Friday, January 31, 2014

Weekend Update - Home Sick

I don't know if being homesick is as bad as being home sick.  Either way, last week, Little Miss got hit with the flu.  Luckily, she had the school holiday on Monday (and we were both home) and a Teacher Work Day on Tuesday (and my work was only open a partial day).  There was a snow day on Wednesday.  At this point, the flu moved onto Husband so I went to work while the two sickies stayed home.  On Thursday, there was a 2-hour delay.  So, she only missed a day and a partial day.  We held her home on Friday just to be on the safe side.  She'd be ok in the morning, but her fever had trouble staying away for a full day so it was a wise decision.  On Saturday, she relapsed, but she woke up Sunday feeling great and had just a really good day full of dancing and singing. 

Unfortunately, with all the sickness, she did miss ice skating and a birthday party, but there wasn't much choice.  On Sunday, we cleaned a portion of her room and purged her bookcases.  The girl is ruthless.  If she doesn't want something anymore, it just gets the axe.  We haven't gotten to toys yet so we'll see how she is with the rest of the items in her room.  She also got the dusting spray and a pair of socks from her room and dusted half the apartment on her own.  I sat on the couch and watched her.  So, successful Sunday all around.  Husband took the bus to New York to watch the Winter Classic (Rangers vs. Devils) so it was just the girls all day.  Overall, it was an unexpected relaxing weekend full of movies and cuddling.  Can't ask for better though next time we could do without the flu.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Week 26

Back with another week's update. You can find details here as always. It says the baby is "13.6 to 14.8-inches and 1.5 to 2.5 pounds" or the length of a head of lettuce which is kind of a random vegetable.


As for the other symptoms, I get the occasional headache, but it hasn't been too bad.  No swelling, and I've been mostly sleeping well.  I have had a few little practice contractions, but nothing crazy.  I do feel it when I run around more like when I'm rushing to get Little Miss after school because if I don't pick up by 6PM, there are issues with Extended Day so if I'm caught up at work, there's a little stress and panic.  There is still a bit of movement, much more than with Little Miss, but the baby is getting bigger because they are less kicks and more pokes and rolls.  I don't feel noticeably bigger from last week.  I also feel like the more maternity clothes I wear, the less big I feel because maternity clothes run big on me versus squeezing into pre-pregnancy clothes so it's more of a mental thing.


I did stumble on the way home last week.  I hesitate to fall because I really tripped and just landed on my knee.  I cleaned it up when I got home and there's been a lovely bruise, but everything is fine.  It was too late to call my doctor, but Little Miss had a physical so I just bought it up to her doctor.  The doctor seemed as unconcerned as I was.  My next doctor appointment is Friday morning.  I make my appointment for the big glucose test at that point.  If I don't pass, I'll have to enter rehab for my cocoa addiction as the withdrawal symptoms could be bad.   

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Bedtime Stories

For the last 3 nights, Little Miss has gone to bed with House at Pooh Corner. It's a lengthy book that my grandma gave me when we were expecting Little Miss. It's part of a set of 4. The books predate me by quite a bit. The first night, she read the Introduction. Last night, she read up to page 4, but she hasn't given up. It's a small, dense book with chapters and very few pictures. Previously, she's grown tired of longer books - even long picture books - so it's nice to see her get enjoyment from this one. I don't know how confident I feel in her finishing this book, but I'm glad she's enjoying it so far.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Week 25

Month 6?  Where does the time go?  According to The Bump, the average fetus measures about 13.6 inches to 14.8 inches and weighs about 1.5 to 2.5 pounds.  I don't feel too much bigger this week than the last.  Pretty much status quo.  I'm still in a mix of regular and maternity, but I'm squeezing into my pre-maternity pants still because I refuse to buy clothes that will only be worn for a short time.  I'm hoping the pre-maternity pants will fit long enough to make it through the Polar Vortex at which point I won't mind switching to maternity dresses.  I have a pair of maternity tights en route, too. 


