27 August 2015

I know what they mean

My babies won't listen. I get so emotional about it, it brings me to tears some days. No matter how many times I tell them, they just won't stop GROWING UP!

We celebrated Wilde's 2nd and Sevryn's 4th (yes, FOURTH!) birthdays this summer.  This poor blog has so much dust collected on it, but I still have people that tell me they've found/read my posts and it's such an important time capsule that I cherish it and really hope to be able to post more often.  No promises, though- because since these kids were born, I've realized that my time with them is SO short and goes SO QUICKLY that I will find a million and one excuses to not do ANYTHING else (housework included) during the day except simply BE PRESENT with them.

They're the greatest teachers I've ever had in this lifetime.  I absolutely am challenged, humbled, empowered, delighted and improved as a human being just by being their mama.

But it does happen- as much as I savour every moment with them as a full-time 100% stay-at-home mom, I feel like I just BLINKED and now they're so grown.

I honestly just felt it for the first time this summer, really. All moms have told me, "Enjoy it. They grow up so fast. Cherish it." But I never truly *got* it until this summer.  I stumbled across some pictures of my babies as newborns, and I literally felt a heaviness in my chest, an ACHE. Like a physical reaction to seeing their wrinkled up fingertips and flakes of newborn skin that flutter off those first few days. The photos of their eyes all crossed and unfocused and squinted in the light because they've so rarely even opened them the first week.

It's so difficult to explain to someone who hasn't yet been there. With two babies so close in age, I felt like I was in survival mode for these first 4 years: just struggling to cope on such little sleep and trying so hard to give both the attention they need at different ages. I don't miss the lack of sleep, breastfeeding, the swollen and puffy post-pregnancy body, the diapers, the sickness when they're too little to give them anything for relief.  But I miss the sensory things: the way I could run my fingers through those little tufts of newborn hair on their head.  The feeling of their head fitting EXACTLY between my chin and chest. Those little contented grunt and rapid inhalation sounds after their bellies are full of warm milk and they've drifted off to sleep in my arms. The sight of little round toes pushed up against the bars of the crib. I miss those things.

And yet, they are so much FUN at this age! Wilde has been out of diapers COMPLETELY since the day after his 2nd birthday (even at NIGHT!) and it is so liberating to walk out the door with only my keys and wallet in a NORMAL purse (not a diaper bag.) Wilde is even so eager for his independance that he refuses to even let me help him in the bathroom. If I try to follow him in, he puts his little hand up and says, "Puhwi-wa-see, Mama! PUHWI-WA-SEE!" (his way of saying, "privacy.")

I've kept a journal every day, to document these little treasured moments and cute little things they say and do, so at least I can feel like I'm slowing time down a little bit! But yeah- it's all happening so fast now. Sevryn has told me she wants to wait and go to school "When I Five, Mama" , so we aren't placing her in preschool (which is what I prefer anyway!) I love having my babies so close to me and with me all day. I know it won't be long before they want nothing to do with mama and they are off running around with boyfriends and girlfriends so I will keep them as close as I can WHILE I can!

Today, we went to Central Park with some friends, and I can't believe how big they look. BIG.


That's Sevryn Monet with the super long hair, and Wilde Augustus looking over at the big kids to make sure he gets the pose right! 
Here are a couple more from this summer's adventures. Tick Tock Tick Tock and time runs on...





Sevryn at age 3 and Sevryn at age 4
Wilde age 1 and Wilde age 2...taken almost exactly a year apart
My girl 

06 September 2013

Birth Story: Wilde Augustus

Since becoming a mom of TWO, I've realized the rarity of both kids sleeping at the same time, and having enough mental dexterity and adequate sleep to do anything but pass out from exhaustion if they actually do. Both kids are just amazing- Sevryn is the best big sister and so mature for her age of just barely 2, and Wilde is very mellow, easy-going, and patient. But that doesn't change the fact that you basically don't sleep at all for the first 6 weeks, and now that I have a 2 year old, I don't have the opportunity to nap or rest all day either.  It's full steam ahead, 24 hrs a day, bascially!




Wilde is growing SO fast! No one told me that your babies grow faster the more you have! I swear I put him to bed as a newborn and he woke up as a chubby active BABY! He turned 6 weeks old yesterday, and many people have asked about his birth story, so since it is quite remarkable, I thought I'd share! If you'd like to hear more, and don't mind candid talk about childbirth, read on...

