Guess what came in the mail today for Jack?
Yep – his New Zealand passport. Dual citizenship is definitely worth all of the paperwork, and I must say that his NZ passport is a lot more high-tech in appearance than US passports!
I’m waiting to hear back from the US Consulate here in Auckland regarding bumping up our appointment. Here’s hoping that we’re able to get something earlier than what we’ve got at the moment.
In case you’re wondering, I’m only planning to do the weekly updates for the first 4 weeks of Jack’s life. I did a similar thing with Joe and want to keep up the tradition.
Yes, Jack is 3 weeks old today. Time has zoomed by.
Here’s how things are going since his 2 week update…
General Health
We had another midwife visit on Tuesday of this week. At that point, Jack weighed in at 4280 grams (just under 9 pounds, 7 ounces). All told, he’s gained 670 grams since birth (just over 1 pound, 7 1/2 ounces). He is less jaundiced and eating lots.
Sleep
Jack continues to take a nap of sorts in the morning and again in the afternoon, with fewer and fewer cat naps in between. He normally eats a lot in the evening, falling asleep between 8 – 9pm, waking up a bit during his nappy change and eating some more, and then either waking again around midnight or, if I’m lucky, around 2am.
Jack has had a lot of gas and “bowel issues” this week. His digestive system is still developing and he’s working out the kinks, so to speak. Unfortunately, most of these “kinks” need working out during the night, or so it would seem. When he does wake around midnight, I’ve found that this is usually more for comfort nursing to help him have a poo than because he’s hungry. He’s usually only up for a little bit and then goes back to sleep, whereas when he wakes around 2am it’s usually because he’s h-u-n-g-r-y. There was one night this week where he was up quite frequently and was pretty uncomfortable.
Nursing
Getting better each day.
General Activity
Jack is becoming more alert and opening his eyes more often. He becomes especially alert in the evenings. This is nice, because it allows Chris to see him with his eyes open and awake.
Jack has really taken to using his pacifier. I used to be nervous about letting people know that our boys used a pacifier, but now I don’t care. In the past, some people were critical about the fact that Joe used one (my last midwife, in particular). I had strangers comment on it in public, too (once, a saleswoman at Smith + Caughey’s reached over and tried to take it away from him, but Joe wasn’t having any of that!). Now, I don’t care what someone thinks. I won’t say that it doesn’t bother me if someone criticizes me about it, but I’m not influenced or worried the way that I was with Joe. Yes, Joe used a pacifier. Now, he has one at nap-time and one when he goes to bed in the evening. I’m pretty sure that if we said, “No more pacifiers” he’d fuss, but get over it quite quickly. He’s almost 2 years old and I think that once we’re settled in Williamsburg, we’ll take it away. We haven’t had any issues with him taking the pacifier from Jack, which was a bit of a worry for me.
Milestones
Jack is opening his eyes more and lifting/turning his head more often. He also loves taking a bath. Honestly, the biggest milestone for me has been him using his pacifier and sleeping longer during the night.
Jack and Joe
The boys continue to get along well. Joe loves to give hugs to Jack and will “help” with burping. Joe is such a good helper and almost always in a cheerful mood. He will help bounce Jack in his bouncy seat, though I continue to have to keep an eye on him to make sure that he doesn’t bounce him too hard. Joe is fascinated with Jack’s tiny fingers and toes and, if I find it’s a bit quiet, I can usually look up from whatever I’m doing (dishes, vacuuming, cooking) and see that Joe is playing with Jack’s feet 
Postpartum Fitness and Health
This week has been a bit rough. Some people have remarked on how I seem to have it so “together” and am doing so well postpartum. Today was a week to disprove all of that! There were 3 days in particular that were difficult, most of which usually came after little sleep where I woke up to find the apartment a mess. There are few things quite so depressing as getting up in the morning and seeing a sink full of dishes. I have been trying to stay on top of the housework and am so thankful for a husband who is willing to help in that regard but, sometimes, we’re both exhausted at the end of the day. Our dishwasher is pretty small so there are times when even after filling it and setting it to wash, there is still a sink-full of dishes waiting to be tackled.
So, I’ve felt a little low this week. I’ve lost my temper a few times, cried a few times, felt overwhelmed a few times, and wanted to shut myself up in the bedroom a few times and tell everyone to go away a few times. I stayed home from church on Mother’s Day for just that reason. I didn’t feel like going out and having so many (well-meaning) people ask me how I was doing.
I’ve felt a lot of guilt and pressure about how I’m interacting with Joe. With the rainy weather and and a newborn, the options are limited. I’ve made homemade playdough which has now disintegrated from overuse. We’ve done puzzles. We’ve read books. We’ve sang songs. We’ve made upteen batches of muffins and cookies where Joe has helped to stir and “smush” the ingredients. But sometimes, Joe watches a movie and I can hear various voices in my head telling me that this is bad, that I’m increasing his likelihood of developing ADHD, that I should be breastfeeding Jack while simultaneously entertaining Joe. Or simultaneously helping Joe eat his lunch. Or simultaneously helping Joe go to the bathroom.
I’ve done all of those “simultaneous” things (helping him go to the bathroom while breastfeeding is a real trick, let me tell you) but sometimes, I’ve had enough and need to just sit on the couch, nurse Jack, and tell Joe to go entertain himself for a few minutes.
I need to re-read the “Love and Logic” parenting book because I want to make sure that I’m encouraging Joe to be creative and to develop his imagination by entertaining himself rather than relying on TV, but I also don’t want to ignore him or resort to yelling when I get frustrated. Joe has had a bit more time in his cot these days because of whining and not listening. I’m sure that part of this is the normal boundary-testing of a nearly two year old, but I’m also sure that some of it stems from boredom and finding that his mother is now not as available as she used to be. Sigh. There have been a few mornings where I wake up and instantly have Lamentations 3:22-23 running through my mind, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness”. Parenting is not for the faint of heart.
I’ve talked to Chris about it and we both agreed that it’s OK to tell Joe that he needs to entertain himself and that putting him in his cot because of not listening is a far better alternative to yelling at him, even if it does make it seem like he’s in the cot a lot. So this morning, I walked Joe to his room and told him that he needed to play with his toys in there, then partially shut the door while I nursed Jack. I could still see and hear Joe, but it was a way to encourage him to entertain himself. I also told him that he needed to read a book to himself and gave him the choice of reading the book in his hand (that he was wanting me to read at that moment) or choosing a different book but that, again, he needed to read it to himself or read it to me. I’ve also tried to word things so that I’m not “blaming” Jack or making it sound like I’m only focused on Jack’s needs (i.e., “I can’t help you because Jack needs to be nursed” or “Jack needs to be burped”). Instead, I say things like, “My hands are full at the moment” or “I’ll be happy to help you in a minute or two, but I’m breastfeeding at the moment”.
So this week, exercise and physical fitness weren’t much of a focus. I gained a pound. It would have been nice to have some good news on the scale, but I’m not going to fuss about it. My weight fluctuated a lot during the first few weeks with Joe, too, and I figured it would be the same way with Jack.
Other Odds and Ends
I’ve started the process of listing a few of our things on TradeMe. Oh, TradeMe – I’ve written before about my love/loathe relationship with that website. There are a lot of things that I’m listing for only $1 and if people quibble with me not giving enough details, I can just say, “Look – I’m selling it for $1 - it’s not worth getting out the measuring tape over.” Mostly I’ve just started listing DVDs. I’m thinking that when it’s time to get rid of the bigger stuff, I’ll have a “Come Raid Our House” party. Order some pizza. Buy some drinks. Send out e-vites. And let people haggle amongst themselves about what they want. That way we don’t have to worry about finding a way to get it from here to a charity shop. Whatever is leftover can go to the Auckland City Mission or on Freecycle.org.
We have been enjoying some of the beautiful late-autumn weather here in New Zealand.
We were checking out the Winter Gardens in Auckland Domain.
