The first two weeks.

So I have officially been a mommy to two kids for two weeks. Look at me go! Ha.
I was lucky enough to have Ben home for the first 10 days after we came home  from the hospital (with Chloie he didn't take ANY time off so I was on my own from the get go) It was nice to have him around to help with Chloie and Eve. (he is such a good daddy)
It has definitely been an adjustment, and we are still struggling in a few areas.
I thought that Chloie was going to have the hardest time sharing her mommy with another baby, but that hasn't been a problem surprisingly.
She LOVES Eve, constantly wanting to hold, hug, and kiss her. She loves to help hold the bottle and wash Eve's hair. And she thinks its hilarious when Eve burps. :) She really is handling having a baby in the house really well.
The biggest problem we are having is at night time. Chloie use to be so good at going to bed in HER BED. but for the past Two weeks Ben has been sleeping on the couch with Chloie cause all she wants is her daddy and she refuses to sleep anywhere but the couch. So we have been having family sleepovers on the couch every night. Fun right?
 Our pediatrician says its just a phase it should only last a week or two more... So I'm hoping that eventually Ben and I will both be able to sleep through the night with both kids in their beds. (dream big right?!)

Today I had my first out of house experience by myself with two kids.
Eve had her Two Week check up today, and for some reason Chloie's legs were not working when I was trying to get the kids outta the car and into the doctors office, So I carried my (almost) two year old, my two week old in the car seat and the diaper bag from the car (which I had to park at the back of the parking lot) into the doctors office. Luckily the main doors have a handicap button to open the doors but when I got to the office doors I must have looked panicked because the mail man ran to open the door for me. Thankfully!
Then we found out that Eve has acid re-flux (which is why she eats so little and so often) but she is back up to her birth weight (YAY!). So after the doctors office I had to run to the grocery store to get some rice cereal and sweet potatoes to add to Eve's formula to help with the acid re-flux, and I had a few other things to grab...
LUCKY ME both kids were asleep by the time we got to the grocery store. So instead of the cart holding groceries it held my two sleeping babes while I carried all the groceries and pushed the cart... It was quite an interesting trip but I survived... and more importantly my kids survived! :) I'm hoping the next experience will be less awkward and difficult.


I am LOVING having two little girls, our house is NEVER quiet, and while there is some crying happening the majority of the noises are jabbering, giggles, and gibberish from Chloie and cooing and squeaking from Eve. (our Eve is a noisy baby, she makes noises in her sleep and while she is eating)
We are truly blessed to have two beautiful baby girls and I wouldn't trade it for anything! :)

Four Years Later

Tomorrow marks 4 years since Ben and I met on a blind date.
Yep, that's right... a blind date. Set up by my childhood friend and Ben's best friend (who are now married and have a baby boy of their own :) )
When I first saw Ben I was pretty sure we were not going to be having a second date, he just wasn't my type. But after riding trax down town and sword fighting while wearing princess tiaras and watching some pretty awesome street preformers (while sharing his coat, it was FREEZING!) I was pretty sure he was gonna be around for awhile. :)
Then on our second date he kissed me and I just knew that was going to be my last first kiss. (even though he was so nervous afterwards that he forgot my name and put my name in his phone as "m". HAHA)
And here we are... 4 year later and so much has Changed!
We're married for starters, own a home, driving two completely different vehicles then we did when we met, we have a dog, Ben is a full time fire fighter (Yipee), and I am a full time mommy to TWO KIDS! Holy crap, How things have changed. :)
But we still act like newly weds. :) I LOVE  knowing that I get to (Not have to, I GET to) spend FOREVER with this crazy, fun, handsome, sarcastic, honest to a fault, sweet, and amazing guy. Who just so happens to be an awesome daddy too! :)
So I guess what I'm trying to say is... Happy first date Anniversary to the LOVE OF MY LIFE!

Merry Christmas!

I can't believe Christmas has come and gone already! This year went by so fast!

We spent Christmas eve decorating sugar cookies and watching Christmas movies with my family. We also exchanged gifts between the siblings (and Chloie and Paisley exchanged their gifts too) since Jordan had to work on Christmas.
(I didn't take many pictures, I was a little tiered...)


Chloie REALLY likes to decorate with frosting, The Christmas tree we did earlier at Jordan and Whitney's house. Paisley and Jayce were done decorating theirs in like 5 mins but Chloie sat at the table by her self decorating hers for almost an hour! and She decorated some sugar cookies for Santa and spent quite a while on them. She is such a silly girl! Love it!

We also opened our Christmas jammies on Christmas Eve (Fowlks Family Tradition).

All the girls in our jammies!

 And the boys, Jayce made them all pose. It was pretty funny.

 And my little family.

Ben woke Chloie up Christmas morning to open her presents, then we headed to my parents house for biscuits and gravy for breakfast and opened a bunch of presents (Chloie is definitely spoiled by her grandparents! :)) Then we headed to Ben's parents for lunch and more presents (Chloie has more toys then I know what to do with now!) and we spent the rest of the day playing Clue and Catch Phrase. It was great! :)

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas Too!



I took a few pictures of Eve this morning, She looks so much like Chloie to me (except for her hair being darker and curly!).

