34 Week Belly

I know, I haven't posted a belly picture in a really long time. So here I am at 34 weeks! Ryan wanted in on the action. Or more accurately, he wanted me to come play with him. After distracting him we finally got a couple of decent shots.

34 Weeks Pregnant

Not much new to report this week, mainly just a lot of complaints.

I'm officially waddling. My belly is huge, as well as the rest of my body. I can't get comfortable enough at night to sleep well. When I wake up in the morning I feel like an old lady who can barely get out of bed.

I've had a few mornings where I've felt nauseous, similar to the first trimester. The other day I walked into the grocery store and was turned off by all the smells that assaulted me.

I am fatigued every day. I do fine in the mornings, but right after lunch I just run out of steam. It feels like it takes so much effort just to move my body, and I'd rather just sit down for a few hours and do nothing.

Lifting and carrying Ryan is beginning to really make my back hurt. My left lower back has a certain spot that has bothered me off and on during this pregnancy, and lately it has been worse. It's the same side I carry Ryan on, so I'm sure that's the cause of my pain.

A positive from the week: None of my clothes seem to fit right anymore, but I did have the opportunity to go out alone this week and do a little shopping! It was so nice to try clothes on alone and just concentrate on what I was doing.

A Boo!

Bugs, ants, flies, bees, spiders.....in Ryan's world they are all called "boos". He has recently discovered these creepy crawly creatures and he is both interested and disgusted by them. Outside he stops and intently watches the ants on the ground. Other times, if he sees a spider, he acts frightened and runs to me for safety.

Ryan even "sees" bugs in other places, like the bathtub. He saw a speck of dirt the other day while in the tub and immediately shouted "Boo!". No Ryan, it's just dirt.

He is even having dreams about them. The other night he woke up yelling "No!".

Ryan sounded very frightened, so I asked him what was wrong.

He cried "A Boo!".

I asked him "Ryan, did you see a bug?"

Ryan's response was "Uh Huh".

I told him it was okay, the bug was all gone.

He just sighed and went back to sleep.

Multiple Personalities

You may not be able to tell by looking at his sweet little face.

But underneath those long lashes and kissable lips is a 2-year-old ready to scream "No!" "Mine!" at a moment's notice.

Living with a toddler Ryan's age is kind of like living with someone who is bi-polar, or who has multiple personalities.

One minute he can be sweet and shy and lovable. He will come up and kiss me, or do things that make me burst out laughing.

And then the next minute he's screaming "No!" and hitting me in order to get what he wants. "Mine" is Ryan's new favorite word, and he uses it about 1 million times per day.

Yes, living with a 2-year-old can be quite the emotional roller coaster. I guess that's why God makes them so darn cute at this age.

Foodie Friday: Deceptively Delicious

As you may know, Ryan does not eat fruits or vegetables. The only way he will eat them is in squeeze pouch (pureed) form. But lately he isn't as interested in these, so I am desperate to find a way to get these important nutrients into his body. I recently checked out Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook from the library.

The idea behind the recipes is that you "hide" pureed fruits and vegetables into typical recipes that kids will eat. The kids eat the food because they don't taste the vegetable, and the parent wins because their child is eating healthier. So is it okay to deceive your child in this way? My opinion, at least for Ryan, is yes. As long as I continue to offer him whole fruits and vegetables on the side, I see no problem with hiding some inside his food. That way he's getting what he needs, and still being given the opportunity to try the veggies on his own. (Side note: Ryan ate a few bites of watermelon the other night, for the very first time! Then a few days later he ate 3 pieces of broccoli. I almost passed out from shock.)

I have tried a few recipes from this cookbook and I have discovered one major issue. The concept only works if the food you are sneaking the veggie into is a food your child will eat. So putting pureed cauliflower into a grilled cheese sandwich might sound genius, but it won't work for Ryan because he won't touch a grilled cheese sandwich.

Here's what I've tried, in an attempt to get more produce into both Ryan and Adam:

Meatloaf with hidden carrots. I thought the taste was good, but the texture was really weird. Kind of like "fake" meat, and not actual ground beef. Adam and Ryan both do not like meatloaf, so this was a fail.

Couscous with hidden butternut squash and carrot. The color was a little orange, and I definitely tasted the butternut squash, which was fine with me. Ryan wouldn't eat it. Adam ate some, but thought it was strange.

