New Year!

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Happy New Year!

I have not stayed up until midnight for a long time. It has been years! When I was working, I would work the morning shift. I had to get up before 5 am. So there was no way on New Years Eve that I was going to stay up. Since being married I don’t think we have ever stayed up until midnight. We need our sleep.
But I am sure everyone had a great start to the new year. I am excited for 2022. 2021 wasn’t too bad. I mean we didn’t have to move in 2021 like we have the last two years. So that is a bonus.

Last night we had a little dance party, played some games and did a few crafts. I have been trying to come up with resolutions for the new year.

Number one is once a month I will find one thing that I like about where we live. Moving in a pandemic has not helped the issue because there really isn’t much to do or people to see because we don’t know a whole lot of people. So I will be working on that this year.
Number two is to have more patience with my kids. They have their moments where they just like to push my buttons. I need to remember that they are learning and that they listen better when I give gentle reminders.
Lastly, number three is to exercise. I don’t have any specifics about it yet, but I will work on exercising hopefully every day; minus Sundays. Working out definitely helps relax me and is good for my mental health.
Hopefully, I can accomplish all of these this year. I need to remember that if I mess up a few times with my resolutions that that is ok. I just need to not get discouraged and to get up and keep going.
I am still working on part two of my birth story so stay tuned!

-Jelly Jazz

Birth Story Part 1

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It’s been over a month since I have given birth so I thought I would share our baby’s birth story part 1.

The Saturday before I went into labor I was feeling uncomfortable. I knew the baby was low, but I wasn’t having any contractions. However, it was the same kind of feeling I had when I went into labor with my last baby so I was a little nervous. There was a lot of pressure, but no contractions. However, that uncomfortable feeling stopped.

I did message our babysitter to keep her updated on our situation. Our number one babysitter on call is wonderful. I have called her for doctor appointments and she is wonderful with our kids. I had been stressed trying to find other options of babysitters in case she couldn’t make it. Moving to a new place and not knowing anyone is hard; especially when it comes to matters like this. So we were happy that she could help us. But we felt like we needed at least one more person. We were happy and relieved that my husband’s mom could come out and help us. However, we were praying that baby would wait until after she came. She came in on that Sunday night. I went into labor later Monday afternoon.

I had my 38 week doctor’s appointment and the doctor asked if I wanted to see if I was dilated. I knew that if she checked me I would go into labor; as that is what happened with my first baby. After the doctor left so that I could get ready for the exam I thought to myself, “Am I ready to have a baby this week?” I felt comfortable and confident that I was ready. I had been preparing stuff and getting ready for the baby for a few weeks now because in my heart I knew that baby was coming early.

-Jelly Jazz

Getting Ready for Birth!

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As the birth of our third child comes closer and closer, I have been doing lots of nesting. Trying to get things organized, hospital bag ready, and notes prepared for babysitters.

My body is feeling the aches and uncomfortableness of being in the third trimester. As we are pretty sure that this will be our last baby, I am trying to soak in the last few moments of being pregnant.

However, I will be glad when this part is over. Being pregnant with two young kids is a challenge. I feel like a cranky mom all the time, but I try to remind myself that our kids know that something is happening soon. They are being told the baby is coming soon, but they don’t fully understand it as much as we would like to think they do. So that is part of the reason they are acting up or being more clinging and whiny.

I need to work on having more patience with them. I do this by sitting down with them, cuddling them, or playing with them. Sometimes I want to do other things, but I know they need lots of attention and love, especially right now.

I am getting all the nerves from thinking of giving birth soon. I have never given birth in the same hospital and this birth is no exception. So I don’t know what to expect. Our experience with the doctors and health care system here has unfortunately not been the greatest. So I am worried about what to expect at the hospital. But I am trying not to worry about it and just go with the flow of things.

First pregnancy.
Second pregnancy.

I had a fetal assessment last week to see how big the baby was. As my other two babies have been a bit bigger for me. So far baby looks good and healthy and they will probably not have to induce me with this one. Maybe soon I will share the birth stories of my other two kids.

