Earning Money! Woohoo!

No, I didn't go out and get a job. I can assure you that won't be happening anytime real soon, especially now that #2 is well on his way! Have you seen the costs of Daycare these days?! Ridiculous. Anyways... back to earning money. 

I always thought that to make money from home you had to sell something like cosmetics or jewelry or handbags... and you had to host parties or go set up a booth... either way, I would fail (and have failed) at these business ventures-simply because I am a TERRIBLE salesperson. I hate asking people to spend money, mostly because I myself hate to be asked to spend money. I thought it was impossible to really just be able to do work online and get paid for it. Not legitimately or legally, anyway. I'm sure most online work-from-home business ventures are a scam... in fact, I know they are! I've looked into them. Thankfully for people like me, though, there are a few legitimate work-from-home opportunities. I stumbled onto one just last week and boy am I excited! It's called MCA.

MCA is the Motor Club of America. It's similar to AAA but with more benefits. I am an Associate with MCA, which means that I go out (or in my case, stay in) and find people that are interested in becoming a MCA member or Associate (like me!). It's SUPER easy: I post FREE ads online in places like Craigslist, Backpage, and Facebook. I also occasionally make a YouTube video to generate more interest. The bottom line: I copy and paste ads into different websites. When people email me that they are interested in the company, I send them more information. When/if they decide to become a member/associate, I get paid $80. Tada! Easy money couldn't be easier. I personally post ads while Jo is eating. It's easy for me to sit at the table with my computer and get my "work" done while she is occupied with her latest meal. I still have PLENTY of time to play with her and clean and cook and take care of all of my other responsibilities. Like I said: EASY!

The way I look at it is this: of course the benefits with MCA are great (Dental/Rx/Vision Discounts, Travel/Hotel Discounts, Stolen Auto Reward, 24 Hour Dispatch Emergency Road Service, Emergency Travel Expense, Travel Itinerary Service, Auto related Legal Assistance, etc.) but what's even better is helping others figure out that there is a way to stay at home and earn money that is TOTALLY do-able! Who can't copy and paste a paragraph or two into a list of websites that is handed to them? Not anybody I know!

Bottom line: I market a product/service. When someone I have recruited signs up, I make $80. When they sign someone up, I make $6. So I also get residual income from my sign-ups (which is GREAT!). I get paid weekly. I get my own website. I don't have to put on real clothes or leave the house. It's a win win in my book! Do you know anybody who could use some extra income? Let me know! I'll be happy to get them started TODAY! 

Feeling Blue-in a good way!

Scrolling back through my Facebook posts this morning, I realized that I blogged about what gender this baby would be, but never posted results! Blogger Fail! In the interest of attempting (mostly failing, but still attempting!) to keep up with this blog, here's our latest baby news:

You aren't seeing things: It's a BOY!!!!

Our handsome little finger sucker is looking absolutely perfect. He's very active and easy-going (at least that's my interpretation of his ultrasounds!). I simply cannot wait to meet him. He has been the very easiest pregnancy I could imagine. Hopefully the rest of it goes just as the quickly as it has up to this point!

We feel very blessed to have a perfect princess and now a handsome little man on the way! Adam is (of course) THRILLED that he finally gets his little boy-I can't wait to see him interact with a little man. I can't help but wonder what the differences are going to be! We shall see soon enough!

Now is the time to get busy making all the cute little boy accessories... I feel like there aren't a whole lot of adorable boy things out there so if I pick out fabrics and patterns and do it myself I'm sure to love them! 

That's all the news I have for now-Hope ya'll have had a wonderful week so far! "Bye, Ya'll!"

Life's Little Surprises

We got the surprise of our life today:  baby #2 is going to be a BOY! Woohooo! OK, so it wasn't a complete surprise... This pregnancy from the get-go has been SO different from Jo. I was sick until 16 weeks with Jo-and not just sick but dangerously ill. This time I had occasional nausea just until 10 weeks. Piece of cake. There have been times I have almost forgotten I was pregnant! So this one has definitely been different. Not to mention all the crazy wives tales and tests I have done!! I checked the Chinese Gender Predictor: Boy. I did the needle/string over the palm test: Boy. I did the chain/charm over the palm test: Boy. I did the needle/string over the belly test: Boy. But I don't really believe in any of those tests... unless I can physically SEE parts (or lack thereof...), I am not buying clothes!

