In Which my Little Boy does Big Boy Things....

 

       Over the weekend we did two things with Monkey. The first- we saw Despicable Me 2 in the theater. It was fun and he was so great!

 

 

        The second thing we did was that we went to the Out of the Box Festival in Boston.  The festival had a lot of different performances and best of all they had a lot of FAMILY performances for free! Mr and I found out that Choo Choo Soul would be there and immediately made plans to take the boy in to see them.

 

        Choo Choo Soul is like the {insert popular band that tours kinda infrequently here} for toddlers. And the boy LOVES them. He used to blow kisses to Genevieve as a baby. This concert was made for him. So, on a gorgeous Sunday morning, we packed up the family in the car and headed for Boston Common.

 

       First of all, the community connection and atmosphere was incredible. There were 12 stages and lots of activities for families to do together. It was refreshing. We rode the Carousel and headed over to the stage, stopping (as is tradition) to get a lemonade from the street vendor. Monkey got his own, and clutched it as if he had found the holy grail of drinks. We headed over to the Park Street stage. Because we had gotten there early, we had our choice of spots, and we set up right up front.... while they were doing their sound check. The boy was excited to see Genevieve, DC and the dance crew. His first "rock" show.  

 

       I would like to state for the record that I will gladly give money to Choo Choo Soul anytime they want to come to town. They were amazing during sound check, talking with the families who were setting up shop while they were singing. Then the most glorious part of my son's day came. Genevieve came out and started talking with the kids and taking pictures. My son (ever the charmer) walked up to her and gave her a hug and told her he loved her. She hugged him back, kissed him on the cheek and asked if she could be his girlfriend and he told her yes. Then we snapped these two glorious photos!

           He ran back over screaming "Genevieve my girlfriend, momma!" She and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. He was so excited. I don't even think that she understands what she did that day that makes me so grateful, but I am. Mikey now has met a role model that he watches and idolizes and she took the time to spend a moment talking with him. She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek and told him he was awesome and to keep being awesome. I am forever grateful for the two minutes she spent showing my son that he mattered. (Side note, I want to point out, that she is without makeup there, and she did the entire show wearing a long sleeve polyester conductor suit and no makeup. Rock on!)


         The show was amazing. It was so energetic and they really get the kids and the parents up and dancing and singing along. She made a comment that she wants to show little girls that you can make your dreams come true and not have to show some skin to do it. By the time it was over, I was willing to pay to see the second performance even though it was free. But we had places to go. So we had a quick lunch and went back to our car... where Monkey was out less than 5 minutes after we strapped him in.

       Monkey constantly shows us that he can handle going out and doing fun and new things. He is always open to trying stuff but also he is polite and respectful and that is so important to us. But also... I am happy to do these things with him as we start to create memories that last a lifetime.

In Which My Little Man Hits a Lot of Milestones, Has a Great Weekend and Finally Gets Some Sleep

         I have been meaning to do this post for a while, but I have been laid up with a badly sprained knee. (In related news, I hate crutches, which I will write about in my next post.) Last week was filled with many milestones. The first of which is that the boy turned two.  We spent the morning playing at home. He has been going through sleep regression, so he had not been sleeping well. He opened presents and took a nap.

 

              Then Mr, Monkey and I went to the Children's Museum here in Boston. He had a blast, and we did too. The museum sure has changed since I was a kid!  

                 Then we took Monkey to his favorite restaurant where they brought him cake and sang. The child was so excited. And the cake was delicious!

 

                       He also finished his school year in the Toddler One classroom and now we get to look forward to the Toddler Two classroom. The program turns into a summer camp/transition classroom from now until September. To celebrate the end of the school year, the daycare had a BBQ with a petting zoo and bouncy houses. We loved it all...



This just in... Bouncy Houses are a hit with toddlers.


                      Saturday was Monkey and my Nephew's Birthday party. We did it at a park not far from where I grew up. We were able to use the pool and it was a gorgeous day. Monkey loved singing along with everyone!

And much cake was consumed by all.

We also had a bouncy house... which went over with all the toddler excitement you would expect.

