26 Weeks!

So I know I promised a 25 week post, however, I knew I was going to have an ultrasound today and was hoping to share some pictures of our little darling with you.

Whats New?

- I am completely obsessed with Oreos. Seriously I have eaten like three packages in about two weeks. It has become a problem.
- The baby still moves around A LOT. She especially moves when she hears her big sister. I can't wait and see the two of them interact together.
- I still have horrible heartburn. Tums work most of the time but with three months left to go I'm going to go broke buying all those tums!

So here is a pic of me at 26 weeks. Not looking too big yet but the baby is right on target, maybe even a few days ahead:

Now for the moment you have all been waiting for...here is an updated picture of our little sweetheart. Daddy was so happy to get to see her today. He missed all of the ultrasounds I had with Kayleigh since he was in Oklahoma. Kayleigh played with my phone the whole time and thought we were all crazy that squiggly black and grey lines could be "a baby." She thinks we should all be committed. Seriously, she said that. Ok, maybe not. She is still a girl and we think we have decided on a name! Right now it is Riley Niamh. The middle name is Gaelic and pronounced "Neeve." It goes well with Kayleigh Mairead! This baby will be here before we know it so time to start doing some serious laundry and cleaning!!

Look at that little nose!

Great Baby/Toddler Christmas present ideas!

 So I saw this on someone elses blog and thought it would be helpful to some new moms/grandmas/friends/aunts etc. Anyways, I figured I would list a collection of toys Kayleigh ALREADY HAS (This isn't a Christmas wish list people) and give a review of what I thought and why every child should have this toy. So here it goes.

Sophie the Giraffe - Where do I start with Sophie?? We got Sophie for Kayleigh when she was a few months old. She still likes to play with her. Hands down, the best teething toy out there. Just don't look at the price. It is also a great stocking stuffer for little nieces and nephews!

Do yourself a favor and get this teething toy!!

Melissa and Doug blocks - Kayleigh has LOVED these since she was about 6 months old. Back then she just used to chew on them. As she got older she enjoyed stacking them and knocking block castles over. The blocks are different colors and have an assortment of objects displayed on them as well as the alphabet. Kayleigh used to bring us a block (around a year old) and we would ask what the object was. They were pretty simple words such as ball, dog, you get the idea. She also knows her whole alphabet (not in order) thanks to these blocks. After she got bored because she knew all the objects she moved onto the letters. She still sits in the corner sometimes and quizzes herself. So these are a great investment. They are also very durable and will most likely last through all your kids!

See the block in her hand?

Shopping Cart with food - I bought Kayleigh a shopping cart last Christmas thinking it would help her walk. She did walk shortly after Christmas but it had nothing to do with the shopping cart. I may have gotten it a bit early for her because she didn't start to play with it until she was about 15 months old. She uses it as a stroller or she just knocks it over and climbs it. Nevertheless we have gotten hours of fun out of this thing. We have the step2 but I know Target and Walmart have cheaper versions which serve the same purpose.

Zany Zoo -  This is such a cool toy. They sell it at Target and Kayleigh got it for Christmas last year from her Godparents. She loves the alphabet part and all the different animals that are displayed...like a narwhal...yeah...she still plays with it a year later. Great toy! Also, a few of her friends have ended up getting it because they had so much fun at play dates playing with the toy.

So that's what I have so far. Leave me a comment and let me know what toys have saved your life and/or sanity. Thanks for reading!

Meal Planning....let's see how this goes....

So I decided to start "meal planning" to try and keep me from eating out every time I either don't have an idea for dinner or Dan is working late. It was getting a bit ridiculous and expensive! I figure it will also be cheaper and will make grocery shopping easier since I will know the plan for the week.

Breakfast and Lunch - we mostly eat bagels (I always have some frozen in the freezer), cereal or other random breakfast foods for breakfast. As for lunch 90% of the time it's leftovers and I always have my pantry stocked with soup. All three of us LOVE soup.

So dinner planning it is. I am pretty excited about this! So here it goes:

Monday: Easiest Dinner Ever!

My friend Marie posted this dish and it seriously is the easiest...and quite possibly one of the cheapest dinners out there! We all love it and since Giant Eagle has frozen chicken breasts on sale it was a no brainer.

