The "Three-nager" Stage

Good morning friends! 

Hope y'all had a good Monday and start to the week! I was able to get a good nights sleep last night and Eva did as well which I am so thankful for. Little Miss has been fighting off a nasty cold/flu (no it wasn't Covid) she was all kinds of congested and her cough is just atrocious, but she is doing so much better and I just thank God for getting us through the hard part. 

Unfortunately I have a little cough and tight chest now too, but I'm hoping it's just allergies because it's supposed to rain all week this week, that's usually when my allergies are the worst! Hopefully I'm not bgetting sick because being pregnant as well it is a lot and I can't really take much medicine-wise!

Anyway...I wanted to come in here for a little rant, maybe some friendly advice from momma's with toddlers because I am just lost and don't really know how to handle my three year old at this point. Evangeline is obviously my first child meaning she is my first toddler and the attitude, meltdowns and sass is just getting a little too much. Maybe it's my hormones talking, but I am at a crossroads! 

This little girl is everything in my world and I know that this is just a phase that we're going to have to fight through together. I am just really stuck on how to handle the new attitude I'm getting from such a tiny little person.

Let me let you in on a little secret....Eva isn't like most three year olds who are already talking and are potty trained, she is a little behind on those types of things and I have been told multiple times to get her evaluated for autism. Why am I hesitating to get that done? Maybe because I'm scared of the result, not because I think anyone is any different for having autism, but because I don't know how to help my little girl grow or get a better understanding of things. She has been doing a lot better since starting school and her speech is improving tremendously due to speech therapy every 2-3 times a week, but her understanding and cognitive abilities are still something to be worked on and I have no idea how to go about doing that.

Aside from Eva possibly being on the spectrum for autism, she is also refusing to eat and sleep at night. I could be overreacting especially because she has been sick for the past 4 days and we all know our appetite kind of goes out the window when we don't feel good, but even before she got sick, It's like she's afraid she's going to miss something! She only eats the bad stuff like chips and candy and stays far away from vegetables and some fruits. Is my child just a picky eater? Or is it my fault for not continuing to give her the the food she needs in order to eat healthy? I have tried to take away the junk food and only give her some leeway over the weekends but then she doesn't eat during the week and when she does, it's a few bites here and there! 

I am still learning and I am trying to find the happy medium, but man....I didn't think I would struggle this much! 

I just want what's best for my sweet girl and I am open to any advice! Some parents tell me to use the softer approach and try to talk to her and explain when it comes to her being defiant, but then I feel like she doesn't understand what I am trying to say because her speech and understanding isn't where it should be, but then I also don't feel right yelling or spanking everytime she is defiant because then what is that teaching her as well? 

I grew up on spanks and I am a firm believer that to a certain extent it is necessary, but all the time? Absolutely not! 

It's just finding that happy medium that is hard and that is where I am struggling! It's so frustrating not knowing how to "parent" your child! But I am learning and I know that in the future I will look back and laugh at how much time I spent overthinking this whole thing.

Anyway friends! If you have any advice or words of wisdom, I would really appreciate it! 

I hope you all have a Blessed Tuesday! 

XXX

Happy Homemaker Monday!

 Hi friends! 

Boy let me tell you, life has been a major rollercoaster lately and I'm sure most of you can agree with me on that one. I figured maybe if I start participating slowly in my Aunt's Happy Homemaker Monday posts every week and slowly start getting back into blogging, it will distract me from all the chaos that is going on around us. 

I know I'm a little late to the party, but it's still Monday so better late than never right? 

I've been trying to just push through today because last night my three year old who has been sick this past weekend decided she didn't want to sleep last night and would much rather enjoy a little giggle session and playtime from 1:00 am to about after 4:00 am! And on top of that, I had to still get her up for school at 6:30 this morning as well! So it's been interesting and exhausting and to make it even worse, she decided to fight a nap too after school so I don't know friends I'm seriously at my wits end!

But anyway...let's jump right into this post! 

Sandra Bourland's Happy Homemaker Monday!

Breakfast Time: What was on the plate this morning?

This morning I had breakfast with my momma and we enjoyed some toasted bolillo rolls with eggs and mayo on them and I also added a little cottage cheese on there. It was really good!

Looking Around The House:

The house is not clean at all! I'm going to be honest, there has been no energy to do anything. It's not like disgustingly dirty, it just needs to be picked up, things need to be packed away and a good vacuum is needed too! Otherwise, it's pretty decent! 

