17 Months

Christian Michael, you will be 17 months old in just a few days... You are sooo much fun!!!  I am loving being home with you for the summer... even though I can't walk out of your sight now.. ;)  You are still the easiest baby/toddler ever.. I don't know how we got so lucky?!  You are constantly changing day to day and every time I think you could not possibly get any cuter and sweeter, you do!!

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*You wear size 18 months and 24 months in some things... You have a few t-shirts that are 2T but you are tall and slim so pants are still definitely 18 months!  You still wear size 4 in diapers - I think you will be in that size forever.. lol  You weighed 24 lbs at the doctor a couple of weeks ago.  You have the cutest little tiny body ever for a toddler... Your daddy and Papa swear you have perfect muscle tone - they are nuts! ;)

*You pretty much run/bounce everywhere you go now... and love to climb!  You had your first and second black eye within a week of each other and it broke mommy's heart.  I cried much worse than you!

*You have been going to sleep later now that I'm home with you all day because you nap more now... I think you're going through a growth spurt!  You go to bed around 8:00 now and wake up around 8:30 usually.  You take at least one 3 hour nap a day and sometimes you want to take another.... you still love your sleep a whole lot! 

*You have 10 teeth now total and you're getting a few more... We never even know when you're teething because you don't fuss about it at all... All of a sudden one or two will just pop up!

*You had to have tubes put in your ears a couple of weeks ago because the fluid wasn't draining.  I didn't think you could possibly get any happier but you did!!  You haven't had any sickness/ear infections/allergies issues since!  You never even have a runny nose anymore and you haven't had to take any allergy medicine for a month!

*You still love bath time a whole lot... If anyone says the word bath you run to the closet to get your towel and straight to the tub you go!  It is super cute!!  I am redoing your bathroom right now for you and Harrison and it's turning out sooo cute!!  I can't wait for you two to take bathies (that's what we call them) together one day!!

*Khloe has been staying in the house since it's so hot outside and you LOVE it!!  You two play together non-stop and you like for her to chase you around the house.  You are constantly looking back to make sure she's behind you!

*You say so many words now and repeat almost everything... Today you told me to "coot over" on the couch as you put your hand in the Dorito bag and got you a chip!  You're so funny!!  You won't talk much around other people though... you sure don't seem shy but maybe you are a little..

*You look like your daddy but have a lot of your mommy's facial expressions and you definitely act just like me!!  You are definitely a momma's boy for sure! and I LOVE it!! =)  

*You are a major eater... You will try anything and like almost everything.  Boy are we blessed!!  Your new favorite thing at the moment is fresh pineapple, watermelon, grapes, Salisbury steak, and green peas!

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You bring more joy to our life than we could have EVER imagined and I thank God for you every single day!!!  

 It's been a year that we have had Khloe this month... You two are the best of buds!

18 Weeks & Growing...

I don't have much to say about this week... Everything is going great!  Doctor's appointment was great, I'm feeling great, and I haven't gained a lot of weight! =)  I'm finally feeling good pretty much all the time and getting my energy back!  He moves all the time now and I love feeling his little kicks!

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Harrison is about 6 inches long and weighs about 6 ounces.

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This week's major developments:  His ears are now in final position and his blood vessels are now visible through his skin.  

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This can be my 18 week picture with my beautiful pregnant friends! =)  
We are in order from left to right by due date and it goes.. boy, girl, boy, boy!

Doctors Appointment & Boys Bathroom

We had an appointment today and Christian went with us for the first time.  He was pretty good... wanted to get into the cabinets but other than that, he was wonderful. :)  It was another boring one.... blood pressure was great, heart beat was great, I gained 2 lbs making that 7 total, and we got our appointment for our 20 week ultra sound in a couple of weeks.  

