A Day For Thanks

{a little Thanksgiving finger painting}  

When I asked Jeff where he wanted to go for Thanksgiving this year (with options limited to a 1-hour radius, I'm restricting my travel times at this point), he said he wanted to stay home.  And when he saw my surprise coupled with a bit of dismay- what no family gathering? No one-dish making, bringing, and cleaning? No kid chasing and out-of-toddler-reach heirloom stashing- he appealed to my food snob side and procured the argument that if we stayed home, I could cook everything exactly to my liking.  I was won over.  We made our plans for a fuss-free, relaxing day at home with a smallish sort of feast.  Everyone got to pick their favorite dish, for Jeff, it was mashed potatoes and gravy and garlic green beans, Sawyer picked corn and seconded the potatoes, and I decided on sweet potatoes with pecan topping and apple, sage, and cranberry dressing. Our brined, dry rubbed, and roasted turkey breast was the best we'd ever had, and with a little bit of Wednesday night prep, the whole meal came together a lot more easily and quickly than I expected. Jeff even pronounced it the best Thanksgiving he'd ever had.  Since I did all the fixin', he did all the cleaning, and that made it pretty great for me too. Other than cooking, eating, and cleaning, we watched some family-favorite movies, took a walk in the warmish weather, finger-painted, and lounged around lazily.  It was a perfect sort of day.

Then this morning, Sawyer rummaged in the fridge until he found the leftover chocolate pie, pulled it out, plopped the pie tin in front of me and Jeff then proceeded as follows with the lid:

I'd say that's a pretty traditional post-Thanksgiving breakfast.

35 weeks

At our ultrasound our little darling was weighing in right on time and at almost 7 lbs-and most of her size was in her belly! Thank goodness it's not her head! It's no secret I love a chubby baby so she can have all the Buddha belly she can muster in these last few weeks.  She still doesn't like having her pod probed and she keeps her hands snuggled by her face during most of the ultrasound, but occasionally we got a peak of her adorable face and kissy lips and little chub of a nose.  It's certainly not a surprise, but still so astounding that she looks and acts differently than Sawyer did and it's a treat to see her little personality shine through. Though I will admit I'm getting to the point where the supposing and suspense about her are killing me, and I'm ready to know just what she is like.  Not long now!

2 Months Away From 2

He thinks knives are cool, and anytime we're in the kitchen and I turn my back he's devising a new way to sneak one out.  Only he calls them "sharks."  He also loves to help me cook and his favorite way to help is to shake spices into dishes while narrating his cookery with a "sheek sheek sheek!"

We search the skies when we hear the rotors of a "dachu"- you might say, "helicopter" but he says "dachu." Buses and trash trucks are also very popular around here.

He wakes up in the morning and demands to watch a show, then after finishing one episode of Magic School Bus, tilts his head down and cocks it a bit to the right, holds up his index finger and points it at me saying, "un mow." I hold up my index finger and push it back at his and, because I can't resist his charm, consent to one more episode.

He loves shoes! He loves to shop! He is my son!
He loves any and all electronics: light up toys, TVs, computers, tablets, cameras, game consoles, arcades.....he is Jeff's son too.

He's very concerned with proper turns these days. But he's kind enough to make sure that everyone is included and gets their turn.  At least for Mama and Dada and Baby (how he refers to himself, but also any other person is a "baby" too). Sometimes kids don't get a turn if they want his favorite toy....

We know where all the kitties in the neighborhood live.  Also, where there are bikes that are too big for Baby, big enough for Mama, and ones that will only fit Dada. There's usually a spot of trouble when we get our sights on bikes or tricycles just right for our Goldilocks-the boy wants a bike real bad and has a hard time passing them by.

Sawyer is such a good boy but he's got some dervish in him. Just look at that sweet face up there and it will tell you all.  I'm amazed at his intelligence and intuitiveness everyday.  If I had to define him in one term right now: keen.  He's full of eagerness and enthusiasm.  He loves to help, loves to explore, loves what each new day and experience bring.  He's also intense, aware, and intelligent and responds very well to having the world around him explained as he explores and observes.  Almost every night at pillow talk Jeff and I recall the things he did that day and sum it all up with, "he's so amazing." We love our almost 2 year old Lucky boy.

