Things seem to be going a little better here, now that the end of the week is close. Ed even rented a movie for us to watch tonight after William went to bed. That's promising, right? Yesterday was William's 15-month well visit. He's still a peanut, but he jumped the curve in height. He weighs 21.5 lbs and is 31 inches tall. Everything looked good, and I'm relieved that his cold didn't turn into anything worse. That's very promising, given his episodes of wheezing and his allergies.
We've seen progress this week in the sleep category, too. It hasn't been too difficult, fortunately. Otherwise, I'm not sure I'd be able to follow through. But there hasn't been any long bouts of crying. The last two nights, he's woken up once, cried for 5 minutes, and gone back to sleep. His naps have been shorter than usual this week, but I'm hoping that won't become the norm. Hopefully when he gets back to daycare, he'll go back to two-hour naps. Ed hasn't made much progress with the bottles, but I'm not going to worry about that quite yet. I'm pretty confident that they can stop using bottles at daycare, whether or not we stop them at home. Let me get through this sleeping thing, and then maybe we'll work on bottles more seriously.
I have two close friends who might go into labor any day now, so I'm really anxious and hopeful for both of them. One is a few weeks early, and one is about a week late. Makes me think back to my "last days" and makes me slightly nostalgic for another baby. It's the second baby for both of them, and I wonder if they're thinking about what they'll do differently this time around. I know I think about that all the time--how I might be different, how the baby might be different than William, but how you don't really know until it happens. Just like parenthood in general--you think you know how you'll feel and act, and you know what kind of parent you want to be, but parenting is such a fluid concept. No--not concept. It's an ever-changing state of being. You can tell it's late because I'm being philosophical and not making any sense. But I am looking forward to trying again. And I really really hope my friends have fast, easy, and uneventful deliveries!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
The Boys Are Surviving
Well, it's day two of the Daddy-William Vacation, and they're surviving, but just barely. William has three monster mosquito bites on his face and head--one on his cheek, one behind his ear, and one right above his forehead. Ed is about as cranky as I've ever seen him by the time I get home, and I can only hope that he is way more pleasant with William than he has been with me. What a grouch. It bothers me that he isn't more cheerful, and that he doesn't seem to be enjoying this opportunity to spend time with William. Sometimes I feel like William is just one big inconvenience to Ed. But to be fair, Ed is not a patient person, and I think he just pents up all his frustrations all day long and then lets them out on me. Not that that's fair, but I don't want to give the impression that Ed is not a good dad. I think it's just going to be a long week--for all of us.
I'm not sure if William is having fun or not. Today he only took a one-hour nap, so he was quite manic when I got home. I held him while I made dinner (which was quite an impressive feat, I may add! I made the garlic Parmesan pork chops.) and he was starving by the time I fed him. He actually ate the same dinner we did, and ate an entire pork chop! But he finished before we actually got everything together and sat down, so it wasn't exactly a family meal. I'm still working on the whole timing thing! He got a popsicle while we sat down and ate, and when he finished, he got down and started pushing the vacuum cleaner all over the house. It made us laugh because he was so tired that he would practically fall apart if the vacuum cleaner hit an obstacle or he couldn't get it to go in the direction he wanted. Poor guy!
Tomorrow afternoon is William's 15-month well visit. He'll get a few shots, so I imagine he'll be pretty grumpy when I get home. I need to write down some questions for Ed to ask the doctor. I hate not going to the appointment, but I need to save all the sick leave that I can. For now it's off to bed. I'm letting William cry this week (for the umpteenth time), so we'll see how tonight goes.
Tomorrow afternoon is William's 15-month well visit. He'll get a few shots, so I imagine he'll be pretty grumpy when I get home. I need to write down some questions for Ed to ask the doctor. I hate not going to the appointment, but I need to save all the sick leave that I can. For now it's off to bed. I'm letting William cry this week (for the umpteenth time), so we'll see how tonight goes.
Pregnant--What Next?
I'm debating on whether or not to start a separate pregnancy blog. I think, though, that once my news is "public," I'll want to include it in my regular blog, because it will definitely fall under the "Working It Out" category. So for now, I'll just save these entries as drafts.
Yesterday I had a few moments of nausea. But it was fleeting. In some ways, I wish I felt very sick, because I'd feel more secure about the pregnancy. But I was never very sick with William, and everything turned out okay. I have my first doctor's appointment on September 18. Since I am 35, I think I am considered "advanced maternal age," which means I will be monitored more closely. I like the idea of having more sonograms. Ed and I haven't decided if we want to find out the sex of this baby. I could go either way. If we do find out, we might try to keep it a secret from everyone else. But I think that would be too hard, because I would definitely want to get clothes ready, etc. I'll use the same room decor as William had, so that will be easy. And that also means we can change the decor in William's room. Yay! I'm thinking a construction theme with lots of trucks, but I also don't want to do something that will be hard to change in a few years, so I'm thinking of not doing a border, even though I think borders are super cute. I also think we should paint the baby's room, but still in a neutral color. And maybe we'll paint William's room blue. Well, now I'm just rambling. The best part about painting the rooms, though, is that we won't have to paint any trim! No windows, no doors, no molding. How easy will that be?
First things first, however. I need to get to our first appointment and make sure everything is okay.