Tuesday: Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Coleslaw

Wednesday: Cheap Mediterranean

I saw this episode and wanted to try it so bad. I will probably skip over the pan con tomate but we love sauteed veggies and I have a roasting chicken in my freezer (perfect!).

Thursday: Leftovers - time to clean out the fridge!

Friday - Spaghetti Dinner (So easy and yummy!)

Saturday - Turkey Dinner - since turkeys are $.69/lb at Marcs and GE, how does a Turkey dinner sound. I plan to make lots of stuff with the leftovers but you will have to check back and see what I concoct.

Sunday - Turkey Dinner Leftovers - I have been researching some turkey pot pie recipes to use some of my leftovers with. I also plan to make some banging turkey sandwiches!!

Happy Halloween!

So Kayleigh LOVES Halloween. We have been reading a lot of Halloween books over the past few weeks so she was very excited to see all the costumes and pumpkins. Unfortunately, Dan and I ran out of time to carve our pumpkins. We are very sad about this. They are however on our porch on display so we are not complete losers. Kayleigh didn't skip a beat. She painted her pumpkin like there was no tomorrow. Here are some pictures of her masterpiece:

This is MY punkie (pumpkin)

We put tape on the pumpkin to make a "K" for Kayleigh. Thanks for the idea Breck!

Someone had a lot of fun....

The finished product....

Of course we had to take a bath afterwards...

Overall, it was a great Halloween! We went to a few Halloween parties and we also got to go trick or treating. Ohio goes all out on Halloween and Kayleigh loved saying "treat" and then picking the lollipops out of people's candy bowls. Hope your Halloween was just as fun!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

The Very Messy Caterpillar!!!

Alright, alright, so this project wasn't THAT messy. lol. I just love the play on words. So, I unfortunately cannot take credit for this awesome idea since I came across it on a random blog a few weeks back. I am not sure whose blog it was but if you are reading this, thanks for the idea!

What you will need:

1. Egg Carton - preferably with no eggs in it :) (seriously though no eggs!)
2. Some pipe cleaner...let your little one pick out the colors (Kayleigh loves picking things out, pajamas, shoes, socks etc). This is their project so the more they are involved the better
3. Paint - OH BOY!
4. Paint brush
5. Scissors
6. Markers (optional)

Alright so now that you have run out to whatever store and spent some money on supplies, lets get started. We do all of our painting projects in the kitchen since our apartment is fully carpeted. I still put down some cardboard (broken down boxes) for easy clean up.

Oh God, what is she going to do to me now?

Leave the egg carton whole while the child is painting it even though we will just be using half. It's just easier for them. I also put little dollops of paint on the carton because it's easier for them and I feel like I am wasting less paint.

The finished product...

Cut the painted egg carton in half until you have what looks like a caterpillar! Poke two holes in one end for the pipe cleaners.

Do I look like a caterpillar yet?

 Insert the pipe cleaners. Look how cute!

Optional: Use marker to draw a face on the caterpillar and enjoy your child's creation!

So now that you have created a caterpillar, how about we learn about them? Once a week, Kayleigh and I visit the library down our block. It has an indoor play area which she loves and I also take out about ten books to read to her during story time each night. Some moms think I am a little crazy, but I read to her each night for about fifteen to thirty minutes! She really loves it and it makes her happy and therefore makes me happy. Also, don't think you have to wait to start reading to your child. Kayleigh was two weeks old when I began reading to her. It calmed her down but I think it was just the sound of my voice. I can't just talk to a baby though, so reading was much easier.

So here are some books I plan to read this week to Kayleigh as we learn about CATERPILLARS!

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle - we actually own this book and read it almost everyday. Kayleigh pretty much knows the whole book by heart. If you haven't read this to your little one yet, it is guaranteed to be a favorite!
• Ten Little Caterpillars, by Bill Martin Jr.
• Arabella Miller's Tiny Caterpillar, by Clare Jarrett
• The Crunching Munching Caterpillar, by Sheridan Cain
• Charlie the Caterpillar, by Dom DeLuise
• The Caterpillar and the Polliwog, by Jack Kent

Happy Nine Years!!!!!

