Gametes In Love

We’re 2 months away from the big 0-2. Time’s moving on and not at all taking into account that Mommy has no plans for a birthday party as of yet. Yeah, yeah, I need to get a move on. It’s almost feels a bit harder this time around. Mostly because G now has likes and preferences, and given our guest list none of them are feasible in our home.

Now onto the G accomplishments for the month.

Dad taught G how to shake his finger when he says “No!”. This typically goes like this: “No! No! No! No! No”, with a finger wag. Amusingly enough, however, so far he only does the finger wag when No’ing my dad… or Neko.

G’s found a few more bed-time friends. In addition to Nubs, he loves his blanket and bed-time bears. Occasionally even his fuzzy jammies. He caries them around during the day and lays his head saying “Nigh nigh”. Picture a Charlie Brown blanket drag and toddler waddle. Too stinkin’ cute.

You can tell he is really, really frustrated when he clenches his fists and stiffens up his whole body. S and I joke that he’s making us a diamond. Sadly none of his nappies have provided this as of yet.

G started off this month calling both my parent Gamma. Dad was surprisingly very defensive of his title and whenever my mom pointed out the difference, he corrected her himself by calling himself Gamma. I was trying to introduce a distinction by naming him “Hairy Gamma”. Sadly by the end of our European excursion, G was properly calling Dad Gappa. The two of them really bonded on that trip and G gets really excited about Skype sessions with him.

He is super excited about big vehicles. He loves buses, airplanes, trucks and trains… although things are either Buss, Tuck, or Ai-pine. Trains get grouped with Buses. I’m not asking why.

This month he’s a big fan of dogs and rabbits. The dog part is a good way to keep him entertained or distracted in the car by pointing out “Doggies”. The “Bunny” obsession is courtesy of Curious George. S’ iPad has been assaulted by little toddler lips who like to kiss and point to the bunnies on the screen. This of course is accompanied by the cutest “Oooooh, Bunny!” sounds you can ever hear.

He’s becoming really good with names. I was actually a little surprised to have him point to the pics of his daycare friends on the wall in the classroom and call them by name. He calls S and I by name occasionally too (when he gets bored of Mama and Dada).

He adjusted to PST like a champ. I couldn’t have asked for a better or easier transition. I am so, SO grateful! Since we came home we went back to our old (old) sleep routine. No more waiting in the room with him until he falls asleep. Yes, there is some crying involved, but it typically lasts 2 minutes (I’ve timed this) and 5-10 on a bad night.

Weight: 23lb 15oz

Height: 31.25″

Number of teeth: No new ones have sprouted, but I know those 2yr molars are on their way. He’s partial to soft foods (stage 3 baby food jars are huge around here come this time of the “month”) and shoving anything long enough to reach the back of his mouth in sight. A dentist appointment really is in order very, very soon. At least he’s pretty keen on having his teeth brushed, and in the last couple of weeks has gone from tolerating a tooth brushing to actually cooperating and having a good time.

Words & Phrases: 40+ (bringing up the total tally to around 120). This month was huge on the language scale. While in Europe he was popping out a word/two a day. It was almost hard to keep track. I know I’m missing some, but here’s the list of what we tracked. He’s continuing on his trend of making simple phrases of stringing words together

* bus
* sip
* stair
* zipper
* gasses (glasses)
* I want
* all right
* pigeon
* fountain
* coming
* night gamma
* bear
* tuck (truck)
* kids
* sit down mama
* sack (snack)
* daway (that way)
* off
* tank you (thank you)
* knuckles
* ouside (outside)
* fifin / fifindoh (Griffin)
* sake (snake)
* nine
* ten
* sowee (sorry)
* tucker (sticker)
* come-ea (come here)
* towel
* oea
* cap (clap)
* booger
* jacket
* buggies (ants)
* phone
* pocket
* Ta-Da!
* garbage
* bike
* tickle
* fork
* poon (spoon)
* hug
* baby hug daddy

Favorite food: Luitenitsa, although around our house I call it “red stuff” for both S’ and G’s benefit (mostly S’ because if I use the actual word, he’ll just ask “Huh?”). It’s a Bulgarian response to catchup. Much healthier too, might I add. It’s made with roasted peppers, and tomatoes blended really, really finely. While there is some sugar added for a touch of flavor, it’s actual sugar, not corn syrup. G was eating this stuff by the spoonful and when not sufficiently supplied just would go for it straight with his hands, scooping globs with his finger. I’d say that’s a win!

Favorite activity: Having Mom chase me around the house yelling “No!” while I run with sharp objects. I jest. But not really. This whole terrible two’s thing is really kicking in. He loves to be read to. Blocks and balls still rule the toy bin otherwise.

My hopes for next month: More words. I’m enjoying our “talks”

Potty trained?: No-where close. I’m impressed with parents of children of close/younger age that are already potty training. G won’t even acknowledge what’s in his diaper, let alone indicate a forewarning of what’s to come. Instead, he’s becoming a monster while being changed and it’s become a two-person job. I’m not in a rush to potty train too much, but it would be simply awesome if I only had one child in diapers at a time.

