Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Toddler Tuesday: Peanut Butter, Banana, & Honey Burrito

Nate and burritos. A kid after my own heart. He loves them. This toddler Tuesday is brought to you by the beloved burrito my son loves. The peanut butter, banana, and honey burrito.

I also love this because it is easy, can be a breakfast, snack, and/or lunch. It travels fairly easy and not horribly messy, unless he is trying to deconstruct the burrito. That is rare, but it does happen.

Here's what you need:
1. Cutting board
2. Knife
3. Tortilla
4. Peanut butter- 1-2 Tablespoons depending on tortilla size
5. Honey
6. Banana- 1/2-1 banana depending on size


Step 1: Spread peanut butter.

Step 2: Slice banana and add to peanut butter.

Step 3: Drizzle honey(optional) but it does add some sweetness. ;)

Step 4: Roll up like a burrito and trim the top. I trim the top because it is easier for Nate. If you have an older kid or you are eating it yourself, you could go without trimming. Your choice. 

Step 5: Enjoy!! 

*If it is a large tortilla, one is plenty. If it is the soft taco size, you can serve with veggies or the leftover banana if you have any. 
*If you are traveling and your kid is eating in the car, wrap the bottom in foil or saran wrap in case anything leaks from the bottom. If you packing for a picnic, lunch, etc., wrap in saran wrap or foil and put in a baggie or tupperware container.
*Variations: There are SO many variations you can do with a burrito for a toddler. 
1. Add a different fruit other than banana. Blueberry, blackberry, strawberry, peaches, etc.
2. Use jelly
3. For a treat, use peanut butter and marshmallow fluff. Or nutella. Or chocolate chips.
4. Add nuts. Diced almonds, macadamia nuts, etc. Just dice them up well.
5. Go without the peanut butter and use a flavored cream cheese.  

Happy Tuesday!!


Monday, February 23, 2015

Bump Brief #16

Bump Brief #16: 23 weeks


How far along? 23 weeks, baby is the size of a bunch of grapes! 
Total weight gain/loss: I have officially hit pre-pregnancy weight. Now weighing in at 147.
Stretch marks? Nothing new. 
Sleep: Not great this week. Heartburn has also started. I had heartburn with Nate, but not until the 8-9th months. I haven't broke out the Tums yet, but if it keeps up I may need to take some at night. Unless other people have some suggestions on battling heartburn!?
Best moment this week: Jason felt the baby kick from the outside...FINALLY! She kicked him hard, too. 
Miss Anything?  Being able to read books with Nate on my lap without having to warn him to be careful. He likes to jump on me and lay right in the middle and it is starting to hurt. I feel bad that he wants to cuddle and read, but I have to adjust him and remind him to be gentle. 
Movement: Night owl. She also likes to move while Nate and I read bedtime stories. 
Food cravings: Jason got me a ton of treats for Valentine's day so my sweet tooth is satisfied. Not craving anything in particular this week.
Interesting facts about baby (according to pregnancy app): 
1. baby is becoming more capable of controlling its own body temperature.
2. baby can feel mommy move and dance.
3. baby's muscles have developed enough that it can move in a variety of directions.
Gender: Girl!! We have not yet decided on a name yet. 
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In, it might pop out this pregnancy though. It didn't with Nate, but it is looking strange and a bit more flat. 
Wedding rings on or off? On
Mood: Meh. This week was really blah. Jason wasn't feeling well, Nate woke up not feeling well, I didn't sleep, heartburn. It wasn't horrible. Just blah. Hoping i can get out of this little funk this week! I really have no reason to complain or have a blah week which is another reason why it's so frustrating I feel like this! 

Pictures today were not going to happen. I haven't showered, Nate was up super early coughing with a runny nose. i was just going to post a google image and call it a day. But I sucked it up. A whole 3 pictures. Not sure if you can see spots on both my shirt and yoga pants, but if you can...it's Nate's boogers. #momlife. Yes, I have changed. Into pajama shorts. I'm sure there will be more boogers once Nate wakes up from nap. I decided to post these because this is what it is like being a mom. It's real. It's sometimes gross. But there is a sweet little girl in my belly and I knew I would've regretted not having the picture. 

