Preparing For Greyson

The weeks are flying by and it's really starting to sink in that in a month or so I'm going to be a mama to TWO BOYS. Slllightly freaking out a little bit here. My mom thinks I won't make it past the first week of December bc I'm so huge (Thanks Mother. #typicalbluntAsianmom). I feel like I've forgotten how to take care of a newborn. So little, so squishy. I'm used to my rough and rowdy wild child that I'm more anxious about myself than how C will react to his brother. Is it really like riding a bike? REALLY? I haven't done anything since we're going to have so much going on with the move. I've washed some clothes and that's about it! It's true, 2nd child syndrome is a real thing.

This pregnancy has been completely different from my first. Caden didn't really give me a hard time outside of migraines, but this baby has been kicking my butt, literally. Compounded by an active toddler, my body is ready to shut down. Everywhere aches, I'm beyond exhausted, and I feel like my belly button will just burst open. The doctor says I'm measuring on the bigger side for how far along I am and he will probably be bigger than Caden. OH YAY. I feel kind of bad; little dude is probably so squished up in there. Somedays I feel like he's trying to kick his way out. Regardless of how crappy I'm feeling, I muster up all the energy I can to make our weekends and 1 on 1 time with big brother worthwhile before he's no longer my only child.

It's going to be a monumentally stressful time for me with the move, the adjustment of another dependent little human, the parentals all up in the mix, and the hormones, oh gawd, the hormones...I can already feel the beginnings of a melt down and mommy guilt building up in my toes, but I'm trying extra hard to take it all in stride. But deep down, I'M TERRIFIED people. I've already told the husband to have a plate of sushi ready for me to inhale at the hospital after delivery and if he knows what's good for him, he better remember! At least we're more fortunate this time around in that D's able to take 6 weeks off for paternity leave instead of just one with Caden. He'll be able to spend a lot of time with C and take a lot of my plate with the mounting list of things to do for the move.

Caden is not only ridiculously spoiled with our time and affection, but with his grandparents, I worry so much about how he'll feel. We've done all the books, the constant reminders that this is "his baby" to get him ready for Greyson. All signs are pointing to a sucessful transition so far, but I've probably just jixed myself  by typing that and putting it out there in the universe. Lately, he's been talking and playing with a teddy bear he has and you guys, it's so adorable. He shares his cars (unheard of), reads his books and sings w/ Teddy. However, D and I overheard him saying "Do you want a spanking Teddy?" the other day and we completely lost it. I guess Teddy wasn't listening and being a bad bear. :)

A lot of moms have told me that they just can't believe how much their hearts have expanded to love another child after their first and I guess it's something I'll just have to wait to experience. We've been so so blessed to have such a happy go lucky, confident, funny, handsome little guy I just can't imagine having another kid completely steal my heart as much as this one.

Halloween 2014

I hate Halloween. It's such a pointless holiday IMO. Maybe it's the fact that my parents never let us go when we were growing up bc of the irrational paranoia and fear they had that someone would try to poison the neighborhood kids aka my brother and me.

Clearly, it would be wrong of me to deny my son the tradition of Halloween. I'll let him decide what holidays to hate himself. Last year he was still young and didn't really understand the concept, so I must admit I was a little psyched he was so pumped about wearing a costume. I'm thrilled he's starting to expand his interests into things other than cars and trucks and happily obliged to Spiderman.

C was a regular old pro at trick or treating (although it took a few houses for him to understand he could only have what they gave out and he couldn't go shopping in their candy buckets lol) and I loved seeing him keep up with the big kids and not getting spooked at the scary houses.

I'm actually kinda looking forward to next Halloween. Greyson will be old enough to tag along so OBVIOUSLY I need to find matching costumes for the boys...and maybe Daddy :) I guess Halloween is not so bad after all.

[2012 - 1st Halloween as a baby dragon]   [2013 - mommy's Prince Charming/Dictator]   [2014 - Spider-Man]

Our 5 Year Anniversary

D. and I took the entire day off yesterday to spend time together for wedding anniversary. We didn't do anything exciting or romantic at all. It's so rare that we get to do anything with just the two of us, so all we both wanted was to have a whole day of nothing on the agenda, just to cruise around, run errands at our own pace without worrying about naptime, snacks for a hungry toddler (only snacks for a hungry preggo), and have adult conversation. It was pretty dang nice for a change.