Tada! Boy Parts!

This morning it was confirmed for us: we saw boy parts! When the technician casually said "...and...It's a boy"~ I started crying. I had a feeling it would be, but you never really know for sure! I was thinking there was a chance we would be that couple with 4 girls and no boys... which would have been fine but both of us wanted a little boy to play sports and protect his sister. Of course there's the whole "carry on the family name" and pride issue for Adam too. So needless to say we are THRILLED with our little man.

Here's our handsome little man at 16 weeks gestation <3

Much to our surprise we got plenty of 4D Ultrasound images to adore. I can't help but wonder what he will look like when he is born. That's going to have to be one of the surprises of his arrival :) 

We also chose to keep another element of his arrival a surprise: his name! There's not really any reason other than we like the idea of keeping some suspense in the mix. It's one of the few surprises we can control! 

*Other Updates* Along with learning that our little man is indeed a boy, I was also assured that (assuming no complications or health concerns) I will be allowed to hold our little man immediately following his arrival until I decide it is OK for him to go be weighed and cleaned up and such. That was such a relief. It was a shock that I was able to hold Jo immediately and for as long as I did (about an hour and a half!), but a wonderful shock and I wanted that special bonding time with this baby too. I was also reassured that there were drugs besides an epidural that could be administered to control nausea during delivery. It was mainly fear of continued nausea (and lack of time to make a decision! lol) during delivery that made me make the decision to have an epidural with Jo. I don't regret that decision, but I am coming to terms with the fact that I most likely won't have the opportunity for an epidural this time around, so I wanted to be prepared to ask for other medications now that I knew they were available (and safe). 

That's pretty much it as far as our growing family updates go! Hope ya'll are having a wonderful week! As Jo would say, "Bye, Ya'll!"

Baby G #2: Pink or Blue?

Oops, we did it again! Not oops at all, actually. We have wanted another baby ever since Jo was born, but had agreed to wait until she was 2 (potty-trained) and we were out of debt (I don't consider a house payment "debt"...I mean credit cards and other revolving debts). Well of course as soon as I see the light at the end of the debt tunnel, I start getting excited. We jumped the gun a little, but you remember we had a hard time getting pregnant with Jo-there was specialists and testing and medications and all sorts of fun stuff... in my mind, this time would be just as difficult (or at least take a good six months). WRONG. Best Surprise Ever!

The doctor's office I ended up with in Indiana immediately got me in for bloodwork, which I really appreciated. They also gave me an ultrasound at 6 weeks and another at 8. Seeing that tiny heartbeat is the biggest relief in my mind. I actually like morning sickness (as much as you can like it) because to me it means that things are still going well. So here's the ultrasounds I got at 6 and 8 weeks:

6 weeks

8 weeks

Just one week later (9 weeks) we moved to Alabama. We had wanted to wait until I was obviously showing or we knew the sex of the baby to tell anyone we were expecting another baby, simply because we were moving and I wanted to safely be in my second trimester where the risk of miscarriage has decreased significantly before we started spreading the news. BUT at my 8 week appointment I was advised not to exercise, lift, or do so much as elevate my heart rate. Boo. So with a 12 hour move we decided to go ahead and tell family-I didn't want to be the brat standing in the corner not helping pack or move her own stuff without a valid excuse! So I made Jo a big sister shirt

It took the family who came to pack a few minutes before they read the shirt and figured it out, but I'm glad that's how we told everyone. It's much more fun than a phone call :D

