A big girl now...

On Friday, my little "baby" spent her first night in a big girl bed (toddler bed).

Until then, we have been a co-sleeping family and I have loved and cherished every moment of it. To be honest, it was me who wasn't ready for her to spend the night 'away' from me on Friday. I was planning on us making the transition Easter weekend when I knew we would have more time together and more time to rest if needed due to a restless night. We had been prepping for the transition for weeks though... talking about her big girl bed, making her room more fun with a star nightlight, Elmo sheets and blankets and letting her baby doll sleep in the bed overnight.

On Friday, after I put new soft sheets on her newly adorned Elmo bed, she couldn't wait to get in it! We read books as she laid in bed and something told me she was ready...even though I was not. We read 5-7 different books, turned out the lights and turned on her new nightlight that also plays music. She asked to hold my hand so I laid down beside her in the floor and held her hand with her tucked in tight with Elmo, baby doll, her stuffed dog and kitty and paci of course. She fought falling asleep for a good hour, but never cried. I slept in the floor beside her until about midnight and got up and scooted to our bed (about 10ft away from her room, if that.). She woke up once crying for us, but after a quick hug, she fell back asleep. I woke up again at 4am and found Joel asleep in the floor beside her bed. I guess we both really missed our little snuggle bug.

The next night was a little tougher as she woke up more, but last night she didn't wake up at all. She did fight falling asleep for about an hour, tossing and turning, singing, counting and doing anything she knew to keep herself awake. After she gave up the fight, she woke up at 6:40am. She's doing so well with the transition and we are so proud of her. Such a big, smart girl!

This process has proven to me one more time why we should trust, pray and not worry. I had been so worried about the transition, dreading it for months, procrastinating the inevitable transition. Once again, God has shown me that I should not worry about tomorrow, I should not worry about things outside of my control, I should not worry at all...I should pray and trust. Thank you to Him for making this a smooth transition and for His continued love and blessings on our growing family!

Differences the 2nd time around...

With baby #2, things have been different from the beginning. They say your children have distinct differences and this pregnancy has shown me that so far. While I've still been sick, I've noticed a few key differences. 

The sickness didn't last as long as it did with baby #1. With my first, I was sick until 28 weeks. And when I say sick, I mean constantly throwing up with morning sickness all throughout the day. With baby #2, I'm now at 24 weeks and while I still may get sick once a week or so, it has subsided for the most part. 

I have more energy with this baby. I'm not sure if it's because I have no other choice with a little toddler to run after or simply because my body is better prepared for what is happening, but I've had a lot of energy and been able to be proactive at work and home. 

I can feel baby #2 more. With baby #1, I could feel the kicks/movements earlier on, this time around, it took longer to feel the movement, but now I feel her constantly! It's like she is doing an Insanity workout inside my tummy. Especially at night. Fingers crossed this is not a glimpse into the future of having her days and nights confused. 

With baby #1, I over prepared...this time...no so much. I feel like I have nothing prepared. With baby #1, I was focused on the nursery, registries, name selection - everything baby related consumed my world. Obviously, I don't have as much time on my hands, but I'm still just as excited about baby #2. I think it's just that I have now experienced what it's like to bring home a new baby and I now know, I don't need to stress about her room, clothes or things. If she's anything like the first, she won't spend much time in a beautifully decorated nursery anyways.

We're beyond excited to welcome in our new little love and adorn her with just as much love and affection as we did with our first... if anything she may get a little more affection as she'll have a big sister who loves her too!

4 more months!

Isla 21 Months

It's hard to believe my sweet girl is 21 months already. She has really developed a lot this month! Saying complete sentences, singing songs, learning her ABCs and counting to 14, (she always skips 3,4 and 7).

At 21 months Isla loves... to sing, count, chase Bella and be chased, be tickled, do 'round about, round about goes the bear', READ books, oatmeal and yogurt, be held, give hugs, play with her teapot and cups (but she pretends its coffee instead of tea), play with her babies, real babies, sun glasses, crackers, paci, dancing.

Isla dislikes diaper changes, getting her face and hands wiped, undressing and dressing, broccoli, riding in her car seat, going to sleep. 

Favorite things to say....

"I need to hold you"

"Me not like it"

"Bella!"

"Thank you, Mommy. Thank you"

She can sing her ABCs now, she usually skips T, U, V.

