Nesting

I have definitely felt the need to get the house prepared for baby girl. This has included shopping for last minute things, organizing clothes, cleaning out the fridge and freezer, etc. I am happy to say we have most of the important things done and are just about prepared to welcome baby girl into our family.

Two weeks ago a woman came and painted a mural for baby girl. She also painted her name above the changing table. I love it!! I will be sad to leave it behind when we move in a couple of years.

Here are some photos of the nursery and nesting efforts.....


While cleaning the fridge was on my list -- grocery shopping hasn't been. :)



Our generous neighbors have lent us all the clothes their 10 month old daughter has outgrown. The clothes hanging up are all 0-3 months. The 3 boxes below contain 3-9 month old outfits. Needless to say this girl won't be under dressed!

Victor painted the walls pink. It was a little shocking. I love the how the room turned out!

Name hint!!! As I said we had her name painted on the opposite wall. Although, her name will remain secret -- those who like to guess, may be happy to know there is an "n" in it somewhere. And no, it is not Gwen. :) Good luck!

X-rated Commentary

Erik has been fascinated with his penis for about 10 months now. I keep thinking it will get better as he gets older but the opposite seems to be true.

This week has been filled with funny, yet somewhat inappropriate, comments from Erik. Here is one from this morning....

This morning I was getting dressed while he was in the room. He pointed to my chest and said, "Mommy's penis!" I explained to him that no -- those were my breasts and that mommy's don't have penises. He took a step back seeming to still be searching for body parts only to ask, " Mommy's penis gone?"

Indoor Fun -- Rainy Days

I brought the pool toys inside much to his amusement. He loves the umbrella on his chair.




I asked Erik if he wanted to cook. He said yes -- when I asked what he wanted to make he said, "Cake!!"
Having a picnic at lunch! He loves this and has requested a picnic many times this week!

Outdoor Fun and the Piano

Erik loves to play the keyboard. He even has a specific way that the bench has to be! He was saying cheese in the photo below. Cute little boy!


Erik loves to be outside. We were lacking in outdoor toys though so this weekend we bought him a sandbox and tricycle. He loves them both!

Trip to Labor and Delivery

Last Sunday (the 17th) I had contractions all day long -- they weren't terribly painful but much more uncomfortable than most of my Braxton Hicks and occuring every 2 -3 minutes for many hours. So, at the doctor's suggestion, we went into the hospital. They did confirm the contractions and gave me a shot of Terbutaline to stop them. The stopped right away after that. I was only about 1 cm dilated (not unusual for a 2nd pregnancy) so they sent me home without any restrictions (yay!).

While I was in the labor and delivery wing I managed to piss off the nurse. Not intentionally, of course but I did. As I said they gave me a shot of terbutaline which stopped the contractions right away. It also made me feel terrible -- heart racing, shaky, nauseated. Before they could discharge me I needed to be contraction free for 30 minutes. The doctor had ordered 3 shots of terbutaline (standard order) to be given 20 - 30 minutes apart. When the nurse came to give me the second shot I had been contraction free for 15 minutes. So, I said "Since I am contraction free after the first dose I would prefer to wait and see if I remain contraction free for the 30 minutes before getting anymore medication because I don't feel good from it." Her very professional response said sarcastically was, " Well, if you do that the contractions are just going to come back and you are going to end up staying longer and getting more medication than you would if we just give you the three standard doses." I said I was willing to risk it. She turned her back to me and left the room. From that point on she was rude.

After being discharged by the doctor 20 minutes later (because my contractions didn't come back and the doctor thought it was completely safe to discharge me) the nurse came back in the triage unit -- leaving the drape open while I was getting dressed. I quickly signed the papers and she left without saying good night, offering to give us directions back to the elevator, etc.

I thought maybe it was because she was busy, but instead she must of just been crabby that I challenged her, because out the 10 triage units we were the only ones there. We walked past 3 or 4 nurses on our way out who were snacking and gabbing. Hmmm!!!!

This week has been pretty uneventful -- the weather has been perfect, Erik feels better so it was a nice week. I am physically really tired but I guess that is expected as you are nearing the end of a pregnancy.

Happy Birthday Victor

Victor turns 37 tomorrow (the 17th). We celebrated it today. For a birthday treat he got to play 18 holes of golf with our friend Kevin (Cullen's dad). We then celebrated with homemade artichoke dip, Chinese food from Chef Chen's, and homemade Key Lime Cheesecake with strawberry sauce. I haven't eaten Chinese food since September because even the thought of it has made me sick to my stomach this whole pregnancy. That aversion is going away as my due date nears so I thought he could have a special treat on his birthday.

