Eat-Sleep-Love | Maryland DC & Virginia Sleep Coach, Baby Planner, Maternity & Child Consultant

Maternity & Parenting Center

Ouch!!

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Today was my first P17 shot. At our last appointment, I talked to my regular doctor about the other doctor’s recommendation for the shots. He said he was not sure they would help any, but he felt they could not hurt. He suggested we give them a try, at least for a few weeks. I was pretty disappointed, but agreed to do it. I was hoping he would say there was no way they would help, but no such luck! My insurance approved the shots last week, and today the home health nurse came for our first appointment.

The nurse was quite kind and patient, and we started off by filling out a bunch of forms. I talked to her about my phobia, and she seemed quite supportive and understanding. I used numbing cream before she arrived, and she said it would be no problem to inject me in the numb area. After setting everything up, I lay down on the sofa and Elliot held my hands (partially to be supportive, and partially for the safety of the nurse!). She talked me through the steps, wiped off the injection site, and then started sticking me. The numbing cream did its job – I really could not feel the needle going in at all. She gave me regular updates about how much longer the needle needed to be in (1/4 finished, 1/2 way there…). She stayed calm and steady, and that definitely helped. Poor Elliot – I might have broken a few of his fingers with all of my squeezing! I did okay – I did not yell or cry out, but I did start doing this panicky shallow breathing that got faster and louder as the shot continued. I think it made the nurse nervous and she sped up the rate of the injection. Towards the end, the shot started to sting a bit.

I’m now sitting here on a heating pad, with my rear stinging and sore. I cannot believe I have to do this for weeks on end :(. Thankfully, the nurse did not seem afraid to return next week. I hope this at least makes a difference.

Car Troubles, Daycare Woes, Renovations and Baby Update

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CAR TROUBLES

This is another long update…I’m woefully behind on my blogging activities. I thought I’d start off with an update about our car situation. The good news is, our “car troubles” are not mechanical. Three years ago, Elliot and I both needed new cars. Elliot had a 17 year old car that was falling apart (and unsafe for a family) and I had a leased vehicle that was reaching the end of the agreement. We did a lot of shopping and hunting and evaluations, and we decided to buy a Prius for Elliot and lease another vehicle for me. We wanted to have one smaller vehicle and one bigger vehicle, but we really did not know enough about our family-to-be to decide how BIG a second vehicle we needed. We decided to lease an SUV, and we got a great deal on a Lexus RX350.

So, here we are, three years later, and my lease is ending again at the end of the month. We have one child and one on the way, and we are fairly certain that our family will be “complete” once Twoey arrives. Elliot and I are back to car-shopping, but we do not seem to be on the same page this time. I tend to have a “mine” v. “yours” mentality about cars. I have a car and Elliot has a car, and we each primarily drive our own cars. When we go out as a family, we either take the car that makes the most sense, or we take the car of the person who will be driving. The bigger more comfortable car should be the one we use for family vacations. Elliot, however, has a different approach. He thinks the smaller more fuel efficient car (his) should be the primary car that we drive, and the bigger more comfortable car (mine) should only be driven when absolutely necessary. Elliot tends to bike and walk most places, and he has this knack for blocking my car into the driveway. As a result, I’m always the one driving his car, and I hardly ever get to drive my car. My car is 3 years old, and it has fewer than 12,000 miles on it!

Obviously, I want to get a car that I enjoy and DRIVE it. Elliot thinks we should get a minivan that mostly sits in the driveway and I should just drive his car unless he is using it (which would mean that sometimes I’d get stuck taking a big huge minivan into the city for meetings – I cringe when I envision trying to maneuver the minivan in a downtown garage). We’ve been looking at SUVs with a third row, minivans, and the same size SUV I am driving now. Most of the time, we do not need the space in a minivan. It would be nice if we could take my parents or friends out to dinner along with the kids in one car, or to have everyone together in one car for a vacation, or to possibly bring a babysitter with us on vacation. We will now be traveling with a double stroller, 2 pack-n-plays, and an assortment of other junk. We should be able to fit all of that in an SUV (without additional passengers). With all of that in mind, if we get the minivan, we will buy it, but if we get an SUV, we will likely lease again because we *may* want to get a minivan next time around.

Test driving is fun! My parents have helped out by babysitting Micah. On Sunday, we checked out three dealerships. We quickly stopped by the Volvo dealership to check out the Volvo XC90. We thought it was expensive, with limited features, and the third row would be impossible to access with two car seats strapped in the middle row. We decided to skip the test drive and we moved on to Honda. At Honda, we looked at the Pilot and the Odyssey. The Pilot (a 3 row SUV) was roomier than I expected. It would be possible to strap two car seats side-by-side in the middle row and leave the end seat open for a person to sit and access to the third row (although I am worried about the wisdom of putting the two kids so close together in the car – I have visions of Micah throwing his sippy cup at Twoey’s head, or reaching over and pinching her because he thinks it is funny). There are also latches in the back row, so it is safe to place a car seat in the third row if needed. The middle row slides forward and backward, and there was a fair amount of leg room for both the middle and third rows. Our biggest concern was that with the third row up, there was hardly any trunk space – we could never go on a trip with all three rows in use and fit in luggage, too. BUT, with the third seat flat, there was an amazing amount of trunk space. After examining the car, we took it for a test drive. The steering is power-assist and it feels a bit heavy. The car does feel much larger than I am accustomed to driving, but it was easy to park. I thought it was a bit sluggish on acceleration and definitely on the noisy side. All-in-all, it was better than I anticipated, but I’m still not sure that it is a car I want to be driving.