Wilde's baby shower/Sevryn's 2nd birthday party was on Sunday, the 21st of July.  My due date was August 16th, so I was 36 weeks and 2 days in this photo, taken at the shower.  Note how enormous. 



I was feeling Braxton Hicks contractions for several weeks at this point, and although I didn't have any other signs of pre-eclampsia, my hands and feet were tremendously swollen, and I was measuring so large that my midwife had ordered an ultrasound and blood work two weeks earlier.  The ultrasound showed my amniotic fluid levels were perfect, baby was healthy, measuring about 6.5 pounds (normal) and due date was still showing August 16th.  At my 36 week check-up the Tuesday after this photo was taken, I told the midwife that I was certain I was not going to make it to my due date.  She laughed, and said all moms feel this way at the end.  I was like, "NO. You have to understand, I FEEL different." I felt the same way I felt just days before delivering Sevryn: I was restless, couldn't sleep or stay in one position for more than a few minutes, felt contractions and a heaviness in my lady gaga area. This pressure I like to describe as "10 hrs on a bicycle seat" type of discomfort: it literally felt like I was sore from riding a bike or an intensely long spin class. I also started feeling pressure in my rectum, where I was literally dashing to the bathroom every 20 minutes thinking I was about to poop, but nothing happened.  I knew from this symptom that the baby's head had to be very low and this baby was ready to come, regardless of what the doctors and midwives were telling me.  My husband placed his bets that the baby was going to be born that weekend, and he cancelled his trip to go out of town for business in Boston that Thursday and Friday, just in case. 

I was determined to use the birthing center this time (since last time, I was supposed to, but there wasn't a room available) so I knew I needed to make it to 37 weeks to qualify.  Those last few days I literally parked my butt on the couch with my feet up, and tried everything to not have to move or get up.  Sevryn and I played with stickers, coloring, puzzles, books, iPad, anything that didn't require me moving. I tried to limit going upstairs to once or twice a day max.  I didn't leave the house because of the heat, and I was drinking as much water as I possibly could to stay hydrated. 

Sevryn's birthday was on Wednesday, the day after my midwife appointment. My brother, Stan and my niece, Navy, and my brother, Nolan were in town visiting, and we had a cupcake to celebrate Sevryn's birthday in the morning. (Don't worry, she had a big party the weekend before, remember?)




This is the last picture of me pregnant- just hours before I would go into labor.  After Nolan & my husband both headed off to work, Stan & Navy left around 10am to drive back to Montreal, and Sev and I settled back to our books and puzzles. Sevryn took her afternoon nap, and I laid down as well.  When she woke up, I got out of bed to go get her in her room, and I felt Braxton Hicks contractions again.  Around 4pm, I started making dinner for Sevryn, and I realized I was still feeling the Braxton Hicks. I was worried that they would turn into real contractions, and I was still 2 days away from the 37 weeks full term mark, so I drank an entire gatorade for electrolytes, and kept drinking water, in hopes that maybe I was just dehydrated and feeling contractions because of that. 

Sevryn ate dinner, and I text my husband and told him we would have to change our plans for the evening. We were going to take Sevryn to the carousel at Bryant Park, and then go out for ice cream for her birthday, but I told him I just wasn't feeling up to it, and was extremely uncomfortable.  I didn't think it was a good idea to be hauling around town with a stroller and going up and down the subway steps. I did some laundry, took a shower, walked the dogs and tried to see if some activity would curb the contractions.  It did not.  

At 5pm, I decided to call the midwives, since I figured they would probably still be around the office, and I should give them a heads up since I might have real contractions coming in the next few days or so. At this point, I counted 10 contractions at 2-3 minutes apart, lasting for 60 seconds each.  The midwife said come to the hospital.  I said, "Ok, no problem, my husband will be home from work around 7, and then I'll get a friend to come babysit, and then we will take the subway to the hospital, and meet you there around 8:30." She said "NO. Come NOW!" 

I got my hospital bag, got Sevryn's shoes on, and called a car service to pick us up at our front door. I still thought I was just having false contractions, and they would stop at any time.  They were so mild and no big deal to me. I felt I was inconveniencing the midwife, but she insisted that since I had such an insanely fast delivery with my first (arrived at the hospital at 2:05pm, delivered her at 2:45pm!), I needed to take this seriously. I text Daniel and told him to meet me at the hospital instead of meeting me at home, and had our babysitter meet us at the hospital as well. 