Third pregnancy. A Halloween kiss from a Pumpkin and Wreck it Ralph.

We are excited to meet our little bundle of joy soon and hope that delivery goes well.

-Jelly Jazz

Date Night Fun

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I went on a date night with my husband! It has been two years since we have been on an official date with no kids AND outside the house. We have had a few date nights at home. Those have been nice, but to go out and feel a bit of freedom was amazing.

We talked about a lot of different things and it was nice to have a conversation with him and not have any distractions. We love our kids and missed them on our date, but it is nice to get a break now and then. Who knows? It will probably be another two years until we can get out again.

My favorite topic that we talked about was when I brought up that I forgot to put back on my wedding rings after making some bread. He said jokingly, “Well that might make some people talk. Here we are on a date, you are pregnant and you don’t have on wedding rings.” We had a good laugh about it. Needless to say, I kept my wedding hand-covered for most of the date. Luckily there were not that many people in the restaurant that afternoon.

I told him later that night that we are different when it comes to going on dates, but not in a bad way. As boyfriend and girlfriend, our dates consisted of turning on our computers and talking with each other by camera. We did that almost every day. Why do you ask? Living in two different countries (which I will talk about in another blog) makes it difficult to go out to restaurants, movies, and other fancy places for dates. Not saying those are bad to do, but for us as a married couple now, I think that our previous dating style has stuck with us. We are ok not going out all the time. We are ok staying home and just talking with each other or playing games because that is what we did when we were dating. It is nice to have a break every once in a while and do something different and fun, but it is also ok with us to just stay home sometimes. Maybe we are boring, but it works for us.

Jelly Jazz

Banana’s and Boys Growing Up

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Our son is at the age where he wants to help with lots of things. He is almost three. He has a morning routine where he wants his milk first and then breakfast. Just recently he has been wanting to help pour the milk in the bottle. He will say “I help, I help!” I have been letting him hold his bottle and then put the lid on. It is the cutest thing and I love that he wants to help me.

The other day he saw me starting to make banana bread. Of course, he wanted to help. This felt way out of my comfort zone. I thought of him sneezing into the batter, or licking the batter. I thought of him tipping the bowl and making a mess. But I just saw how desperate he wanted to help mommy so I let him. He did so well! He listened and stopped when I told him to. He stood on the chair very well and didn’t make a mess. Although if he made a mess, I would have survived. I am glad I didn’t let my fears get in the way of my son’s learning and growing.

I look at other three-year-old’s and worry that he is not advanced as they are. But partly that is because all the three-year-old’s that we know have older siblings so they learn from them. Our son is learning from scratch. But just like our banana batter is made from scratch, it is cooked into something wonderful. I know that my son is developing just fine and is growing into something wonderful.

-Jelly Jazz

Baby Update!

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I am in my third trimester now! I can not believe it. We are very excited to meet our bundle of joy soon. We are not finding out the gender so it will be a surprise for everyone!

It was hard at the beginning with feeling nausea all the time. Some days I would turn on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and let the kids watch a few episodes while I would lay on the floor. I have been out of the morning sickness stage for a while now, but some days are STILL hard emotionally.
Taking care of two little ones while wanting to take care of me is tough. My husband has been a great support through all of this.

Pregnancy hormones have been tough this round, but hopefully, those emotions will lessen a bit. Despite the hardships of being pregnant, I love feeling the baby move inside me. I can not wait to meet this little one. All of our babies have been blessings and miracles.

In other news, I get to do the lovely glucose test soon. I am crossing my fingers that I will not have gestational diabetes with this pregnancy. I had it with my second one. It was hard to prick my finger at least four times a day, but whatever the results are everything will be ok. All these tests doctors do are to make sure that you and the baby are healthy and get the best care and treatment, so I am grateful for that.

-Jelly Jazz

Arrested Love

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How did I know my husband was the one? Easy! I knew he was the one when he almost got arrested.