                            Then Sunday was Father's Day... After all the festivities of the day before, we had a somewhat laid back family day. I made homemade pancakes, we showered Mr. with all the presents and love. I also made orange creamsicle cake and we had Indian buffet.

                           At the end, Monkey was given his first lollipop. He loved it!

 



 

                          The good news is that the sleep regression is getting better. He has (knock on wood) been sleeping through the night once we get him to sleep. 

 

 

My little boy is almost two!

 

(Monkey and Mr. at Easter)

 

 

Every once in a while I look at my little guy and say, "He isn't a baby anymore. He is totally a little man." This makes me sad on many levels. Mainly because there is no more cuddle time with Momma unless it is the 5-10 minutes after he gets up. I treasure those moments of quiet as we cuddle on the couch and he holds my hand as he sips from his dinosaur sippy cup.

 

"Did you have any dreams last night?" I ask him.

 

"Yeah...dreamed of Mater" He responds.

 

 

He starts talking half in English and half in Toddler speak (which I am pretty sure is English, but I can not figure out what he is saying).  And within minutes, he is on the floor playing trucks. Leaving his Momma in the dust, or in this case alone on the couch.

 

That shortness of cuddles and his toddler attitude, makes me sad.

 

But there is also the awesomeness that comes with him growing up.

 

Last night we went out for a mother/son date night, just dinner, but special none the less. We went to an Uno's right down the street from our house. We were stuck in traffic for a while, but by the time we reached the restaurant he was whiny. I had committed at that point, so we went in and it was like we flipped a switch. We played toddler games on the Ziosk, talked about his day (and his desire to have a friend for a play date) and enjoyed a meal together. He was also excited that there was a baseball game on the TVs in our area. There was a couple behind us who loved talking to him. It was sweet really.

 

When we were done, he walked out to the car holding my hand and we sang all the way home. He stopped at one point and said, "Tired Momma. Bed." I told him that we could go to bed when we get home. He helped set up his bed and then went to his changing table. He helped me get him dressed and gave me a hug and a kiss. After I tucked him in, I turned on his humidifier and turned out the light. Before I could say it, he chimed in "Night Momma! I love you!"

 

Sometimes, getting older isn't that bad at all.



The Story of the Zeppole

Zeppole, or Italian fried dough is delicious. It is also a family tradition for Mr. A couple of Christmas' ago, when I was pregnant with the Monkey, my father in law made a comment lamenting the fact that they did not get his mother's zeppole recipe from her before she passed on. It got my husband thinking, and one night he said, "Do you think we could find THE zeppole recipe and surprise my parents?" Of course I said yes, but having never tackled doughs and yeast and such I was a tad nervous. Plus I had no clue where to start. Each region of Italy had about 5 different ways to make it and we didn't know how she made it, or even if she made it from scratch. So we searched, no luck. The real problem was that no one really paid attention to the ingredients, so I would ask "does it have  [insert ingredient here]?" and my husband responded  "I don't think so."

This search went on until New Year's. I got the answer in my stocking. It was a cookbook that was written by the son of a Calabrian mother.

Yes, that Stanley Tucci wrote a cookbook with his mother and father. In it they had family recipes and stories. I was reading it one night when a recipe caught my eye. It was for zeppole and it DIDN'T include anchovies! I book marked it and finished the rest of the book. (Fantastic by the way, I highly recommend it.)

This weekend we were invited over for Sunday dinner. This was our chance to surprise them. But first we had to test them out. In the morning, I placed the potatoes in cold water and brought them to a boil. Once they were done, I took some of the hot water and let it cool for a moment. I mixed in the yeast until it was dissolved, and let it sit while peeled and mashed the potatoes until smooth. (This was easier the next day when I employed my food processor with the job. ) I mixed in a cup of flour and the yeast. Then I mixed in two more cups of flour and mixed in Kosher Salt. Then came the tough part.

The kneading. I kneaded that dough for a good 30 minutes, kneading in flour until the dough was dry. Kneading is the best arm muscle exercises ever. My arms were so sore after the first day. They are even worse today.