I thought it would be fun to share 5 random facts about us on our 5 year anniversary!

• D. doesn't drink while I *can* be a complete lush. I may or may not be that girl at the office Christmas party. But honestly, his nondrinking ways have started to rub off on me, since I can't even rememer the last time I even had a buzz. It was probably pre-Caden! 

• While we've been married for 5 years, we were together for 5 years before that. I can't believe a whole decade with this guy has flown by. That doesn't include the few months we dated while in high school before I went away to college. I still tease him that he was my rebound after a breakup w/ an ex :)

• This man has the patience of a saint with me and I'm so thankful for that. Maybe it was my defense mechanism from failed relationships, but I had a really bad tendency to be ... just plain bitchy. It was to the point where my gfs and even my parents told me to snap out of it bc D. was so nice and frankly didn't deserve it. Ya'll that's love when someone sees you at your worst, and still wants to be with you! Recognize it!

• We are super impulsive people. We are definitely 'do it now, think about it later'. For example: I got into a fight with my dad about somethign random and was so pissed and wanted to move out. Instead of cooling off, lettting it blow over like a normal, rational person, we decided we wanted to move in together. My parents are old school, so Dat went and bought me a ring so we could live together! Makes sense and totally not hasty at all, right? We had a nice and long engagement though :)

• We are major homebodies. What is cabin fever? I literally could spend a week inside the house and not step foot outside if we were fully stocked on groceries and had the interwebs. Hubby is just as content as long as there's cable TV and Clash of Clans to play. 

Our server brought us apple cider instead of champagne lol

anniversary selfie or should I say us-ie

Texas State Fair - 2014

My parents worked 7 days a week, almost year round when my brother and I were growing up. It was a typical childhood for immigrant families, work hard...and well, work hard. We didn't have any family vacations until much later on in our pre-teen years, and going out was just my dad taking us all out to eat lunch on Sunday afternoons. However, one place my mom always took us was the State Fair once a year when it opened in the fall and is a fond childhood memory for me.

As a Dallasite, the State Fair became an annual tradition of ushering in the new season with ridiculous fried foods and overpriced rides and carnival games. I love it and we've been keeping that tradition w/ Caden and soon Greyson!

feeding the animals at the Children's Barnyard - I was surprised they had zebras and a baby giraffe along w/ farm animals

I've never seen an alpaca before! such a funny looking creature

a ham for the camera as usual

cute farm area for kids to learn how to be be a farm hand; their chores like milking cows, collecting eggs, and harvesting vegetables earn them money where they can go to the general store!

C & Daddy were in heaven at the car show - such a boy!

Daddy & C selfie on the rollercoaster - my little man had no fear this year!

one last ice cream before we head out!

Playroom Inspiration

We really wanted a dedicated playspace for the boys in our new home (even though I'm sure toys will be strewn everywhere regardless) so we are making the upstairs loft area into their special area. One of my favorite rooms to decorate was Caden's nursery so I'm really looking forward to making this a cute and functional space they'll want to spend most of their time at.

I'm loving the look of a black and white room with colorful accents. I'm still debating on a chalkboard wall. While it's cool for kids, it seems like a such a mess and pain for Mom to keep clean.

Weekend Recap

I'm so happy the temperatures took a little dip this weekend. I can't wait to wear leggings and big sweaters, drink pumpkin spice lattes (decaf), and basically not sweat through my clothes everyday. Being pregnant during these the Texas summer is just BRUTAL. 

We drove by our new neighborhood to see the progress they've made on our house. It doesn't look like much, but they've cleared and prepped the land to pour the foundation this past week, so hopefully the slab goes down soon! I'm really anxious about moving because the timing is awful. Baby G is due December 22nd, which in itself is sucky because he's going to be a Christmas baby, but our closing date is tentatively set for January 23rd. While the chances of our house being completed on time is pretty slim, the thought of moving and packing with a toddler and newborn terrifies me. Throw in the all the new adjustments of  being a mama to two, postpartum hormones, and adjusting a 3 year old to a new house with a new brother -- seriously, wtf were we thinking? lol.

It was cloudy and overcast, but still felt great outside so we stopped by the neighborhood playground and pond for C.

Dinner was at our friend's house where she cooked up an amazing spread of Laos food and hot spot to warm up our bellies, perfect for a fall night. Husband and I could barely move after dinner - it was that good and baby was happy, he was kicking like crazy.