Naughtiest moment of the month: Yeah, the running w/ sharp objects thing. While, yes, it is our fault for accidentally forgetting to put stuff away, G’s reaction to “No! This is not a toy.” is not to drop what he’s holding, but to run off with it instead. Emphasis on the run. Then throw a major tantrum when you take it away.

Sweetest moment of the month: Random run-by leg hugs.

Temper tantrum meter: These last few days? Medium->high

I’ve come to the point in pregnancy when while standing straight, if I look down, I can’t see my feet. Now, I can easily lean forward to peek at my toesies, but I just realized that the belly is taking over (in a good way).

Huh. It’s kind of a milestone.

I scored a very well kept Lego Duplo Zoo set off the local mom’s club this week-end. Man, I love this club!

While G is still figuring out how to put the blocks together on his own (aligning the nubs actually really IS a skill), he’s been getting some help from S and I. G in this particular case is the foreman and architect directing us, worker bees, to how he wants his structure to look.

His main priority: get every single block and animal on the structure. He was not happy until every last piece was secured before him. What resulted was a structure taller than he, and he was THRILLED!!!

To celebrate the end of construction, G ran to his toy bins, got out his biggest ball and proceeded to demolish his zoo menagerie. Seriously. Until the whole thing lay leveled to the ground he kept aiming the ball at it. S and I were laughing hysterically meanwhile to see that he invested all this hard labor and direction just to play Griffin-zilla.

I have a feeling G will really enjoy tickets to a good demolition in his future.

G has this game: he takes an old (and empty) tube container, and stands it up on end. He then takes one of his balls and balances is on top, and then likes to topple over the tube & the ball by hitting it with another. He can do this for quite some time, giggling the whole way through.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5flFBUzGVlQ]

Brother. Or butter. G’s having one of those. Not sure which though.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0CoI-iokoc]

Last week-end, we went swimming with A, R and R. While the day was gorgeous and perfect for a swim, the pool itself was one of the coldest I’ve been to in awhile. G asked for “Up Pease” a couple of times, yet when we did try to get him out of the pool, he refused to leave. Little R had the right idea and refused to go in, in the first place. Yet, our dude was happy to let his lips go purple with R’s mommy holding him just so he can get some extra water action. Oh, and yes, I braved a bathing suit this pregnancy around. I refuse to shell out mega bucks for a maternity suit, so I’m bearing LOTS in a bikini.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb85rJyfm_Q]

How far along: 19w
Weight: 132lbs. And this is after eating moderately alright. Ugh. I will be HAPPY to do a 1lb/week gain through the rest of pregnancy, but 2lb in one week (following another week of 1+lb gain) is not making me feel good. My OB has a 25-27lb limit for me for this pregnancy, and I just want to keep it under 35lb total. I was on track for this, but with these increased bumps I’m a little worried.
Sleep: Good, now that I’m back in my own bed. Our home renovation evicted us to the guest room for a few days while mudding & painting was going on. The guest bed is great. S and I slept on it for years, but I’ve been spoiled by my sleep number, both in softness as well as size. A pregnant chick needs her space — just sayin’
Gender: Boy. Hopefully this will be confirmed next week and S2 will offer up a money shot for us all
Movement: Possibly feeling “something” as of a few days ago. At least now what I think is movement is in the appropriate area where the baby actually is.
Feeling: Good. I’m in good spirits and nausea only comes around when I’ve stretched out eating a little too long.
What I miss: My energy. I still poop-out by 8-9pm and am asleep well before 10.
What I am looking forward to: Big U/S this week on Friday
Weekly Wisdom: Being pregnant with a tantrumy toddler is not enjoyable. Patience is a lot lower than normal, and I have to stretch myself to keep calm.
Milestones: “almost” half-way baked!!!
Food cravings: Finally some meets. I wanted a burger yesterday. From “In & Out” of all places. Ugh. I ended up with a much healthier deli sandwich.
Fetal development:
Your baby’s sensory development is exploding! His brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that he may be able to hear your voice now, so don’t be shy about reading aloud, talking to His, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on his skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

S and I woke up Sunday morning only to walk downstairs and find a deer in our back yard. While yes, we live in the back of a canyon, and the deer typically graze on our bushes through our fence we have never been privileged to have one invite herself ONTO our property before.

I recall the previous owner of our home warning us to always keep our back gate locked, so the deer don’ t get in. This we have been doing, so I was surprised to see this little lady chowing down in my yard.

So here I am, kind of panicking because I don’t want the deer to freak out following breakfast, and trash around (in my already small yard) and break all our windows (in an attempt to escape).

However, as we both watched the deer through the living room window, she looked up, casually, and decided she was done and walked around the fence and got out. I guess our work-men had opened it after all.

So here is our guest. Ignore the random house parts all over the place. While the work on our house is in progress, our back yard is a mess.

Oh and G? Yeah, he slept through this all.