We then took a look at the Odyssey. I’m extremely hesitant about the concept of having a minivan right now, but I can absolutely see the benefits. The side door slides open and closed, and the seats were big, roomy and comfortable. The Odyssey only has room for two car seats in the middle row, and it is unlikely we would be able to fit a third person in between the car seats in the “mini” seat. If we leave the middle seat out, there is easy access to the third row, and easily room for 2-3 adults to sit in that third row. There are also latches for a third car seat in the rear row. Even with all three rows up and full, there is plenty of trunk space. The Odyssey was less noisy to drive than the Pilot, but felt like a huge boat to me and it was a bit difficult to park. The rear view mirror also seemed a bit small for the vehicle. We loved all the amenities, and I think it even handled a little better than the Pilot, but it, too, was a bit sluggish on acceleration.

Our next stop was at Toyota. Yes, I know a lot of people are worried about Toyota right now, but I’m not. I believe they are great and safe vehicles. As for the acceleration problem – well, I drove a 1984 Chevy Cavalier and it used to take off and accelerate without warning all the time, too. Not just my vehicle, but everyone I knew with the car. I feel like these issues have been going on in cars forever, and with the attention perhaps all vehicles will become safer. Chevy never admitted or fixed the problem, and I have to say I was relieved when my car was finally totaled in an accident. Okay – stepping off my soap box now :). We checked out the Highlander (SUV) and the Sienna (minivan). The Highlander handles nicely, but I did not think it offered anything better than my Lexus (which is essentially the same car). The third row was largely useless – it was small, it would be impossible to access with two car seats installed, and it left no trunk space when the seat was up. We quickly decided that the Highlander was not likely the right car for us. We then turned to the Sienna. It has some amazing amenities, and really had most of the same benefits as the Odyssey. The seats in the Odyssey looked more plush and comfortable than the Sienna. We LOVED the backup camera and the crash avoidance system, and it was loaded with all kinds of technology. It felt much smaller than the Odyssey when we were driving it, we thought the acceleration was a bit better, and the rear view mirror was a significant improvement over the Odyssey. There was also a storage pocket for the middle seat in the second row. Consequently, we decided that IF we get a minivan, we will likely get the Sienna over the Odyssey.

Last night was our date night, and before dinner, we went to test drive the Acura MDX. It is the luxury version of the Honda Pilot, but definitely smaller. We really liked the MDX – it handled well, it was loaded with amenities, and it was comfortable and spacious. We do think that, like all the other three row SUVs we have been trying, with two car seats installed, the third row is essentially rendered useless. In a pinch, we could pull out a car seat or try moving them next to one another to utilize the third row, but we would rarely actually do that. The MDX has more trunk space (with the third row flat) than my Lexus, and in theory we could utilize the third row when we need it. The biggest down side is the mileage – it is much worse than the Lexus without offering significant advantages.

We have a few other cars left to test drive. We are going to look at the Lexus 350 again and the hybrid version (the 450), and perhaps we’ll go look at the Mazda as well. Fuel efficiency is also key to Elliot, and pretty much all the cars we have looked at thus far are far less fuel efficient than my current Lexus. It may actually be worth it to us to sacrifice the moderate size advantage of the MDX for the fuel efficiency of the Lexus hybrid. So many decisions to make, and so little time! I really wish I knew what to do about the minivan v. SUV. If any of you out there have two kids and would like to give some advice/experiences, I’d love to hear it!

DAYCARE WOES

As you know, we’ve been struggling with how to handle child care with two children. Right now, Micah is in daycare three days each week. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we try to balance the time between work and Micah. Most of the time, Micah wins that battle and very little work is accomplished (more so for me than for Elliot, but his work schedule is also affected). This has been a challenge trying to work full-time – we juggle our meetings, try to multi-task, we rely on my father and a babysitter to fill in hours for us on occasion, and we shift a significant amount of work to the evening hours. Next year, we planned to continue Micah in daycare three days a week, and he will also begin nursery school two mornings a week. I’m not sure how much additional time nursery school will give us for work – perhaps a few hours each on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

When we learned we were expecting a second baby, this threw a major wrench into our status quo. We decided to place Twoey on the wait list for the same daycare where we have Micah, and we began to discuss whether a nanny would make sense. Daycare here is EXTREMELY expensive. Full-time daycare for two children could easily cost more than most people make in a year, and is really not a reasonable option for us. Part-time daycare for two children would be a little more than half the cost of full-time, but Elliot is concerned about whether we can really sustain this schedule with our work (and with two kids). Our biggest problem is that we cannot figure out if we can find a nanny until we are much closer to a start date, but, unfortunately, we have to start making our choices now. Micah’s daycare requires us to commit to next year now. We have to sign an enrollment agreement for Micah by the end of this month, and once we sign that enrollment agreement, we are committed to next year. If we cancel any time from April through September 30, we forfeit our deposit (which is equal to a full month of daycare). If we cancel AFTER September 30, we can get our deposit back, but we must give 30 days written notice and pay for that final month (so we could give notice on October 1 and withdraw Micah from daycare as of November 1).

To add to our worry, we just got a call this week that Twoey has been accepted to daycare…as of September 1. We have to turn in our deposit and enrollment agreement for her as of March 31 (before she is even born!) to secure her spot. If I am not ready to send her to daycare in September, I have to pay to hold on to her spot (we were hoping to keep her out of daycare until January). So, we would be paying for four full months of daycare that we may not even use. If we cancel and pull them both out of daycare before September, it will cost us two deposits (the same as one month of daycare for two children).

