Happies & Crappies! {link up}

This is one of my favorite link ups for the fact that it is simple and the same prompts each week!  Feel free to join in using the button below.

•  I haven't been motivated lately when it comes to scheduling and planning meals for the week.  Therefore, it seems like dinner every night is somewhat last minute/hectic!  I'd like to change that for the upcoming week.
• Our financial situation has gone from bad to worse.  Because I am a seasonal employee, my hours were cut as the season ended.  Therefore, our only paycheck at this moment was cut significantly and will be even worse from here on out.  Thankfully, we are able to supplement this income with our savings... but this won't be able to go on much longer.  We have plans to leave the Midwest and move back to Tennessee... but at this point, plans to do anything are looking extremely bleak.  I know it will all work out one way or another eventually... but that doesn't help me in the meantime from worrying about HOW in the hell things are going to work out.
• Presley's been sick for a week or so with what must be a cold.  She's been so congested and I feel so bad for her!  We've added an extra pillow in her crib, turned on her humidifier, and today I tried the saline/nose-sucker combo and she just flipped out.  We've also been giving her extra showers hoping that that'll help break things up.
• We're currently on state insurance, which is SUCH A BLESSING!  Except for when it comes to certain things - for example, Presley's vaccines.  I guess the state is out of or running low on certain vaccines at the moment so instead of getting her vaccines as she normally would at her 18 month appointment, she's still waiting for them.  She will be 21 months old this month.  It just makes me upset that we can't give her things like this at the moment.  (However, it was much more stressful while we went without insurance for a few months... so having insurance at the moment is a huge relief in and of itself.)
• So as you can see, my life has a few worries in it at the moment.  When I have a free moment to think (usually in the shower), instead of it being calm & relaxing, all I can think about in my mind are all the things that I find stressful in my life.  And I hate that.
• What sucks is the money we saved wasn't meant to pay bills... it was meant to be a down payment on a future home!  But...

 

• ...thankfully we have money to pay our bills.
• Hanging out at the Quad Cities Birthing Conference today... spoke with lots of awesome vendors around the Quad Cities and listened to an informative seminar.  There were so many really great resources for parents and parents-to-be!  I especially loved my conversation with a local massage doula (Marci Worlton) and also someone from the La Lache League of the Quad Cities. All of it was free and the conference is reoccurring, which is good news.  It's also such a great way to really feel like part of a community... I can't wait for the next one!  (More information here.)
• Picking up a fountain Coke through the McDonald's drive-thru this morning.
• Finding something for both Presley & I at Kohl's today on super clearance... both items were 90% off!  Hers was $3.20 (cute pair of Osh Kosh overalls) and mine was $4.80 (super cute simple black dress).
• Tony changing the oil in the Fit & rotating the tires! (Reason #6 I love my Husband:  He is a handy man and a hard worker!)
• Having a great work week! (More on this subject later!)
• I stopped talking about it and finally went for a walk in our neighborhood today.  I've been wanting to start walk/jogging a few times a week for a while now and I just got back from a nice afternoon walk during Presley's nap.  It was great!  The trees are so beautiful this time of year.  Also, I just started using a new app to track my progress... it's called Runtastic!  I got it for free through Starbucks (they offer free apps/song downloads in the store on through their Starbucks app each week) and so far I really like it.
• Now that Halloween is over, it is time for two of my favorite months out of the whole year!  November means my birthday month plus Thanksgiving (which means getting the family together!!!) and next up is December which means advent, Santa, the Holy Family, & Christmas!  Oh... and Christmas cards!  I am hoping the current state of our life will be much different by December... I really, really, really hope that will be the case.
• I've been having a lot of good hair days lately.  Ever since I got my hair cut (last month?) for the first time in a looong time, I've been so happy with my hair.  It's the little things, people!

Thanks for reading! I wanted to end with the positive things about this past week in order to not leave you all with my feelings of doom & gloom.  Hope life is good and if you link up with Happies & Crappies come back here and let me know so I can sneak over to read yours. :)

Also... Presley was an adorable tiger, owl, and ladybug this Halloween thanks to last Halloween's clearance costumes!

Happy 8 month birthday, Presley girl!

Here is what Miss Presley has been up to lately...

• This child is definitely loves to move!  I'm not kidding when I say she dances... she really does... and she mimics my silly dance moves and I LOVE it.  I can't take credit for these next dance moves though...

• Definitely does not like the vacuum.  She doesn't like the look of it or the sound of it -- especially if I'm not holding her.  Although, she is getting better.  My goal is to vacuum once a day until she's immune/indifferent to it.
• She has started waving!  And oh my goodness, it is so precious.  Alli & Molly (her baby BFFs who are 2.5 months older than her) started really getting their wave on lately and I think it's been rubbing off on Presley - which is usually what happens after we hang out with the older girls!  Presley LOVES to wave - especially to herself in the mirror.  She hasn't learned to do it on command... she usually starts waving when she's really excited!  We'll say "Hiiiiiii!" as we wave back to her and so she's started to scream with excitement when she waves and it sounds like "Haaaaaa!" (like she's trying to mimic us saying hi!)  -she excitedly showed this trick off to everyone this weekend!
• Speaking of Alli and Molly, here are some recent pictures of the three girls hanging out.