I'll never forget that special cab ride with my little sweet girl, Sevryn sitting in the middle of the back seat, beside me in the car.  I looked down at her and wondered if this was the last ride we would take together with her as my only child. I wondered how she would accept all this. And I marveled at just how big and grown up she seemed to me that day. 

We arrived at the hospital and took the elevators up to the 11th floor.  We went to the waiting room for triage, where I filled out forms and waited for (no joke) an hour and 15 minutes. It's a good thing I did go to the hospital so early! The midwife was right about that! Daniel met me at the waiting room, where I was walking and pacing through the mild contractions, and Sevryn was sitting and playing on the iPad. Our babysitter arrived shortly after Daniel did, and she then took Sevryn back to our apartment, where she would spend the night with her and sleep over. 

We were admitted to triage, and they hooked me up to monitors to see if I was having real contractions or not.  They gave me an IV of fluids, to see if that would stop the contractions, since I was still technically pre-term by 2 days. The first bag of fluids went through and I was still having contractions. They gave me another bag of fluids.  By this time, it was about 11pm, and they decided to check my dilation. I had dilated from 1/2cm to 2 cm in an hour, so they said, "yup, you're having a baby," and they admitted me to L&D. It was just shy of midnight by now, and while I was glad that I had made it to midnight and this baby would have its OWN birthday, and not have to share the same day as Sevryn, I was sad that once again, I would not be able to deliver in the birthing center.  I was 36W6D and knowing my history, I wouldn't be another 24 hrs in labor to make it to 37 weeks full term!

I was still on the contractions and fetal heartbeat monitors, which were strapped around my belly.  The baby was moving constantly, and was very low in the birth canal, ready to come out, so the machine kept "losing" the baby's heartbeat. I asked that they please just take the monitors off completely, like I had with my first baby, but since the baby was considered a "preemie," they had to take all the precautions and had to keep the monitors on throughout labor and delivery. This was extremely frustrating, because contractions had picked up and I wanted to be able to walk or at least STAND and sway my hips or move around and get this baby out. Laying on a bed is SO uncomfortable when you're in active labor with no anesthesia. 

Between 12am and 2am, they dimmed the lights, kept the monitors on, and had me lay on my side so that the monitors could pick up the heartbeat.  I tried to rest as much as I could in between contractions, but this was so much more painful because my coping mechanisms were limited, as I was strapped to these awful machines and IV. I remember hearing Daniel snoring in the chair beside the bed, as he was passed out sleeping, and thinking of the irony- here I am doing perhaps the HARDEST work and effort of my life, and the man gets to sleep comfortably in a la-z-boy, snoring away! Haha

At 2am, the contractions were getting really intense, and I called for the midwife to come in and check again.  I was 5cm.  The baby's heartbeat started doing weird things- apparently, it would accelerate after a contraction, which is uncommon especially for a baby of less than 37 weeks.  Most babies DEcellerate during the middle of a contraction, because of the stress and pressure of the squeezing contraction moving their bodies down the birth canal.  My baby's heart beat was accelerating AFTERWARDS, which they said is actually more typical of a LATE term baby, where the placenta is just about pooped out from providing nutrition to the baby.  Interesting, right? I wasn't concerned, it just confirmed my suspicions that the baby WASN'T premature; it was exactly ready to come out!

The nurse and midwife got a little nervous about the atypical heartbeat pattern, and suggested we break the water so that the labor will speed up and the baby will come out in case there's any distress. I said I was game, and I knew that historically, when the water breaks, it's like a waterslide that slides the baby right on out FAST, so I was ready to be done with these contractions and hold my baby! They broke the water, and I asked if NOW I could please stand up beside the machine and sway or bend or stretch to guide the baby out.  They said no, I had to lay on my side still on the bed.  This is where I literally, lost it and got all mama bear aggressive. 

I told them that I could literally FEEL the position of the baby, because I could feel where the toes and feet were kicking, and it was right under my left ribcage.  When I had a contraction laying on my side, I felt INTENSE pain on my right hipbone/pelvis, which indicated to me that the baby was laying diagonal, and needed to move straight up and down to come out, obviously.  The baby was grinding or getting stuck on my hip bone and I would never be able to guide the baby into position while I was stuck laying on my SIDE in bed, with my legs together and hips closed up tight! I told them, as calmly as I could at that point, "I chose an unmedicated birth because I believe my body communicates with me and the baby communicates with me how I need to move and adjust so that it can come out easily.  What you're doing, is forcing me to IGNORE what my body and my baby is telling me, and I am really terrified that if I don't get up and change position, this baby is going to be stuck and get into distress and I will be rushed off for a c-section. So PLEASE PLEASE let me get up! At least let me get onto all fours like how I delivered my first baby!" 