While we are struggling with our decision about daycare, we are now revisiting the idea of a nanny (perhaps full-time). That would free up more hours for meetings and work, and I could also be more flexible with my down time – if I unexpectedly have a block of hours free on a Wednesday, I could choose to spend that time with one (or both) of the kids. My biggest fear is that we will pull Micah (and Twoey) out of daycare in favor of a nanny, but then we will not find a nanny situation that works for us and we will be…well, screwed!

When we checked into nannies the last time, we were concerned about the cost. A full-time nanny for one is significantly more than full-time daycare for one. However, a full-time nanny for two is about the same cost as a full-time nanny for one. There is a WIDE range of nanny rates. Nannies obtained through an agency are extremely well-qualified, but definitely out of our price range. Most of the other nannies in the area are quite expensive, but may be within the outer range of our budget. It is possible to find nannies who are less expensive, but many of them do not speak English well or may not be legal immigrants. We would love to find someone who is legal, speaks English well, and is wonderful with children. Even more, we would love to find someone who will work for a little less money than the going rate in our area. We would be willing to take fewer hours (maybe only 35) instead of the 45-50 most full-time nannies expect.

We have also considered getting an au pair. Au pairs are MUCH less expensive than in-home nannies, but they are young (usually 18 or 19) and they would have to live in the house with us. We are a bit uncomfortable with the idea of having a stranger live in our house with us, especially a teenage girl. Because of our living situation and restrictions on the age of the children au pairs are permitted to care for, we would likely not be able to get an au pair until January. I’ve heard a lot of drama stories about au pairs and the trouble they get into here in America and dating, and I’m just not sure I’m ready to be responsible for a teenager!

So…once again, we’re stressed about child care. Feel free to chime in and give opinions and suggestions!

RENOVATIONS

We have signed up with an architect and are now working on final plans to renovate our house. We are hoping to add a bedroom and an office upstairs, an office, a new living room and a new family room downstairs, and expand our basement. If all goes as planned, we hope to break ground in May and if everything is under cover, we *may* be able to move back to the house in September. The renovations will still be ongoing in the addition, but the work would be complete on the existing part of the house. I’m nervous about moving in May again, and we will have to move back only 4 or 5 months later with a newborn. What a mess!

TWOEY

This week, we had an appointment with the midwife and with the maternal fetal medicine specialist. I am 24 weeks pregnant now, and Twoey is doing great! She is growing right on target, and I’m hanging in there. I’m still dealing with morning sickness, and my weight is not increasing, but things are progressing well. My contractions have been a little better the past two weeks, and my cervix seems to be holding somewhat steady. It was 3.5-3.7 at 22 weeks, and it was in the 3.3-3.5 range at my last ultrasound.

We met with my primary doctor, and he would like to continue doing the cervical length checks every two weeks. He also thought that getting the P17 shots might not be a bad idea. He said he could not promise they would help, but they certainly couldn’t hurt. My insurance approved the shots and I am just waiting now for my first appointment. I’m extremely nervous – I’m nervous about the shots, I’m nervous about the pain, and I’m nervous about the side effects. I just wish I believed the shots would actually help.

So, here are the pictures we got from the ultrasound. The tech took most of the pictures in 3D, and we finally got a few good looks at her.

Flashing us a grin:

Some more face shots:





Sucking her thumb:

Showing her “girl” parts:

MICAH

Last, but certainly not least, is my update on Micah!! I’m amazed every day by how much he is growing and developing. He loves to play and laugh, and he just does such silly things all the time. He is not only walking everywhere, but he RUNS now, too. He is into everything, and just constantly busy. He spends most of his days trying to destroy the tupperware cabinet – walking through our house these days is like navigating a tupperware obstacle course. He talks all the time (although I understand very little of what he says). I love how he signs “more” and “all done” when we are feeding him. He is getting much better at communicating what he wants and I just love how happy and smiley he is all the time. He is such a wonderful child, and he brings joy to my life every moment of every day.

I have been working on trying to break out of our food rut and diversifying Micah’s meal options. Over the past few weeks, Micah has tried a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (he LOVES peanut butter), a cream cheese and jelly sandwich, a cream cheese and olive sandwich, fish sticks, a veggie hotdog, and cold cuts (turkey, chicken, bologna and corned beef). We have purchased arborio rice to make risotto (and then form them into cakes) and powdered mashed potatoes so we can make mashed potato cakes (I’ll mix in some veggies and cheese). We bought chicken fingers and some chicken tenders and fish so we can make more diverse dinner options for Micah. I have the ingredients for sweet and sour meatballs, and I plan to make that for him soon. We have tons of organic fruit leather for snacks, too. So far, he seems to be loving everything. I have even been trying to “spice” up some of our regular breakfasts. This week, I made apple blueberry cinnamon pancakes for Micah.

Apple Blueberry Cinnamon Pancakes:
Use a regular pancake mix – follow the instructions for mixing pancakes
Add 1/2 cup applesauce
Add 1/2 cup blueberries (can use fresh, frozen or dried)
Add 2 tsps cinnamon (or more for bigger batches)
Add 1 tsp vanilla
Mix and pour your pancakes on the griddle for cooking!

These were a big hit – Elliot loved them, too. We still serve the pancakes for Micah with yogurt and pureed fruit on top instead of syrup or honey, but maple syrup or honey would work great on top of these, too. I’ll have to do a picture post of Micah soon.

Last week, I met up with an old friend from high school, who happened to be in town with her new baby. We ended up shopping at the mall, and I went on my second shopping spree for baby clothing since Micah was born! I bought him a bunch of clothes on sale for the summer. The Children’s Place was running a HUGE sale – I got several shorts for about $4.80 each. I also bought him several things at Gymboree and there was a new store out of South Africa and I got him this adorable little track suit.