Joe was having so much fun looking at the goldfish in the pond between the greenhouses. I was a bit worried that he might decide to go for a swim, i.e., fall in, but another little boy beat him to it! I had just finished this photo when we heard a big “splash!” and turned around to see a boy of about 3 years old being fished out of the pond by his dad and an onlooker. The dad was not impressed, but then again, neither was the little boy Thankfully Joe did not take a page out of his book, and we all kept our feet on dry land.
Walking towards the hot house
Observing more goldfish
I love this boy!
If there are steps, then Joe must climb them
Mom and boys
I’m glad that the weather has been so nice. I’ve been able to walk off some of the baked goods that everyone keeps bringing over to congratulate us with Seriously, we are inundated with cookies and muffins and brownies. Because as my friend Kelli says, you don’t want to lose the pregnancy weight too soon!
Jack is 14 days old today!
Here’s how things have been going since his 1 week update…
General Health
Jack now weighs 3.9kgs, or about 8lbs, 9 1/2 ounces. He lost a bit of weight by his 1 week check but he’s since gained it back, plus more. All told, he’s put on roughly 10 ounces since birth. Not bad, little man!
His jaundice is improving and the bilirubin levels weren’t high enough to warrant a phone call from my midwife, so we’re continuing with our sun therapy + lots of breastfeeding.
Sleep
Jack is taking a morning and afternoon nap of sorts. He cat-naps throughout the day but generally speaking he has one long, uninterrupted sleep in the morning for about 2 hours, then wakes up to nurse-nurse-nurse, then sleeps again in the afternoon for another 2 – 3 hours.
Once evening rolls around, Jack will nurse a lot around our dinner time and up till about 8pm, then nap for an hour or two, nurse again around 10pm for another hour or so, and then sleep for 3 1/2 – 4 hours before waking up to eat some more. When he does wake in the middle of the night, it’s usually to nurse for an hour, hour and a half. After that middle-of-the-night nursing session, he’ll sleep for another hour, hour and a half before waking.
Jack has been doing a lot of the grunty newborn routine. Translation – he’s having a little difficulty passing wind/gas and poos. When he wakes up that hour, hour and a half after his middle-of-the-night nursing session, it’s usually to pass gas or have a poo. He struggles with it and so needs to be held, rocked, or even nursed to help him relax. These last 2 nights, I’ve let Chris get up with him when he wakes so soon after a big nursing session, and both times Chris has said that within about 10 minutes of holding him, Jack has a big poo and then goes back to sleep. So rather than me waking up to nurse him again, we’re going to keep trying with Chris cuddling with him and see if that continues to do the trick. I don’t mind nursing him but for the second feeding, he usually would nurse for a grand total of 60 seconds, go poo, and then go back to sleep, even sleeping through the nappy change. I would try to nurse him some more thinking, “OK, lets make the most of us getting up and being awake”, but Jack would only nibble a bit. As I said, I don’t mind nursing him but if that’s all he’s going to do, then I think it’s more worthwhile for me to sleep and be better rested to take care of him and Joe in the morning.
Nursing
So, how is nursing going at the 2 week mark? Much better than it was when I was nursing Joe. I don’t have the anxiety about Jack waking up and needing to eat that I did with Joe. With Joe, he would start to grizzle and my adrenaline would shoot through the roof. I’d be instantly awake and just lay there, thinking, “Oh no – he’s going to want to eat again!” It was that painful.
This time around, however, it doesn’t bother me so much when Jack wakes in the night and wants to nurse. It’s still a little sore but nothing like with Joe. I’m very thankful for that. I’ve even been able to stop using the lanolin cream and the skin is still intact.
General Activity
Jack is getting more alert with every passing day. He’ll follow us around with his whole head turning in our direction when he hears our voices.
We’ve been on several walks, a few bus rides, and even made it to church on Sunday. I was happy that not once, but twice this week I got both boys and myself out the door by 9:30am. We are all fully dressed, teeth brushed, shoes in place, hair and make-up done (for me, not the boys!) and even remembered snacks and drinks.
Me, Jack (in baby carrier), and Joe (in stroller) on our way to Ponsonby Library
Gorgeous weather – so thankful for sunny days without rain now that winter has arrived
Auckland Harbour Bridge waaaaay in the background
Milestones
Jack’s umbilical cord fell off this past week. We also received his NZ birth certificate in the mail on Saturday, today (I’m posting a day late). And on the NZ birth certificate in black and white? “New Zealand Citizen by Birth: Yes” – reading that gave me a little chill. We weren’t able to get NZ citizenship for Joe and when it came time to either renew our 2 year visas or apply for residency, we debated. Should we apply for residency even though (a) I wasn’t pregnant at that time and (b) we were likely moving back to the USA?
We decided to go ahead with it, even knowing that it would mean that 1 child had dual citizenship while the other didn’t. I wondered if Joe would feel left out, but then I said to Chris that I hope that our children want the best for one another and that Joe wouldn’t be resentful of Jack for taking advantage of this opportunity, but would rather feel sad if he knew that we could have gotten Jack dual citizenship but didn’t for his sake. If Joe wants to purse moving to and living in New Zealand or some other country once he is older, we will most certainly support him in that in any way that we can.
Jack and Joe
These two are growing a little bit closer every day, though I’m not sure that Jack is aware of it! Joe loves to hold Jack and will ask, “Hold Jack? Kiss Jack?” Whenever Joe leaves with his daddy for a trip to the park or a walk or what have you, Joe will always say, “Bye Momma, bye Jack!” It’s so sweet. Joe will also rock Jack in his bouncinette seat, though I have to remind him to be gentle and to not bounce Jack too hard.
Postpartum Fitness and Health
I’m still at 7 1/2 pounds to lose before being back to my pregnancy weight, so no loss but, then again, no gain!
I have kept up with doing squats and planks in the house and was able to do some stairs this week (our apartment is on the 10th floor of our building), but my exercising is limited both by Jack and Joe. My sister-in-law, Lynette, has sent me a PDF of a book that she’s been working on. The book contains all sorts of postpartum “Mommy and Me” exercises, complete with full descriptions and photos. Lynette taught classes for new mothers out of one of the hospitals in Wisconsin for several years and I’m grateful to her for sharing this information with me. I printed it out and have had the opportunity to do a few of them this week and then went through almost all of them today. They’re nice, because not only can I do all of them with Jack but there are several that I can do while holding Joe, and Joe of course loves to try to do them with me.
Still, I know that any real change won’t come about until I’m able to do some more intense exercising, which likely won’t be until we’re back stateside and I’m able to enroll in a gym.
Other Odds and Ends
I’m going to admit it – I’m worried. I know that I shouldn’t worry (Matthew 6: 28 – 34) but I am concerned about getting all of our paperwork together in time for our departure on the 18th of June.
We had an appointment for the US Consulate on May 9th and everything was going smoothly – we had Jack’s passport photos and all of his paperwork was completed, we had our necessary original documents (US passports for Chris and I, our birth certificates, our marriage certificate, etc.). I saw that the NZ Births, Marriages, and Deaths office had charged us for Jack’s NZ birth certificate so I knew that it was on the way, it just needed to arrive in time for the appointment and all would be well. Based on when I thought that the registration and application had been sent, it should have arrived in time.
Except, Chris and I had a miscommunication about when it was sent :-/ I thought it was mailed on a Friday, so I was basing all of my time-frames on that. Turns out it didn’t get mailed until Wednesday the following week. Unfortunate, because the birth certificate didn’t arrive until Saturday… 2 days after our US Consulate appointment. By then, the next available open appointment wasn’t till the 10th of June… 6 business days before our departure from New Zealand.
I’ve been told that it only takes a week to get your US passport here in NZ. I can’t recall how long it took when we got Joe’s. Still, 6 days is pushing it. So, if you think about it and you’re the praying type, please pray that we can get an earlier appointment. If nothing opens up by the end of May, I plan on calling the US Consulate and explaining our situation. I may call sooner. We’ll see.