After the kneading I put it in a flour coated bowl and covered with a towel to let it rise. It sat for two hours, and then we got our fry on. Using corn oil, I poured an inch into a frying pan and then heated it to 330 degrees. I fried two at a time. "With a couple of tweaks we have the dough", my husband informed me with a smile.

The next day, I did the process again and we prepped the dough. Instead of a little kosher salt, I coated the top of the dough and mixed it in. It rose as we drove to my In-Laws.

At this point, I must admit I was petrified. I was taking a beloved family favorite and trying to recreate it. If this botched, I would feel horrible. Mr. was so excited.

I fried the first two and gave one to my husband and one to his father. I went back to frying and my father in law just came out to the kitchen. "I haven't had Zeppole this good since my mother made them" and proceed to eat three of them. I explained how I figured it out, and we chatted about the cookbook.

He thanked me and was excited, but I didn't notice how excited until we walked in the door after and the phone was ringing. Since no one really calls us on the land line, I picked up getting ready to give a telemarketer a hard time. I was surprised to find my father in law on the other end. "I just wanted to call and say thank you for doing that. I never expected that in a million years." After I told him it was no big deal really, he told me it was. No one had ever attempted to try and make it, and making it from scratch meant so much to him. We talked for a moment, and then we hung up as Monkey had to go to bed. Mr. gave me a hug. "You did it. Thank you."

So now my niece, nephew, and my children will have the zeppole their parents had as kids. I intend on showing Monkey when he is old enough and he can carry on the tradition as he carries on the family name.

It is refreshing to me how great it is that we learn about our ancestors through food. Food is a universal language. It is comforting, daring, filled with love, made with laughter surrounded by family. We cook in times of joy, grief or even just as a just because moment. We make memories with food.

I will leave you with a word of wisdom from my grandmother, told to me in the kitchen of her house in 2002.  "The kitchen is the heart of the home. It beats always."


Zeppole Recipe:

Makes enough for 10 people (or 5 people, because it will get eaten)

Ingredients:

4 medium sized all purpose potatoes
4 cups of flour
1 cup warm water
1 packet of dry yeast
kosher salt
Corn oil for Frying

1) In a pot of cold water, bring the potatoes to a boil and let them cook for 15 minutes or so, until they are fork tender.

2) In a cup of warm water, mix in yeast until it dissolves.

3) Peel the potatoes and place them in a food processor, pulse until smooth. 

4) Mix in one cup flour and the yeast.

5) Mix 2 more cups of the flour.

6) Knead dough until smooth and incorporate flour until it is dry in the center.

5) Place in a flour coated bowl, cover with cloth and leave in a warm dry place for 2 hours.

6) In a skillet, pour the corn oil so that it is 1 inch deep and heat it up to 325 degrees.

7) Fry 2 (2 tablespoons worth of the dough for each with a hole in the middle) at a time, 3-5 minutes on each side until golden and puffy like a donut.

8) Place on a baking sheet covered with paper towels. Serve while hot or at room temperature. Better just out of the fryer, trust me.

Alternate versions~

As I learned you could make these zeppole into sandwiches. Just cut in half and put some cheese, prosciutto, salami, etc. in the middle.

Also you can include anchovies... if you like that sort of thing.

Or, you can place in a bag with powdered sugar and shake. Lots of fun for the kids.

Can you believe...

This is my 10 month old.

His hobbies are crawling, pulling himself up, getting into things he shouldn't, playing with his little people invisible plane, and petting our cat. He enjoys the Wiggles and going to school. He also enjoys the sandbox. Good thing Summer is on the way!

The Big 30 - The day the frozen earth melted!

My Birthday was yesterday and for the first time in my life it was warm. As a kid, I can't even begin to tell you how much I hated a winter birthday. In fact now, Mr. and I are going to aim all of our kids for that Spring/Summer Birthday. No kid deserves a blizzard ruining their birthday.

So weeks ago I earned a comp day at work, and decided to take the day off. I figured that I would take Monkey to the Children's Museum and we would go to lunch or something.

Then I saw the weather report... 60 degrees? I instantly thought that we should do something fun and outdoorsy.

Then it hit me. This winter birthday gal wants to go to the zoo!