Sorry for the terrible picture! It's the only one I have of her in the shirt

Once we finally got all packed up, loaded, and moved, the next challenge was to find a doctor in Mobile. I'm pretty picky about my doctor's offices. I want them to understand my previous complications and be willing to do those few little extra things that put a Mommy's mind at ease. So I turned to a Facebook page I found called "Mobile Mommies"... it was a buying/selling site but I figured who better to ask about OB/GYN's than mommies who had delivered in Mobile? I picked the most recommended Doc and scheduled my first appointment.
My doctor is FANTASTIC! At every appointment they do a complimentary ultrasound with a handheld device similar in size to an iPhone. Even if you don't get a big ultrasound on the T.V. screen with a printout (or 10), you get to see your baby and see that precious heartbeat. He had reviewed my chart and noticed things that I didn't realize had even happened, and we discussed how we were going to manage things this time around. For instance, I had Jo VERY fast and easily. Apparently, this is actually called "Precipitous Labor" and can cause you to labor so quickly you don't get to the hospital in time for delivery. Bring on the "have the baby in the back of the car" nightmares. The chance of laboring even faster with baby #2 is very high, so he reassured me that I would be monitored very closely so that I made it to the hospital :) He's very nice.

14 weeks! 

We scheduled my next appointment at 16 weeks (less than 2 weeks from now, Sept. 18) - this appointment will answer the big question on mine and Adam's minds: Pink or Blue??? I haven't been sick for about a month now (YAY!) where as I was dangerously sick with Jo until about 16 weeks. So that has Adam thinking boy. I've been saying "he" but I think it is more because Adam calls baby a boy, but who knows. So what do you think baby G is going to be?

Busy Busy Busy

Oh my GOODNESS life has been so hectic lately! I left May 26 for Hilton Head Island, stayed for a week, then went to Savannah for the next week, came home for 3 days, and went to Mobile to search for a house! Tada! I found a house (we are in the process of buying it), came home, and had to start packing up the apartment...by myself. Oy
Adam has been in Mobile since March. So that means I've been a single mom most of the time, which is alot of fun, except that this little nugget has decided that she needs to be EVERYWHERE all the time. Example? She's currently on the couch, RUNNING from end to end bouncing off the cushions and laughing hysterically... and for every bounce there is an audible gasp coming from my side of the couch. I can't even tell you how many times I've considered using some of this bubble wrap to thoroughly wrap up my child...
HOWEVER I have managed to successfully get the entire house (except for the kitchen and laundry room...which I am still using) packed up. By myself. With a busy 14 month old. Yay me! (it's small victories at this point, folks). Now I just have to get our actual move date solidified so I can rent the truck and organize the actual loading, transport, and unloading...
OH and we traded in my beautiful truck :( for a Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo...and we are now...wait for it...DEBT FREE! What WHAT! Debt Free is the way to be! OK I'm done with my corniness. But seriously, it feels SO great to finally get rid of revolving debt and be putting all that money towards things we want or savings or whatever else we fancy. I can't describe how much of a burden it takes off my chest to be going into a new city (and state, and house, and situation) without the worry about credit card (HOLY COW MY CHILD JUST DISCOVERED HOW TO CLIMB ONTO THE COUCH BY HERSELF!!! Sorry...that was shocking) payments.
So I guess the point of this rambling post (apologies) is that there are so many NEW and EXCITING things going on in our lives! Hopefully at some point we will be able to sit down and breath for five minutes or so... but until then I'll just use all this excitement as motivation to keep packing up the last few things and prepare myself for life in Mobile! Yay for the next chapter in the Gaskin Household!
Oh, here's a few pics from vacation...

& Here's some pics of the new house (that I apparently can't rotate...sorry)

I think that's pretty much it for now...I'm sure there will be more to come as our life twists and turns into this new exciting adventure! 

Bikini Time!!!!

