I'm Three!
The icing was ok. He preferred the broccoli.
Elisha's Sky High Cake
Zacket's Jungle Landing Strip
The Cardboard Airplane Daddy Spent Hours Making
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Man Cannot Live By Bread Alone, Eh?
The strongest oxymoron at the beginning of pregnancy is found for me in the combination of a ravenous appetite with the harsh reality that nothing sounds, smells or looks good enough to eat. The beginning stages of a body trying to change from self-survival mode to someone else's survival mode I guess.
Today after being up for 45 minutes I got the 'eat or puke' signal from my body (I find myself doubting this internal signal needs more of a description for most mommies), and rushed to pour myself a bowl of cereal on my way out the door to the boys appointment. I ended up consuming a total of three bites and then drinking the rest of the milk, as the cereal which had so lovingly befriended me for the last week suddenly needed eight ounces of milk per bite to make it barely palatable. I then of course found my empty stomach making me wish it wasn't. Time to start packing more road snacks for Mommy!
I've found fruit can be a good bet for me to have on hand as it more often agrees with me better than any other food group. And yes, I just equated the chances of finding an always constant, wonder-food in pregnancy with all the excitement (and risk of losing terribly) of betting on a horse race or better yet, playing the lottery. Sometimes a quick sugar or protein boost can be the key to keeping tummy calm (or calmer). Keeping a variety of (non-spoiling!) fruit pieces, fruit leather, nuts, seeds, whole grain croutons, or anything else one is feeling may be edible today or this week in key places such as the purse, the car, the kitchen (brilliant isn't it?), or the drawer at the work desk can be a nausea rescue.
Another noteworthy event is the insta-craving accompanied by mouth-watering day dreams of a meal that will quench all of my hormonally induced nutritional desires. Take for instance the one I had last night... on the way home I decided that homemade stir-fry, complete with strips of steak, mung bean noodles and a bevy of colored veggies sounded particularly heavenly. It was instantly on the menu for the evening and once we got home the guys and I proceeded to begin- dicing & sauteing veggies, soaking & frying noodles, and of course searing and slow-cooking the strips of steak to perfected deliciousness (thankfully my husband lovingly always attends to the raw meat for me- as even a glimpse in raw form can often leave me not wanting it for days). After an hour of preparation we sat down to eat and low and behold I found myself gagging with every bite. A sad moment for my high expectations.
With this one, know your limits! If there is a sweetheart who is able and willing to do the dinner cooking- wonderful. If mama happens to be lucky enough to know what sounds good for dinner before lunchtime and it's something that can be thrown in the crock pot- celebrate (these can be found for as little as $10-$15 dollars and are worth so much more in grief they can save). Or if a sister, mother, friend, or anyone really, wants to spend some quality visiting time and help out simultaneously- assign the task of prepping the things in the fridge or cabinet for potential meals for the week or next few days (For example: grating cheese, chopping veggies, pre-cooking meats, washing & dicing potatoes), anything that can make the time spent preparing meals, shorter- that way the loving food cavity still has the feel good to allow you to put some of that delicious food in it afterward.
Finally, not to be discounted in all of this is the preparation of food for our toddlers- this past week we found ourselves removing dairy, wheat, soy and corn from their meal plan, in hopes of discovering the root of the immune system crashes our eldest has been having. After the visit with the nutritionist we stopped at the health food store, and I cried. I'm sure many of you have had the privilege at some point or another of being on a _____-free diet or shopping and cooking for someone who is- it is stretching, sometimes overwhelming, and hopefully eventually exciting in a challenging way. What has this translated to for me lately? Not quite what it has for my wonderful husband. When he is home he has been spending every meal time making sure that "all four of his babies" get the nutrition they need, in a delicious, full meal manner. He is a blessing to us in so many ways- I can't imagine being a Mama without him.
When I am alone, as with making my food, feeding my kiddos their own has been a challenge- I've resorted to snack foods much of the time, which does get harder the more restrictions we have. I've compiled a nutritionally sound list courtesy of some beautiful, wonderful women that I thought I would share. It is a list of fairly easily prepared (or at least things that can be prepared when N is home or I am feeling well), quickly served and self serve, and minimal clean up.