So…that is my update! Thanks for hanging in there.

Thar She Blows!

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Micah has added a new trick to his repertoire this week! Naturally, there is a story that I must tell before I explain Micah’s newest trick. We cook meals for Micah, and 2-3 times each day, we feed him something hot/warm. This morning I made french toast. I quickly whipped it up, flipped it onto a plate, slathered it with some yogurt and applesauce, and brought it over to the table where Micah was anxiously awaiting the opportunity to start shoving food in his mouth. If I was a more patient person, I would finish cooking the food and set it aside to cool for a bit before I covered it with yogurt and applesauce and tried to serve it to my son. Or, perhaps I should be better organized and start making breakfast 10-15 minutes earlier so that Micah is not jumping around and anxious for his food while it is piping hot.

Regardless, I sat down across from my son with the piping hot french toast, a knife and a fork. As is my habit, I sliced the first row of toast into a 1/4 – 1/2 inch strip and cut it into bite-sized pieces. I then picked up the first piece to test the temperature against my lip, and I quickly determined it was probably too warm for Micah (even if it won’t burn him, Micah does not like his food too warm – he’ll just spit it out if the temperature is off). So I started to blow a bit on the toast to cool it off. I tested it again and handed the french toast piece to Micah. He smiled, looked at me, carefully brought the piece of toast to his mouth….and started to blow on it!! He has been doing this at every meal lately (and with almost every bite of food). He likes to mimic mommy blowing on his food! I think he first did this a few days ago, and it just makes me laugh every single time. Of course, if it really was hot, he would burn himself since he usually grabs it with his hands and puts it straight to his lips and blows on the food while it touches his mouth. But, hey, he is learning, right?

Micah appears to have 6 teeth now – I believe he has now cut two more teeth on the top on either side of his front teeth. I think he may be getting ready to cut some additional teeth, but he really makes it impossible to check his gums too closely. If I try putting my finger in his mouth, he usually draws blood. I get the best look when I hang him upside down and he laughs, but there is only so long I can keep him upside down and laughing while I inspect!

Today and tomorrow are busy work days for me – I’m off to meetings downtown (I have a client in town) and again all day tomorrow. I wish it wasn’t such a hassle to get to my meetings!

Checking in on Twoey

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Today I had another appointment with the maternal fetal medicine specialist. I was just scheduled for a cervical length check and a quick consultation with the doctor to discuss my contractions. I’m happy to report that all went well – my cervix remains around 3.5-3.7 cm long, so there has not been any change since my last check. While ideal is over 4.0 cm, they are happy as long as I stay above 3.0 cms.

Much to my surprise, they decided to do another quick ultrasound of my baby girl to check her heartbeat. She is currently breech (well, butt-down). I thought she had flipped in the last day because I have been feeling her kicking (actually, it turns out punching) up higher. We actually got a beautiful little 3D picture of her face! She is still a bit young for the 3D technology, so her features were a touch blurred, but I think she might look a bit like Micah already! Yes, I’m sure NO ONE else will be able to see that from these pictures, but hey, I’m a proud mama! What do you think?



I then had a brief consultation with the doctor. My “regular” doctor there is the head of the maternal fetal medicine center, but he was out of town on vacation. I saw another doctor who was on duty today. I am certain that all of the doctors at this practice are competent, but, unfortunately, this one really does not know my history and only barely skimmed my file. We talked about my contractions, but she basically responded that as long as my cervix holds steady, they just don’t care about the contractions. I tried to ask when I should worry about them and call/seek additional medication, but I do not feel like she gave me a good answer. She then asked if I considered getting the 17P shots (a type of progesterone shot administered weekly to help prevent pre-term labor). I said that I had discussed that with the other doctor early on this pregnancy, and he recommended against it because he felt it was unlikely to help my situation because the fibroid was the source of the contractions. She shrugged and said that was a possibility, but that the shots might help if the contractions had nothing to do with the fibroid. She then said that the shots are the most effective when started around 16 weeks, and since I’m already at 22 weeks, they may not even help at this point.

So…I have a decision to make. The doctor submitted the request for the 17P shots to the insurance company. If I am approved, I have to decide whether or not to take them.

Pros:

  • They may reduce the contractions.
  • They may help me carry Twoey to term without other medications and horrible/scary bouts of contractions.
  • If I try to wait it out until the contractions are worse and I experience cervical changes, it would be too late. These shots are meant to be preventive so I do not have to deal with bedrest or contractions or oral medications or the discomfort (if it works).
  • I’m trying to think of more, but I think I’m out!

Cons:

  • I’m needle phobic – a shot every week is a bit overwhelming for me to think about. I know I can get through it if it is best for the baby, but I have to believe that to really make this happen.
  • It may not help at all and I could put myself through the needle torture for nothing.
  • Side effects – can include vomiting and nausea (already a problem for me), headaches, dizziness, swelling, and other issues I’d prefer to avoid. Not everyone has side effects, but I’m concerned because I tend to be very hormone-sensitive (and let’s be honest – I’m sure my needle phobia is playing into this fear, too).
  • It may work so well that it could cause me to be overdue or need to be induced when the time comes (an issue again because of my needle-phobia).
  • It may be unnecessary treatment – I may not end up having an issue at all with pre-term labor this pregnancy, and last pregnancy I managed just fine on the oral medications. Even if I have a repeat of last time, I could still carry to term.

Anyone have any input?