Yesterday I had a few moments of nausea. But it was fleeting. In some ways, I wish I felt very sick, because I'd feel more secure about the pregnancy. But I was never very sick with William, and everything turned out okay. I have my first doctor's appointment on September 18. Since I am 35, I think I am considered "advanced maternal age," which means I will be monitored more closely. I like the idea of having more sonograms. Ed and I haven't decided if we want to find out the sex of this baby. I could go either way. If we do find out, we might try to keep it a secret from everyone else. But I think that would be too hard, because I would definitely want to get clothes ready, etc. I'll use the same room decor as William had, so that will be easy. And that also means we can change the decor in William's room. Yay! I'm thinking a construction theme with lots of trucks, but I also don't want to do something that will be hard to change in a few years, so I'm thinking of not doing a border, even though I think borders are super cute. I also think we should paint the baby's room, but still in a neutral color. And maybe we'll paint William's room blue. Well, now I'm just rambling. The best part about painting the rooms, though, is that we won't have to paint any trim! No windows, no doors, no molding. How easy will that be?
First things first, however. I need to get to our first appointment and make sure everything is okay.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Menu Plan Monday
I'm a little late, but here's my menu plan for this week.Sunday: Sirloin steak on the grill
Wild Rice
Steamed Broccoli
Popovers
Monday: Lasagna (Courtesy of Stouffer's)
Caesar Salad
Garlic Bread
Tuesday: Garlic Parmesan Pork Chops (from last week's menu)
Broccoli and Cheese
Dinner Rolls
Wednesday: Tuna Casserole
Salad
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Grilled Buttermilk Chicken
Corn on the Cob
Tomato & Basil salad
For more great ideas, visit Laura at Organizing Junkie!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
PREGNANT!!!!
I found out last night that I am pregnant! Oh my goodness. What have we done? I'm very excited and very scared at the same time. It's very early, and anything can happen, so I'm trying not to get too ahead of myself. We don't plan to tell the family until at least 8 weeks. I think the due date would be April 30. So it's very likely we'll have another May baby. In many ways, this is a good thing. I already have maternity clothes for those seasons. And it's a great time to be off of work, and a good season for a new baby. But it might be tough because I"ll want to take William to the pool, but it will probably be really hard with a newborn. But maybe this baby will be more portable than William was. Maybe this baby will sleep anywhere and will love the car. We'll just have to wait and see.
Weekend Report
We had a wonderful weekend, and here it is, Sunday night already.
William spent the night with his grandparents on Saturday night so that Ed and I could see a movie, go out to dinner, and then I could go hear Ed play. Everything was wonderful! I stayed up until 3:30 in the morning (yikes!) and we got to sleep in this morning until 10:30. I could have slept in later, but since I had woken up briefly at 6:30, 7:45, and 9:30, I figured 10:30 was late enough. We saw Bourne Ultimatum, which we really enjoyed. We ate at a nice Italian restaurant very close to our house. We hung out at the bar where Ed plays and I got to meet both of his bosses, as they both came to hear him play on his birthday.
William did great with his grandparents and it sounds like he had a good time. The more we do this (have him stay with them), the easier it gets! (We've only actually done it twice, but still--the potential is there!) I know I won't be doing it a lot, simply because when you work full time, weekend time with your kids is precious, to say the least. But alone time with Ed is precious, too, and it's so nice to have the ability to make it happen.
Speaking of William, his cold is still there, but it hasn't gotten too bad, so fingers crossed that it will fade away. He's saying "more," and "cup," and "balloon" now. It sometimes sounds like he says "milk," but I can't be sure. Ed takes him for his 15 month will visit on Wednesday, so we'll see what his stats are. But I think he weighs about 22 pounds, and he's maybe 30 or 31 inches tall.
Speaking of Ed, he gets to stay home with William all week. William's daycare is closed for teacher training and inservices, so Ed took a week off to play Mr. Mom. I'm very jealous, but know it will be wonderful bonding time for them. (If Ed actually makes it through the week!) My week will be infinitely easier as I won't have to worry about getting William up and fed and making sure I have everything to take with me. I can just kiss my boys goodbye and walk out the door. Also, Ed will be working on getting rid of the bottles this week. I actually don't think it's going to be too hard for him. As long as he doesn't see them, he should be fine. I plan to still give him the before-bottle for now.
So that's our news. Another weekend closer to summer's end. Where does time go? The Tuesday after Labor Day is going to be a rude awakening for all of us!
William spent the night with his grandparents on Saturday night so that Ed and I could see a movie, go out to dinner, and then I could go hear Ed play. Everything was wonderful! I stayed up until 3:30 in the morning (yikes!) and we got to sleep in this morning until 10:30. I could have slept in later, but since I had woken up briefly at 6:30, 7:45, and 9:30, I figured 10:30 was late enough. We saw Bourne Ultimatum, which we really enjoyed. We ate at a nice Italian restaurant very close to our house. We hung out at the bar where Ed plays and I got to meet both of his bosses, as they both came to hear him play on his birthday.
William did great with his grandparents and it sounds like he had a good time. The more we do this (have him stay with them), the easier it gets! (We've only actually done it twice, but still--the potential is there!) I know I won't be doing it a lot, simply because when you work full time, weekend time with your kids is precious, to say the least. But alone time with Ed is precious, too, and it's so nice to have the ability to make it happen.
Speaking of William, his cold is still there, but it hasn't gotten too bad, so fingers crossed that it will fade away. He's saying "more," and "cup," and "balloon" now. It sometimes sounds like he says "milk," but I can't be sure. Ed takes him for his 15 month will visit on Wednesday, so we'll see what his stats are. But I think he weighs about 22 pounds, and he's maybe 30 or 31 inches tall.
