So, I'm Preggers!

My 34th birthday was a more dramatic time than I had originally thought. Shortly after we learned that TK had a kidney stone, I took a pregnancy test and the lines were there. Our second child was on their way. We kind of planned it this way, but not to exactly happen at the same time as a kidney stone.

When I was only five weeks pregnant, we decided to announce the pregnancy to my parents. So, we picked up four pumpkins and wrote Daddy, Mommy, Jackson and Baby K. on them. Then, we placed them on their kitchen table and waited for them to come in. My brother saw it first and congratulated us, and then my parents walked in and hugged us. We were all very happy about these new developments. Jackson was going to have a little brother or sister. We also got Jackson a shirt to announce the pregnancy to my in-laws and it said, "I am getting promoted to BIG BROTHER." My in-laws were very happy to read the news.

At the end of September, I made an appointment with my OB and the nurse confirmed my pregnancy and told me that my due date is May 14, 2015. Then, the nausea started. I felt sick all day, but did not vomit. The only time I didn't feel sick was when I was eating, so I decided to try to eat through the sickness, and eat, and eat ... By the time my second trimester started, I was sick less and less, and by the time my 14th week came along, I was feeling MUCH better. This pregnancy was very different than my first. During my first trimester with Jackson, I was only nauseous at 4 p.m. every day when my stomach was empty. Most of my pregnancy was enjoyable until the end when I got swollen and itchy feet and hands. That was awful, but it ended as soon as I gave birth, thankfully.

At Nicole's Christmas party, I asked Colleen to take a baby bump picture of me to announce my pregnancy to my friends and family on Facebook. I really don't like pregnancy pics because they look awkward and make people uncomfortable. I decided that if I would have a bump pic taken that it would only be a silhouette so people could only see the outline of my body and not my actual body. It turned out pretty well and people could definitely tell that I was pregnant, which was the goal. My belly popped a lot earlier with my second pregnancy, which I hear is normal. I guess your body just remembers what it was like and goes right back to what it was like the last time. This time, I was noticeably pregnant by the time my eighth week came around. Last time, I was about 14 weeks before I had to stock up on maternity clothes.

For this year's Christmas card, I added another little announcement to the back of the card. The front of the card had a picture that I loved of Jackson from the summer at the Central Park Zoo and the back had an image of my 12 week sonogram that I added a Santa hat to. Some people had no idea what it was and needed someone else to fill them in. I just hoped people actually turned the card over.


In the beginning of December, TK and I also decided that would we do a gender reveal cake at my parents' annual Christmas Eve party to find out the sex of our second child. I went for my level II sonogram on December 15 and asked the technician to write down the sex on a piece of paper before placing it in an envelope. I took the envelope to Audrey's Bakery in West Sayville and had them make a cake for us. I asked that it look like a Christmas present with a huge bow on it. I also asked that they put "Bows or Bow Ties?" on the gift tag. I picked up the cake on the afternoon of Christmas Eve. By 9:30 p.m. and a few nudging text messages, we had the cake out on the table and ready to slice. My cousin and his girlfriend were set to video it. I cut into the cake and then told everyone not to look at the knife (which they did anyway) and found out we were having a GIRL! I cried like a little baby and hugged all of my family members. I also made a few of them cry as well, but it was worth it. We were all so excited to have a little perfect boy in Jackson and find out that a little lady was on her way.

I am currently five months pregnant, or halfway, depending on how you want to put it. I am trying my hardest not to buy every cute little thing that I see and there are A LOT of things. TK, Colleen and Catherine all think that I should have a girlie event like a Girls Brunch or something at someone's house, so I am considering it. I don't want a full-blown shower because I don't want to do that to people. Most of them were at my first shower and I don't feel comfortable forcing people to buy the baby gifts. If they want to buy something, that's fine and I will be thankful, but I don't want to force the issue. Also, I think we are registering this weekend for some girlie things because I can get 10 percent off everything on my registry at Babies R' Us. I need to save some dough because little girls are expensive. I'll let you know how it goes.

P.S. If you want to see the cake video, it is on my Youtube Channel, here.

Our Last Day in VA - Day 4

On our last day, we got up and got ready to leave. We made sure everything was packed up and that we didn't leave any of Jackson's cars or planes in the room. Then, we checked out and headed to breakfast. We decided on Mama Steve's House of Pancakes. It was a very quiet, unassuming spot with waitresses dressed in blue colonial attire. We all enjoyed our food and then said our goodbyes to head back home.

During the drive back, we stopped at the Maryland House rest stop for lunch and I really wanted Clam Chowder from Philips, but it was so expensive. What a bummer! On the way out, I bought everyone pretzels at Auntie Anne's and got back on the road for home.

We enjoyed our festive trip to Christmas Town, but there were a few things that I've learned during our weekend getaway:

1. Make sure you have a full bag of activities for a long car ride and only bring them out one at a time, as needed.
2. Always pack Tylenol.
3. You can't force a Santa picture.
4. Always carry snacks.
5. Bring winter gear when you are traveling for the holidays, even if you are traveling south.
6. Walk slowly while pregnant and know where all of the bathrooms are.
7. Let people help you. You can't be everything at every moment. 
8. Try your best not to eat at any restaurants that you have at home. Always go for new and different. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! (Until next year ...)

