Kitty & Kevin

Dear Pepper,

You are one week old today. To our surprise you arrived promptly on your due date, something I had no expectation of happening, even when it was occurring. Saturday morning I woke up at 6am to work on my "due date" project, the laundry room. I decided a couple days earlier I needed a project that I could complete if you did not arrive by your due date. That way I wouldn't be too frustrated that our little girl hadn't arrived. I needed a shelf in the laundry room to put the laundry basket on and plans to spruce it up just a little bit. I worked on it until about 8 a.m.

Once Lorelai got up we decided to spend the morning at the botanical gardens to see the new dinosaur exhibit. We invited your grandparents too. I was a kind of slow moving, but no signs of labor at that time. On our way home it was about lunch time and I started feeling more aches but chalked it up to my normal Braxton Hicks contractions. At home Lorelai ate lunch and went down for her nap…

Dear Pepper,

Its been a tough week. Although the weekend was great...we had lots of time to relax, see family and do a little shopping...Monday was rough. Stabbing stomach pains sent me to the doctor early Monday morning (after waking up at 4 am). Although everything was okay, we tried other methods to induce labor...but to no avail.

However, the rest of the week was a lot better. I knew I was doing what I can to start labor, and worst case we induce next week. At least there is a final day in sight. We've accepted that our little girl probably won't come on her own, despite all my attempts...and that's okay. We are praying she is just a healthy little girl.

We are looking forward to another relaxing weekend, spent enjoying our family time and freedom of leaving the house with a mostly potty-trained toddler who we can throw some goldfish crackers and fruit snacks at if she gets hungry (rather than having to stop and feed an infant). Thankfully the rough part of this first we…

Dear Pepper,

This week has been relatively uneventful. My feet are still big, but I do think this time around watching my salt intake has helped. Last time, there was simply no preventing my giant feet.

The weekly doctor appointment had me on the monitor to make sure you were moving well, and you were! I'm trying just about everything I can at this point to get you ready to come out. From squats to 8 dates a day, walking and the exercise ball...I really think it would be great if you came out without extra help. I really "feel" like you could come on your own...but who knows.

My doctor questioned me with an induction date this week...and what my end date was. Even though I knew it was coming (the question that is) it threw me for a loop. We decided we will be evicting you February 13th if you don't come on your own. Although I would have liked to wait longer, our Dr. will be out of town for a week...so its that or wait til almost 42 weeks...and that is just too long.

…

Dear Pepper,

The amount of braxton hicks I've been having this week has been shocking. I'm just really hoping it means you'll come out on your own sometime around (or before) your due date.

My feet have certainly swelled this week...I've lost my ankles and am getting sausage toes. Not near as bad as last time, but I can handle this for a few more weeks.

I also spent a good part of the the beginning of the week crying....very moody. I was crying because I was happy, crying because I was sad...it was just a lot of emotions.

We are starting to have discussions on what the plan is if you decide not to come out on your own. I hate planning for that, but I am a planner...so that's just how we roll.

You've also been totally squashing my bladder this week. Not just the constant need to pee, but the pain of feeling like I have to go all the time is getting to be a hassle.

We have another weekend of a handful of photo sessions, and then that about wraps it up for us! It …

Best idea I've had all week was gearing up for Valentine Mini sessions for the photography business! I got the idea of a kissing booth and realized it was a MUST HAVE for our sessions. 
Thankfully, Lorelai put up with the idea just enough to be our model for sessions. 

Let me first just say how easy this is, and how perfect for toddlers! 
Materials:  Wood Crate Two 2x1 boards (or other long skinny board) 2x4 wood plank the length of your crate Foam or wood heart for the sign Paint as needed (black and white) Paint brushes  Bunting  Screws (6 or so) Screw Driver 
So let me start by saying apart from the crate and hearts, everything else was just scrap wood we had laying around.  Total cost for us was about $15 ($13 crate then dollar store supplies)
I'm sure like me, once you see that the bottom part of this is just a wood crate, you are thinking "Oh, I don't even need instructions for the rest of this." And you're probably right! 
First cut and paint your supp…

Dear Pepper,

I'm sick. Which good news for you is maybe you'll be more immune to illness when you arrive. Bad news for me is being sick while pregnant is the WORST. There is only so much a neti pot, humidifier and vaporub can do for you...I desperately want some good ole cold medicine.

On the good side we are really at the countdown stage now, and my feet are STILL fitting into my shoes. A drastic change from last pregnancy. I'm also growing more thankful for the sleep I have been getting (because I know that could change any day when you arrive).

No surprise, I'm still snoring like crazy. Which means your dad has practically permanently moved to the basement (into your room).

I've started thinking about the future dynamics between you and Lorelai lately and how that will play out. Although Lorelai has never acted jealous of other kids, I feel she has the potential to be a little monster. Thankfully she is very good at playing on her own, but I suspect every older …

Have you tried the 14 Day Money Finder Challenge by Rachel Cruze. It is a once a day challenge for you to find a way to save money!
Click here to sign up

Here is a quick recap of our 2nd week of the challenge! 
Day 8: Track your food spending. Go into your bank account and write down what you've actually spend on groceries and going out to eat. Don't estimate, really look and write it down.

Day 9: Change your food habits. Pack your lunch, buy generic and meal plan ahead of time. I will say, I already pack a lunch every day for work. We buy generic often, but decided to make some small changes in our cereal habits...as this is one place we've always bought name-brand. Meal planning has never been a good place for me, but with online grocery shopping (something we've done almost exclusively for a year+ now) it really has helped curb impulse buys on our groceries.

Day 10: Spend the hidden $20. Again...I struggle with how this is really beneficial, but I know there is psych…