Speaking of Ed, he gets to stay home with William all week. William's daycare is closed for teacher training and inservices, so Ed took a week off to play Mr. Mom. I'm very jealous, but know it will be wonderful bonding time for them. (If Ed actually makes it through the week!) My week will be infinitely easier as I won't have to worry about getting William up and fed and making sure I have everything to take with me. I can just kiss my boys goodbye and walk out the door. Also, Ed will be working on getting rid of the bottles this week. I actually don't think it's going to be too hard for him. As long as he doesn't see them, he should be fine. I plan to still give him the before-bottle for now.
So that's our news. Another weekend closer to summer's end. Where does time go? The Tuesday after Labor Day is going to be a rude awakening for all of us!
Thursday, August 23, 2007
New Word
William has learned how to say, "No!" Except when he says it, it sounds like, "Nuh-no." How wonderful. It's kind of cute but mostly not.
He's got a cough now, so I'm worried that he'll start wheezing. He's supposed to stay with his grandparents on Saturday night so Ed and I can celebrate Ed's 30th birthday. But I guess we'll have to play it by ear. I'll be disappointed if we can't do it this weekend--we have plans to see a movie, go out to dinner, and then I'd planned to see Ed play at his Saturday-night gig, and the best part of all, we would get to sleep in, IN OUR BEDS, on Sunday morning--but we can always do it another weekend. I just hope this cold doesn't get much worse for William.
So that's our news. Here's a video of William saying "Mommy." Ignore the cinematography at the end! And oh yeah--that's some leftover chicken nugget on his face. He's saving it for later! :-)
He's got a cough now, so I'm worried that he'll start wheezing. He's supposed to stay with his grandparents on Saturday night so Ed and I can celebrate Ed's 30th birthday. But I guess we'll have to play it by ear. I'll be disappointed if we can't do it this weekend--we have plans to see a movie, go out to dinner, and then I'd planned to see Ed play at his Saturday-night gig, and the best part of all, we would get to sleep in, IN OUR BEDS, on Sunday morning--but we can always do it another weekend. I just hope this cold doesn't get much worse for William.
So that's our news. Here's a video of William saying "Mommy." Ignore the cinematography at the end! And oh yeah--that's some leftover chicken nugget on his face. He's saving it for later! :-)
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Another Adventurous Evening
My oldest sister and her husband are in town from Portland, OR, and they have never met William, so tonight, William and I met them downtown at their hotel for dinner. My original plan was to have them meet us at a restaurant close to William's daycare, right around William's normal dinnertime (6:00 p.m.). That didn't really work, though, because my sister had to be on a conference call from 5:00 to 6:00. So after some initial fumbling (I went to my car and got the stroller and diaper bag before getting William from daycare because we were going to walk to the restaurant, but when I got to William's room, I realized I had left the cell phone in the car. So William and I went back to the car to get the cell phone, only to realize that it wasn't charged, so I couldn't make a call. So then we walked to my office so I could call my sister), I decided we would get in the car (which required us to walk back to the daycare building where I park my car) and go to my sister's hotel and meet them there. So we finally get there at 6:00 and William was okay after having a bottle and some goldfish (he got a leetle testy in the car), so we hung out in the lobby with my brother in law, waiting for my sister to get off the call. Around 6:45, I asked my BIL if we could go ahead and go and have my sister meet us at the restaurant, so that was fine. We get to the restaurant, William is fine, I order his dinner right away, my sister gets there, William's food arrives, he happily eats his food and shares his sweet potato fries with us. But of course, he's done eating before our food even arrives, and not wanting to stay in his high chair. He's pretty easy to entertain while I hold him, though, and my sister and her husband get to eat. I take a few bites, but honestly, I'm not even that hungry, so it wasn't a big deal that I didn't really get to eat.
So we get back to the hotel at around 8:00 and William is still great--laughing, playing with my sister, having a ball. And he's even pretty good on the car ride home, and didn't fall asleep until 8:30, right before we got home. At home we went straight upstairs and I changed him into his jammies (after wiping him down with wipes) and he had another bottle and went right to sleep. Amazing! I'm always expecting the worst, and always pleasantly surprised. He loved his aunt and uncle, too, which was fun to see. He's usually pretty shy and clings to me, but he seemed to like them right away.
So that was our evening, proving once again that William is a very flexible and easy-going kid. I know I can't always expect it to be this way, but it sure is nice for now!
So we get back to the hotel at around 8:00 and William is still great--laughing, playing with my sister, having a ball. And he's even pretty good on the car ride home, and didn't fall asleep until 8:30, right before we got home. At home we went straight upstairs and I changed him into his jammies (after wiping him down with wipes) and he had another bottle and went right to sleep. Amazing! I'm always expecting the worst, and always pleasantly surprised. He loved his aunt and uncle, too, which was fun to see. He's usually pretty shy and clings to me, but he seemed to like them right away.
So that was our evening, proving once again that William is a very flexible and easy-going kid. I know I can't always expect it to be this way, but it sure is nice for now!
Monday, August 20, 2007
Menu Plan Monday
I made a menu plan for the week, but it's very tentative because my sister and brother-in-law will be in town and I don't know what the plans are with them. So it's a flexible menu plan, too.
