9/06/2010
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I documented my pregnancy cravings when I was pregnant with both children and it's very interesting to compare them with the likes and dislikes each child has as they grow.
Willow takes after her Daddy 100% as far as food preferences go. The simple, basic, starchy & sweet foods are their top picks. Pizza, burgers, hot dogs, beans & weenies, mac & cheese, rice, rice, rice, cookies, ice cream, milk. That about sums up their requests. Of course neither would be the thriving, energetic kids (yes Brian is still a 'kid') I know if I actually allowed them to survive on those things alone. I was taken aback when Willow made the following statement in regards to the broccoli she was eating with dinner tonight, "I wish I could eat broccoli every day." Um...did that just come out of my daughter's mouth? Yep. She explained that the broccoli helps her grow big and strong. Atta girl!
It probably is way too soon to judge since Brendan's still in the process of trying many foods for the first time. His favorites, 5 months since he moved beyond milk, are still squash, avocado, peas and bananas. If that isn't a sign he takes after his Momma, I don' know what is!
What's interesting to note is that when I was pregnant with Willow, I craved bananas like mad but every time I ate one I would vomit. It took me awhile to put two and two together, especially when my craving for bananas was so strong but I suppose after 5 tries, I gave up on eating them for the rest of the pregnancy. Vomiting is not my forte. It was quite surprising to find that they were all the rage when Willow had her first banana. I thought for sure she would hate them or they would possibly even make her sick as they did me. Nope. She regularly asks for them every time we're at the grocery store. I was all about veggies the entire time I was pregnant with Willow, especially salad & eggplant. I didn't go for corn or beans much then but pretty much everything else considered a vegetable was on my plate at one time or another. Fast forward to now, Willow despises lettuce, she can't even have a speck of it on her sandwich & will tear a sandwich apart to ensure she doesn't consume it. Same goes for eggplant as well as most other vegetables with the exception of corn, peas and beans.
When I was pregnant with Brendan, at first I assumed it would be the same as when I was pregnant with Willow. How naive I was...it was FAR from similar in many ways, not just with food cravings. I steered clear of bananas regardless. I didn't crave them but considering I could only have a few in the 5 years since I was pregnant with Willow due to my fear of getting sick,I wasn't about to try one for the heck of it. Whaddya know, they are one of his favorite foods now. With Brendan in my womb, just about everything I normally ate (mostly vegetables) was unappetizing. Instead I was a carb freak, I craved rice and pasta most every night, along with sandwiches on the biggest slices of bread I could get. It really is too early to tell but when I give Brendan any of those, he balks. He is a potato junkie though yet I don't recall eating potatoes when I was pregnant.
I suppose that children tend to like things a woman doesn't like or cannot tolerate while she's pregnant. Okay, maybe it's just theory, but at least with my two kids, that's how it goes.
8/04/2010
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It's been eight months since we welcomed little Brendan boy into our family and with each passing day I gain more and more respect for mothers who have more than one child, especially those who have more than two. Every now and then I read Jody Ferlaak's blog, Nitty Gritty and MckMama's blog, My Charming Kids. Those women have my utmost respect as well as many others with 6 or more children...I just don't know how they do it! Granted they are fortunate enough to stay at home with their children but honestly, that can be even harder yet much more rewarding compared to sitting at a desk all day.
It is really darn tiring, challenging and many times an emotional experience as my mood gets off kilter when there's too much on my plate all at once. I suppose it doesn't help that my job is stressful, I've got anywhere from 5 -10 people needing me to do this or that and everything is now, now, now. Sure I can push off some things that aren't critical, yet they are critical to the people who need them done and that nagging weight bears upon my shoulders until I get it done. Once I walk in the door at home carrying a whiny baby who either wants to be fed or needs to sleep, and a hungry and tired little girl who wants my undivided attention, my house begins screaming, "clean me!" There's dishes to be done, laundry to be washed, we vacuum once a week but we really need to once a day, just to name a few. And then there's me who dreams of letting everything go so I can just sit and relax and take some time for myself, just five minutes would be nice. They call them dreams for a reason...they don't happen in reality. So the kids get fed, do homework, enjoy a little playtime, bathe, have their books read, teeth brushed and then what should be time for myself is actually when I am able to get to the dishes, laundry, bottles & lunch made for the next day, etc.. By the time I'm done I'm too pooped yet still hyped from the constant tasks at hand to sit back and relax, instead it's to bed I go. Thank goodness for weekends.
On weekends we wake up early, all of us still on the Mon-Fri sleep schedule but instead of shuffling around getting things ready for a new day of work or school, we're much more relaxed and chilled out as we go about our morning. The coffee is sipped while we enjoy eggs & bacon, cereal or oatmeal and plan our day. Most Saturdays are still somewhat hectic days as all the errands are ran while the band rehearses in the studio below. Sundays are peaceful and I could not go without that one day which I need so badly as it is the only day I can chill enough to revitalize myself in preparation for the week to come which of course follows the same schedule as mentioned above.
