On the menu!

So, I'm not much of a foodie. I have great aspirations, and have made a lot of progress over the past few years. I have a few tried and true dishes, but I'm quite certain I'll never be able to make toasted cheese without burning at least one side, or that I'll ever roll out a perfect pie crust. But one thing I have made recently, and that actually turned out well, is homemade yogurt. I've read on several different blogs about how easy it is, but it took me a while to work up the courage to actually try. So, without further ado, I highly recommend trying out the instructions found on Sarah's Musings blog. I've made it twice now and it's turned out fantastic both times!
Although I'm getting more used to it, I do find plain yogurt a bit tart. I usually add a little honey or vanilla to mine. I love it with homemade granola and bananas in the morning. Or I'll mix it into my chocolate milkshake at night. :) I even used some in place of buttermilk in our regular whole wheat pancakes recipe and it was delicious! And the best part is, I'm not the only one in this family who is a fan of yogurt. Check out who decided it was high-time he started feeding himself!

Clearly this recipe is Jack-approved!

Happy Half Birthday!

Today my little guy is 18 months. I'm a big fan of half-birthdays. My parents used to make a small deal out of them, making an announcement at breakfast and singing half the "Happy Birthday Song." So with all the focus on Baby lately, I thought we'd do a little something special for the Jack-man. I had an adorable 1/2 b-day celebration all planned out in my head. What really happened was Jon worked late, Jack had a short nap and was downright cranky, and I was tired and sore from random contractions all afternoon. I did manage to pull a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin out of the freezer, top it with some whipped cream and put a candle on top. We later found out it was a trick candle and Jack required Daddy's assistance in the blowing-0ut process.

So what is 18-month old Jack like? He's still my little lover-boy. He hands out random hugs, still gives kisses, still squeezes my neck like he'll never let go. He's also my rough and tumble boy. He's discovered that the cushions come off the couch and make great summo wrestler pads. He likes to get a running start and attack me when I'm not paying attention.

He is obsessed with dogs. He points them out on anything and everything - the TV, the refrigerator magnet, every book or magazine, when we're outside. He also calls things which are not dogs, dogs. We're working on that, studying up on our farm animals in books. And then practicing their names with the Little People Barn we got him for his birthday. I'd love to take him to a real farm this summer, or some sort of petting zoo. But for now all the dogs on the beach are enough to satisfy his curiosity.

He's still a fantastic eater. Sure we have our moments. Sometimes nothing I give him is good enough. But I try not to hold back. There are so many foods I didn't like as a kid, simply because they were weird or unfamiliar. I figure I'll give Jack the opportunity now and we'll see where things go. I'm quite certain his most favorite food in the whole world are cherry tomatoes. He sneaks them out of the fridge when my back is turned, pulls them out of the grocery bags when we're putting things away, and will steal them right off your plate if you're not watching. Most fruits and veggies are an easy sell. Whole wheat breads are also a list-topper. Beans tend to go over well, but for some reason he's just not into meats. And like his Dad he is very much a cheese-lover!

So he's a good eater, but also very messy one. We are working on not throwing or dropping food. But in spite of that he's just plain sloppy. He gets sauce stuck in all his chubby crevices, peas down his pants, and peanut butter behind his ears.

Thankfully, he likes to "help" clean up. In fact, he's really into helping Mommy and Daddy these days. He holds the dustpan when we're sweeping. He bring me books and balls when we're picking up toys. He picks up laundry I'm folding (that he threw on the floor in the first place). And he gets the groceries out of the bags. The other day I was bringing bags up from the car and there he was, lining up all the jars and cans in a row on the floor. Of course, there was also a carton of eggs lying there, with yolks oozing out of the corner. Oops.
Sleeping is going well again. We're back to full 12 hour nights, and no more early wake-ups. Which is a HUGE relief to me! He's really good about "telling" us when he's tired if we happen to keep him up too long. Either he crawls on our lap and puts his head down, points to his bed if we're in his room, or is extremely emotional and in meltdown mode. He goes down easily, but doesn't necessarily fall asleep right away, as I learned after we got our video monitor. Sometimes he runs laps in his crib, other times he does bicycle kicks, and he always twirls his free pacifier (he takes two to bed) in one hand. Watching him fall asleep has been a great source of entertainment!

