Pregnancy Update!

Hey ya'll! It has been a really long time since I have posted on my blog. Even though I have not been active on here, I have been very active on my YouTube Channel and on Instagram and SnapChat (caseyferg_xoxo). If you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to me on YouTube and to follow me on Instagram and SnapChat so you don't miss out on what I'm doing and what I'm up to.

If you don't follow me on any of those platforms, you may not know that I am pregnant! I am currently 18 weeks pregnant with baby number two and am due on September 30, 2016. I have been documenting my pregnancy by filming pregnancy vlogs that I have been uploading weekly on my channel. I have a whole pregnancy playlist saved of all the pregnancy related videos I have done so far if you want to check those out.

In my pregnancy vlogs, I am doing weekly pregnancy updates where I go over my pregnancy symptoms, pregnancy weight gain, show of my growing pregnant belly, as well as maternity products and baby clothing and items that I have been purchasing and loving that week. I have had a ton of fun filming these videos and putting them together. I love watching pregnancy vlogs and mommy vlogs myself, so it felt very natural for me to document this pregnancy myself.

My first pregnancy vlog was my Pregnancy Announcement video where I shared my exciting pregnancy news, as well as my story and journey with getting pregnant with baby number two. This pregnancy is actually my third pregnancy. I had gotten pregnant a second time in September 2015, but sadly was diagnosed with a blighted ovum when I went in for my viability scan at 9 weeks pregnant. If you have ever suffered a missed miscarriage, a blighted ovum, or a miscarriage at any time in your life, you are not alone and I understand how you feel. You can watch that video, and hear all about pregnancy journey, as well as my blighted ovum story in my Pregnancy Announcement video down below.

My second video was my 14 Weeks Pregnancy Update, making it to the second trimester of pregnancy, as well as an overview of my first trimester. In this pregnancy vlog, I go over my pregnancy symptoms from the moment I found out I was pregnant, all the way through 14 weeks of pregnancy. I also go over my pregnancy do's and don't's and show off my growing baby bump. You can watch my 14 Weeks Pregnant - First Trimester Update in the video down below.

My third pregnancy vlog was my 15 Weeks Pregnant Update. This video includes my pregnancy symptoms for the week, products I had been loving at the time, as well as my growing pregnant belly. If you are interested in watching my 15 Weeks Pregnant Update, click the video down below.

My fourth pregnancy vlog was all about my 16th week of pregnancy. In this pregnancy video, I go over my 16 week pregnancy symptoms, old wives tales pertaining to gender as well as the gender reveal, and share products I had purchased and loved for the week. If you are interested in knowing all about my 16th week of pregnancy, you can watch my 16 Weeks Pregnant Update down below.

My fifth pregnancy vlog was my 17 Weeks Pregnancy Update. In this video I go over my routine doctors appointment with my OBGYN including what happens at my routine pregnancy appointments, my weight gain for the past month and total weight gain for the pregnancy so far, as well as the baby's heart rate. I also go over new and recurring pregnancy symptoms, show off my growing belly, and share recent baby clothes I had purchased after finding out the gender as well as clothes I had purchased for myself to keep my big belly cool in the summer. If you are interested in watch my 17 Weeks Pregnancy Vlog, the video is listed down below.

My sixth, and most recent, pregnancy vlog is my 18 Week Pregnancy Update. In this video I go over my usual topics such as pregnancy symptoms, show off my growing belly, and share with you a baby haul and clothing I have purchased for myself to get my through the heat of the summer here in Houston. I have some really great dresses that are not maternity, but will be perfect for my growing belly. I am a firm believer that you don't have to buy a whole new maternity wardrobe to get you through your pregnancy. There are a lot of great options that are non-maternity, that work perfectly at fitting a pregnant belly. If you are interested in my maternity and pregnancy shopping tips, as well as my 17 Weeks Pregnant Update, watch my video down below.

I am so excited about this pregnancy and have been loving sharing my journey with not only my friends and family, but my fellow preggo's out there! Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to be notified when I post a new video. I post a new pregnancy vlog and pregnancy update every Friday going over my pregnancy symptoms, pregnancy experiences, pregnancy tips, my growing pregnant belly, as well as my favorites pregnancy products, baby clothes and baby products, and pregnancy fashion, maternity clothing, and non-maternity clothes to keep you looking pretty and fashionable despite your weight gain and growing belly throughout your pregnancy. Thanks so much for being part of my journey and I will talk to you again soon!