The Day Jeff Wanted Some Company on Campus

It's amazing how much of Jeff's time is spent in labored hours working or studying or homeworking (a new verb), and though there's definitely some personal gain in that, most of it is for us, his family.  His hard work makes my entire life and lifestyle possible, and while it's sometimes hard for me- from a independent thinking, strong woman standpoint- to be in such dependent situation, I know that there is no more capable or trustworthy person I could rely on.  He's pretty selfless.  So when he asked if we'd like to come keep him company at his not-so-homey, home away from home, Sawyer and I happily obliged. We made the short trek up to campus and ate dinner together, then wandered around the student center pushing all the elevator and automatic door opener buttons until we found ourselves at the game center.  There we decided to first play all the arcade games without coins, then with coins, and finally when Sawyer started dive-bombing the lanes and trying to swipe all the bowling balls in sight, we thought we should wrap up the night with a game. I opted for the role of bowling assistant while father and son duked it out on the lanes. Sadly, even with bumpers and Sawyer's ball inch-worming a sluggish path down the lane, the final margin was alarmingly close (all things considered).  He requested no pictures of the final score, and had no final post-game comment on the situation, but I'm sure Jeff would like me to say on his behalf that he scored low on purpose, just another way he selflessly gives to his family.  He wouldn't want to crush Sawyer's confidence on his first trip to the lanes now anyway, would he?

34 weeks

My sweet girlie and I went in for our first Non Stress Test and Amniotic Fluid Index (NST/AFI) tests today.  Our perinatologist recommended then as a precaution, so from here to the big birth day we'll be doing them every week.  I think NSTs are the best medical test ever.  For thirty minutes, I sit and relax while listening to my baby's heartbeat and feeling her jabs and kicks at the fetal monitor.  Then, while the amniotic fluid is measured via ultrasound, I get little glimpses of the miracle that is my growing girl.  Today she was putting on show smacking her lips- I can't imagine she enjoyed tasting that fluid unless she was enjoying the remnants of my breakfast, but still, yucky- or maybe she was singing sweet songs to fill the time. Whatever she was up to, she kept at it for quite some awhile and the ultrasound tech let me watch for as long as she went about her business. I was so glad she did, it was wonderful not to be rushed and to have someone, especially someone who sees babies all the time, marvel at my babe along with me.  

That's just one of the many reasons why I love our birth center. I was already walking through the front doors with teary eyes- every step recalled the last time I walked through those doors- but being around the kind and very sincere staff, not feeling the least bit hurried and instead being flooded with the calm of what has got to be a piece of heaven made we want to weep with joy. And contentment. And a whole lot of excitement.  Just as it was for our first baby, I know it will be a wonderful place to welcome our second to our family and the world.

The Toddler Who Ate Broccoli

That is steamed, cold broccoli trees with no butter or salt, my friends. He loves it! And tilapia, salmon, prunes, whole wheat cereal, green smoothies, coconut rice, carrot muffins, tomatoes, pinto beans, black beans, great northern beans....beans! pickles, hard-boiled egg yolks, cucumbers, parmesan cheese bitten right off the wedge, greek yogurt, and even more oddly-assorted foods that one wouldn't expect a toddler to even look at, and yet he eats them with gusto.

But not sweet potatoes. Or bread. I've never been able to figure that out.

Pregnancy Faves: Something New

Sippin' on Red Raspberry Tea

Red raspberry leaf tea is supposed to be a lady's wonder tea.  Every box I've bought proudly declares itself to be the great "[supporter] of the female system." So whatever that means, it sounds like an awesome best friend for my female system currently in hyper-drive.  I read about red raspberry leaf everywhere, and so I first checked with my midwife, then started drinking it as often as I could remember. I'm currently remembering to drink it once a day, and I'm going to check again with my midwife to see if upping my daily dosage is advisable as I approach the big birthing finale; the tea is supposed to help tone the uterine muscle, decrease labor pain, and ease the entire birthing process. I'll drink as many cups as I can if it's good on its promises.

Sleeping with the Boppy Total-Body Pregnancy Pillow

I've been loving this pillow because it's three separate pieces that velcro together, so I can take them apart, rearrange them, or only use the piece I need-and it's pretty awesome.  I stuff it under my tummy, wrap it around behind my back, or snuggle up to the whole thing.  And possibly most fun of all, it helps me stake more territory at night, so for once in our lives, Jeff is the one sleeping on a sliver of the bed.


Just a collection of things I've noticed with my second pregnancy:

• it hurts more.....surprise! I thought it would hurt less since my tummy had already been stretched out and my body had been through all the changes before, but not so.  I've got a fire behind my belly button that will not be snuffed, my hip flexor muscles ache, and I'm one 10-second tidy away from snapping my back.
• some of my symptoms started sooner and lasted longer. Like the nausea, and the big belly growing, and the heartburn.  At first I thought I was just being wimpy since last time I was a year out from cancer treatment and numb to the drudgery of daily physical pain, but apparently this rise in discomfort is a widespread occurrence with second pregnancies, and I'm not just slowly devolving into a ninny.
• more contractions, more often.  I have a ton (in comparison, that is)!
• in some ways, it's easier.  It's so since to know what's going on and what to expect.  Even more so than with my first, I feel more in control and involved with not only my medical care, but day-to-day pregnancy stuff.
• I know I can I do this, and not simply because I've done it before.  It's almost as if confidence has bloomed within me along with my dear baby, and though the pregnancy has been hard and the experience at times trying, I am wonderfully, courageously, at peace in my strength.