Sunday (last night)
Grilled Chicken with Basting Sauce
Peas
Garlic Bread
Monday
Shepherd's Pie
Dinner Rolls
Tuesday
Spicy Grilled Sirloin Steak
Corn on the Cob
Popovers
Wednesday
Tuna Casserole
Biscuits or dinner rolls
Thursday
Leftovers or eat out
Friday
Garlic Parmesan pork chops
broccoli and cheese
dinner rolls
Happy Eating!
Sunday (last night)
Grilled Chicken with Basting Sauce
Peas
Garlic Bread
Monday
Shepherd's Pie
Dinner Rolls
Tuesday
Spicy Grilled Sirloin Steak
Corn on the Cob
Popovers
Wednesday
Tuna Casserole
Biscuits or dinner rolls
Thursday
Leftovers or eat out
Friday
Garlic Parmesan pork chops
broccoli and cheese
dinner rolls
Happy Eating!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Weekend Report
We had another good but busy weekend. William has come down with a cold again (we had a good run, though--all of July and half of August! Not bad.), but that didn't seem to bother him too much. I was reminded again of what an easy-going child he is. On Saturday, we went to a friend's community pool and were there from 11:30 until 3:00! This is prime nap time, and William did great. He loved the pool and also played on the playground and the volleyball court. He ate a ham and cheese sandwich and grapes for lunch and munched on golden Oreos for dessert. And although towards the end, you could definitely tell he was tired, there were no major meltdowns or temper tantrums. And once we got in the car, he was asleep before I had even left the parking lot. Too cute!
He slept the whole way home (for about an hour), and then woke up and spent the rest of the afternoon outside with our neighbor's 3-year-old boy and another friend's 12-month-old girl. We cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill and the kids played in the sandbox and the water table and just ran around. (We really need a fence for the back yard!) He didn't sleep quite as well that night, but it wasn't too bad. He woke up twice--at 2:30 and 4:30--but went back to sleep both times. All in all, a great day.
Today was the usual--grocery shopping, trying to get laundry done, playing outside as much as we could. William didn't make it past 11:30 for his nap, and in the afternoon, William, Ed and I went to a local park where they have a carousel and a little train that runs around the park. We took William on both, but I couldn't really tell if he liked it. He had a very serious look on his face while we were on both rides, but when he watched them from afar, he got very excited. He also shared a popsicle with dad, so that was a big hit.
In other William news, his molars on coming in, but he seems to be taking it pretty well. The right one has poked through, and the left one is very close. I've been giving him popsicles after dinner, which he loves. I found these great mini-popsicles which are the perfect size for him.
He's also continuing to eat pretty well. After work is the toughest, though, because on the way home, he gets crabby in the car, and I often give him goldfish, and then he won't eat as much at dinner. I could try to give him fruit, which would be healthier, and could be considered a part of his dinner, but I have to reach back and hand it to him, a few at a time, and a lot of it ends up on the floor or in the car seat, so "dry" foods are best. But he's still doing well with meat--he ate a whole hot dog last night, and some hamburger--and he likes broccoli and peas and today he had raspberries for the first time and loved them! No surprise there. The only fruit he doesn't really like is mango.
So that was the weekend! My sister and her husband will be in town this week, so we're looking forward to their visit. They've never met William, so I hope he'll be his charming self for them and not a sick, cranky mess.
He slept the whole way home (for about an hour), and then woke up and spent the rest of the afternoon outside with our neighbor's 3-year-old boy and another friend's 12-month-old girl. We cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill and the kids played in the sandbox and the water table and just ran around. (We really need a fence for the back yard!) He didn't sleep quite as well that night, but it wasn't too bad. He woke up twice--at 2:30 and 4:30--but went back to sleep both times. All in all, a great day.
Today was the usual--grocery shopping, trying to get laundry done, playing outside as much as we could. William didn't make it past 11:30 for his nap, and in the afternoon, William, Ed and I went to a local park where they have a carousel and a little train that runs around the park. We took William on both, but I couldn't really tell if he liked it. He had a very serious look on his face while we were on both rides, but when he watched them from afar, he got very excited. He also shared a popsicle with dad, so that was a big hit.
In other William news, his molars on coming in, but he seems to be taking it pretty well. The right one has poked through, and the left one is very close. I've been giving him popsicles after dinner, which he loves. I found these great mini-popsicles which are the perfect size for him.
He's also continuing to eat pretty well. After work is the toughest, though, because on the way home, he gets crabby in the car, and I often give him goldfish, and then he won't eat as much at dinner. I could try to give him fruit, which would be healthier, and could be considered a part of his dinner, but I have to reach back and hand it to him, a few at a time, and a lot of it ends up on the floor or in the car seat, so "dry" foods are best. But he's still doing well with meat--he ate a whole hot dog last night, and some hamburger--and he likes broccoli and peas and today he had raspberries for the first time and loved them! No surprise there. The only fruit he doesn't really like is mango.So that was the weekend! My sister and her husband will be in town this week, so we're looking forward to their visit. They've never met William, so I hope he'll be his charming self for them and not a sick, cranky mess.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
"Mommy!"
It's late and I'm tired, but I wanted to make a note of two great things that happened today.
First of all, this afternoon, on the way home from work, William said "Mommy"! He actually said, "Mommy, Mama," and of course, he was whining at the time. But I was so excited! I had two slugs in the car--both men--so I don't think they quite understood my excitement, but they were nice nonetheless. (In fact, the man who sat in back next to William actually read "Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb" to William, which I thought was super sweet!) How can one word be so gratifying?
