Leap Day: Developing Family Traditions

Howdy Humble Readers...

Have you had a good Leap Day? 

Things here started out pretty good, but then Ginny's teeth started bugging her and then I managed to ruin our dinner before it even got started (sooo stupid... I was going to make quiche, and I had taken out the pie crust out of the freezer.  I had also taken out a freezer bag of rhubarb in plans of making a rhubarb crumble.  Apparently the rhubarb bag had a hole in it, and as it thawed it leaked all over the pie crust.  And my cell phone.  *sigh*  Thankfully I was able to save my cell phone.  I wasn't so lucky with the pie crust).

Anyway, back to the point of this post... I've been doing a lot of pondering lately about family traditions. 

My family has always been big on traditions.  From what we have for breakfast on Christmas to restaurants we have to visit when my sister and I are in K-town.  And now that we are a family of soon-to-be-four, I'm feeling the urge to develop some traditions of our own.

I'm not saying that my Beloved and I are totally tradition-less.  We watch "A Christmas Story" every year on Christmas Eve, I make appies for Oscar night, and Valentine's day is treated almost as important as our anniversary.  But I want to come up with some fun things that we do as a family...

How will we make birthdays special?

Will we go watch the fireworks on Canada Day?

How will we celebrate days like St. Patrick's Day, the first day of school, or big achievements?

And I was thinking this morning that Leap Day would be a great day for some fun traditions.  It's an extra day.  Maybe it will be a day that we do 'naughty' things, like play hookie from school/work (once every four years can't be too terrible, can it?) and go tobagganing.  Or perhaps it will be a day that we go to the Big City to the North or South, and go to a museum or the science center.  Maybe we'll just go to a movie in the afternoon and eat junk food. 

Not all traditions have to be big.  And they certainly don't have to be perfect.  I just think it's important to celebrate the fact that we are a family.  To make the ordinary special. 

What traditions do you have in your family?  What traditions are you looking forward to sharing with your kids?

Week 28: Third Trimester!!

Howdy Humble Readers...

Well, here we are... technically in the home stretch!  It's so hard to believe that this is my life.  My Beloved asked me today if I'm scared about the future.  I admitted that I am, not just about the relatively short term... getting to May 10th with this Halfling healthy and safe.  I'm concerned about life after... being mommy to two wee creatures. 

This isn't an O-M-G-I'm-panicking type of post.  This is more a wondering-about-what-the-future-holds sort of thing.  My Beloved and I have been married for almost 5 years, and for 4 of those years we (meaning mostly me) have been focussed, if not obsessed, with building our family.  That phase of our lives is quickly drawing to a close.  I know that I will have plenty to occupy my mind, but I wonder what that will look like.  I know that IF and RPL will always be a part of who I am... I just wonder how they will impact the next stage of my life.  Does that make any sense at all?

And now for something completely different... Ginny has always had this bizarre habit of trying to stick her hands down the top of my shirt.  It seemed to fade considerably in the fall, but now she's back at it regularly, always trying to cop a feel, as it were.  It makes me wonder, even though I was only able to breastfeed for three months, does she remember?  And now that 'the girls' are producing again (righty is anyway, lefty was always less productive)  I can express almost as much now as what I could when Ginny was first born.  Admittedly, it's not a heck of a lot, no more than a teaspoon.  But I wonder if she can sense it, or maybe even smell it or something?  Something to ponder...

On to this week's update...

How far along? 28w0d (only 10 weeks to go!!  HOLY CRAP!)

Maternity clothes? Yup.  Sadly, some of my mat clothes are starting to show some wear.  This time around I only bought a couple of long sleeved shirts, a sweater, and a pair of cords.  Of course I still have all the tshirts and jeans from last time, but they are looking very tired. 

Body Oddities? VERY dry skin, alternating constipation and IBS flares, acne, bruises from insulin injections, back ache, cracking joints, super sore & slightly leaky boobs, dry/itchy eyes, leg cramps, round ligament pain, tingly fingertips, tired, gassy, Braxton Hicks NEW THIS WEEK: shrinking belly button!!

Sleep? Not as tired as I have been.  Maybe the iron pills are working?  I seem to be able to get by with just a brief nap in the morning, and I'm not falling asleep in the evening.  Still sleeping like the dead.

Intense Dreams?  OMG... they just don't stop!  Being stalked by my bio-mom, finding a pure white yorkshire terrior in the dairy section of Safeway while shopping with my Mom, singing karaoke with Minta (yes... Minta, you were in one of my dreams), and last night's was set in a weird variation of my college, but it was also a hospital, and I found out that there were problems with the halfling (he only had one eye... and yes, I said he.  The halfling has been a 'he' in several dreams this week.)

Best moment this week? Making progress on my to do list!

Worst moment? A dizzy spell while I was grocery shopping.  Nothing like clinging to the shopping cart in the middle of the dairy section, seeing spots (thank you GD... grr).

