We have now reached cruising altitude

blogout

Needless to say, it's been pretty hectic this summer. Owen has been loving his summer camps. Rory is getting huge, and is really crawling around, trying to pull himself up. He loves the cat, and gets very happy whenever he sees one. Rory wants whatever you have, especially if it's a phone or a remote, which as soon as he gets a hold of it, he'll put it in his mouth.

The biggest news that I've been hesitant to share so publicly is that we're selling (or renting) our condo and heading to the 'burbs. (Except for that Tweet over there.) It was a tough decision for us city people, but we need the space, and being closer to my parents will be a big help. We packed up a lot of our condo and put it into storage, so all of my knitting stuff is away, most of the books are packed, and cooking is held to a minimum. It looks strange, and it is strange, but in a good way.

It's 3am, do you know where your brownies are?

I love my husband. And because I usually fall asleep at 9 before I can actually do the things I need to, he picks up the slack, which is awesome. But sometimes he does things in a way I wouldn't.

Take these Betty Crocker low-fat fudge brownies, for instance. He, being a good husband & father FTW, baked them for a school event that is now technically tonight. Before he came to bed, he told me that he forgot to grease the pan--the nice silicone 9x9 pan so they would be extra thick. (Note: for school events, more is better. A 9x9 pan is usually only 16 brownies, while a 13x9 pan can be 25 brownies.) OK, I failed at the first bake, so I can't complain. When I woke up and got out of bed at 2ish to cut and wrap them, they totally broke apart, but in a sticky way. Useless for bringing to a school event, but it's not like they'll go to waste.

Hence, batch 2 of regular fat brownies are now in the oven, in a greased and tin-foil lined 13x9 pan. I just hope our neighbors don't wake up too hungry.

show me your teeth

(And yes, I have been listening to a lot of Lady Gaga.)

Since I'm failing to show a photo of the Rorster in this post, instead I give you "Just call it, 'Another one of my masterpieces,'" from #1 Son. Alternatively titled "Three Circles," it was one of 10 pieces chosen from his school to be shown in the Annual Art Showcase at Boston City Hall. The show comes down tomorrow

I keep trying to get a photo of the Rorster's teeth, but every time he grabs my iPhone to put it in his mouth. The bottom two are in, as is the top left; the top right is just starting to come through. Other accomplishments include trying to pull himself to stand using the front of his bathtub, he's a good sitter, and he had his first Joe's O (Cheerio) this week. He's also trying very hard to talk, with lots of "Mummmmuummmma." He still needs to turn from his back onto his tummy, and the whole sleeping thing. But he is a good scootcher, pushing with his back feet when he's on his back, and he can turn in a circle on his tummy. We're getting there!

Sleeping Beauty

Finally! A night that I'm not crashed out with the Rorster at 8pm and my laptop batteries aren't dead. How about a little updating, hmkay?

The Rorster is a whopping 16 or 17 pounds at 5, almost 6 months. He's rolling around, smiling, cooing--very alert and curious. We're still working on solid food, bottles, and sleeping. I just can't do the crying out thing right now, and I just love snuggling with him after a long crazy day working and running around. We did the No-Cry Sleep "Solution" with Owen, even though it took awhile. And teething! Droolicious. He's fitting into Owen's 6-9 month sleepers.

Owen finally watched Miyazaki's "Laputa: Castle In the Sky" and "Nausicaa." He's enthralled by the Goliath and the flying machines and the robots. We've also been watching Tom Baker-era Doctor Who stories.

Other fun tidbits:

Flapjacks rise better with whole wheat flour, and too many bananas make them soggy.

Trader Joe's chocolate chips are too big for pancakes.

Shaw's Tangerine Lime Sparkling Water tastes just like Fresca.

Smuttynose Hanami Cherry Ale is very yummy.