The second thing that happened is that William went all day without a bottle--even in the car both on the way to work and on the way home. On the way home he drank from his sippy cup, which is a first. At daycare, they said he drank from the regular dixie cups (no lid!) and did really well. So I need to get some dixie cups and let him try that at home. Very exciting!
The menu is going pretty well this week. The baked linguine in meat sauce wasn't great. As I was making the sauce, I was thinking that it probably wasn't going to be very good and I should probably make my regular spaghetti sauce, and alas--I was right. But it's edible. We also ended up having leftovers last night and tonight, I prepared everything for the pot roast to put into the crock pot tomorrow morning. Let's hope I remember to turn it on!
So that's our news. We have a busy weekend planned. On Saturday, we're going to go to the pool with my very pregnant friend and her daughter. I'm very excited to see her and to catch up. Saturday afternoon I'm meeting another friend and daughter for a trip to a park that has farm animals. It's supposed to be a gorgeous day, so hopefully, William will be up for both activities. On Sunday, we're going to go to a park right by our house that has a carousel and a miniature train that we can ride on. I've been wanting to do it all summer, so I'm looking forward to that. Hopefully I'll get lots of pictures!
First of all, this afternoon, on the way home from work, William said "Mommy"! He actually said, "Mommy, Mama," and of course, he was whining at the time. But I was so excited! I had two slugs in the car--both men--so I don't think they quite understood my excitement, but they were nice nonetheless. (In fact, the man who sat in back next to William actually read "Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb" to William, which I thought was super sweet!) How can one word be so gratifying?
The second thing that happened is that William went all day without a bottle--even in the car both on the way to work and on the way home. On the way home he drank from his sippy cup, which is a first. At daycare, they said he drank from the regular dixie cups (no lid!) and did really well. So I need to get some dixie cups and let him try that at home. Very exciting!
The menu is going pretty well this week. The baked linguine in meat sauce wasn't great. As I was making the sauce, I was thinking that it probably wasn't going to be very good and I should probably make my regular spaghetti sauce, and alas--I was right. But it's edible. We also ended up having leftovers last night and tonight, I prepared everything for the pot roast to put into the crock pot tomorrow morning. Let's hope I remember to turn it on!
So that's our news. We have a busy weekend planned. On Saturday, we're going to go to the pool with my very pregnant friend and her daughter. I'm very excited to see her and to catch up. Saturday afternoon I'm meeting another friend and daughter for a trip to a park that has farm animals. It's supposed to be a gorgeous day, so hopefully, William will be up for both activities. On Sunday, we're going to go to a park right by our house that has a carousel and a miniature train that we can ride on. I've been wanting to do it all summer, so I'm looking forward to that. Hopefully I'll get lots of pictures!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Happy Anniversary Ed!
Today Ed and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary. Ed brought home takeout from Outback and we ate it in the backyard after William had gone to sleep. It was yummy and we talked and laughed and just relaxed. We definitely need to do that more often! This year has without a doubt been the most challenging so far for our marriage. But it has also been the most rewarding. I have come to respect and admire Ed in so many new ways. I often think about in what ways I hope William turns out to be like Ed. I hope he has Ed's work ethic and his sense of responsibility and his intelligence and lack of pretentiousness. I hope he's quick to laugh like Ed does. And that he doesn't take himself too seriously. I think he's already a little shy and introverted like Ed is, which is really sweet. The best moments in life are watching Ed and William play and laugh together, or seeing William snuggle up to Ed and give him a hug. So sweet!
So happy anniversary honey! Can't wait to see what our fourth year has in store.
And since you asked, here's a picture of us on our wedding day.
So happy anniversary honey! Can't wait to see what our fourth year has in store.
And since you asked, here's a picture of us on our wedding day.
Monday, August 13, 2007
The Perfect Patient
Today we had our appointment with the pediatric allergist. We didn't learn anything new or earth-shattering--just a confirmation of what we already know--but I feel better for having gone over that information again. The doctor didn't feel like William needed any follow-up tests for his allergies, and other than peanuts and possibly eggs, he doesn't appear to be having a reaction to anything else. As for eggs, he said we should stay away from egg dishes (like scrambled or fried, french toast, deviled eggs, and quiche), but we didn't have to worry too much about eggs baked into products. That was a relief, because it's very hard to avoid eggs in baked goods! For peanuts, we need to avoid them at all costs and keep the epi-pen close by. The fact that he didn't have an anaphylactic reaction is a good thing, but not something we can always count on. He also said that it is more likely that he will develop allergies to environmental factors like pet hair, dust mites, or seasonal allergens, so we need to watch him closely and bring him in if we suspect something. He might be more prone to colds, ear infections, and wheezing. But the fact that he's only had 3 ear infections is a good thing. So all in all, it was a productive visit and well worth the $25 copay.
Ed went to this appointment with me and we were both cracking up because the doctors couldn't believe how good William was when he was being examined. He has always been a wonderful patient since day one. He sits very still and carefully observes the doctors as they listen to his heart, look in his ears, look in his mouth, and poke and prod his body. At my pediatrician's office, I usually just hold him on my lap, but today, the doctor's wanted him on the examination table. When I first put him up there he squirmed and fussed. But as soon as the doctor leaned over him with the stethoscope, William got perfectly still. It was so cute! Ed and I were just laughing. The doctors were amazed. I'd like to think my astute parenting skills have a lot to do with it, but I know better. It's just the luck of the draw! And don't worry--I don't expect him to always be so docile at a doctor's office!