In the meantime, we’ve sent off the application for his NZ passport. We were waiting to send this until after the US Consulate appointment because our original marriage certificate is required for both passports. The thought was “Do the US appointment, show them the original documents, then mail in the certificate when we apply for his NZ passport”. When we had to cancel the appointment, we sent his NZ passport application and the marriage certificate via overnight mail down to Wellington. Supposedly it only takes 10 business days to get the NZ passport, perhaps less, so even if an appointment opens up at the US Consulate I won’t be able to take one that’s any earlier than the 27th or the 28th of May.
The thing that really kills me in all of this? We had an appointment for the 30th of May but when I saw the appointment open up for this past Thursday, I thought it would be great to get it sorted sooner and so cancelled the later appointment for the earlier one, only to have cancel the earlier one and get one even later the appointment we had originally.
So, I’m trying not to worry but only succeeding for some of the time.
Another thing – this one is a good thing – we have been so blessed by our friends here in New Zealand. My friend Brooke organised a meal roster for us through MealBaby.com and the meals started last week. At first, I felt a bit guilty having people bring us meals and thought that it wasn’t really necessary. They started a week after Jack’s due date because I had enough food in the fridge and freezer and ready-made meals on standby that we didn’t need them until then. We had done pretty well that first week so I thought that the 2nd week and the weeks thereafter would be even easier.
Ha! This second week has been harder than the first, emotionally speaking. I’ve also been a bit more tired and felt like the lack of sleep is catching up with me. I have definitely appreciated those meals, even more than I would have the first week after Jack’s birth. We are so thankful for our friends, many of whom I’ve met through this blog and through our church. If you know a pregnant woman and are wondering what you can do for her, then take my suggestion: bring her a meal! Organize a meal sign-up for her! Even if it’s just a gift certificate for food delivery, trust me – she will appreciate it more than you know.
Well, I’ve done it – I’ve resigned from the Emergency Room. It’s a strange thing to be officially unemployed again. The last time I was in this position was when we moved to New Zealand, and back then it was only for about 6 weeks before I was working once more.
This time around, it’s looking to be more like 6 months. Or longer. Things will be pretty busy when we first arrive in Virginia: buying a house, buying a car, re-acclimating ourselves to life in the United States (I hear that reverse culture shock can be a headache), and Chris will be starting his new job. With all of that, plus an in-law family reunion thrown in along with visits to my side of the family, it doesn’t make sense for me to jump into working outside the home right off the bat.
You know, it’s funny – when I first was hired into the ER some 4 years ago, I was sure that it would be a 1 year thing. I’d work there, get some great experience, and then do something else. However, after 6 weeks of working there, I was hooked. I have loved working in the ER and it’ll be strange to not go in, even if I was only working once a week or every two weeks.
We’ll see what the future brings. I’m open to working outside the ER. Who knows – I may find that there’s another area of nursing that I enjoy just as much, if not more! But for a long while now, being a nurse, more specifically, being an ER nurse, has been a large part of my identity. I’ve had time to get used to the role of stay-at-home-mom thanks to working on a PRN basis, but this next phase will still take some adjustment. I just hope that I won’t be too rusty when I do return to work down the road!
My baby Jack is 7 days old today!
Here’s how things have been going…
General Health
We’ve had 2 home visits from the midwife. The first was the 48 hour post-discharge check, the second was Jack’s 1 week check-up. She’ll continue to visit once per week till he is 6 weeks old, at which point he’ll be referred on to Plunket. Plunket nurses do 2 (or is it 3…?) home visits before having you come into the clinic.
At 1 week, Jack had lost 70 grams since his birth weight check, bringing him down from 3.61 kgs (7 lbs, 15 oz) to 3.54 kgs (just under 7 lbs, 13 oz). This is fine. They only get worried if babies lose more than 10% of their birth weight, and that’s clearly not the case with Jack. He is a tiny bit jaundiced. Nothing to run to the doctor about but enough that my midwife requested a bilirubin level. So, our second errand of Jack’s life was a trip to the lab (the first was a visit to the library). It used to be the case that phlebotomists would come to the home of a new baby during that first week of their life if any tests were required, but that has changed to only in cases where the mother is bed bound or disabled or recovering from a c-section. As my midwife put it, “It’s as though they’re punishing women for having had a healthy birth!” I felt like saying, “Welcome to America!” I’m still bowled over by the fact that midwives do home visits for the first 6 weeks.
Anyhoo, the jaundice is receding. Jack has spent a fair chunk of each day parked in front of the window, like this:
My little tan baby!
Sleep
Ah, sleep. Jack sleeps a good chunk during the day but wakes up often enough to eat, and eat, and eat. The first few nights were up and down, up and down, up and down ad nauseaum. This has leveled off somewhat, partially because of the jaundice, I’m guessing. The last 2 nights saw Jack going for a 4+ hour stretch without nursing. I was awakened by him making little mouse noises and guppy lips. I looked at the clock, saw it had been 4 hours, and decided he needed to eat. He nursed a little bit, then went to sleep, then was up again 45 minutes later for a more robust nursing, then back to sleep, then up again an hour later for more nursing. So you see, even if he does go a 4 hour stretch, he makes up for it in the end.
He cluster nurses during the day. He does a lot in the morning and then a lot in the afternoon stretching into evening. He’s not to the level Joe was at, though. Once Joe hit six weeks, he would nurse for what seemed like 5 or 6 hours straight. I’m guessing Jack will hit the 6 week growth spurt as well and take off with nursing.
Nursing
So, how is nursing going? It’s going alright. I decided to stay longer at Birthcare for two reasons (1) because I knew that once I got home it would be full-on with a newborn and toddler and I wanted a little extra time with just me and Jack, and (2) I wanted to make sure that I had a good start with breastfeeding. I’m glad to say that things got off on the right foot. Every time Jack wanted to nurse, I buzzed the staff midwife to observe and help get things sorted. I really appreciated their insight and help. When it was time for me to leave, I kind of felt like saying, “Wait – I want to stay longer!” I think that I could have stayed for up to 3 nights at no charge (I stayed 2 nights). Chris was more than supportive and told me to stay if I needed it, but I missed him and Joe. It was time to go home.
Back to nursing – I’m still a little sore, but we’re getting there. It’s nothing near the level of what it was like with Joe, which is a big answer to prayer. I’ve been using lanolin cream like there’s no tomorrow, and that seems to have made a difference, too. Thankfully, no signs of gastric reflux or colic… yet!
General Activity
Jack’s main activities are nursing and SLEEPING. The boy loves to sleep. He loves to be cuddled and carted around in the mei-tai carrier, but he’s also happy to sit in his bouncinette seat.
Milestones
Jack is opening his eyes more and more with each passing day. He’s taking in the world around him and observing. He turns his head at noises and makes the cutest squeaks. The remainder of his umblical cord fell off on Tuesday (5 days old). He had his first bath on Monday evening and a second bath tonight (Friday evening). He wasn’t too keen on that first bath (in the kitchen sink!) but really loved his second bath (in the tub on a mesh bath lounger).
Another big “first”? Jack has already had his passport photo taken! We did it today and the photographer said that it was a new record. The earliest he’d ever done was a 3 week old, but I think that Joe did pretty well, all things considered.
Here’s his US passport photo . The actual photo is much crisper than this – this is just a photo of the photo that I took using my phone. He also has a photo for his NZ passport. We just happened to be walking by the photo studio and Jack was in his quiet-alert phase, so I thought we’d give it a try. It did require Chris making elephant noises and bouncing Jack a few times. That plus a quick photographer did the trick. It was a nice little answer to prayer that we were able to get it sorted so soon and so easily. Hopefully the rest of the paperwork processing will go as well.