They agreed to let me get up on all fours.  That felt tremendous- the pain in my hip was gone, and I felt the baby move into a vertical position.  All was well, and I was ready to push this baby out.  Then, the machine started beeping because the heartbeat was lost again since the baby moved.  They all freaked out, and told me I had to lay back down again. I was begging and pleading, almost in tears at this point, saying I absolutely could NOT lay down, and please just let me push the baby OUT and then you can check the heartbeat! I asked if there were any other options for monitoring, and the midwife said I could have an internal monitor placed on the baby's head.  I asked if there was any risk of complication or injury for the baby.  She said no, but it's pretty uncomfortable and painful for me to have it placed and have it there while I'm pushing.  I said "GREAT! LET'S DO IT! QUICK!" I was willing to endure any type of additional pain, just to get this baby out and listen to what my body was telling me to do. At this point, labor isn't exactly COMFORTABLE anyway, so how much more painful can it get as opposed to laying on my side with my legs together?! UGHH!!

The monitor went on and I didn't even feel anything.  The baby's heartbeat was strong, loud, and perfectly normal (just as I thought! Ha!) Suddenly, the urge to push came, and the midwife yelled for the nurse.  Yelled once again, then REALLY yelled, because that baby started coming out like a torpedo! The midwife kept telling me, "Stop pushing! Stop pushing! Just let your body bring the baby out!" and honestly, I WASN'T pushing, its just that my contractions were THAT strong and I dilated THAT quickly that the baby had nothing holding back and it was coming out really really fast!  It was a pain that was way more intense than I was ready for, because the contractions were so fast and furious I literally couldn't catch my breath to try and carry me through them.  I was panting, blowing raspberries with my lips, banging my fist against the pillow, ANYTHING to try and exert the energy that was coursing through me so that I wouldn't push and tear. If anyone's been in labor, you know that NOT pushing is the hardest thing ever! A near impossible request!

The urge to push came at 3:57am (this, I know because Daniel sent a text to his mom saying "Carm is getting ready to push") and our baby was born at 4:06am, just 9 minutes after that text was sent! Because he was a "preemie" ( I always put that in quotes, because obviously, he was right on time!), they cut the cord immediately and had an exam table waiting with a pediatrician and nurse to check him out. It was kind of dissapointing to not have the birthing center "home birth" experience, where I can help catch him and hold him on my chest or have a water birth, but I'm just really glad I had such a short and easy labor. He screamed and screamed nice and loud, which was good to hear, and the pediatrician said, "he's perfect!" which I already knew :)  He scored a 9/9 on the APGAR scale, and weighed in a healthy 7lb 9oz and 20 inches long. 

As they were examining him, I looked over at Daniel and said, "That was wild! His name should be Wilde," which we kind of laughed about.  We debated several names over the next day and a half, and finally came back to Wilde, because it just looked like it suited him so well! All the nurses and doctors have commented that it's such a great name, and we like it a lot.  His middle name, Augustus, has 2 meanings: first, it's the middle name of my father and grandfather, and second, it's the month he was SUPPOSED to be born, and we thought it should be noted that he came so early and surprised us!


It was so cool to hear Daniel say, "It's a BOY!!!" as he was born.  I just kept crying and saying, "I have a SON? I have a SON!













19 April 2013

Joyeuses Pâques!

Easter was spent at the in-laws in Pennsylvania. Of course, I had an Easter Hat to wear with my outfit (it's tradition!) My mother always made a point of having a hat for Easter and I love it too! This hat was from the 1950's, found on Etsy.












Baby Bump Update!

Spring is rolling in and my belly is popping out!  

 Here is 19.5 weeks



...And here is looking back at 14 weeks! That's when I started to show a little bit  (but still just looked bloated lol)

I'm now 23 weeks and cruising along! Feeling great- no complaints at all, except that this baby is much more active and kicks me all night long!