14 months

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On Valentine’s Day, Micah turned 14 months old. I’m amazed how the time is just flying by, but I think I say that every month. Over the past month, I think Micah really has become a “little man” – or at least a full-blown toddler. He walks everywhere now – he almost never crawls. He is fairly sturdy and I am constantly surprised by how much trouble he can get into. He has recently discovered the tupperware cabinet, and his new favorite pasttime is defying our “safety” knobs on the range and removing the range knobs below the child-proof safety casings. Every day, he seems to be learning something new.

To be honest, we did not do much that was exciting for either Micah’s birthday or Valentine’s Day. We were finally dug out from the latest round of snow on Thursday, and Friday morning we hit the road to travel to New Jersey to visit Elliot’s family and celebrate his brother Steven’s 50th birthday. Unfortunately, as is our norm, we left about an hour later than planned. Micah was really very good – he was well behaved and quickly fell asleep. Due to our poor planning, we had to stop for gas about 1 hour into our trip at Maryland House. Naturally, we woke Micah up while we were getting gas, so we decided to head in to the rest area a bit early and get some lunch. Micah was much less happy for the remaining part of the trip – he refused to fall asleep, and was clearly bored. He decided, once again, to spend his time sticking his fingers down his throat and making himself gag. After our last puking incident, I was afraid to let him continue. Of course, he quickly felt it was a game and he loved the attention. Elliot ended up moving into the back seat to keep Micah’s hands occupied. We were quite frustrated that he would not take a nap for the remainder of the trip, but we did manage to stop the gagging.

We arrived at Steven and Jodi’s house in the afternoon and had some time to play with everyone. Micah refused his afternoon nap, but he was actually very well-behaved. Our biggest scare of the day happened when his Aunt Jodi brought him upstairs to play. I’m still unclear as to who was supposed to be paying attention to him, but the end result was that Micah took a header down a flight of stairs. That was one of the WORST sounds I have ever heard – I heard the scream as they noticed he was falling and I heard the tumbling. I ran to meet him, and when I got there he was on his back at the foot of the stairs. I scooped him up and comforted him, checked for blood and injuries, and probably cursed a bit at Elliot. I noticed something white in his mouth. At first I thought he lost one of his few teeth, but I quickly realized there was no blood anywhere. I then realized he had a pill of some kind in his mouth. So, not only did they let my baby fall down the stairs, they let him eat some kind of pill, too. I was NOT happy about the situation. Thankfully, other than a bit of a bruise on his eye and a small bump on his forehead, he seemed just fine. I think his fall was cushioned a bit by the carpet, and luckily he bumped all the way down the stairs, so the final crash to the floor was sort of…lessened by the prior bumping, if that makes any sense. I gave Micah his sippy cup of milk and he cuddled nice and close to me for a bit. He immediately stopped crying and went back to his normal happy self. These kinds of injuries horrify me – I have nightmares and I always imagine tragic results to falls. I don’t know how many more of these kinds of falls my heart can handle!

We ordered Chinese food for dinner (turns out, Micah hates Chinese food – he threw most of it on the ground). Right around 7:30, Micah started to melt down, so we put him to bed a bit early. He fell asleep rather quickly, and unlike our last visit, Micah actually slept through the night until 7:30 in the morning. Elliot was wonderful and woke up with him, fed him breakfast and kept him entertained until I made it downstairs at 8:30. Micah had a great morning playing with his cousins, and he ended up going down for his nap right on time and slept for about 1 1/2 hours. I got him dressed and ready for the birthday party. We headed out around noon to meet everyone.

Micah was great at the restaurant. He smiled at everyone, he tried running around all over the place, and he sat in his high chair and ate a fair amount of food (especially bread). He was able to spend some time with his grandparents and cousins and even sat a bit with his other aunt and uncle. After a few hours he started to get bored and cranky. Around 3:15 or so, we hit meltdown again – it was definitely nap time. We left a bit early and drove him back home, and Micah took a great nap.

Because we were concerned about the weather report (and more snow), we decided to head back home Saturday night. Our ride home was rather quick and uneventful, and Micah transferred easily into his crib. Unfortunately, when we arrived home, we realized there had been an….avalanche. All of the snow from our roof slid down and completely filled in the path Elliot had previously dug out. We had to climb over mountains of snow over 2 feet high to get in the house, and poor Elliot had to spend another few hours shoveling us back out again the next morning.

Sunday was Micah’s actual 14 month birthday and Valentine’s Day. I don’t even think we left the house. Elliot did remember to get me a small box of chocolates and say “Happy Valentine’s Day” but I think we spent most of the day watching the Olympics, playing with Micah and napping. We did not even eat dinner together. Romantic, huh? And the worst part was I just didn’t care. Nor did I even think of a Valentine’s Day gift for him. I think I’m just exhausted after everything going on the past month or so.

As for milestones – Micah is walking, talking and interacting. He claps when he likes things (especially singing and music) and he will say words like “yay” and mimic us sometimes. He has four teeth already, and two more coming through on top (possibly more, but he really does not let us get too close to inspect). He loves to “sing” the Itsy Bitsy Spider (to be fair, he does the hand motions and expects someone else to do the singing). He is incredibly picky about food, but he is loving feeding himself with a fork. We have tried the spoon (well, if I try giving him yogurt, he steals the spoon) but he is not quite as adept at that yet. He understands the concept, but still tends to wear most of the food on his shirt and cannot resist sticking his hands into the bowl of food. Micah will play games – he takes a ball and will play catch, he chases the dog, he likes us to chase him, he plays music (like the kazoo and his toy piano) and he loves his toy computer. He has a truly stubborn streak – he will throw a fit if he cannot get his way now. He keeps trying to steal the dog’s food and he sticks his hands in her water bowl – disgusting! He gets really angry when I pull him away, and he is definitely inclined to throw temper tantrums when he doesn’t get what he wants. I think the terrible twos will start early with us!