Vampires, Werewolves, and The Doctor, oh my

New Moon: I really liked it, and was so thankful the CGI was better and it didn't have so many campy moments in it. Could have done without so many circling shots, though. I love the whole soundtrack even more, and hope it replaces Garden State as the default indie soundtrack my massage therapist uses. Right, and I like that True Blood is heading in a different direction than the books.

If werewolves are going to be the new vampire (or zombies), then I highly recommend seeing Dog Soldiers. It's a weird title for a really neat film. The premise is that a training exercise turns into a fight for survival. Starring Kevin McKidd (Tommy from Trainspotting), it's also described as a "soldier movie with werewolves." A lot of thought went into this movie, and it shows. The first two Ginger Snaps films are interesting takes on the genre that were fun to re-watch around Halloween.

Then there's Doctor Who. Like many people, I got hooked on the Tom Baker/Elizabeth Sladen episodes in the late 70s when they showed it on PBS. I think the first episode I saw in 1978 was "Genesis of the Daleks." Watching them again in light of the series reboot, it's been really fun. I didn't follow the series much after the early 80s, either because PBS stopped showing them after school or I got older and lost interest. With the new series, I've only caught a new episode here, another there, and didn't have much cohesion for the plots until recently when BBC America did all-day marathons of both Dr. Who and Torchwood. Jack Harkness definitely needed his own show, and I love that Elizabeth Sladen has The Sarah Jane Chronicles.
"School Reunion" (Season 2, episode 2) is a blast not only because of the dynamic of the companions, but Anthony Head as a plotting alien headmaster is delightful. But really, it's David Tennant's quirkiness combined with good looks that I have a huge crush on; Tom Baker is handsome in a more bohemian way. The drawback to the new Dr. Who is that the writing could be better; it makes me crazy that in every episode he's lonely and the last Timelord. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to the Dec. 19th "Waters of Mars" presentation. Then it will be interesting to see how Matt Smith does as the next Doctor.

more pumpkin-y goodness

Roasting pumpkins was a lot easier than I thought. We had Rory's Halloween pumpkin and the sugar pumpkin Owen picked from his class trip. The jack o' lantern pumpkin I baked whole (it took about an hour), and the sugar pumpkin I cut in half, gutted, and roasted face down on a cookie sheet sprayed with a little bit of oil and covered in parchment paper until the skin was dark. The oil carmelized the sugar pumpkin a little bit, and enhanced the flavor. I had no idea there were some good recipes on babycenter.com, but both I used turned out really good. The jack o' lantern pumpkin tasted more like squash, so I used it for a risotto. Next time, I'll use more stock to rice. I used the whole box, not 8-12oz of rice as the recipe suggested, or a pre-made carrot-ginger or butternut squash soup for a creamier texture. It was a great side dish served with sweet apple chicken sausage.
Surprisingly, the sugar pumpkin yielded at least 3-4 cups of pumpkin, so I used about half for a cobbler, which is essentially a pumpkin pie bottom and a crumbly top using a box of yellow cake mix coated in butter. Sounds dodgy, but the butter hardens the powdery mix into a thick, crusty topping. I still have 1-2 cups pumpkin that's still good for a pie.

...and he's down!

Baby Rory just put himself to sleep! It's maybe the second or third time he's done it. Granted, it's the morning, he's on his tummy, and he's on the bed. For safety's sake, yes, I'm watching him. He'll probably wake up as soon as I sit down on the bed, but still, it's progress. He's also fallen asleep in the swing a couple times (which is good for when I go back to work), even at night.

Sleeping was our biggest challenge with our firstborn. We co-slept and nursed to sleep. We held hands and sang songs in the crib, then patted down and even slept in the toddler bed. We all finally agreed that big Kindergarten boys didn't need help going to sleep, and now it's not a problem. #1 son still comes in to snuggle with us in the mornings, but only if it's still dark.