On Today's To-Do List:

Just taking it easy today. I know it's almost dinner time and such, but I've literally been uploading pictures from my camera to my computer and that is literally all I've done today. My daughter is fed, meds have been taken and she is now outside playing in the yard, so it's been a pretty relaxed day.

Currently Reading: 

The Never List by Koethi Zan

I have been reading this book for months now because I just don't have the time to actually sit and read a good amount of pages, so I'm taking my time and hopefully I will finish it eventually! 

On The TV This Week:

I have actually been enjoying watching crime and investigation shows, so that's all that's been on my watch list lately and a little bit of some Big Bang Theory. 

The Weather Outside Is: 

So excited for the rain this week, but not to too excited about waking up in it every morning to take my little to school! LOL

If I Have A Few Minutes To Myself, I Will: 

Watch crime and investigation shows. I don't know what it is! I have never really enjoyed stuff like that because those types of things scare me, but lately I've just been enjoying them. 

New Recipe I Tried or Want To Try This Week:

I think sometime this week, I am going to try this Broiled Cod with Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce 

Seems simple and quick and a little different from what we usually do with our cod fish.

One Of My Simple Pleasures:

A good nap or a good nights sleep! LOL 

I know it's odd and funny to say, but lately sleep has been non existent lately and with my son coming soon, there's really going to be no sleep whatsoever! 

Favorite Photo From The Camera:

My beautiful boy Remington! The most placid and sweetest dog in the world, also very protective of his pregnant momma!

Praying For:

✰ My beautiful momma who is fighting breast cancer right now.

✰ The world we live in right now. Praying for better days to come!

I Thought 2020 Was a Bad Year!

 Last year the world turned upside down and everyone was scared and confused. We suffered from losing loved ones to actual toilet paper shortages everywhere! We have all come a long way since then and a lot has happened to a lot of people and their families. I feel like everyone has had their fair share of hardships and my family has been dealing with hit after hit after hit! 

We may not have lost family members to the dreaded Covid-19, but we have dealt with a lot of other issues that have put us down on our knees begging God for it all to stop and go away! I think the only blessing that has happened this year was me getting pregnant again and even though I was so shocked and disappointed that this was happening now, I have come to realize that God works in mysterious ways and having a little one on the way is always a Blessing no matter the circumstances.

I know I said I would come in and give updates on the pregnancy as well as bump pictures, but once again, life got in the way and that hasn't really been a big priority in my life. My family and I were hit with devastating news about a month ago that non of us were expecting or even imagined would've ever happened. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and unfortunately it is aggressive and spreading quickly. We are still trying to come to terms with the news and trying to get all doctors appointments and treatments done as soon as possible. It hasn't been easy and all of us are emotionally and mentally exhausted from trying to be supportive and helpful in any way for my mother. 

My mother had her first chemo treatments this last Friday and she has been really good since then, she just as of now, doesn't have a lot of energy but that's all that's keeping her down right now. My mother is an absolute warrior and we are all so proud of the strength and positive attitude she is showing through all of this. She is definitely the strongest women I know!

So if you could please send some Prayers for my momma to beat this thing, we would really appreciate it!

Hope y'all had a safe and Blessed 4th of July weekend! Stay Blessed! 

XXX 

~Unexpected Surprises~

 Hi everyone! 

How're y'all doing? Hope your 2021 is going as well as it can be for you. I tell you, it's been a good year for us so far and we even have a big surprise to share with everyone...

Surprise!! Baby James #2 will be here December 30, 2021! 

I am 7 weeks and 5 days today. This pregnancy has been a lot harder than when I was pregnant with Eva! The morning sickness has been worse to be the point where I can barely get up some days! Everything sounds off putting, although fruits and some foods sound so good! With Eva all i wanted to eat was chocolate, mostly chocolate cereal, but with this baby it's all about the healthy food!

I have already been to the emergency room with bleeding and blood clots, and some weird cramps which is never fun and gave us such a big scare, but turned out everything was fine and all I had was a bad UTI! Weird right?

This pregnancy was not planned at all and came as a total shock to all of us! I was actually getting back into the gym and working hard to get rid of my baby weight from Eva, so when I found out I was pregnant again I won't lie, I wasn't too thrilled and actually had a hard time coming to terms with it. But after seeing the little bean and hearing the little heartbeat, I couldn't help but tear up a bit from pure happiness and just thinking..."Eva is going to be a big sister!!" 