And these are from last week, Chloie LOVES to hold Eve. She sit down next to me and say "Ma, I hold!" hold out her arms and wait for me to hand over the baby.

 I LOVE how tiny Eve's feet look in comparison to Chloie's!

 This outfit is from Grandma Great! It's pretty cute!

Chlo and Eve

Just wanted to add a few pictures of the girls since we've been home.

I have been switching off between nursing and formula so that Ben and Chloie get a chance to bond with the baby and I get a break. :) Wish I would have done this Chloie!

Chloie LOVES to help I let her hold the baby's bottle today and I kept trying to help her hold it but she would swat my hand away and say "No no, ma, no hands!" then whisper "I loves you" to Eve. She is in love with her sister!

She is constantly asking to hold her, she'll sit next to me on the couch and hold her arms out and say "hold pwease!" and smile at me. So I let her hold her for a few mins at a time then when I take her back Chloie starts crying and says "why?!". It's sad and cute at the same time.

I had been really worried the past few weeks about how Chloie would handle having a baby around 24/7, she is a little girl who LOVES her mommy and daddy and NEEDS our attention constantly. But she is adjusting really well so far. There have been a few fits and some naughtiness (trying to get attention) and Ben and I have been trying to switch off between the girls so they both get equal time.

Then we went to their pediatrician today for Eve's first appointment (which went really well btw, She is down to 5lbs 14ounces BUT is really healthy despite her size. good blood sugar, no jaundice, she is really alert and has no problem letting us know she's hungry :) ) Dr Jopling said that instead of trying to give Chloie constant attention (which will wear us out and could result in the baby not getting enough attention) we should set aside 5 mins every couple hours where it is all about Chloie, make a HUGE deal about what ever it is she's doing and give her lots of hugs and kisses. 

So we tried this today and it works really well, Chloie LOVES her 5 mins where both mom and dad are cheering her on while she crazy dances and hugging her and kissing her every chance we get. It made her very happy and she was really good for the time between her "Chloie time". :)

Here are some pictures!

 Eve's binki takes up the whole face I love it!

 At the Dr's office Chloie hid under the desk til he came in then yelled "BOO!"

 On the way home!

 Cheese!

And holding baby sisters bottle. :) She is the BEST big sister ever! :)

We had a baby!

Evelynne Alice Andrus

I cannot believe I had a baby today! I'm sittin in my hospital bed just watching her sleep in my lap right now. it really has been a crazy couple days!

I tried to take a nap on Saturday around 3pm, Chloie was already napping so I just snuggled up on the couch with her an fell asleep. At 330pm I woke up to strong contractions about 3minutes apart. Around 5 I decided to head out to my parents (Ben was working a 10am - 10pm shift at the fire station) I stayed at my parents til Ben got off work and came to pick me up at about 10:30pm. By that time I was having a hard time even breathing through the contraction but I was surprisingly calm. Next thing I knew we were at the hospital, admitted into L&D and I was getting an epidural!!!! Unfortunately the got a blood vessel with the fist epidural so my heart rate started dropping so I got an epidural twice, which was not bad at all surprisingly, I barely felt anything!
I stayed dilated to a 5 til my water broke at 6:15 am. It was so weird, I heard my water break. There was an audible "pop!" It kinda scared me, I had no idea where the noise came from or what it meant so I paged the nurse. Sure enough my water literally popped!
Less then an hour later I was at a ten and the baby was coming! From a 5 to a 10 in less then an hour and one push and we had our second baby girl in our arms! Easiest labor ever!
And recovery so far has been a breeze, I just barely asked for something stronger then a Motrin and I was up walking around and taking a shower about two hours after Eve was born. (My epidural had pretty much worn off right as I started pushing so I felt it all, which surprisingly was not that bad. I survived) so I was up walking within an hour. With barely any pain. :)
And Eve is a little on the small side so they keep checking her blood sugar, but so far so good! She is healthy and perfect! She is already sucking her thumb (not to thrilled about that but oh well!) she already LOVES her daddy, she seems so much more content in his arms then she is with me :( but Ben is already wrapped around her finger he ADORES her! So it's a good thing!
Chloie LOVES Eve's hair she just wants to pet her! It's cute and she kept kissing her and whispering "it's alright. Shhh" to her, it's adorable!
Ben took Chloie home to get some sleep before Eve and I go home tomorrow, so Eve and I are getting some one on one time. :)
It still doesn't feel quite real, it all happened to quickly I just can't seem to wrap my head around it!
Due to all the excitement I haven't slept at all yet, so I'm going to let them take her to the nursery for a couple hours so I can get a little sleep(hopefully).
So thank you all for all your sweet comments on our pictures and thank you to those of you who have visited us, it means a lot to us to have so much support and love from everyone. It's a little scary to go from just one kid to two so it has been amazing to be surrounded by so much love and support! I have been overwhelmed by emotion today, I cried when I held her for the first time, I can't even look at Ben with out smiling. I was unbelievably excited to see Chloie, iTs been a day of pretty much complete BLISS! I don't think today could have possibly been any better! I am on cloud 9!!!! I didn't think I could possibly have enough love to split between Chloie and eve but I love this new little girl the exact same amount as I love her big sis! All my fears were completely diminished the second I saw Chloie kiss her baby sister on the forehead and say "I lub you".
These girls are more then Ben and I could have ever dreamed of and we are THRiLLED!
Once again thank you all for all your love and support we really appreciate it! :)