Alli, Presley, & Molly

Presley, Molly, & Alli

•  Sitting up is a lot more natural for Presley and she's starting to do really well with it.  If she is sitting up and the Boppy is around her, she does even better.

• She mostly sleeps on her belly these days, although we put her to bed on her back every night.
• Still nursing her and both Presley and I are still loving it!
• Making her baby food and still loving that as well - although I'm back to only feeding her baby food once a day.  For a time there Presley seemed disinterested in her pureed food, so maybe I will have to try more chunky/solid-type foods for her.
• She's also starting to eat more of the things I can eat - or at least more than before.  I've been giving her little pieces of bread and she tried a bit of my refried beans the other day! 
• She's up to 3 teeth - all on the bottom.  She now shows them off when she smiles - too darn cute.

See those three little teeth?

•  Still a mostly bald baby!  But her hair is slowly but surely growing and I don't know if it's getting darker now that summer has left us or what, but it is looking more brown than blonde.  Almost long enough for a mohawk!

• Loves to babble and she mostly just says, "Buh-buh-buh-buh-buh..."

• Got us an ErgoBaby Carrier and so far we love it - although - how in the HECK do people buckle it without help!?  I thought I could do it on my own the other day but I had to ask the help of a stranger at the grocery store the help buckle it at the top...!  A little embarrassing but the gentleman was so so nice and helpful.
• She has the best laugh...

• Oh man is Presley a little social baby these days!  People will stop us while we're out and talk to Presley and she will just take them in for a few minutes with a very serious look and then her whole face will light up with a smile and she will sometimes even giggle if the stranger is very friendly!  (So much for teaching stranger danger!  But I suppose that comes later...)
• I wouldn't say that Presley is crawling yet... but she does scoot around really well - mostly in circles to whatever interests her.  Tonight, though, she got up on her knees and almost lunged forward -- AHHH!  We are really really trying to get the living room cleaned up and baby proofed because it really will be a matter of days/weeks and she will be on the move!
• Loves to drink water out of her sippy cup!  We have a Tommee Tippee sippy cup as well as an Avent sippy cup and she seems to do better with the Avent sippy cup for now.  She can hold it herself but has a tough time with tipping it back so she let's us do that part, usually!
• Her next check-up is at 9 months and we have it scheduled for November 13th!
• P is still in size 3 diapers.  Starting to grow out of some of her 6-9 month sleepers depending on the brand.  It won't be long until we switch her to 9-12 month clothes all together!  Presley is so long/tall!!!!

• Still not much of a napper.  I've actually kind-of given up on naps all together for her and while I hate it (for me and for her) it seems to be just fine.  Some days she naps, but it usually for a very short amount of time and pretty sporadic.  Hopefully this will change since we are now...
• ...on night two of sleep training!  And we're sticking to it!  We've already picked up a pattern of going back in there and giving her a little baby massage, and that really calms her down after the first "waiting" period.  (We're going with the Ferber/progressive waiting method!) *note: Presley has been sleeping through the night in her crib since she was 3 months old, but because Presley can be somewhat unpredictable at bedtime, we felt it was important to help teach Presley to put herself to sleep on her own - that is something that she will benefit from in the long run!  We still have a consistent bedtime routine that includes holding and hugging her, reading her a book, singing a lullaby, kisses, her bedtime light-up/noise-making puppy, and then bedtime.*
• Definitely still a mamas girl and going through an "ALL about mom" phase at the moment aka, her first real bought of separation anxiety.  If she knows I'm around but can't see me she will sometimes cry and become uneasy... even in daddy's arms.  It makes me feel wonderful but now I mostly just worry that I make myself too available - if that is such a thing!

She sure loves hanging out with her daddy, though!

• We are dressing her up for Halloween - she's got a pirate costume and a sunflower costume - so we will probably dress her up two times for separate occasions!

Happy little sunflower!

•  Still not really warmed up to dogs.  But as you can see in the above picture - she was doing alright next to Sammy (little Shih Tzu and she sometimes acted like he was a monster!  And he is so relaxed!) towards the end of our trip.

So, this update is a little bit late - Presley was 8 months on Saturday the 20th.  We were in Nashville this past weekend for my niece's baptism!  Anne Marie is about a week shy of 3 months - and it was Tony's first time meeting his niece and my first time seeing her since she was born so it was definitely an awesome trip.  Presley traveled like a rock star - for the most part (of course there was some tears, but that's to be expected!) and we really did have a blast.  We miss Nashville tremendously already.   My awesome mother-in-law drove in to Nashville to spend time with all of us and she brought Tony's Uncle Mike & Aunt Angie with her so they could meet Miss Presley! 