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Toddler Tuesday

Nate is starting to say some crazy stuff. Since he is talking more and understanding more, he is also becoming more curious about the world around him. The questions are beginning. The funny quotes have begun. In honor of Nate, Tuesday is now dedicated to him and the interesting life we live with him around. From activities I do with him, the food he eats, and the quotes I want to remember because they put a smile on my face. Hopefully you get a kick out of some of the things he says, enjoy the activities we do, and try some of the food with your kids.

This Tuesday is 3 different quotes/conversations Nate decided to have and/or say.

1. Scene: Me(the mommy) and Nate taking a bath together. I don't usually take a bath with him, but I figured I would kill 2 birds with one stone. He sees me get dressed, but usually isn't paying close attention.

Me: *getting in bath*
Nate: "Where'd mom's penis go!?"
Me: *laughing* I don't have one. I have a vagina.
Nate: "OOhhhhhh. Okay. Let's play toys."

2. Scene: Nate, Jason and I are just finishing dinner outside as always.

Me: *sigh*
Nate: "Rough day, mommy?"
Me: "No, my belly is just full."
Nate: "Ohhh, done eating?"
Me: "Yes."
Nate: "I still eating."

3. Scene: Driving to the commissary. Nate is playing with a toy camera in his car seat.

Nate: "Selfies, daddy!!"
Jason: "We have failed as parents."


HAPPY TUESDAY!

Monday, February 16, 2015

Bump Brief #15

Bump Brief #15: 22 weeks






How far along? 22 weeks, baby is the size of a spaghetti squash! 
Total weight gain/loss: Up 1 more pound this week. -1!
Stretch marks? I've been applying my lotion, hopefully it works until the end.
Sleep: Good. Belly is getting bigger and a tad bit more uncomfortable. Might be time to use a body pillow. 
Best moment this week: Valentine's Day! My amazing husband got me some of my favorite treats so I was a happy preggo mama. He also got me a pineapple platter as a Hawaii keepsake. Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky to have such a wonderful man. Provider, hard-working, supportive, caring, and just an all around great guy. The fact that he will be a father to both kids makes me realize how happy I am to be his wife and get the privilege to watch him interact and raise our children.
Miss Anything?  It is getting harder to carry Nate. He is getting bigger and so am I. I get winded pretty quick if I hold him.
Movement: Still mostly at night. I have tried to get Jason to feel her, but of course, we have another stubborn Kappes on our hands.
Food cravings: Ribs and corn on the cob. It's what's for dinner tonight and I am super excited.  
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not this week! 
Interesting facts about baby (according to pregnancy app): Added this since I deleted if I was wearing maternity clothes. So here are some interesting facts about baby girl:
1. Vital organs are almost fully developed.
2. Baby's eyes are formed, but lacks color.
3. Tiny tooth buds are developing under gums.
Gender: Girl!! We have not yet decided on a name yet. 
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Mood: Better than last week. I have definitely calmed down since my bad experience with the ultrasound tech. Don't get me wrong, I am still worried. I have an appointment with the midwives in 2 weeks so I am interested in what they say about the placenta and cyst. Oh, I also got a couple new pairs of maternity pants from Goodwill and Old Navy. It is amazing what some new, fitting maternity pants can do for a mood. 
There are the Old Navy jeans I got...


We went to the park and took pictures today. The lighting was horrible since we were there mid day, but I still like them. I finally got Jason to get in a few, too. Thank you, again, self-timer. 











Monday, February 9, 2015

Bump Brief #14

Bump Brief #14: 21 weeks






How far along? 21 weeks, baby is the size of a carrot! 
Total weight gain/loss: Up 1 more pound this week. -2 and I seem to be gaining a pound a week. 
Maternity clothes? I should just delete this question. There is no going back to regular clothes for a long time. I've said my good-byes.  
Stretch marks? Still just my under the boob ones. Are stretch marks genetic?
Sleep: Good, but not great. Been up more this week going pee. I've been trying to drink more water so I blame that. Damn, H2O. 
Best moment this week: Baby is still a girl and healthy! Had an ultrasound today that confirmed gender. Super exciting. Read more in my "mood" section for the other ultrasound findings... 
Miss Anything?  The ability to wear regular clothes? I feel like I have a lot of maternity clothes, but still not a ton of options. It's as if i wear the same outfit everyday, not much variety.
Movement: Yep. Mostly active at night around 9:30-10.
Food cravings: Still have a sweet tooth. Made some Valentine's day donuts for the hubster's work potluck and it is taking all of my being not to eat the entire platter. 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Ripe bananas. They need to be firm for me to eat them or else I gag. 
Have you started to show yet: Also another question I should delete. Yes and yes. I doubt I will shrink. 
Gender: Girl!! The little girl didn't grow a penis! Here are a couple ultrasound pictures we got today.




Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Mood: Excited and worried. The ultrasound today was sort of unexpected. We went in thinking we were just going to confirm gender. If it ended up being a boy, yes, I would have been a little disappointed, but it would have been fine. Healthy baby is all that matters. And baby is healthy. All body parts are there and accounted for, heart rate was good. This was the scary part...
 Within 30 seconds, the ultrasound tech says, "Um, have you ever had an abnormal ultrasound or pain during this pregnancy?"
Excuse me, what!? Abnormal!? No, no I have not. I have always had normal pap smears and ultrasounds. This is not how I expected the beginning of this appointment to go. She said I had a large mass on my ovary. 
Excuse me, what!? Large mass!? What does this mean?
So she is measuring baby and saying baby is perfect, terrific, cute nose. I have almost completely tuned her out and not even enjoying this moment because she has me thinking the worse possible scenario. She said the doctor would have to see me today to figure out the issue. 
Issue: I have a grapefruit-sized dermoid cyst on my left ovary. Right side is fine, but left needs to be monitored. When the doctor came in, he seemed very nonchalant about the situation. He said to come back in 6 weeks and then 6 weeks postpartum I should have it removed. Even though he says it isn't a huge deal, I was crying. How can a CYST not be a big deal. I asked a lot of questions. Would it hurt baby? Would it do anything with labor and delivery? Baby and delivery would/should be fine he said. I don't know what to think. Google is not your friend when you look up this kind of thing. 
Second issue: My placenta is "low-laying". Ultrasound tech made it seem like a C-section was going to happen or I was going to bleed to death giving birth. This lady did not have good bedside manners. Holy hell. I DO NOT want a C-section. Doctor said as I go further along, placenta should move up. We will monitor as well, but the chances of placenta staying low are about 1%.
 So basically, I hate that ultrasound tech. She completely freaked me out. I am still worried, no doubt. Doctor helped a little. 
My mood is all over the place. Happy baby is healthy and a girl. Trying to keep that in my head and all the positives. 

Since we found out girl for sure, I wanted to re-create a picture we took when we found out Nate was a boy. My friend, photographer for Sweet Peony, who is amazing, took Nate's boy pictures then I took the recreation. She is obviously a professional, but I tried to do the best i could in the little collage.

Friday, February 6, 2015

Rice Sensory Table

I finally did it. I made a rice sensory table for Nate. I'm pretty sure it has been pinned to my Pinterest board since I found out I was pregnant with him. Sensory tables are common in daycare and preschool settings which is where I was first introduced to them. I never thought to have one of my own until Pinterest came out.

If you have met Nate, you know he is a tad bit crazy, so actually making a sensory table with rice was less than ideal. I mean, yes, he would be getting the benefits of it and have fun, but I would be the one to clean up the mess. I wasn't ready for that. He has a ton of toys as it is. I was on a Pinterest binge these past 2 weeks so I decided to muster up the strength, energy, and motivation to make him one. He has a water table so I knew I was going to use that. We found the water table on the side of the road during a bulk trash day so no cost there! You can get them almost anywhere, but they are a pretty penny for something that just holds water. There is this one from Amazon, which is what Nate has or you can make a DIY one.

Since I already had the table, I just needed rice and whatever objects I wanted him to play with and explore. I got a 10lb bag (around $5) and some gems ($1.11 each, 2 colors). That's all I bought.

Nate knew we were going to make this rice table. I had been talking about it and while we were shopping I told him what the gems were for and he sat in the back of the cart wanting to tear open the 10lb bag of rice. When we got home, he helped me clean the water table and pour the rice and the gems in. We used beach toys, cars, cups, dinosaurs, spoons, etc. as this first trial run. Basically toys he already had that are considered "outside toys".