Alright so I started my serious post-baby weight loss workouts 10 weeks ago. Why I waited so long I have no idea. I guess I figured breastfeeding would take it all off (and it helped, don't get me wrong). So I put in a little elbow grease, some sweat, and pounded some pavement. I promised to post before and after photos so I will but first, let me tell you about how I got this new, more confident mommy body :D
I gained 45 pounds by the end of my pregnancy. Which is ALOT considering the first trimester I lost 16 pounds. I didn't look as huge as I felt, but when you are 5'5 and a size 0-2 with all that weight poking in front of you, you feel like a whale. There's not a whole lot of room to "expand". I knew it wouldn't all disappear the moment I had Jo... I was just happy to be able to see and reach my own toes again! So anyway, I worked myself up (over the course of 9 months) to a whopping 170. When you are used to 125, that's ALOT. When I stepped on the scale after I felt like I had lost the "baby" weight, it said 145. Erm...yikes! 20 pounds to go?! Surely not! But yes, I had 20 pounds to go. And of that 20 pounds I have officially lost 25 :D Go me! Here's how:
I started doing the Couch to 5k program in November. By the end of 10 weeks I think I was somewhere between 130-135. Not bad. But not the kickass highschool body I wanted either. So I kept running/walking on my own little la-ti-da schedule. I didn't really get serious about it until the middle of March when we booked my tickets to go to my family's annual Hilton Head Island vacation. I marched into Kohls thinking "130 is pretty close to my original 125...I probably gained 5 pounds just in my chest anyway...a bikini should look pretty good"...WRONG!!! But I bought the bikini anyway as motivation. Best move I've made. I took a picture every Monday from that point on so that if I ever felt like I didn't want to work out, I could pull that picture out and realize I didn't look hot in a bikini. That got me moving!
Anyway, back to workouts. Mid march I started the Ninety-Nine. It's serious business. 99 Jumping Jacks, 99 Crunches, 99 Second Wall-Sit, 99 Leg Lifts, and 9 Push-Ups. Next you replace every 9 with an 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. Follow with an 11 minute Run. By the end of the workout (Which takes about an hour to an hour and a half), you've done 484 Jumping Jacks, Crunches, Seconds of Wall-Sits (or 8 minutes worth, for those that are curious), & Leg Lifts, ... 44 Push-Ups, and of course your 11 minute run. Exhausting. Painful. But it works! I did the Ninety-Nine every other day for 3 weeks. Plus an occasional walk. But no diet change (I don't eat THAT bad and I didn't feel like I could cut back without risking Jo's health).
I decided to amp it up a little and try Jillian Michael's "30 Day Shred". Holy Moly. It WORKS. But you have to DO IT. I got results the first three days. Ridiculous. I started on a Sunday. I did 10 days of Level One (yes, EVERY day. I rested on Sundays), 10 days of Level 2, then 10 days of Level 3. When I completed that I continued to do Level 3 but added Level 1 to the end of it for 10 days, then added Level 2 to the end of it for 10 days. I did start counting calories 3 weeks ago (when I quit nursing Jo), but I discovered that my calorie intake is just fine. I hover around 1200/day. I did cut-out cokes and sweets, but when I had a sweet craving I would drink a diet coke to get me through it. That worked.
So here's the grand finale: the before vs. after shot. Keep in mind this is from 10 weeks ago until now. I'm 120 pounds as of this morning:

OH and I almost forgot: No, I'm not completely satisfied with how I look just yet. Yes, I'm lighter than I was before Jo, but the weight is not distributed like it was. I have this "muffin top" effect going on that is OH so frustrating. Because my hips fit in size 0 jeans, but my sides right about the top of my pants stick out. Not terribly, but enough that it bothers me. It has gotten ALOT better. 3 more weeks or so and it will be "Bye Bye Muffin Tops!".
All this to say No, I'm not perfect. I won't be the hottest thing on the beach this summer. I've got a little more work to do. But I am VERY proud of what I have accomplished. 25 pounds was HARD to lose, but I've done it! I can wear my tiger stripes (stretch marks) proud this summer while I am rocking that bikini. Cuz I worked my butt off, literally, to get where I am today. :D

Bye Bye Boobies!

It's such a bittersweet feeling that my sweet baby's first birthday is fast approaching. And with the first birthday comes the topic of weaning. *Fair Warning* I'm going to discuss breastfeeding...if that freaks you out, leave immediately. Thanks. I had talked to the pediatrician about how to wean, even called last week when we introduced whole milk for the first time and Jo flat out refused, just to be told to keep trying...and then...BOOM!!! It happened! WWWAAAAYYYYY sooner that I wanted or expected. That's right, surprise, my milk supply has stopped. Completely. Thankfully, the same day that my supply disappeared without a trace, Jo also decided she loved whole milk, so while I am feeling SUPER guilty about not making it all the way to 12 months, I am getting more and more OK with it. 

