Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Sick and more sick

This past week and weekend were not the most fun. Samuel ended up getting sicker after I took him to the doctor on Thursday. Luckily when we went he was prescribed flu medication, just as a precaution, but also because I am pregnant and his doctor didn't want him to get me sick if he developed the flu. The worst part of Samuel being sick is that he coughed a lot. He coughed so much on Friday and Saturday that he couldn't even nap. Those were not fun days. Dave was fighting off a cold as well and then on Saturday I started to feel like I was getting sick. All of us are feeling better, but not 100%. I don't think any of us are contagious. I think we all are fighting off a little cold.

This weather sucks big time. I cant' stand all this rain. It has been about 3 weeks of wet, dark and cold weather and I am hating it. I have been so cranky. We were at Whole Foods this weekend and I needed to get more prenatal vitamins. In the isle they had all these teas for pregnant or breastfeeding moms. There was one that was Calm Mommy Tea. Dave spotted it first and insisted that we get it so he won't want to kill me anymore. The tea is actually really good. I am drinking it, enjoying it and calming down. Everyone is happy.

I haven't talked about Samuel peeing in the potty lately, but this last week and weekend he has been going crazy. It is so strange, but he usually pees on the potty every Tuesday. But last week he peed twice on Thursday and I am pretty sure he tried every day this weekend. He even went last night. His MO is to take all of his clothes off and yell "Mama" and then we run upstairs and sit on the potty. I have no idea why he thinks he has to take all of his clothes off to pee, but whatever. Last night we tried to record him going because he as you know I always start screaming and doing a potty dance after he goes. Well now he looks in the potty, starts screaming and doing his own little potty dance. It is really hilarious. The problem is, when I pull out the video camera he wants to look at what I am recording and doesn't cooperate. We will keep trying though.

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday. They say I am 25 weeks now. I think I am 24 weeks and a few days. I have gained 17 pounds. I am measuring exactly on schedule and everything looks and sounds great. The baby was going nuts yesterday because I ate an apple on my way to the doctor. They could barely get its heart rate because it was kicking and going crazy. Finally they got it and it was 160 bpm. They said this wasn't a good indication of its resting heartbeat because it was so active, but I am totally confused now if I am having a boy or a girl. I have been convinced it is a boy, but girls heartbeats are typically higher. Samuel never had a heartbeat over 150. Who knows. I have another appointment in 3 weeks, so we will see what the heartbeat is at that time. I am going to take some pictures of my growing belly soon.

I am going to drink some tea and relax a bit before Samuel gets up.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Rain Rain Go Away

It is supposed to rain and storm all day today. I have really enjoyed the last few days, so I am not looking forward to a day of rain. Yuck.

So, I am taking Samuel to the doctor this morning. He has been pulling on his ears and he has a runny nose. He has been refusing to eat which he never does. Since the horrible Sunday night, he has been sleeping like a champ again. I am going to have to wake him up in a few, so we can get to the doctor by 9. Dave and I watch this 20/20 or Dateline, I can't remember what news show it was, but they had this huge story on Swine Flu and flu symptoms and there was a boy that was in the ICU. He was fine one day and then in the ICU the next. It totally freaked me out. Even though I really don't think Samuel is sick, I want to get his ears checked out. Also since he has been going to Mother's Day out and is in contact with lots of kids, I am sure this flu season things will get passed around. I don't want to take any chances.

I have been in a complete funk since Monday. I am just down for some reason. Well, I know some of the reasons. I am getting freaking huge. I am shocked at how much I have grown in the last two weeks. The baby is starting to move a lot more (well, a little in the morning and a lot at night). I barely feel the baby during the day. I know the baby has gotten bigger and stronger and my body is just getting huge. When it is cold like this, I just want to sit around all day and drink coffee, but I can't.

I guess I better go wake up Samuel.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

A night to forget

We didn't have the greatest night of sleep last night. I don't know what Samuel's deal was, but he screamed for a good two hours. They said he really wouldn't take a nap yesterday at Mother's Day out. He was really talkative and loud, so they had to distract him while the other kids slept. They finally got him to go to sleep at 1 and he slept until 2. He was in a pretty good mood yesterday afternoon and then was not happy to go to sleep last night.

