Ever have a day when it feels like you can't take it if there is anything else to do? Too many things going on at once, and if one more thing comes along it's going to overthrow the entire pile?
Welcome to my life lately! We have a lot going on, with Joe's job, my transition from being part-time one day a week to starting my night-time training/teaching job that will be one-two nights a week, a growing boy who gets into everything, a part-time consultant gig for a gas and energy company, and being the property managers/paperwork fiends for our real estate investment LLC that is adding a new property/tenant right now. Oh, yeah and we are also refinancing our home! Craziness! And Joe's car has been unusable for a week! No wheels! Bummer! :P
So what's the one more thing? Well, yesterday we found out that baby #2 is going to be a girl! :) Yay! However, we also found out that I will be transferred to the high-risk OB group because of placenta previa and some other concerns, which means lots more appointments than a normal pregnancy. Not cool! I was hoping to see the midwives (my first, and last, appointment with them was yesterday) and to have a VBAC awesome natural delivery. Instead, I now will likely have a planned C-section. :(
I guess the first human response is always "Why me?" But then really it should be about "OK, Lord, now what are You going to do with this/in this situation?" I'm sure He has good things in store, even if we can't see it right now.
So we will take it day by day, seeking the Lord and relishing the grace to make it through each day. And if you read this blog and are a believer, please pray for us and for our little girl that all would go well in pregnancy and beyond!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
First haircut!
That's right folks, the curls are gone! (Still missing them... the new 'do makes him look so much older!)
Before
Before
After
In other news: I have my first midwife appointment this week. I'm looking forward to it, but am somewhat nervous because I am 20 weeks along and here I am seeing someone new! I finally decided to make the switch after reading as much as I could about VBAC and birth in general. I really enjoyed the book Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. The whole second section of the book talks about what the body goes through during labor and birth, as well as the effects of C-sections and the reasons why (in most cases) they probably wouldn't be necessary if the medical community embraced birth as a natural process that shouldn't be hurried or forced. I wish I had read this before my first birth, but am looking forward to putting this new mindset into practice this time around! And I look forward to having support for my choice to try for VBAC! :)
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Anticipation
What am I anticipating? Let's see... could it be baby #2???
Yup! Joseph will have a sibling next year!
I'm due June 13, 2012, and am hoping to have baby sometime around the 9th (my birthday!). Every time I go in the doctor keeps asking me if I want to have another (this time planned) c-section. I'm thinking NOPE. So we will see.
Now if I could only get through the rest of the first trimester with my tummy and nose calmed down. This morning the smell in the kitchen (from Joe's cooking last night) made me upchuck the few crackers I had eaten. Great start to the morning. Thankfully Pop Tarts are easy to heat up. ;)
It's very frustrating to not know what is going to set off the super-sniffer. However, at least the baby is healthy (saw the heart beating on the ultrasound! so amazing.) and things are going along okay... I just want to sleep all the time and can't cook for myself. Lately even feeding Joseph his food has been iffy. Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who takes good care of both of us and rolls with the punches as I gag my way through the day.
P.S. I'm thinking it's a girl... any predictions?
Yup! Joseph will have a sibling next year!
I'm due June 13, 2012, and am hoping to have baby sometime around the 9th (my birthday!). Every time I go in the doctor keeps asking me if I want to have another (this time planned) c-section. I'm thinking NOPE. So we will see.
Now if I could only get through the rest of the first trimester with my tummy and nose calmed down. This morning the smell in the kitchen (from Joe's cooking last night) made me upchuck the few crackers I had eaten. Great start to the morning. Thankfully Pop Tarts are easy to heat up. ;)
It's very frustrating to not know what is going to set off the super-sniffer. However, at least the baby is healthy (saw the heart beating on the ultrasound! so amazing.) and things are going along okay... I just want to sleep all the time and can't cook for myself. Lately even feeding Joseph his food has been iffy. Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who takes good care of both of us and rolls with the punches as I gag my way through the day.
P.S. I'm thinking it's a girl... any predictions?
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Joseph loves water
We started our Waterbabies class last Tuesday, and he had such a blast! I wasn't able to get a picture of him in his cute little swimsuit (thanks Auntie Lowie!) but I'll hopefully get one soon.
Joseph LOVES water, and he really, really enjoyed the pool. No fear here, and also no shut-the-mouth-underwater reflex - I think he drank at least a little of the pool because he was smiling while we were doing tummy swimming! He splashed a lot (and got me in the eyes a few times) but overall it was a big success! 7 more weeks to go. :)
However, Mom learned her lesson about needing an extra pair of hands: trying to get two wet people out of swimsuits, dried off, and dressed in a locker room is not easy to do, especially when one of them needs constant supervision! Next time I'm bringing the stroller in so I can stick him in there while I get ready. I was so exhausted by that alone that I was a grouchapotamus to my mom afterward (we go hang out at Grandma's on Tuesdays). Oh well. I learned something important: Have a place to pinion your child!