Happy 15-month birthday William! And Happy 3-month birthday LMJ! Hope you had a great first day MJ. Thinking of you!
Ed went to this appointment with me and we were both cracking up because the doctors couldn't believe how good William was when he was being examined. He has always been a wonderful patient since day one. He sits very still and carefully observes the doctors as they listen to his heart, look in his ears, look in his mouth, and poke and prod his body. At my pediatrician's office, I usually just hold him on my lap, but today, the doctor's wanted him on the examination table. When I first put him up there he squirmed and fussed. But as soon as the doctor leaned over him with the stethoscope, William got perfectly still. It was so cute! Ed and I were just laughing. The doctors were amazed. I'd like to think my astute parenting skills have a lot to do with it, but I know better. It's just the luck of the draw! And don't worry--I don't expect him to always be so docile at a doctor's office!
Happy 15-month birthday William! And Happy 3-month birthday LMJ! Hope you had a great first day MJ. Thinking of you!
Menu Plan Monday
I'm renewing my efforts to create (and follow!) a weekly menu plan (see my other blog) so I spent Saturday evening reviewing recipes and running things by Ed. Here's what I came up with for this week! (I'm starting with Sunday--last night.)Sunday:
Spiced rubbed salmon with cucumber relish (picture on the left--this was excellent, btw!)grilled asparagus
dinner rolls
Monday:
Chicken enchiladas
(I already put the enchiladas together on Sunday night, so they're ready to go in the oven when I get home!)
Tuesday:
Takeout (to celebrate our 3rd anniversary!)
Razzleberry Pie (from Marie Callender)
Wednesday:
Baked linguine with meat sauce (I will make this tonight after William goes to bed. I plan to divide it into two smaller pans, and I'll freeze one for another night.)
Garlic bread
salad
Thursday:
Classic Pot Roast
Spinach Salad
Dinner rolls
Friday:
Leftovers
Happy eating!
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Who Is This Toddler and Can I Keep Him?
We had a great, but busy, weekend with William. And the best news to report is that he has consistently been eating a ton. And I'm talking chicken nuggets and meatballs and broccoli and cleaning his plate and everything! At lunch, he ate a ham and cheese sandwich. And for dinner he ate a meatball, 3 chicken nuggets, broccoli, apples, and half of my dinner roll. And for breakfast, he has been downing pancakes like nobody's business. Now don't worry. I'm fully prepared for him to go on a food strike again at any time. But now that I've seen him eat "normally," I won't feel quite as worried when he slows down again.
Also, he went the whole day without a bottle. He had a small one in the morning, and his before-bed bottle, and that was it. At daycare, he's down to one bottle, which he has after his nap, so they're going to work on getting rid of that one this week. My biggest challenge during the week with bottles is our commute to and from work. He usually has one both ways, and it helps to calm him down when he gets really fussy. Not really sure how to cut those out, but I'll keep trying. Progress is progress, right?
Unfortunately, I can't report that his sleeping has improved much. He's back to his 4:00 a.m. wake-up-for-a-bottle-or-throw-a-conniption-fit pattern. This morning, after he drank his bottle, he still threw a fit when I tried to leave him in his crib, so I slept in the guest room with him. On Friday night, we slept at Ed's parents', and when he woke up, I brought him right to our bed and he went right back to sleep without a bottle. But if I try that at home, he has a fit. Every night is an adventure!
As far as his recent clinginess goes, he's still a Mama's boy through and through. But he was great at his grandparents' house this weekend. On Saturday, I was co-hosting a bridal shower, so Ed, Ed's dad, his grandfather, and William went out to lunch. Ed said he did really well, and Pepa (Ed's grandfather) said William ate like a champ. He was tickled pink, and it was so cute seeing the four of them walk inside the house together. William walked in the house right in stride with the men. I wish I had a video! He also charmed everyone by giving hugs and kisses on demand, and turning in circles. He's a blast at parties!
So all in all, we had a great weekend. Having a child is so much work and so much responsibility, but it is such a privilege to watch a child grow and learn and develop a personality right before your eyes. It is rewarding beyond words. Whatever phase we're in right now is a great one. We'd like to keep this toddler for a while!
Also, he went the whole day without a bottle. He had a small one in the morning, and his before-bed bottle, and that was it. At daycare, he's down to one bottle, which he has after his nap, so they're going to work on getting rid of that one this week. My biggest challenge during the week with bottles is our commute to and from work. He usually has one both ways, and it helps to calm him down when he gets really fussy. Not really sure how to cut those out, but I'll keep trying. Progress is progress, right?
Unfortunately, I can't report that his sleeping has improved much. He's back to his 4:00 a.m. wake-up-for-a-bottle-or-throw-a-conniption-fit pattern. This morning, after he drank his bottle, he still threw a fit when I tried to leave him in his crib, so I slept in the guest room with him. On Friday night, we slept at Ed's parents', and when he woke up, I brought him right to our bed and he went right back to sleep without a bottle. But if I try that at home, he has a fit. Every night is an adventure!
As far as his recent clinginess goes, he's still a Mama's boy through and through. But he was great at his grandparents' house this weekend. On Saturday, I was co-hosting a bridal shower, so Ed, Ed's dad, his grandfather, and William went out to lunch. Ed said he did really well, and Pepa (Ed's grandfather) said William ate like a champ. He was tickled pink, and it was so cute seeing the four of them walk inside the house together. William walked in the house right in stride with the men. I wish I had a video! He also charmed everyone by giving hugs and kisses on demand, and turning in circles. He's a blast at parties!