Luckily, Micah is simply adorable. He smiles and plays and he is saying more and more every day. Last night, I had to go out to a meeting at 7. I helped Elliot give Micah a bath before I left, and as I was leaving I said “bye bye” to Micah and he immediately responded and said “bye bye.” I waved and started to leave, and then Micah, totally unprompted, said “night night” to me! I melted AGAIN. He understood it was bedtime and wanted to say good night to me. I cannot tell you how much I wanted to stay as he shouted night night to me while I walked down the stairs and out the door.

I am amazed everyday at how much I love this little person. He has changed my world, and I barely remember life before the past 14 months. He brings so much joy to my life, and my heart swells more and more with love as every minute passes. I worry so much for him and about him, too. I can feel my heart flutter every time he shoots me one of those lopsided grins, and even when he is being stubborn and bad and cranky, I just feel like grinning because he is so adorable and sweet. I love watching him learn and grow, and I love to see the joy and happiness spread across his face every time he sees me…or the dog…or his Daddy…or his grandparents. I’m so proud of him when he insists on doing something himself (like feeding himself with a fork) and I am astounded at how much he has developed since that first day in the hospital 14 months ago.

It is hard to imagine that we are about to add one more bundle of joy to our lives. I worry about how that will affect Micah and hope we can make Twoey feel just as loved and give both of them all the time and attention they will each need and deserve. I am looking forward to the months ahead to see all that Micah continues to learn and do.

Blizzard of 2010 – Part 2

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I’m sick of snow. If I never see another snowflake in my entire life, it might be too soon. We got about 8 inches of snow the first weekend in February. Not really a huge deal – just kind of a pain, especially since it nearly kept me from my grandmother’s funeral. Things cleared out relatively quickly, but the snow did not have a chance to melt before the blizzard hit last week. It snowed last weekend from Friday through Saturday – we had over 30 inches, and it was just awful. There were hundreds of thousands of people in the area without power. Luckily, we were fine, but my parents were without electricity for several days. Elliot got us plowed out late Saturday night by the Bethesda Rescue Squad (so he could go do his Red Cross work), and then on Sunday he went and “rescued” my parents and brought them back here after nearly 48 hours without electricity.

It was actually a fun evening (for being snowed-in). The Superbowl is also an anniversary of sorts for Elliot and me – we met at a Superbowl party in 2005. Micah was in his football pajamas in honor of the Superbowl, and we watched the game together. He LOVED the half-time show – he was definitely rocking out to The Who. He was very cute as he clapped and tried to sing. My mom was actually humming a song, and Micah kept trying to copy her. My mom and I gave him a bath before bed, and we brought him back downstairs to play for a bit before bed. As I brought him upstairs to go to sleep, my parents both said “night night” to him, and much to our surprise and pleasure, he responded by saying “night night” right back! We said it a few more times, and so did he – he now has a new word in his vocabulary!

The next morning (Monday), the power was restored to my parents’ house and we were able to return them home! The local government and schools were all closed, so there was not much going on anywhere in the area. Micah’s daycare was canceled, and we were trapped at home with no place to go. Elliot spent the day shoveling snow at my parents’ house, running errands and taking care of a few things. Unfortunately, power was still not restored to all the residents in the area, and very few of the side streets were plowed. The main roads were still a mess, and there was panic throughout the area as predictions for the next day’s snow storm were reaching 15-20 inches.




The snow began to fall again early on Tuesday morning. Once again, government and schools were closed, and the government requested that we stay off the roads for safety reasons. Micah’s class was canceled, and we were again stranded at home. By morning, the snow intensified to full blizzard conditions. The wind was high, and visibility was low. It was unsafe to be out on the roads, and even the plows were directed to stay off the roads. The main roads quickly became impassable. The snow continued until midnight, and we had another 15 inches of snow when all was said and done. What a mess!

Here are a few pictures of our house after the last round of snow. The garbage cans, car and fence are nearly buried.




We finally got plowed out this afternoon, and I actually left the house for the first time in a week! Okay – I just took my dog to my parents’ house since we are going out of town in the morning, but that counts, right?

Micah has recently discovered he much prefers to use a fork when he eats:



During the snow, Micah made a VERY important discovery – the Kazoo! We were sitting in the living room and Micah was wandering around the house in circles. We had a kazoo as a party favor that I had tucked away, and Micah found it and started to play it. I heard the noise and it took me a moment to figure out what it was. I was surprised that he figured out how to play it all on his own! I did manage to get some video of it.


Micah has 2 more teeth breaking through on top. He has been a bit cranky. Luckily, he has recently discovered a love for ice cubes (he reaches into the freezer and helps himself every chance he gets) and he finally took a popsicle (homemade – from applesauce), so these new things definitely help with the teething.

And for good measure, here are pictures of Micah with his new favorite toys:


Yes, that is right, our “tupperware” cabinet. It is the one cabinet we have not safety locked, and he spends his days emptying out all the containers and making a great big mess. As you can see, he has a ton of fun wreaking havoc.

He has also developed a new bad habit – he bites when he gets frustrated or upset. I’m not sure what to do about that – I’ve been trying to tell him no and show him how to ask for what he wants. I sure hope this is just a stage that will disappear when his vocabulary increases.

Spinach Patties

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I thought I’d kick off this post with a discussion about food. I’ve been finding feeding Micah a challenge lately. He is becoming quite picky, and it is always either feast or famine with him. He is currently eating a diet of 100% table food (no more baby food for us!), but I am often unsure whether he is eating enough or eating healthy.