Registered, Early Labor, Belly Bandit

When I was pregnant with Chloie I went into Labor before I got a chance to pre-register with Labor and Delivery at IMC. So I was a little confused when I received a call from IMC today to get registered, I've officially made it further along in my pregnancy this time then with Chloie. :) Which is a good thing.
So I'm registered and won't have to answer a million questions when I arrive and am in full blown labor. (talking while in labor is not easy... thinking while in labor is nearly impossible for that matter. haha) So it will be nice to not have to deal with that this time around! :)
I am in early labor (which I went through for about 2 weeks before I started active labor with Chloie) Which means I'm having pretty strong contractions (I can still walk and talk through them but definite pressure {nothing I can't handle}). They have been coming every 5 minutes since Sunday Morning but instead of increasing in intensity and getting closer together they are staying about the same. They did stop for about 2 hours yesterday, which was a nice break. But they came back with a vengeance ha.
 I'm hoping that instead of letting me be in early labor for 2 weeks this time my Dr will just help move things along and induce me. (Doubtful but fingers crossed, we will find out tomorrow)
Unfortunately I'm not one to complain to my Dr, partly because the walls at IMC are paper thin, I swear. so I can ALWAYS hear the lady in the next room complaining and asking a billion question about just about everything under the sun and I can tell my Dr is at his wits end by the time he walks into my room. So since my pregnancy is low risk and I'm really not that uncomfortable, and I have a mom who can answer just about every question I have :), I tend to just say I'm doing well and my appointment is over in about 10 seconds. And because of my lack of complaining I'm betting I will not be induced. :( I will have to wait it out, again.
Which I'm sure I can handle (only 16 days til my due date anyways). :)
Also I've been reading reviews for this thing called a "Belly Bandit" it's supposed to help you shrink back down to your pre-pregnancy shape super quickly. It's just a constriction band so it fits tight around your abdomen, hips, and rib cage to help them go back to "normal". I decided to get one this time cause I never felt like my rib cage went back to the way it use to be after Chloie (I swear the kid lived in my rib cage the entire time and this next one is living in my lower back and hips lol). So I'm excited to try it out and see if it helps at all.
If any one else has tried this, or something like it, let me know how it worked for you I'd love to hear about it. :) Thanks!

A Christmas Tree!

So I haven't put up our Christmas Tree or any decorations for the past two years. Just been too busy or too lazy, I guess. 

Ben had a day off yesterday and we decided to get the tree out and decorate it since we were both home. Chloie helped us put it all together (meaning, she took the branches I had laid out of the floor and put them back into the box when I wasn't looking. Then when we asked where they all went she'd say "I dunno!") Such a good helper!

We put the lights on and plugged it in {Chloie's reaction "Whoa! It's Hots!"} Then she helped me put on the ornaments [Which she calls "da Balls"]. She is now obsessed with the tree!

It's nice to see her excited about it. I don't think she understands why we have a tree in our house but she's enjoying it.

I'm excited to see her open her presents on Christmas morning this year. Last year she wasn't really into it. 

I'll admit, with my due date being so close to Christmas I've been worried that her Christmas would be ruined but Ben offered to do the Christmas Shopping if the baby comes early, to be santa and make Christmas fun for Chloie even if I'm in the hospital. Which make me feel a ton better! And honestly I think he's excited to go buy toys for Chloie.

Here's a few pictures of our tree and a few decorations!

 Chloie saying "Whoa ma! It's a twee!"

She touches the lights and says "ouch it's Hots" 

and the last of the decorations, I'm still working on making my wreath. :)

Thanksgiving 2012 and Month 9

Our Thanksgiving was really laid-back and fun this year. It was the first year for my family that we didn't go to a grandparents house or have half of our extended family with us (not that we didn't want them to come). It was just us, my parents, siblings and nieces. Small but nice. I didn't take as many pictures as I usually do, pregnancy brain... but I got a couple with Chloie and Jayce at least. 

Jay was sliding across the kitchen floor on his skate board and Chloie decided to join him. It was pretty funny.

Then Jay decided to play dress up with Chloie.... This is what happens when your 9yr old uncle wants to play dress up... :) 

Then we went to have dinner with Ben's family, once again a nice small group of people. :) Ben had to leave right after he ate to go to the fire station for the night. But Chloie and I stayed for a little while. 

Chloie danced and sang with her grandma. 

 She fake cried a little bit every now and then... just because. :)

 Then, being about as graceful as her mommy, she somehow went from twirling around the front room to chipping her tooth on the computer stand by the TV. :( 

  I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving with your families as well!

And I just had to add this one last picture of Chloie, I was cleaning the house this morning and found her on the floor in front on the tv with my shirt around her waist like a skirt, sucking her thumb, and surrounded by her various stuffed animals watching Aladin. She is just too cute sometimes, for those of you who had to endure crying, screaming, angry yelling Chloie yesterday I'm sure you can understand why I had to take a picture of her like this today. :) The little moments of cuteness really do help make up for the hours of orneriness. I love her!