07 March 2013

Frette

Got a fabulous (and I mean FABULOUS) deal at the Frette luxury bedding sample sale today on the Upper East Side. These robes retail for $385 EACH...I paid $30! I also got a soft jersey robe ($285 retail price- I paid $25) for summer and to treat myself post-delivery for all those late late nights I know I'll be spending with my newborn.

Frette is extremely high end, luxury Italian sheets, towels and bedding. I could only ever DREAM of being able to afford these sheets. At the sample sale today, I got 2 sheet sets which retail for (please sit down...) $1,350 EACH. That's right, $1,350 PER! What did I pay? $105 for one set and just $52 for the other!

Finally, I got a gorgeous duvet cover with shams which retailed for $685 for another $50!

HEAVEN!!!







Kickin' it

I'm in my 17th week of pregnancy with little peep #2, and the flutters and little taps have my heart all in flutters too! With Sevryn, I felt the first kicks at 16.5 weeks, and I distinctly remember it feeling like popcorn popping- like 5 little rapid twinges in one place.  So cool!

This time, I did feel the baby a bit sooner- around 14/15 weeks, mostly because I knew what to be looking for.  With your first pregnancy, you really don't know what a kick feels like, and it can easily be mistaken for a gas bubble. In fact, after I gave birth, I was still feeling "phantom" kicks for a while, just because every time my stomach gurgled, I felt like it was a baby kicking! Did this happen to any other moms?

I think the strangest part about feeling a fetus kick inside you is that you mentally have to register that it's NOT in your control, and you can't MAKE it happen again.  Since it's inside your body, you feel like you can control it and make it happen, and it's so weird that it's a separate PERSON that's independently moving and squirming inside you! Ah! I can't even tell if I'm making myself clear, but I'm sure some other moms will understand.

When I first felt the baby kick, I would find myself mentally WILLING the baby to move again, as if I somehow had something to do with it (haha). And since those first twinges are SO faint and so sporadic, it can be frustrating when you feel a kick and then you're like... "COME ON!! DO IT AGAIN! PLEEEASE!"

When I had an ultrasound at 13 weeks, the baby was moving and kicking so much, it took about an hour for the techn to get the measurements she needed because the baby was moving and flipping so much and wouldn't stay still.  As I laid there, I realized that again, I was mentally trying to make the baby stay still, and I laughed out loud as I told the technician. It's so weird that you feel like you have something to do with it, but you absolutely don't!

I feel this little soccer player a whole lot more often now, and it's definitely getting stronger. This one moves a lot more than Sevryn did- she was a relaxed, chill baby.  I can feel kicks on one side of my belly and then on the complete opposite, so I know this baby is doing some major gymnastics in there! It really is such a relief when you start to feel movement, because you spend so much time wondering if everything is ok in there. I'm thankful for every little flutter (no matter how ticklish!) that tells me everything is gonna be fine :)

20 February 2013

I'm a strict parent

The more I spend time with playgroups and see other parents and their rules, the more my husband and I realize that our parenting is probably pretty "strict" compared to today's standards. Honestly, we are just raising our child with the same rules and manners that our parents both demanded of us. Here's some of our rules that make us "the mean parents:"

-No playing near the oven. Ever. Not even allowed to go close to it, let alone touch it. Sevryn will point to the oven and say, "le four! CHAUD!" (the oven! HOT!) because she knows she is not to go near it.

-No crawling, standing, and certainly no jumping on the sofa or other furniture.  Furniture is for sitting on your bottom ONLY. She has a french video of kids kicking around on the sofa and she shakes her finger at them and says, "non non non non!!!"

-Not allowed to say, "NO" to adults or mom and dad. She has been taught to say, "No, thank you" and "non, Merci," if she is offered something she does not want. When told not to do something, she knows she cannot say, "NO," so so breathes a really heavy sigh of exasperation. (It's hard not to giggle!)

-Not allowed to touch the television, DVD player, TiVo, or even remote controls.  That's for adults only.

-No playing on the stairs or climbing the stairs without an adult to accompany her. This is because we have a very tall iron spiral staircase, which is dangerous for children to play on. We have never used a child gate- she knows very specifically that she is NOT to touch "le noir" (the black part) of the stairs, at the top OR the bottom. She will stand and call for help, but she knows it is forbidden to touch the stairs without an adult with her.

-No banging on the piano. Pianos are instruments, not toys. She is allowed to play the piano, but only pressing the keys softly and gently.