I got him a Nintendo Wii for his birthday -- have to say I am looking forward to that myself!

I think Victor had a fun day. He works extra at home, in addition to his day job, when I am pregnant so his day off was long overdue.

Happy Birthday Honey! I love you!

A New Day

Well, my sweet little boy seems to be back. Friday we had fun at the zoo and playing with Cullen.

There was much less of this....

And much more of my sweet, curious, cute toddler....
Erik is still talking about the zoo. The most memorable things for him seem to be, "Elephants eat trees" -- we saw them eating bamboo, and " Monkeys noisy" -- there were really loud howler monkeys at the zoo.

Erik also loves taking the metro. I could drive to the zoo quicker (depending on traffic) but the metro is cheaper and Erik loves it!!
After we his nap we went over to Cullen's house (what are we going to do when they move?). He has a pimped out backyard -- basketball, sandbox, and a swing so Erik loves it.



It was a nice way to end a not so nice week!

Compensation Package?

I love being a mom and staying at home with Erik but I have decided that I should have negotiated my salary better. You see no pay, no vacation days, and no sick leave seems pretty crummy after spending the week with my crabby 20 month old. In his defense he was pretty sick with hand, foot, and mouth for 4 days (Saturday - Tuesday) but the last two days he felt better but has been incredibly crabby!!

Here is what he has spent most of his time doing the past 2 days....









I asked Victor if he could stay home or go in late tomorrow -- he laughed. So I am trying to entice my babysitter to come watch my crabby one year old for a few hours tomorrow. Very tempting for her I am sure! Lets hope this behavior lets up before baby girl gets here or I may go back to work and make Victor stay home with them! :)

Mother's Day Rash

Poor Erik is spending Mother's Day on my lap. He has a low grade fever, a weird rash on his feet, one episode of vomiting/gagging. Lots of crying and refusal to get off of my lap. This is a true Mother's day! :)

Addendum: My poor baby who has spent the day crying now has spots on the roof of his mouth. Looks like mystery rash is hand, foot, and mouth -- minus the rash on his hands. May take him in tomorrow to confirm. Let's pray no one else in the family gets it.

Happy Mother's Day!

Erik and I eating breakfast in bed. This is what I look like
when I just get up. Not real pretty - oh well!

I hope that everyone is having a great Mother's Day. I have to say out of all the holidays -- Christmas, Birthdays, Valentine's Day, Anniversary -- Victor is the best at celebrating Mother's Day. He knows how to make me feel loved and special on Mother's Day. :)

Here is how he did it this year. Yesterday, I got to go to the spa for a massage. After that I wandered around Old Town Alexandria by myself -- shopping for books and a few more maternity shirts to get me through the last 7 weeks.

This morning I slept in until 9 am. Victor and Erik made me pancakes with a side of strawberries which I shared with Erik while still in bed. I also got two boquets of flowers -- one from Victor and one that Erik actually picked out himself at Trader Joes.

I had requested a "Mother's bracelet" which is now on my wrist. Victor also bought a book for me about the mother-daughter bond/relationship which was from baby girl. Very nice!

The weather is perfect today!! We were going to go to a park and rent a row boat and then go out to dinner (Victor had the reservations made already). Unfortanately, Erik is sick! So -- we won't be going out anywhere. He has had a fever for 24 hours. He has refused to eat anything except for a pancake this am. He fell asleep in my arms at 10:30 this morning which is about 1 1/2 hours before he would normally take a nap. Poor guy!

Being a mother is really a wonderful present just by itself! I am looking forward to meeting my daughter soon and am so thankful for my sweet son. The day of recognition is really just icing on the cake.

I hope that everyone who is a mother is enjoying their special day!



These are the beautiful flowers that Erik picked out! Aren't they nice? Victor said he pointed to many different boquets asking Erik if wanted to get me those -- he kept saying no until he got to this boquet. Good job picking baby boy!

20 months Old

(Erik glaring at the camera!)

My sweet baby boy is 20 months old today! I am having issues with this because it makes him sound old -- so close to being 2 years old. I am not ready for my baby to turn two yet but I guess there is nothing I can do to stop that.

Erik is growing so fast. During the past 4 months he has gone from saying 20 - 30 words to speaking in small sentences. Amazing!! He consistently puts two words together and is starting to say 3-4 word phrases. It is so exciting to watch him learn. Another fun thing that he can do is remember events. When we do things during the day he can sometimes remember it 10 hours later and tell Victor about it when he gets home.