Pancakes with hidden butternut squash. I also added a little bit of pureed banana to help sweeten them up. Adam wouldn't try them after I told him about the banana. I liked them. Ryan tried a bite and spit it out. A few days later I offered them to Ryan again (froze the leftovers) and he ate almost an entire pancake!

Macaroni and Cheese with hidden butternut squash. Adam ate it and didn't comment. Ryan wouldn't try it. I liked it, but could definitely detect the subtle squash flavor.

So overall these recipes haven't been too successful! I still have some leftover vegetable purees in the freezer, and I think I can sneak them into some of my own recipes without them being detected. Foods like chili or spaghetti would probably be good meals to use for this. Have any of you tried this method of "sneaking" veggies into everyday recipes? How do you get your picky toddlers to eat or even try fruits and vegetables?

33 Weeks Pregnant

I had an appointment with my midwife this morning and everything's looking good! Here are my stats:

Total Weight Gain: 33 pounds
Blood Pressure: 119/69
Baby's Heartrate: 150 BPM

I only gained 1 pound over the past 2 weeks. My blood pressure is excellent. Baby is kicking and moving like crazy these days. All good things! The only negative part of the appointment was Ryan. That little boy just does not like to be confined in any way. I had to take him out of his stroller while waiting in the room because he was screeching so loudly the midwife could hear him from another room. After that he climbed all over me during the appointment, touching things and trying to figure out how to make my chair recline. Kind of made it hard to concentrate.

I feel like we've made some good progress lately with getting things ready for baby. We bought the nursery bedding, a video monitor, a baby carrier (Mei Tai style), and a crib mattress. Yesterday I got out all of Ryan's old baby clothes and sorted out the smaller sizes to organize in the nursery. I still have things on my list that I need to check off, but I'm feeling good about what we've accomplished so far. One important things we still need to do is pick a name. No progress yet and it's making me nervous!

Sorry no picture this week. I can't upload pictures to my blog, and I really need to figure out why. I basically look the same, my belly is just sticking out further. Imagine a giant basketball in place of my stomach.

Animal Sounds

Ryan has seen a couple speech specialists lately. One said he was fine, just barely in the "normal" range for his age. The other said he has a mild delay, so we'll probably be getting a little one-on-one help for him, hopefully before the baby comes! Adam and I recently attended a class to learn about ways to help Ryan at home. They said for someone like him, who doesn't even attempt to say new words, it would be good to encourage him to make animal and car sounds. They're not real words, but the idea is to get him talking more and to make him comfortable using his mouth to make different sounds.

Ryan likes to meow and growl and nay, as well as make monkey sounds. So what better place to take him than the zoo?! Last Saturday Adam and I took Ryan to the Oakland Zoo. It was the perfect size for someone his age (and for someone who is 33 weeks pregnant and gets tired easily!). Ryan really seemed to enjoy watching the animals and imitating their sounds.

Unfortunately I am still having computer issues and I can't upload all the cute zoo pictures to my blog! You will just have to use your imagination on this one. I can't wait to take Ryan back once he's a little older, with his baby brother!

2nd Haircut

Ryan had his first haircut a while ago, and we've done a few trims at home since then. But we decided recently that Ryan's "fluff" needed to be tamed down a bit by a professional once again.This time we took Ryan to the local barber shop where Adam gets his hair cut. And now his hair is so short! I like it, but he definitely looks a lot older to me. We've been experimenting with a little hair gel to create volume.Whenever we ask Ryan if he wants gel in his hair, he says "Yay!!"It's a good thing I have another little baby boy on the way, because my first baby boy has officially turned into a big boy!

Birthday Boy

Adam celebrated his 31st birthday on Wednesday. It was a pretty low-key day, ending with a delicious dinner at Buca di Beppo. I was able to capture some really cute pictures of Adam and Ryan together on his special day, as well as a few from the past month.Daddy says "Fire is hot, Ryan!"Ryan practiced blowing out the candle for his own birthday in just a couple weeks.Walking off some calories after dinner in downtown Palo Alto.Adam laughing at Ryan's nose-picking skills.Mowing the lawn together a couple weeks ago.Adam showing Ryan where all the good Easter Eggs are hidden.

