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Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Anniversary + Toddler Problems + Healthy Happenings

Here is a little bit of everything since I can't ever seem to pick one blog post topic. 


Thursday, Sept 4th was our 4 year wedding anniversary and we had a great time! 
Ava and I had a somewhat typical morning followed by a doctor's check up for me (and baby#2). 
I was scheduled for regular visit to hear the baby's heartbeat and to check all of my levels. About a week prior, I had called ahead to ask about a specific kind of blood test that I wanted done. This test would check make sure the baby was healthy and even tell us the gender. You can have the test done as soon as 9 weeks gestation I believe but since I had an appointment already set for 11 weeks, I was just going to do it on that day. 
The test takes about 7-10 days for the results and so now we are in the middle of the waiting game. I am pretty excited as we didn't find out Ava's gender until I was about 16 or 17 weeks pregnant. This time around, we will know by 12 weeks! 

So later that evening, I drove Ava to Mark's parents to stay with them while we headed out to our 4 year Anniversary dinner. 

This was my "the bump is making a debut tonight" collage to Mark's phone. haha.
 Not to worry...my car selfie photo shoot to Mark was done as Ava and I were waiting for the train to go by. I don't text and drive :)  Going through my iphone's camera roll is always comical...

I met Mark at his parents home and when I hopped into his truck, I had a beautiful bouquet of 2 dozen long stemmed roses. 
He wrote me a sweet message in my card which is my favorite part. 
(We are serious about our cards and letters to each other. It has been that way since day 1.  I have a box that holds Mark's love letters that he used to write to me when we were younger as well as more recent notes and cards to each other.  I love them and they would be the first material item that I would save in a fire.)

Since Mark and I are creatures of habit (or rather as we see it: we are loyal customers to businesses that we love), he took me back to our favorite, Blue Moon Fish Co, where he proposed to me on
 Dec. 26th, 2009. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I had gone to the beach earlier that day with my a bunch of my friends. I was trying to soak it all up before I had to return to the Chicago winter with Mark in a couple of days (We lived there together for 1 year for his job in case you're a new reader and wondering what we were doing in Chicago). 
Mark asked me earlier that day if I wanted to go to Blue Moon later that night to get some good seafood before we returned as well. I happily agreed as I will never turn down a Blue Moon meal. 

I wasn't expecting a proposal at all as Christmas had already passed and I just figured it wasn't going to happen that year. 
Well, he surprised me during dessert and got down on one knee when I saw the plate's message. 
Will you marry me? Yes No Maybe  was written in chocolate. 

The question worded that way is an inside joke referring to the note that I was dared to drop on his front door step back when we were in elementary school. I had written "Do you like me? Circle Yes or No."

Of course when I saw him get down on one knee I couldn't say anything and just repeated, "Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God" and gave him a kiss. As he slipped the ring on he asked, "You said yes, right?!" 
haha

He still jokes today and says that he had to ask me then to marry him on that day because he thought I was going to want to stay in south FL and make him go back to that Chicago winter alone. (He knows me well. ha!) Lucky for us, we got a transfer back home 5 months later and started planning the wedding from south FL. 
Mark requested the same table for our Anniversary dinner.
Mark was telling me how he and the manager were going back and forth on which table it actually was and Mark was SURE that it was this one. The man has a steel trap memory. 
After dinner, Maria, the pastry chef wanted to do something nice for us so she made us a dessert that included Mark's Favorite: The Icky Sticky Caramel Torte and also added the Liquid Center Double Chocolate Torte with berries for me.  It was sinfully delicious! 

Happy 4 years of marriage to us. I look back at our engagement night compared to our recent photo at that table and think to myself how much has changed in only 4 short years. It is incredible how much happens in such a short time! 


Okay... onto the next topic. 

Ava and her toddler issues. Not fun! 
Miss Ava is going through a nudist phase right now. Every single nap and nighttime, she strips down to nothing. After doing about 20 loads of laundry and waiting for this to pass, I asked my friend what her mother did with her since she mentioned that she did the same thing when she was little. Her mom taped her diaper on and so that's that I was did!
Currently, it takes me 3 tape wraps in order for Ava not to Houdini her way out it. 