Shopping in Williamsburg - Day 3

On our third day, we started the day off at Emily's Donuts & Cafe. I found the place online and on Facebook. The donuts looked amazing, so I had to make sure we stopped there at some point. Everyone loved their sweet breakfast and Emily's did not upset. I even wrote a blog post about those tasty treats on Yumness.

After we had our fill of donuts, we went shopping at the Yankee Candle Flagship Store. It is a huge store that does sell their famous candles, but so much other stuff as well. There is a fudge shop, a general store, a sign shop, a Christmas village and photos with Santa, among other things ... and they make it snow in the courtyard. It is a great place to shop for Christmas gifts. We were able to buy a puzzle, air fresheners, a sign for our kitchen and some lollipops. We all loved that place because it is more of an experience than a store.

While shopping, we headed over to the Williamsburg Premium Outlets to hit Under Armour, The North Face, Toys R Us Express and Banana Republic. While we were in UA, we noticed that Jackson was a little quiet and warm. He wasn't his usual, energetic self, so we hit our handful of stores and cut our shopping trip short to go back to the resort. When we returned, I gave Jackson some Tylenol and juice and then tried to get him to relax and fall asleep. He eventually did and then I forced my father and uncle to bring me to Chick fil A for a Peppermint Chocolate Chip Shake and some chicken.

When we returned with everyone's food, my son was back to his energetic self and his forehead was a lot less warm. What a relief! We played cards again and then we all went to sleep to get ready for our trip back home. 

Spending Christmas at Christmas Town - Day 2

On Day 2, we woke up and my parents were on their way to the timeshare presentation. The rest of us got ready for the day while we waited. For breakfast, we headed to Denny's and then to Busch Gardens to get in line before the park opened at 2 p.m.

We parked in handicap because Uncle George had his permit and it was right at the entrance of the park which was helpful in the cold with a toddler in our party. We headed in with our pre-purchased tickets, but certain areas opened later than the entrance, so we had to find our ways through certain countries to get to all of the open areas. We started in England and headed to Scotland, then Ireland, then France and Oktoberfest (Germany). We also made stops in Italy and Santa's Workshop.

Tom got a Guiness Hot Cocoa as we passed through Ireland and didn't really love it. I purchased a Peppermint Hot Cocoa in a souvenir mug and it was very tasty and warm. At one point, we stopped in a couple stores asking for toddler clothing and there was none to be found in the whole park. So, I got a Busch Gardens stein ornament and we headed over to a show.

Jax ended up falling asleep as we walked to the show in Das Fest Haus in Oktoberfest. They sang Christmas Carols and he slept through the whole thing. I eyed a towering slice of cake that someone bought and it must have been like a 10-layer cake. It was enormous and I was very upset that I didn't try it.

After the show, we headed to Italy to watch Miracles which included hymns and ballet. Jackson woke up during the show and enjoyed some snacks to keep him quiet. We had reservations for Santa's Fireside Feast, so we headed right over there. The food was like a Thanksgiving meal with the addition of Swedish Meatballs, Rotini Pasta and Tomatoes, Macaroni and Cheese and Chicken Nuggets. It was all served on a buffet with styrofoam plates and plastic cutlery. During dinner, we were able to get up and take photos with Santa before he read A Night Before Christmas to everyone.

We headed back over to Santa's Workshop to get in line to take our photo with Santa. In that area, they made is snow and that was pretty cool. The whole family was able to get in the photo, but Jackson was super grumpy, again, which made for an interesting photo.

After the photo, we headed over to a shop to scoop up some hot cocoas and a couple treats for the way out. We were cold and tired at that point, so we looked at all of the lights and decorations as we headed out and back to the hotel. 

On Our Way to Christmas Town - Day 1

In 2012, my parents, Jackson and I visited Christmas Town at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia and thought it was a really festive and fun way to start the Christmas season. At that time, Jax was only four months old, so we weren't able to do much, but we did get to see their amazing and serious Santa Claus. Since we thought is was so lovely, we decided to head back when Jackson was a little older, and that was this year. We also added a few people to our trip. Our travel party included my parents, Aunt Rosie, Uncle George, Tom, Jackson and I.

We left at 5 a.m. to hit the road for Virginia. By 10 a.m. we were ready to stop at the Chesapeake House in Maryland to have a bite to eat. Everyone ordered their breakfast at the Earl of Sandwich because we love their sandwiches whenever we eat them at Downtown Disney. Well, I think we should stick to lunch and dinner sandwiches because my sandwich was a little odd. I had a bacon, egg and cheese and there was an interesting sauce on it that tasted like a buttery mayo. That threw my taste buds off a little bit and I wasn't a fan. After we all made our pit stops, we were back on the road and heading to our resort. At one point, Jackson was fussy, but I was prepared with a new book of stickers, a portable DVD player and my iPhone.

It rained all day, so when we arrived at Kings Creek Plantation and our room wasn't ready, we decided that we shouldn't go to Busch Gardens because the rain just kept getting worse. We went for lunch at Cracker Barrel and of course, we did a little shopping. They have the coolest items in their store, especially around the holidays. Then, we headed over to Target to get some hotel room essentials because we were supposed to have a kitchen and dining area in our room.

By the time we returned to the resort, our room was ready and we headed in with all of our luggage and supplies. At one point, I made my father, husband and uncle go out and pick up Sonic for dinner. That's pregnancy for ya! We played cards and just hung out in the room while it poured.

Since our first day was a wash-out, we made sure that the next day would be a theme park day and we were ready.