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Sunday, October 26, 2014

The Pumpkin Patch and A Baby Bump: 18 weeks

Here are some pictures from the last couple of days...

Ava's Nana (Mark's mom) brought over a baby doll that she bought for Ava. This is technically her first baby doll since I had not purchased one for her yet. (I know... mom fail.)
Ava loves this doll. My mother in law also brought over a toy baby doll swing that actually rocks and plays music for the doll. Ava is quite entertained and calls her "Baby Jenna" (the doll's assigned name on the box she came in) 


On Saturday we headed over to Bethany Christian School for our 2nd Annual Pumpkin picking as a family of 3. We tried going to Flamingo Road Nursery in Davie a couple of weeks ago and although it was cute, it was ridiculously packed. Not to mention it was a zoo to find parking which is hard to do when you are out in the "country" of South Florida...
Needless to say, we did not purchase our pumpkin there nor did we take any pictures. I believe we bought some frozen apple cider, looked at some landscaping plants that Mark wants to buy for our next home, ate lunch, and then headed out. 

So anyways, back to Bethany...
Mark's mom and two little brothers met us there. The boys both went to school there when they were little. I enjoy going to this little pumpkin patch in Fort Lauderdale because the money is being donated to the school and there is no long lines and crazy amounts of people that the large "pumpkin patches" bring. 









" Uh Coco" (A Scarecrow)
Ava knows the "coco" very well as we have one that stands right next to our front door at home. She says "Hi Coco" and "Bye bye Coco" to it whenever we leave or come home.



"Ava, where's your pumpkin?!?!" 


 Ava's face is so sweet here. Whenever she sees another little kid, she instantly gets happier and wants to introduce herself. I got my camera ready knowing what she was about to do. 
Just as she sees the little girl, she smiles and says an excited, "HI!"
The other little girl is oblivious...most little kids typically are but Ava doesn't care. She keeps trying to make a friend. She chased this little girl around the pumpkin patch for a while. 


Daddy catching Ava from almost running out of the pumpkin patch. We have a runaway child. Ava is why they created those kid leashes.  I am not even joking. Ava is just like Mark...always on the go! Lord help me when this second little girl arrives. Maybe she will be like me when I was little and be a calm child. I doubt it but it is nice to dream. haha

I swear my stomach grew overnight. From 17 weeks pregnant to today when I hit 18 weeks...BAM! Baby is here! I am enjoying having my baby bump back though!  :) 

I am feeling her wiggle around in there. Very soft and little movements. If I am not paying attention, I miss them. I know it only gets better from here so I am loving every moment of these sweet little kicks. I wish pregnancy lasted like 2 years rather than 9 months. I love feeling baby movements!  
This little girl has been a good baby just like her big sister. I can't complain at all and am enjoying this pregnancy as much as I did with Ava. I have been making a lot of random vegetable platters and enjoy all things that crunch rather than blending them for green smoothies. We are constantly snacking on fresh peppers, cucumbers, celery, carrots, snap peas, etc. lately...





I can't believe that Ava will be 2 years old in 1 week!
Nov 2nd will be here in no time! We are celebrating Ava's birthday on Saturday, November 1st this year. That was the day that we could rent out the gymnastics center for her and her friends. It also happens to be my mom's birthday that day!
My mama will be turning 48 :)
Don't worry, she won't kill me for telling you that... she is still a baby herself after all. And with my mom's birthday means that my birthday is right around the corner 4 days after. On November 5th, I will be 28 years old.
Gulp. 
Catching her Uncle Luke playing video games in the corner of the pumpkin patch. She adores her Uncle Luke.
Two peas in a pod.
There is a picture of Luke when he was Ava's age and they look identical.



Mark teasing me and photographing my wagon maneuvering difficulties


Happy with her baby pumpkin

Off to Nana's house for pumpkin carving and family dinner


Mark's stepfather carving Ava's pumpkin

Luke and Ava reading stories in Ava's Hello Kitty Princess castle that is kept at her Nana's house.
Ava is so lucky to have such great uncles that play with her even at the ages of 11 and 13.
Ava loves both of them so much and it makes me happy to see them enjoy spending time with her as well.

Ava calls Luke (11) "Gook"
and
Tommy (13) "Poppy"
Tommy is also her Godfather.


Not to mention, I love these boys so much. I have watched them grow up since the day they were born. They are so incredibly smart and fun to be around. We are lucky that Ava and her little sister will have them watching over them as they grow up. 
I thought Ava was going to love taking out the insides of the pumpkin... nope.
She wanted to play in her castle tent and read books.
Oh well, next year.



Hope everyone is enjoying their Halloween festivities!

I am still trying to decide where I will be taking Ava on Halloween for trick or treating. Mark is working late that night since it is the "Last Day of The Month" and so we will be on our own. 

Other than that, we are enjoying this Fall weather now that we are getting some stronger breeze and less humidity. I am hoping that it stays this way and cools off even more. 

Oh! Stay tuned for Ava's Halloween costume! I am so excited about it. Last year, at 11 months old she was a cute giraffe and this year she is............. not a princess. 
That's all you're getting out of me. 

