kids shampoo/conditioner

Not pictured items

-5 packs Nestle Toll House cookies

-5 cartons Smart Balance milk

-4 cartons Organic Valley chocolate milk

-2 bottles Tropicana orange juice

-1 pack Sorrento string cheese

-9 containers Dannon Oikos greek yogurt

-2 Red Baron pizzas

-1 box Snickers ice cream bars

-4 Lean Cuisine meals

-1 tub Smart Balance butter

-2 pouches Gerber organic purees (free)

-4 pouches Plum Organics purees

-3 bottles Bailey's creamer

-4 packs Al Fresco chicken breakfast sausage (free)

-2 bags Krunchers chips

There was a really good sale on diapers this week and combined with coupons it made for some really good deals. We all know how expensive diapers can be and with a baby coming, I took full advantage of this sale. The numbers above are everything together. Here is the break down just in diapers.

Total before savings $203.88

Total spent $35.82

Total saved $168.06

Percent saved 82%

-5 packs Huggies Little Snugglers 

-7 packs Huggies Pure and Natural

-6 packs Huggies Pull Ups

This will probably be my last trip for a few months, but far more exciting things are coming!!

Playing catch up-a quick overview of the last seven months.

I didn't realize until today that my last post was December of last year. It's been somewhat of a crazy year.

January-we found out that we were expecting baby Mullen number two!

February and March-They were pretty low key for us. I was really sick during both months. 

April- my "all day" sickness finally subsided. We got to spend Easter weekend with my mom and step-dad, and got to see some really close friends and have dinner with them. It was a wonderful weekend.

May-We found out that we were having a girl!!

June- We celebrated Connor's third birthday.

July- Cary and Connor were in an accident on their way to church. I didn't feel well that morning so I stayed home. Good thing too! They were rear ended right in front of our church. Thankfully, God protected everyone. Cary and Connor were both fine and so was the girl that hit them. Our car ended up being totaled, but as always, God provided and we received enough money from the insurance company after our loan was paid off for a nice down payment on another car. We decided to upgrade a little with Chloe on the way and got a Honda CRV. I wish I had taken a picture of our Accord after the accident, but I forgot. Here is our new one. I LOVE the color!!

August-So far this month has been pretty quiet, but excitement is brewing. My brother's wife is due with their second child any day now. Cary's brother's wife is also expecting and is due next March. Cary's Starbucks is relocating across the street from where his current store is located. 

As you can see, we have had quite an eventful year with still more to come!