There is activity when I wake up in the morning, after lunch and then very late at night - usually around 11PM, but last night it was closer to 12:30AM.  Husband watched my belly do the wave back at him. 


It's a little surreal to think that he'll be here 3 months, give or take.  I do have 3 weekends marked off in my calendar to start the big overhaul.  Little Miss announced she wanted to get him a present for when he's born.  Likewise, the baby will be getting Little Miss a present. 


I may have bookmarked a lot of little boy clothes.  One outfit may have been a pink and navy embroidered collared-shirt set.  I asked Husband if it was too preppy and, strangely, he said no.  I'm actually gravitating towards all things crabs.  I'm not sure why that's the unofficial theme to my choices.  I won't buy or at least I won't until the necessities (and a few other wants) are covered.  Babies don't need clothes if they have grandparents.  That's the one lesson I've learned. 

Weekend Update - Long Weekend!

Last weekend was a nice long weekend.  On Friday, we did nothing as is custom in our house.  On Saturday, we got up and did nothing until it was time to watch Little Miss in her skating lesson.  She did great.  After, she did about a half hour of public skating by herself.  She went around the big rink 6 times and was very proud of herself.  We went home.  Little Miss took a little nap and then all three of us went to the In-Laws' place to celebrate Mother-in-Law's birthday (which was actually last weekend).  Little Miss picked out her present all by herself the previous week from gift to card to wrapping paper. 

On Sunday, I stayed in bed as long as possible before meeting a friend at the nail salon.  Then, we had a bite to eat and then I got my haircut.  It was very relaxing especially knowing that we all had Monday off. 

Of course, on Monday, Little Miss was not quite herself.  She had been clingy all weekend, but she gets a little out of sorts when her routine is thrown off.  Then, she had a fever mid-morning.  She spent most of the day being lazy in bed.  She is good at keeping up with the liquids, but she didn't eat too much.  She went to bed without fuss, but she was up and miserable early this morning.  Husband got her some ibuprofen, and she was able to rest when her fever went down again.  So, she's home today sick.

The silver lining is that yesterday was a holiday and today the entire city is shut down.  Husband is home because the Federal Government is closed.  Our county happens to have a Teacher Work Day so there is no school.  I'm working a half day.  So, basically, it's a good time to get sick.  I'm organizing my work in case I have to stay home tomorrow, but Little Miss is a trooper.  Hopefully, this will leave her system quickly.  She has a couple of birthday parties coming up and our February is moderately busy.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Movies Watched in December 2013

  1. Beasts of the Southern Wild
  2. For a Good Time, Call...
Very pathetic month. I watched Beasts of the Southern Wild while we made pierogis all day. It is streaming on Amazon or Netflix. I forget which one. For a Good Time, Call... was on cable and I watched it streaming via HBO Go. It was a funny, raunchy comedy with a little bit of heart. I liked it. There's some romance, but it's really about the friendship of two women who seemingly have nothing in common except that both need a roommate.

Books Read in December 2013


  1. We Are Water by Wally Lamb
  2. Holiday Games by Jaci Burton  (NOTE:  This is part of the Play By Play series.  The order of which can be found here.)
  3. Divergent by Veronica Roth  (NOTE:  This is part of the Divergent series.  The order of which can be found here.)
  4. A Christmas to Remember by a handful of authors - Jill Shalvis (a short story part of the Lucky Harbor series), Kristen Ashley (a short story part of the Chaos series), Hope Ramsey (a short story part of the Last Chance series), Molly Cannon (a short story part of the Everson Texas series and Marilyn Pappano (a short story part of the Tallgrass series.
  5. Holiday Kisses by a handful of authors - Jaci Burton (a short story part of the Kent Brothers series), Shannon Stacey, Helen Kay Dimon (a short story part of the Holloway series and Alison Kent
  6. Christmas on 4th Street by Susan Mallery (NOTE: This is part of the Fools Gold series. The order to read the books can be found here.)
This month looks grander than it was.  The first book was for book club and took me the majority of the month (and some of November) to read.  The others were almost all Christmas novellas plus Divergent which continues my Young Adult trend.  I can't help it.  There is a lot of good, quality Young Adult novels out there.  For once, I read all of my Christmas books during the holiday season.  I rarely do that, but I had more than usual this year so figured it would help me end up in the Christmas frame of mind.  Plus, all the happy was a nice follow-up to the book club book which was a little heavy to say the least.

