PeePee Problems

Ryan has developed a lovely habit of playing with his "peepee". He walks around all day with his hand down his pants. I haven't made a big deal out of it but now it's really starting to become a nuisance. You see, Ryan pulls his peepee up so that it's no longer entirely in his diaper. As a result, he is constantly soaking through the front of his pants.
Just this morning at the library I realized Ryan has peed upwards all over not only his pants, but the entire front of his shirt. How do I make this guy keep his peepee in his pants?

A Terrible Phase

Please be a phase. Please be a phase.

For the last week Ryan has been, well, terrible. As in a terrible 2-year old.

Don't get me wrong, he's had tantrums before. He's been difficult before.

But this week? He has taken the terrible 2's to an entirely new level.

Nothing makes him happy. Every other sound screeched from his mouth is "MEY!!!", which I have quickly realized means "MINE". Everything belongs to him. If I dare hold something near him that he wants, I better watch out. It could be a pen, a book, a toy, my hairbrush. It will be yelled at and quite possibly hit if Ryan thinks it belongs to him.

By this afternoon Adam and I were both at a loss. We could no longer make Ryan happy. So we made ourselves happier by doing what we each enjoy. For me, it was baking donuts.
For Adam, it was working on a home project. In this case, painting one of the walls in the nursery.

And Ryan got an early bath, which temporarily made him happier.

Please tell me my sweet little boy will be back next week?

In No Particular Order

Yesterday I.....

Changed 2 poopy diapers
Mowed the back lawn
Changed the sheets on Ryan's bed
Made chocolate chip cookies from scratch
Dealt with 2 toddler tantrums
Prepared Ryan's 3 meals and a snack
Wrapped a birthday present
Did 3 loads of laundry (And put it all away!)
Played with choo-choo trains
Filled out a 10-page speech evaluation on Ryan
Walked around the Newark Lake twice (Total = 2.5 miles)
Gave Ryan a bath
Did 2 loads of dishes
Had 4 Braxton Hicks contractions
Got woken up at 5:30am by my husband and toddler
Watched Mickey Mouse with Ryan
Went grocery shopping

At the end of the day I felt so accomplished.
And oh so tired.

First Bloody Nose

The bandaid made it all better!

Impending Labor

With the birth of my second child getting closer every day, I'm finding myself thinking about labor and birth all the time. Here is Ryan's birth story, if you're curious. While the circumstances weren't ideal in the beginning, (I was sent to the hospital to be induced, but ended up not needing it), overall his birth was pretty quick.

People say that you forget the pain as soon as the baby is born, but I have to say that was not the case for me. Despite getting an epidural, I still felt some of the pain, and I will never forget that horrible feeling of having my insides twisted and stabbed prior to having the epidural. With all that being said, I am actually getting excited about labor the 2nd time around.

Why, you ask? Well Adam and I attended a sort of a refresher course this week on labor. It was a good reminder of what all is involved, and what signs to watch for as the time gets closer. I have often heard that subsequent labors go faster than the first, and I am hoping that is the case with me. With Ryan, I delivered 10 hours after arriving at the hospital and only pushed for 25 minutes.

In terms of getting an epidural this time....I am hoping that my labor goes so fast that I am not able to get one. I know, I know, that sounds kind of crazy. But I would love to see if I can deliver without pain medication this time around. Especially if labor goes faster than my first time, I believe I can do it. If given the choice of an epidural, I know I will waver and probably break down and get one. But if things are progressing too quickly to get one, that takes the decision out of my hands. Call me crazy, but that's how I feel.

I have been experiencing lots of braxton hicks contractions, which makes things even more real for me. I feel them every day, often multiple times in an hour. They seem to occur towards the end of the day, when I'm tired, or after I've been up walking a lot. Hopefully this is just a sign that my body knows exactly what to do when real labor begins.