Honestly, 10 days away is pretty stinking close. Medically, it can't make that much of a difference. Emotionally, it makes a HUGE difference to me! I thought I was SOOO ready to wean, eat what I want to, drink (I'm 22 after all and this is the first time I haven't been pregnant or nursing!), and take medications. I was ready when it was on my terms, but since it isn't, I'm a little bit traumatized! Thankfully, Jo doesn't seem to mind, which is good because if she ever hinted it was a problem I would probably break down. So it's Bye Bye Boobies for us! and Helloooo read food and whole milk! Which is so much more of a pain than breastfeeding, but I guess they can't be babies forever :(

In other news: Jo is a holy mobile terror. Not really, she's such a joy, but she doesn't stay still. Ever. Walk walk walk, run run run. Trouble Trouble Trouble. But it's such a fun trouble! Watching her learn and imitate is a blast. It amazes me the things that she is intrigued by. Simple things that we don't think about make her whole day (or week). She carried around a mostly deflated balloon for days, dragging it behind her like she was taking it for walks. Too cute. When she wants to go outside and it's too chilly she grabs Chloe's leash and attempts to attach it because she knows that means we go outside. Stinker. That reminds me ("stinker"), she now does her stinky business on the big girl potty! Yayyy! Hopefully that will make full-potty training a breeze!

With the one-year milestone comes the big birthday bash! Forget a small get together, there's way too much family around for that. I'm not sure how many people are coming (because nobody RSVP's anymore, despite what the invitations say :/), so I'm planning for the most. Think Hot Pink and Zebra! Partay!!!! The majority of my days are spent making cheap decorations for her party...and more and more because you can never have too much zebra! I'll post pics shortly after...if I can remember. 

Speaking of remembering (and forgetting), I have not forgotten about the HotPants Challenge...I just changed tracks a little bit. I started 6 weeks ago with "The Ninety-Nine" and didn't really get the kind of results I wanted, so three weeks in I started "Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred" and I am getting SUPER results...5.6 pounds in 3 weeks! I'm back to my highschool weight! Woohoo! I'm now confident enough to sport that cute little bikini I bought for motivation! I have 6 weeks to go until I leave for Hilton Head Island so at that point I will probably post a before and after picture, cuz by then I better look ROCKIN! At least I hope so...

Oh and more and more people are asking when we are going to have another, so here's the official answer (As of this moment, it might change the next time I decide to reminisce on how fast this year has gone by with Jo): I would LOVE another baby right now...but our bank account, not so much. With Adam living 12 hours away and us house-hunting with an upcoming move...life is just too hectic right now. Hopefully it won't be TOO far off in the future. Who knows. Only time will tell!

Stay tuned for how well the birthday party goes! It's going to be a blast! Until then, here's some recent pics of the precious almost-one-year-old (yikes!):

I told you she's trouble!

12 months goes by WAYYYY too quickly! 