Onto the NINTH month!

We have 3 weeks and 4 days left until this next little girl is due! YIKES!

I am now officially nervous! I'm gonna be a mommy of two in a month! Less then a month... :S

I am also VERY VERY EXCITED :) I will no longer be pregnant in a month (insert happy dance here!)

and I will have two cute girls to snuggle with, two bums to change (not exactly what I wanted but... oh well Chloie's just not ready for the potty :( ), two little girls who will most likely be snuggling in to bed between Ben and I often, two little girls to play with, two little girls to dress, to feed, to love, and to tickle! I seriously cannot wait! THIS IS GOING TO BE THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER! :) (assuming she doesn't come late, in which case it could be a very uncomfortable Christmas... ha)

We are now at the point where we are going to Doctor every week, which is the best cause it makes the last few weeks go by so much quicker! I have been measuring about two weeks ahead up until this week and I have now stopped growing. I measured 35 1/2 weeks three weeks ago and as of last week I am measuring 34 weeks... odd, huh? but I guess it happens. My doctor said that the braxton hicks contractions I've been having this past week might actually be early labor which could be why I "shrunk" and he says that I've probably topped out and I most likely won't get any bigger even though the baby will continue to grow. ( I think that if he hadn't also been my mom's doctor he wouldn't be as laid back about me not gaining weight and not measuring bigger then 34 weeks... thank goodness he dealt with my abnormal mom :) )

I have been trying VERY hard to enjoy this pregnancy, I LOATHED being pregnant the last time (probably because I wasn't ready for it, gotta love surprises!) So I'm focusing on all the good things this time around, being that it will most likely be my last (babies are expensive, I dislike being pregnant, and Ben and I are more then okay just having two girls), and I am trying to just be grateful that I have been lucky enough to be able to have kids. :)

So here are my positives: I didn't start showing for awhile (which was nice), I haven't been sick, my clothes still fit (a little tight but still do-able), I haven't been overly exhausted, only a couple "mood swing" moments, all in all I've felt pretty normal though out this pregnancy. I'm just starting to get uncomfortable and I only get heart burn when I'm trying to clean or picking Chloie up.. haha. And Ben has been really sweet and interested in this pregnancy which has made it a lot easier on me. :)

So minus the hip pain and back aches and the pregnancy induced carpal tunnel syndrome this pregnancy has been great! :)

And since I probably won't get much bigger this is the last picture I'm taking of myself until after Baby #2 is here. :)

36 1/2 weeks pregnant. 

Learning Lessons

Lately Chloie has been throwing these temper tantrums when ever I have to do anything for myself... like shower, do my hair, eat, go to the bathroom, clean the house, really anything that takes my attention away from her. It's starting to worry me, especially with only 4 weeks and 6 days til my due date.

I have tried ignoring, consoling, time outs, and even bribing her with otter pops to get her to calm down, but she just gets more angry the more I try.

 The other day she slammed her bed room door and tore her room apart, bed unmade, clothes, and books thrown every where. So I sat outside her room and waited  for the yelling and crashing to stop then opened to door to find one very sad little girl. She came RUNNING over to me and tried to hug me. I decided to try something I haven't before, I said "not until you help me clean up." ( I usually just hug her and clean up after her) She said ok and started putting her socks back into their box and put her pillows back on her bed and books up on the shelf. Then when she was done putting all the clothes back in to the boxes she turned to me and said "pwease" so I helped her put the boxes back into the cubby. 

Once everything was done she climbed into my lap and hugged me. 

Then, with out being told to, she said "I sorry".

My little girl, who isn't even two yet, said sorry not because mommy told her to but because she was sorry.

She then said sorry to her bed and to her boxes and to her books and even to her sister's crib (which I'm guessing got attacked at one point during the tantrum).

So even though I felt like the MEANEST mom ever, I actually feel like she learned a lesson and so did I.

Watching her pick up her mess made me realize that I don't have to do everything for her, she is getting so big so fast that I think doing everything for her made me feel like I could keep her little for just a big longer, she can pick up her own messes. And at this point with another baby coming so soon I think it's time I start letting Chloie be responsible for some little things around the house. I don't want her to feel left out when the baby gets here. She is attached to my hip 24/7, she still needs me so I need to start showing her that I need her too.

So we've been working on helping mom make the beds in the morning, brushing her own teeth (I still help a little with that one but can ya blame me?) :) , putting away her toys when she is done, and helping mom in the kitchen. She LOVES to help, it seems to make her happy. We haven't had a tantrum in couple days and it is SO NICE! She doesn't freak out every time I have to do something for myself as long as I give her a job to do.

 I was so proud of her for picking up her room all by herself with out whining I had to take pictures to show her daddy. 

Giving Thanks

First of all I CANNOT BELIEVE ITS ALMOST THANKSGIVING!!!
This year has FLOWN by!