With boy #2, I'm making some of the same mistakes (like nursing to sleep. Oops.), but I'm also learning to let baby fuss to a small degree. I still really don't want to go the Ferber route, but if it's small, "I'm tired" crying, it's not that bad.

the most pumpkin-y time of the year

Enter the pumpkin: one of the many reasons why I love the fall! Pumpkin beer is one of the best things. Shipyard Pumpkinhead, Post Road, and Dogfishhead Punkin Ale are all good. A friend recommends Southampton Pumpkin, but I haven't found it up here. Dunkin Donuts has trotted out their pumpkin muffins and donuts; I also like the low-fat (!) apple caramel muffin. I've had my obligatory decaf skim no-whip Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks. Trader Joe's no longer makes pumpkin ravioli, but their pumpkin whoopie pies make up for it; tomorrow I'll try the pancake/waffle mix. Au Bon Pain has the wonderful pumpkin harvest soup. Last week, I made the Weekly Yelp touting the charms of Donovan's pumpkin ravioli & chicken, sauteed in a cream, cheese, and maple syrup sauce. While it's all in moderation, it's not the time of year to start Weight Watchers!

On the flip side, I haven't been able to find pumpkin spice flavored coffee, either being served or ground & bagged (like New England Coffee).

6 weeks of daily dilemmas

Eat, sleep, bathe, pump, or go on the computer to check email or shop online? Never mind trying to clean, do laundry, switch the seasonal clothes, write thank you notes, blog/yelp, or knit. The best days are sitting on the couch, nursing, having the baby sleep on my chest, and reading on my iPhone Kindle and/or watching all-day marathons of Dr. Who or Torchwood on BBC America, with the only interruptions being diaper changes, bathing the baby, and picking-up #1 son from school. (Yes, I went with the iPhone. Yes, I love it.)

The first 6 weeks have flown by, and I'm sure the same will be true of the next 6 weeks.

lazy days

After our jaunt back in the hospital for jaundice, we've been having a steady two weeks of getting acclimated to something like a schedule consisting mostly of sleeping in 2-4 hour shifts, nursing, and changing diapers. While I had high hopes of reading, catching up on my yelp reviews, and trying to get back into knitting, I've mostly been enjoying the days with the baby, feeling lucky if I can shower in time and get the baby fed and dressed so we can go pick up the O-man from school. You'd think I'd have tons to write about, and it's not like I don't--I just don't have the energy to pull my thoughts together enough to put them down, then finding a chunk of uninterrupted time to sit down and write.

With the O-man, my mother was always saying to put the baby down. But there's nothing like having a baby fall asleep on you, and it's precious when they're still small enough that the baby fits perfectly on your chest & under your chin.

It's also funny to think that theoretically, I should be still pregnant, and that Rory is really only 39 weeks old. Guess it's time to take down the Baby Namey link!

he's just a little guy

two weeks ago, Rory arrived weighing 6lbs, 9oz! With one week of bed-rest, we almost made it to 36 weeks. Labor was roughly 5-8 hours with 5 minutes of pushing and no epidural. It was a very different experience--more medicalized, more on the clock. He still had to go to the NICU, but he came down to our room at 2am. It was weird in a great way being able to bring him home and get to know him.

the decaf coffee meth lab

Husband refused to touch it, and told me it looked like a meth lab. And for wont of something fun to post, here it is.
I use Smitten Kitchen's recipe for cold brewing, Trader Joe's Smooth and Mellow or French Roast Organic Fair Trade, a Mason pint jar from Grandma's Lemonade, and filter with a cone & paper since that's easier than trying to use a sieve.

at least my feet are almost back to normal

...but I can't get a pedi. :( It was a gorgeous day outside,, so I lay in bed with the window wide open to enjoy what sun & fresh air I could. Yesterday we went through the boy's old clothes, only to find that his infant wear is MIA. My mom found some things, but not a lot. Like either of us needs the excuse to do some shopping. Thank heaven for the internet.

People have said this is a great time to catch up on books, TV, scrabulous on FB, but I'll be doing as much work-work as I can. My awesome boss understood my STD plight and approved me to work from home, which I great. Super-husband has taken up food shopping, cooking, cleaning and getting ready for the baby. He's been driving (yay!) too, which has given him lots of confidence as a new driver. I've been napping now while I can, and I also seriously need to catch up on my Yelp reviews.