He's really starting to exercise his independence lately. Running halfway down the beach by himself, walking up the stairs without holding Mommy's hands, giving me a hearty bye-bye wave when I drop him off at the church nursery, and entertaining himself in the Pack 'n Play while Mommy gets a shower every morning. This has been the greatest development these past few months. He actually enjoys going into his PnP, and usually asks me to put him in before I get a chance. He sits in there with a few books and some toys and then I have a chance to get ready for the day without worrying about what he's into now! It's been very nice, now I just have to figure out what to do when Baby arrives and needs a place to sleep.

We've been reading to Jack every since he was a little guy, but just recently he's been showing a keen interest in books. He constantly wants me to read to him. While I'm cooking dinner, while I'm doing work, even while I'm trying to go to the bathroom! He still turns the pages a little faster than I can read, but he's definitely paying attention. He really, really loves books. And I love that he loves books. But I don't love reading the same books, over and over, every. single. day. I don't even have to look at the words anymore, which is helpful when Jack begs me to read while I'm doing something else. If I'm washing dishes I can even turn the pages with my toes. This probably isn't the best way to spend time with my son, but believe me, we spend plenty of time snuggled up on the couch reading through a large stack. Jon says we have too many books. Clearly, he is not the one doing the majority of reading in this house, otherwise he'd be ready for some new ones too! I think Jack's due for his 18 month well-baby appointment, but I didn't think it'd be a good idea to schedule it with a baby arriving any day now. Which reminds me of one other thing, at 18 months Jack is one healthy dude. Other than the occasional cold and current allergies, we haven't had to deal with any kind of illness or infection since his arrival. Which is something I'm very thankful for! Now, bumps and bruises, scrapes and splinters are another story ... but I can't be held responsible for his every action can I?

So that's our Tank. It's not hard to believe that he's 18 months already, but it is hard to believe that he's only been a part of our lives for 18 months. I really can't imagine our life without him!

P.S. I've added another poll to the blog, just for kicks. Feel free to take a gander at when you think #2 will arrive. I've been having some decent contractions the past few days, but nothing I can't walk or talk though, and nothing consistent. The anticipation is killing me! And today, for the first time in 9 months, I'm actually ready to have this baby!! So humor me and take a guess!

Giving birth in the communication age

A few weeks ago, I skipped out on going into the office on Monday since my meetings were all canceled. I then proceeded to leave my phone upstairs the next morning, and missed 3 calls and 2 text messages from my boss. He was about to have someone stop by my house to check on me when I called him back. I felt pretty bad. All this to say, I'm not planning to surprise anyone with this baby. My goal is to keep anyone who's interested informed, within reason of course.

Recently two different friends of ours delivered their babies while their husbands sent out regular updates on their progress via text message. Another person I know kept us all informed on her delivery by updating her Twitter account. And yet another friend managed to update her Facebook status throughout her entire labor, posting cell phone pictures of the baby at the end. And then there's another couple we know that failed to inform of us of their baby's arrival until we heard it from someone else 5 days later. After our recent experiences with keeping tabs on friends' deliveries, I was kinda surprised that such news could be withheld for so long! And I have to admit, as a big social networking fan, I'm very grateful that I live in this current age. I go crazy when I know I'm missing out on something! I can't imagine living 100 years ago and having to find out about new babies via snail mail!

The more I think about how we keep friends and family apprised of our pregnancies and babies, the more I want to start planning out our strategy for #2! In fact, I feel kinda bad about our lousy updates when Jack was being born. But then again, most of the action took place late at night. As a silly, giddy new mom I sent out a text message at 3am announcing his arrival. And was promptly surprised at how many congratulatory messages I received back at that hour. 18 months later, I apologize for waking up our friends that night. I promise I'll hold off until a more decent hour this time around.

And so, in addition to the fancy new phone I got a few months ago with a keyboard, I've also figured out how to update Facebook via text message (I know, I know, I'm a little slow with technology!) The email announcement is created and ready to be sent - pending Jon and the hospital's Food Court Internet capabilities. And we have our contact list ready. Unfortunately, a lot of that is work-related. I have to call my boss when labor starts so he knows I'm no longer working. I have to email a few of my co-workers to hand off whatever is left to be done. And of course, we have to get someone to watch Jack. Here's hoping we get a clear start to true labor ... but not too fast! It should be interesting to see how it all works out. Stay tuned!