Joseph LOVES water, and he really, really enjoyed the pool. No fear here, and also no shut-the-mouth-underwater reflex - I think he drank at least a little of the pool because he was smiling while we were doing tummy swimming! He splashed a lot (and got me in the eyes a few times) but overall it was a big success! 7 more weeks to go. :)
However, Mom learned her lesson about needing an extra pair of hands: trying to get two wet people out of swimsuits, dried off, and dressed in a locker room is not easy to do, especially when one of them needs constant supervision! Next time I'm bringing the stroller in so I can stick him in there while I get ready. I was so exhausted by that alone that I was a grouchapotamus to my mom afterward (we go hang out at Grandma's on Tuesdays). Oh well. I learned something important: Have a place to pinion your child!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Things to do with a one-year-old...
Now that I am a (mostly) stay-at-home-mom (SAHM), I've been looking for ideas of things to do with a toddler. Joseph's not walking yet, but his ability to get into anything and everything that I don't want him to has made me realize that we need to get out of the house regularly for my sanity and to help him have fun doing things he's allowed to do (safe and fun! yay!).
In my searches, I came across a few things that might be useful to other Rochester-area SAHMs (or SAHDs!) and thought I'd post them up here:
Tell me if you have other ideas too! I'm especially looking for indoor or at home ideas as winter approaches!
In my searches, I came across a few things that might be useful to other Rochester-area SAHMs (or SAHDs!) and thought I'd post them up here:
- Library storytimes: Some libraries have age restrictions (i.e., 15 mo+), but quite a few allow babies of all ages. Check out the Monroe County Library website for more information! I've posted a few samples below:
- Baby Storytime
Thursdays, October 13, 20, and 27 from 10:30—11 a.m.
Henrietta Public Library - Community Room
Age Level: Child (0 mos. - 2 yrs.)
Storytime for babies and their caregivers! For infants to 23 months with an adult. Babies will experience books, nursery rhymes and songs with puppets and fingerplays. Registration required.
- Baby Story Time
10/14/2011; 10:15 am - 10:45 am
Ogden Farmers' Library
Age Level: Child (0 mos. - 18 mos.) Bring your baby to the library! Join Miss Laura & Miss Sandi for stories, music, fingerplays and more. A great socialization opportunity for your little one. No registration required.
- Community centers: Although I sadly live in a place without an abundance of good programs, there are lots of rec centers around the area that have kid- and baby-friendly programs available for non-residents! Two that I've heard good things about are Perinton and Webster.
- Indoor play places: I wasn't aware of these until recently. I've heard they are better for kids who are older (e.g., walking and able to climb safely), so look forward to checking it out in the future. One I've heard of is Kango Play Center, which is $80 for a year membership.
- Strong Museum of Play: This is a great place for kids of all ages (well, crawling and up). I was given a membership recently, so plan on going a lot! Joseph really enjoyed his first time there. A year-long membership for a family (2 adults plus all kids under 18 in the household) is only $96! Totally worth it if you ask me. Also, kids under 2 are free!
- Seneca Park Zoo: We still haven't gone to the zoo... but I'm looking forward to it when we do! A membership here is $75 year. Children up to age 3 are free!
- Other classes:
- Luvaboos has a variety of classes available: https://www.luvaboos.com/articles.asp?id=296
- Eastman School of Music (pricey, but if you're into music it might be nice): MusicTIME Toddler/Infant Music at Eastman - A unique program for infants and toddlers (ages 4 months to 2 years) and their parents/caregivers. MusicTIME features musical activities that include songs, rhymes, bounces, tickles, moving to music, and listening. Information and guidance on musical development in young children and home-based activities is also provided. Tuition: $136 per 10-week session
Tell me if you have other ideas too! I'm especially looking for indoor or at home ideas as winter approaches!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
One Year
My little guy turned the big number 1 on the 15! It's been interesting watching him grow and try to start to walk! Exciting and scary at the same time.
Here are some photos of the cake and such:
Two-Layer Banana Cake from Smitten Kitchen
3 1/2 cups (14 3/8 ounces or 406 grams) cake flour
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons (8 grams) baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (5 grams) salt
3/4 teaspoon (2 grams) cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces or 227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (7 ounces or 200 grams) sugar
1 cup (7 5/8 ounces or 218 grams) packed golden brown sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups mashed or pureed very ripe bananas (5 to 6 large)
6 tablespoons (3 1/4 ounces or 91 grams) sour cream or (weight will vary) plain yogurt
2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottoms of 2 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper, then coat the paper and sides of pans with butter and flour, or a nonstick spray. [You'll also want to butter and flour 3 muffin cups or ramekins.]
Whisk cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in large bowl until blended. Beat in eggs one at a time, then bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Beat in dry ingredients in two additions just until combined. Divide batter among two pans; you’ll want approximately 5 cups of batter per pan. [Fill your 3 muffin cups or ramekins two-thirds of the way up with batter and divide remaining batter among your 2 9-inch pans.]
Bake cake until tester inserted into center of each layer comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. [Muffin cups should bake for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Please watch them carefully.] Cool each layer in its pan for 15 minutes before flipping out onto a rack to cool the rest of the way.
