Pregnancy #2 not so much fun!

So pregnancy #2 is not so much fun thus far.....will there be an end to the nausea and now this mysterious rash out of no where? I have been to 3 Drs. now including a specialist and no one can really help me. So I continue to take my aveeno baths at night drug my self into a coma with Benadryl and slather harsh steriod cream all over. I really hate to complain but this pregnancy is soooo different from the first and I feel like there will never be an end to this feeling lousy.....all the while chasing after a highly energetic toddler. Morning sickness...ha who nicknamed it that? For me it is more like afternoon/night sickness....hits about 3PM and sometimes I am so nauseous I can't even stomach dinner! Let's just say there has been a lot of take out going on here lately. Sorry to vent but I feel better already and actually today was a pretty good day compared to yesterday!

Thankfully Ryan had so much fun over the weekend he has been completley pooped at night and falls fast asleep and has been sleeping in later than usual and taking longer naps so I am able to rest. Today I was just so darn tired after Ryan woke from his afternoon nap that I threw a bunch of toys his push buggy, cozy coupe and his digger and we sat out on the deck. Mostly I just wanted to confine him so I could sit down and put my feet up without having to chase him all over the house. The deck is pretty indestructable (I think) But at one point I ran in to get my watering can to water the flowers and he had pushed a chair to the edge of the rail and appeared to be trying to escape. Luckily I got there in the nick of time or it would have been really ugly. But for the most part Ryan and Dylan were both pretty content outside confined to the deck.

Did I mention Ryan has become so much more independant. Will actually play quietly some mornings while Greg and I run around like lunatics trying to shower and get ready for work... He has become quite chummy with Mr. Dylan and will take toys and play with him and chase him....unfortunately for Ryan Dylan is not all that into Ryan at all! He is more scared and runs like mad. But some days he is too tired and just puts up with the abuse. What a good puppy!

Welcome battle highchair...yeah Ryan actually refuses to sit in his highchair and has now for the past week! Last week Greg (still in his work clothes) attempted to put Ryan in the highchair for dinner kicking and screaming. He put his plate of food in front of Ryan and wouldn't you know Ryan decided to hurl his plate at Greg and squash landed all over his dress shirt...nice! So Greg then picked screaming kicking Ryan out of the chair and Ryan then decided to grab Greg by the ears and yank them....yeah can you believe it? So Greg was so upset that he had just been completely acosted by a 19 month old. Needless to say that night Ryan got to sit in the regular chair and he happily ate some of his dinner minus the sqaush that Greg was wearing. Sometimes you just have to give in....

This week I have just avoided the highchair altogether. Everytime I even went near it with him he cried. Luckily I have managed to distract him while securing him in the booster seat for mealtimes lately but there are some mornings where I just don't have the energy to fight him and he happily sits in the regular chair eating his toast and oatmeal. And my mom even witnesed a lower scale version of Ryan refusing the booster seat and she gave me a stern look and replied "Now who is boss here"? I know I should be more stern but there are some days I am and some I just give in. What is a tired mom to do?

Tonight at bedtime I only had to ready Baby Elmo once (I read really slow and made sure he copied everything Elmo did in the story to kill time anything not to have to read it eighty times over that alone can make a non-pregnant person nauseous)!through before Ryan quickly handed me I had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew followed by Cat in the Hat. Then it was a quick movement into the crib just a hint of protest but by the time we were downstairs it was done. And I was able to enjoy my Aveeno bath and have a little time to relax before bed.

Ryan Loves Elmo!

He's gone Elmo crazy! We have started this bedtime ritual of dinner and bath followed by storytime. Ryan's favorite story of all time is Baby Elmo. I think Greg and I have pretty much memorized the entire book cover to cover. As soon as we are finished reading he immediatley replies more and hands the book to us again. We usually end up reading Baby Elmo at least 10 times before convincing him we need to move on to another book. Then we usually turn to Dr. Seuss I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew (one of Uncle Freddie's childhood favorites) which by the way sadly Greg and I have started memorizing by default as well. But this story is much longer so 2 times and we are pretty good and tired by then. Baby Elmos still remains his all time favorite....we have even used Elmo to bribe him at night...