Jack and Joe
Joe has definitely connected with Jack. When I was pregnant, Joe would give “baby kisses” to my tummy. Once Jack was born, Joe seemed to understand our explanation about the baby in mommy’s tummy now being here, and his name was Jack.
The first time Joe saw Jack was in Birthcare. Chris wheeled Joe into the room in the stroller and Joe got down, went to the foot of the bed, and just stared at Jack, who was lying in the bedside bassinet, for about 45 seconds. He was so focused! Then, he wanted to go play with the toys in the lounge Since then, Joe will routinely ask, “Jack? Jack?” whenever he’s out. When he wakes up in the morning, he’ll say, “Jack!” He gives Jack cuddles and kisses on a regular basis and will come running to me, saying “crying!” if Jack starts to fuss. I was getting Joe up from his nap this afternoon and had Jack with me. I placed Jack in the cot, lying on his side, facing Joe while I got myself sorted (I’d just finished nursing). Joe reached over and Jack curled his little fingers around Joe’s hand. Joe said, “Jack!” and then leaned over to give him a hug. Melt my heart!
Postpartum Fitness and Health
I’ve been doing OK. I’ve had a few hormonal moments. One such was when Chris was putting Joe to sleep and it dawned on me how BIG Joe seemed to have gotten overnight. I suddenly realized that it was no longer going to be just me and Joe during the day, and I missed that. I’m thrilled that Jack is here and our lives are enriched by him already, but it’s still a change. I’ve gotten frustrated and short with Chris and Joe more often than I would care to admit, but am learning to take a step back, pray for patience when I need it (which seems to be constantly!) and to let Chris take over rather than trying to do everything myself.
I will say that all of the working out while pregnant has paid off. I worked out right up till Jack was born. The day before he arrived, I planned to go the gym but had to make other plans because of ANZAC Day. So, Joe and I walked the loop at Victoria Park and walked to Chris’ office, then took the long, hilly way home. I was also doing the stairs in our apartment (10 flights) twice a day about every other day for those last 2 weeks. Joe got so used to seeing me do squats in the apartment that he started to do them with me and will now say, “Skawts?” and want me to do them with him again. He’s been my little personal trainer and thinks it’s hilarious to sit on my back when I’m in the middle of a plank 
Anyway, yes, the exercise seems to have paid off. I’ve felt less aches and pains, have had more energy, seemed to have a more rapid, easier delivery, and have felt up to exercising again already (though I haven’t done anything aside from “skawts” with Joe, a few planks, and some walks with Jack in the carrier and Joe in the stroller). Again, part of this is likely due to the fact that it’s a second pregnancy. Part of it is also likely due to the fact that my iron levels were so much higher this time around (and all it took was me taking 3 different supplements every day!). I stepped on the scale for the first time today and I’ve got 7 1/2 pounds to lose to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I’m OK with that number, though I expect it to fluctuate. There are way too many baked goods in this house!
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So, overall we’re doing well. We’re adjusting. I’m sure that there will be more bumps in the road and learning periods. I’m sure that I’ll have more hormonal moments, more losses of patience, more sharper-than-I-intended replies. But there will also be more hugs, more kisses, more cuddles, and more joy, all of which comes from gaining a new member of our family. We are so blessed and thankful, and I for one haven’t a clue why, but I’m grateful all the same. God is gracious, God is good
Introducing the newest edition: Jack Tobias Tucker
Jack was born on the 26th of April at 7:30 in the morning – he was 38 weeks on the nose!
I started to feel a bit uncomfortable around 9:30pm the night before. I tried to go to sleep but kept getting up. Finally, around 11:30pm, I made myself a cup of herbal tea and decided that I was either in labor – in which case I needed to relax and try to get some sleep – or was having more Braxton-Hicks contractions – in which case I needed to relax and try to get some sleep!
Sleep kept evading me, though I did try. It was around 2:30am that I decided, “OK – this is the real thing. We’re going to meet this baby today!”
I woke Chris up around 5:15am. He said that he’d noticed I was up and kept wondering, “What is she doing? Why does she have a light on out there?” but apparently never woke up enough to realize I might be in labor. I was fine with that. I prefer to deal with pain on my own, so I didn’t want Chris hovering around me. I kept telling myself that I could wait just a bit longer before waking him, and thought that maybe I could go a few more hours before needing to head into Birthcare.
We woke up Joe at 6am and called my friend to pick him up. She arrived just a short while later and again, I kept telling myself that I could go awhile before needing to head in, maybe another hour or two. Ha!
When 6:30am rolled around, I started to feel nauseous and thought, “That’s enough – dealing with contractions is one thing. Dealing with them while throwing up is something else.” I called my midwife, told her what was going on and that I was feeling a lot of pain, nausea, and pressure, and that I would like to come in. Was that OK? She laughed and said that when a second-time mum said she was feeling pressure then, yes, definitely okay to come in!
Chris called a taxi (I briefly felt like I was in some kind of movie, having contractions in a taxi) and we got to Birthcare around 7am. I actually apologized to the staff midwives for probably coming in too soon (again, ha!) and they assured me it was fine, that my midwife was on her way and to do whatever I needed to get comfortable.
Well, my midwife arrived and at 7:30am, thirty minutes after getting to Birthcare and after about 15 minutes of pushing, Jack was born!
He is a precious, precious little bundle of joy. He surprised me by coming 2 weeks before his due date. He weighed in at 3.61kgs (just under 8lbs) and measured 52cms (20 1/2 inches). Everything is going really well. We’re so excited that he’s here and I can’t wait to watch him grow. He’s already changing so much every day! It’s been especially neat to watch Joe’s reactions to him. He absolutely loves Jack and will ask, “Jack? Jack?!” in an increasingly worried tone of voice if he can’t see him. It’s pretty sweet
We started “official” potty training about 5 1/2 weeks ago. Joe was just over 21 months at that point and I was 32 weeks pregnant. I thought it’d be nice to give it a try and, if possible, avoid having 2 little ones in nappies at the same time. I kept telling myself (and the few others who happened to know about it) that this was a trial only. If things didn’t work, if Joe was stressed or I was stressed, then we’d call it off and re-visit potty training down the road. Not a big deal.
We tried it and, thankfully, all has gone well. I don’t profess to be an expert on potty-training, but I can share a few things that I’ve learned.
1. Start talking about potty training a good while before you “officially” begin potty training.
I’m a talker. Joe and I have always had conversations, even before he could say real words. I’d talk to him about what I was doing, what he was doing, what was going on around him, and so on and so forth. When he had a dirty nappy, I told him so. I didn’t just pick him up and change him. Chris started copying me on this and we’d both say something along the lines of, “Oh, you have a dirty nappy!” or “You went poo!” or “You went pee”, and then we’d tell him we were going to change him and talk about what we were doing.
Using cloth nappies took things one step further, in my opinion. When you use cloth, you flush the waste down the toilet. Once Joe was older, I would bring him into the bathroom with me and tell him what I was doing. He watched and learned. Once he started talking, he would even say “flush” or “poo”.
It was only natural that Joe began to follow us into the bathroom once he was walking. We kept right on talking and I’d explain what was going on. This might embarrass some parents, but I’d tell Joe that I was using the toilet, give him a little bit of toilet paper to play with and, when he was older, ask him if he wanted to help me flush. I’d let him put his tiny piece of toilet paper in the toilet and we’d say “bye-bye” as it swirled away. Boy, was that exciting for him! After that, we’d wash and dry our hands together.
By the time we were ready to start potty training, Joe was quite familiar with what went on in the bathroom and what different words meant.
2. Buy the right supplies.
Here are the basic things that I bought:
One of the books that I actually read a fair mount of recommended against buying an expensive potty chair with lots of bells and whistles. Their rationale was that a child should move from the potty chair to the toilet pretty soon. If your child isn’t likely to be able to do that, then it’s probably too early for potty training. Since you’ll move them to the toilet after only a short while, what’s the point of buying an expensive potty chair? The authors suggested getting 2 or 3 cheap potty chairs to have about the house. I bought 2 like the one below from The Warehouse for $4 apiece.