The End

My husband is getting nervous. I'm going, going, going all day, trying to get things done because, as I explained to him last night, I may not have tomorrow. And then he gives me "the look", the look that says, "Don't speak such things out loud." Yes, we are really hoping Baby holds out until at least Sunday. But if he is willing to wait 10 days beyond that, well we think that'd be just dandy. And everybody else thinks we're weird.

The truth is, I feel really great! I'm still able to wrestle on the floor with my wild guy, give airplane rides on my shins, crawl under furniture to retrieve toys, and carry two toddlers with sandy, bare feet back from the beach. I've been sleeping fairly well at night, although I'm constantly dreaming about my water breaking, contractions and all those fun things. I'm awake early in the morning, ready to greet my happy guy when he gets up for the day. And I'm still making meals, going to work, doing laundry and cleaning. Haha, just kidding about the cleaning! Please don't drop by my house this week. Cleaning is the one thing I'm suddenly no longer able to keep up with. Jack can litter the entire house in 5 seconds with books, balls and plastic Easter eggs. And there's a nasty layer of yellow pollen on all the furniture. I see the mess, I really WANT to take care of it, and then I sit down for a few seconds and decide I'd rather not get back up for a while.


For the most part, I feel good. Better than I think I should at this point. And for that I am so thankful. I don't know how else I'd keep up with Tank. On the other hand, I have noticed a big change since Easter. Remember how I said everyone's been telling me I look bigger? Well I FEEL bigger. Most of my maternity shirts don't cover my belly anymore, so I have that great underdraft thing going on.


My belly is literally "all baby" at this point. You can't put your hand on it without touching some baby body part. And he is all up in my grill. Squeezing my lungs, crushing my ribs, and pushing down on my hips. I feel like a science experiment. He has most definitely grown! My doctor noticed too. At today's appointment she said she could tell, just by feeling my belly, that the baby had filled out. She was pretty happy with his new chub. And I am too, even if it makes my walk a bit more of a waddle.

Speaking of walks, they've gotten a bit shorter lately. First, I can't get too far without having to go to the bathroom. Second, the way Baby is laying must be causing me to favor my right side because that foot starts to hurt after a few blocks. And finally, I'm afraid if I walk too hard I might put myself into labor, and that's just not the goal right now. But we're keeping them up because Jack and I both need the fresh air (less pollen of course) and it's fun to point out all the neighborhood "gogs."

So here were are today at 39 weeks, 2 days and that, my friends, is a personal record!! My water broke with Jack the night I was 39 weeks, and he was born at 2:30am the next day. I'm feeling strangely accomplished for making it this far. But I have to say, I don't remember "the end" being this stressful before. Not stressful as in Mama's cranky and on edge all the time, but stressful as in the anxiety of just not knowing. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and out of control, and I'm just not used to that. But the good news is that Baby is healthy and that for him anytime now, whether or not it is convenient for his parents, is a good time to arrive.

So these are my last thoughts on being pregnant, maybe. I figured I should get them out now in case I don't make it until tomorrow. When my water broke with Jack I had three blog drafts waiting to be edited and posted, after he was born they were kinda out of place. So I'm trying to say everything I want to while I still can.

I'm excited, really excited. I can't wait to go into labor again and give birth. I can't wait to hold my second born for the very first time. To tell him how much I love him, to smell that sweet, sweet scent of a newborn. I'm looking forward to nursing, to taking it easy for a few weeks, to lots of down time. I can't wait to see Jack step it up as a big brother, to watch him love on this baby. To take advantage of his new desire to be a "big helper" to Mommy and Daddy.