We tell him...
"Baby Elmo is going night night now and he wants Ryan to go night night too"
Ryan's response to this is "No"!
When asked the question "Ryan who is your favorite Sesame Street character"?
He responds "Eaymo"
He even has an Elmo bathmat, Elmo phone, Elmo silverware, Elmo T-shirt, Elmo placemats (a special treat when we eat out), and Elmo stuffed toy. He just adores Baby Elmo.

We also seem to think his favorite color is yellow. He actually was reading a book of colors during one diaper change this week and he called out "Yeayyow" I quickly looked to see what page he was on and he was indeed on the yellow page with a duck and a piece of cheese titled Yellow! I thought wow does he really know what yellow really is? I thought for a brief moment maybe he knows how to read but no I don't think so. He loves to say "yeayyow" when asked what is your favorite color. But sadly he thinks cookie monster eats crackers and that he is yellow too....

Anyways we are headed to Ma for the long weekend to celebrate our anniversary! I can't believe 4 years has passed by so quickly! I know poor mom and dad have to watch Ryan again for us while we spend the day in the Berkshires at the Cranwell resort and spa on Sunday (an anniversary tradition) but somehow I don't think they will mind too much. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

What a fun weekend spectacualr in KC!

Trying to recover still from our weekend spectacular in Kansas City from Jonathan's wedding. Can't believe mom and dad survived a week with our crazy puppy and 4 days with their overly energetic grandson! While talking to mom on Sunday before we left to come home I heard a bit of desperation in her voice as she proclaimed "Honey please please don't miss your flight home" Thanks so much could not have gone without you guys! It would have been nearly impossible to bring him at this age.

Basically the entire weekend was so much fun! It was so great to catch up with our friends. I did feel like I was back in college at a bar crawl only pregnant, sober, and nauseous only not from drinking. Ha every night I ended up heading back to our room solo and not really all that early like 11:00- 12 AM so I thought I did pretty well. But the others were out pretty late and had a bit too much fun....

The wedding itself was the most spectacular event we have ever been to! The wedding ceremony was such a cultural experience and started off dancing in the streets of KC on the way to the ceremony along with the groom. Then members from Meeta's family came over to welcome Jonathan in front of Union Station and there was a short ceremony in the lobby with the groom before heading into the actual wedding ceremony. Meeta looked so stunning in her sari (both the bride and groom wore tradiitonal Indian clothing for the ceremony) The entire ceremony lasted approx 2 hours. Then the bride and groom changed into their formal wedding attire and we all enjoyed a Indian feast. We felt so special to sit at the head table with the bride and groom. The wedding was absolutley beautiful. We were so glad to be a part of their special day. Congratulations Meeta and Jonathan!

So needless to say I am completley exhausted from the weekend events. I am happy to say I was so distracted from all the events that the nausea was not as bad as I anticipated but as soon as we returned home it came back. Luckily I got to rest a little today. I was so surprised to comeback hometo cold rainly weather. The weather in KC was so warm and sunny.

Here are a few photos from the weekend.





Union Station where the wedding ceremony and reception took place




Meeta and Jonathan during the ceremony





The head table-our table




The happy couple





Meeta's gown was stunning!

Leaving for the midwest!

Today we head out to the midwest for the Isenburg/Patel wedding. We are very excited because we can't wait to spend some adult time together and catch up wtih some old friends. Meeta (Jonathan's fiancee) is so sweet and I cannot wait to meet her family. The couple have been planning a Hindu ceremony and I know Meeta has been back and forth to India picking out fabrics for the big day. I am sad to be leaving Ryan but I know his grand parents are more than thrilled to be spending quality time with him. It is so comforting to know that he does well without his parents for short periods of time. The last time we left him was for the same amt of time back in Sept for the MacKenzie/Molloy nuptials down in NC.