Buttercream Frosting - this was a French buttercream that my pastry chef sister made for me! I split the recipe into 2/3 and 1/3 - the 2/3 got an additional 5 oz of melted semisweet chocolate to make the brown, and then the 1/3 got 1 spoonful of the chocolate frosting and some drops of yellow food coloring to make the yellow part of the monkey face. The link above is to a similar recipe, although I can't promise the niceness of having someone else make it for you!
Alternate Frosting
I didn't want Joseph to have a ton of sugar, so I mixed cream cheese and applesauce together for the frosting on his cake. (Joe I says it tasted pretty good!) I then decorated with leftover chocolate buttercream.
All in all we had a good time. Joseph still went to bed at a reasonable time, even with staying up to 'open' his presents (ok, Mom and cousins might have helped him a bit with that). I'm so proud of him and of making it a whole year as a mom! (Without serious injuries! haha)
Here are some photos of the cake and such:
 |
| Big monkey cake for the grown-ups - recipe below! |
 |
| Little monkey cake (w/ alternate frosting) for the birthday boy! |
 |
| SMASHED! |
I had a lot of fun making these! The cake recipe is one I found on Smitten Kitchen - I've included it below. I did one and a half times the recipe so that I had enough to make an extra 12 cupcakes and 3 mini cakes in my Pampered Chef one-cup glass baking bowls. (One of these was the little boy's cake shown above.)
3 1/2 cups (14 3/8 ounces or 406 grams) cake flour
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons (8 grams) baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (5 grams) salt
3/4 teaspoon (2 grams) cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces or 227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (7 ounces or 200 grams) sugar
1 cup (7 5/8 ounces or 218 grams) packed golden brown sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups mashed or pureed very ripe bananas (5 to 6 large)
6 tablespoons (3 1/4 ounces or 91 grams) sour cream or (weight will vary) plain yogurt
2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottoms of 2 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper, then coat the paper and sides of pans with butter and flour, or a nonstick spray. [You'll also want to butter and flour 3 muffin cups or ramekins.]
Whisk cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in large bowl until blended. Beat in eggs one at a time, then bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Beat in dry ingredients in two additions just until combined. Divide batter among two pans; you’ll want approximately 5 cups of batter per pan. [Fill your 3 muffin cups or ramekins two-thirds of the way up with batter and divide remaining batter among your 2 9-inch pans.]
Bake cake until tester inserted into center of each layer comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. [Muffin cups should bake for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Please watch them carefully.] Cool each layer in its pan for 15 minutes before flipping out onto a rack to cool the rest of the way.
Buttercream Frosting - this was a French buttercream that my pastry chef sister made for me! I split the recipe into 2/3 and 1/3 - the 2/3 got an additional 5 oz of melted semisweet chocolate to make the brown, and then the 1/3 got 1 spoonful of the chocolate frosting and some drops of yellow food coloring to make the yellow part of the monkey face. The link above is to a similar recipe, although I can't promise the niceness of having someone else make it for you!
Alternate Frosting
I didn't want Joseph to have a ton of sugar, so I mixed cream cheese and applesauce together for the frosting on his cake. (Joe I says it tasted pretty good!) I then decorated with leftover chocolate buttercream.
All in all we had a good time. Joseph still went to bed at a reasonable time, even with staying up to 'open' his presents (ok, Mom and cousins might have helped him a bit with that). I'm so proud of him and of making it a whole year as a mom! (Without serious injuries! haha)
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
One year! (Almost!)
It is hard to believe but my adorable son will be the big number ONE tomorrow! Hooray!!!
We have come so far so soon - it seems like only yesterday that he was a smushy little ball of love, barely able to move, and today Joe told me that he saw Joseph start to take steps! CRAZY!
We rearranged the living room and dining room last night (since the projector bulb broke, there's no need to keep it in the layout we had before) so he now has more room to wander. It feels much more open now, and he has a little corner all to himself (already full of toys!). Pictures of the birthday boy and the new layout will be forthcoming once I find the card reader for the camera. ;)
So now the question is: do we replace the projector bulb ($200 and will last for about 4 years) or do we pony up the big bucks and buy a TV (probably in the $600-$800 range)? We haven't owned a TV since we got married, but with Joseph starting to be more into things it might be nice to watch some Veggie Tales or Sesame Street once in a while without having to set up a projector screen.
Mom-i-verse, what say you? Is TV good in moderation or better to just avoid at all costs?
We have come so far so soon - it seems like only yesterday that he was a smushy little ball of love, barely able to move, and today Joe told me that he saw Joseph start to take steps! CRAZY!
We rearranged the living room and dining room last night (since the projector bulb broke, there's no need to keep it in the layout we had before) so he now has more room to wander. It feels much more open now, and he has a little corner all to himself (already full of toys!). Pictures of the birthday boy and the new layout will be forthcoming once I find the card reader for the camera. ;)
So now the question is: do we replace the projector bulb ($200 and will last for about 4 years) or do we pony up the big bucks and buy a TV (probably in the $600-$800 range)? We haven't owned a TV since we got married, but with Joseph starting to be more into things it might be nice to watch some Veggie Tales or Sesame Street once in a while without having to set up a projector screen.
Mom-i-verse, what say you? Is TV good in moderation or better to just avoid at all costs?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)