Covered Goods Multi-use Nursing Cover

*I received a nursing cover in exchange for this review. There are no affiliate links in this post.

Almost exactly four years ago I wrote a post (this one!) about Covered Goods, and I'm back again to share about this great company since Baby Bum #3 is on the way. Since we don't know if a little boy or girl is cooking in there, I guess I probably should have gotten a more gender-neutral design, but I picked the flower print shown on the right below because I loved it so much!

Covered Goods covers are multi-use for nursing, infinity scarf, carseat cover, or shopping cart cover (side note about shopping cart covers: I totally thought I'd be the mom who used one of those, but it turns out I am definitely not lol). They are suuuuuper soft and really stretchy. I used my first one a lot and it's held up well over the last four years.

If you are looking for a great baby shower gift or Christmas gift for the upcoming holiday, check out Covered Goods! They have a lot of cute prints and designs. 

So sorry for using stock photos, but I just haven't been able to get a good picture of my new cover in use because our infant carseat is currently up in the attic above our garage. But I did take it out of the package, and I just love the design and how soft and stretchy it is. Thank you to Covered Goods for sending me this cute new cover!

Fall Memories

It's funny to me that the title of my last post mentioned that going places is a fiasco, because last weekend we went to Texas and it was pretty much one of the most disastrous weekends ever. It wasn't a tragic weekend like something really sad happened. It was just that everything went wrong that could go wrong, and I think what made it seem worse is that Jordan and I both took the day off on Monday so we could have a long weekend and spend the whole day on Sunday instead of leaving to come home like we always do. We were super excited about going, and it just was kind of a bust. A fiasco, if you will ;)

Among other issues, I got bit in the ankle by a fire ant, and holy cow it was painful! My entire ankle swelled up, and I couldn't see my ankle bone. It also stung and itched like a mosquito bite on steroids. It's been over a week since it happened and my ankle is finally looking seminormal and not itching like crazy. 

We went to a pumpkin patch that was super crowded and so dusty that Jordan had an instant allergy attack. We tried to go visit the fountain in the middle of the town square but the fountain wasn't turned on. We tried to camp in my parent's backyard, but it started raining, which turned into a severe thunderstorm and tornado watch. We tried to watch sports and all of our teams lost.

Sometimes I wonder why I ever leave my house.

I often see moms on Instagram and blogs talk about how they aren't a "fun mom" and don't really like doing activities with their kids because it's stressful and extra work and just kind of a lot. And all of that is true. It IS stressful and extra work (and extra money) and just kind of a lot. But I love doing things and going places with my kids. I really, really do. And as stressful and as much work as it is, I keep doing it, because at the end of the day we are making memories.

Sometimes, like last weekend, it's more of a character-building memory; other times it's a super fun, this-is-the-best-ever, once-in-a-lifetime memory. Either way, I don't regret doing things, and fiascos don't stop me from trying again (after I have an emotional breakdown because emotions). I don't know how much of that is me being a "fun mom" and how much of that is me being extroverted and how much of that is just me being just a little crazy, but I really do love finding things for us to do and places for us to go. 

This causes issues sometimes between Jordan and I. He would be happy as a clam to stay home all the time, and I'm constantly like, hey do you want to do this and this and how about this? And he's like, hey how about we stay at home. So we don't do all the things I'd like, but we also do more than he would like, and I guess that's the definition of compromise. And he always tells me that he's happy we went after all ;)

So I guess I'll conclude all of that by sharing that while last weekend didn't go quite as we planned with anything we tried, we still did make some great memories. Specifically on Sunday night. Before the rain started, we got the tent up, and my dad made a fire. We cooked hot dogs, and it was my cousin's wedding that weekend, so family was in from Illinois, and my grandpa roasted a marshmallow with us. The kids slept in my parents' house in the floor in their new sleeping bags, and... well, actually now that I think about it I didn't sleep at all because I stayed up all night itching my fire ant bite. Good times ;)

Okay not always the very best times. But what's that quote I see floating around?
We were together. I forget the rest.

fall fun + a tangent about the fiasco that is going places

There's really just something so fun about fall. Oklahoma summers are so hot, and although I honestly don't mind the heat too much, the cooler weather is such a nice change. Sadly, fall in Oklahoma is about 1.5 days long, so I am a big believer in packing in as much outside time as we possibly can. I like to stop at the park on the way home from daycare pickup, which makes for a rushed and hectic dinner rush and a bit later bedtimes, but it's so nice to be outside! Minus the mosquitos, which love me and thus ruin my life.

Two weekends ago we went out to our friend's parents' house to hang out and pick some pumpkins. Last weekend we drove downtown for one of my favorite things to do every year: Pumpkinville at the children's garden.

Getting there was a bit of a fiasco, and I had a.... well, let's just say I had a moment with the lady at the ticket booth because they wouldn't give me $2 off admission even though I'd brought the sticker they said I could use. They ended up giving me a voucher to paint a pumpkin, which normally costs $5. The gesture was nice, but I didn't want to paint a pumpkin. I wanted my $2, people! But I didn't say that.

I used to think I wasn't the kind of person who liked confrontation, and I wouldn't say I like it necessarily. But more and more lately I'm realizing that I am in fact exactly the type of person who will confront if I have a problem/complaint/issue, especially when I feel like I'm being ripped off. It is extremely embarrassing to Jordan, and sometimes embarrassing to me, but I find that sometimes I just can't help myself.