I think we have the best handle on breakfast. Micah wakes up in the morning and he will drink some milk – anywhere from 1-5 ounces. We usually sit and snuggle a bit on the couch while he is drinking his milk, and then he likes to go play with his toys and chase the dog. While he is playing, I prepare his breakfast (well, sometimes his Daddy does the cooking, too). We seem to have a “rotation” of breakfast foods – we either give Micah waffles, pancakes, french toast, scrambled eggs or cereal. I prefer to give him french toast over regular toast because he gets some protein that way, too (since we use the bread to soak up an entire egg). I usually put a bit of cinnamon and vanilla in with his french toast, we try to vary the waffle and pancake flavors (blueberry, pumpkin, plain, etc.). We always give him fruit with breakfast – sometimes we put applesauce or homemade jam and/or yogurt ontop of the waffles/pancakes/french toast. With the eggs, sometimes we mix in veggies or melt cheese on top. He will usually eat a pretty hearty breakfast…except when he doesn’t. At the very least, I can usually get him to eat 1/2 a banana.

Sometimes, Micah likes to drink more milk later in the morning. I think on daycare days, they give him a morning snack of breakfast foods (although I am never sure how much he eats there). Around 10:30, we put him down for his nap, and he likes to sleep until at least 12. When he gets up from his nap, he usually drinks a few more ounces of milk and we start preparing lunch. I am beginning to find lunches a bit more difficult and boring. He will usually eat a melted cheese sandwich, but how many days in a row should he really be eating that? Micah also loves pizza – but isn’t that just a fancy melted cheese sandwich? We are able to sneak some pureed veggies in with the tomato sauce when we make pizza. He will eat hummus and chips as well for lunch. He does not seem to be particularly fond of eating meat/chicken for lunch – that is pretty much always a bust. We have very little luck getting him to eat pasta, although occasionally he’ll eat some tortellini or some lasagna. Micah loves veggie burgers – we usually alternate that with dinner a few times each week. I’m thinking of testing the waters with peanut butter soon to expand our lunch options. We’ve tried a number of other options – spinach patties (see the recipe below), and I make these delicious veggie/cheese/bisquick squares that he seems to like as well. Once again, we’ll top off the lunch meal with either some crackers, bread, and/or fruit – if all else fails, Micah will load up on fruit. Currently, he is having a love affair with Clementines – I think he would eat a dozen a day if I let him. Does anyone else have some good lunch suggestions for a picky 1 year old with only 4 teeth?

Naptime hits anywhere from 2:30-3:30. When he wakes up, I offer him milk and an afternoon snack. Afternoon snacks are the easiest – fruit is always a safe bet, but veggies are almost always a no-go. I buy him these sippy pouches of organic baby food that mixes fruit and veggies together – he loves to feed himself the sippy pouches and it is the best way to sneak in some veggies. Sometimes, Micah eats cheese for a snack, or crackers, or fruit, or cereal, or mum mums, or dried fruits (we are currently loving freeze-dried strawberries – the freeze dried fruits are wonderful because they sort of crumble and melt in Micah’s mouth). Pretty much any basic “snack” food is a hit with my little man.

Dinner time falls around 6 or 6:30. Once again, I find dinner challenging, and I am feeling starved for new ideas. Some nights (like tonight) a veggie burger is a hit. He particularly enjoys eating it with a touch of marinara sauce and a fork. I give Micah turkey burgers and hamburgers (with veggies mixed in), and we’ll try tortellini, lasagna, and pizza, but other nights there seems to be no winning. Some nights, everything I hand him ends up on the floor. At least the dog is always up for some dinner! On those nights, I try to get Micah to eat some crackers or cheese or fruit and call it a night.

We round out the day with some milk before bed. The last few nights, Micah says “night night” to me when he goes upstairs to sleep. It is just SOOO cute! I love watching how he communicates now – he knows the signs for “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” he tells me when he wants more food and when he is all done eating. He is using words more and more often, and just turning into a little boy before my eyes.

As promised, here is the recipe for my spinach patties:

1 pkg. chopped spinach—thawed and drained
½ cup bread crumbs
1 onion sautéed
¼ cup mozzarella cheese
½ cup egg beaters (or 2 eggs)
2 tbsp. parmesan cheese
Seasonings (I usually add garlic and a touch of salt)

Mix all ingredients together and make into patties. Bake at 350o – 45 minutes to 1 hour. Can be made into a loaf.
Optional: shredded carrots, either cooked or sautéed, can be added.

Micah loved these! I used organic frozen spinach, an organic vidalia onion and organic cheese and eggs.

Snowmageddon 2010

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We are buried under over 30 inches of snow – and it is still snowing! The snow began yesterday morning at 9:00 am and 31 hours later it is still going strong. They are predicting that the final large patches of snow will pass through here by 8:00, and the snow should be finished by midnight. If only they weren’t predicting more snow on Tuesday…
I did not end up taking Micah out today to play in the snow, but here are a few pictures to illustrate the mess!