And zoo we did my fair readers. There is a little zoo in Attleboro Massachusetts called Capron Park Zoo, and it is perfect to go through if you have a 8.5 month old. It took about an hour to travel through (not rushing) and had a petting zoo with llamas and goats!




Monkey gets up close and personal with the goat.

They also had a big run through sprinkler area for the summer and a bunch of swing sets. They also had a little area with those rides that you would see outside of Roche Brothers or Stop and Shop. The ones that cost $.50. Monkey loved the jeep with the giant ape sitting in the passengers seat.



So needless to say, the trip was successful, and a great and memorable birthday was had.

I even made a white cake with homemade strawberry frosting... I just need to work on that frosting technique....cause it came out all soupy! But Mr., Monkey and myself sat around it and sang happy birthday. Mikey was fascinated by the candles and the hats and the blowers! And as usual, My boys spoiled me rotten.

The Holidays with a 6 Month old... Or How My House Turned Into Santa's Workshop.

The holidays have come and gone and they were magical. It was fun to be a family on Christmas morning and open gifts together. (Monkey liked eating the wrapping paper.) It was fun to see him react to each new toy. He also thought it was funny when Mommy hugged her new Kitchenaid Artisan blender.

After the present opening though... the boy looked like this.

But when he woke up he was excited to play. We weren't home for too long though. We were soon off to Grandma and Grampa's house for more presents and dinner. Then off to Nina and Papa's for dessert and then presents.

As always, we did our stocking's on New Years and welcomed the new year with Grandma and Grampa in the morning and with more family in the afternoon. All in all it was fun and hopefully next year we can do more, like go to see the lights at the local shrine. (Health permitting, of course.)

Happy New Year everyone! My resolution this year is to enjoy the time I have with him this small. He is growing so fast!

Christmas Time is Here!

It really is! I would have written sooner, but between the boy and I both being in the hospital (We are fine... a case of ALTI for him and Pneumonia for me) the season has been shorter than usual.

But I love the Christmas season, so the past week has been Christmas overload. We almost finished shopping.... we have a couple of gift cards left. The house smells of Christmas trees and cookies and we brought the boy to see Santa. We even dressed him like Santa.

So as you can see... he looks so cute. So we pack him up and take him to the mall the SATURDAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS!!!! We were crazy. But it worked for us. We got in the long line with everyone else with an infant wanting to see the big man. The line was an hour or so long and when we got up there I thought he was going to lose it because he was hungry and tired.

Instead... he looked at Santa, looked at me and took this picture.

It made my holiday season. I love the Monkey!

When we got home, I noticed something.... his bottom front teeth are working on making an appearance.

Apparently all he wants for Christmas is his two front teeth.

Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah or Happy Kwanzaa!

Monkey - a like list for Month 5

So I am going to start a list of the things my son loves and update it every once in a while....

This month Monkey Loves:

*The Kipper theme song
*Caillou
* Thomas the Train
* Christmas songs
* His new Mater Stuffed animal
*Rasberrys on his belly
*Rasberrys in general
*The Giant Mommy game
*Rolling around on the floor
*The Good Night Book
*Food
*His rubber ducky in the bath.

Mommy's Night Out....

Last night was the first time that I was away from the Monkey all day and by the time I got home he was in bed.

I wasn't a overly huge fan.

Now don't get me wrong, I had a blast. But once I was on my way home... I just wanted to see, hug and kiss my little guy. And he was asleep, so I didn't want to shake the apple cart. So I just watched him sleep.

That being said, I returned home from game night rejuvinated and I know that is something that I sorely needed. A break (somewhat) from being Mommy and a chance to be a geek.

Just because....

Just because I love it so much... A picture a co-worker grabbed at the Employee BBQ in September!

Merry Grinchmas!

See... I love this time of year. The family holidays are coming fast, and I barely have time to breathe before another one is upon us. Christmas season is always super hectic for us (although I am taking steps to change that) so I demand to start the celebrating early as far as one thing is concerned...

The Grinch.

You see I am a huge fan of the cartoon about the big green menace that steals the Who's pudding and steals the roast beast. And it always saddened me that I only had 30 days to watch the hell out of it. Then I realized if I was planning for a holiday, holiday themed entertainment is appropriate.