I was told to take advantage of this age when it comes to costumes because after this kids get opinions on what they want to be for Halloween. I decided to have her go as my Pre-K costume that won me first place :) I had so much fun picking out all the the pieces. I can't wait to see people smile (and maybe even laugh) when they see her. I know I could not stop laughing when we did a costume fitting... 

Oh! And here is helpful list to help you while Halloween candy shopping (as well as every day shopping). Always search for the USDA Organic seal and/or NON GMO Project label especially when you see these ingredients listed to make sure you are not supporting and eating toxic ingredients.
{photo from my Instagram account} @christinamcguire 

Happy Sunday! 
XO 
Christina 

Thursday, October 9, 2014

"You are the 1st person that has ever asked me that in 14 years!" - My doctor

Today. was. awesome. 

I had a routine pregnancy check up at my OBGYN's office which then turned into a lot of fun for me... 
Let me start off this post by saying that I absolutely LOVE my new OBGYN. He is very health conscious and an organic food loving person as well. He and his wife also own two popular yoga studios in Ft. Lauderdale, FL so it is no surprise that he is around a lot of health and wellness minded people all the time. His wife teaches classes still and so I have met her a couple of times. It is nice feeling like you have a little connection or common views on important things that matter to you especially when you are trusting someone with your baby's delivery.  

Okay, so after our routine heartbeat check, more blood drawn, and that lovely urine sample.... he asked me if I had any final questions before I left. I did. 

Me: Okay, please don't think I am crazy but I have a feeling you will not be surprised by my question since you're very open minded when it comes to natural health and this sort of thing.... 

Him: Oh no.. what's up? 

Me: Well, I know you mentioned my glucose testing is coming up soon and I don't feel comfortable drinking that orange syrup like I did with my first pregnancy. It isn't about the taste because honestly it isn't as bad as people make it sound. It is about the ingredients in it. I learned about the ingredients in that glucose syrup after I had my first daughter and I don't want to drink it again. 

Him: (Looking at me baffled) 

Me: I've heard that women ask their doctor if they can eat bananas instead or some kind of natural sugar rather than ingesting a bunch of genetically modified corn sweetener and other bad GMO ingredients. Would you be okay if I ate something more natural instead? 

Him: OF COURSE YOU CAN! Oh my GOD! You are the FIRST person to ever ask me that in 14 years. I hate to admit it but I never even thought twice about that! 
<Grabs a bottle under in the cabinet and peels off the sticker that covered the ingredients.
 I read him the ingredients and he looks shocked.>

Him: Wow! Well, I am so happy that you said something to me and now I know. Feel free to go to Whole Foods and buy some organic jelly beans made with real cane sugar or whatever you would like that has 50 grams of sugar. I am totally fine with that. 

Me: OH GOOD! Phew! I was afraid I would have no way around that. 

We laughed and I was literally doing an internal HAPPY DANCE. 

It gets better.

The lady at the front desk overheard us and asked me to tell her why I wasn't drinking the syrup because she was curious. I briefly summarized what I told him. She was 4 months pregnant and now didn't want to drink that either. My doctor came out again and we all had a good laugh. 

(OH! I almost forgot! The last time I had my appointment with him, he recommended a flavored fish oil when I asked him about that. He said he and his daughter took it and that it was delicious. Well, after I bought it, I started reading the ingredients at home because it wasn't organic and let's just say I am taking it back immediately... So naturally, during this "glucose syrup" chat I had with him I added in, 

Me:  "Oh, and I wasn't going to say anything but that fish oil you recommend to me that you and your daughter drink is a no go." 

Him: Oh no! Why not?! (Covering his face) 

Me: Well the ingredients in there are typically GMO if it isn't certified organic and so I am not drinking it. I am sure it tastes better than most fish oils but there's a reason it does! haha

Him: Oh no.....I swear, my wife is so much better at this stuff than me! You think it's okay because it is at Whole Foods... nope. 

I told him I'd bring him the name of the one my mom friend takes with her and her kids. It is flavored but done so naturally. 
He was genuinely grateful that I was honest with him and thanked me. 

Great day, huh?!?!

It gets better!
NO THANK YOU.
I will be eating bananas or organic jelly beans made with real cane sugar and not "flame retardant, artificial dyes made from petroleum, controversial preservatives, GMO corn sweeteners."


OK! After the OBGYN visit, I ran over to Whole Foods to pick up some ingredients for this "Thanksgiving in your crockpot" deliciousness that my friend Jessica made the other day. It was awesome and I need to make it for my family so I bought two night's worth. :) 

As I made a quick run through of the produce section, the gates of heaven opened up and angels sang when I bumped into....GUANABANA!!!! (or Soursop for my non latino friends) 
I started reading about the healing properties of Guanabana about two years ago. I kept reading about it having cancer fighting properties. I was already familiar with hearing the name and having it in smoothies that my abuelo would make me when I was young but I never, ever saw it in person. He would buy Guanabana that was frozen ( I later saw that was packaged frozen with GMO sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup.) Ew. 