He seems to be going through a stranger anxiety phase now. He gets nervous around anyone he is not extremely familiar with. At the park the other day 17 month twin boys were there. Erik sat on my lap and glared at them the whole time. When they left he immediately got off of my lap and went to play. If any stranger pays attention to him he clings and clings to my legs. He spends quite a bit of time in the church nursery and cried for 3-4 minutes after I left him there this week. He has not done that before. I know this is normal and I will just enjoy this phase. Before I know it he will want me to drop him off a block away from school so I better enjoy it when he thinks there is nothing better in the world than his mommy.

Erik is generally a sweet, gentle boy. He loves to help me cook and clean. He does have a sparkle in his eyes though and does plenty of michevous things. He loves to climb. If I leave a chair pulled out at the table he is on top of the table in about 5 seconds. He uses his rocking horse as a ladder to climb over the back side of the couch. He recently has tried climbing his toy shelf. Yikes! We do have the heavy furniture bolted to the wall to prevent it from tipping over on him. Victor has a ladder in baby girl's room because he is going to paint it soon. Erik LOVES the ladder and would spend all day climbing it if allowed. He loves it so much that he was able to open a door on his own for the first time while breaking into baby girl's room.

Erik also loves to be outside. He really loves rocks, dirt, puddles, and bugs. He isn't afraid to touch bugs -- he held a catapiller in his hand the other day. He "pets" them and says, "Gentle."

He is starting to make friends and asks all day long about Cullen, Sean, and Ellie (Elliana). When Victor got home from work the other night I asked Erik who just came home. His response was, "Cullen?" No -- guess again. "Sean?" Nope -- who do you think came home from work? "Daddy!" It is too bad Elliana doesn't live closer because Erik really seems to love her.

I love my baby boy more and more each day and am so grateful to be his mommy!

TV time

I believe the average American kid watches 3-4 hours of TV/videos a day. I limit Erik to 30 minutes of screen time. This is why.....

32 Weeks

We are getting there! Erik was born about 6 weeks from now -- I am hoping baby girl makes her debut around 38 weeks too. The pregnancy is still going well. This past week I have been really tired, having mild headaches and nausea, and slight swelling. I saw the doctor this morning - he wasn't worried. I had my blood drawn earlier this week for check for anemia -- it was completely normal. My weight gain has been slow and steady -- up 18-19 pounds. I think I should be able to keep the total 25 pounds or less which is my goal. At least now I know most of the weight gain is completely baby girl as she should gain about 1/2 pound a week now.

At my appointment this morning I had a brief ultrasound. He did this because I was measuring a little small and with Erik I had low fluid levels. My fluid level today was 13. He wanted it to be above 12 -- so we just made it. With Erik it was 9 so it is better this time. Baby girl is measuring right at 32 weeks -- she is 4 pounds. Her head is down low. The doctor will repeat the ultrasound again in 3 weeks to verify that the fluid level have remained normal.

Here is a photo from this morning. I don't know why it is slightly blurry -- if Victor can figure it out I may post another one tonight.

Sneaky Chef Recipes

Erik is a good eater most days. He even likes peas, carrots, humus, etc. He also LOVES cake, ice cream, cookies. I want to offer him dessert on a regular basis so he doesn't feel deprived and overeat sweets as a teen/adult. Of course, if I can find a way to make the desserts healthy and tasty even better. I bought the Sneaky Chef recipe book this weekend. Here are a couple of fun recipes I thought were pretty tasty....
Chocolate Banana Breakfast Ice Cream

1 frozen banana, cut in chunks (1 cup)
2 -3 tablespoons plain yogurt
1/2 - 1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Blend together and serve immediately.

* I added a teaspoon of sunflower butter (peanut butter replacement) -- it was pretty tasty.



Below: Erik watching the ice cream being blended. He actually licked the top of the food processor just before I snapped the photo -- of course I missed the shot!And yes, he is standing on the counter, actually the stove. Nope not a good idea. However, I am 32 weeks pregnant, really tired, and he is in a mommy stage. He really wants to be held and cries, " Mommy up, Mommy ride, etc." over and over until I give in. I am glad he loves me and and thankful it is happening now. Hopefully, it will pass before his sister arrives in the next 6-8 weeks.


Brainy Brownies

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs (or Ener-G replacer)
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 - 3/4 cup purple puree ( 50:50 mix of cooked spinach and frozen blueberries blended together)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons wheat germ
1/4 cup rolled oats, ground in food processor
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter and chocolate chips together. Cool slightly. Stir together eggs, vanilla, sugar, and purple puree. Combine with chocolate mixture.

In a mixing bowl combine flour, wheat germ, oats, cocoa, and salt. Add this to the chocolate mixture and blend thoroughly.

Pour into 9 x9 inch pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Dust with powdered sugar and sprinkles!

Enjoy!

P.S. Jill -- these recipes are for you!