I tried to knit today, only to be defeated after 1 mere row. It also is a pain to not only type sideways while laying down, but my hands do get pins and needles even with the brace after a bit.

The overall upside is the baby is still active, and today makes 35 weeks. From here on, I'm more pregnant than I ever was with Owen. Even better is that if boy #2 is born now, he won't have to automatically go to the NICU. Tomorrow I/we have a doctor's app't, so it'll be interesting to see what happens.

the final countdown (maybe)

Today I got the news that I'm 1cm dilated & having irregular contractions, therefore needing to go on bedrest for 2 weeks. At first I was freaked out because I had to wrap things up at work and think about what I can do at home. If I go on Short Term Disability now, it eats into the time I have after the baby is born. He's been moving around a bunch now that I've been still. Also saw John Papelbon & family at the ultrasound technicians! The baby is around 7lbs (hopefully less!), so for 34+ weeks it's pretty impressive. My hospital bag is also packed, just in case.

I had both a doctor and an ultrasound appointment, and I spent more on cabs today than I have since my friend's bachelorette party. Since I'm sad to be housebound, it was comforting to take the scenic route home down the Jway & through Franklin Park with the window down.

Having pregnancy-related carpal hasn't helped either! But it's fun watching the pregnancy challenge on Project Runway.

catching up with...

It's been a pretty exciting week here:
-Mr. Man got his driver's license! He's had his permit for over two years, taking driving lessons, and passed the driving exam on his first try! Woo-hoo!
-The boy has really taken to his bunk bed. It's really high, and he sometimes misses being read to at night on his bed, but overall: success!
-I had my 20th high school reunion last week. How did that happen? It was amazing because almost everyone looked pretty much the same.
-Tonight I am missing a reunion for the summer theater I did in HS. Just wasn't up for two nights of being on my feet for long stretches of time.

Tomorrow marks me being at 32 weeks, going into the 8th month. It went by pretty quickly. I haven't complained about the weather, because I've been pretty comfortable until the last couple weeks. It's just now that my feet and hands are really, really swollen. My belly button still hasn't popped out completely, it's just a little bulge. My lower back has been achey, but I've been trying to not stand up so much. In the back of my head I keep thinking, "In two weeks, I would have already given birth to Owen." It puts this pregnancy in a strange perspective. I'm hoping that I'll get at least another 4 weeks, thanks to the progesterone, so mind-late September seems more likely than being going all the way to October. We'll see.

We still have a lot to do around the house: finding and washing onesies and blankets, getting the crib here and set up, airing out the carseat and putting it in the car. We didn't get around to redoing the kitchen, which is really starting to irk me now that I'm having trouble reaching the shelves!

babymoon staycation

Call it the calm before the storm. For the last two weeks. the boy has been staying with my parents and going to a nature summer day camp in the afternoons and taking swimming lessons. Husband & I have been cleaning, working, sleeping, and (gasp) going out, either together or with friends. Tak actually went to NYC last weekend for the first Asian American Comic Con, while I went home and hung out with the boy and the rest of my family. Needless to say, it's been weird not having him around, but it's been kind of quiet, too. Tak & I went to the movies to see the new Harry Potter, took an infant CPR class, and ate out a lot.

Tonight the boy is back in town, and what did we do? Head to Ikea to get his new loft/bunk bed to make room for his new brother. We took a Honda Element as a Zipcar and he loved riding in it, plus it fit all the boxes perfectly. Tomorrow we put it together--more big changes in store!