Green beans, peas, sliced pears, sliced apples, bananas, raw or steamed baby carrots, grapes cut up, strawberries, mandarin oranges, steamed or raw broccoli, chopped avocado, gluten/corn/soy/dairy free cereal pieces, sweet potato fries, pre-cooked small chunks of meat, cooked beans (fairly dry with a bit of sea salt), almond and cashew pieces, raisins, sunflower seeds.
Obviously this list is not exclusive and can and should be adjusted according to each child's age, sensitivities and preferences. If you have other ideas I'd love to hear them!
To put all this in perspective I wanted to include these wonderful blogs that I have been reading for awhile on a fairly rare, but extremely serious complication of pregnancy, Hyperemesis Gravidarum-a potentially life threatening condition for mom & baby. As a childbirth teacher, and mostly just a pregnancy, birthing and mothering enthusiast, I believe that every mother should have the opportunity to be understood, and cared for according to her specific needs, whether they be great or small. This of course means that diseases such as HG should be known and treated with great importance by medical professionals, families and friends alike so that women who are truly suffering get the care and attention they need- physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
I do warn that these are tough stories- of loss, pain, loneliness, regret, and hope. And I hope that you get a chance to read them, and allow them to make a difference to you, or someone you know.
Island of Grief, Mountain of Joy
First Light Of Dawn
It's onlyone two am. I guess that's the curtain call for me. Pray you are all sleeping sweetly! Goodnight!
As a slight post script- I plan to start adding pictures (I shoot in RAW format which requires me to change the format before posting- more work, but worth the quality), expanding my about me (because it is quite too simple at the moment), and as soon as I have the time to do them justice- giving you a glimpse into all the boyish charm and manly strength of my three amazing guys!
Today after being up for 45 minutes I got the 'eat or puke' signal from my body (I find myself doubting this internal signal needs more of a description for most mommies), and rushed to pour myself a bowl of cereal on my way out the door to the boys appointment. I ended up consuming a total of three bites and then drinking the rest of the milk, as the cereal which had so lovingly befriended me for the last week suddenly needed eight ounces of milk per bite to make it barely palatable. I then of course found my empty stomach making me wish it wasn't. Time to start packing more road snacks for Mommy!
I've found fruit can be a good bet for me to have on hand as it more often agrees with me better than any other food group. And yes, I just equated the chances of finding an always constant, wonder-food in pregnancy with all the excitement (and risk of losing terribly) of betting on a horse race or better yet, playing the lottery. Sometimes a quick sugar or protein boost can be the key to keeping tummy calm (or calmer). Keeping a variety of (non-spoiling!) fruit pieces, fruit leather, nuts, seeds, whole grain croutons, or anything else one is feeling may be edible today or this week in key places such as the purse, the car, the kitchen (brilliant isn't it?), or the drawer at the work desk can be a nausea rescue.
Another noteworthy event is the insta-craving accompanied by mouth-watering day dreams of a meal that will quench all of my hormonally induced nutritional desires. Take for instance the one I had last night... on the way home I decided that homemade stir-fry, complete with strips of steak, mung bean noodles and a bevy of colored veggies sounded particularly heavenly. It was instantly on the menu for the evening and once we got home the guys and I proceeded to begin- dicing & sauteing veggies, soaking & frying noodles, and of course searing and slow-cooking the strips of steak to perfected deliciousness (thankfully my husband lovingly always attends to the raw meat for me- as even a glimpse in raw form can often leave me not wanting it for days). After an hour of preparation we sat down to eat and low and behold I found myself gagging with every bite. A sad moment for my high expectations.