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Daddy had to go back to work after the appointment so me and Christian went shopping for bathroom decor.  I'm making the guest bathroom into the boys' bathroom and I'm beyond excited about it!!!  It's not like we have a ton of guests over all the time and when we do, I don't care if they have to use their bathroom - I mean it's kind of all about the babies in this house! ;)  No offense, visitors.. we love ya but not compared to our sweet boys!  So anywho.. we went several places... Hobby Lobby, Bed Bath & Beyond, Kirklands, and Target.  I found little things here and there but fell in love with a towel at Target (haha, loser.. right?)  So, I grabbed the towel and went from there!  It had stripes, which I wanted really bad, and it had every color in it that I wanted!!  Perfect!!  So, I ended up with a few towels, a couple of different colored rugs to match, shower curtain hooks, and cute little tub tub treads that match perfectly.  I'm going after paint tonight and I have a lot of different ideas of things to put in there.  I definitely want towels monogrammed with their names on them!  I would like to put big C & H letters above the toilet because I think that would be super cute!  Corey completely vetoed a toilet seat cover - he says that it is completely disgusting and unsanitary.... hahaha Who pees on the toilet seat???  I guess little boys... Oh well, I let that one go!  I will post before and after pics as I make progress.. I'm really excited about it! =)

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I know I've been a complete failure at the weekly photos... I just haven't changed much in the last couple weeks... the pictures look identical to the last one I posted.  I can tell I'm really starting to grow now so I'll try to put one up this week! 

17 Weeks & Growing...

I have officially started the ridiculousness of shopping!! =)  I'm going to try not to go so overboard like I did with Christian, but no promises!  I have this constant joy now that we know we are having another baby boy - I have never been so happy and felt so blessed.  I get to thinking about Christian and Harrison growing up together and it just overwhelms me with happiness!!!  There is so much I'm looking forward to.... from bunk beds one day to running all over the place to ballgames or whatever, keeping up with those two!  I have also pretty much decided how I want Harrison's nursery to look... I just have to find all the stuff now!  

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The baby is about 5 inches long and weighs about 5 ounces.

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This week's major developments:  He can move all of his joints now and his sweat glands are starting to develop.

16 Weeks & Growing...

Well, I was very sick this week so it hasn't been the best until yesterday when we found out the gender!!! =)  I had some weird viral infection that caused me to have high fever and just feel terrible.... and I think it brought back the nausea, unfortunately!  I'm just waiting to get all of my energy back... Maybe it's because I'm pregnant with a toddler this time!  He is constantly on the go but SOO much fun!!! 

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The baby is about 5 inches long - about the size of an avacado - and 3 1/2 ounces.

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This week's major developments:  The patterning of his scalp has now begun and he's getting toenails. 

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I drove to Tulsa yesterday and had an ultrasound done at Stork Vision.  Corey had no idea because I wanted to surprise him for Father's Day!!  It was so hard to keep a secret from him but what an amazing surprise!!  I got him a Father's Day cake and had the gender revealed when he opened it up... His card said, "Daddy, I wanted to get you something for Father's Day, even though I'm not there yet to celebrate with you.  I'm not quite sure what you want me to be, but you can cut the cake to see!!  Love you, Baby Ivo"  The look on his face was complete shock!!  He could not believe I had went and had it done... He cut into the cake and had the biggest smile ever on his face!!!  I knew he secretly wanted another little boy more than anything so I was soooo excited to see his face!  It was such a great surprise and I would highly recommend that place to anyone!!  They were soo sweet, helpful, and have great ultrasound machines!!  They do parties for families/friends where you can bring up to 20 people with you to get your ultrasound done.  The place is super cute and they have a huge screen for you to watch on.  I plan on going back for our 4D later on..  If you're going to pay for one anyway, you mine as well drive to Tulsa and go shopping and to eat! ;)  Anyway, we are pretty much on top of the world right now... I love saying "my boys" and the thought of them growing up together so close in age is just perfect - little buddies for life.  I would like to say our perfect little family is going to be complete, but I've realized quickly God laughs at our plans we make for ourselves!  Here are some sweet little pictures I got yesterday of...... Harrison Isaiah Iovinelli. <3

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christian around 25 weeks and Harrison at 16

Wives Tale Wednesday!

The Needle Test: Take a pin, needle, or wedding ring and attach it to a thread or strand of hair.  Hold the dangling item over mom to be’s belly while she is lying down.  If the needle or wedding ring swings in a strong circular motion, you will be having a girl.  If it moves in a to and fro motion like a pendulum, you will be having a boy.

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I used a strand of hair and a bobby pin and it swung in a very strong circular motion every time I did it - around 20 different times!!  Girl??

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There is also a different version.... You do the same thing but over your left wrist and this not only tells you what you're having, but your babies and future babies genders in order!  When we did this one, I got boy.. girl.. boy.. boy!  We already have a boy, so this is predicting girl, also.  