But I will certainly miss being pregnant. Feeling those strong kicks, watching my belly move up and down while the Baby practices "breathing." Getting those annoying hiccups. Seeing people look at you and smile because you're carrying a baby. And feeling that sense of honor that I'm doing what is possibly the most important job on earth - growing and preparing a new little life. So yes, I'm one of those girls that loves being pregnant. I know not everyone does, that not everyone has good experiences. I know that I'm super-blessed to have had two great pregnancies. Two baby-carrying experiences that, instead of sucking the life out of me and making me miserable, have only caused me to feel more alive and so, so happy. And I also feel a little bad that not every woman feels like this, which makes me even more appreciative of these last few days I have left. Sometimes I feel whiny, sometimes I get tired of carrying my 33 pound toddler around. Sometimes I don't want to get off the couch all night because I'm afraid my hips are going to split town. But it usually doesn't last long. All it takes is a hug from my son when he rests his head on my belly. Or my husband telling me I'm meant for this, I was made to have babies! Or the doctor saying I look really good, did I get some sun this weekend? "Why yes I did, when I stopped thinking about my aching back and dirty house, and hauled my little guy and all our stuff out to the beach for a spontaneous romp in the sand." Sometimes it just takes a little reminder that yes, it doesn't always feel good, but it is so worth it.

Mama almost goes into labor... courtesy of Jack

I love plants. I'm not much of a green thumb, and I've yet to keep an orchid or any other flowering plant alive for any significant length of time, but but my greens I can manage. We have several house plants in our Love Nest, all but one of which I brought into our marriage. There's the ivy plant my mom brought home from me when I was really sick once in Junior High, and which now has taken over our bookcase and wall.

There's the palm tree that I rescued from the "as-is" section of Ikea my Junior year of college. I feel like I've spent the better part of the past 5 years battling for its life, but we're currently in a good spell.

There's my favorite something-or-other that I transplanted from a planter that my mom received as a gift.

And then there's this guy. Who, up until last week, I didn't know much about. Silly, naive, little me.

Not long after posting the stories about my accident-prone, injury-magnet child, he decides to take things up a notch. I'm sitting in the living room one sunny afternoon, attempting to get some work done while my son is being unusually quiet in the kitchen (typically the first sign he's getting into trouble). A few seconds later he comes running out, screaming, while holding the leafless stem of one of my plants. I thought maybe he felt bad he had broken the stem. So I picked him up, gave him some snuggles and waited for him to stop crying. He always stops crying once I hold. But he didn't. Then I started to worry that he had a leaf stuck in his throat, but I couldn't see anything, and when I checked the kitchen all leaves were on the floor with no chew marks. At this point I'm starting to panic. Jack is sobbing uncontrollably, drool is running out of his mouth, and he won't let go of my neck. I kept checking his mouth but nothing looked red or swollen. He appeared to be breathing fine. Other than excessive amount of tears, snot and drool, and the fact that he kept putting his hands in his mouth, I couldn't figure out the problem. And so I start to cry because, for the first time ever, my son is in obvious pain and nothing I do can make it better. My husband is still at work, 40 minutes away, and I'm realizing I may be making a trip to the Emergency Room with Jack by myself. I wasn't even sure where the nearest ER was! (Don't worry, Jon has since educated me on what to do in case of an emergency!)

I gave Jack a sippy cup of water, which he guzzled down while still in tears. Meanwhile, I'm trying to Google "poisonous houseplants" with my free hand while also chatting online with a friend. This person, who has chosen to remain nameless, suggested I lick the plant myself to see if it did anything. So I did. (A few minutes later we both realized that this may not have been the smartest action since I am pregnant and all, but it was too late for that.) At first, nothing. And then a few seconds later my whole mouth began to burn. So by now I figured out that the plant was indeed the culprit and that my poor boy was suffering from some sort of burning mouth.

Eventually, a cupful of water and several helpings of raisins later, he calmed down enough that I could call the local Poison Control Center. Unfortunately, since I didn't know the name of the plant they couldn't be much help. So I did some more Googling (identifying plants via the internet is not as easy as it sounds!), and after two phone calls to my parents and one to a plant-expert friend back in PA, we finally figured out the I am the not-so-proud owner of a Dumbcane, plant species: Dieffenbachia. While easy to care for and helpful in purifying the air, "Painful and immediate swelling of the mouth and throat occurs after chewing on dumbcane. Speech impediment can occur, sometimes lasting for several days. Avoid eye contact with the juices which can result in intense pain and swelling." [source] Interestingly enough, since this incident it seems like everyone I know is fully aware that Dieffenbachia are poisonous. Where have I been? Note to readers: If you see a poisonous plant in someone's house, particularly mine, it might be wise to let them know!