Shortly after I wrote the above, my browser tabs were calling my name, begging me to deter from what I was writing to check out the latest status updates on the social media giant and what do I find, MckMama can control the universe. I figured out a way to control the universe. That's it! Mothers control the universe! Ahhh, I really needed to read that, especially when I was just beginning to think things were out of my control.
4/12/2010
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Willow: "There's no bumblebees flying today, they must be sick and are at the bee doctor in the tree. Oh wait there's a bumblebee, he's not sick." And here's me at the ready with the electric tennis racket...that bee won't be sick when I'm done with him, he'll be dead!
On the way home from school, we were following Willow's friend, Savannah, but then their car turned into a parking lot near the liquor store. Willow asked where they went & when I said they had turned right, she looked and said "oh, her Mom must need to get some beer."
....
It's been a few months since the last post but in tune with the subject, I had to add a few quotes from today. Out of the mouth of Willow, whom just started Kindergarten 3 days ago:
We set up our third coffeepot in two weeks as we have had some mysterious issues where the last two quit working. Brian showed me the new one he just set up & told me it was all set for coffee in the morning. Willow says: "Don't you think it is just perfect?" Brian says "Nothing is perfect." Willow says: "I am." Haha, what an ego she has, but now that she's in school, she'll learn the truth soon enough.
While eating a dinner she didn't particularly care for, Willow says she has to go to the bathroom, which was not more than 10 minutes after she already went. I told her she must sit and eat her dinner. She stares at the food for a bit then says: "I'm think I'm going to pee myself." I let her go.
3/18/2010
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Willow Fae now has a baby brother, Brendan Rivers, born November 30, 2009. This post is long overdue as Brendan is now 4 months old. At some point I'll find a bit more time to catch up on the series of events between my last post and now. But before I forget the little things, I figured I'd update the blog with the latest in Brendan's development.
GG (Great Grandma Lois) stayed with us for the first few months to take care of Brendan and thank goodness she did, she enjoyed every minute of it and Brendan REALLY needed that one on one extra loving care, especially during his colicky stage, which lasted a good 3 months. Brendan started daycare last week and has already come down with a mild cold, although I'm actually kind of glad that he's being exposed to all the childhood sicknesses early on to build his immunity. Mr. B, one of many nicknames we have for him, is just like his sister when it comes to wanting to see & hear everything. He isn't like most infants who would prefer to sleep, instead he is wide-eyes and taking in everything around him. He barely naps at all during the day because he is so interested in what's going on around him.
Willow has a special bond with her little brother and can get him to smile and laugh like no one else can. The most special time for both Willow & Brendan is first thing in the morning when Brendan is just waking up. Willow talks to him like he's her age, asking him if he slept well & if he is ready to go to school with her. She'll also let him know the weather and what day it is and that Mommy is still getting ready so they have to wait and then we'll leave. I don't know how she does it but every word she says makes him smile & talk back to her and if she giggle, he'll giggle. It's the cutest thing.
11/26/2009
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We are extremely grateful to spend the last few days before we welcome our little boy into this world together as a family, home for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. If this little guy decides not to come sooner, my doctor has scheduled an induction of labor for Monday November 30. I was actually in labor for 8 hours last Friday night/early Saturday morning the 21st and since the contractions got as close as 2 minutes apart, we ventured on over to Northside Hospital. John and Aurora were sleeping over after the band rehearsed on Friday night so it was easy to sneak out of the house at 1am while Willow slept. The contractions remained a steady 2 minutes apart for a good 6 hours but my cervix never dilated any further than 1 cm the entire time we were at the hospital so they said we might as well wait it out at home since it did not look like the labor was progressing much. About an hour after getting home, the contractions stopped and Brian & I slept the day away since we were up all night. We were very fortunate to have John & Aurora entertain Willow while we slept.
Each night following that trip to the hospital, I woke up to strong contractions but they would range from 20 min to 2 min apart yet never remained steady nor did they get stronger as time passed so I did my best to sleep through it all and they would disappear by morning. It's now almost a week later and I don't feel like anything is going to happen until they induce me next week, but I never know, it could happen at any time, when we least expect it.
It's Thanksgiving Day today. Brian has planned on making the whole T-Day feast so I can rest and wait ever so impatiently. So far he has prepared the chicken (yes, we have chicken instead of the traditional turkey or ham affair because we prefer it over the latter) and is getting ready to make Elly's family yam casserole and mashed potatoes. I gave him the instructions for preparing the chicken then watched him set off to do it but once he put an onion on the cutting board and stared at it for a bit too long, I knew my assistance would definitely be needed. I've since prepared the stuffing & green bean casserole and cut the onion for him to use with the chicken. So far it smells like a great feast will be on our table in just a few hours. Brian suspects I will go into labor for real today but I'm just not feeling it. I am getting back pains here & there, similar to labor pains but they come and go, nothing seems too pressing. So continue to wait and enjoy our free time together with the fire burning all day long while we relax and hang out. We got a winter's worth of free firewood from a friend of Brian's. He'll be going back out tomorrow or Saturday to pick up another load to make it through the first few months of the year, or at least until the weather gets too warm to have a daily fire burning. We are incredibly grateful for this blessing. Nothing feels more hearthy & homey than having a fire burning in the house.