We had such a good morning and Ryan was such a good boy. He ate some toast with strawberry jam and had milk for breakfast and then he ran all around the house squealing in delight and giggling (I think he had a sugar rush from the stawberry jam). Then he found an oven mit and this was just the greatest thing ever. He ran around the kitchen iron chefing! We are certainly going to miss him very much! But thanks mom and dad for taking care of him you are the best!

So this pregnancy has been very different to say the least. Unfortunately I have not been feeling well at all and I am a little nervous about our trip b/c I do not feel much like socializing and staying out late these days. My dress barely fits and I feel like a blimp in it! I prefer to crawl into bed with some gingerale and call it a night starting about 7 PM or so. Greg has done an amazing job with Ryan these past few weeks and has been home every night to feed him (I gag feeding him his dinner) and give him his bath and put him to bed. I don't know what I would do without him. Basically after lunch it is all down hill. Te extreme nausea and sheer exhaustion hit me about 3 PM. Thankfully I am able to rest when Ryan naps. But the evenings are really horrible and I feel so so terrible. And I don't remember feeling quite this bad when I was pregnant with Ryan.

So I am a little worried that I may have to duck out of the evening festivities early some nights but I am sure everyone will understand. I will just make sure I have some crackers and gingerale on hand back at the hotel. I am hoping for an end to the nausea soon but I think it will be around for a while. Back to the Dr.s next week for another check I will keep you posted.

Ryan's new words this week:

Geeuck (for truck)
Elmo (his favorite)
Lila (one of his girlfriends)
Poo poo (when he has a dirty diaper)
moo moo (for milk)

A Mother's Day to Remember

What a wonderful Mother's day! Here are some of the highlights of my very special Mother's Day yesterday...

-Ryan slept in until 7:30 AM and woke up babbling in his crib (not crying out Mama! Upee!)I picked him up and hugged him tight telling him he was the best mother's day present any mother could ever wish for and he smiled in delight.

-Made it to my 8 AM gym class despite waking later than usual

-Enjoyed a long peaceful shower without inerruption while the boys were out to breakfast at Einstein Bagels and running last minute errands

-Got to eat my entire breakfast in peace without having to share more than half with Ryan.

-Had a wonderful visit with my parents and Uncle Freddie. One of the highlights of the day was celebrating mother's day with my mom.

-Enjoyed an outdoor BBQ grilled to perfection by Greg. Enjoyed celebrating Uncle Freddie's B-day with cheese cake and chocolate ricotta cake...yum

-Enjoyed a long afternoon nap

-Enjoyed all my very thougthful Mother's day gifts from everyone

-But the best part of the day was spending time with my family that is always the greatest gift of all. Thanks everyone for such a fantastic Mother's Day!

Hope all my mommy friends had a wonderful day too!

Oh just to recap Saturday too. Ryan and I took a trip to Stew Leonards Saturday morning. What an experience he got to see baby cows and sample a ton of delicous food. They have a ton of singing animals and farm people up and down the isles. It is such a cool pace for small children Ryan just loved the whole experience but I think his favorite part were the samples of cookies, cheesecake, guacamole, and hummus he got to try along the way. We were able to pick up lots of fixins for our mother's day feast plus a few extras for the week. They have the best ice cream/dairy products and meats there! I may just have to make another trip again soon! They have the best homeade rice cakes that really calm a queasy stomach!

Then we enjoyed a family dinner at Quatro Pazzi our favorite Italian place in town and if you get there early they are super kid friendly. The highlight of Ryan's dining experience was the Elmo/sesame street place mat and eating bread and ice cubes. Oh and him and I are huge fans of their parmesan crusted sole..Yum

Leaving for Kansas City soon. Excited to spend some adult time with friends and I know Ryan is looking forward to spending time with his grandparents! Have a great week.