Week 24

Week 24 has nothing major coming up - little bit of growth, fleshing out.  The baby is the size of a cantaloupe (according to this site which seems very big.  Then again, I seem very big.  I have my next appointment at the end of the month and then the glucose test will be directly after that.  Fingers crossed though, worst case, I imagine I'll take the 3-hour test and it's nothing I didn't do before.  I'll just miss my carbs.  A lot. 


The baby moves a lot - usually in the morning, after lunch and late at night between 11PM and 1AM.  I could barely sleep the other night because of the jumping jacks.  It has to be jumping jacks because there was just pokes and kicks everywhere. 


I'm still wearing a mix of maternity and doctored regular clothes.  I'm probably at the very end of being able to fit into t-shirts though.  Sweaters and longer shirts are working fine still though.  If I can get through the worst of the winter with what I have, I'll be happy.  Hopefully, March will be mild so I can wear dresses and skirts.  I may just have to buy a pair of maternity tights at some point, but that's not so bad. 


My mind is still reeling how fast the time is going.  My goal is to get all my birthday presents and Easter presents out of the way because the Spring is a busy time for that type of thing.  A big goal is to really go through and purge all the girl items we've been saving.  I did some Fall cleaning last year, but I need to be a little more thorough this time.  As with last time, I'd like to have everything all set by 4 weeks before due date.  We were ready 2 months beforehand last time not including the little things.  I'm thinking 4-6 weeks realistically this time. 


I'm not too daunted by the idea of 2 children.  It'll be difficult.  I mean, I'm not naïve, but the benefit of the 6 1/2 year difference is that Little Miss can do so much independently.  I anticipate some adjustment of course, but I know it would be more of a challenge to have two children completely dependent on their parents.  On the flip side, of course, is that they will be 6 1/2 years apart which is a lot.  Pros and cons.

Thursday Tidbits

My little widget says the baby is using his hands which is funny because I swore last night he was clawing his way out.  Husband was asking if there was some kicking movement, but I said nope, more like a scraping.  That was typical for Little Miss, but this is a first of the baby. 


Since Monday, Little Miss has been perfect though.  Tuesday was pleasant and then she was allowed to pick out Mother-in-Law's birthday gift.  She was very focused and knew exactly what she wanted to get so we did that yesterday.  She's been eating very well all week in part due to the fact that she has a new love affair with ham (I don't blame her).  She's also back to eating cheese after a break. 


The apartment, for the first time in awhile, isn't a total pit.  There is still too much in it, but we have to organize our storage unit eventually anyway so the boxes from Christmas can sit in a corner for now.  It's physically clean at least.  Plus, if we're not putting the Christmas stuff away, Little Miss gets a little extra time with her Christmas tree.  It takes no time to dismantle it so she can have it until we make the trip to storage.  At this rate, it could be until March. 


I have snowman plates that I usually use in the winter.  This winter, they are not coming out.  I'd take them out now, but I know they won't be put away in March so why bother.  I'll just take a year off. 