Easter Eggs and Baby Dolls

I lost my camera sometime last week, and that pretty much derailed all blogging attempts on my part. Posting a blog is so much more interesting with pictures! I did locate my camera over the weekend, just in time for Easter. But now I can't get the pictures uploaded onto my computer. Sometimes I hate technology. My sister's family was visiting this weekend, and we all enjoyed a lunch and Easter egg hunt at our house. It was Ryan's first year attempting the egg hunt, and although he didn't get the concept, he did enjoy throwing some eggs!


So what else is going on in our little world?

~Ryan is starving himself. At least, it seems that way! Most days he eats little more than a few bites of food. I've heard it's normal for this age but I can't help but wonder where his energy comes from!

~There's a new baby at our house. I have so much more to write about, but no time! I will try to post more this week, if Ryan lets me.

31 Weeks

I had a 31 Week Midwife checkup this week. I can't believe I have to start going every 2 weeks now. This pregnancy is really starting to fly by! Here are my stats:

Total Weight Gain: 32 lbs
Blood Pressure: 128/63
Baby's Heartrate: Unknown

The appointment was pretty quick and uneventful. I mentioned my abundance of braxton hicks contractions, some of which are actually a little painful. The midwife lectured me about drinking more water and I promise I am trying harder with this one. It's just that drinking water gives me a heartburn feeling. And laying down in bed at night after drinking anything is incredibly uncomfortable. I guess I need to load up on the water earlier in the day.

Speaking of discomfort.....I'm officially at that point where sleeping is uncomfortable. No matter what side or position I get into, I'm just not able to totally relax. As a result I am waking up quite often.

The midwife reminded me that this baby could really come anytime after 37 weeks. I knew this, but hearing it really made me realize how much I still want/need to do during the next few weeks. Finish the nursery, buy baby items, make freezer meals.....oh and pick a baby name, among other things. Better get moving!

Bedtime Routine

Ryan's sleeping habits have gotten a little better over the past month. And we owe it to two things: a routine and a tiny white pill.
For quite a while our evenings had been pretty horrible. You can read an example of a typical night here. Honestly, it was really taking a toll on all of us.

Desperate for help, Adam and I turned to the Kaiser specialist who previously suggested we give melatonin to Ryan to help him fall asleep. Once again she had the same suggestion. Give Ryan melatonin in order to help him associate his bed with sleeping. She told us to gradually spend less time with him as he fell asleep, so that eventually Ryan could fall asleep without us. She believes that when Ryan wakes in the middle of the night, he won't feel like he needs Adam and I in order to fall back asleep. Makes sense, I guess.

The other change we have made is to be stricter about Ryan's bedtime routine. Not just about the time, but more specifically about the order in which we do things. We start by giving Ryan his "happy juice" about 20 minutes before his bedtime. (Juice with melatonin crushed up and dissolved in it). Next we put on his pajamas and then read books in his bed. After a few books we make him lay down and look at the Moon (Moo) and Stars (Sss-Ahh) on the ceiling. Ryan has one of these turtles.After the moon and stars we turn out all the lights and I often sing a couple songs to Ryan. I would say that 75% of the time, he's asleep within a few minutes after this, thanks to the Melatonin. It is absolutely wonderful. Not much fighting, screaming or crying. Did I mention how amazing this is?

Ryan does still wake up within a few hours of falling asleep. At this point he still walks into our room and climbs into our bed. For the rest of the night he sleeps in between us, and it is actually working out okay. Most nights he only wakes up briefly 1 or 2 more times with minimal fussing.

During the day Ryan will only nap if driven around in the car first. I then transfer him to his bed, where he will nap for about 40 minutes on average. Not perfect, but so much nicer than no naps. There are still no-nap days, (like today!) but they only happen a couple times per week now.

So, where do we go from here? Although Ryan's sleeping habits are a million times better than they used to be, they are not ideal. I do not want to give him Melatonin as a long-term solution to get him to fall asleep. But at this point I am slightly terrified of going back to the way it used to be without it. And driving him around to fall asleep every day? Probably not going to happen once baby #2 is here! I'm just taking things one day at a time right now, and thanking God that He has provided us with some temporary solutions. Life with sleep is so much better.