Adventures with Ryan

I decided to move away from the pregnancy posts and put something here that is about Ryan. As you can see Ryan has made the move to a big boy bed without a pacifier. Yay! The bed was given to us by Adam's cousin who has two kids and is no longer in need of the bed. Ryan loved it from the minute it entered the house. He helped me put the pieces together and move the mattress from his crib to this bed.

The first night he slept in the bed, none of us were sure how things would work. We'd been telling him for months that he was going to get a big boy bed because the crib will then be given to his baby brother or sister. He was really excited when the bed arrived, so we figured the transition wouldn't be horrible, but one never knows with a toddler.

We did our usual bedtime routine and then put Ryan in the bed. He didn't cry. We figured this was a plus. Adam had just gotten home from work that night and needed to get dinner. I stayed to watch from our room. Ryan sat up in bed for a long time just looking around. When I looked a few minutes later I couldn't see him and I was worried he'd made an escape. When Adam came back from the kitchen, he checked on Ryan who was fast asleep in his bed. The photo above is from that very first night. He absolutly loves his big bed.

Another milestone in the big boy world is that we've left pacifier behind for almost a month now. He asked for it a lot the first few nights, just like when we took it away at naptime. Now I don't even think he remembers how attached he was to it.

This weekend, we visited Ryan's godparents again. The guys had planned for a LONG time that they would go to the season opener for the New England Revolution (that's Major League Soccer for those of you wondering). After a small pregnancy drama (more to come in another post) we went up on Friday night. Of course, Ryan looks forward to these visits to see kitty-kitty orange. We all spent most of Saturday together until the guys left for the game and then us girls and Ryan went out for the evening. We took Ryan to a pet store and he LOVED all the animals, especially the turtles and the fish (he calls them shish).

I think we spent an hour looking at turtles and fish. It was great entertainment. He thought the birds were okay and he thought the same about guinea pigs, ferrets and rats. He held on to Kristin for dear life when she showed him geckos, snakes and spiders, but I think those things are creepy, too.

We're looking forward to going to York Wild Animal Kingdom as soon as it opens, which I think is May. We've planned a family day for the zoo and we know he's going to love it. I've warnned Adam that we'll have to spend lots of time at each exhibit, but at least we'll get our money's worth.

In another adventure, Adam brought home a balloon for Ry the other day. He runs around with it in a circle and yells, "GO!" It's really cute. He also attempted to stuff the balloon behind the TV. I tried to explain it wouldn't fit and that it could pop, but he tried anyway. Amazingly the balloon is still around. Speaking of the word "go" Ryan also pretends to race like Mater and McQueen in the movie Cars. He'll say "GO!" and run in a circle and then we have to pretend to be the finish line and say "stop."

I'm happy to report we've had a few nice days, which have resulted in adventures outside. He wanted to go on the swing and in his pool right away. I told him once the snow made a path to the swing we would go. Two days later he led the way as we went for our first time on the swing since last fall. Of course, it hasn't been warm enough for the pool, but he keeps asking. We've made the best of bathtime, though I know it's not the same.

I'm looking forward to more adventures with Ryan outdoors in the coming months.

Longing for a pregnancy like my last

This week’s prenatal visit went a bit more like I expected, though it still wasn’t pleasant. Since Sunday, I’ve been having pain in my nether regions. It’s not the kind of pain I’d get all worked up about, but it’s pain nonetheless. I was going to wait until my appointment today, but Adam was worried and threatened that if I didn’t call the doctor to get reassurance (mostly for him) that he’d call them for me.

The pain started on Sunday in church when Ryan refused to let Adam hold him. I ended up having him in my arms and on my lap for most of the service (in a few months, Ry will be old enough for Sunday School. Until then, he’s stuck with us.). Anyway, I noticed the pain during church. The pain increased as the days went by. It occurred to me that maybe I have a UTI, but I was just going to wait for Thursday’s appointment.

I called my doctor’s MA around noontime and had an appointment for 1 p.m. Basically, there weren’t enough symptoms to diagnose me over the phone so someone needed to take a look just to be safe. It would mean I could cancel my appointment today, which was fine with me.