Sweet baby girl after her baptism!

Anne Marie and all her aunts, uncles, and cousin!  That's Jonathan (my soon-to-be BIL), Tony (my hubby), John (my BIL), Ashley in the purple (my little sis), me and Presley, Pamela (John's sister), Amanda (my big sister), Greg (John's brother), Anne Marie (my niece - Amanda & John's little one), and Greg's wife - Caroline.

My sisters, niece, daughter & myself.  Wish we all lived in the same area!

That's my mother-in-law!  I can't say enough good things about this woman so I will just share one ~ she is GORGEOUS and recently stopped smoking cold turkey for her granddaughter!  How awesome is that?

Mike, Presley, Selena, & Angie!  So happy to see them.

My mom with her two grandkids ~ Presley & Anne Marie

Such a fun time with so many special people-- can't wait until we are ready to move there, although we're not entirely sure when that will be!  Until those days, we will surely be enjoying the ones in the near future.  Halloween and Thanksgiving are just around the corner and in between those two holidays there will be a new baby boy in the family!  Maybe I will be able to talk my cousin Breanne into guest blogging about the labor, delivery, and birth of her son after he arrives.  (Keep your fingers crossed on that one!)  And then of course after Thanksgiving, there is Christmas and New Years to be excited for and now only 4 more months to plan Presley's first birthday bash!  So many happy times, family, and blessings... how exciting! XO, the duggans

Happy 7 Month Birthday, Presley Rose!

 Note:  These pictures were near impossible to take because she is so on the move these days!

Seems like just a few days ago I wrote about what she was up to!  That means I will probably definitely and accidentally repeat myself... so I apologize for boring anyone to tears but I don't want to forget anything.

• We're still breastfeeding... YAY!  Seven months strong and I love it.  I don't think we could have kept this up if I weren't staying home with her.  I am beyond grateful that I've been home with her this long - despite so many days of feeling overwhelmed, under-prepared, and not qualified!  It's important to remember the ways in which I'm fortunate alongside with my daily complaints.  I don't think I have a thing to complain about when it comes to nursing these days.  It has gotten to be much less of a "chore" now that solid foods are in the mix.  It actually seems like I nurse her less than before.  (Which is probably true...)
• Speaking of solid foods, here is what the princess has been introduced to thus far:  Baby Oatmeal, Organic Brown Rice Cereal, Sweet Peas, Green Beans, Carrots, Butternut Squash, Pumpkin, and Sweet Potatoes.  Carrots were an instant favorite but honestly, she has loved each food more and more as we've gone on.  Today she had her first bit of sweet potatoes and she scarfed them down!
• When we started solids, she only ate one "meal" in the late afternoon.  Within the last week or so, I've added another solid meal after we get up in the morning.  She eats about 4 ounces of baby food a day (about 2 ounces per meal) along with some cereal mixed in to thicken it up.
• She is such a good little eater.  Since it was a rainy, overcast morning - we slept in.  This meant skipping over her breakfast meal.  She had it later on in the early afternoon and was bouncing around in the high chair as I was preparing her food!  She's a little foodie just like her mommy!
• We usually lay Presley down on her back/side when she goes to bed, but she normally ends up on her belly these days and seems to be pretty content there.  We've also added her new teddy bear to her nighttime routine and she seems to LOVE it.  The bear sings lullabies or plays nature sounds on a 10 or 20 minute timer and lights up during that time.  It really seems to have a calming affect on Presley and has helped at bedtime.  (Thank you Kelly for her nighttime bear!)  I also read her "Night Night Little Pookie" every night before bed!
• Still wearing size 3 diapers - Pampers Swaddlers being out favorite.  (Although we love Target brand, Pampers Cruisers, and love the Kroger brand of diapers.  Wish we had a Kroger around us for so many reasons!)  The only diapers we've found we don't really like very much are the Huggies with Mickey and friends (the Pooh and friends are pretty good) as well as Pampers Baby Dry - not a fan of those because of the poor quality.
• Just got an ErgoBaby Carrier and I am so excited to start slinging Presley around with me now more comfortably.  I hope we like it as much as everybody else seems to!
• Naps have been a struggle since teething reared it's ugly little head and it's been a tough few weeks in the napping department.  We finally seem to be turning a corner and I hope we keep continuing on in the right direction!
• Presley's still got some cradle cap that is hanging around and I can't wait until that decides to leave her alone so we can tell what her true hair color is.  (It really messes with the shade!)  Speaking of hair, she is started to sprout some additional hair up top!  Still not nearly as much as her cousin - Anne Marie, though!
• Because she had a fever last month at her checkup, we couldn't get her shots then.  I have been  a bad mom and keep putting it off!  I really want to wait until a time that Tony can be there because I don't like being the only one around when she gets her shots... so hopefully we'll make this happen in the upcoming week!
• This child still hugely prefers showers to baths, but we're going to keep giving baths a try in hopes she will get used to them.
• Still hanging out with our buds every week.  Got to love baby interaction!