 I've noticed a LOT of people doing the whole "today I am thankful for..." thing on Facebook and Instagram and it got me thinking about all the things I am thankful for in my own life.
So I've made a list (because remembering to post something I'm grateful for everyday is just not gonna happen for this pregnant girl.).

So here it goes:
I am thankful for...
-My husband who works 6 -7 days a week just to provide for us and NEVER complains. Plus, He knows just what to say when I feel like crap and look like a hot mess to make me feel like the most amazing and beautiful woman ever. Best Husband EVER!
-Chloie, She makes me smile constantly, even when I don't really feel like smiling! She's sometimes drives me crazy... but I never knew how much I could love someone until I held her for the first time.
-Baby #2 (yes, still not set on the name) Who I will be able to hold for the first time soon!
-My parents, who have been there for me through everything and love me unconditionally!
-My siblings, Jordy, for being the best big brother a girl could ask for, protecting me when I need it and putting me in my place when I'm wrong. Whitney for being the best thing that ever happened to Jordan (and for being excited about me being pregnant {the first time} when I still wasn't too happy about it :) ). Baylie, for always being her own person (Yes, Bay, you are tan and your new purse is really cute!) ha!. Jayce, for being the BEST surprise entry to our family after nine years. Little wild and crazy, maybe even a little too much like me at times... but he really is a great kid and we wouldn't trade him for anything!
- Our home
-My in-laws, Seriously could I have married into a better family? I don't think so. :) My mom in law is one of the most talented people I have ever met and has helped me with so much! My father in law is the person Ben looks up to the most, I am thankful for his example. My sisters... Jen- she is an amazing mother. Who, by her example, pushes me to look for ways to be a better mom everyday. Traci- for her confidence and for her ability to know who she is and what she wants for her life. Aubree- for... well being Aubree, I've never felt uncomfortable around her (possibly because she is so much like Ben). It was nice to come into a new family and not feel unwelcome or out of place.
-My extended family, my Christensen side-  For being the most diverse unconventional group of people I have ever met, but knowing that regardless of different beliefs and life styles we will always support and love each other unconditionally. Never criticizing or ridiculing. My Fowlks side - again, a diverse group of people, who in times of crisis or times of joy never fail to come together to help each other or to share in each other's happiness. :)
-My religion, with out my beliefs and with out some serious support from the members (relatives or not) through some tough times, I wouldn't be where I am or who I am today.
-Allie (our dog) Who, even though she cowers behind me when she's scared, I know she will protect my kids from anyone and anything. She Loves Chloie, they are best friends, she never snips or growls at Chloie even when Chloie is trying to ride her like a horse or chasing her around the house pulling her tail. That is patience that cannot be taught, we are lucky to have her. :)
-All my nieces, Paisley, Gwenny, Rylee, and Hadlee. All cute and fun with their own unique personalities, Paisley is so funny with Chloie, She is definitely the boss and Chloie doesn't mind. :) Gwenny loves to just watch Chloie and laugh, and is now interacting more with Chloie which is so fun to watch! and The twins, I love being able to watch their personalities change lately, I can't believe how fast they have grown already!  Love them all!
-All my nephews, Ryker, Oaklee, and Oliver. Even though I don't seem them as often as I would like to, I love my nephews. Ryker is ALWAYS happy when we see him! Such a cutie! Oaklee is a cutie too and I love seeing pictures of him as he grows. And Oliver, I'm so glad he is finally here! He is so tiny and cute and I'm so happy that he is so close by so we can be there to watch him grow!
-Daddy daughter time. :) sometime's it's nice to be able to just take a shower with out Chloie trying to climb in with me or screaming at me.
-Madden 13... Oddly enough, seeing as I use to hate it when Ben played video games, Now it's nice to sit on the couch at 4am when we can't sleep and watch him play. Plus it makes him happy. So what the heck. :)
-this pregnancy, I hate being pregnant, I don't like when my clothes don't fit, or the number on the scale changes. But this pregnancy has been SO EASY, no morning sickness, most of my clothes still fit, I haven't gotten all swollen, and I haven't been super uncomfortable (yet, we still have a few weeks). It's nice to have an easy pregnancy when your chasing around a 1 year old all day long everyday :). Plus it is almost over and it has gone by so quickly!



I'm gonna stop there, even though there is so much more I could add. Gotta go be a mommy now, Nap time is over. :)

Little Miss Chloie Kae

Chloie is getting so BIG! She is such a little person now it's crazy.
I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE being home with her, she is one hilarious, curious, crazy, fun little girl!
Here's just a little bit of what we've been up to lately.
She loves to "help" me when I'm working on and she acts so interested in everything I do, I hear a lot of "whats that?" and "why?" and "o I see".
 She loves to help me cook, she has to have her own spoon, or spatula and she likes to help me measure and add ingredients (I love to cook so its fun to have her be so interested in it as well).
Every morning we have to same routine (for the most part) she wanders into my room, helps me make beds and then she gets in the tub (She gets so excited about baths, they are her FAVORITE!") Then we get her dressed and make breakfast together. When we don't do this it makes for one ornery Chloie.
She's been so good with washing her hair and putting away all her toys when she is ready to get out I've started folding and sorting laundry while she is in the tub (which I do in the hallway just outside her bathroom So I can keep an eye on her, I swear I'm not that neglectful) and the other day I was folding and stopped watching her for a split second and I hear "OH NO, MOM! OH NO!" then giggling, so I look up and this is what she was doing....