So all in all, we had a great weekend. Having a child is so much work and so much responsibility, but it is such a privilege to watch a child grow and learn and develop a personality right before your eyes. It is rewarding beyond words. Whatever phase we're in right now is a great one. We'd like to keep this toddler for a while!
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Risky Ventures
Well, William must have understood that I mean business now, because he managed to sleep through the night. It was only for a little more than 9 hours because he woke up for the day at 5:20 a.m., but hey--I'll take it. We'll see how tonight goes.
Speaking of tonight, instead of our usual routine of coming home from work, playing, eating, taking a bath, and going to bed, we made a pit stop at the mall on the way home and ate dinner at Ruby Tuesday's--just the two of us! I really needed to pick up a shower gift at the mall, and rather than waiting until William's bedtime to go (and thus not getting to bed until well after 10:00 p.m.), I decided to take the risk and see if I could make it work. And all in all, he did really really well. I probably won't do it again any time soon, and even then, only if I have to, but it's nice that it wasn't a disaster. He got a little impatient as we waited for the store clerk to track down a piece of luggage I needed to buy, and dinner was a little tricky because I couldn't very well leave the table and all our stuff to let him walk around a little. But the waitress was quick and I let him drink some Coke and he loved the mac 'n' cheese I ordered for him, so all was good. It was definitely tricky maneuvering the stroller and the large piece of luggage I purchased (for a shower gift--I hope the bride doesn't mind slightly-used wheels!), and any thoughts I might have entertained about checking out shoes or jeans for me or possibly even visiting the book store flew right out the window. Fortunately, we made it home in time for William to spend a little time playing with daddy.
In other news, William didn't use his bottles today at daycare! He actually drank from a real cup, too (a cup with no lid!). They're really working him now because in the toddler room, they drink from real cups and they don't get bottles or pacis. He'll be transitioning in September sometime (I think), so it's exciting to see some progress. I'm a little torn as to whether or not I should try to eliminate the bottle entirely, or still let him have it in the car and at night. I'll just have to play it by ear for now.
So that's our news. Let's hope for another good night!
Speaking of tonight, instead of our usual routine of coming home from work, playing, eating, taking a bath, and going to bed, we made a pit stop at the mall on the way home and ate dinner at Ruby Tuesday's--just the two of us! I really needed to pick up a shower gift at the mall, and rather than waiting until William's bedtime to go (and thus not getting to bed until well after 10:00 p.m.), I decided to take the risk and see if I could make it work. And all in all, he did really really well. I probably won't do it again any time soon, and even then, only if I have to, but it's nice that it wasn't a disaster. He got a little impatient as we waited for the store clerk to track down a piece of luggage I needed to buy, and dinner was a little tricky because I couldn't very well leave the table and all our stuff to let him walk around a little. But the waitress was quick and I let him drink some Coke and he loved the mac 'n' cheese I ordered for him, so all was good. It was definitely tricky maneuvering the stroller and the large piece of luggage I purchased (for a shower gift--I hope the bride doesn't mind slightly-used wheels!), and any thoughts I might have entertained about checking out shoes or jeans for me or possibly even visiting the book store flew right out the window. Fortunately, we made it home in time for William to spend a little time playing with daddy.
In other news, William didn't use his bottles today at daycare! He actually drank from a real cup, too (a cup with no lid!). They're really working him now because in the toddler room, they drink from real cups and they don't get bottles or pacis. He'll be transitioning in September sometime (I think), so it's exciting to see some progress. I'm a little torn as to whether or not I should try to eliminate the bottle entirely, or still let him have it in the car and at night. I'll just have to play it by ear for now.
So that's our news. Let's hope for another good night!
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Dynamite Sticks
So here's how William entertained himself after work today.
Can you see what he's playing with? We call those "dynamite sticks" in my house. That's a name Ed came up with at some point in his childhood, and it has stuck. William likes to take the box out of the bathroom cabinet and take the sticks out of the box and put them back into the box, and God knows where else in the house. We've been finding them all over the place. It's going to be real interesting the next time we have company.
In other news, my mom and the nieces have gone back home. I think they had a good visit. Here are some cute pictures.
Of course, I wish I had gotten some more with the girls and William. I kept meaning to have a photo shoot when we got home and then just kept forgetting. I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached. Oh well. There's always next time.
The growth spurt/eating spree seems to be over. I guess he ate enough food in two days to last him for the next month or so. Although he did eat the entire main portion of his L'il Entree tonight. It was stars and meat sauce and he mostly fed himself, so I was pretty impressed. I guess we're making progress, even if it's coming in fits and starts.
Sleeping, however, is a whole 'nuther story. He has been waking up twice a night and insisting (i.e. throwing a fit to end all fits) on a bottle. He doesn't want me to hold him. He doesn't want to lie down with me anywhere. He especially doesn't want to sit in the rocking chair in his room. It's a bottle or a knock-down, drag-out brawl. And so far, he's kicking my ass. What can I say? I'm really off my game at 3:30 in the morning. I'm psyching myself out for another round tonight. And I keep telling myself that tonight, I'm going to dish out a little tough love. But the nagging voice in my head is coming up with a million excuses for him. He's going through a growth spurt and he's hungry; my friend's baby went through the exact same thing and it last for two or three weeks and now he's fine and sleeping through the night; he's been out of sorts from being sick and out of our routine; yada yada yada. Maybe the fight isn't really between me and William. It's between the competing mommy voices in my head. I'll let you know who won tonight's round tomorrow!