With this one, know your limits! If there is a sweetheart who is able and willing to do the dinner cooking- wonderful. If mama happens to be lucky enough to know what sounds good for dinner before lunchtime and it's something that can be thrown in the crock pot- celebrate (these can be found for as little as $10-$15 dollars and are worth so much more in grief they can save). Or if a sister, mother, friend, or anyone really, wants to spend some quality visiting time and help out simultaneously- assign the task of prepping the things in the fridge or cabinet for potential meals for the week or next few days (For example: grating cheese, chopping veggies, pre-cooking meats, washing & dicing potatoes), anything that can make the time spent preparing meals, shorter- that way the loving food cavity still has the feel good to allow you to put some of that delicious food in it afterward.
Finally, not to be discounted in all of this is the preparation of food for our toddlers- this past week we found ourselves removing dairy, wheat, soy and corn from their meal plan, in hopes of discovering the root of the immune system crashes our eldest has been having. After the visit with the nutritionist we stopped at the health food store, and I cried. I'm sure many of you have had the privilege at some point or another of being on a _____-free diet or shopping and cooking for someone who is- it is stretching, sometimes overwhelming, and hopefully eventually exciting in a challenging way. What has this translated to for me lately? Not quite what it has for my wonderful husband. When he is home he has been spending every meal time making sure that "all four of his babies" get the nutrition they need, in a delicious, full meal manner. He is a blessing to us in so many ways- I can't imagine being a Mama without him.
When I am alone, as with making my food, feeding my kiddos their own has been a challenge- I've resorted to snack foods much of the time, which does get harder the more restrictions we have. I've compiled a nutritionally sound list courtesy of some beautiful, wonderful women that I thought I would share. It is a list of fairly easily prepared (or at least things that can be prepared when N is home or I am feeling well), quickly served and self serve, and minimal clean up.
Green beans, peas, sliced pears, sliced apples, bananas, raw or steamed baby carrots, grapes cut up, strawberries, mandarin oranges, steamed or raw broccoli, chopped avocado, gluten/corn/soy/dairy free cereal pieces, sweet potato fries, pre-cooked small chunks of meat, cooked beans (fairly dry with a bit of sea salt), almond and cashew pieces, raisins, sunflower seeds.
Obviously this list is not exclusive and can and should be adjusted according to each child's age, sensitivities and preferences. If you have other ideas I'd love to hear them!
To put all this in perspective I wanted to include these wonderful blogs that I have been reading for awhile on a fairly rare, but extremely serious complication of pregnancy, Hyperemesis Gravidarum-a potentially life threatening condition for mom & baby. As a childbirth teacher, and mostly just a pregnancy, birthing and mothering enthusiast, I believe that every mother should have the opportunity to be understood, and cared for according to her specific needs, whether they be great or small. This of course means that diseases such as HG should be known and treated with great importance by medical professionals, families and friends alike so that women who are truly suffering get the care and attention they need- physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
I do warn that these are tough stories- of loss, pain, loneliness, regret, and hope. And I hope that you get a chance to read them, and allow them to make a difference to you, or someone you know.
Island of Grief, Mountain of Joy
First Light Of Dawn
It's only
As a slight post script- I plan to start adding pictures (I shoot in RAW format which requires me to change the format before posting- more work, but worth the quality), expanding my about me (because it is quite too simple at the moment), and as soon as I have the time to do them justice- giving you a glimpse into all the boyish charm and manly strength of my three amazing guys!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Not My Last Midnight Post
So I suppose I shall first clarify for the inevitable question of "She's pregnant with toddlers? What?!"
In the event that I were actually pregnant with toddlers I believe my story would be considered much more newsworthy;
however, as I am simply pregnant and chasing around two energetic little boys- you get a blog.
The title is intended to draw attention to this daunting and endearing fact-
being pregnant and being pregnant... with toddlers, are two entirely different experiences.
Why a blog? I feel an intense desire to leave behind many footprints in this world showing my children how much they have been loved,
every little word, kiss, mess
and maybe especially how loved they were, even before their eyes were opened to the sites of the outside world.