Scared me to death, at first. Then I had to grab the camera and get a pic of this little monkey. She thought she was pretty funny and kept trying to climb back up. So after telling her NO a few times and saying "that scares mom, don't do that." she says "no no, ma!" and touches the handle and screams like she is terrified of it. I haven't had any problems with her climbing on it since. :)
She is back to sleeping through the night in her own bed, HOORAY! She got 4 new teeth in all at once (we are a little behind getting teeth, she didn't get her first til she was a year so we are still dealing with the teething stuff) so she was a little grumpy the past week... But now she's back to being Chloie. :) Which makes me VERY happy! She's always been such a easy baby that it kinda throws me for a loop when she is more... difficult... then I'm used to.
She is very friendly with our oven lately... her reflection is her best friend it seems. We go from dancing and singing and reading books to the oven to screaming, yelling angrily, and (fake) crying to the oven. It's pretty entertaining.
She is FINALLY starting to be more verbal about things (the sign language has helped out a lot with chloie) She is starting to say the words as she signs them instead of signing and whining, and has started saying short sentences with out signing. (which is a big deal) She's always been rather quiet so for her to try to communicate is so nice!
She is also developing a bit of separation anxiety... but only with Ben, if I leave it's no big deal but when he leaves she has a melt down. The other day she stood at the garage door while he was trying to leave and screamed "NO DADDY! NO!!!!" and cried and hung from the door nob. So he tried to give her hugs and kisses and calm her down but that resulted in her hanging on to his neck for dear life! When we finally pried her off she SOBBED into my hair and said "Bye, dad, see you!" between dramatic sobs for about 20 minutes. She really LOVES her daddy. :)


Even though I have the occasional frustrating day with Chloie. She really is the easiest kid and I am lucky to be able to be with her 24/7! I wouldn't want to miss a minute of her craziness! :)

Sleepless nights and Baby #2 update

I don't know what my kids (Chloie, baby, and Allie) have against a sleeping mom.
Chloie hasn't been sleeping through the night for the past week and I FINALLY get her to go to bed on time and to stay asleep in her bed and what does Allie do?? Wakes me up every hour by barking, liking me, whining, getting in to garbage... ya know, the usual. Then when Allie finally lays down (4 o'clock AM) The baby starts kicking... Then Ben gets up makes a shake (blenders at 5am are extremely loud) then plays video games (also loud). So by this point I've given up on sleep and decided to start cleaning... Then Chloie wakes up and pees... on MY bed. Great!
After all of this I realize... This is just the beginning. I will be up all night for the next few months, whether it be with Chloie, Allie, or the Baby (or all three). I think everyone is just helping me get used to it early. So In reality I should be thankful for my cute little girl keeping me up late and waking me up early, and my dog reminding me of how a baby will wake up every hour on the hour and need my attention.
But I would be even more thankful for one, just one, full nights sleep in the next 5 weeks before the baby comes. DREAM BIG!
:)

I did, however, get the BIGGEST hug and kiss follow by "lub you, mommy" this morning. and Ben told be I look pretty (before make-up and hair were even thought of this morning) and said my belly looks smaller today then it did yesterday. So even with no sleep my family still loves me.
What more could I ask for...



On to baby #2 update.
I am in my 35th week! (5 weeks and 6 days to go!) So close to being done! :) If she comes early like Chloie did I only have about 4 weeks. But seeing as I haven't gained nearly as much weight and she seems slightly smaller then Chloie I doubt that will happen. So a Christmas baby it will be, most likely. :) I haven't gained any weight at my last 2 Dr. appointments (even with all the Halloween candy I ate. odd, right?) but I am still measuring about 2 weeks big. Which is good (means the baby is gaining and growing). She is also a very active baby, even more then Chloie was, She likes her space too. She kicked the Dr while he was trying to measure my belly. And I mean kicked (repeatedly) I think she surprised him the first time cause he jumped back a bit. It was funny. She kicks anything and everything that touches my belly, She doesn't like to be touched it seems... Everything about this baby so far is opposite of Chloie. I can't wait to meet her!

 I keep hearing from people that I don't look more then 4 months pregnant, TRUST ME  I FEEL IT! Heartburn, shortness of breath, braxton hicks, sore ribs and hips and all. But compared to the pregnancy with Chloie this one has been a BREEZE! Which I am incredibly thankful for, makes chasing Chloie around so much easier then I thought it was going to be. :) And I'm not dying for it to be over, don't get me wrong I am so excited to have the baby here and to have some energy. But being pregnant right now is really not that bad and I think I can make it to my due date with out wanting to punch my husband in the face (for those of you who haven't watched "what to expect when your expecting" you need to! its HILARIOUS).

Happy Halloween!

This year I decided to make Chloie's costume and it turned out pretty cute!

Her cute cousins, Paisley, Rylee, and Hadlee were tinkerbell for halloween so I thought it would be fun to have Chloie be a fairy too.