Oscar nominees are out today.  I have to figure out if I can see at least one or two movies before the awards.  I saw very few of the big movies.  Of all the movies nominated, I saw Captain Phillips and Frozen (Best Picture and Best Animated Film).  I'd see a couple of others if given the opportunity.  We'll see.  It'll depend on timing and what is still in a conveniently-located theater.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Good Golly, Make It Stop

I don't see how the teen years can be worse.  I pick up Little Miss at 6PM from Extended Day.  She is the happiest kid on the planet.  We talk all the way home.  Then, in the elevator, I thought her say a bad word.  So, I ask her what she said, and she refuses to answer.  I told her she isn't in trouble, but she needs to own up to it.  She never did, but she broke down in tears at the thought of being in trouble.  This is at 6:30.  I make her dinner, and we write a couple of more Thank You notes from Christmas, and she's ok.  Then, at 7, she won't eat and starts crying again.  She's been crying and sobbing her heart out for the last hour.  We finally brushed her teeth (while she cried) and put her to bed where she is currently crying.  Good golly.  I'm exhausted.

It sounds like Husband is having better luck and more patience than I.  That said, I took over homework last night due to a breakdown on both their parts so   I guess it all evens out.  She's still crying, but I have doubts that she'll throw up over it at least.  Night is young though.  She could go either way.

Weekend Update - Girls' Weekend

Last Thursday night, Husband flew to Vegas for his annual Boys' Trip.  Little Miss was looking forward to our weekend together.  On Friday, she was such a good helper getting herself all ready for school.  Friday night, we mostly just hung out on the couch.  I let her sleep in our bed at night. 


Little Miss slept late on Saturday.  We had a nice breakfast and then went to skating lessons.  She did awesome again.  Afterwards, we had a little snack and then she stayed to do the public skate and went around the rink for 3 laps.  Because public skate is included in the lesson, I let her dictate how long she wanted to stay.  After, we went grocery shopping.  It took forever.  She had to go to the bathroom twice (twice!) while there, and it was crowded.  So, by the time we got home, I just heated her up leftover pasta despite buying her dinner at the store.  After, she helped me clean and put away laundry a little.  She at least did the things she is responsible for like her room and then she lost interest in my things halfway through.


On Sunday, she helped me dust and sort my socks which is a task unto itself.  Then, we had lunch and went to a playdate with a classmate from school.  The girls seemed to have a really fun time.  Then, Little Miss and I went home to get ready for a friend to come over to view the Golden Globes. 


Little Miss may not be an adventurous eater, but the girl does like to try free samples at the grocery store.  I wonder if I can get the grocery store to plan what it gives away when we go there to introduce new foods.  This week, we got some deli ham which isn't new, but she doesn't usually like lunch meat.  She's since eaten a half pound of ham since Sunday. 


Husband came home Monday afternoon in the nick of time.  I needed trash taken out, lightbulbs replaced and the toilet fixed.  Also, I finally took down Christmas so the tree needed to be removed.  The apartment is just about back to normal.  It should be closer after the long weekend when I have a block of time to reorganize a bit.


It was an exhausting weekend full of running around, but it was worth it.  I also made some homemade chicken nuggets last night for Little Miss (which I don't count as new food) and she declared them "the best".  So, some days I get things right.  Last night, during homework, Little Miss wrote three full sentences, spelled words correctly that I didn't even know she knew, and just wowed me with her knowledge.  Based on an article I read about preparing for First Grade, she's well on her way. 

Side Dishes of Note

I'm not even going to bother posting a recipe because I changed it or it's so very basic.  Last weekend, I bought a pre-seasoned pork tenderloin.  It wasn't my original plan, but it worked well.  As sides, I roasted broccoli and made mashed potatoes.


For the roasted broccoli, I made florets from a handful of heads of broccoli.  I sprayed a baking sheet, drizzled olive oil down and maybe salt and pepper.  I added 4-5 garlic cloves and stuck it in the oven at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until it started to brown.  After it came out, I sprinkled some lemon juice and parmesan cheese.  The original recipe had some lemon zest and pine nuts, but I didn't want it too lemon-y and I was too cheap to buy pine nuts.