Sunday was filled with the usual errands, grocery shopping, laundry, and momlife duties. I've been looking into meal prepping since we are so bad about going out to eat lunch everyday. Plus I think with the upcoming juggle with work and two kids soon, it would probably be more efficient both time wise and financially. The problem is that Dat hates eating leftovers or the same thing over and over, so I'm not sure how to go about it. Any tips or advice?

Have a great week!

Hive Five for Friday!

TGIF! This has been a very long week and this mama is tired and ready for some downtime. We're expecting a "cold front" in Dallas this weekend, so maybe we'll actually get to hangout outside without dripping sweat. Despite a very crazy week, I had a few highlights that made me happy:

one. the builder has started to prep the land to pour our foundation yippee! we'll probably drive by this weekend with our fingers crossed that the slab is already down. 

two. my brother finally got a new job with great opportunities for it to be a turning point in his life. so grateful and very excited for him to experience this much needed change. 

three. my amazing and generous hubby gifted my mama with a new tablet just because. again, so grateful for a man that loves her as much as i do. #besthusband

four. scored a huge 8x10 rug for our new place for a STEAL. For like a ridiculous, I feel like I'm robbing this place, should we pay more price. Pictures & review to come!

five. we've finally settled on Baby Deux's name! And by that, I mean me. haha. Husband still likes his other choices (which shall not be named, theya are that bad). 

Product Hits & Misses

I love watching Youtube videos of cosmetic reviews because I'm a fellow recovering product junkie. It's an expensive addiction that I've curbed over the years, so I definitely try to be an informed consumer before I make my purchases. At least that's how I justifiy it to my husband! :)

The recent hits:

Estee Lauder Advance Night Repair Serum - I think the whole pregnancy "glow" is BS made up to make us feel a little better about the state of utter crap our skin is in. Even my beloved SK-II Facial Essense wasn't cutting it. After applying this on a clean face, I woke up with noticeabaly softer and smoother skin. I had a dry patch on my cheek that seemed completely go away overnight. I'm loving it! It's a bit pricey, but worth it IMO.

Prada Infusion d'Iris  - I'm not big on perfumes, but happened to get a sample of this heavenly scent and had to have it. SMELLS SOO GOOD PEOPLE. Such a fresh and clean summer scent, not overpowering.

TRESemme Dry Shampoo - every mom's saving grace. I've used Suave's version and it's meh. I like Tresseme's heat protectant and wanted to give this a try. It does leave a bit of a white cast if you have dark hair like me, but I think it fades after you brush it through. It smells great and leaves my hair with extra volume. Would repurchase.

Gap Maternity V Neck Tunic - I've been trying not to buy any maternity clothes since this is my last baby, but glad I picked up this preggo tee during their 40% off sale. Long enough to wear leggings and is super soft. I'll probably pick up one or two more to lounge around in. 

The recent misses:

Loreal True Match Lumi - I'm always on the search for my HG foundation since I have combination skin that's gotten especially out of hand with the pregnancy. I had high hopes for this product, but it just wasn't right for me. This left my face an oil slick after 3 hours unless I put on a primer. Ain't nobody got time for that! If your skin is on the drier side, and you are looking for light coverage, maybe give it a try. 

Caudalie Divine Oil - Am I the only woman that hates putting on lotion? It's such a beating! I figured I would give oils a try since it seemed dual purpose in that I could slather it on my body, face, and hair. Grape oil, extra virgin argan oil, hibiscus oil - it all sounds DIVINE, right? The reviews were great for this product and while I wanted to love it, I just wasn't completely sold. My skin didn't feel "extra" moisturized although the husband loved the smell. Pretty pricey for what it is and you actually need a lot for the whole body. I think I'll just stick w/ good old Cetaphil.

What are some of your recent hits & misses?!

C's First Day of School

Where has my little baby gone? Caden's first day back was yesterday and I had a few spare seconds to snap this picture before rushing out the door. It makes me sad to see how tall he grew in a course of a year and just how much OLDER he looks. It's true what they say. Babies don't keep! So when people give me shocked looks when I tell them we still cosleep, I just don't care anymore because pretty soon, he's going to be leaving his mama!

He only goes twice a week, but he just loves going to school so much. You'd never know it because without fail every Monday and Friday morning, he just refuses to wake up and just wants to sleep in. Any other day, he's up at 7:30 on the dot. Sigh.