It was so much fun this year, Chloie was actually interested in what was happening. (last year not so much)

We went to my parents ward first for trunk or treating and she was hilarious. She would not talk to anyone! Normally the child doesn't stop. I think she may have been overwhelmed by all the people running around dressed up all crazy. But she would take candy from people and run to either Baylie or I (whoever was holding her candy bag) and put the candy in it, EXCEPT for the dum-dums. She had to hold all of those. :)
After that we went to visit my Grandma and Grandpa Fowlks and were greeted by "grandma" (My grandpa wearing a wig pretending to be grandma). Chloie LOVES her Grandpa-Great but would not go near him til he took off the wig. She spent some time playing with Grandma-Great and some spider rings (she had about 8 rings on her tiny hands at one point, She loved them).

Then we headed to Grandma and Grandpa Andrus' ward for their trick-or-treat. It was a lot of fun following Chloie and her Grandma around the Church getting more candy and seeing everyone's costumes. (Royalyn kept making sure to introduce us to everyone, Chloie as Ben's first little girl and my belly as Ben's second little girl. (She is such a cute grandma! :) ) Apparently people were shocked by the fact that we already know what we're having and that I am due in just over 6 weeks. I don't feel like I'm that small, in fact I feel rather large.)
 By the time Ben got to the Church we had gone around the whole place and collected TONS of candy. (Ben was working at the fire station and didn't get off til after 7) Chloie was having a blast running around the gym gabbering at everyone and watching Charlie Brown. I guess the fun really wore her out. She passed out within minutes of getting home and in her pj's. :)

It's so fun to spend time with family on holidays and the bigger Chloie gets the more fun it is!

Hope you all had a happy Halloween!

Pregnancy the second time around.. and some pictures...

It's so odd to me how different this pregnancy is in comparison to my pregnancy with Chloie. In all aspects, my body is reacting different, I'm reacting different, Ben is reacting different, even my Dr is acting different...

When I found out I was pregnant with Chloie I was shocked (to say the least). I was not at all ready to be a mom and didn't think that it would ever happen on accident.
With Baby #2 I wasn't at all shocked to find out I was pregnant, although I was a little overwhelmed by the fact that it happened so quickly.

I was really sick through my pregnancy with Chloie and was on medication for it the entire time. But I haven't been sick at all this time.

I was exhausted with Chloie but I've felt normal (up til this past week) this time.

I didn't clean the house, I didn't want to do crafts, I wasn't super active, I was depressed and super emotional! This time I can't seem to stop cleaning and crafting, I feel awful if I don't work out, I'm actually pretty happy and my emotions aren't nearly as out of whack this time.

I did not have any problems gaining weight last time but I'm finding it difficult to gain this time. (which I'm ok with but my Dr... well he's not to happy about it...).

Ben was... I'm gonna go ahead and say "absent" for the majority of my pregnancy with Chloie ( I don't think either of us really knew how to react) and this time he wants to feel the baby move, asks me about my Dr appointments, talks about baby names, and is planning on taking a few days off work to be home with me and the girls (which shouldn't be to hard since she is due right before Christmas). Which he didn't do the last time, mainly because he was working and doing fire academy full time.

This time we are ready and the more I see Chloie interact with other babies (like our nieces, Hadlee and Rylee, and our new "nephew" Oliver) the more excited we are to have this new little girl here. Chloie is going to be the best big sister!

I pulled out all of Chloie's newborn and 0-3 month clothes last week just trying to get ready for the baby and trying to entertain myself. I can't believe my Chloie was EVER that tiny, We brought her home in a preemie out fit that looks to little for even her dolls! It is going to be so odd to hold and snuggle a new baby, I've gotten so used to holding and snuggling my Chloie! She is going to seem SO BIG!

I just wanted to share a couple of pictures of Chloie when she was first born and Chloie now... It is such a HUGE difference!

Chloie the day she was born!

Chloie and I our first day home.

Ben and 3 day old Chloie.

Chloie last week!

Chloie and I!

Chloie and Ben!

She doesn't even look like the same baby. Her hair color and eye color have changed and she has tripled in size! I seriously could not love her more and I can't wait to have her baby sister here!

Night terrors.

For those of you who have never experienced some one having a night terror, you are in for a treat!
I first heard about night terrors from my aunt Kerryne who's son has had night terrors since he was about Chloie's age. They are terrifying.
It's not your average night mare that's for sure! It's like a nightmare being acted out... If  you have seen an excorsist type movie that's about what it's like... It's SCARY!
Chloie started having these a few months ago, she will wake up in the middle of the night just screaming bloody murder and throwing herself around the worst part is she looks completely awake, just really dazed. If we touch her it makes it worse, if we try to calm her down with well... anything, it makes it worse. All we can do is talk to her calmly (try not to laugh, or in my case cry, at times) and make sure she doesn't hurt herself. There is no way to prevent them from happening, or stop them while they are happening. So we wait it out then when she finally snaps out of it its bubble baths and otter-pops that help her go back to sleep calmly.
So 2-4 times a week Ben and I (or sometimes just it's just me when Ben's working) are up for 2-3 hours just trying to help her through these then tack on another hour of calming her down afterwards. (So if I ever seem tiered or slightly more irritable, this is why)
Yesterday we got to experience one during nap time (which was a first) so I got some video of it for the first time.