-Not allowed to leave the dinner table until everyone is finished eating.

-No crying when it's time to leave the park. If she cries, she is "scratched" (not allowed back) to that park for a week. I haven't had to scratch any parks off our list yet, she knows when it's time to leave, we say goodbye to everyone, wave, and we go home.

-No touching or approaching dogs. Even little ones, and even if the owner says the dog is friendly. We have 2 dogs at home that love her and are gentle with her, and she knows that she may only pet HER dogs.

-No spitting, no biting, no screaming or yelling indoors. There is an indoor voice and an outdoor voice.

-No interrupting.  If I am speaking to someone and she needs to speak to me, I've taught her to put her hand on my arm and wait. When I am available, I will turn to her and ask her what she needs. (I learned this one from my mother, who raised a huge houseful of children and foster children. It "saved our place in line" to talk to her, but was still respectful that she was busy with something.)


I'm sure this list will get longer as she gets older! What "mean parent" rules do you have in your home?

19 February 2013

2nd time around

It never ceases to amaze me of what my body can do when it carries a real, live, human being for 40 weeks. It's absolutely incredible! I've also been so surprised at how DIFFERENT this pregnancy has been- even from the very beginning. With my daughter, I got several negative pregnancy tests at the beginning, and even though my husband insisted that something was different, I believed the tests instead of listening to my body.  After I got a positive test, I realized that a lot of things WERE different: my crazy hair coloring incident, my aversion to coffee, my cravings for cheeseburgers at every meal, sour ice cold lemonade, and avocados.

This time, I didn't have ANY of those cravings or aversions. I got a positive pregnancy test very early, but I kept testing daily because I couldn't BELIEVE that I was pregnant, since I felt so differently this time. At the beginning, I didn't FEEL any differently. With my first pregnancy, my boobs got HUGE right away. I went from a 32A to a 38C in the first 2 weeks. This time, at 15 weeks, I'm STILL wearing my A cup bras. Isn't that so weird? This time, my skin is very very dry, and with Sevryn, it was oily.
I had early on (and still do) a craving for Instant Ramen Noodles (this, I think is because I really hate salt and salty foods, so my body was probably trying to get more sodium/salt for the pregnancy, since I never eat salt or salty foods normally.) I also had no aversions to coffee- in fact, it tasted wonderful! I have switched to de-caf, as I try not to consume caffeine during pregnancy, but once a month or so, I do have a cappuccino from a real cafe. Mmmmmm! 

I also had really strong cravings for hot and spicy foods, as well as SWEETS.  I could eat entire packets of sugar, if I had let myself. I made my husband go to Domino's pizza just for the spicy mango habanera dipping sauce. I made him get about 6 dipping cups of it, and then I put it on EVERYTHING. I swear, I could have eaten sandwiches of just bread and spicy habanero sauce! 

With Sevryn, I was pretty sick with morning sickness, and it was 24/7 sickness.  I would wake up in the night to puke, and I would keep throwing up during the day and into the next evening.  The good news, is it only lasted from weeks 6-11. The day I turned 11 weeks, it was GONE.  I went from nauseous to starving (and I mean STARVING) just like that.  I couldn't eat fast enough- I remember as I was putting food into my mouth, I was already thinking about what I was going to eat next! I lost 6lbs during the first trimester as a result of being so nauseated, but I probably gained that 6 lbs back in two days! 

With this little monster, I started feeling sick at 6 weeks, and was ONLY sick at night- from about 4pm on, I couldn't eat anything except some crackers and water. I learned to eat as much as I could during the day, and just stop eating at 4pm, and this way I wouldn't be vomiting through the evening.  The sickness was much less this time, and it ended at 10 weeks, so it was really just 1 month (one LONNNG month!) 

There are benefits to being a full time mom when you're pregnant- you don't have to dress up for work, figure out how to squeeze into your work clothes when your belly pops, you can skip doing your makeup and hair, and don't have to deal with crowded public transportation on those mornings when you're always on the verge of barfing everywhere.  With Sevryn, I was working full time and I would go to work a full hour EARLY every morning, so that I could get as much puking as I could OVER with before anyone else showed up at the office.  This time, it was really nice to be HOME during all that.  I am also blessed to have a daughter that SLEEPS (she's making up for it now, since she never slept as a baby!) so I could take a 2 hr nap every morning, 2 hrs every afternoon, and then go to bed when she does at 9pm and sleep til 8am.  She is such a sweet and good little girl- she plays really independently and was so good to mama when I was at my sickest. 