So I created Grinchmas. Grinchmas is the first somewhat acceptable day that I can watch the Grinch. I placed it on November 1st, and Mr. was not allowed to overly complain.

So last night with childlike glee, I removed the Blu Ray from the shelf and turned to my 5 month old. "Wanna watch the Grinch?" I said excitedly.

As if he understood he started talking his baby speak. I took this as a yes. A diaper/pj change later and we were cuddled together in our rocker, and listening to the familiar chimes of the opening Welcome. From the moment the snow appeared on the screen, my Monkey was entranced. The Grinch came on and he smiled at him and then Max appeared and he was pointing at the screen and getting exited about the doggie. It was too adorable for words.

He loved it. I chalk it up to the general awesomeness, but really, it is probably the music.

My husband, who is a staunch "no Christmas until after Thanksgiving" guy, felt the same glow of happiness that I did. As we were going to bed he said, "Christmas is going to be so much more awesome now that we have the boy!" His enthusiasm made me smile.

That moment.... Me and my son in the rocker, my husband on the couch and the Grinch on tv will live in my memory as long as I live.

And so the transition begins!

Yep. That is my boy with food on his face.....

That means, Saturday I am making (and freezing) some baby food!!! I will be doing posts of all my favorite recipes I am sure!

For the begining though, the doctor wants us to do rice cereal, and next week, oatmeal.

He has taken it like a champ. He even tries to feed himself. I think we will be good at the whole eating thing.

Every day in Every Way, it's Getting Better and Better....

This is a little bit of a sentimental post, but I was thinking about this today on my ride to work from daycare.

John Lennon wrote a song for his son that I sing to mine all the time. It is called "Beautiful Boy". I played the song all the way to my PT appointment the day I found out that Monkey was a boy. It was the song that I hushed him to sleep with while we were in recovery after he was born. It is a song with many memories. I do change the words a tiny bit to fit a mommy and I take out Lennon's son's name, but the sentiment is the same.

The Lyrics are:

Close your eyes,
Have no fear,
The monsters gone,
He's on the run and your daddy's here,

Beautiful, Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,

Before you go to sleep,
Say a little prayer,
Every day in every way,
It's getting better and better,

Beautiful, Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,

Out on the ocean sailing away,
I can hardly wait,
To see you to come of age,
But I guess we'll both,
Just have to be patient,

Yes it's a long way to go,
A hard row to hoe,
Yes it's a long way to go,
But in the meantime,

Before you cross the street,
Take my hand,
Life is just what happens to you,
While your busy making other plans,

Beautiful,Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,

Darling,
Darling,
Darling Sean.

I don't know how it happened, but it feels like just a blink and my little guy is growing up. It is true, every sentiment in Lennon's song. I can't wait to see what my little man grows into. If I do my job right, he will be a man who is loving, kind, respectful and understanding of all people.

But for now, I get to watch him grow. I have watched and continue to watch him explore and learn. I have shared his excitement and enthusiasm for life. It is amazing what a baby can teach a grown up. I try to take time to just exist with him and try to take pleasure in the little things. He is incredible and every day he teaches me more.

But every day, he and I are also forming a bond, a close bond, that I hope will continue as he grows from my little boy into a handsome young man. Every time he smiles, every time he cries, everytime he needs me.... he knows I am there from him...

It is the awesomest feeling in the world.

Meeting Thomas the Train

So early on in our bonding, Monkey and I were home alone a lot. I was recovering from my c-section so I was worn out a ton. About 3 weeks in, the doctor encouraged a lot of stories to be told to Monkey. Well I told as many as I could, but sometimes even I needed a break. So knowing my child couldn't see the screen, I put him in his bouncy seat and put on an episode of Thomas the Tank engine.

(I know most parents may crucify me for putting my child down and used the TV as a means to soothe a child, but it was what worked for me. My parents let me watch TV early too and I turned out fine. I refuse to buy into the hype. Too early for Spongebob, definitely. But not Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Sesame Street or Thomas. Also... I love Sprout TV. )

It is a show that is read like a story, and there have been several narrators. The most notable of the narrators are George Carlin and Alec Baldwin. Monkey loved it, and he loved the train noises. Not only that, but it was a good way to calm down the colic, which seemed to arrive when I was at home and on my own.