Patience is a trait we are CONSTANTLY working on so we used this moment to work on that...
He had to wait until I got my camera to take a before picture. He did well. We also had to discuss the "rules" of the rice table. I couldn't just let him go for it or rice would have been everywhere in 2 seconds. 

RULES:
1. Rice stays IN rice table (as much as possible). I didn't fill the table all the way up for this reason. If there was more rice I was pretty much setting him up for failure. With only about an inch of rice he can play and scoop and sift, etc., with enough room. 
*rice will still come out* I laid a towel under for those moments. 
2. Rice has to stay in the bottom area and the unused toys are at the top. The top part is very shallow and I wanted some type of separation between the rice area and toy area.
3. Only use the toys that are in the toy area. He wasn't allowed to go get another toy he thought would be fun or he wanted. There was enough to play with and I plan on switching them out and doing themes, colors, etc., later. 
4. No throwing rice. He can scoop, he can fill, he can drive the car, dump, shovel, spoon and pour, but NO throwing. and yes, I use the word No. 
5. Have fun.




After I took my pictures and went over the rules it was time to play. It was like Christmas day to this kid. He had a blast. I let him explore for almost 30 minutes by himself, and then I took the opportunity to have a little lesson. I emphasized the word "only". We played a game that we could "only" scoop up clear gems, then "only" brown gems, then "only" rice". We did this for 15 minutes or so. It was a sorting game and introducing new vocabulary. 



I am glad I waited until he was 2 to do this type of sensory table. I think it could have gone very bad if I did it at a younger age. If your kid is mature enough, go for it. There are so many options and ideas for sensory tables! Colors, edible, water, animals, letters, magnets, shaving cream, bubbles, straws, shredded paper, rocks, sand. Here is a Valentine's Day theme one if you are up for making one this week!

I'm going to keep this the way it is for at least a month. Next month I will probably do a green theme for St. Patrick's Day. He is loving it right now and it cost me less than $10! 

Monday, February 2, 2015

Bump Brief #13

Bump Brief #13: 20 weeks





How far along? 20 weeks, baby is the size of a banana! 
Total weight gain/loss: Weighed myself this morning and I was 144. That makes me -3lbs. Since I am average, "they" say I should gain 25-35 pounds during the pregnancy. For the past 2 weeks, I've put on a pound a week. I think I'll make it to their numbers if I keep this up.  
Maternity clothes? Yup.  
Stretch marks? Nope. But I just got my Earth mama angel baby nipple butter in. LOVE. 
Sleep: I get around 7-7 1/2 hours each night. I'm pretty sure any mom would take that amount of sleep each night. Add on a pregnancy and it is a bonus. Grateful for those hours.
Best moment this week: Made it halfway! It is amazing, exciting, and bittersweet to hit this halfway milestone. I'm one step closer to meeting this baby, but I will most likely never have this milestone to meet again. Every week is a reminder that this is my last pregnancy. Sometimes the best and sad moments can happen simultaneously. 
Miss Anything? Dr. Pepper is no longer missed. I gave in and bought more. It's so effing good. Once it hits your lips...
Movement: I feel kicks here and there around 3 times daily. Mostly after I eat or if I lay on my back at night.
Food cravings: Anything sweet. This weeks purchase...Ben and Jerry's Phish Food ice cream. 
Anything making you queasy or sick: I've actually been OK this week! Even changing poop diapers hasn't been bad *knocks on wood*
Have you started to show yet: I feel huge. It is hard to imagine 20 more weeks of growing.   
Gender: Girl!? One more week until the confirmation. Please, little girl, do not grow a penis. PLEASE!
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Mood: Great. Feel like a have a decent amount of energy. Baby still doesn't have a name...hint, hint...husband...that would make my mood better exponentially! And a foot rub, just saying. ;)

This weeks pictures are brought to you by my husband. We went back to the beach with the good camera so he could get a couple shots. The rest of the shots I took myself with the timer. Such a professional...not. Enjoy!
Onesie says, "My daddy is my HERO"