It was my second day visiting him. I loved spending time with him and seeing the beautiful surroundings where he lived. That night he was dropping me off at my hotel. We noticed some police cars on the other side of the road doing a check stop. I found out later that he was considering going the other way as he hadn’t yet switched over his car insurance from his hometown to the current city he lived. But he wanted to be honest.

I went up to my hotel room. I was considering taking a shower but had a feeling that I shouldn’t. I went and laid on my bed. Ten minutes after the phone rings with a police officer on the other end. He told me that he had my boyfriend outside and that I needed to drive him home. I didn’t hesitate and grabbed my wallet immediately. All I could think of was how worried I was for him. I was thinking of how scared he must be. I wanted to do everything I could to help him. That’s when I knew I wanted to marry him.

It was a scary moment for both of us but an eye-opener in our relationship. We knew we would always be there for each other. I didn’t make fun of his situation or criticize him for not switching over his insurance. I wanted to help him and was glad I could be there for him. We have been through tough times, but no matter what we are always there for each other.

-Jelly Jazz

Jelly Jazz Explored. Mom Awesomeness Unleashed!

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How do I start my blog? I keep asking this question and I FINALLY have an answer. Why not tell some secrets about me? Everyone loves some juicy gossip. Although I don’t know how juicy this will be. 

First off let me introduce my family a little. I have two young kids. They are about 18 months apart. We are expecting our third child which will again be 18 months apart from my youngest. 

You would think that with my third child I would be comfortable going to doctor’s appointments, but I very much dislike them.

5 Secrets About Me

Secret number one- I have the classic “White Coat” syndrome. I get very anxious and don’t like getting my blood pressure taken. I have no problem having my blood taken. Stick a needle in me and take all the blood you need, but do not take my blood pressure. My first maternity doctor recommended that I get a blood pressure cuff, so I have one now and just casually tell my maternity doctors that I take my blood pressure at home. Sometimes it is embarrassing, but I have learned to just embrace it.  

Secret number two- I dislike driving. I will do it, but I don’t like having to figure out driving to new places. The first time my husband and I met in person we drove downtown so I could drop him off at a car rental place. He was going to follow me back home. I thought I knew where I was going, but another little secret was I had never driven downtown before. So we got lost! Luckily he did not break up with me afterward. He was very sweet about it. 

Secret number three- I have a fear of heights. Ok, let me be more specific… I am not a fan of roller coasters. I can go on a plane no problem. I can climb a mountain, but do not ask me to go on a roller coaster! For a date, my husband and I went to an amusement park. He wanted to go on this roller coaster that went upside down. I was not overly impressed with the idea, but of course, I wanted to impress him. I hated every second of it and could not wait to get off! Now that we are married he is stuck with me. So I have no need to impress him with going on roller coasters. 

Secret number four- Since being married I have moved six times. As a couple and family, we have moved five times. A huge move that I made was when I moved to a different country to be with my husband. 

This brings me to my last secret…

Secret number five- Well sometimes you just have to have one secret. A secret that people will have to wait and find out as they read my blogs. But I will eventually share where I am from, what country I moved to, and why we moved around so much. 

I hope you enjoyed getting to know me a little bit. As you read more of my blogs I am sure you will get to know me even more. My goal is to write a blog two times a week. They will vary on the topic, but they will hopefully make you want to come back and read more.

– Jelly Jazz

Introducing Cattywampus Canvas. Designer Artwork to Brighten Your Home.

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Don’t miss your chance to own an original piece of contemporary art. Created in the digital style, these is framed art pieces will add unique style to any wall.

Created and sold by the artist – Cattywampus Jack. 

Not available anywhere else. Three Styles to choose from.

About the Canvas:

Help take your home decor to the next level with this organic, rustic, wood canvas art piece.  These unique wood canvas are made from 15mm plywood that comes with embedded mounting points. Furthermore, there’s an included paper template to help mark mounting points on walls. 

.: 0.6″ (15mm) thick plywood
.: Embedded mounting points
.: Eco-friendly material
.: Includes mounting hardware