As Monkey grew bigger and could see the screen I could tell he loved to watch the trains! At the beginning of every episode they ask "Who's that puffing down the track? It's Thomas", and my son starts beaming and talking to me and looking at the screen as if to say "Look Mommy! Look at the train!"

It was about this time that I heard of the Ediville Railroad Grand Re-Opening. The first two weekends were days when you could "Spend the day with Thomas". The wheels in my head started to turn. My Sister in Law began to make plans to take our kids to see Thomas. That plan was enacted this weekend with much success.

It was a cloudy overcast day Saturday, but the sun managed to peek out from time to time! We met up with my Sister in Law, Brother in Law, the Bean, and the Peanut just inside the gate. We had a little bit until our ride, so we fed the Monkey a bottle and then took him on his first carousel ride.... which he loved. (I think the horses moving up and down plus the lights makes it really fun for him. )

Above: Here is Monkey with Daddy on the Carousel.

Below: The lights just went on.

Then it was time for our Train Ride. We were so excited and ready to go! Although Monkey is not yet sure of what we are doing.

The ride was great! We went around the park and Monkey was super curious at what was going on. After the ride was lunch and then a change and then we went to the playground and tried the swings. Monkey loved his fist... not sure how he feels about the swing though.

The best part... no matter where we were, we could always find Thomas puffing around the property.

Honestly for $40 for two adults (Monkey was free!), the day out with Thomas was perfect! The park was small and we were able to do it in a half a day. (Plenty of time to nap.) The only downside... No ATM's and almost everywhere took cash. So that kind of stunk.

But those family memories... those will last a lifetime.

Know What is Wonderful....

When you go to the diabetes doctor, and she suggests peanut butter ice cream for a bedtime snack. I totally can't wait for my food order to come in tonight!

Starting to Feel Overwhelmed... Why Doesn't Anyone Just Feel Whelmed?

So reaching my third trimester and knowing the little guy is making his grand entrance in 12 weeks or less is starting to freak me out a little. We still have so much to do, but with the weekends filling up and the downtime sparse, we are really going to have to work hard to get things ready. So I figured a little To Do List would be helpful, and I figured I would keep it here.

1. Prepare the Nursery - The Nursery used to be the stuff room, so there is an odd collection of things, not to mention all of my craft stuff and Mr.'s business stuff, that need to be packaged up and stored down in our basement. That is proving to be a project of epic proportions, but it is coming along. Our crib and dresser/changing table are en route to our house in the coming weeks and as soon as everything is out, we will start setting up and putting up artwork. We will be calling for able bodied peoples to help with the moving stuff around. (Murforelli, we are totally taking you up on your offer!) We pay in beer and pizza.

2. Paperwork! - It seems like all of a sudden I have a bunch to fill out. I need to fill out insurance stuff, maternity leave stuff and more recently we received the paperwork to fill out for the hospital. Not to mention I am trying to get together a list of numbers of people who should be notified of Monkey's arrival and other important things.

3. Washing clothes & toys and sterilizing the baby bottle/breast pump stuffs - This one is self explanatory. We already have a lot to wash and put away, and I am anticipating that we will have more as the months wear on. (Which is awesome!) Also toys need to be washed, pacifiers need to be washed and all my feeding stuff needs to be sterilized. That is fast approaching as we may be welcoming the monkey sooner rather than later (if he gets too big, is in too much distress, etc.)

4. Pre-Preparing Meals- I was really hoping that I would have that started by now, with freezing sauce, but I will begin within the next few weeks. Hopefully we aren't sick of pasta by summers end.

Sure it is only a four point list. But each point is filled with time sucking stuff. It seems like everything is never going to get there, but I know it will and hopefully soon we will be close and I can breathe easier.

They call this a non stress test??? Really?

