Monday, November 23, 2009

Introducing.....

Our little angel-boy. Seriously, he has not been a lick of trouble. From his birth until now, a week later. The only time he cries is when he is VERY hungry, and I can usually catch him before it gets to that point. He whines a little bit when you get him naked, but I'm sure that'll change... if he's anything like his father. He sleeps all the time, except for 1-1.5hrs in the evening. And he is a good eater! I am counting my blessings with this guy!

Sidenote: whether it's the bf-ing, or the fact that my stomach is not squished anymore, but suddenly am hungry ALL THE TIME. This does not bode well for a holiday season that is just starting...

Monday, November 9, 2009

Homemade Caramel Apple Dip


My new obsession: Homemade "Caramel" Apple Dip.
Disclaimer: It doesn't taste exactly like caramel, but it is yummy, none-the-less.

8 oz cream cheese (B doesn't seem to like this stuff, so I make it with fat-free.)
1 c brown sugar
2 t vanilla extract

Mix together until creamy.
Allow to come to room temperature, so that the sugar will fully dissolve.
Cut up an apple and dip repeatedly.
Store in the refrigerator.

I just thought I'd share, it's just that good! :)

Friday, November 6, 2009

36 weeks

We had a Bito doctor appt on Thursday morning! Some Highlights from the appointment!

  • He's head down (I could've told her that- he's been that way for ~3wks now- his kick placement changed from my bladder to my ribs!)
  • His heartbeat in the 130's (he's always slower in the mornings unless I drink oj- which maybe that means he'll be a slow-waker-upper like B and I!) :)
  • The super exciting news: we're already dilated 1-2 cm!!! Like my cousin said (she's a labor and delivery nurse) "The more work you do now, the less you'll have to do later." To which I reply, "AMEN, Sister!"
  • And in other news: I had a little protien and white blood cells in my urine sample this morning, so I had to have a urinalysis done to look for preeclampsia. But, no swelling in the hands/feet, and my blood pressure is 120/78 which is in the "good" and "normal" range, but is still a little high for me (I'm usually 110/60 to 65) I'm not worried at all- the same thing happened around 37 weeks with B (although my feet were swelling last June/July!) and it turned out to be nothing.
  • I'm officially not supposed to travel anywhere that will take over an hour to get the hospital. So, no cross country trip for me this next month!

I guess it's time to start packing a hospital bag, or at least make a list of what to pack in the hospital bag! Also on the To Do List: preregister at the hospital. I know my ob has those forms at her office, I just have to remember to ask for them next week!

The bassinet has been washed/assembled, a few loads of baby boy laundry have been done. I know he needs to "bake" for at least a week longer to be officially full term, but anytime after
that I am READY!!! Can you tell I haven't been sleeping well this past week?!?! It's not going to take too much longer before it gets to, "I'd rather have a newborn than be pregnant any longer!" :)




Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Failure

"Failure to Thrive." Wow, that label (given to Miss B by the medical community for only weighing 19lbs 1 oz,) makes me feel like a Failure as a Mom. As a SAHM, there are many things in my job description, but the #1 thing is to take care of my kids.

*sigh* The real problem is that B is in the 75th percentile for her height, but has dropped off the bottom of the chart for weight. If she were short and light, then they'd just call her a petite girl, but she's tall and light, giving her a BMI of 13.5, and that is the crux of the matter.

Three- make that Four- things could be contributors.
#1 Still no teeth. She does well gumming everything, but it limits her in what she can eat. When things are hard or too chewy, she gets frustrated and just stops eating (I've really noticed this in the past week.)
#2 She's been walking.... no, running since she was 10 months old. She's already got her Toddler Body, which the charts don't take into consideration.
#3 The girl never stops. Unless she's sleeping she's in motion- even when El-bo (Elmo) is on tv.
#4 She's never been a great eater. When nursing she had a five minute time limit, and she was done. Not that I minded that much back then- it kept me from feeling excluded, even when I needed to seclude us for breastfeeding- we were never gone that long.
I forgot! #5- Her uncle (on the Hubby's side) was a skinny freakazoid when he was younger, so that gives her "family history" of being skinny-minis.

We have some recommendations for increasing her caloric intake (adding powdered milk to everything, french toast instead of regular toast for breakfast, adding butter to all her veggies, etc.) Thank goodness for an aunt who is a dietician!

I'm trying hard not to blame myself. I've always taken the "what you eat, is what you eat" approach. (As has been recommended to me by the lactation consultant, the pediatrician, and others from the beginning.) I can't force food down her throat, and I can't be happy/upset when she eats a lot/a little. And I don't want her to only like deep fried, sugary, fatty foods. I want her to like fresh veggies and fruits. But, for a while you can bet that everything that she DOES eat, is going to have some additive in order to increase the caloric intake!