As I'm sitting here writing this and looking through the pictures I took, I have to admit that I wish I hadn't gotten so upset over $2. I worry that my kids are going to get the worst parts of me, and that I'm setting a bad example. I've never cursed at anyone, and I don't straight up yell or throw things or wave my arms wildly. But I do get frustrated and don't always speak with grace. Often I end up going back and apologizing to people for getting upset, which is probably super weird, but I do it anyway.

Anyway, I don't know why I went into all of that except to say that behind every nice photo and every fun event we do it feels like there's also a fiasco of some kind. Either the kids are freaking out or I'm freaking out or Jordan is freaking out. Why is going places so stressful sometimes? Maybe it's the pressure of having a good time that makes people nutty.

Anyway. We did rally, and I calmed the crazy that is my indignant rage and intense emotions. The kids had a really good time, and I got some fun pictures! I only wish it were slightly less crowded, but that's what happens every year because we have to go on a weekend since it closes at 5pm during the week.

J is surprisingly great at throwing and knocked down a few of the faces. I'm so thankful for Jordan and what a great dad and husband he is. Love getting to do things like this as a family! We had planned to go to the zoo, but this was the only weekend we were going to be able to get to Pumpkinville while it was open, so we came here instead. So glad we did! I feel like the kids are at such magical ages where things like this are so fun and exciting. That makes it super fun for me too. Until next year!

Ultrasound and Enneagram Numbers

On Wednesday, Jordan and I went to our anatomy scan for Baby Bum 3. The doctor said everything looked great; the baby is growing right on track, and I do not for one minute take that for granted. What an insane miracle that I literally do nothing (other than things like drink lots of water and not do drugs), and a human baby grows inside my body. It's just incredible. I am so very much aware that there are so many people dealing with loss and infertility, and I consider this sweet baby such a blessing.

The appointment was at noon, and then Jordan and I both took the rest of the day off work. We went out for lunch downtown at a Mexican restaurant that I've been wanting to go to, and we drove to the local running store to get Jordan fitted for some new shoes. After that we picked the kids up early from daycare and went to get ice cream. Then I took them to the park. Overall it was a great day!

We successfully did not find out the gender, even though Jordan was trying his best to see the screen the tech was looking at while she reviewed the sensitive areas. I'm really excited for the surprise! I thought it would be excruciating not to find out, and maybe it will become so, but honestly I can truly say I don't have a burning desire to know if Baby Bum is a boy or a girl. I'm just so thankful he/she is healthy so far! 

I'm 20 weeks, so halfway! And you might think this pregnancy is flying by, but in fact I will tell you it is not. I disagree that it goes faster just because I have kids to take care of. If anything it's moving slower because I'm just.so.tired. Honestly sometimes I feel like I'm just on autopilot and my brain is not contributing any actual forward progress to life.

Right at the end of the ultrasound, the tech turned on the 3D, and we got to see the little baby wiggling around, and they even yawned. It was amazing. We've seen pictures of other people's babies in 3D, so obviously we know what it looks like, but we've never seen 3D for any of our babies before, and it was really neat. So much different than just the black and white alien version we were used to.

I did find out that I have anterior placenta, so that explains why I haven't felt baby movement! The doctor said it's totally normal if I'm not feeling a ton. I have felt a few wiggles, but honestly nothing much at all for twenty weeks, so it was reassuring for me to hear that it's just the placenta blocking it.

I've been finding myself feeling All The Emotions lately. Which I realize is totally normal, what with all the extra pregnancy hormones and such. I'm kind of a nutter when I'm pregnant, and that's saying something because I'm a bit of a handful regularly anyway. If you want the truth, Jordan's just really too nice for me. I finally took that Enneagram test after getting tired of feeling left out when everyone posts memes about being a 7 and I have no idea what they are talking about.

I'm a 1. Or an 8. The test gave me those are my top two but said ultimately I'm a 1, and I think that's accurate. I'm of the mind-set that all personality tests are basically the same thing. There are only so many types of personalities, but there are tons of different tests that like to categorize people in certain ways. The Enneagram is just the current fad. (My opinion; no one freak out.) That said, I find personality stuff extremely interesting and generally get annoyed at the test for knowing me so well (lol). 

Type 1s at their best are said to be inspiring and hopeful, organized, fair, ethical. That's great. But at their worst (my worst), my type can often be highly critical of self, picky, judgmental, extremely opinionated, impatient, and indignantly angry (SO ME; it get indignant about things all the time).

Anyway, I haven't (and probably won't) take the deep dive into the Enneagram world, but at least now I can participate in all the number fun! Although none of the descriptions I've read about Type 1s really sound much fun, so there's that. It's fine. I've made my peace with the fact that I'm just not a calm person. It's not that I love confrontation, but I do speak my mind and have zero poker face, so I can't even fake it if I disagree with someone. It's very unfortunate for everyone around me.

It was 76 degrees today, and I celebrated by wearing a long-sleeved shirt and a vest even though it made me hot. Because FALL. I also bought a pair of maternity overalls, and maybe if I stop feeling weird about them I'll actually wear them in public and maybe post a picture on the blog. It's not that I hate overalls, it's just that 8-year-old Amanda loved overalls, and 33-year-old Amanda just isn't in that headspace yet. I need more time. You know you're old when you've lived long enough to see fashion trends in, go out, and then come back in. I'm talking about Birkenstocks and overalls specifically. I should try to find an old picture!

Okay that's all I've got for now. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Have you taken the Enneagram test? What number are you?
How do you feel about overalls???? I must know.