Pain, swelling, speech impediment ... fan-tastic. I called back the fine folks at Poison Control:

"Hi, I'm the mom who called a little bit ago with the boy who ate a house plant ..."

"Oh, the [insert name of another common plant]."

"No, ... a different mom. This plant is a dieffenbachia."

Apparently, I was not the only mom in Southeastern Virgnia who's child ate a poisonous plant that day.

The nurse on duty assured me that Jack, who had since eaten a full dinner and was back to running around like a crazy man, was going to be fine. And he is. And so is #2, who remained the most calm throughout the entire incident. He's one lucky lil' brother to have Jack paving the way ahead for him, breaking Mom's best dishes and testing out poisonous house plants... Now if we can just get through the next week or two without anymore of these moments of panic, I will be a very happy mama!

New Life

I was telling Jon the other day that I don't think I've ever appreciated the arrival of Spring more than I do this year. Part of it is spending a winter cooped up with a little man with no place to run, but even more than that, my firsthand experience with nurturing a new little life arriving this spring. Watching the robins gather twigs for their nests becomes even more significant while folding itsy, bitsy baby clothes and blankets. Seeing the squirrels out gathering acorns while watching my own little pantry grow and groan under the fruits of my "stockpiling for baby weeks" shopping. Watching green shoots appear through the dirt and having my son point out the blooms on the bushes, has really helped me to understand the wonder and beauty of bringing forth new life. The arrival of spring this year has reminded me of the blessing it is to be a woman and the honor I have of bearing a little life. The recent sunshine and gorgeous weather has only heightened my excitement over new Baby's arrival. I can't wait to watch him grow with the rest of the world!

In addition to our soon-to-be-born son, we also shared Easter with my in-laws and Jon's grandparents, who were driving up from Florida. I was so excited to have guests in for Easter since we knew we couldn't make any travel plans ourselves. We didn't know if any of our family would want to come see us if they knew they'd be returning soon to meet the new guy, but I'm so glad they did because this weekend was an excellent distraction in the "waiting game." We had a blast!


We hung out on the beach, took a trip to the local botanical gardens, had dinner on the bay, noticed how much Jack has grown since his last ride in the bike seat (I wasn't able to join that excursion, but I did manage to take advantage of an hour by myself and gave the flower bed a desperately needed weeding), and just spent time together catching up the past few months. Thanks to the abundance of good food and fellowship, I also managed to put on a whole pound over the weekend, and everyone agrees I'm looking a bit larger these days.

It's also been nice to pull out a few of my summer maternity clothes again. One thing I've noticed about being pregnant over the winter is that a lot of people just can't tell there's a baby growing under all those layers. I waved hello to my neighbor across the street today while we were both weeding and she said, "Janine, are you pregnant?!" (I tell myself she only asked to be polite, not because she couldn't tell.) And I thought to myself, "For heaven's sake, if I hadn't happened to walk out my door this afternoon wouldn't Wendy have been surprised to see me carrying around a newborn this summer!" It is good to be out of hibernation! And so, although I'm still partial to Fall babies, I'm really enjoying these last few weeks of anticipation, along with the rest of the world, as we watch nature come into bloom and new life arrive on a daily basis. Happy Easter!

Hurry Up and Wait

One of my least favorite parts of pregnancy is right here, right now. The waiting game. I should be ready to go into labor at any point now ... or 4 weeks from now. Not that I don't appreciate being prepared. I mean, the Coast Guard motto is Semper Paratus (always prepared). And that is generally how we run things in this household. But still. It definitely messes with your head.

Jon firmly believes #2 is going to be "post-dates", and I'm apt to agree. There's only one problem. I adamantly felt that Jack was going to be born after his due date ... and he came a week early. Which makes me feel that it is even more necessary for me to be ready to go before my time. And for the most part, we are. We made a lot of headway these past few weeks. Baby's clothes are all washed, folded and put in the drawers. All that lovely baby gear has been brought down from the attic, and the car seat base is officially installed. Jack has been having a great time reliving his early childhood. I wonder if he recognizes any of this stuff?