Huh,

So the results have changed since the last time the integrated screening was done. First off, the screening is performed by the state, which is new (at least to my pregnancy experience) and the results seem a bit different.

I just got a letter with the results from my first, and second trimester blood draws, combined with the NT screen. They are as follows:

– less than 1/100,000 risk of Down Syndrome for my current age, and 1/100,000 risk for my age of egg retrieval.

– less than 1/100,000 risk for Trisomy 18, and 1/100,000 risk for my age of egg retrieval. This is the one that’s been tormenting me the most

– less than 1/10,000 risk for Smith-Lemli-Optiz Syndrome, Chromosome Abnormalities and SCD (Fetal Demise), based on current age

– well below the 2.5 cutoff for neural tube defects, based on current age

So S2 is looking well so far on the gambling wheel of health issues. While this doesn’t promise us 100% that he won’t have these issues, the chances of it are really low and this makes me happy. Dr. M (who got these results even before I did) said that this is as good as she gets to see, so I’m going to live stress free for a bit.

I am actually looking forward to next week’s Big U/S. Having the Bulgarian u/s is actually helping me in that regard, in the sense of things looked good, organ wise 2 weeks ago, and I feel optimistic the diagnosis will be confirmed.

Keep bakin’ kiddo!

How far along: 18 weeks
Weight: 129.9 (and yes, I have eaten terribly and non-stop in the past week)
Sleep: Decent. I spent the week acclimating to PST, and last night was the first I not only slept until 7, but also did not wake up in the middle. I hope this continues.
Gender: Boy! … We think.
Movement: None yet officially
Feeling: Good. Occasional queasiness, but good overall.
What I miss: At this point nothing. I’m a happy clam.
What I am looking forward to: Fetal scan back here in a few weeks.
Food cravings: Vegetables. Especially sweet roasted peppers. Go figure.
Fetal development:
Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and it weighs almost 7 ounces. It’s busy flexing its arms and legs — movements that you’ll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. Its blood vessels are visible through its thin skin, and its ears are now in their final position, although they’re still standing out from the head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around the nerves, a process that will continue for a year after the baby is born.

[while pointing at my shirt] G: Momma, down. Ball!

S: He thinks you have a ball under you shirt.

Me [while straightening the shirt and pointing to the belly]: No, buddy. Baby!

G [continuing to point]: BALL!

S [defensively]: I didn’t teach him that!

Oh yeah, this sure doesn’t give a pregnant woman a complex or anything.

S and I spent our Friday afternoon at the Honda dealership checking out the Honda Pilot. Why? We’re looking for the next car. With my car being nine years old, and S2 on the way, we’re thinking about what’s next.

I’m not thrilled with the idea of owning a giant of a car (Civic and Fit family here), but I’m considering our long term needs and local venue parking restrictions.

The one thing on my ‘must have’ list is a 3rd row. Right now with one carseat in the back, the back row will fit one person comfortably and two if they are very skinny and super friendly. With 2 carseats in the back, we might as well say good-bye to taking on any passengers. This means that whenever we have family/friends come out to visit we are tied to taking 2 cars out, AND we will have to remove the carseats out of the 2nd car to fit everyone in (since I do drop-offs, S pickups, both cars are always ready with baby seating). This idea just sucks. Also depending where we go parking one car is hard, let alone two. Hence third row demand.

Unfortunately, I don’t know any any non-SUV, non-minivan can that fulfill that requirement, so here we are looking at monster mobiles.

Additionally, I’m seeing this vehicle staying with us for a minimum of 7-10 years. We’ll be shuttling the boys and their bikes/friends/sports gear. The extra space will be a real convenience. My sister called this purchase “soccer mommish”, and I’m thinking ‘Yeah? Have you met G?’ (we’re interviewing a soccer class for him today, btw)

I’m struggling with this purchase, however, on 3 fronts:
– size. I just can’t drive a large car. I’m very uncomfortable
– ecological awareness. It’s hard to go from a 32+mpg car to one that gets at best 20mpg.
– cost. 40K for a car! Really? That’s 1/4 of a house purchase in some places!!!

So we’re hunting.

The Pilot was first because we have 3 friends that ultimately purchased this car after doing shopping on their own. S and I like it, but I’m not in love (actually I have 1  gripe about the third row) and ready to plop down money just yet. I want to see what else is out there, but above all I need to face my gripes above.

Also, we’ve talked about just getting another small car (since mine will likely need a pretty costly set of repairs coming up soon due to age/mileage) and renting a big vehicle when we have car-less family/friends in town. We need to look into this more. And make some spreadsheets (duh). We’ve idealized this scenario for car trips in the past and have NEVER done it (we got a car-hitch on my Honda with a trailer instead), so we need to figure out how realistic this will be. And yeah, it will be a 1K/week cash drop for a rental fee, but overall, cheaper than a 40K purchase… I think.

If you have any cars you feel we must check out, holler. We’ll consider Ford, but not other American makes. I’m not sure I’m ready for a minivan, though. That’s a whole separate identity I’m not ready to face.