I have no fever, no vomiting, no nausea, no bleeding. I just have this dull ache in my nether regions that makes me wonder if I have a UTI. Urine sample is collected, OB/GYN is consulted and we’re off for another ultra sound to rule out things like appendicitis, placental abruption and anything that could be wrong with baby. The doc’s best guess is that I’m having some ligament pain, not the round ligament pain associated with earlier pregnancy, but the kind in which something was strained while picking up Ryan. The worst-case scenario is that my uterus is constricting my urethra and I’ll need hospitalization and some fun tubes to open things up. In a what could be a bizarre twist, that cyst that I had earlier in pregnancy may have come back, but that’s not likely.

At this point of the visit it was almost 2 p.m. and Ryan was really tired. We’re moved to another examination room so the OB/GYN in the practice (I use a family doc) can take a look. While in the process of moving, Ryan decides to open the biohazard trashcan. The MA says, “Oh no, Ryan don’t touch that it’s yucky.” My kid is exhausted and has just been told not to do something. Not a good combination, though a needed warning because who knows what’s in those biohazard bins. Anyway, he’s staring at the floor and the MA asks, “is he okay?” And I say, “Yes, he’s just tired and thinks you’re being mean.”

And the kid cried for over an hour! Nothing I did could console him. Nothing the doctors or nurses tried to do could make him happy either. Daddy was called in to help (which I didn’t want to do because he’s having a really busy week at work). I just couldn’t imagine being on the table for another ultra sound with a SCREAMING little boy some how in my arms. I knew if any one in the world could get him to calm down it would be his daddy.

Yet another ultra sound was preformed. Baby is fine. My placenta is fine. I’m not having appendicitis. We’re not sure about my ovaries or my urethra because they weren’t visible. Basically, I get to come home and wait to see if the pain gets worse or if my urine culture shows I have a UTI.

While I realize that some people have way more difficult pregnancies, I’ve hated this one for the constant uncertainty. I often wish it were a pregnancy like the one I had with Ryan. At least I’d know what to expect (seven months of throwing up and four hospital visits for IVs).

It’s hard to remember that God is in control when things seem to always be a bit nutty. As you may imagine, I’m not looking forward to my next prenatal visit next week.

Easter 2008

It was really nice to have a day with family. Adam and I work on Sundays so we haven't had a Sunday together in about a month. It used to be I was the only one and I worked after church, but Adam had to start working on Sundays when his store changed hours. It really stinks, but his job is the big one and we just suck it up for now. Plus, there's always church on Saturday night, though it's not the same.

Anyway, we had a nice Easter. Adam came home from church and took a nap because he had worked in Windham until 10:30 the night before. Ryan refused to take a nap mostly because he wanted to keep playing with his cousin Madison (she only takes half hour naps) and we let him. He ended up staying up until 9:30 last night so I imagine he'll have a really big nap today. I played cards with the rest of the family and had a great time.

By the end of lunch, I was the only one of our three to still have on my Easter clothes. Ryan threw up at lunch. Apparently he doesn't like cranberry sauce, even though he asked for it. He has this horrible habbit of throwing up after ingesting the second bite of something he hates instead of saying he doesn't want anymore. We've learned to deal with it, but it's still frustrating. Adam had already taken off his nice clothes in order to nap. So Easter pictures weren't as lovely as I had wished.

Ryan got more toys than I care to count. Easter was like Christmas almost. I'm just glad he didn't get candy.

And here's a bonus picture of the pregnant lady.

The joys of maternity shopping

Shopping for maternity clothing can be a challenge, especially if you aren't tall and thin. When I was pregnant with Ryan I managed to wear the same size pants for most of my pregnancy. Not so this time. The way this baby has taken up residence in me requires larger waistbands. Anyway, I was on the hunt for pants to go with this really cute shirt I wore the Easter I was prego with Ry.

We went to the mall to the maternity store and tried on just about every pair of pants in the store. Either the waist was perfect and they were tight in the legs or the waist was too big and the leg part was fine. I was rather frustrated, though the clerk was rather helpful in getting me all sizes and all styles of pants. I'm sure she was anxious to make a sale. We were the only ones in the store.