Sore Bottom :(

Poor little Ryan caught the tail end of the stomach bug Greg had last week....and sadly I fear we have passed it along to the C3 family too. Ryan has now had diarrhea for the past 5 days. I started him on a strict BRAT/Braty diet for the past 2 days. (Bananas Rice Applesauce Toast/Yogurt) He does not however seem bothered by this at all despite having a very red sore bottom! I took him to the park today and yesterday to get some fresh air. You would never know this child is sick he runs and runs and plays and climbs. Eating and drinking well. The main concern with any stomach bug is the risk of dehydration. I gave him a pedialyte popsicle today and he loved it! He kept asking for more but I told him they were all gone and handed him some saltines instead. He seemed satisfied with the crackers.

I know these stomach things always take longer to resolve especially in children but poor Ryan must be so sick and tired of the Brat diet by now. If it continues beyond a week I may take him to the pedi. I did call them yesterday and they assured me that it would resolve in a few days not to give him any added sugar or fruit (aside from the applesauce and bananas)It is so tough to see your child sick.

So due to the sore bottom we have been spending lots of naked baby time! Ryan just gets a huge kick out of this and squeals running around the house in delight. We try to let him linger naked as long as possible especially after his bath. I have started using triple paste on his bottom and this has made a huge difference in the rash in only one day! (thanks for the tip C + K)

Anyone have any other suggestions for the never ending diarrhea? Thanks and sorry to be so graphic!

Diaper Explosion Monday!

Just another crazy Monday morning. I woke up and got ready for work and shortly after Ryan awoke. Greg picked him up out of the crib and gave him to me "gotta let the dog out" and he was off.... Yeah and our child was super stinky! How Greg could not tell I do not know. But I have a super sensitive nose these days and I can smell poo a mile away almost immediatly as soon as you open the door. So I put our stinky boy on the changing table and un zipped his jammies and I knew it was an explosion. It was all over his onsie up his back and up his belly....sorry to be so graphic I tried and tried to wipe him off (I think I used like 8 wipes) no such luck so I made an executive decison to give him a half bath..yep in the bathroom sink. Which was sort of a bad idea but frankly I was too lazy to give him a full tubby so the sink just had to do in a pinch. I could see my breakfast time escaping me as I tried my hardest to scub his bottom, back, and belly in the sink whch was overflowing at this point. Picture a 30 chubby baby in a tiny bathroom sink...yeah it was a sight to see. All the while he was grabbing at anything and everything. And of course my worst nightmare. He managed to grab Greg's toothbrush and put it in his mouth (remember he just got over that nasty stomach bug a few days ago?) Yeah so I nearly lost it. I had reminded him last week to throw it out and get a new one but I guess he forgot (I immediatley put it in the trash). Needless to say if Ryan gets away not getting the bug this time around I will clearly diagnose him with having an iron stomach!

Oh well I managed to have breakfast after all. Scrambled eggs and toast with jelly. It is the only way to calm the nausea I have to eat a lot of protein in the morning. And sometimes I actually dream aobut breakfast at night too. Odd I know. But there was a time when Ryan loved scambled eggs but sadly those days have come to an abrupt end. He no longer will even look at an egg. So I ended up sharing my toast with strawberry jam and he loved that of course then off to work. And to top it off I was only 10 minutes late to work but there was no way I could skip breakfast. Those days right now are over. Although I was the last of the Dr.s to show up usually I am the second but no harm done. Dr. W and Dr. A are almost always running later than me but not today. Oh well it is turining out to be a good morning anyways the sun is out and the weather is suppossed to be nice.