Yesterday was a little scary for my taste... after the Monkey didn't do his usual 11:30 PM to 4 AM kickathon and didn't really react to breakfast ,the doctor (I was there for my 28 week appointment), thought it was important enough to do a non stress test. Mr. came with me, as he always does.

What is a non stress test? Well, you get hooked up to a fetal monitor that monitors the heart rate and movement of the little guy (and contractions if necessary). You sit there for 20 minutes listening to the baby's heart beat, and then in 20 minutes the doctor comes in and checks a sheet of paper that measures the rate/activity.

When the doctor came to check, she asked me about the movement, and when I told her that I wasn't feeling much movement (I had only felt one kick) she told me there was not enough movement. The heart beat was perfect, but with not a lot of movement, my son failed his first test. So the doctor explained that we had to see whether or not he is happy, because if he is not happy in the uterus, then he wouldn't grow and thrive and he would be better on the outside. She ordered me to go to an ultrasound to right away and I thought I was ok... then all the nurses were in with the doctor, checking me out.

Then she started the line of questioning... "Have you taken your childbirth class yet?", "Do you have a pediatrician?" and "have you decided on the circumcision yet?"

That was when I started to freak out a little. I hid it well and Mr. didn't realize it until later when I told him how freaked out I was. We aren't ready. We don't have everything done. If we were to go today we have no clue what to do, we had (I took care of that right away yesterday) no pediatrician, we hadn't gone over my labor wishes (not a "plan" cause I know circumstances change), the room isn't done, and bags aren't packed. I am NOT ready. He is NOT ready. I felt overwhelmed and afraid....and hearing Mr. talking about being nervous did not help, but I was glad to know at that moment I was not alone.

We got to the ultrasound and then had to wait for an hour. But when we got to see him, he was fine (a little stuck and frustrated and kicking my spine) and the biggest wave of relief washed over me. I still worry and wonder what is in store for us these last 12 weeks or so, but as John Lennon said in Beautiful Boy "Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans." So last night, we talked about a new plan.... what happens if he comes early. And today, I feel a bit better knowing that we can handle anything that gets thrown in our way.

But the boy is sooo grounded for the next three months or so.

Gestational Diabetes & Me...

So it turns out I did have gestational diabetes, which can cause the baby to get too big. I have to watch what I eat, count carbs and make sure I eat 6 times a day.

All in all, I think the only thing that the boy is not pleased about is counting the portions (smaller meals and no Spagetti O's (my signature craving) - obviously the end of the world as he knows it), but it is for his own good, and is not going to change no matter how many times he kicks me in the bladder or the ribs really hard!

This also means I must face my fear of needles head on. I have to test my blood sugar 4 times a day and take insulin at night. Although I must say... I can't really do the insulin every night by myself. Frank helps me on the nights he is not playing.

Of course this also means that they will be monitoring the little guy to make sure he is not getting too big/getting stressed out in there. When they determine he is close to being too big, I get to have the amneo test and they will check his lungs to make sure they are fully developed. Then they will talk induction... and while I want to meet him sooner rather than later... he needs to bake a bit more.

So that's whats new with me!!!

So Cool!

So yesterday, my mom came up and we went to my doctor's appointment. Everything looked great and he allowed the doctor to find his heartbeat easily! I took my Glucose test, so I am on pins and needles waiting for my results, which should be in today!

Then after lunch and a little shopping, we did our elective ultrasound. He showed himself and even performed for us! (Including giving us the finger!) I fell even more in love with my little Monkey!

The infamous finger shot!

I think he heard my crack about him having more hair than his daddy!

Bein' all cute!

There is about 17 weeks until we meet you! I can't wait!

It was totally neat to see what the 4D scan can see. The baby has a head of hair, my nose, his daddy's cheeks and his great-Grampy's feet! (Which skipped me, but his Uncle Mikey totally has my Grampy's feet!) It also looks like he laughs like mommy.

We also have a DVD of his performance. It is just mindblowing to watch him move around and kick and bend. It was a memory I will have of him for the rest of my life. And it was neat to share it with my mom, who had never been to an ultrasound like that before!

I can't wait to see that face up close and in person, but for now I know every day and every kick will bring me closer to meeting him.