I am not really sure when he started to scream last night, but I went in to his room and rocked him. He was sound asleep and then as soon as I put him back down he started screaming again. After two or three attempts to rock him back to sleep, which didn't work, I decided to lay down with him in the spare bed. I was so tired, I couldn't just keep sitting in the rocking chair. Plus it wasn't very comfortable with him laying on my belly. Anyway, we lay down in bed and he has to be as close to me as possible. I thought he had fallen asleep and I think I finally fell asleep too, but then I woke up to Samuel putting his fingers up my nose again. I don't know what his deal is, but he always puts his fingers in my nose and ears when we lay down together. I was not in the mood at all to deal with his lack of sleep, so I put him back in his bed.

He started screaming again. I was done. I went into our room and told Dave it was his turn. After a few minutes more of screaming, Dave went into Samuel's room and rocked him. It took several minutes for Samuel to stop screaming when Dave was in there. I think he knows when the reinforcements, i.e Dad comes in the room he isn't going to get away with staying awake. He finally went to bed, I think around 1:30 or 2. It was terrible.

I am so tired today. I am cranky and irritated. If anyone is in the mood to get yelled at, give me a call. I will be happy to unleash my crankiness on you.

On a happy note, I cleaned out the entire refrigerator this morning. It looks pretty good. I need to wipe down a few more shelves, but it looks pretty nice. I am not sure what we are going to do today, but I just hope I don't kill Samuel.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Great day

I am having a great day today. Samuel woke up this morning at 10 am. Can you believe it?! I can't. He has never slept in so late. I was worried that I would get him out of bed and he would be 5 feet tall. When he sleeps in he normally grows a ton. He is about 1/2 an inch from 3 feet. I can't believe how tall he is.

I actually was trying to find things to do this morning while he was sleeping. I have never had so much alone time. The problem was that I was never sure when he was going to wake up, so I just kept doing little projects.

Once he got up, we went to the gym (I to work out and Samuel to play in childcare). I showered at the gym, we ran errands and stopped for a late lunch. Samuel LOVES smoothies and there is a really yummy place right by the gym, so we went there. He drank so much of his strawberry banana smoothie, so fast that I was sure he was going to get a brain freeze (he didn't get one).

When we got home we ate some other food and now it is 2 and he is back in bed for an afternoon nap. I think I am going to make some hot tea and enjoy my afternoon. What a way to end the week!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Celebration and new words

Yesterday Samuel was a holy terror. I am so tired in the morning and I just didn't feel like getting out of the house, so I figured we could just play around at home. That was a terrible idea on my part. We can't stay at home. Samuel was into everything. I wanted to kill him. He is also becoming increasingly more difficult to change his diaper. He doesn't want it on, he doesn't want it changed, he would rather sit around in a pee and pooped filled diaper then have it changed. It is gross. I want to put him in a straight jacket and strap him to the changing table. Again I want to hurt him.

I put him to bed early yesterday for a nap because he was on the verge of not seeing his father on his birthday. He took a terrible nap, but woke up in a great mood. We had a great rest of the day.

Then last night after dinner, we got out Dave's birthday cake and Samuel started saying "cake! cake!" He was so excited and we have never heard him say cake before so that was cool. Then we thought about the food words that he actually knows and they are pizza, cake, cheese, fish (for goldfish) and I can't think of anymore right now, but I don't know if it is a good thing that he only knows names for foods that aren't the healthiest. Oh well.

Samuel is starting to pick up a lot more words lately. He just randomly spills them out. I really need to watch my language around him because I know he is listening to everything that I say. For instance, when I spilled that entire bag of coffee beans everywhere, I started yelling "Fuck Fuck Fuck", then I turned around and Samuel was staring at me with a very interesting look on his face, like he was thinking "very interesting, I am going to have to put that new word to use soon.". I am also very bad in the car when there are terrible drivers, so I am sure he has picked up a few creative words.

So last night, we were sitting on the couch. He is completely obsessed with my belly. He rubs it, kisses it, puts his head on my tummy. He signs baby constantly and then kisses my belly. I don't think he really knows what is going on, but it is pretty cute. So last night, Dave and I asked him if he was going to have a brother or a sister. We didn't expect any response, but he said "siser". Pretty crazy. We have never asked him or talked to him about a brother or sister, so it was pretty cute. I still think I am having another boy, but maybe Samuel will be right.

On the pregnancy front, I am still feeling pretty good. I am getting huge, not just my stomach, but my boobs have quadrupled in size. I mean they are just gigantic. At least it makes the rest of my body not look at big because my boobs block out everyones view of the rest of my body.