So after asking every store and farmer's market that I went into about this fruit, I was told "no" or just given a blank stare as my answer. 

I FINALLY found the powerhouse fruit...fresh! I don't even know what I am going to do with it but if all else fails, you know I'll be making smoothies for me and Ava. I am bring it with us to Miami tomorrow when we visit my abuelo and abuela. I know they will appreciate it with me. :)  

This won't last long. (Whole Foods in Ft. Lauderdale.) 

Then, just as I think my day could not get ANY better....I find organic pumpkin pie coffee next to the organic pumpkin spice syrup that I add to my coffee. As you can see, I was the weird girl in Whole Foods smiling from ear to ear and taking pictures of these awesome finds. 

Happy at home :) My mom took a picture of me since I was so happy that I found my "unicorn" fruit that I started to think was only found in Cuba when my grandparents lived there or something.

And that was my day! My exciting days are made up of teaching people healthier ways and finding cancer fighting fruit.
#NerdAlert

(This soursop actually turned out to be spoiled already... see by the color? I didn't know since it was my first one. Good news though: I have had many after this one! :)


And tomorrow is FRIDAY! That is more great news!

XO
Christina


*** Here is a little something I read a while back about glucose syrup and what is in it (flame retardant, artificial dyes made from petroleum, controversial preservatives and GMOs) 

Monday, October 6, 2014

Today's "Crappy" Morning + FUN Weekend Recap

How my Monday morning started: found Ava in her crib with a ripped off diaper. Mind you, we now TAPE the diaper on and wrap her 3 times!!!! This girl is Houdini. 
                            
This was followed by an entire morning of laundry, throwing things away, and sanitizing her room...

Later, we took a long walk around the neighborhood (more for my sanity) and then Ava went down for a nap around 2PM. 
As Ava napped, I worked on my holistic health coaching certification and caught up on scheduling team phone calls for Juice Plus+ 
(Let me not forget addressing Ava's 2nd birthday party invitatations and scheduling her play dates...) 
                           
Then I sat back and drank a Suja for the first time. So good!!!! I usually make my own green smoothies but I didn't want to turn the Vitamix on and wake Ava so I reached for this and it was delicious ! So happy I have a great alternative on days that I don't make them myself. This one has apple, banana, mango, kale, lemon, spirulina, chlorella, barley, and alfalfa.  I bought this one at Publix (FYI) 
• GO Publix for their progress in stocking more organic foods and juices!    :) 
                          

Over the weekend.... 
Jacksonville: Visiting our friends and their families! 

Friday was spent having lunch in St. Augustine with our friends, Jacki, Jared, and their little girl, Peyton. 
We had a great time catching up and touring the historic city. 

At Flagler College
                           

Stop and smell the "fa fa's" 


Saturday morning: 
My best friend, Sarah (Ava's Godmother) took us to the Jacksonville Zoo! Ava had  a BLAST! 
She loved getting to see all of her favorite animals up close. 


She got to feed her one of her favorite animals! 




"come back!" 

Excited to see other kids. 

Turtle! Another favorite 


Saturday Night

We went over to our friends' home for a FSU game watching party and spent time with some of my husband's fraternity brothers and their families. 

New papa, Jared, and his little girl, Peyton 

Left: Ben and his sweet Adelyn,  Mike (expectant father!), and
Michael (He is single, ladies! Come and get him!) 

Josh and Heather (expecting their 1st child!) 



Kappa Sigma Wives Club 
Left: Heather (expecting baby#1) , Myself & Ava (expecting baby #2), Nicole & Adelyn, Jacki & Peyton, and
MaryAnn & Joseph (not shown: big brother, Jackson)
(Out of town: Emily (expecting baby #1)

We are all very grateful to have each other and watch our kids grow up together. Although we tease them sometimes, our husbands' fraternity not only brought them a lifelong brotherhood, but it brought us wives close together with a strong bond as well.
Happy to have them all in my life. 


FSU game watching with kiddos... how times have changed! 

Joseph's sweet face


Kisses for Baby Adelyn (6 months old) 


Mark & Michael

Ava with Daddy and Mark's little "brother" in the fraternity, Michael. 

Josh (expectant 1st time dad)  and baby Joseph (Jackson's little brother) 




Josh (soon to be a daddy!) Isn't he great with our kiddos!? 

Ava (almost 2) and Jackson (almost 6) 


Erika and her niece, Peyton (3 months old)


Kappa Sigma brothers forever





MaryAnn and her youngest son, Joseph 

Ryan and his youngest son, Joseph. 

Wyatt not wanting to get off the blanket 

Joseph and his "other brother" Wyatt 

Ava playing with Jackson 

Bounce house fun 



Ding dong! (What we say when we see a belly button) 



As you can see, we have a blast every time we visit our friends in Jacksonville. So much has changed since our days at FSU but they just keep getting better and better. 
Our growing families = A lot of reasons to get together and see one another! 


Hope everyone is having a great Monday! 

XO 
Christina