This particular maternity store doesn't have doors on the changing rooms...just curtains. Ryan decided it would be fun to push the stroller in and out of the room through the curtain while I tried on numerous pairs of pants. The clerk was again wonderful in helping keep him occupied and giving him books and other little toys with which he could play.

When I couldn't find a pair of pants (and we'd already looked at other stores) I started trying on dresses. This is when I got a little frustrated with the clerk. Every dress, no matter how much it looked like a muumuu on me was "perfect" or "looks great on you!" I also tried on every dress in the store, even ones she had to get from the back that were new.

I got to the last dress and was surprised that I actually liked it and thought I looked beautifully pregnant in it. We bought it and got the heck out of the mall. I was exhausted. Ryan was bored. I'm glad I have something to wear for Easter and to an April wedding.

But pregnancy shopping is so tough. It's worse than non-pregnancy shopping because the stores are limited. And it's only more furstrating while someone lies to you. I hope I don't have to do any more maternity shopping...ever.

Fun weekend

We had a really fun weekend with our friends Vince and Kris. I'm only sad the weekend had to end and that I am exhausted from all the things that we did together. We'd planned this weekend for over a month and it was well worth it.

We went to Palm Sunday services with them and then to an Easter Egg Hunt for Ryan. He loved the hunt, but hated the bunny, which he called a cat.

He loved their cats and played with them non-stop the entire weekend. I think the cats were happy to see us leave.

And what would this post be without a pregnancy photo? Yes, the belly is HUGE. I am exhausted and already ready for this baby to arrive. Too many more weeks (approx. 12 of them)! There are more photos on facebook for those of you who have that.

Grammy

My best friend's grandmother died this week. I found out through facebook. I know it's kind of a weird way to find out that someone's realtive has died, but I suppose in a world of ever changing technology, it's not that odd.

I'm really sad I'm so far away and can only offer words of comfort rather than actually be there to hug and help. BF had been living with and taking care of her grandmother for quite some time now and I can't imagine how even more difficult that makes the situation.

I have good memories of Grammy. She used to pick us up from school on Fridays when we were let out earlier than the other days of the week. We used to be embarassed to be seen in her car because she drove so. slow. She drove with one foot on the gas and one foot on the brake.

We spent summer days with Grammy teaching us how to crochet. I never quite understood any of it until many years later. Grammy made good food on these days too. I'm sure she always made good food, but these were the only times I was actually with her to find out.

Grammy took a long time to get dressed and often was mismatched. We thought it was funny and would roll around laughing about it later. Grammy was always interested in our lives. It's sad to know she's gone.

It really stinks to be so far away from someone you know could use some extra love, too.

Pretty feet

For Valentine's Day Adam decided to get me a pedicure. We had to figure out how this would work since I'm always with Ryan. He enlisted the help of Ryan's godparents who reccomended he set me up at a place called Not So Plain Janes in Manchester and then they'd watch Ryan for us. We had to set things up for one of Adam's days off that didn't fall on a day when I also worked.

We planned it all out probably a month in advance and set out Tuesday night for Manchester. Ryan was thrilled to see the cats and his godparents, of course. I'd been looking forward to the pedicure and couldn't wait for Wednesday.

After a big breakfast we all set out and had pastries at Lala's Pastry shop in Manchester and then I was escorted to my pedicure appointment. The place was wonderful. The room was in a private part of the salon/spa and the treatement was wonderful. I felt like a queen. My feet also feel wonderful and look pretty! After all the loving my feet recieved I was taken to a relaxation room to wait for Adam to pick me up. It was delightful.

Then we had a late lunch/early dinner at Rovers, which serves Irish pub food. If you know anything about the husband you will know he has to order buffalo wings with every meal we eat out. The menu had five options so we ordered jerk wings and Vin and Kris ordered spicy teriyaki wings. Both we delicious, for which I am really thankful. My dinner of Finn's Stirfry was not so good, but I was too full from the salad and wings to really care.

We ended the evening with Ryan getting a chance to play more with the cats. I had photos, but seem to have left my camera in Manchester. It's okay since we're going back for Palm Sunday and an Easter egg hunt for Ryan.