I plan on coming on here every week and doing an update on the pregnancy. I will be talking about my symptoms and how big the baby is getting and also will upload some bump pictures which is always exciting! 

I hope y'all have a Blessed Tuesday! 

XOXO

{2021 - A New Exciting Year!}

 Hi Friends!

I know I'm late to the party but Happy New Year!! 

I know 2020 was a bit of a crappy year and for some it was worse than others. I just want to send out my condolences to those that have lost loved ones to the horrendous Covid virus. My thoughts and prayers are with you always! Even though 2021 didn't start out any better, I would just like to send out a ton of positive vibes into the universe in hopes that things start turning around for the better very soon! I'm sure each and every person reading this could use some positivity! I know I can! 

Last year was a good and bad year for me and my family and I'm going to tell you why in just a second, but first I have to just say that I am thankful to God for bringing my family where we are today and for showing us just how much we need Him in our lives. It has taken me a long time to actually sit down and come up with something to say about the year we've had because it's just been so hard and our lives have literally become such a rollercoaster! 

On July 4, 2020 my family and I went for a joy ride up in the mountains and it actually turned out to be a fun day. After spending spending all afternoon riding around, we needed to head back home to see my mother-in-law for her birthday and while we were coming back down the mountain, we hit a bit of some slippery sand and our truck rolled twice down into a ditch and landed on its roof. What gets me to this day is we had just gotten to the bottom of the mountain with a straight drop right next to us, if we had rolled off the egde at that time, we would've been dead. I'm just so grateful to God that we had made it to the bottom before rolling. Got to look at the small things right?

My husband suffered a sprained ankle and I broke my middle finger on my right hand. Our daughter came out of that wreck UNTOUCHED! Praise be to God! She was just laying there upside down in her carseat crying but only because I was screaming and scaring her. Once my husband got her out, I climbed up the side of the mountain with her on my hip and managed to wave down a car with a wonderful family that helped us until the cops and ambulance arrived. Just wanted to also add that we did have our 2 fur babies with us and when we rolled the truck, Tater met us at the door when we pushed our way out, but we couldn't find Remington anywhere! We were heartbroken when the thought crossed our minds, "Omg our sweet boy is under the truck!"

My husband (with his adrenaline pumping) lifted the truck onto it's side and thankfully, Remington wasn't under the truck! He ran away and because he was so scared, he wouldn't come back to us. Steven's cousin and his wife went hiking up into the mountain to find him, but the stinker kept running away from them! So when it came time to leave and head to the emergency room, Steven left his bloody hat on the side of the road in hopes that our boy would come down and meet us there the next morning. 

Thankfully we found our boy the next day. Steven's family was amazing and helped from the moment we crashed to the very moment we were reunited with our sweet Remington. It was the perfect way to make up for the most intense 2 days of our lives. As you can see our 2 boys are happy and doing well.

We thought that was the only terrible thing we would ever have to go through until the next week, Evangeline swallowed a toy ball wrapped in velcro and was choking. Thankfully my brother was in time and while I was running out of my house screaming for help, he managed to get the ball up a little enough for her to get some air in but the velcro tore her throat up and she started bleeding. By that time I had already called the cops seeing as no one on my street responded to my cries, and they rushed her to the emergency room within 5 minutes of the incident happening. My husband was called and rushed home from work and met me at the emergency room where they managed to take the ball out of Eva's throat, but she had to be sedated so she could calm down and let the doctors work. 

Unfortunately our little girl had to stay a couple nights at the hospital in Boise which was not a pleasant experience for her or us. Thankfully she managed to make a full recovery! It was a hard month for us and we are still paying for it but I am just so thankful to God that my family is healthy and doing well.

On the bright side, at the end of last year, we moved to Texas to be closer to my family! We are still trying to adjust, but we are doing pretty darn good! My husband managed to get a job and is going to his dream school in Dallas and I finally have some help with Eva, not to mention my parents and brother finally get a chance to bond with her and they are absolutely LOVING it! 

This year is going to be an opportunity for us to grow in wasy we couldn't grow before and I am super excited! I hope ya'll will be able to join us!

Hope you all have a Blessed day further! God Bless!

Tiffany 

xoxo