Twoey’s 20 week OB appointment and ultrasound

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Yesterday was my 20 week OB appointment. Although they made us wait 1 1/2 hours to see the midwife, it was a rather uneventful appointment. We listened to (and recorded) Twoey’s heartbeat (it was in the 160s).
No weight gain yet, and my belly was measuring right on target. Everything is looking good so far. I did have a discussion with this midwife about getting a prescription for Reglan if I have issues with my milk supply after Twoey is born, and she was quite willing to help me out. We were supposed to get a prescription for an AFP tests (checks my blood for a protein that is an indicator of spina bifida) and my first trimester bloodwork (long story, but I still haven’t gotten that done). Because we were running so late, we grabbed our prescriptions and ran – only to find out that once AGAIN, the nurse forgot to give me the prescription for the AFP (it is actually supposed to be done between weeks 17 and 18, and no later than 20 weeks). I tried calling the office, but the nurse could not find the midwife’s notation about the AFP and was unwilling to fax me the script before talking to her. I was told I needed to get the test done yesterday or not take it at all, but, of course, they did not fax me the prescription. Now it is officially too late for me to have that test done.
Today we had our ultrasound – the full anatomy scan. Twoey was EXTREMELY uncooperative (perhaps I should not have eaten that cookie for breakfast…), so unfortunately the pictures we did get were awful. She spent much of the time turning away from the ultrasound and it took the tech about 30 minutes to get all the pictures of her heart. The doctor had to come back for a second look to see her aorta. They checked her brain, her kidneys, her bladder, her stomach, her heart and all of her limbs. She IS still a girl, and everything looks perfect. She is 12 ounces and measuring at 20 weeks and 2 days. Her spine was perfect, too, and when we asked about the AFP, the maternal fetal medicine specialist felt that the results of the ultrasound were clear, and the only other thing the AFP could indicate is an issue with the placenta. He said that if the test came back elevated, the “prescription” for that would be monthly ultrasounds, which I am getting anyway. In other words, the doctor felt it was no big deal that we could not get the AFP done, so I feel relieved about that. They also measured Frank and Fiona, who seem to be holding steady at 4 and 3 cms, respectively.
Profile – tushy up in the air:


Hands over head:

Hands crossed over face:



Skeleton face:

Finally, they did measure my cervical length. It dropped to 3.5 cms, which is still considered “safe” at this point in the pregnancy, however, it is unusual to lose about 1 cm of cervical length over the course of a month at only 20 weeks. After I had my initial bout of early labor with Micah at 28 weeks, my cervix shrunk from 4.6 down to 3.8 cms at 28 weeks, and they were concerned then. I think the biggest worry at this point is that I’m losing the “cushion” – if I develop contractions again, my cervix is already shrinking and it may be harder to stave off labor and keep me pregnant. I have to go back in 2 weeks for a cervical length check. If it continues to shrink, we may have to get a bit more aggressive with either medications or bedrest. As long as my cervix stays above 2.6 for now, they will keep me up and moving around, so for right now, everything is okay.

Last night, Micah used a fork for the first time!! We were at my parents’ house for another night of shiva, eating dinner. Micah was not particularly interested in the cheese or the bagels or the tuna fish, so I made him a veggie burger. He spotted my fork, and he made it quite clear he wanted it. I tried stabbing a piece of veggie burger with the fork and feeding it to him. He quickly stole the fork from me…and went about feeding himself with a fork! I was amazed that he could handle it so well – it never dawned on me to give it a try. He needed a bit of help getting the pieces onto the fork, but he ate the entire veggie burger that way. Once again, tonight at dinner, Micah wanted a fork. He ate two small turkey burgers with his fork – and this time, he was even able to stab the meat himself. Apparently, Micah loves to use a fork (something I find particularly humorous as his Uncle Jeremy STILL rarely uses a fork!

I am definitely due for a picture post – I have a ton of pictures and video of Micah to add to the blog – I’ll have to get to that this weekend while we are snowed in!

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

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For the past few weeks, Micah has been doing this…thing…with his hands, and I haven’t been able to figure out what it means. It sort of looks like a clap or like he is wiping his hands – he takes one hand and smacks it down on top of the other hand, then alternates. I felt certain he was trying to tell me something, but I had no clue WHAT. At meal time, I’ve been working with him to figure out what it means. In the process, I’ve learned that Micah knows the sign for “more” and for “all done.” He has added a few other spoken words recently – he is regularly saying “bye bye” and “hi” and “mama” and “dad” and “ball” and “bubble” and he definitely has a word for dog and can say “nuh nuh” for the dog’s name. He even said “Big Bird” today (and yes, I’m surprised it wasn’t “Elmo”).

Well, tonight we were having shiva at my parents’ house. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Jewish traditions, shiva is a 7 day period of mourning following the death of a family member. During shiva, all the mirrors are supposed to be covered, and the mourning family members wear a torn piece of black cloth to represent their loss. Friends supply food so the family does not have to worry about food, and people come over to comfort the family and say prayers. There is one prayer, the Mourner’s Kadish, that can only be said if at least 10 people are present. The point is that those in mourning should never have to mourn alone.

My family’s version of shiva is a bit more relaxed. Micah was there, and having a lot of fun showing off for everyone. He was quite chatty during the brief services, and once again, he brought some joy to a sad occasion. As my Dad was sitting with Micah, he started singing to him – the “Itsy Bitsy Spider.” All of the sudden, Micah started to do the hand motions, starting with the hand slapping he has been doing for a few weeks. He put his arms up in the air for up came the sun, and he had motions for drying up the rain. My heart MELTED!! I can’t believe my little boy does the “Itsy Bitsy Spider!!”

I think I’d like to close this blog with my favorite memorial prayer – I think it truly speaks to how I feel about those we lose:

At the rising of the sun and at its going down We remember them.
At the blowing of the wind and the chill of winter We remember them.
At the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring We remember them.
At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer We remember them.
At the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn We remember them.
At the beginning of the year and when it ends We remember them.
As long as we live, they too will live; for they are now a part of us, as we remember them.
When we are weary and in need of strength We remember them.
When we are lost and sick at heart We remember them.
When we have joy we crave to share We remember them.
When we have decisions that are difficult to make We remember them.
When we have achievements that are based on theirs We remember them.
As long as we live, they too will live; for they are now a part of us, as we remember them.