Movement? Lots and lots!  As the Halfling is turning vertical, it seems like he/she is opposite of what Ginny was.  Throughout the third trimester, Ginny was on an angle, with her head on my right hip and her feet and bum under my left lung/ribs.  Halfling 2.0 has his/her head on my right hip and likes to kick and stretch out under my right lung/ribs. 

Food cravings/aversions?  Fruit!  But it has to be icy cold.  Pineapple, strawberries, oranges, etc. 

Rings? Surprisingly, still on.

Gender? I still think it's a girl.  But it appears that boy is winning in the poll on the right.

Medical Concerns? Gestational Diabetes (insulin 5 times a day), High blood pressure (on 50mg of lobetalol 3x daily), continued heartburn (on 60mg of Pan.taloc daily), kidney stones (they're back!), low lying placenta, low iron.

What I miss? Nothing too big this week.  I just wish I could have some of my favourite tempura maki rolls!

What I look forward to? Making some serious progress on my to do list.

Emtional State?  Pretty mellow this week.  No extremes one way or the other.

Ginevra @ 15 Months

Evening Humble Readers!

I hope you all are well!  Things in our hobbit-hole are warm, cozy, and garlic scented.  I spent part of today making a big batch of my homemade marinara sauce (soon to be a feature on Foodie Fridays) and it turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself. 

Hangin' out at Gramma's place

As always, when the 27th of the month approaches, I am surprised that another month has flown by.  Ginny is 15 months old today and continuing to astound us with all of her busy-ness.  And of course, she's into everything!

Reorganizing Mommy's books

Helping with the laundry

Ginny's vocabulary, while it hasn't grown by leaps or bounds or anything, is showing signs of improvement.  She's only added one real word (ball) this month, but there is some forward momentum.  When she's hungry, she starts saying "num-num-num" and something that sounds a lot like "tickle-tickle" (she even tries to tickle her own toes... too funny!).  A few time's she's said something that sounds like 'sippy' in reference to her cup.  Her babbling has also taken on a bit of a different tone, too.  She seems to be using more hard consonant sounds (G, T, K, D) whereas before she was primarily focused on B's and P's.  She also seems to be trying to mimic things we say (words like gate and car are sounding closer and closer to the real thing) and sounds we make (particularly when I sing Old MacDonald and I make the piggy snort sounds, or when I pretend to be sleeping and I snore loudly). 

Guess who was eating chocolate goldfish crackers?

She's learned how to climb stairs (at church, as they are the only 'safe' stairs in our lives right now) and has figured out how to climb up onto the couch, particularly if I'm eating something (she's quite the little mooch!).  Her taste pallate has grown to include tortellini, zucchini, hummus, and several kinds of cheese.  She loves spaghetti, strawberries, and has just tried pineapple for the first time.  She's also discovered the wonders of goldfish crackers (they're the new cheerios, don't you know!). 

All ready for church!

Ginny's become the queen of non-verbal communication.  She points at all sorts of things and has learned a very cute form of a shoulder shrug (usually used when I ask her where one of her toys is, as if to say 'I dunno').  She's also figured out how to blow kisses, which she does usually at night when my Beloved takes her for her bedtime routine.

Blowing kisses at Mommy

We have seen a new phenomenon, something that strongly indicates that Ginny's very much a Daddy's girl.  Unless we are very intentional about keeping her distracted, she gets seriously upset when my Beloved leaves for work in the morning.  She will try to take his shoes, even his briefcase, and run off with them.  And when he opens the door to leave, the waterworks start.  Funny how she doesn't freak out whenever I leave her at home with Daddy....

Hanging out by the gate

Ginny's become a fan of corners and small places.  She's always liked to try to get under the end tables, but now she's obsessed with hanging out under my Beloved's desk, which wouldn't be bad, except for being able to get at the power cords for his computer, lamp, etc.  Another of her favourite places is to hang out right by the baby gate in the hall.  She will take all her stuffies, her sippy cup, and the kitchen towel (if she can get at it) and camp out in front of the gate.  It's very cute. 

She's quickly outgrowing some of her 12 month clothes, particularly pants (too short), and she's gone up to a size 4 in shoes.  One frustration I still have with clothing her is that she has no belly or hiney to speak of, and all the pants that are long enough to fit her are far too big around the waist.  Overalls are still her primary wardrobe staple.  No new teeth this month, but we have had some teething signs, so I'm thinking we're due for another round of sore gums and fussiness soon.  I haven't measured her recently, but she's up to 21.5 pounds.  She's also graduated to a forward facing car seat, and the first time she rode in it, I swear she was freaked out by the sensation of being able to see things coming at her. 

All in all, a busy month for our wee sweet girl.  Part of me keeps on wishing that she would slow down in her growth, so that I could keep her wee for just a little while longer, but I know that can't be.  So instead, I will have to celebrate all the new and exciting little steps that come along in her life.