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So... the score is: Boy - 1   Girl - 5  
Let me just say... if anything, this is making me think it's a boy even more because I am not the least bit superstitious and there is no way all of these could be telling the truth!  Just maybe the Chinese are the only ones that I have it going on... ;) haha!  This might be the last one I do but it was fun! :)
 

Do you want a boy or girl...???

The most popular question of all time.... Do you guys want a boy or girl??  This is always one of the first questions but I've been getting it a ton since I started the wives tale blogs.  So here is our honest answer.... We definitely wanted a boy when we first found out.  Reasons... Christian and baby #2 will be less than 2 years apart and we thought it would be so neat for our boys to grow up together.  I think Christian would love having a little brother to play with and teach everything to.  Also, I just kind of see myself as a "boy mom."  I know that's hard for many to believe because they automatically think I want a girl to dress up and put bows in their hair, but I've really never wanted that more than playing with little boys outside and thinking about the excitement of going to their football/basketball/baseball/whatever they want to do games!  Now that I have a little boy I can't imagine having a little girl... he just melts my heart and the thought of having another little him makes me crazy with excitement!!!  Corey's obvious answer is, boy, I want boys! haha!  No surprise there!  

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We've honestly not put much thought into having a little girl because for some reason we just assume we will have boys... I have no idea why!  However..... lately we have talked a lot about a baby girl..  The more we talk about it, the more excited we get.  Of course I would LOVE having a little girl to play with and do her hair, nails, toenails, dress her up, and teach her how to be a little lady.  I also want a relationship like my mom and I have with a daughter... and then I started thinking about first dates, prom, wedding... I would absolutely love to have a little girl to share all that with.  I think the idea scares Corey more than anything - boy, would he be over protective!!  I know she would completely melt that mans heart!!!  

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So, our answer is.... We want a healthy baby!  and whatever God thinks we should have to add to our family is what we will be entirely grateful for and beyond excited!!!  Either one will be a complete blessing and we can not wait to find out! =)  I will say, if it's a boy he will be nameless for a little while because we can not decide!! We have it narrowed down.... But we are absolutely set on our girl name and I love love LOVE it!!

15 Weeks & Growing...

NO nausea, NO headaches, AND I finally have my energy back!!  Praise the Lord for the 2nd trimester! =)  

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The baby is about 4 inches long - about the size of an apple - and weighs about 2 1/2 ounces.

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This week's major developments:  The legs are growing longer than the arms now and the baby can move all of his/her limbs.  It's possible to also find out if the baby is a boy or girl now!!

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 I am carrying this baby SO HIGH!!!

Wives Tale Wednesday!

Highs and Lows...  this one you can do just by looking at your bump: if you're carrying high, break out the pink. If your bump is low, you're carrying a boy. (Took this straight from a wives tale website.)

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I carried very low and straight out last time and it was a precious boy... I am carrying high and all around this time... Coincidence or.... baby girl??? 

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                              17 weeks with Christian                       

14 weeks with baby #2

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You can see how differently I'm showing this time... not to mention how much earlier!!! Geez! =)  
So far... boy-1  girl-3

 

Amazing Discovery

Let me start out by saying I am a girlie girl that likes to have her nails and toenails done at all times.  However, I hate hate hate spending so much money on getting them done!  So, I compromise and only get a pedicure every now and then professionally, but I must admit I'm pretty good at giving them to myself!  I can't compromise the nails because I love them too much... Nothing better than a pretty french manicure! ;)  I was doing my weekly upkeep on my feeties tonight and called my mom to complain about the big glitter not coming off my toenails!  It's so pretty but such a pain to take off!  Anywho... she told me about using pedipaws to get the dry/rough skin off her feet!  Did you hear me correctly???? PEDIPAWS!  I would have never thought of that!  This is coming from a woman who has mastered the self-pedicure because she can't stand for anyone else to touch her feet.  I just happened to have one and I tried it.... OH. MY. GOSH.  It is absolutely amazing... feels just like I got a professional pedicure, if not better!  There is not a single rough spot on my feet and I didn't have to go through the "cheese grinder" - which is what I refer to the tool they use for that.... I always get super grossed out imaging whose feet it has touched before mine and if it was sterilized properly!  

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 That is all... I immediately called my mom back bragging about how wonderful my feet felt and told her that I would be blogging about this ASAP to share it with all of you!!!  You must try it! =)  Goodnight!