I'm feeling great now, and I'm 15 weeks pregnant now. Another benefit to having a toddler is that the pregnancy seems to FLY by because you're so busy just tending the first child! Sometimes I forget how many weeks pregnant I am, when with the first, I would be able to tell you exactly how many weeks, days, and how many days left to go til the due date! 

I've gained 1.4lbs at the 15 week mark, and I'm trying to stay on track to gain 18-20lbs. I gained 21lbs with my first pregnancy, and I really don't want to go over that, if I can help it. It's just overwhelming to think of adding another 20lbs to my body and STILL having to carry a 23lb toddler and her stroller and diaper bag up and down the subway stairs, and the stairs to our apartment building. As an active urban city mom, I don't have a car or minivan to do all the heaving lifting/carrying for me- my transportation is my own two legs!  I really can't wait until the weather warms up and we can carry on with our outdoor lifestyle. I can't wait to spend our days in central park, at the museums, at the water parks, and walking along the Hudson River! That will keep the baby weight off for sure! 

Here's a quick picture I'll leave you with of my 14 week baby bump:


08 February 2013

L'hippopotame



Happy Friday! Sevryn wanted to share with you what I think is the most adorable word in her current vocabulary: "l"hippopotame," which is "Hippopotamus" in French. I think it's hilarious that it has about 11 syllables when she says it! It's like her mouth starts going and just can't stop!

Sevryn responds and speaks more in French than English, but she understands both.  I only speak French to her, and since I'm home alone with her every day, I know that's why it's coming more quickly than English for her. It's just amazing that children just absorb language so effortlessly at this age. I can switch between both languages in the same sentence and she doesn't even notice a difference!

She also picked up saying, "Pas pour toi," which means, "not for you." She learned it because the dogs were always following her around and trying to get a bite of her crackers or cookies, and I told her to say, "Non non, Romeo- c'est pas pour toi!" Now, she shakes her little finger and says, "na-na-na-na-na! Oh-mi-Oh! Na-na! Pas-pa-KA!"

We were in Montreal for Christmas, and took her to a McDonald's play park to burn off some energy. A little boy tried climbing up the slide as she was at the top, ready to go down, and she shook her little finger at him and said, "Pas pour toi! Pas pour toi!" So he got up and moved!

05 February 2013

Our little Parisien

Sevryn has some exciting news to announce- she will become a big sister this summer!

We are expecting our second baby in August, just 2 weeks after Sevryn's 2nd birthday. We are excited to expand our family and I desperately wanted another baby from the day sevryn was born.

This little one was a wonderful surprise from our trip to Paris in November. There's a reason it's called the city of love!

Mama is feeling great after several long weeks of nausea, and baby has gone through all the genetic testing and screenings and is wonderfully healthy! We are so grateful and thankful for this miracle and gift of being parents again!







14 January 2013

I'm in love with this trick!

On Dr. Oz last week, Rocco Dispirto explained a really interesting way to make HEALTHY sour cream: by substituting cottage cheese. I was very skeptical- I LOATHE cottage cheese.  Can't eat it at all- the chunks and curds make me want to vom right away. But he said that if you substitute 1 c. of cottage cheese for 1 c. sour cream, add a squeeze of lemon, and then blend/puree in a food processor or blender, you won't be able to tell the difference. Plus, you're getting WAY more protein, less fat and less salt!

Last night, just before midnight, I had the most intense craving for a big 'ole baked potato. Unfortunately, I didn't even HAVE any potatoes in the house, and we all know they take about 7,000 hours to bake. This morning, I had some potatoes delivered with my grocery order (yay, freshdirect.com!) and Sevryn and I set out to try this sour cream imposter creation.

I'm here to tell you...it's GOOD! I mean, seriously.  It's REALLY good.

Here's all the information from Dr. Oz's website.  Try it for yourself! I'm a believer.

10 January 2013

Travel tip

Sevryn got these window gels in her stocking for Christmas, and she LOVES playing with them on the windows. This afternoon, she peeled them on and off and made shapes and puzzles and animals for over an hour straight! Plenty of time for mama to fold laundry.

I'm thinking these are gonna be great for travel, especially planes, where you can stick them to the windows. Even waiting rooms and dr appointments! I highly recommend- they're cheap and easy to pack in your purse.

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