Pregnancy Faves: Tried and True

My book of choice:

There are SO MANY pregnancy guides out there, it was really overwhelming to even go to the library and survey the shelves, let alone delve into the depths of amazon's book stores.  I found the Sears' book by perusing the library and checking out books that looked like they were worth reading- a pretty ground-breaking method, I know.  But even before my first pregnancy I had been following a few mommy blogs and had been reading Baby Center, so I had formulated an interest in certain birthing methods and philosophies. As I read the Sears' book, I found it supported how I felt about birth and babies, especially on all my big points.  I also liked the format better than "What to Expect When You're Expecting," which is also a great resource but a bit overwhelming at times.  "The Pregnancy Book" reads, well, like a book, not an encyclopedia, so I made it part of my nightly, relaxing, baby-prep routine.

Anti-Nausea Tools:

• Laying down on my left side, because a nice lie down is always helpful when making a person, and for us preggers gals, left-side laying is best for baby.
• Smaller, more frequent meals
• Cinnamon candies-like cinnamon bears or Hot Tamales
• Peppermint Tea
• Pretzels or Saltines and sips of water

My Go-To Stretch Mark Defender: 

 Palmers Cocoa Butter for Stretch Marks

Stretch marks might be dependent on your DNA, but my philosophy for using stretch mark lotion is simple: if I'm gonna get them, at least I'll be reducing their appearance while they form and keeping my tummy lathered and moisturized helps fend off that pregnant belly itching which is unattractively reminiscient of a redneck woman.  I love the way this lotion smells, it's like chocolate and roses, and it's not greasy or too "balmy." One of my friends recommended it to me when she found out I was pregnant, she absolutely swore by it-she's a tiny girl and came out of her first pregnancy with nary a stretch mark.  I used it with Sawyer and only got a teenzy mark on my side. 

How I Cope with All Those Body Changes:

• I never look at the scale!

And whoever does isn't allowed to tell me what's there.  My midwives only talk about my weight if it appears unhealthy. So far in two pregnancies we've only had to talk about my weight once, and that was when I had suddenly lost some pounds late in pregnancy with Sawyer.  Not knowing how much I weigh helps me focus so much more on being healthy and enjoying my rotund physique, and not charting and comparing my weight gains.  It's really such a relief.

• Pregnancy Clothes!

It's like playing dress-up for nine months! I know some people have trouble justifying the expense, but not me :) I have no trouble in this instance, since properly-fitting clothes are so much more comfortable and help me enjoy and feel confident about every shape change in pregnancy.  I've also developed some pretty awesome, nearly foolproof pregger-clothes shopping techniques.  Here are some of my rules:

-Shop for items that will fit for the full nine months.  This maximizes wear and usefulness.  Bonus points for clothes that pull double duty for pregnancy and post-baby body, and I'm a triple crown winner if I can find something that works for pregnancy, post-baby, and nursing.
-Keep it Cheap, as in, $50 or less per piece (not cheaply made-that's never a winning situation).  I usually spend around our under $25 an item, and only spend more if I know I will wear it frequently during pregnancy, or if it complies with rule #4...
-Look for clothes that aren't maternity-specific, but will accommodate a bump nicely and still fit post-baby and post-baby-weight loss.  Shh! My big secret is that most of my maternity clothes aren't really maternity! They're just styles that look good with a big belly. This is what I look for:

1. Empire waist
• tops and dresses that hit above the bump and below the chest, with plenty of wiggle room for that bump to grow.
• sometimes a size up is in order, usually to accommodate the enlarging ladies 
  
  
2. Stretchy and long
• gotta have length to cover that tummy
  
  
  
  
3. Tunics
• I wear a lot of these in the beginning bump stages, since they're flowy and comfy. But once I pop they get a bit tight around the middle unless they have stretch.
  
  
  
  
4. Pieces with Forgiveness
• the most easily-transitioned pieces, and very accepting of all shapes and sizes
• button-ups
• cardigans
• I pair them with a maternity tank or t-shirt
  
  
  
  

  

  {double give! button-up and a back zipper; a boutique find}

5. Maxi dresses, maxi or midi skirts
• Fitted and stretchy or with a high waist, maxi dresses almost always work, and I usually don't even have to size up.
• I like to wear maxi or midi skirts under my tummy until it's nice and round, then-since I have all that length to work with, I like to wear them over my belly. Super cozy and cute. 
  