Big Baby = Girl?

I thought my six-month-check-up would be quick and pretty straight forward. What was I thinking? I mean nothing about this pregnancy has been "normal" and it seems like every visit lands me for another test or ultrasound. Why would this month be any different?

Let's start with weight gain. Apparently you can attempt to eat healthy and watch what you put in to the body and discover you've put on five pounds in one month and that you almost weigh what you did when you had your last baby. My doctor's office has this HUGE scale they weigh everyone on and I call it the cow scale. I hate the cow scale and generally don't look, but for some reason I looked this week and was shocked by the numbers on the little digital screen.

Needless to say, we had that talk. The one where the doc says weight gain has a direct correlation to the size of baby. I'm not fully on board with this tought simply because two my my friends both had a 60 pound weight gain for their pregnancies. One delivered a six pounder and the other a 10 pounder.

I agreed that my weight gain was more than I wanted it to be. I know I can't lose weight while pregnant and that we'll just be careful. And she slipped in that my GD test was a close pass and I may have to take that one again. I jokingly said I would as long as I get to drink the orange drink this time.

We moved on to the heartbeat. Ryan thought that was pretty cool.

Lastly, we did the fundal height measurement. I was measuring two to three weeks ahead. While I think they have my due date off by a week (based on my careful calculations) I don't think I'm almost a month ahead. Of course, this is what sent me to the hospital a few hours later with Adam and Ryan in tow for yet another ultrasound. I've lost count of how many I've had this pregnancy.

Baby is cute, but apparently big, weighing in at 2.2 pounds putting baby in the 71st percentile. That puts me a week ahead of my due date, according to the tech. Of course, the tech couldn't tell us anything else. Someone else gets to read her report and tell our doctor whatever it is that needs telling. I have photos on a CD this time, but have no idea how to export them. I wish I could. At one point baby had its eyes open and Adam, the lover of all things eyes, was glad to see baby has a developed iris and pupil. =-)

Anyway, it seems like all my friends who have had or are having girls have measured large in terms of fundal height. Does that mean this baby will be a girl? The jury's still out.

Random

Here are a few random things that don't quite make up an entire post.

* I had my blood glucose test on Friday. Instead of the orange soda like stuff I had the one that was supposed to taste like Sprite, but just tasted like artificial sweetener. I’ll know the results this coming week when I go for my six-month check-up.

* Friends of my mother-in-law gave us a double stroller. Yay for double stroller!

* My mum sent a book with lots of activities for Ryan and I to try. There was a new toy for Easter in the package, too.

* I like my job, but I hate it when people get mad at me for things I cannot control. This week, a lady had her check denied. Usually most people just pay with a credit card. She said her check shouldn’t be denied because there was money in the bank (like we haven’t heard that before). I explained that there was a check that bounced for $35 at our store and I couldn’t take her check. She got upset and dug herself into a deeper hole when she said the check wasn’t her check, it was her husband’s (it was one of those starters with nothing at the top). I explained that the check had to be her own check that meant I definitely could not take the check. She wanted to know what she should do with her stuff and I explained I could suspend the transaction for a few hours and she’d be able to come back to our service desk and pay for her items with another form of tender. She stormed off. Came back an hour later demanding to know where the items she intended to purchase were. And did I mention the guy behind her wanted to know what was taking so long. And the person behind them handed me wet money. And a few customers after that a lady hands me money that looks like someone crumpled it and tossed it into the trash. Come on people!

* My day off was approved for Palm Sunday. We’re going to visit Ryan’s Godparents in Manchester. We rarely get to see them and we're really looking forward to this opportunity. A few days before that Adam’s taking me to get a pedicure, manicure and foot massage. This is my Valentine’s Day gift. We just had to plan for the right day (he’s been working a lot).

* I finished my Michael Connelly book in two naptimes. I’m now reading two books… “Nineteen Minutes” by Jodi Picoult and “Odd Thomas” by Dean Koontz… only because Adam said “Odd Thomas” is really good and we have to return it to the library soon.

* Facebook is fun because I can post videos of Ryan for my parents and others to see.

* I’m hungry. I’ll go look for a snack.