Dinner tonight: Pesto Chicken Sandwiches with Mozzarella Cheese and sliced tomatoes. Yum! Oh and dinner was delicious last night.

Some pictures:


Samuel is obsessed with wearing hats lately:



Last night when I gave Samuel his piece of birthday cake, he was so excited. If you enlarge this picture you will see how happy he was:


Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Happy Birthday Dave!!!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful and amazing husband.

Tonight to celebrate Dave's birthday, he requested Indian food. If anyone else likes to eat Indian food, I found the best spice mixes ever at Whole Foods. They taste exactly like going to a restaurant. They are in the International area of the store. They are called Sukhi's Gourmet Indian Foods, home Chef Collection. You have to cook your meat or vegetable with the spices and water. Then you add coconut milk or heavy cream to some of the dishes, others just require the spice and some oil. I can't describe how delicious it is. I made it last week with lentils and rice (there is a spice mix for lentils too, that is so yummy). So Dave requested that we have it for dinner tonight too. I can't wait to make it all.

I am in a much better mood today. I was so tired and annoyed by everything yesterday. Now I feel refreshed and ready to go.

I haven't posted about the stocking I have been working on in a while. I am still working in it. I took about a week off because I was busy doing other stuff during Samuel's nap, but I think I can have it completed in about another week and a half. It requires so much work and sometimes I just get frustrated. I will post a picture of it as soon as I finish. I will be really happy if I finish it before November starts, so I can try to finish Samuel's before the holidays.

The monster is up, so I am going to get him.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Recovery

We are trying to recover from our long weekend in Vegas. We should have gotten more sleep but we are so accustomed to waking up early with Samuel that we were up by 6:30/7 every morning in Vegas. It was nice to be up early and walk around, eat a good breakfast and gamble early. We had such a great time hanging out together. We also saw our wonderful friends Kate and Patrick and Anabelle. It was so nice to see familiar faces. I miss Kate!!

Samuel had a great time with Oma and Opa. He is sufficiently worn out. Hopefully he will take a long nap this afternoon, so I can get some more stuff done around here. I have tons of laundry and cleaning to do.

Today Samuel and I ran errands from 9 in the morning until a little after 12. We were exhausted. When we got home I was feeding Samuel a little lunch and I was trying to pack food away in the pantry and a huge container of coffee slipped off the shelves and exploded all over the floor. I wanted to cry. I am not in the mood to deal with tiny coffee beans everywhere. Not only did the coffee fall, but my cell phone is not working again. I can receive some calls, but my entire screen is frozen. I can't make calls or texts or anything. I hate this stupid Sprint phone. I want to throw it away. We may have to get new phones soon because I have only had problems with this phone.

I am going to go sulk and do housework. What a day!

Friday, October 9, 2009

TGIF

I truly can't believe that it is Friday. This week has flown by. It rained all day yesterday. Thank goodness we had music class and were able to get out and do something. It would have been a terrible day if we were stuck in the house. I realized that I get really depressed when it rains and it dark for an entire day. I just felt so sad in the afternoon. I like bright fall days where it is a little chilly but a wonderful temperature for playing outside.

Samuel has impressed me all week with sleeping in past 8 am all week. I have been loving it. I get so much done in the morning. For example this morning, I already took the sheets off the bed, put clean sheets on, started a load of laundry (which I am about to put in the dryer), steamed veggies and mopped the kitchen floor and it is only 7:52.

Dave and I leave today for Vegas. Oma and Opa are coming in town to take care of Samuel for the weekend. I had a huge list of things to do yesterday and today and because Samuel has been sleeping in, I have been able to get so much done in the mornings.

We are going to Vegas to celebrate Dave's 31st birthday which is next week. Also this is probably going to be our last vacation for a while. I won't be able to fly in a few months and we need some time to ourselves. I am really excited to be able to relax and sleep and did I mention relax.

Well, I am off to finish doing stuff around the house.

Lastly, good luck to Megan who is running the Chicago Marathon this weekend. You go girl!!!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Some Firsts

Yesterday when I dropped Samuel off at Mother's Day Out, I was in completely awe of how big and mature he is getting. He carried his lunch box into the room, handed it to one of the teachers, gave me a little kiss and took off to play with the kids. When I left he was sitting at one of the big tables playing with some toys. I wanted to cry just looking at him. I can't believe how big he has gotten.