She can count to 14, but ALWAYS skips 3, 4 and 7. 

She LOVES to sing songs and dance. 

She is a true blessing to us and we feel so fortunate to have this little ray of light in our lives! Happy 21 months sweet girl. 

It's a...

We are so thrilled to announce that baby #2 is a GIRL!!! We did our gender reveal this weekend and had fun with silly sting and balloons. Isla was a little confused by all the silly string. She couldn't figure out if it was pink noodles or slime. It was so cute to watch her run around during the shoot though. Big thanks to Joel's talented sister who took all the pictures! We cannot wait for our little girl to arrive!

Almost half way there!

Almost half way there! This week we get to find out the gender of baby #2...if the hubby lets me! We found out with our first as I could not stand to wait. Joel was fine to wait and actually preferred for it to be surprise, but not me... the planner with slightly OCD personality traits had to know ahead of time. I've agreed to compromise and go with his wishes for baby #2, but I am still using power of persuasion to make him want to find out. We'll see if he bends at all.

I have a feeling its another girl. A lot has been the same with baby #2 as with our first. I've been VERY sick with ongoing nausea and indigestion. I have had headaches this time on top of the nausea which is new. No weight gain either...I've actually lost weight. I did the same thing with our daughter, so we're trying not to worry. With Isla, the sickness lasted until around 28 weeks and didn't revisit until I was in labor. Hopefully, will subside a little sooner with baby #2.

I've realized how luxurious my first pregnancy was, even if I was sick the majority of the time. The first time around I could go straight to bed, take a nap whenever I needed, not make dinner if I didn't feel like it, eat whatever I wanted, take a bath whenever I wanted and basically have many freedoms I do not have this time around. This time, I have a wide-eyed toddler watching my every move. She can tell when I'm sick, so I have to fake feeling well, put on a happy face and tell her everything is ok. She needs dinner or a snack, to be held or mommy time nearly 24/7 . She also watches my every move...if I'm craving ice cream or something she shouldn't have I have to sneak away or strategically plan my cravings. Especially since she is already a fussy eater. It's been an interesting journey already with baby #2.

We're starting to prepare Isla for her new sibling already. We've explained that there is a baby in mommy's belly, but now she thinks there is a baby in daddy's belly too and even her own! It's so cute to listen to her talk about babies and the fact that she is baby crazy right now makes us even more excited. We can tell she is going to be a very loving big sister to her little brother or sister. Hoping to find out the gender and share with our loved ones soon!

An Update on the Bradbury's

Wow, it's been over a month since my last post. You may be wondering what have the Bradbury's have been up to...

Well... First of all, Joel and I have both been very busy with new jobs! The Lord blessed both of us with a new job in October/November of 2013 and with any change, it has taken us a while to adjust and get settled. We are so grateful for the time we had together at our previous company and also feel incredibly blessed to both be in positions we love!

My new position allows me to work from home and the amount of extra time I get with our little nugget has been priceless! I have been busy working from home, spending more time with Isla, growing a human :), and also blogging over at The Mommies!

My friend Kristen and I launched The Mommies in the Fall of 2013 and we have loved the path that God has been taking us on through this blog. If you haven't already, please check us out at The Mommies and join for ongoing updates. Also, please message me if you would like to be a contributor at The Mommies! We love for other moms to share their experiences, blessings and tips.

Little Miss Isla Rae has been busy growing and changing into a little girl! That's right, her baby ways are leaving her and she is becoming more and more like a little girl rather than a baby every day. Of course, she will ALWAYS be my baby... and I'll never stop thinking of her in that way, but it's been so amazing to watch her develop over the past few months. Just this year alone, she has changed tremendously. She is more independent, the way she plays with her dolls and toys has changed... she is much more interactive now, she is VERY animated and loves to carry on a conversation, with anyone.

I feel so incredibly blessed to be her mommy and for the growing little bean in my belly!

Baby #2 Due 8-7-14

I'm excited to finally announce, Isla will have a baby sister or brother this year!

I'm overwhelmed with emotion and beyond grateful to God for His continued blessings to and allowing our family to grow.

Isla will turn two years old in June and Baby B. will be born sometime in August. With only two years between them, we hope the two will be close and develop a strong loving bond.

Here are a few snapshots of our announcement. I love how Isla is cracking up in some of these!