So here is one of the clips I got of her (this one lasted about an hour and a half), mind you this is NOT a temper tantrum and she is NOT awake. This is NOT how my child acts normally.

Fun stuff, huh? Bet you are all jealous that your child doesn't do this! Ha!

A little ranting and raving with a smile! :)

WARNING!!! : This post contains negative feelings. Proceed with caution. Note that there is some underlying sarcasm in the majority of this. :)

And mostly I am hoping to get out my (possibly hormone rage induced) feelings while making someone some where laugh. So keep that in mind as you read....

Ha...

Do you ever feel like you get an abundance of unwanted advice from just about everyone you run into?
I do.
Especially lately, I don't know what it is about being pregnant with an almost two year old that screams "some one please tell me everything I'm doing wrong and what I should be doing to be as amazing as you". also tell me all your horror stories about labor and delivery because, ya know, I haven't been through it before or anything. AND PRETTY PLEASE point out constantly how young I am to be a mom, much less married. I am aware of my age (contrary to popular belief I am NOT an idiot) (bet your shocked). I just figured out what I wanted for my life, and found a man who wants the same for his life, a little earlier on in life  then some other people have (and to be honest earlier then I thought I would personally). Sorry if that bothers you. :)
I just don't understand people. I'm usually one to keep my opinions to myself, unless provoked (I may be feeling a little provoked at the moment, by the way). So I don't get why some people feel like everyone needs to hear their opinions all of the time? Usually when people give me their unsolicited advice and opinions I'm generally nodding (to be polite) and thinking "If I wanted to hear any of this I would have asked, and the fact that your forcing this lecture on me makes me;  for 1: very uncomfortable and for 2: not want to be around you for even short periods of time ever again."
But I will smile and nod and say things like "Oh I never would have thought of that" when I have ( or I've researched and asked my Dr. about and decided against it), or things like "Oh thank you so much for all of your advice!" when I really couldn't care less, but if your that into it I will listen to be nice. :)

Then I find my self complaining about all of this to my husband (who not only finds them annoying as well but tends to find me annoying for being annoyed. fun.) or my best friend, Kenzie. Who generally agree's with me (which is possibly just because she knows that if she doesn't I will continue to talk about it until she does) and waits 'til I'm done ranting and raving about stupid people then offers me Cheesecake or candy to make me feel better. LOVE HER! haha.

I would just like to say that I know I am not a perfect mother, wife, sister, daughter, niece, cousin,  friend, sister-in-law, or daughter-in-law.  BUT I am doing the best I can. I cannot please everyone all of the time. I am nothing more then an average person, I do not preform magic tricks, I don't know everything, and I (surprisingly) am not perfect.
I am okay with being less then perfect. I am okay with being just a good mom, not a super mom. I'm okay with being a good wife, not a perfect wife. And I will give to everyone else (sisters, brothers, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends)  everything that I can. And that will just have to be enough.
Until I'm struck be lighting or I touch some magic moon rock that gives me super powers. :) (it will totally happen one day I'm sure)

Now that I've gotten that off my chest I feel much better and am fully prepared to pretend to care when I get more advice. (and since we are going to the grocery store I'm guessing it will be happening soon, gotta love random strangers at walmart!)


Thanks for reading I hope that some one got a good laugh! If you didn't, you obviously did not read this correctly in my sarcastic tone. Try again. :)

Fun and Cute Crafts!

I've been wanting to do a couple cute things for the girls' room for a while now and today I finally did it! :) 

I'm adding yellow to the girls' room and my amazing mother in law has made a quilt for Chloie's new big girl bed and a matching one for the baby's crib with yellow, pink, and brown fabrics. So I needed to add just a little to the decorations in the room to tie it all in. (I don't have the quilts yet, or Chloie's new bed But as soon as I get their room COMPLETELY put together I'll post pictures of the whole thing!!)

So I got these letters at hobby lobby to spray paint with a pastel yellow.

 ^this is the color I used.

 I did 3 coats (I wanted them to look a little more vintage so I misted them lightly 3 times instead of doing solid coats)

I saw someone else do this a while back and for the life of me I cannot remember who did it.... but Thank you for the cute idea who ever you are! :) This is just a Styrofoam ball that I pinned the cute colored tissue paper to to make it all poofy and fun!  

Chloie really wanted to help me it was cute! 

This is the size of it after I finished the first one (on the right is how big it was to begin with)  

The hot pink one I did with bigger squares just to make it look different.

Chloie was exhausted from all the crafts I guess :)

Here are the finished projects, I'm pretty happy with them!  

 The "C" for above Chloie's bed (I made the matching pink flowers with my sister in law Whitney, they are made from T-shirts and are super easy to make!)

The "E" for above the baby's crib (don't bother asking what her name is all we know is that the only 3 names we both like all start with E so it will start with an E for sure.)  :)

And the cute little pom-poms! 

P.s. All of this cost me about 12bucks to do, thanks to Hobby Lobby! Seriously my favorite store ever!