For the mashed potatoes, I boiled mashed potatoes and then added a heavy cream, butter and roasted garlic mixture.  Beforehand, I threw 2 heads of garlic in a 425 degree oven which nicely preheated it for the broccoli.  Then, I threw the liquid in with the drained potatoes and whipped.  I don't normally whip as I prefer mashed, but there was a mess and a minor kitchen disaster so I ended up whipping them.  They still tasted good.  I cut back on the amount of heavy cream and butter than the recipe called for so they weren't as moist as they probably could have been, but they were still good.  They could have used some salt, but I notoriously don't salt anything.  I salted the potato water, but I can see where some salt and pepper would add a lot to the dish.


I have never roasted broccoli before, but I think it was delicious and really flavorful.  Potatoes are potatoes for me.  We agree on roasted potatoes more, but mashed potatoes are a nice treat every so often and really hit the spot.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Weekend Update - Ice Skating

Last weekend went by in a blur.  On Friday, I worked from home because it was super icy in my neighborhood, and I didn't want to risk the walk to work.  Schools were closed.  However, Husband took Little Miss into work with him so I got to actually work in peace.  I partially tidied up the apartment after work hours.  Husband and Little Miss came home late, but we had some family time in the evening.


On Saturday, Little Miss had her first ice skating lesson.  It went well.  Only a few kids had ever been on skates before so Little Miss was a little ahead of them, but she enjoyed herself quite a bit.  We went home, had lunch and took a nap afterwards.  Then, I woke up and went to bookclub while Little Miss had a Daddy Night. 


At around 2:30AM, Little Miss woke up upset over something.  Husband was begging her to let him know what was wrong so he could fix it and, around 3AM, the fire alarm went off.  As it is better safe than sorry, we bundled Little Miss up (luckily, she fell asleep with her clothes on) and walked down 16 flights of stairs to the lobby.  By the time we got there, we were told it was a prank.  Luckily, we didn't have to go outside.  Little Miss loved walking down the stairs.  As a treat, I brought her something to drink and a snack as incentive.  I grabbed a few other things like my purse and phone which I did not grab the last time we evacuated, but I like to think I have the capability to learn.  We all went back up (by way of elevator) and went right back to sleep - and slept late on Sunday morning!


On Sunday, it was a very lazy day full of good intentions.  The only thing that really got done was some grocery shopping, and there wasn't much choice in that matter.  Next weekend should be fun though.  Husband is going to Vegas on his annual boys' trip, and Little Miss is looking forward to a girls' weekend.  We'll see what actually pans out, but it should be fun regardless. 

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Week 23

Week 23!  That's just ridiculous.  The doctor appointment last week was uneventful.  I'm measuring exactly where I should be.  The doctor is pleased with size and shape and weight.  Baby still has a heartbeat.  We're in good shape at the just barely over halfway point.  According to this site, the baby is the size of a grapefruit (though according to other sources, the fruit can vary - staying with this site to be consistent) and should be around a pound or a pound and a quarter.  As with last time, no swelling of the ankles.


I'm still fitting in prepregnancy clothes more or less - no to the button-downs or some of the shorter shirts. With belly band help, I can still wear the slim cropped Gap pants I bought last week. My goal is to still fit into these pants afterwards. Otherwise, the sale wasn't helpful. I should be able to which would be great because I bought like 4 pairs. I was so excited they fit because it's so hard to find maternity pants, and it is too cold to wear a skirt or dress. This will become more challenging in the next month or so, I'm sure, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.  My skin has been dry so I've been trying to be better about moisturizing. Other than that, no other symptoms other than ones that will never make the blog.


The baby is still active, much more active than Little Miss even at her most active. She stretched and rolled, but this one is a kicker - in the morning, middle of the afternoon and late at night. It's a lot like clockwork. She's been super cute with her baby brother. She talks to him and treats him like he's a person already - saying goodbye or goodnight, giving kisses. It's very cute. She's been very accepting of my limitations and has really become quite helpful around the house. She cleans her room more than I clean mine. She picks things up off the floor. I'm sure she'll not be as enthusiastic once he's here, but I have confidence she'll still be a pretty good helper.