Now if I could only get him to actually eat the lunch I pack....

Home Sweet Home

We finally pulled the trigger. We are moving! Well, early next year anyway.

In typical Ngu fashion, it was a whirlwind of events and impulsivness and before the dust really settled, the husband and I signed on the dotted line to build a new house.

While some ppl might not agree, we've been in the fortunate position to live with my parents ever since Caden was about 5 months old. Maybe it's a cultural thing, but it wasn't a strange and totally absurd idea for us to rent out our house and move back in with my parents after my maternity leave was up. We were first time parents, and I dreaded each and every passing day as it became one day closer to my return date to the office. Maybe I read one too many stories about nannies from hell, but it made me sick to think about dropping off my son to a stranger. My mom had graciously volunteered to stay with us those first few months, and the solution to childcare just naturally evolved into moving back. My parents had the room, we'd be saving a ton of money on a mortgage and daycare, and homecooked meals to boot - it was a no brainer. Oh, the things we do for our children. Afterall, we can all agree it takes a village to raise a child, right?

Despite sometimes getting shocked looks and raised eyebrows from a few people, it's worked out wonderfully for us as a two way street; we've had the luxury of grandma daycare and peace of mind, while my folks just simply love their time with Caden.

Anyway, our tenant's lease was going to be up at the end of August and we were thinking about moving back after renovating the kitchen, but estimate after estimate, those plans were quickly crushed. We started looking at a few houses in a few areas, actually made an offer on a home we LOVED, but lost it due to a higher offer in a ridiculously hot market. After a lot of talk and prayer, we decided that building a new home was the best for our growing family. It's an exciting time for us as we're ready for more space and being closer to friends. Let's not forget about the Baby Deux countdown either.

We're still trying to talk my parents into moving in with us (Grandma is C's #1 afterall) but only time will tell. They have their own lives to live, but I can't help but be selfish and want them near. The older I get, the more I realize my parents are human and even older and you want to make the most of the time you have together. My mom's been our angel and we're very blessed to have her in our lives. The old man spoils Caden absolutely rotten, but that's what grandpas are supposed to do. I hope our newest little guy is as lucky as his big brother.

claiming our little piece of home sweet home

picking out options; suprisingly not as painful as i thought it would be

an obligatory belly shot!

Our Summer Vacation - Destin 2014

Call me crazy and weird, but I really don't like beaches. #firstworldproblems

1. I can't tan. I pretty much burn if I'm in the sun for more than 20 minutes even with spf 70. 
2. I can't swim. My dad had a strange fear of us drowning (a totally normal parental concern that we all have) but rather than let us learn an important survival skill, he kept us from all large bodies of water. Makes total sense.

These two fundamental reasons are pretty much why anyone goes to a beach, but somewhere along the way, I thought it would be a wonderful idea to pack up the family and drive 14+ hours to Destin, Florida. We rounded up 3 other couples and their kiddos and rented a house for a week. 

Things I learned:

1. Adjust your expectations. Vacation with kids (7 at that!) is not REALLY a vacation. . You will not be lounging in your beach chair with your adult beverage reading on your Kindle. You will be chasing your toddler who is about to eat a fistful of sand, reapplying sunscreen every 30 minutes, looking for a juicebox, and digging through your beachbag for snacks to avoid potential meltdowns. 
2. Get a place right on the beach. We rented a house that was probably a 5 minute walk which seemed like a good idea, but with the number of bodies we had, it was such a pain to lug our gear. All our poor hubbies were worn out from the number of trips they had to take to get everything down to the sand and set up.
3. Forget the sand toys. We brought soo many toys. Shovels, buckets, castle molds, sifters, you name it, we brought it. The kids played with ONE bucket. The rest of the time they spent in the water. Who would've thought?
4. Make it a pool day. We are so glad we got a house with a private pool because the kids (and parents) loved it! The first two days, some of the little kiddos were actually pretty afraid of the ocean and sand and wanted nothing more than to just go home. Thankfully, they pool eased them into it and it gave the parents a little break to just sit in one place for more than 10 minutes at a time. 

While we were there, we took some pictures with a professional photographer, Darris Hartman, for fun. I highly recommend her. Excuse our crazy hair, it was super windy!

Of course, we had to take our first picture as a family of FOUR! Baby Deux coming in December :)