Little Cars

They can be found in every room of the house. In drawers, under furniture, even in the dishwasher.Ryan plays with them, bathes with them. Takes them to the grocery store. Eats with them. Takes them to bed with him.

They have taken over my life and I have a feeling they aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

Mommy Phrases

Phrases I can often be heard saying throughout the day:

Ryan do not play with the dog's water.

Ryan do not lick the floor.

Ryan do not drink the bath water.

Doggy toys do not go in our mouth.

Do not lick your shoes. Yucky.

Get your hands out of the trash!

We do not eat food off the floor.

Ryan don't wipe your nose on the couch.

No! Do not touch the poop!

It's a wonder he doesn't get sick more often.

28 Weeks Pregnant

Finally some belly shots for you! My friend Laura was kind enough to come over and assist with the picture-taking.We asked Ryan to join in.And then asked him where his baby brother was.So cute!

Just to compare, here I am at the same point in my pregnancy with Ryan. A little bigger all over, but I think my belly bump looks the same. What do you think?

This week I have felt pretty good. I took my glucose test last week. Drank the 50 grams of glucose and then had my blood drawn an hour later. They check to make sure my blood sugar does not surpass 140, which would indicate gestational diabetes. Well, mine was 57. So I must have un-diabetes or something. My nurse asked me if I had thrown up before the test because my blood sugar was so low. Umm no, I had actually eaten a substantial protein-filled breakfast.

This week we also started setting up the nursey! It's such a relief for me to get this started. I will share pictures once it's all done.

Ryan-ese

Ryan has always been a bit behind in his language skills. If you remember, just a month or two ago, he only had 4 real words. After talking to his Doctor we agreed to participate in a speech class for Ryan. Our hope is that Adam and I can learn some tips to use at home with Ryan to help him with his speech development. I think we would all be happier if he was able to communicate more with words!

Just this past month, Ryan has started to make some real attempts at saying words. Some aren't necessarily words, but at least he is trying! Here is a breakdown of Ryan's language right now.
Mommy: Mama

Daddy: Di-Da

Dog: Di-Daw

Cat: Mow

Uh-Oh: Uh-Oh

No: No

Yes: A Giggle

I don't know: "No" with a open palm hand gesture

Baby: Bebe

Star: Shh-Ahh

Frog: Fff-Ahh

Fish: She

Mickey: Me

Cookie/Cookie Monster: D

The Journey

Ryan used to really enjoy going for daily walks in his stroller. These days, he prefers to be the one walking. Some days we take his stroller for a walk, other days we take his lawn mower. More recently we've been walking his shopping cart around the neighborhood.I am impressed by how far Ryan can go without tiring. We do a big loop around the neighborhood, and for the most part, he stays on the sidewalk in a relatively straight line.

But sometimes Ryan goes off course. There are definitely moments when I catch myself about to tell him to hurry up, to stop walking on neighbors' lawns, to not get so distracted by the slightest tweet, bark, or slamming car door.

But then I realize these walks are not about the end destination, but rather the journey itself and all the new things to discover along the way. A lot like parenthood, don't you think?

Lip Kissing

Ryan has learned to kiss on the lips. It's incredibly cute.
He even makes the puckering sound with his lips when he goes in for a smooch. All I have to do is ask, and he will almost always plant one on my lips. So cute!

The other day I caught Ryan playing with his Noah's Ark animals, making the giraffes kiss eachother. I almost died from the cuteness.Did I mention this lip kissing phase is really really cute?

27 Week Appointment

I had a routine appointment yesterday with my midwife. Here are my stats:

Total Weight Gain: 27 pounds
Blood Pressure: 114/74
Baby's Heartrate: Unknown

Remember how after last month's appointment I left hoping I wouldn't gain any weight this month? You know, to balance out the 7 pounds I gained last month? Yea. That didn't exactly happen. 9 Pounds gained this month. Once again I was concerned and honestly, embarrassed. But my midwife was completely calm about it. She said some women gain more during certain periods of their pregnancy. My blood pressure is great, so she wasn't the least bit concerned. She suggested I try to get out for a walk most days, which is something I can easily do.