Can you see what he's playing with? We call those "dynamite sticks" in my house. That's a name Ed came up with at some point in his childhood, and it has stuck. William likes to take the box out of the bathroom cabinet and take the sticks out of the box and put them back into the box, and God knows where else in the house. We've been finding them all over the place. It's going to be real interesting the next time we have company.
In other news, my mom and the nieces have gone back home. I think they had a good visit. Here are some cute pictures.
Of course, I wish I had gotten some more with the girls and William. I kept meaning to have a photo shoot when we got home and then just kept forgetting. I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached. Oh well. There's always next time.
The growth spurt/eating spree seems to be over. I guess he ate enough food in two days to last him for the next month or so. Although he did eat the entire main portion of his L'il Entree tonight. It was stars and meat sauce and he mostly fed himself, so I was pretty impressed. I guess we're making progress, even if it's coming in fits and starts.
Sleeping, however, is a whole 'nuther story. He has been waking up twice a night and insisting (i.e. throwing a fit to end all fits) on a bottle. He doesn't want me to hold him. He doesn't want to lie down with me anywhere. He especially doesn't want to sit in the rocking chair in his room. It's a bottle or a knock-down, drag-out brawl. And so far, he's kicking my ass. What can I say? I'm really off my game at 3:30 in the morning. I'm psyching myself out for another round tonight. And I keep telling myself that tonight, I'm going to dish out a little tough love. But the nagging voice in my head is coming up with a million excuses for him. He's going through a growth spurt and he's hungry; my friend's baby went through the exact same thing and it last for two or three weeks and now he's fine and sleeping through the night; he's been out of sorts from being sick and out of our routine; yada yada yada. Maybe the fight isn't really between me and William. It's between the competing mommy voices in my head. I'll let you know who won tonight's round tomorrow!
Sunday, August 05, 2007
This Is Time Flying By
Whoosh!
So what's been happening in our lives that has kept me from posting for five days? Well, for starters, I was getting ready for my mom and nieces to come visit this weekend. Then, on Thursday night, just when I thought I was in the clear (and was going to write a blog entry), I fell victim to the pernicious (and apparently long-lived) stomach virus that felled both William and Ed the week before. It was ugly, but I was done throwing up by Friday morning, and after spending all day Friday in bed and taking round-the-clock Tylenol (the fever and aches were almost as bad as the throwing-up part), I was back to my good-old-self by Saturday. So instead of coming up on Friday, my mom and nieces came up on Saturday.
So last night and today, we've been entertaining. Today we went to the zoo and although it was super hot, the kids had a great time, and William was awesome. He fell asleep in the car on the way there and on the way back, so I guess we timed it well. He enjoyed looking at the animals, as long as they were moving. He liked the turtles in the aquariums the best, and the meerkats the second best. We'll have to take him to the Baltimore Aquarium soon.
Tomorrow I'm taking the day off so we can go to the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial and stand in front of the White House. Not sure if I'll take a whole day or a half. Haven't figured out the logistics yet. Maybe tomorrow I'll have some pictures to post. Unfortunately, tomorrow will be hotter than today.
But in William news, he's still doing really well in restaurants. And he must be on a growth spurt because he's eating to beat the band! He's actually eating meat! As in hot dogs and hamburgers! This morning he ate an entire banana, a piece of french toast, and then we went to McDonald's about an hour and a half later and he ate an entire pancake. Last night he ate a whole hot dog. I'm sure this will be short-lived, so when I'm complaining in the future about how he's eating like a bird again, remind me that this, too, shall pass.
So that's it. Wish it was more exciting than that, but hey. William eating is VERY exciting to me!
So what's been happening in our lives that has kept me from posting for five days? Well, for starters, I was getting ready for my mom and nieces to come visit this weekend. Then, on Thursday night, just when I thought I was in the clear (and was going to write a blog entry), I fell victim to the pernicious (and apparently long-lived) stomach virus that felled both William and Ed the week before. It was ugly, but I was done throwing up by Friday morning, and after spending all day Friday in bed and taking round-the-clock Tylenol (the fever and aches were almost as bad as the throwing-up part), I was back to my good-old-self by Saturday. So instead of coming up on Friday, my mom and nieces came up on Saturday.
So last night and today, we've been entertaining. Today we went to the zoo and although it was super hot, the kids had a great time, and William was awesome. He fell asleep in the car on the way there and on the way back, so I guess we timed it well. He enjoyed looking at the animals, as long as they were moving. He liked the turtles in the aquariums the best, and the meerkats the second best. We'll have to take him to the Baltimore Aquarium soon.
Tomorrow I'm taking the day off so we can go to the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial and stand in front of the White House. Not sure if I'll take a whole day or a half. Haven't figured out the logistics yet. Maybe tomorrow I'll have some pictures to post. Unfortunately, tomorrow will be hotter than today.
But in William news, he's still doing really well in restaurants. And he must be on a growth spurt because he's eating to beat the band! He's actually eating meat! As in hot dogs and hamburgers! This morning he ate an entire banana, a piece of french toast, and then we went to McDonald's about an hour and a half later and he ate an entire pancake. Last night he ate a whole hot dog. I'm sure this will be short-lived, so when I'm complaining in the future about how he's eating like a bird again, remind me that this, too, shall pass.
So that's it. Wish it was more exciting than that, but hey. William eating is VERY exciting to me!
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