  
6. Leggings galore
• I wear my regular leggings throughout pregnancy, mostly because I've found that if I size up, the leggings slide down and I'm always adjusting them.  I love a few pairs of maternity leggings though, especially as the end nears, and Old Navy has my favorite, under the belly kind.
• Lots of ladies like to invest in a good pair of maternity jeans, and I think that's a good idea, I just haven't done it yet.  My maternity jeans are Old Navy and forever21 (their maternity line is now extinct), but I've always preferred pairing leggings with tunics and shorter dresses, and now that I'm up and down and crawling on the floor pushing trains around all day, leggings suit me best.

None of those outfits above are pregnancy clothes, just clothes that fit well during pregnancy.  I typically forage for finds at H&M, forever21, Francesca's Collections, TJ Maxx, asos, and local boutiques.  Now, I know I'm not a fashion genius, these are just some tips and tricks that work for my situation and budget, but I'm sure you could tweak them to fit any budget and style.

Stay tuned for some new things I'm trying out this pregnancy!

Pumpkin Butter

I've got a Peter Peter pumpkin hater in my house, so when pumpkin season hits it's pretty much up to me to make and eat all things pumpkin.  Not usually a problem, but I've been feeling lazy lately and the prospect of mixing and measuring and cleaning up dishes all for something that I'd be enjoying all alone was not enticing me.  When I was stuck with leftover pumpkin puree from our orange and black Halloween dinner (creamy pumpkin sauce+sausage pasta....yum....that's pumpkin the hater will eat), I stared and stared at that puree until quintessential autumnal spices started tingling the foggy memory corners of my brain and I began to recall the magnificent taste of pumpkin butter.  Suddenly, I knew exactly what to make and that I'd be more than happy to eat all of it.

Because it had to be easy, I wanted to use a slow cooker recipe, and because I'm eating every last bite, I wanted it to be healthy.  Not chia seed and flax seed healthy- which I did find recipes for- just more like not-too-sweet, mostly-about-the-pumpkin healthy.  I used a lot less sugar than most recipes, and my version is well-spiced, but it mellows out as it stands and if you like a sweeter butter, it's as easy as adding more sugar, or even maple syrup, to taste at the end.

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Butter
adapted from: Eggs on Sunday

Ingredients:
1 large (I think it's a 32 oz?) can pumpkin puree
2/3 C applesauce
1/4 C brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
pinch of allspice
hearty toddler pinch of kosher salt (he nails about 1/4 tsp every time)

Method:
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 5 hours, stirring once in a while to keep the edges from burning. Allow to cool completely before storing, and it tastes best if chilled before eating.  Pumpkin butter can't be canned and it won't keep forever like jam does, so eat it while fall is here :)

32 weeks

Somehow I got behind in my week count and I was 32 weeks the week of Halloween-and I ate all the candy and drank all the cider just to assert my pregnant-ness.  Or maybe it was to cope with all the flu that surrounded me last week, because candy and cider is the new chicken soup and orange juice around here.  Luckily we, meaning my girl and me, escaped unscathed.  Sadly, the same can't be said of Sawyer and Jeff and those six loads of laundry they racked up.

A Bunch of Thankful Turkeys

Every Monday our little bunch has a special family night where we spend some good old fashioned quality and quantity time together.  Some nights we march around and play instruments, other times we head out to the park or a special activity, we've been known to hand out family-made treats to our neighbors, and occasionally we just sing songs, share stories, then cuddle our bug during a movie.  I also like to sprinkle in some substance to these nights of fun, so we usually talk about things going on in our family and take some time to teach Sawyer about them (usually just a microsecond though, he's not one for sitting around).

We had one of those aforementioned, more substantial activities this Monday to kick-off the month of November with a focus on being grateful- ya know, a sort of Thanksgiving countdown.  But I've also been worried lately that while so many good things happen to us, we sometimes forget to acknowledge them openly. Then I was reading this article and came across the quote that is now most happily plastered to our door: "A grateful person is rich in contentment.  An ungrateful person suffers in the poverty of endless discontentment." We've had the wonderful pleasure of being students our entire married lives and we're usually getting punched in the face with tuition and part-time paychecks, so this particular allusion to gratitude and riches struck home with me.

I realize that graphic design here is non-existent and the project is definitely lacking in 21st century cuteness (like, "come on Rach, construction paper and markers?!"), but my babe loves to trace his mitts, can't get enough of pumpkins, and especially sweet to me is whenever I put a paper turkey hand up on the door I feel like my mom.  She was always decking our halls in the most clever, well-thought-out, family focused, fun substance that filled our childhood with color. And I'm still grateful for her handiwork- in fact I think I'll go put a turkey up for her.

Feel free to be thankful with us turkey lurkeys this month! Let me know if you manage to come up with something better than construction paper :)