vices, indulgences, necessities

Some things are a combination of all of these.
1) Coffee. Yes, I'm down to half-caf in the morning, but I have slightly upped my iced decaf consumption. I've also tried cold-brewing my own, using the smitten kitchen's recipe with varying results. The key is not using artificially flavored coffees.
2) Foot Soaks. These do double duty to relieve my swollen toes and general relaxation. I love Earth Theraputics' tea tree oil soak with peppermint, and have already gone through two jars. In fact, I'm soaking my feet as I write this (and praying I don't drop my laptop)!
3) Massages. Spa vs. Bodywork--there's definitely a difference. I like both, but the bodywork is less expensive because they take insurance, and there's a certain professionalism that I'm more used to.
4) A special body pillow. I'm a back sleeper, but it's just not comfortable anymore. I also needed the back & hip support, so I broke down and bought a Snoogle. Seriously, it was like choosing a car, since I wasn't buying the $10 pillow at target. I like this one because it's firm, but spending an extra $20 on a cover seemed silly to me. For now I'm subbing in king-size pillowcases on the end for softness, but eventually I'll have to do something--either make one or co-opt a $10 target body pillow cover.
5. Makeup remover/ facial cleansing cloths. When moving from the couch to bed, these are great if nothing else but making sure I get all the junk off my face before crashing out early.

oh, and, by the way...

Part of why I've been horrible at blogging lately is because I wasn't sure how to break this news. You'd think it'd be the first place I'd tell the world we were adding to our family, but for whatever reason, it's the last. I was thinking that maybe I'd sneak it into a post about finding the right sandals or the best foot soak, but I haven't had the energy to write those up yet.

So, yeah. I'm pregnant! 24, almost 25 weeks along (6 months, just into the last trimester) to be as exact as a pregnancy can go. It's another boy.

Um, sorry? For falling asleep at 9pm on the couch, and being completely drained? Then, when I finally have energy, planning trips and keeping track of work and family? Dahyum, it's tough! I don't know how some women do it. Now I'm on a daily progesterone supplement (to try and prevent another pre-term birth), I'm back to being exhausted all over again. Luckily, I avoided being nauseous, but I did crave salty foods at first (Ceasar salads, Onion Soup).

We were trying? Yes, but we've been "trying" off and on for the last two years. This was just a slightly more concentrated effort once I got settled in my new job, before I got too old, and there was too much of a age difference between the kids. Maybe it was the lacy red bra from Intimacy or maybe it was the pink highlights that finally did it.

It's just funny how this second pregnancy I've been on the down-low. My first was just insane--I was working like a crazy person, we were in the midst of buying a place, and just being in the moment not knowing what the future would be like. Not that I have adopted a "been there, done that" kind of 'tude, but more like, "Oh yeah, I forgot how much my boobs hurt." It still amazes me to feel this new little guy rolling around in mah belly. It's magic.

smartphone envy

Within a couple weeks of each other, Apple slashed the prices on the swanky new iPhones, and the Palm Pre was released. Last summer I couldn't justify spending the money on an iPhone contract, so I went with the Touch, which I love. But my work has recently cracked down on "acceptable use" of Internet/personal email use, and combined with a crazy summer of running around, I feel like I can better justify having a smartphone. Plus, I'd love to be able to twitter and get directions from my cell phone.* It's funny that a year-and-a-half ago, going on the internet on my phone just wasn't a priority!

Why not stick with the Touch? The Wi-fi-only internet access, no camera, and no Flash(=no Hulu.com) pose problems for checking email anywhere. And OK, an iPhone would be gadget overload, but they are so slick and easy to use. The Palm Pre has a lot going for it: GPS, music player, replaceable battery, touch screen, and of course phone, camera, and internet. The "real" keyboard is also a plus. Having played with the Palm Pre briefly, it seems easy enough to get used to, but strange/new coming from using the iPod Touch. Both plans include "everything minutes" and navigation (*which Verizon doesn't). [Photo Credit: Corinne Schulze/cnet.com]

The main reason why I'm holding off is we really need to refi our place, and I don't want to screw up my credit with something as seemingly frivolous as a smartphone. Also the whole 1st generation bugs still might need to be worked out. If I do get a smartphone, I also will have a hard time waiting for it to arrive! Nothing like a little high-priced instant gratification.