Just Some Updates... 'n such

First off, I promised to let everyone know how my HotPants worked out... oops. Long story short the babe and I got sick right after that post so working out was OUT of question. Then I got lazy...But I HAVE been working out pretty hardcore in them for the past week and YES I can see a difference! My hips are going, going, going, (almost) gone! WOOOHOOO! Maybe when I get them completely gone I will post a before and after, but then again maybe not :D
We also got word of some BIG changes about to happen in our lives (No, Mom, I'm not pregnant), so stay tuned for updates on that, which will come as soon as I know that it for sure isn't going to fall through!
In other news, my precious little girl is a whopping 10 months old! Holy Moly, where did time go?! She is SOOO close to walking! The other day while we were walking around a store she let go of my hand and walked away...Yup, I got teary eyed. Who wouldn't!? It's almost like my precious girl doesn't need me anymore (OK, I'm being dramatic, but still!). She waves, nods and shakes her head "yes" and "no", signs "more", claps, and now almost walks. Oh, she also has a tooth that's all the way through the gums, and probably two more about to pop through...yikes!
The weather has been absolutely GORGEOUS lately so Jo and I have been able to take wonderful walks, a few jogs, and go to the park. So much fun! There's nothing cuter than a baby playing at the park <3
I'm pretty proud that I've managed to continue breastfeeding this long. I wish I had known more going into it (it probably would have made things ALOT easier), but now I know and am better prepared for babies (yup, plural) to come. But in the interest of trying to be helpful, here's what I learned:
1-It's not going to be easy starting out, and if it is, count your blessings! It's a learning experience for you AND baby, so be patient! It's the most natural way to feed your baby, and it WILL work if you keep at it! Jo was 3 days old before we got the hang of it. For the first month I'm pretty sure she was almost constantly latched. Schedule schmedule. Breastmilk is digested MUCH faster than formula, so newborn babies are ALWAYS hungry... so feed them...alot! Jo has not (and will not!) had a single sip of formula.
2-A good pump is necessary. Don't waste your money on a cheap one, even if you are planning on pumping rarely. My first one broke, and my second one has been my best friend, even if I haven't used it that much.
3-Bottles are over-rated. I was SO concerned with making people uncomfortable that I tried to force Jo to take bottles in public. She has had MAYBE 8. Maybe. She made the decision for me that she did not WANT a bottle. So we don't really worry about making people uncomfortable anymore. We have our cover, and we use it. If there's a place to go nurse, we go there. But I also fed her in a PACKED Bryant Denny stadium. I don't think anyone even noticed...but if they did, so what?! (She also never took a pacifier...she sucks her fingers instead...it's what works for us!)
4-Probably the most important thing I learned is that you can listen to other people's advice, but do what works for you. And it may not be what "everyone else" does... but that's why you aren't everyone else!
5-It's SOOOO worth it! We haven't bought a single can/bottle of formula, so we saved HUNDREDS of dollars. All we have to pack in our diaper bag for feeding is a cover (and now that she is eating solids, snacks) The time you spend with your baby is priceless. For a few minutes every few hours, it's just you and the baby-bonding time you should cherish <3
While breastfeeding has been a wonderful experience, I'm also pretty excited that it's almost over. After 19 months of considering everything I eat and drink and every medication I've not been able to take, I'm going to enjoy having my body back (at least until we decide to have another babe).

Ok. I'm done. Here's some recent (adorable) pics! Enjoy!

Playtime at the park!

We go for alot of walks now

Family photo!

I'm going through a boots phase-but this is when we went out for our Anniversary dinner, and of course Jo came with!

Zaggora Hotpants Challenge

How in the world do these stars have babies and 6 weeks later pop back up looking like nothing ever happened? I've been working my stretch-marked tail off for the past 3.5 months and you can definitely still tell that "something" happened. Kaelyn happened.
While I am back down below my "goal weight", I am still a few pounds shy of my "goal shape". It's this gross little spare tire around my mid-section that won't go away! Obnoxious! My legs are back, my hips are even back (let's not talk about the boobs, those will never be the same...but I'm going to enjoy them while they are, erm, "naturally enhanced"), but my midsection does this (not-so) funny jut out right above where I wear my pants. Helloooo muffintop. Goodbye self-esteem.
So when my Groupon email came through a couple months ago tempting me at 75% off these funny-looking shorts that are all-the-rage in the UK, I thought "why not?" They boast that these pants will help you lose 2 jean sizes in two weeks. Probably not going to happen, but they have a 2 week challenge: lose inches off your waist, hips and thighs in just two weeks. Wear them to bed, wear them around the house, and workout in them.
Fast forward two months and my Hotpants are finally here. So of course I rip them out of the package and put them on-every little bit counts, right? I feel like I should be giving directions to dolphins at Sea World. I also feel like those dolphins might hear the swish when I walk all the way from Orlando. Hehe.
So in two weeks I will let you know how these work out. If nothing else I can wear them as shapers-I already like how my waist looks in these things...time will tell!