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Questions & Minutia

Hey Humble Readers,

Old Man Winter has deemed that we have had enough of a break from his presence, and has come back with a bit of a bite.  After our really cold stretch (wherein Tilly the Toyota froze up completely) we had an amazingly long stretch of almost spring-like weather.  No snow and mild temps for almost a month.  Then last week the snow started again, but it was still not too terribly cold.  Now we're back to more seasonal temps for the frozen flatland... and it's been snowing pretty much consistently since Thursday.  We haven't gotten much for accumulation, but it's our normal mid winter type of snow... dusty, dry and powdery.  Apparently we've lucked out though, because Big City to the North has gotten slammed with snow.

*****
It's Oscar night tonight, and as usual, I'm going to be cooking up a bunch of appetizers for my Beloved and I to munch on as I drool over the dresses and (hopefully) laugh at Billy Crystal.  On the menu tonight: Baked Crab Rangoon, Creamy Chicken Puffs, Nachos, and Fresh Veggies with Hummus.  I'm ashamed to admit, this year I think I have only seen one of the major nominated films.  I've already informed my Beloved that as they come available on VOD, we will be renting!  Normally I try to see as many of the nominated pics as possible.

*****
My Beloved and I have a bit of a quandary before us.  It's not pressing, but we are trying to make a decision about sleeping arrangements for Ginny and the Halfling.  Of course, for the first few months, the Halfling will be in our room.  But by next fall we'll probably be looking at moving him/her in with Ginny in the nursery.  At that point, Ginny may be ready for a toddler bed.  Here's where the questions arise... should we buy Ginny a toddler bed, or should we buy the Halfling a convertible crib (one that can become a toddler bed, and eventually even a full size bed... like what we bought for Ginny)?  To buy a crib will cost a bit more now, but it may be more cost effective in the future.  A toddler bed would be cheaper at the moment, but maybe not as smart for the long term.  No matter what, the little ones will have to share a room, for at least a couple of years yet, as we aren't in the position to be looking for a new house.  Thoughts? 

*****
You may have noticed the new tab up there at the top, my "Massive To Do List".  It contains all the stuff I feel I need to get done before the Halfling makes his/her appearance.  One of the items on my list is to make a bunch of freezer meals for the first few weeks at home.  The thing is, most of my usual freezer meal ideas are more wintery types of food (lasagna, chili, etc).  Do any of you have any good suggestions for lighter spring/summer freezer meals? 

*****
Another item on my To Do list requires some help from my friends who knit.  I'm a very inexperienced knitter, and I have a problem that I need to fix.  Some of you may recall that I knitted a very basic baby blanket for Ginny before she was born.  Sadly, Ginny has pulled a couple of big snags in it, to the point where I can't let her use the blanket in her crib because I'm scared that she could hurt herself with the long loose strands.  I want to fix it if I can, but I'm just not sure how.  Experienced knitters... do you think it's possible?  And if so, how should I go about fixing it?  Or should I just give it up, and knit her a new blanket?

*****
Thanks in advance for all your input, Humble Readers!  I appreciate it!

So THAT Explains It: OB Appointment Update

Hey Humble Readers...

Thank you all for putting up with my freak out yesterday.  The fears and worries are still there, but they seem to be at a dull roar today. 

So, I had an appointment with Dr. W this morning.  I found her much more personable today, which was reassuring.  Several outcomes from today's appointment...

• Halfling 2.0 is still sitting transverse.  Not a big deal, but should be turning soon.
• 24 hr urine collection showed a slight elevation in protiens, but nothing to be concerned about
• Had blood in my urine today.  Need to go for a test to see if I have another kidney infection (I think I do have one)
• C-section is planned for May 10th.  I signed the paperwork and everything.  With delivering at 38 weeks, there is a possibility that the baby may need to be in the Special Care Nursery for a couple of days, particularly if the baby is a boy (slower lung development). 
• Bloodwork from last week showed that I have low iron.  This is likely why I have been so blasted tired for the past few weeks.  Rx'd iron pills and stool softeners. 
• Next appointment will be on the L&D floor at the hospital, for an NST

So all in all, a good appointment.  My weight stayed fairly steady (thank heaven!  Especially given how hungry I've been recently) and my blood pressure was good, so the move to lowering my HBP meds was a good one. 

I'm so glad to know that there is a reason why I have been so tired, but not feeling like I'm getting any rest.  Seriously, I've been back to falling asleep at 8pm, and then sleeping through the night, and waking up in a fog.  I guess I'm not such a lazy slug after all.

The only thing that she didn't ask about was my blood sugars, but they have been pretty well controlled over the last couple of weeks.  I think I may need an insulin increase in the next few days, but I'm going to wait and see the outcome of this whole possible kidney infection situation.