When I picked him up, he was in a great mood and was waving to everyone and I mean everyone. It took us forever to get to the car because he had to stop and wave at every parent coming in to get their kids and he waved at the cars driving by. It was pretty entertaining.

He wasn't in a terrible mood last night, we could just tell he was really tired. At about 6:15, out of no where, he started taking off all of his clothes. First his shirt, then his pants, then his diaper. Right in the middle of the living room. Then he did the sign for bath and took off running upstairs. Dave and I looked at each other like I guess this means we have to give him a bath. So we went upstairs gave him a bath and then he wanted his pajama's on. He played for a while downstairs and then settled in next to me on the couch like we do every night. I started rubbing his head and all of the sudden I looked down and he was fast asleep. He was out cold by 7:15. Dave took him upstairs and when I checked on him before we went to bed, he hadn't moved at all, which is not normal.

It is almost 7:30 and he is still asleep.

He has never taken his clothes off by himself and insisted a bath and he hasn't fallen asleep with me on the couch since he was a little bitty baby. I loved it.

Now, I am going to eat some breakfast and relax until he wakes up.

Monday, October 5, 2009

My parents were in town for the weekend and we were pretty busy. My mom and I went shopping, we went for a long walk, we went to the St. Louis Wine Tasting Festival (or something like that, in Forest Park) with Jonathan and Laura and we cleaned the house for our open house this past Sunday.

I am trying to figure out dinner for the week, so I can run to the grocery store while Samuel is at Mother's Day out, but I am just not in the cooking mood lately. If anyone has good ideas of quick easy and simple meals, let me know.

I did make homemade Buffalo Chicken Wings, this weekend because Dave had been craving them.

Here is the recipe:

20 chicken wings (or legs or both)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup red pepper sauce
3/4 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Sounds spicy and smells spicy, but it really isn't. Just a little heat at the end.

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Bake wings in preheated oven for 30 minutes
3. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
4. Cover winds with sauce. Shake off excess. Cook in oven 250 for another 15 minutes.

I would suggest broiling the wings for a little bit at the end too, so they turn out a little crispy.
Okay, I am going to go look at recipes online to figure out what to make for dinner.

Here are just a few pictures of Samuel with Savta and Papa.


Thursday, October 1, 2009

Unleashed

I am completely embarrassed. No I am horrified, mortified, disgusted and I wish I had more adjectives to describe how completely and utterly mortified I felt about 20 minutes ago. I wish someone had a blanket I could crawl under or a box a could crawl in or just a quick escape.

I am totally that mother of a ridiculously misbehaved child. Samuel usually is loud at restaurants, sometimes at the mall, but never at the grocery store. He is usually great. He loves going with me. Well, today after his music class I had to run to Whole Foods. I knew I would be cutting it close to his lunch time, but I didn't have any other time to go today and since we were out, I thought I would be able to run in and get a few things and leave.

Everything was fine, some guy that worked at Whole Foods actually commented that Samuel was the best behaved baby in the store that day because it seemed like all the kids were in a bad mood. Samuel was waving and smiling and everyone. Then we get to the check out line, Samuel is smiling and waving to the little girl in line in front of us. Finally it is our turn to start loading the groceries onto the belt. Samuel reached for his waffles and I told him no he could have them later.

Then he unleashed the loudest longest scream I have ever heard in my life coming from anyone, including actors in scary movies. He clenched his hands, he face turned red and he had taken in the biggest breath before he began screaming. The entire store stopped in their tracks and stared. I tried covering up his mouth and telling him to stop and be quiet and the screaming continued. It was still quite loud even with my hand over his mouth. I thought he was done, so I let my hand go from his mouth and more screaming continued. He finally stopped after about a minute and I am not kidding you it was about that long. It was like the whole world stopped because his scream was so loud. The guy behind the pizza counter started clapping when he finished screaming and said "Good lungs! Good lungs!"

I was completely mortified. My face turned bright red and I didn't know what to do. I just apologized to the people around me. Some people asked if he was okay and Samuel's response was to wave at everyone with a big smile on his face.

I couldn't have been more embarrassed.

What could I have done? Please give me suggestions, if anyone has any. This is very out of the ordinary, but still, I don't want a repeat performance any time soon. Help!

I am going to relax my fast beating heart and throw Samuel in bed for a nap soon. I don't think I can handle much more of him today.