10/15/2009
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I wasn't expecting to get to see another sonogram of our little guy as I was told there would be no more unless there were problems. Thus far, I have been very fortunate to have absolutely no problems other than the typical aches & pains associated with pregnancy. Ironically, when I went for my 31 week checkup, my belly was measuring small so the doctor had me get a sonogram to make sure the baby was growing on schedule. It turned out he was in breech position, which is why the belly measurement was smaller than it should have been at 31 weeks along but the baby's measurements from the sonogram are right on schedule. Like Willow, this little guy will have a small head and will likely weigh no more than 7 pounds. I feel like my belly is A LOT bigger than it was when I was pregnant with Willow but the technician said it's all amniotic fluid. I'm not too worried about his position as Willow was breech up until the last few weeks and she moved on her own. Having extra amniotic fluid will hopefully help him move so his head is down for birth. I might just go swimming if they still think he's in breech position after my next check up or try any of the old wives tricks. I'm not too worried about it though.
I'm not quite sure if this is premonition for me or for the baby but I have been having tons of sports-related dreams lately. What's odd is these dreams are so candid & real compared to dreams I've had in the past that I barely remember upon waking. These days I am a real light sleeper since I am in so much pain (belly, back, legs, pelvic bone, you name it) throughout the night. I don't even think I've been getting any real REM sleep at all this past month but I these dreams are wild. In one of the dreams, I was running ALL day long, I mean from morning til midnight, I could not & would not stop. Of course my love for running will never die even though I haven't been able to run in years. While I would LOVE to be able to run again, I half wonder if it's really ME who will run again or if my son-to-be will follow in my footsteps and be a runner. Last night I had a dream that Willow was a tennis player, first I saw her at her age now and then watched her grow up to a teenager, playing tennis all throughout the years. I worked in a tennis club for a few years and much of my dream was in a club very similar to the one I worked in so I'm not sure if it was just my memory of my former job or me seeing the future for Willow or possibly the little boy in my belly. I might need to give Willow a tennis racket to see how she fares and if she likes it.
9/01/2009
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Very regretfully I admit that, as we near the finish line with the pregnancy, neither Brian nor I have been making any entries in the baby journal we had planned to keep as we did for Willow. Time has flown by faster than we could have imagined this time around. Although we were busy moving into a new house & preparing for the arrival of Willow, it seemed like we had a lot more time on our hands while we were waiting for Willow to arrive compared to these days. The best I can do is keep this online journal, which I admit I haven't even kept up as often as I intended to. Our little boy is kicking my belly as I type this...he's been doing that a lot lately. Willow is overjoyed anytime she feels him kick & just squeals & giggles in excitement.
Before he enters this world I wanted to make a note of my latest pregnancy cravings....although I can honestly say I'm really lacking many cravings these days but do have a few. I still crave noodles, just plain or with vegetables. I'm having really strong cravings for fish, which I should not have a lot of during the pregnancy but I do allow myself to have it once a week...typically a tuna salad sandwich from Jersey Mike's subs. I ask them to keep it very light on the tuna, just putting enough on for me to get the taste of it but not enough to do real harm with the mercury content. I had a huge craving for pickles a few months ago and it just so happened that at that time, they were on sale for less than 50 cents or free, when combining the sales with coupons, so I stocked up. Ironically just after stocking up on pickles, my craving for them completely dissipated. Fortunately they don't expire quickly and the craving came back last week.
Just in time for the summer garden season come to an end, my craving for cucumber sandwiches has ceased. Wow, that worked out so perfectly well. I had plenty cucumbers available the entire time I craved them and now that those vines are yellowing, I no longer want them. Just the way it should be. I don't necessarily crave them but I'll pop those cherry tomatoes in my mouth anytime they're ready to pick, leaving hardly any left to make sauce/gravy with.... they don't even make it into the house! Bubbly water goes down faster than non-carbonated water...not sure what it is about it but I'll go through a 12 pack case of cans in 2 days. What I find really interesting is my craving for cake & many times the craving will come completely out of the blue but we never have cake at home and unless I actually buy some (which I only do for birthdays) or have some at work, I don't ever fulfill that craving. Speaking of which, I crave cake now! But there isn't any. Definitely a good thing, my body does not tolerate sugar well anyways and it's not a nutrient that will help this little guy grow. I must not forget peaches...I still eat at least one a day. I am fortunate they are the fruit of our state and they have been readily available all season long. I do wish we had our own peach tree, yet on second thought, if we did, I would likely eat nothing but peaches.