Joe used these chairs for the first 2 weeks. I kept one in the main part of our apartment and one near the bathroom/kitchen. Having 2 chairs was a good idea. For those first 2 weeks, Joe wasn’t able to hold it for long so I often needed to have one within easy reach. These potty chairs are lightweight, are simple to clean, and low to the ground (another thing the authors recommended, as it allows little ones to plant their feet and feel secure).
I bought the potty chairs a few weeks before we started training and explained to Joe that these were his chairs and that he would get to use them soon. Wasn’t that great?! I used an excited voice whenever we talked about using the potty. Joe liked to carry a chair around with him to sit on while playing, and by the time we started training he was pretty familiar with them.
I bought 10 pairs of underpants a few days before we commenced training. I showed them to Joe and made a big deal about how these were big boy underpants! And he was going to get to wear them soon! How exciting! When it was time to start wearing them, he was pretty pleased with himself
Three days into potty training, I bought 2 pairs of cloth training pants for short excursions out of the house (more on that later). These let Joe feel wet if he’s had an accident, but provide a bit more protection than plain undies.
I bought a toilet seat insert for when it was time to transition Joe from potty chairs to the toilet (about 2 weeks after we started training).
Some reasoning behind why I bought what I bought…
I’d read conflicting advice on the use of Pull-Ups and training pants. Some people said “undies only!”, whereas some suggested a mix. I could understand where some authors were coming from – Pull-Ups are a lot like disposable nappies and it’s confusing for kids to use them when they can’t tell the difference between a Pull-Up and a nappy.
When we began training, Joe didn’t wear anything from the waist down whenever we were indoors for nearly all of the first 2 weeks. I found that when he needed to use the potty chair, he wanted to go right away and he liked being able to sit on it himself without any assistance needed. Yes, this meant that when he had an accident it made more of a mess than if he’d been in undies, but after the first 2 days he didn’t have many accidents.
Joe wears wears undies 90% of the time, including during his afternoon nap. If it’s a short outing to a place where I know that there are toilets, then we use the training pants for a bit more protection. He wears Pull-Ups for overnights, for longer outings where I’m not sure we’ll have access to a toilet, or if he’s at our church’s or gym’s creche. Oftentimes, Joe will wear a Pull-Up more than once because he rarely has an accident in them. I call everything by its name: underpants, training pants, and Pull-Ups. I don’t call Pull-Ups “underwear” or training pants “Pull-Ups”.
I don’t think it’s a big deal how or when one person potty trains their child or the supplies that they use vs. how another person does it. For us, the main reason why we use a mix of undies/training pants/Pull-Ups is because I didn’t want to be a stressed out, grumpy mum. I knew that my attitude would affect Joe and Pull-Ups made me breathe a little easier for long outings, so we used them. Same deal with training pants on short outings. Use what works for you and allows you to be relaxed. One thing I’ve heard again and again is that if you’re tense and anxious and stressed during training, then your child will be tense and anxious and stressed during training.
3. The actual process of potty training.
We started talking to Joe about potty training related stuff early on. He knew the terms. He knew what the toilet was for and what went on in the bathroom. He knew about flushing and wasn’t scared of it. He’d seen the water swirl away and understood about wiping and using toilet paper and putting it in the toilet and washing hands.
The night before potty training, I told Joe that tomorrow was an exciting day – we were going to start potty training! How great! I showed him his potty chair and said that in the morning, we would put away all of his nappies and he would use the big boy potty.
The next morning, I changed his nappy and reminded him that – hooray! – today he got to start potty training! I had him help me put away his nappies and I kept him clothing-free from the waist down. I had him sit on his potty chair right away and talked about how, starting today, he would go pee and poo in his potty instead of in a nappy. Wasn’t that exciting and great?
For the first 2 days, I asked Joe to sit on the potty about every 20 – 30 minutes. I would tell him that he didn’t need to go, but that I wanted him to try. Whether he went or not, there was always praise involved. If he went – hooray! – and if he didn’t, I’d thank him for being such a big boy and for trying. By about day 3, I stretched this out to asking him only once an hour. When we were going somewhere, I would tell him in advance that I wanted him to try to use the big boy toilet when we were out, but that he didn’t need to go, just try. Whenever he used the potty, I would sit next to him to make sure that things were positioned correctly and not over-spraying the seat. He still needs a little help with this.
I’d been told to expect accidents 100% of the time for the first 2 days of training. I am so glad that I read that because, you know what? Joe had a lot of accidents for those first 2 days. It was discouraging, I’ll admit, but whenever he had an accident, I’d say something like, “Oh look – you’re going pee! Let’s sit on the potty, quick!” in a cheerful voice. If he couldn’t make it to the potty then I’d say, “That’s OK – accidents happen. Will you help me clean up?” If he got even a little in the potty chair, I’d make a big deal about how great he’d done and ask him to come with me to help flush it away, wash hands, etc., etc.
Another bit of advice that I got – stay indoors for a full week. I intended to follow this advice to a “T” but after 2 days, we both had a bad case of cabin fever. I was starting to feel overwhelmed even though Joe was having fewer accidents and I thought, “This is not good – if I’m stressed, he’s going to be stressed. We’ve gotta get outta here!” This advice might work for someone who has a backyard, but for us? Living in an apartment? In the middle of the city? Without even a balcony? Not gonna work.
I had a midwife appointment the following morning. Chris watched Joe while I nipped over to my appointment and, on the way there, I picked up the 2 pairs of training pants. Within 30 minutes of getting home, I had Joe in the training pants and we went on a short trip to our nearby park. Getting out did wonders for our mood and we took a second trip after Joe’s afternoon nap.
We kept at the potty training and I learned a few things, the biggest being that when you potty train your child, they’re not the only one who’s learning – you’re learning things, too. I learned what worked best for us and our family. I learned the best ways to encourage Joe. I learned how to help him point things in the right direction when he was on the seat (“Point it down and lean forward” has become a common phrase). I learned that some advice was great and some of it was rubbish.
4. Advice that wasn’t so great (for us)…
Some not-so-great advice that I got? Give your child lots of salty snacks and sugary drinks. It’ll encourage them to drink a lot and give plenty of chances to use the potty. I didn’t do that. Joe doesn’t drink sugary drinks. He doesn’t eat lots of salty snacks. Why would I make a change like that just to get him to potty train? If he was ready, he was ready, tricks or not. I did let him have a few more snacks and adjusted our routine, but that was because we were indoors for a large chunk of time, more than what we’d usually be, and it was what worked for us for the time being.
Some more not-so-great advice? Plop the potty chair in front of the TV and let your child watch lots of movies or kids’ shows while seated on it. The idea behind this is that they’ll sit still and remain on the potty chair, increasing the likelihood of them going in the potty. As one author explained when arguing against this, when you have your child sit there and they’re distracted and they just happen to go on the potty chair, then they’re not learning anything. You’re just catching the pee or poo. Your child isn’t recognizing that they need to go – they just happen to go in the right place. What’s more, if your child doesn’t have the attention span to sit on the toilet for a minute or two without being entertained by a DVD, then they probably aren’t old enough to begin potty training.
This made sense to me. Yes, it meant that we had a lot of accidents those first 2 – 3 days, but you know how you learn? By having accidents and making mistakes. Joe learned to run to the potty or to say “potty, potty!” when he had to go or had started going.
This isn’t to say that I expected Joe to sit there placidly by himself whenever I told him to use the potty chair. I’d sit next to him and chat with him, ask him to “point it down and lean forward”, and if he went, then yay! Big excitement! And if he didn’t go? I’d say, “That’s OK – thank you so much for trying!”