I did mention to her that I've noticed a little bit of swelling in my lower legs and feet, particularly in the evenings. She said to try and put my feet up when I notice this happening. Hmm, easier said than done.

Baby was moving all over the place today during the appointment. My midwife was unable to count his heartrate because he was so active. She asked if Ryan was like this in the womb. I said yes. Uh oh.

I know I haven't posted a belly pic in a long time. I'll try harder this week. It's just really hard to take a picture of myself when Ryan is tugging on my legs so hard my pants are falling off. No, I'm not exaggerating. This is my glamorous life.

My glucose test is tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Know Your Child

Ryan was being extremely difficult this afternoon. 3 time-outs in the span of 20 minutes. I decided to get us out of the house and go to the library. I had never let him roam free at the library before, but I figured he might be old enough to behave in the kid's area while I picked out a few books for him.

Bad idea.

If I had stopped and thought about Ryan's personality for even a second, I would have known better. I know my child, and I know that he does not like to stay in one area, be contained, or be told which way to go. When we got there he immediately grabbed a book off the shelf and ran for the door. I caught him just before he made it outside and brought him back. He then proceeded to scream and throw books. I gave up and left, carrying him out kicking and hitting, telling him that we couldn't get any books if he didn't obey me.

Once outside we both saw the park and I instantly knew that's what he needed. Some physical exercise and fresh air. Just as I suspected, he was instantly giggling and happy.

Of course another tantrum began as soon as I picked him up to leave. But for a little while, I was able to make my child happy!

Foodie Friday: Cauliflower Pasta

This is one of those recipes that I've made so many times that I don't use a recipe anymore. As a result, it always tastes slightly different, since I just eyeball all the ingredients. I originally adapted it from a Rachael Ray recipe, but changed just a couple things to suit our tastes. This pasta would be great for vegetarians, but it's still pleasing for carnivores, such as Adam and I.

Cauliflower Pasta

3/4 lb Whole Wheat Penne Pasta
1 Head Cauliflower, washed and chopped

2 Cups Chicken Broth

1/2 Onion (Any color), diced

1/2 Tsp Garlic Salt
1 Sprig fresh Rosemary (Strip off of stem and chop finely)

1/2 - 3/4 Cup Grated Parmesan

1) Cook pasta until al dente.

2) Meanwhile, place cauliflower, onions, garlic salt and rosemary in a large skillet. Add 1 cup of chicken broth and saute until cauliflower is very tender. Sometimes I add more liquid and put a lid loosely on top to steam the cauliflower more quickly. (My cauliflower in the pic below got a little charred but it made it taste even better!)

3) Once soft, mash the cauliflower as much as possible. (I use a potato masher)4) Remove from heat. Add pasta, remaining chicken broth, and cheese. Stir until combined and very cheesy. If the cauliflower sauce is too chick, add more water or stock. Season with salt and pepper.It may look very tan and boring, but I promise it tastes great!

Owie

Ryan's a pretty tough boy overall when it comes to pain. He falls down and bumps himself all the time and never makes a peep. So when I heard a crash yesterday followed by screaming, I knew he had actually hurt himself. Ryan fell off our desk chair when it rolled out from under him, and gashed his forehead on the corner of the desk leg....the metal corner. When I first saw it, it looked really bad. Lots of blood dripping all over the floor, Ryan, and eventually my shirt and hands. His forehead had a very definite indentation and I pictured Ryan with a hole in his forehead for the rest of his life.

Once I got it washed up it looked better, although it kept oozing all day long.

I eventually got a bandaid on Ryan's head and he fell asleep in the car. But for the rest of the day, he kept ripping off his bandaids. I found bloody bandaids stuck to the wall and furniture all afternoon.I know that with 2 little boys in this household (plus Adam!) this is only the beginning of many "owies".