Not to much to report over the weekend. Greg recovered from his illness you guessed it on the golf course Sat. I was feeling so so so over the weekend so Ryan and I sort of layed low and napped. We did go to Sakura our favorite Japanese hibachi restaruant on Saturday. Ryan was so scared of the fire. He winced and almost cried and leaned towards me while in his highchair for comfort. It was really cute there was another boy across the table about 17 months old and pretty much him and Ryan had the same reaction to the fire. Ryan loved the food. The noodles are his favorite and he even ate some steak and chicken. He enjoyed dipping his apple wedges in the mustard sauce. Yesterday we went to Sunny Daes for ice cream. Boy did Ryan love it. I ordered a small vanilla soft serve and he managed to hijack my entire cone and eat most of it. He could not get enough then we hit the mall for some last minute touches on Mother's Day gifts.

I made frozen chicken patties for dinner last night b/c I was too tired to cook and I though Ryan might enjoy them they were similar to chicken nuggets only patties instead. Well I cut some up for him and gave him some ketchup and a few apple slices. Guess what he did with the ketch-up...no interest in the chicken...liked the apple....but decided to scoop the ketch-up with his hands and eat it straight up...then demanded more. I tried to dip the chicken in the ketchup but this resulted in him licking the ketch-up off and spitting the chicken out. So what did our son eat for dinner last night? Mutiny due to ice cream and mall snacking. Ketchup and apples...yum yum. The things toddlers do is so bizzare especially when it comes to food. Hopefully he will eat better for Polina....the child practically eats her out of house and home!

On the Mend

So Greg is on the mend recovering from the stomach bug. You know he is feeling beter if he is at the driving range and that is where he was when I called at lunch time to check in on him. I am sure fresh air will do him good I told him not to over do it though. But anyone who really knows Greg knows that even a bug won't cut into his golf game! So glad he is feeling better.

So I was in Target yesterday buying some things to disinfect the house with and I had some Method cleaning products in my hands. They are organic environmentally friendly cleaning products but after reading the back it said very clearly NOT antibacterial and I thought I needed a good antibacterial agent to kill off all the germs so I went with the good old fashioned clorox. I fear that I amy have gone a bit overboard with the cleaning though b/c poor Dylan got sick from all the fumes. He kept walking across the floors I had bleached. I did have all the windows open too. But maybe I will still consider switching over to the earth friendly products next time around.

Oh yeah also while changing my sheets over I discovered not only does our front loading washer and dryer eat socks especially baby socks but apparently they also eat full sized fitted sheets. Yes a full sized fitted sheet went in but apparently did not come back out and I searched the entire basement and linen closet with no luck in locating the sheet. So at present we have mix matched sheets on our bed. Oh well at least it is clean right?

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Stomach Bug..... Ughhhh (Again)

The terrible stomach bug has plagued our house yet again......poor Greg was violently ill throughout the night and still not feeling great today but better thankfully. Dylan kept him company....such a good puppy! Thankfully I had already planned on Ryan going to Polina's so I could get to the eye Dr. for a check up. But now I will rest a little and put on my rubber gloves and disinfect the entire house before I pick him up tomorrow. Yes Polina is a saint I asked her to keep him over night so I could disinfect the entire house and keep him away from the germs for a day. I think Greg should be better by tomorrow.

Anyways my morning was extremely productive despite a sleepless night. I was at Target at 9 Am picking up somethings for Uncle Freddy. His birthday is in a few days and I wanted to get him some special surprises! Then I hit BRU to return a few items and to use the credit to buy my parents a video monitor for their house. Grammy Sharon is a little worried our little monkey Ryan may try to jump out of his crib while we are away in a few weeks. She is very nervous to babysit for us now but I assured her she can watch his every move in the video monitor haha! Then I hit the Milford mall for my eye app. Geez our silly eye care insurance did not have any providers in town so I decided to play it safe and go to the mall rather than venturing into Bridgeport....you never know if you will end up in the nicer areas or the ghetto. But even with eye care insurance the glasses and contacts were not cheap. I know it is partially my fault I did pick out another pair of Coach frames but that is just in case I have to wear my glasses in public.

So now I will take care of sick hubby and clean ( I actually really enjoy cleaning!)

Oh also wanted to wish my parents a very Happy Anniversary! Hope you have a fantastic dinner!