We have a name, it's the boy name leftover from Little Miss. As with Little Miss, I won't use it regularly on the blog, but it's not a secret. I think I even have a nickname for him eventually for blog use, but I may keep with tradition and call him Baby for the first year as I did with Little Miss. Then, I'll transition to a nickname that fits him.

Friday, January 3, 2014

Weekend Update - Christmas!


Christmas week was a blur. Little Miss had off from school. She came to the office with me for a couple of hours, but she had a lot of Daddy time. On Tuesday, we went to Christmas Eve Mass at church after I worked a half day. Then, we hosted the In-Laws and Brother-in-Law, Sister-in-Law and Nephew for dinner. On Christmas, we opened a lot of presents and then went to Brother-in-Law, Sister-in-Law and Nephew's apartment for dinner. The kids played very well together and were very patient to open presents. Little Miss received the soundtrack to Frozen which has been playing non-stop since Christmas morning. She also received ice skates, books, clothes and other items. All were big hits.
The day after Christmas, we went to my parents' house and met up with them and Sister, her boyfriend and Nephew. We didn't do too much that first day, but the kids did open presents and played. On Friday, the crew went skiing and snowboarding while Husband and I took Little Miss ice skating. She loved it. We forgot her helmet at home, but she did great. She got right back up again every time she fell - and she had a couple of bad spills. We felt bad. She fell flat on her face which left a mark (or three) and then fell a final time that resulted in the end of skating.
On Saturday, Sister, her boyfriend, Nephew and Little Miss went tubing. It was a beautiful day, very mild so it wasn't bad sitting out and watching them. This baby has been inconvenient in my winter sports schedule. After 2 hours of tubing, Little Miss wanted to go ice skating and then skated for a couple of hours. I don't know how she did it. We went to the house for dinner and then took off for home.
On Sunday, Little Miss and I slept late and then went to The Kennedy Center to see the Mo Willems's Elephant & Piggy We Are In a Play! We had a blast. Little Miss loved the Metro and shuttle. She made instant friends with a little girl on the shuttle. I was a pushover and bought her a plush Knuffle Bunny which hasn't left her side since. It was a really great holiday, and I'm trying not to think about the zoo next year will be with a baby.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Week 22

Month 5?! How did that happen? Based on this link, the average fetus measures about 10.5 to 11.8 inches and weighs about 12.7 to 20.8 ounces. There has been a lot more activity in the last week or so, more consistent movement. There seems to be a little in the morning when my alarm goes off, some after meals, but the big party is usually between 10-12 at night. Some rolling but mostly strong kicks whereas Little Miss rolled a lot and stretched, but she wasn't a kicker.

The belly has expanded as expected, but I'm still mostly in non-maternity clothes (which doesn't mean that my 2 pairs of maternity pants aren't appreciated). I'm trying to squeeze in as many months as possible in non-maternity clothes with the aid of elastic bands and my belly band. It's so hard to find maternity clothes that aren't too big or way too long, and I refuse to spend the money to alter clothes for a couple of months. My winter coats should work through the thick of it. My mom bought me a trapeze coat which is adjustable, but it's not as warm as my other coats, and it's a walk to and from the Metro. I'm more active this time around with the walk to and from the Metro which helps, I think. I'm still awkward enough that it makes me question the importance of anything I drop on the floor. Fun time though. This is the time where you start to look pregnant but can still do things without being a total cow.

My next appointment is tomorrow actually. I'm thinking things should go well unless the doctor wants to discuss the ultrasound a couple of weeks ago.

What We've Watched - 2020

I forgot a bunch!  So, just to round out 2020, here we go. Let's see... I watched Enola Holmes on Netflix which I found adorable, and I...