After 2 weeks of using the potty chairs, I decided to transition him to using the toilet. He needed the seat insert for the first week to help him feel a bit more secure, but after about 4 – 5 days we started using it only part time, then not at all once the week was up. I learned quickly that having him transition from the potty chair to the toilet sooner rather than later was a good idea. I didn’t want to have to carry a potty chair or a seat insert with me whenever we went out, then go through the rigamarole of putting it on a public toilet, cleaning it afterward, etc. No thanks. It took Joe a little longer to get used to using public toilets, but I kept up the good attitude and found that talking to him about it in advance was a help. If we were going somewhere, I’d ask him to use the toilet at home and then just before leaving would say something like, “OK – we’re going for a walk. While we’re out, I’d like you to try to use the big boy toilet. You don’t have to go, but you do need to try.” Then when we were out and it was time to use the toilet, I’d say, “OK – time to try to use the toilet!”
More and more, Joe will simply tell me all by himself that he needs to go, but that’s nearly 6 weeks out from when we started. I know that some people say that potty training can be accomplished in a week. Maybe it can for some, but not us. Joe still gets a little distracted sometimes and has an accident. Chris and I went out on a date last week and our friend said that he had 2 accidents while we were gone. That was the most accidents Joe has had in a single day since the first time we started potty training. I was surprised, but it wasn’t a big deal. I just figured that he was so excited and distracted that he forgot.
5. Some other odds and ends
There were a few children’s books about potty training that Joe enjoyed.
“Lulu’s Loo” – by Camilla Reid
“On Your Potty, Little Rabbit” by Kathleen Amant
“Have You Seen My Potty?” by Mij Kelly
Joe really liked the “Little Rabbit” book. I took to saying, “On your potty, little rabbit!” and he would repeat, “Rabbit!” and run to his potty Pretty cute.
I pulled a couple of books on potty training from our local library.
“Potty Training Boys – The Easy Way” by Caroline Fertleman, MD, and Simone Cave
The book by Fertleman and Cave was the most helpful to me. I didn’t read any of the books all the way through, but this one made the most sense, in my opinion.
In the end, I think that the most important thing was my attitude. I won’t claim that I was serene and calm the whole way through. There were a few times where I got frustrated and it came out in my tone of voice. But that happens whether I’m potty training or not and when it does, I simply apologize to Joe, resolve to do better, and move on. II’ve been told to expect some regression once baby #2 arrives, and we’ll deal with that as it happens. For now, I’m glad to have a little break from nappies and that we’ve gone through this stage with fairly few bumps and bruises
Joe and I headed to the playground for some much needed swing ‘n slide time on Thursday. It was the first day without lots of rain this week and he was happy to get out.
I love that Joe gets so happy over such simple things like swings, slides, see-saws, and dangling from handle bars
I love cookies. Unfortunately, Joe seems to have inherited this love from me. His father? Sure, he likes cookies, but Chris is more of a brownie and cheesecake man. I’m certain that Joe will love those, too, once he’s introduced to them. But for now, it’s a close tie between cookies and cake, the sweeter the better.
I try to make our food healthy while still being tasty. It’s the same with desserts or snacks. I love oatmeal raisin cookies, but if I can make them a little healthier without sacrificing on taste, then I’m all for it. This is my version of healthier oatmeal raisin cookies. No eggs. No dairy. Less sugar. Swapping some of the all-purpose flour for wholemeal.
Egg-Free and Dairy-Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
Combine chia seeds and warm water in a small bowl, stirring till chia seeds are immersed. Set aside for at least 5 minutes.
Measure out raisins and cover with boiling or very hot water. Set aside.
Combine coconut oil, sugar, and chia seed mixture. Stir till fully incorporated.
Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix, then add to coconut oil mixture. Stir till flour mixture and coconut oil mixture are well combined, then stir in oats.
Pour water off of raisins or drain them in a colander. Add raisins and coconut to the cookie dough and stir.
The dough will be pretty moist. At this stage you can either put the dough in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm it a little or just do what I did and use a scoop to measure out cookies, rolling into balls and slightly flattening onto a greased baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes, till lightly golden. Allow to sit for 2 – 3 minutes on baking tray before transferring to cooling rack.
Yield: ~3 dozen cookies
The rain has really started to come down in New Zealand.
View from our window
It’s as though we went from summer to -snap- winter in the blink of an eye. I’m thankful for the cooler temperatures and appreciative of the rain, since it’s been so dry and drought-y over here. I’m sure that the farmers appreciate it, too.
Of course, with the rain comes less and less opportunities to do things like walk to the playground. Joe keeps asking me, “Swings? Slide?” and I keep having to explain to him that it is too wet, perhaps tomorrow. We find other things to do instead, such as visits to the library, walking to the art gallery (next on our list!), or going to the gym. The gym is a blessing because Joe is able to run and climb and play at the creche there in a big, open, well-lit room while I get to work out. When we absolutely have to stay indoors, we do things like read books, play with puzzles, play kick ball, build with magnetic toys, and bake! You’ll remember that Joe loves to help me in the kitchen. Sometimes, I make a batch of cookies just so we’ll have something to do.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie – experimented with using no dairy, no eggs… turned out yummy!
I had my 36 week midwife appointment today. All is well and I was happy that she let me stretch out the next appointment till 38 weeks. I don’t really mind coming every week, but I do mind having to squish the appointment in either just before Joe’s naptime (thereby having to feed him lunch on the run) or having to wake him up early to make the appointment. We went to a cafe before today’s appointment to meet up with the nursing student who has been following my pregnancy. Joe was quite happy with his fluffy.
Cinnamon Moustache? Check!
So, 36 1/2 weeks… it’s really hard at this point not to think things like, “This baby could come any day now… I really wish this baby would come any day now… Why hasn’t this baby come yet?!” I did that with Joe and, to a certain extent, you can’t help it. Nevertheless, I’m trying not to think about it too much
Late again, I know, but only a few more days till I’m considered full-term.
I don’t have a 36 week photo. Joe is under the weather and I’m getting over a cold. Here’s a picture taken during 35 weeks.
Standing at the top of the Wellington Cable Car track in the Botanic Gardens
Here’s how things have been going since the 34 week update…
Pregnancy Weight Gain and Fitness
Someone at the gym told me that I looked “graceful” while working out. Ha! And I’m sure I wasn’t sweating, I was “glowing”, right? Still, it was nice to hear. I think that’s the first time that anyone has ever said that I looked graceful while working out. My weight gain is right in the middle of the normal range, so I’m happy with that.
I’m still doing a lot of walking and I continue to work out twice weekly, though it’s beginning to get a bit more tiring. I keep reminding myself that working out and staying active is one of the really great things that I can do to ensure a faster, less painful labor and delivery, quicker recovery time, and a healthy baby. I think that walking is like therapy for me. If I’m indoors for too long, I get crabby and irritable. Walking with Joe helps me think and lifts my spirits.
Appetite, Aversions, and Cravings
Pretty much status quo.
Sleep
I’m sleeping better through the night, but I hope I don’t have too many more nights of being pregnant. I’m ready to have baby #2 sleeping next to us.
Pregnancy Brain and Weird Dreams
I don’t have anything for this section this time around. Unless there’s something that I’ve forgotten, which would be an example of pregnancy brain right there.
Other Odds and Ends
I was hit with the nesting instinct about 8:30pm last night. It was all brought on by some Braxton-Hicks contractions that kept coming one after another. I thought, “I’m not ready!”. I did some prep work this weekend: washed baby clothes, washed some cloth nappies, cooked/chopped/measured/froze some chicken, made a meal for the freezer, made snacks for Chris when I’m in labor (also stored in the freezer), and did our 2 week meal plan and grocery shopping. I’ve got 2 more meals to make for the freezer (our freezer isn’t big enough to store much more than that). If baby #2 does come sometime during these next 2 weeks, all Chris has to do is take one of those meals out and once they’re gone, he can just pull up the meal plan with the recipe links. I’ve already bought all of the ingredients. Or, if worse comes to worst, he can just get takeaway!