WOW! Dan and I have been together for nine years now! We started dating October 23, 2002. Seems like a lifetime ago, but in a good way. I can't believe how far we have come. We graduated college together, Dan graduated ATC school, although we are still struggling with his medical issues at work. We have been to countless Caribbean islands together as well as a few states. Oh yeah, we got married and had a kid with another on the way. When you look back, who would have thought our journey would have been so amazing! We have definitely had our share of struggles but we both got through them and I truly believe it just makes you stronger as a couple as well as a person. It's not over either, I am so excited to see what's coming. Let's reminisce and look at some pictures from the past. Warning: we look like babies! lol.

2001 - Not dating yet but best of friends.

2002 - Couldn't find a digital pic of the both of us so Johnny gets the pleasure of being in this post. Good times at goodbar....it's where our romance flourished! lol

2003 - Still going strong after spending a few months apart. These little long distance practices would come up handy later in life.

2004 - At least one of us is still enthusiastic! LOL. Just kidding...Love you babe. This was taken at Brady's where we spent many a night and many dollars.

2005 - Graduation! We're adults now...lets go to Bradys!

2006 - Mayan Riviera, Mexico...we spent a lot of time in the shade after we both got burnt.

2007 - St. Maarten...definitely our favorite vacation spot. We can't wait to go back there again!

2008 - At our friends Corey and Lauras wedding. One of the most fun nights of my life and we weren't far behind them!

2008 - So I needed to put this pic in because I love it! This was at the Winter Classic Sabres game. Definitely one of the most memorable experiences of my life! When those black hawks went over Ralph Wilson stadium it was just amazing. Thanks for making me a sabres fan and I enjoy watching all the games with you!! GO SABRES!

2009 - This is right before our Wedding dinner...Introducing Mr. & Mrs. MacLeod!

2010 - At our friends Tasha and Kevins wedding. I was 9 months pregnant here but stayed up later than my hubbie and friend and cut a rug on the dance floor!

2011 - Family vacation in Jamaica. Life has definitely changed (for the better) since we brought our little bug into the world.

So there you have it. A glimpse into our past. Looks like fun right? I have to say I have some wonderful memories with this guy. I know they say there are plenty of fish in the sea but if you are looking for that award winning catfish you always hear in stories and legends, well ladies, you can stop looking because I definitely caught the guy.  Love you babe and here's to many many more happy years together!

Happy Fall!

I absolutely love fall! I love the smells, the weather and the food!! I scored some awesome wallflower refills from Bath and Body works so my house currently smells like: crisp apple pie, pumpkin spice and fall leaves. Obviously they are all in different rooms so its not overwhelming.

The bug and I got a chance to go visit a pumpkin farm a few weeks back. Unfortunately, we didn't go apple picking and since we are about to embark on a journey to NYC, I don't think that is going to happen this year. Oh well, I guess I won't be posting any apple pie recipes. :)

Kayleigh LOVES pumpkins, or as she calls them "punkies." Everyone has them on their porches so when we walk to a friends house or to the library, she points out every last one.

Here are a few pictures from the pumpkin farm. It was seriously 85 degrees that day and this pregnant lady was not having it. Remember, I like fall weather. I plan my babies around the cold weather because I just don't know how women are nine months pregnant in high heat. It's just not for me. Enjoy the photos!

Kayleigh and her friend checking out the pumpkins.

Happy Harvest! Hope you all get a chance to get out there and roam through a pumpkin patch, pet the animals and collect some apples!

Puzzle Time Activity

So Kayleigh is currently fascinated by puzzles. She never used to get them but now she thinks they are just the bees knees. Putting the correct pieces in the puzzle is fun, but I thought I would spice it up a bit.

First line up all the puzzles you have on the floor.

 

 

 

 

 

Kayleigh likes this so much better than one puzzle at a time. I think it is a little more challenging and she enjoys not only getting the puzzle piece into the correct spot but picking the correct puzzle!

The  put all the pieces in one box so your child can go through and choose which piece they want to start with.

Success! Good Job Kayleigh!

Someone is always very proud of themselves when they complete a puzzle.

So this can keep Kayleigh busy for about 45 minutes. She does need encouragement to keep going and does better if I sit and appreciate her new little interest. I hope it keeps your little one busy for a while!