L to R:  Presley, Molly, and Alli.  (I hope I got that right.  I'm slipping when it comes to telling the twins apart these days!)

•  Presley has started to think "Peek-a-Boo" is HILARIOUS.  She also finds older individuals to be a hoot, as well.  She's started to really laugh and squeal at people who talk to her when we are out and about and it's precious.

• I still have a baby clearance/good deal addiction.  It's bad.
• Still haven't put a pair of shoes on my child yet.  I have a feeling this will change as summer escapes us!
• As you can see from one of the first pictures I posted, Presley is getting pretty good at sitting up on her own.  She still needs a lot of support as she can only sit by herself for a short amount of time, but it's a start!
• Still going back and forth on whether or not to get her ears pierced.  Now that she messes with her ears, I'm not sure if it'd be a good idea at this point to have them pierced.  We'll see!

So that's all I can really think of when it comes to what P's been up to.  Can't believe Halloween is coming up in about a month!!!  So exciting.  I already have a few ideas for Presley's costume - but we aren't really doing anything crazy or over-the-top for her outfit this year.  We plan on going to Boo at the Zoo!  Very excited about that.  And then not long after that, Presley will have a new 2nd cousin then is Thanksgiving and finally... Christmas!!!!  This time of year absolutely ROCKS minus the snow and ice... not looking forward to that very much but all the rest of it will be so exciting.  And then not far from Christmas will be Presley's first birthday!  So much to look forward to in the next five months...

23 week Pregnancy Reflection!

How far along?:  Twenty-three weeks & two days along in my first pregnancy!  (About 17 weeks to go)

Me & Tony dressing up for Halloween as characters from the movie Juno!  Me @ 23 weeks!

Size of baby:  Baby Duggan is the size of an EAR OF CORN! :)

8.5 inches & 1.5 pounds!  (making me hungry!)

Gender:  She's a GIRL and we've decided on her name:  Presley Rose! 
Presley - because it's a beautiful name we both love and mostly got the idea from Elvis Presley -- my dad was a huge fan and since he's no longer with us I've often wanted to name one of my kids in honor of him... perfect!
Rose - it's my Gramma Elinor's middle name... she is such a wonderful, incredibly strong, intelligent, passionate, and peaceful person that I think the world of.  I'm going to make sure Presley knows who she was named after and why.  Not to mention, she has a BEAUTIFUL middle name that I am going to be happy to carry on.

Movement:  Presley has been consistently kicking for the past few weeks now.  They're getting a lot stronger and to the point where they make me laugh!  Tony FINALLY felt a big, strong kick this past week after so many weeks of thinking he might have felt a kick.  I was so happy and so was he!  He definitely thinks this journey is a really cool one.

Cravings/Aversions:  Oh my word, have I ever had a severe craving this week:  CARROTS and ranch!  Of course, milk nog, like always.  And I've also been eating a lot of peanut butter crackers!  Not very many aversions at this point, though.


I am feeling:  I've been feeling so ready for this baby to get here!  I can't wait to see her and meet her and hold her and get to dress her up.  I know we've got so so so many things to do in the time before she arrives, but just hearing about fellow-blogger, Sharon's, BEAUTIFUL baby girl getting here... it definitely makes me anxious to meet our little one. 

What I miss most:  The usual -- being able to lay flat on my back.  I miss not having to worry about what I am doing, what I'm capable of, what I put in my mouth, etc.  I miss being able to do all things and definitely dislike when people tell me I "can't" do something.... HUMPH!

Best moment of the week:  I had a blast hanging out with everybody at the Halloween party last night.  The best costume was BY FAR Elisabeth & Jeff who dressed up as Chaz Bono & Lacey Schwimmer from DWTS!  It was fun to see what everyone decided to dress up and neat to see the effort everyone put into their costumes.

Here I am with "Chaz" :)  So hilarious and awesome

What I'm looking forward to this week:  I help coach a middle school cheer-leading squad and their first game is this week - so that will be a fun time!  Tony and I are also going to get our Christmas pictures taken this Thursday and I am really looking forward to that.  Also, looking forward to NOVEMBER being upon us;  Thanksgiving, my birthday, Breaking Dawn, beautiful weather, one month closer to the holidays & visiting family, etc.  I'm also looking forward to revisiting our baby registries and adding things to them in preparation for our first shower in December down south with Tony's family!  


Alright... everybody have a great week!  Just five more days until the weekend, right?