So let us set the stage. It's the end of February, leading up to sweet Z-man's first birthday and the boys have been hit hard with flu symptoms. Puking, high fevers, coughs, the works. Mommy is doing all she can to keep a few needed dishes clean and wash load after load of gag-me laundry, all the while holding a listless baby and tending to the needs of her cuddly toddler, pumping them both full of water, juice, probiotics and herbal remedies (and of course Mama milk for the baby).
Whenever Daddy is home, and sometimes when he is not, we sit around watching movies and shows- if ever there was a time to be a couch potato it is now. After several days of this Mommy catches herself crying at a children's cartoon. Hmm odd. No matter, back to tending. Later that day she realizes she is definitely becoming a basket-case over movies, commercials- just about anything with a 'Kodak Moment' and decides just for the heck of it she should try one of those tests. You know, the ones with the two little pink lines?
A few days pass, including Zee's first birthday! We spend a memorable half hour at the yogurt shop with his first true bowl of sugar; thankfully his tummy has been on the mend for several days and the treat goes over perfectly!
Friday morning is the first morning I've remembered to pull that little Dollar Store stick (short plug here- I have found their tests very effective the last two pregnancies, my second I saw a second line at almost 3 weeks- and the best part, they are... a dollar.)
left untouched from the last pregnancy test round, out of it's package first thing in the morning; so I decide to go ahead and test. Imagine my surprise when I don't even have to wait 3 seconds, let alone 3 minutes, for a strong second line to appear.
I'm pregnant... I'M pregnant... I'm PREGNANT? I'M PREGNANT!
Giddiness and giggles appear, it's funny how a test so unromantic can generate an epic amount of excitement in a woman.
I regain my composure. I need to plan a cute way to let Daddy know, and now in our rush to get out the door is not the time. I get together with the girls this morning, I am a mess, but I have a secret to keep. We all leave feeling awkward, me because my thoughts are all over the place and my memory is gone, and them because the biggest mouth in the group sat silent through nearly every topic. After a full day of pondering all the areas of our life this news impacts, I am more than relieved when we are home. I write a to-do list as follows:
March-November
- Be sure K is eating healthy and exercising.
- Put baby bassinet together
- Wash newborn clothes
- Set up birthing supplies
- Talk to instructors
- Go on a good date
- Enjoy our new baby!
After a half hour of reminding N that I left a to-do list on the freezer that he needs to transfer to his planner, he finally picks it up in the middle of making some steaks. As you can see, if you simply read the first line, or maybe even two there is not a lot of hard information contained therein, so after a second spent reading he turns around to check on his steaks. Now I can't help laughing out loud. Really? He gives me a funny look and picks the paper back up to finish reading. His eyes widen and he gets the cutest, most specifically excited look which I've only seen three or four times.
"Are you?? Really?! Awesome!!"
It would require way too much detail to go into exactly how we told everyone else. However I am including this picture I drew and sent to our family and a few close friends to share our happy news.
This Mama is exhausted, it is 1am, granted the time I write best, but also the time I sleep best.
Goodnight.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Thoughts from a Two-Year-Old
In a hurry today, Mama is in the front passenger seat eating a bowl of cereal.
E asks from the backseat "Is that for the baby, Mommy? All of it? Does he suck it all up?"
I smile "Most of it!"
"Oh, so could I have a bite?"
"This has wheat in it buddy."
"Ok!"
A moment later...
"Mommy, why is the baby in the front?!"
After a moment of confusion...
"Oh, do you mean why is the baby in the front of the car? Because he's protected by Mommy's belly, so he doesn't need a carseat yet."
E very matter-of-factly "Oh, protected from the bears?"
I love my boys!
E asks from the backseat "Is that for the baby, Mommy? All of it? Does he suck it all up?"
I smile "Most of it!"
"Oh, so could I have a bite?"
"This has wheat in it buddy."
"Ok!"
A moment later...
"Mommy, why is the baby in the front?!"
After a moment of confusion...
"Oh, do you mean why is the baby in the front of the car? Because he's protected by Mommy's belly, so he doesn't need a carseat yet."
E very matter-of-factly "Oh, protected from the bears?"
I love my boys!
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