Mommy Minute: Kason's 8 Month Update

Kason is 8 MONTHS OLD today!! I can't believe how big he's getting and how much he has changed in these 8 short months. Pretty soon I'm going to be planning his first birthday party, it makes me a little sad just thinking about it because time is flying by. I'm going to update ya'll on what he's been loving this month, changes and milestones, and giving an update on the issues we were having earlier this month regarding bottle feeding.

Kason has been playing a lot more this past month. Instead of spending a lot of time in his bouncer, he's really enjoyed sitting on the floor surrounded by toys. He can sit there for long periods of time, go from toy to toy, and be perfectly content. His favorite toys this month have been a set of Infantino Stackable Rings, the Go GaGa Squeeze & Teethe Elephant from Target, and the Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Love to Play Puppy. I will set him in the floor and he will rotate each toy, play with them, lick them, and throw them. Throwing things has been really fun for him lately, especially with the rings. The rings are the first thing he goes for. He grabs the base of the stacker and dumps it upside down so that all the rings fall off. He then proceeds to play with just the stacker by turning it over and beating it like a drum. As for the rings themselves, he likes to pick them up and wave them around before he launches them all over the place. The teething elephant has been so wonderful for him. It doesn't have a good squeaker like Sophie the Giraffe, but it's so much better for teething and chewing. The ears of the elephant are what he likes to chew on. He likes to bite down on the ears and tugs on them to rub him gums. It's also super lightweight so it's easy for him to hold. I got him the Laugh and Play puppy at the beginning of the month because I noticed he was starting to play a lot more. He loves it! There's a ton of different buttons and places to press to make the puppy sing, talk, and light up. The buttons are extremely sensitive, so all he has to do is touch it and it starts making noise.

I got Kason a new carseat this month because he had outgrown his carrier. I went with the Graco MyRide 65 Convertible Carseat, purchased from Target. It's rear facing and forward facing, with a minimum weight of 5 lbs and a max of 65. That's one of my favorite things about this seat, you can use it from the time your baby is born all the way through their toddler years. It's also all in one piece, so when it's time to turn it forward all I have to do is unbuckle it and turn it around.  The first time I put Kason in it, he got so excited. I would look in my rear view mirror into his mirror, and he was waving his arms around, kicking, and smiling the entire car ride. It was like he was saying "Oh my gosh! Look at all this room I have now! This is so awesome!". It was so cute and made me really happy to see him so happy. It was kind of bittersweet for me when I was picking his carseat out. It's been so fun lately now that he's getting a little older and is able to do more and play more, but at the same time I'm sad that he's no longer a little tiny baby.

Kason finally got his first tooth!! And it's the cutest little tooth I have ever seen. It came in really fast too. I saw that his gums had a tiny little slit in them, and the next day there was the tiniest little white tooth poking through. As soon as the tooth broke the skin, it's been sprouting more and more every day. It's really visible now, and can be seen when he smiles or laughs. Tooth number two is coming in as we speak. I figured since he hadn't cut them yet that they most likely would come back to back. I saw the white cap right under the skin last Sunday, and his gums now have the little slit in them so that tooth is going to pop up in the next few days I'm sure. He's been handling it really well. He's had his fussy moments and his tantrums, but they are sporadic and don't happen all the time. What I've noticed is that he was mostly irritable for about two weeks before that tooth came in. We went to dinner for my sister's birthday, and normally Kason handles being in restaurants really well. However, this time was an exception. He had a complete and total mental breakdown as soon as we got there, and it was off and on during the whole dinner. I was so embarrassed and irritated, especially when he completely changed his tune as soon as we got back in the car to leave.

After that meltdown, I started having problems with him drinking his bottles. I wrote an entire post about it, if you haven't checked it out you can click here to read about it. Well, I finally figured out why he was doing that. It was because of his tooth! Every baby handles teething differently, and apparently when mine is about to cut a tooth, his bottles go out the window. The day his tooth cut he started taking his bottles again no problem. We went about two weeks with him not taking his bottle, and about two weeks of him taking them before he started refusing them again. When this started back up, I looked in his mouth and noticed the second tooth coming in. The only thing I can figure about why he does this, is that his bottom jaw must be really sore from the new teeth that it makes it really uncomfortable for him to suck. I'm already on the highest level nipple, and if I cut the holes to make them bigger the milk will just pour out, so I can't do that. The only thing I can do is give him smaller, more frequent bottles when he's cutting his teeth, and keep the Orajel and Infant Tylenol on hand. I've found that the smaller bottles work really well when he's sore, because he gets enough to satisfy him for a couple hours, plus he's not sucking for as long of a time which makes him less sore. The Orajel offers him instant relief, and I give him the Tylenol when all else fails. After the Tylenol, he's much more comfortable within 20 minutes. Another thing that's been helping him through the teething process has been more naps. He's been taking a lot more lately, and has been falling asleep within a couple minutes of laying down. Still not a whole lot of luck in the sippy cup department. I bought a couple different types of cups and he's still kind of confused. Surprisingly he's done the best with the Nuby cup. After his tooth cut he figured out how to get the liquid out of the mouthpiece. I've been putting a little bit of apple juice mixed with equal parts water and letting him practice with that.

