Without Loss Of Enthusiasm

The last few months of 2015 were pretty much a blur, thanks in large part to morning sickness and exhaustion. The good news is that life has returned to "normal" and I'm no longer constantly horrified by the state of the house. With that said, we haven't done much in the way of things exciting or newsworthy, but a happy and quiet routine is just fine with me for now. We're hitting the ground running in 2016! Not making resolutions, but the usual lists and goal planning. 

Jr trying to bribe the cat to come out from under the bed with treats, which I found
to be rather impressive logic for an 18 month old.

Christmas pajamas!

Our latest favorite for art, washable paint dabbers!

Sensory play with rolled oats.

Pregnancy Update

How far along: 18 weeks

Maternity clothes: Only the Blanqi support tanks for those pesky ligament pains, but I will probably need to start making the switch soon. It seems like my belly has really started to pop over the last couple weeks.

Sleep: Fragmented and uncomfortable, but reasonably sufficient most nights. I'm sure it would help if I wasn't so thirsty every evening and all through the night, but I can't stand that parched feeling.

Best moment this week: Finally starting to hit that second trimester sweet spot - more energy, less nausea, and not too uncomfortable/tired to get motivated!

Missing anything: Still dreaming of that second cup of coffee, but nothing unbearable. A cold pepper turkey sandwich sounds rather amazing, but is sadly off limits from the listeria potential. I've never been a huge fan of sandwiches, and sandwiches with heated deli meat are even less appealing. BLTs will have to suffice now that I have a source for nitrate-free bacon.

Movement: I started to feel occasional "quickenings!" Which is still the strangest, and yet completely normal, term for those first flutters of movement. I really missed this part of pregnancy.

Cravings: Iceberg lettuce - not romaine, not arugula, just plain old iceberg by the wedge. Cherry tomatoes are still a favorite, but that's not exactly new to pregnancy. Salty things in general, but I'm trying to avoid giving in too often as I'm dreading the water retention/swelling that happened last time around.

Anything making you queasy or sick: The morning sickness has tapered off enough to stop with the B6 combo, but it still tends to make its presence known first thing in the morning and later in the evenings. The smell of food generally doesn't sit well, and I swear I can smell everything the neighborhood is having for dinner when we take an evening walk. Prenatal vitamins are definitely causing nausea, but I take them right as I go to bed so it's not too bad.

Gender: Hopefully this week!

Labor signs: No additional Braxton Hicks since I've been much more attentive to staying hydrated.

Symptoms: A little tired and vaguely nauseated, but overall pretty darn good. WEIRD dreams most nights, a super sensitive nose, and my abdomen has been pretty tender. Ligament pains come and go, but seem to be easing up compared to how they were a couple weeks ago.

Happy or moody: Thankfully, the emotional roller coaster has pretty much leveled out. The fact that I am rarely ever moved to tears by a movie has been a running joke for years - and I am so happy to return to that version of normal!

Looking forward to: The next ultrasound! Hopefully this little one will cooperate so we can find out the gender. Once that happens, I can start planning whether the guest room will be converted to a play room or a nursery.

Baby gear/preparations: I've been trying to get a head start on nesting - mostly through organizing, deep cleaning, and testing new freezer meals.

Funny moments: We hosted Christmas dinner this year, and for some reason* I was pretty much left to my own devices for the planning. Christmas Day it dawned on me, one hour before my parents arrived and four hours before the other guests would be arriving, that I had completely neglected to plan any finger foods. Luckily, between both of our kitchens, my mom and I were able to whip up a decent snack spread - which was a good thing since dinner ended up being almost an hour late! Prime rib for 20 is not exactly my area of expertise.
(*Considering that my family is fully aware how hard pregnancy brain hit me last time, I'm taking very little responsibility for either kerfuffle.)

"I think in terms of the day's resolution, not the years'."
Henry Moore

Trumpets and Fanfare...

The "secret" is finally out! Baby #2 is on the way, due to arrive in very early June. So... here we go again!