Ava successfully took off her diaper with just one wrapping of tape so I resorted to 3 wraps. (I know it looks a bit tight in that picture but I promise she is okay.


I just love a good bed head collage
Always in someone else's shoes

And then there is this: Ava's very first pairs of underwear. (Excuse me while I go and cry right now)
As I asked other moms about Ava's nudist phase and what I should do next, I came to the scary realization that it just might be time for her to potty train. (I can't even believe I just typed that)
I can't believe that it is already time to do this!!!! She is not even 2 yet! Where did our baby go!? 

I am SO not looking forward to doing this. Call me crazy but I don't mind changing a diaper. So next week, we are going to start the week long potty training process. 
So far, my mother in law bought Ava a potty story book for girls complete with charts and stickers that I can make a big deal about when Ava does her business. My mom  purchased these underwear which she gave to Mark to bring home to me (They were both at the AT&T store the other day figuring out an account mess). Mark came home and handed me the Carter's bag without saying anything. I looked inside and said, "Did you SEE what's in here??" 
He only responded with, "Ya...I don't want to talk about it." 
hahaha 
Poor, daddy. This is a day after I caught him crying his eyes out as I sent him a viral video going around of a dad taking his little girl (4 or so) on her "first date" with him (the father). 

Video Below: 

If watching from an iPhone or iPad click here: The Best First Date (YouTube Video) 



....And onto Healthy Happenings! 

From my Instagram account @christinamcguire

"My daily routine"  (smoothie ingredients vary daily)

*** You can order Juice Plus here if you like from my new page :) 
I'm excited to be able to sell them now to my friends and family since I love my Juice Plus+ and they aren't sold in stores. 



I am on the hunt for a good fish oil to take. My OBGYN recommended a liquid kind and then when I got home I started reading the ingredients... It is going right back to Whole Foods. I have received some great recommendations so now I just have to figure out which one I will be buying. I will keep you posted! 

I got some questions on my last post about what I take and do during (and while not) pregnant - specifically the probiotics. I included the links right into the words of my blog. You just had to click right on the word and it will show which products I am talking about. But here they are anyways... 

These are our daily probiotics (mine & Mark's) They are kept in the refrigerator as they are live strains of beneficial bacteria for your gut health and immune system. Ava uses the same brand but it is in powder form for babies (birth to age 4) It is a blue bottle and is sold right next to these. You can find them in the refrigerated display in the "Whole Body" section in Whole Foods. They are actually all on sale RIGHT now!  This one is $14.99 I believe. Taking 1- 2 a day, this bottle should last you about 3 months.  
Small capsule. Easy to swallow. 
And just some cute photos before I forget: 
Mark and Ava feeding mama and her baby ducks. Ava is a fan of ducks...big time. 

Ava at Funderdome! These are from the "baby to age 3" play area but I actually took her to the rest of the play area before it got busy with the big kids. She LOVED the big slide that we went down together. 
She is already outgrowing these toys. Sniff... 

And that's all I have for now!
Happy Tuesday. We will be finding out whether Ava is getting a little sister or a little brother as soon as Thursday or as late as Sunday! Eeeee! I am excited to find out!

XO
Christina

4 comments:

  1. Bush kids hope for a brotherrrrrrr!!!!!!:)

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    1. Sorry, Bush boys! I have two little girlfriends over here for you to marry and then me and your mommy can be family! :) hahaha XO

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  2. Oh my goodness your baby bump is the sweetest!!! Congratulations on your four year Anniversary!! And the taping the diaper down is hilarious!! neither one of mine has gone through a nudist phase....yet! Hopefully it never comes hahah! I just realized you are in South Florida! I am too! What part of South Florida are you in?
    xo
    Elda

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    Replies
    1. Hi Elda! Thank you! (Yes, PRAY that this nudist phase does not happen to you haha) We live in Pompano Beach. :)

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XO