We are beyond prepared with diapers, and thanks to K-Mart's faux pas the other other week, I scored a ton of baby/mama accessories for cheap hours before they pulled the coupon! :) Oh yes, and if you didn't notice in that recent picture of my garage - we have our double stroller!! I finally committed to one, and so far I'm pretty happy with it. Then again I haven't had a chance to actually try it out yet. But I think it looks pretty cool!

And of course, one final preparation for the big day, I painted my toe nails because (a) it's nice to have something pretty to look at during those final moments before meeting the little guy and (b) I still can. Although it would have been pretty funny if I could have convinced my husband to do it!

I'm starting to feel very domestic. This same thing happened during the last weeks of my Jack-pregnancy. For some reason, the last few days before I give birth make me feel very "womanly" and that generally manifests itself in the kitchen. A few hours before my water broke with Jack, I scoured the floor and baked cookies. So I think my husband was a little wary the other morning he woke up to find bins of yard sale clothes ready to go down to the garage, homemade yogurt cooling in the crockpot, homemade granola drying in the oven, fruit deyhydrating in the laundry room, and pork and sauerkraut prepped for dinner. I went to bed the night before suddenly worried that this was IT. I was very relieved to wake the next morning still feeling very pregnant.

Speaking of nights, they've gotten interesting lately. I'm not that uncomfortable during the day, unless I'm going up and down the stairs or carrying Jack too much. But nights have taken a twist. Baby loves to play at night and tends to get the hiccups early in the morning. I literally sat up in bed last night after one very strong kick. It hurts! They may say he's little, but this kid is strong! And he's constantly stretching and pushing on his Mama. I'm also feeling lots of pressure on my left hip, which keeps me up at night. So once I'm awake then I start thinking about going into labor, and what else I have left to do, and how we're going to get everything around and Jack off to the sitter's in time. And that is how I've spent the last few nights. Sleep, get punched awake, lay there thinking, roll over to get baby off hip, sleep, get kicked awake, lay there thinking, roll back over, sleep, etc.

There just seems to be so much more to plan with the second one. Probably because there is one very large component that we didn't have to deal with last time - Jack himself. The plan is to send Jack to Jon's Aunt and Uncle's about an hour away. Not the most ideal distance, but if you've ever visited their house you'd know it's the perfect place for Jack to spend his first night away from Mommy (aside from the grandparents of course!). Of all the logistical events of this big day coming up, the thing I'm most worried about is leaving Jack. The longest we've been apart is 9 hours, and that was last August when my parents watched him while I had a girls' day out shopping. It's not that I'm afraid to leave him or that I don't think he'd do well overnight, I'm sure he's ready. I just hate that our first opportunity is when I'm in a hospital delivering his baby brother. I've already warned Jon that he will be the one handling the Jack aspect that day, I'm going to be a hormonal mess. And saying goodbye to my baby, who's going to be a big brother when I see him again, isn't going to help. The good news is that just this month the hospital lifted their H1N1 visitation policy ban on children under 18. So at least he can come visit me in the hospital, which is a huge relief!!

So my emotional self aside, I know Jack's going to be fine. Aunt Julie will have lots of good food to satisfy even his bottomless pit, Uncle Bob will help keep him in line, and all the cousins will make sure he's entertained and so distracted that he probably won't even miss us. I hope. But this all only works out if Baby waits until after April 10 to arrive. So that's what we're praying.

In fact, April 10 is just one of my many mini-milestones. First I wanted to get past our anniversary March 25 (sorry Baby but Mama doesn't like to share!), then I wanted to make it out of the month of March (in which we already have 2 family birthdays and our anniversary). I'd also hoped to avoid April Fool's Day (looks good so far). Anytime after April 10 is fair game, although that week is Jon's finals week. And I'd like to not get too far into the end of April because we have 4 family birthdays within the first two weeks of May. So yeah, I'm not picky or anything, but it can't hurt to have goals!

Regardless of my plans, Baby will come when he's good and ready, and hopefully we'll be good and ready too. On that note, I best go pack my bags!