More things to do: pack a hospital bag, pack a bag for Joe for when he goes to stay with friends, and write up a little note about Joe’s routine. He’s pretty easy-going but there are a few tricks that help him get to sleep. I also need to make a point of charging the cameras at night so that we don’t get a low battery signal when we want to use one. Hmm… oh, and double-check with my friend about borrowing their infant car seat. We have Joe’s car seat, which converts to an infant size, but we need to send that with him when he stays with friends. Other than that, I’ve got my once-weekly midwife appointments and I need to try to keep the apartment somewhat clean!
We’ve been wanting to check out Metrolanes Bowling on Queen Street ever since it opened a few months back. We finally made our way there this past Saturday and oh my, what fun! They have a mezzanine level that is just perfect for little kids: shorter lanes, small bowling balls, and no bowling shoes required.
I’m not sure which of us had more fun – me, Chris, or Joe! I was enjoying watching these two guys’ facial expressions, Chris was having fun showing Joe how to bowl, and Joe was having a blast being a “big kid” and bowling by himself. Anything with a ball that also involves knocking things down is OK in his book
Metrolanes is open from 10am all week (till midnight Sun – Thurs, 1am on Fri & Sat). Main bowling (before 5pm) is $13/1 game or $21/2 games. After 5pm, main bowling is $15/1 game or $23/2 games. The mezzanine level is $8/1 game or $14/2 games (before 5pm) and $10/1 game or $17/2 games (after 5pm). Rates are per person and include shoe rental, though you don’t need shoes on the mezzanine. They will also put the bumpers up for little ones. We were the only ones on the mezzanine level when we went on Saturday at 4pm. There’s stroller access to Metrolanes if you enter the Metro Centre on the Aotea Square side, then take the lift to Metrolanes, but there is a short set of stairs up to the mezzanine level.
After bowling, Joe and Chris hung out in one of the arcades within the Metro Centre (Time Out Game Zone, I think). Again, I’m not sure who had more fun…
After they’d had enough of pushing buttons, we all headed out to Aotea Square, where Chris put Joe through some football moves:
We weren’t able to play outside for long. It started raining pretty soon after I took that last photo, so we made our way back home. It was a great way to spend $8 on a Saturday (they were going to charge us $16 – one for Chris and one for Joe – but we explained that Joe was the only one bowling with Chris there to help him and they were fine with it). I wouldn’t be surprised if we made our way there again sometime soon!
I remember one of the first times that Joe, newly walking, really bonked his head. I was telling my mother about it and she said, “Some days, growing up is really hard.” Boy, is that true. Joe has done some hard growing up over the last 72 hours, and has the bruises to prove it.
This lovely goose-egg looks better in the photo than it does in real life. That injury was courtesy of falling forehead-first into a protruding corner in our building’s hallway. Chris brought him into the apartment and was sheepishly smiling while Joe was sobbing… I took one look at Joe and made a horrified face, scooping him up while simultaneously reaching for a bag of frozen peas.
“What’s wrong? He just bumped his head.” said Chris.
“Did you see his forehead?!” I asked him, then lifted the bag of frozen peas off of it, revealing the already purple knot that was swelling dead-center.
“Oh my goodness! How did that happen?!” yelled Chris.
It happened how all of his bumps, bruises, scrapes, and near-misses have happened lately: c-u-r-i-o-s-i-t-y and running full-tilt-boogie into the wild blue yonder.
Over the last 72 hours, in addition to the bump on his head, Joe has
Are all 21 month olds this rambunctious and injury prone?! It’s gotten to the point where I want to pick him up and say, “Would you please stop hurting yourself?” That, or surround him with bubble wrap and cotton fluff.
I meant to post this a few days ago. Didn’t happen. I’m back-dating it for Friday so it will at least be in order on the blog.
I’m currently 34 weeks and 4 days at the time of this writing, but who’s counting? Me!
Don’t I look so thrilled in that photo? You can definitely tell that there are some photo-days where I feel more upbeat than others. This was not one of the upbeat days
Here’s what’s been happening since the 32 week update…
Pregnancy Weight Gain & Fitness
I’ve lost a pound over these past 2 weeks. I was worried about gaining too much weight this pregnancy, but I haven’t been dieting or depriving myself and I’ve stayed toward the low end of the recommended weight gain range for my BMI. I’m kind of to the point now where I really don’t care what the scale says. Some weeks it’s up, some weeks it’s down.
Fitness. I think that my exercise levels and weight have helped a lot with how comfortable I am this pregnancy. After having Joe, I lost my pregnancy weight and then went on to lose another 15 pounds. I’ve kept up my exercise as best as I can. I can’t go to the evening pregnancy fitness class anymore, but I still go to the gym twice weekly and walk a lot. I wasn’t sure how much walking I’d done around Auckland so I decided to map it. Some days, I was walking 7kms but most days (aside from days when I went to the gym) it was around 4 – 5kms with Joe in the stroller. That’s in addition to just walking with Joe to the park or to swim lessons or running errands. I think that it will be hard for me to adjust to being back in the States, where things are a little less pedestrian-friendly.
Appetites, Aversions, and Cravings
Very little appetite and what appetite I do have is usually for carbs. Bread. Muffins. Cookies. Cake. I made a big batch of mini muffins for Joe’s snacks and put them in the freezer, but still managed to eat half a dozen of them while I was waiting for the last batch to cool. Mini muffins are dangerous.
Sleep
I’ve gotten to where I get up to use the bathroom so frequently during the night that I’m practically sleepwalking. Chris has had his sinus surgery and slept on the pullout sofa for awhile as the swelling went down. I hate to say it, but that helped me sleep a bit more soundly.
Pregnancy Brain and Weird Dreams
No weird dreams, but I’m certainly more forgetful. I left the spatula on the still-hot frying pan after making eggs for breakfast, only to come back 15 minutes later and find it partially melted into a puddle of black goo. Frying pan and spatula were both ruined.
Other Odds and Ends
I’m not sure if it’s the pregnancy, the lack of sleep, being somewhat cooped up indoors because of weather lately, or what, but my mood has been up and down these past 2 weeks. I may have a chat with my midwife about it because, while it wasn’t a problem last time around, I’m a bit worried about the baby blues and postnatal depression. I just haven’t been feeling like myself lately and with all of the upcoming changes – new baby, moving back to our passport country, new house, buying a car, family reunion – I wouldn’t be surprised if it all gets a bit overwhelming. Thankfully, Chris has a fairly flexible schedule these days and is happy to help out when he can. Some friends have already offered to help out with a meal roster, which I’m sure will also be very much appreciated.
I pinned a recipe for “Crusty Bread” from the Simply So Good blog I don’t know how many months ago. At the time I was in the midst of a bread-making bonanza and was particularly interested in recipes that required as minimal involvement from me as possible (i.e., no kneading, no punching down after a few hours, no intricate steps). This recipe certainly fit the bill, but then after pinning it, I forgot about it. I remembered it when we moved into our apartment and I unearthed my old stoneware dutch oven. I decided to give it a whirl…
It’s delicious, easy, and tastes like what you’d buy at the baker’s shop only better. I’ve been making 1 or 2 loaves a week for the last 3 weeks. The recipe is nothing more than dumping 5 ingredients in a bowl, stirring them together with a fork or big wooden spoon, covering the bowl with a damp towel, and letting it sit for 12 – 18 hours. I usually mix it up at the same time as I make dinner or just after, then bake it the following morning.
Overnight Stoneware Pot Bread
In large bowl, mix together flour, salt, and yeast. Add water and stir till a shaggy mixture forms. Cover bowl with wet towel or plastic wrap, then set aside for 12 – 18 hours (I usually mix this up at dinner or just after, then bake in the morning).
After 12 – 18 hours has passed, heat oven to 450°F (230°C). Once oven has preheated, place stoneware pot and lid in oven, then heat for 30 minutes. When there are about 5 minutes remaining, place dough onto floured surface and shape, don’t knead, into a ball. Once the pot has heated, drop dough in and cover with lid. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake for a further 15 minutes. Turn out onto wire rack to cool.