Something new that I've started doing with him this month is reading to him. I love to read myself, and it's something that I want to raise him to do as well. He has been enjoying our reading time and so have I. We sit on the floor of his bedroom and I sit him in my lap so that he can see the pages as I'm reading. He tries to hold the books, and likes to touch the pages. He will scratch on the pages to hear the sound it makes, and to see what the texture is. He really enjoys all the bright colors and pictures in the books, and likes to reach out and bang his hands on them. Reading is a big part of me, and is one of my favorite things to do. I remember learning to read at a young age, and how much I loved it and still do. I wanted to start something that he and I could enjoy doing together, and to give him a memory that he will always remember.

That's all for this months update! Let me know in the comments below what toys your baby loves, and what activities you like to do together.


xoxo,
Casey

Mommy Minute: Living with a Terrible Teether

Hey Momma's!!

I'd like to take a little time to talk about motherhood, and how our precious little ones can drive us absolutely bonkers. Many of you I'm sure will relate, and many of you will probably get a few laughs in as well. I know when I read about other people's kids driving them nuts I can't help but crack up laughing because I can totally relate. Our kids drive us up the wall sometimes, but at the end of the day we love those little beasts more than they will ever know.

My son Kason, 5 months, is teething. No teeth have cut yet, but I know he's starting to teeth because he is a big drooling mess 24/7. I've stopped putting shirts on him at home because they get soaked, so most of the time he's just rocking a diaper or a pair of cotton shorts.

I can already tell that he is going to be 100% a Type A personality through and through. He is happy for the most part, but he is so dang sensitive and particular about his routine and schedule. If something is not done right, he is hungry, tired, or simply not feeling all that great, he has zero problem letting you know! There's no difference between his "I'm kinda hungry" cry to his "I'M FREAKING STARVING" cry. It's all an "I'M FREAKING STARVING" cry, every time.

He's also started this fun little game where when I leave the room, he freaks out. I'm talking he thinks I left him for good and am never coming back cry. I stick my head around the corner and he immediately stops crying and starts laughing. Yes... laughing. Ummm, can we say bi-polar?? I swear the kid knows what he's doing, and thinks that driving me nuts is the funnest game ever.

Back to the teething, I know that a lot of babies experience pain during this time, and some babies couldn't be bothered by it. Kason is the baby that thinks he's dying and just can't handle it. Now, I'm not saying it doesn't hurt, because I know it does! I'm sympathetic and sensitive to him, because he's my little man and I love him, but this little dude cries ALL DAY LONG. Have you ever had one of those days where you want to smother yourself with your own pillow because no matter what you do, your baby is miserable? That was my week this week. He cried on and off all day, for 5 days straight! On the fourth day, my amazing MIL took the kids for me so I could have a break. Thank the good Lord above for that little break because I was about to admit myself to the Looney Bin.

I know that this is just a faze, and once that first tooth cuts it will get better. Right now I'm trying other options and a couple seem to be helping. Walking around outside helps distract him from the pain for a short while. He seems to like chewing on cold wash cloths too. I wet one of his own and put it in the fridge for about 15 minutes, then give it to him. It's light-weight and doesn't fall out of his mouth easily. He also likes chewing on the cold teething rings, but wants me to hold it while he chews away, but Momma doesn't always have time for that! Another thing that seems to help are Popsicles. He goes to town on them and they numb his gums for a little while.

When I'm feeling overwhelmed from the constant screams, it really helps to put him in his crib and shut the door. I then proceed to my room, shut the door, and just let out a big ol' scream myself. Try it, it helps!

I'm sure some of you are like "Omg, what an insensitive Mother!", while others are probably laughing saying "Omg, I've been in that very same spot!".  I would like to say that I am very sensitive towards him, and I love him more than anything, but listening to a crying baby for hours and sometimes days on end will drive anyone a little crazy. It's safe to say I had a big glass of wine every night this week after bed time.

I hope ya'll enjoyed today's little post! Let me know in the comments below if your baby was a terrible teether and what worked for you. If you're baby was a precious angel that didn't cry once during the teething process, then please keep your comments to yourself... (Hahaha, just kidding!)

xoxo,
Casey