Pregnancy Update

How far along: 14 weeks

Maternity clothes: Just Blanqi support tanks to help ease the ligament pains.

Sleep: Probably in need of a bit more considering how very tired I've been.

Best moment this week: Seeing Smalls on the ultrasound, dancing up a storm!

Missing anything: Unrestricted coffee.

Movement: Nothing discernible yet.

Cravings: Lime Jello - what?! I am NOT a Jello person, but maybe Smalls is?

Anything making you queasy or sick: Everything when the morning sickness started, but currently being kept in check by the recommended B6 combo.

Gender: Too early :(

Labor signs: A few Braxton Hicks when I forgot to drink much water.

Symptoms: Tired! And nauseated when not taking the magic combo.

Happy or moody: The emotions are running wild on this one. I cried during the Hunger Games. I can't even remember the last time I cried during a movie.

Looking forward to: feeling some of those internal acrobatics!

Funny moments: Nothing that stands out...

Summer Recap: Still Here, Just Busy!

I have tried to start a new post so many times in the past few months, and ended up with exactly zero time to follow through! It seems to be the story of my life lately. I picked up some additional work commitments recently, so it's been back to the drawing board on finding a new balance between child, household, and business tasks. It's not perfect (but when is it ever going to be?), but we're getting there.

*If you're interested in an example - just Friday to Monday last weekend included meal planning, a Costco trip, grocery shopping, deep cleaning the utility room, a trip to the dog park, laundry, vacuuming, dusting, a trip to the farm to say goodbye to my poor old doggie of 14 years (Jake and Zoe are still going strong), and toddler fun-and-shenanigans in between whipping up (from scratch) banana muffins, blueberry muffins, zucchini muffins, mini meatloaves, mini pot pies, squash-quinoa stew, and mason jar fajita bowls as well as chopping/freezing strawberries, cleaning/reorganizing the fridge and freezer, and prepping fruit and veggie snacks for the week in addition to all of the usual business tasks.

We're finally starting to move past the "must-put-everything-in-the-mouth" phase, so we've been able to start branching out on development activities. Cloud dough (5 parts flour to 1 part vegetable oil) wasn't a huge success. Jr takes after me in not wanting stuff to stick to his hands - the exact reason I never make bread by hand. Blech! Painting with water, however, was a hit! Container + water + cheap paintbrush. Can it get any easier? He liked it so much that he started pretending to paint with any container/brush combo he could find. Pretty much anything involving water is a good time for him these days. An edible sand sensory bin (cornmeal + beach toys) did not go over particularly well. We're making progress, but he's still getting hung up on the stuff sticking to his hands. Play Dough has been moderately well received and he is really starting to enjoy coloring!

Summer Highlights:

We took Jr. to the beach and aquarium at the beginning of the summer. It's fascinating to see an old favorite through new eyes when you have a little one in tow! His favorites were the seals and the bright fish in the shark area.

His first haircut went well, the only tears were from me!

We managed to sneak in a midweek trip to the Oregon Brewer's Festival while it was running, which was quite pleasant. Having attended on the weekend in previous years, I was happily surprised by how family-friendly it was on weekdays. Not much in the way of crowds, an improved layout, and a nice breeze to balance out the afternoon warmth.

Jr's first visit to the zoo was fantastic! A beautiful day, quite a few of the animals were active, and the crowds were moderate. The only (minor) disappointment was the new elephant exhibit. I had heard it was 85% complete - which in my head was going to be amazing, and in reality was the least interesting 85%. We still had fun though!

Our trip to the State Fair was a bit of a whirlwind as Jr. was/is still working on transitioning to one nap per day. We saw the animals, listened to some music, looked through some exhibits, and let Jr. ride a pony.

The look on his face when he realized he was sitting on an actual animal made the $7 price tag worthwhile!

Overall it was a busy, pleasant summer with adventures and lots of time outdoors when it wasn't 90+ degrees!

The dogs have learned that Jr is a never-ending source of tummy rubs.

The cat is decidedly less enthused about petting, but tolerates it now that Jr has learned how to feed him.

"To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring."
George Santayana