We’re big fans of this bread. The recipe above makes a large loaf. If you’d prefer a smaller size or have a smaller stoneware pot, then click on the link at the top of this post for the original recipe. I generally cut a slice, cut that in half, then toast it for breakfast or make PB&J sandwiches for Joe or peanut butter toast for a late night snack.
I’ve been pretty slack on blogging lately. I think that the heat + pregnancy has finally gotten to me. From around 3:30/4p – 7p, our apartment gets loads of sun. While great in terms of views, the heat pouring in through the windows saps my energy. We escape almost as soon as Joe wakes from his afternoon nap, but I have to be back in here around 5:30p to get dinner going. Come 7pm, all I feel like doing is propping my feet up on the couch and enjoying a popsicle with a bag of frozen peas on my tummy. Thankfully, autumn and winter aren’t far off. I know that summer is a wonderful thing and I usually enjoy it as much as possible, but I’m ready for someone to turn down the thermostat just a bit.
Also adding to the energy depletion: potty training!
It’s gone pretty well, truth be told. We started last Monday and Joe hasn’t had an accident in the apartment for last 4 days, perhaps more. It was just those first few days that was a bit wearying – so many accidents to clean up from the carpet. I’ll write about that more on another day. The biggest benefit to all of this? Having a momentary break from washing cloth nappies.
I was going to post some photos, but it appears that Picasa is mid-update and won’t allow me to open or edit anything, so that will also have to be saved for another post.
In other news, I went to a breastfeeding class this morning. I went to the same class while pregnant with Joe and found it helpful but, looking back, I think that I was a little cocky about breastfeeding and figured that it would come naturally. I decided that I could use a refresher to help me prepare for baby #2′s arrival. Those first 6 weeks of nursing Joe were really tough. I found myself putting my foot in my mouth (figuratively speaking) time and again for all the moments where I mentally shook my head and wondered why so many women didn’t breastfeed. Just to be clear – I wasn’t in constant pain for 6 weeks, but for the first 5 – 10 seconds after latching, the pain was so intense that I would see stars. It’s the closest I’ve ever come to having an anxiety attack, being up and feeling all alone in the middle of the night with a crying baby, knowing that he was hungry and that I needed to nurse him, but dreading the pain. I did a lot of praying during those first few weeks and, I confess, some swearing I pushed through it and once the 6 week mark rolled around, things got much easier, but I would really, really like to avoid a repeat of that experience.
I talked with the teacher about it and she asked a few questions, then told me what had probably gone wrong. Hearing that something had gone wrong was actually reassuring, not discouraging. Whenever I nursed around my midwife or her fill-in, both said that I was doing everything right. In today’s class, the lactation consultant said, “And I bet your midwife said that you were doing everything correctly, right?” Yep, she did, even though apparently I wasn’t. This time around, I’m going to call the teacher/lactation consultant after delivery. She makes free visits in-house and then will also do a free consultation during the first 28 days with a midwife referral. Why I didn’t take advantage of that last time, I don’t know. She said to me, “If you were in pain like that for 6 weeks with anything else, wouldn’t you go see a doctor?” Probably. But apparently we mothers think we must handle breastfeeding all by ourselves and tough it out on our own. At least, that’s what I thought.
That’s really all the big news that’s going on around here these days. My life is pretty routine and I’m happy with that. Lots of spending time with Joe, laundry, cooking… yes, I realize that I just said that I was happy about doing laundry. I guess what I mean is that I’m enjoying how normal things feel, how we’re not (yet) traveling across the globe somewhere, and relaxing in the familiarity of being surrounded by our own things rather than in a house-sit or furnished apartment. It’s nice.
Someone in this house loves to help stir, knead, and sample my baking and cooking mid-mixing process.
Somebody get this boy a chef’s hat and an apron!
The aftermath…
Totally worth it, in my opinion. Not only does Joe love to stir, he also loves to sweep! Yes ladies, I’m raising a boy who likes to cook and clean. Your daughters can thank me later
Hooray for being at 32 weeks! Hopefully there are no more than 8 weeks remaining in this pregnancy journey.
Standing in our new apartment bathroom
Cropped out of the above photo is Joe’s little hand reaching desperately for the soap dispenser. He loves to wash his hands!
Here’s how things have been going since the 30 week update…
Pregnancy Weight Gain and Fitness
I gained a little more than the 1/2 pound I’d gained during the last update. More like 4 1/2 pounds, to be precise. Gulp. I blame my marriage. Nothing wrong there, but I decided to implement Thursday “Dessert Nights” about 6 weeks ago, where Chris and I kick back on the couch with a dessert and spend at least 30 minutes (usually longer) chatting without any TV or internet to distract us. I get to make whatever dessert I want and lately, I’ve been entirely consumed with chocolate. Thus, I blame my weight gain on our marriage and the “sacrifices” I make to ensure that it stays healthy Perhaps we should change from Dessert Nights to Salad Nights… nah!
I’m not sure that I’ll be able to continue the once-weekly evening fitness class. Without a vehicle, I’m reliant upon public transit (bus or taxi) to get to/from the gym where it’s held. I didn’t go last week, but we’ll see about this week. I don’t mind taking the bus there but am not comfortable waiting for a bus in the dark afterward. I’m still going to the gym with Joe twice a week. He loves being in the gym’s creche. I’ve also made an effort to walk with Joe in the pram more frequently. The recent cool-down has certainly helped in that regard.
Appetites, Aversions, and Cravings
As stated above, I’m craving chocolate. And sugar. I never drink soda or soft drinks but lately? Lately I am always thinking about 7-Up or Sprite in the afternoon. What’s going on with that?! Perhaps I need to increase my protein intake to help combat sugar and carb cravings. No aversions, but good ol’ heartburn is making itself felt. All part and parcel of later-stage pregnancy.
Sleep
Big news! Chris had sinus surgery today and this will hopefully (eventually) help with his sinus infections and nighttime loud breathing. There have been times where it sounded like I was sleeping next to this guy:
His surgery went well and he should be able to come home tomorrow. Other than that, I’ve learned that I can’t have anything to drink past 8pm or I’ll be up multiple times in the night to visit the bathroom. I’ve also started taking a magnesium tablet before bed. I was advised to do this when pregnant with Joe and while skeptical at first, it did help me relax. I started taking them again about 2 weeks ago and I’ve noticed a difference. Placebo effect? Quite possibly, but if it makes me sleep easier then I’m OK with being duped!
Pregnancy Brain and Weird Dreams
I had this great story of pregnancy brain and forgetfulness to tell you, but I’ve forgotten it. I’m not kidding. It’s there floating just beyond the outer edges of my recollection and I can almost grasp it, but it’s not there. Perhaps it will come to me later. I had a pretty crazy dream last night. The evening prior was marred by me spotting a very tiny varicose/spider vein on one leg. Egad! All my midwife’s reminders about not crossing my legs came pouring in at once and I found myself wrinkling my nose at that pesky vein who’d dared make an appearance. That night, I dreamt that I had terrible varicose veins – dark purple ones that looked absolutely awful, like some sort of alien spiderweb (are you getting the visual on that?). I was glad to awaken and find that it was just that small one. I suppose I should be happy that it’s only the one and not worse.
Other Odds and Ends
Nothing, really. I have a midwife appointment this week. I’m happy that we’ve been healthy and that all has gone well thus far, but I’m also antsy and itching to meet this new guy. The name has pretty much been settled on and we regularly refer to him by it, but I told Chris that if he accidentally lets it slip (he did that with a few people when I was expecting Joe) that the next time I was pregnant, he would just have to wait till after the birth to find out what name I’d decided on He laughed and said, “If there’s a next time”. Trust me, if it’s within my power, there will be a next time!
