18 Months

This past month has definitely been an interesting and busy one, that’s for sure, and as of Sunday, Enzo is officially 18 months old.

We’ve noticed lately that Enzo has been extra cranky and not sleeping well and has been more irritable than usual.  Granted, he’s also a toddler, so it’s sometimes hard to tell what is just normal toddler behavior and when is it something else.  In one month we took him to the doctor twice for ear infections, so we decided it was time to get him into a specialist.  We’ve only had a doctor confirm ear infections maybe 3-4 times in the past 6 months, but that’s not unusual for Enzo.  The first time he had an ear infection, we didn’t even know – he was perfectly happy.  Gradually we’ve been able to tell more easily, though, and only give him antibiotics as needed.  So, the ENT specialist looked in his right ear and said that it actually wasn’t too bad – he could tell that Enzo has definitely had several ear infections, but he’d seen worse. Then he moved onto the left ear and informed us this one was much worse and in fact was infected as we spoke.  We were flabbergasted… 3 infections in maybe 6 weeks?  That’s when the doctor explained to us what tubes were and now Enzo will be getting tubes next Friday.  From the sound of things it should cut down on ear infections a lot, and make them less painful when he does get them. I’m relieved the surgery is quick (only 10-15 minutes), but definitely nervous about him being put under with anesthesia.  I’ve been told by several people to just let Josh go back and not go myself because when they go under they often look… dead.  So, we’ll see if I can handle it or not.  Either way, I’m hoping this makes a huge difference for our little man.

As for general toddler news… we’re definitely dealing with our share of tantrums on a fairly regular basis. The latest issue is getting him to wear a coat.  He sees you coming with it and immediately starts shaking his head, saying “No” over and over and starts to have a meltdown (which varies in intensity every day).  Why putting a coat on emits sounds that would have you thinking we were beating him is beyond me.  It’s just a coat…right?

As for talking and developmental schtuff, he’s still adding words almost daily it seems, but Josh and I giggle the most over his “more” and “thank you” since they’re the most adorable. He’s also started asking for “ight” (the twinkle lights I strung up on the banister) and TV.  While I would normally be worried about him asking for TV, he doesn’t just sit and stare at a show.  We’ll turn on Daniel Tiger for him (his favorite) or Chuck and Friends (because trucks are another favorite) and he’ll sit through the intro a bit, but generally get bored within 5-10 minutes and might come back and check on it now again if there’s a song or something.

He makes us laugh daily, even if some of those laughs are from sheer exhaustion and exasperation over toddler madness.  He’s been having a lot of “Daddy” days, so it’s warmed my heart a bit to hear him start saying “Mama” more regularly and asking for me if I’m not there.  That being said, we split the bed-time routine as well. It’s nice because we each get some one-on-one time with Enzo, but it’s also nice to have the quiet that comes with washing dishes and picking up toys, which is what the other person does while Enzo is being readied for bed. While Enzo might only let me read him one book, I’m hoping eventually he’ll get back into letting me read him more. Last night was a Dada night so Enzo insisted that we both be there for storytime and happily let Josh read him a story or two.

On an off note – we’ve been getting Bluum boxes for a few months now, and are really enjoying them, so I thought I’d share.  Each month you get a box of goodies for your kiddo (and often mom as well), and we haven’t been disappointed yet.  There are usually samples of organic kid foods – some new to me, others old favorites, and often a toy or book of some sort.  Some of Enzo’s favorite books came from a Bluum box as well as a couple toys, like the one above.  It costs around $20-$25 a month and is worth the cost (we think) if anyone wants to check it out. Plus, what kid doesn’t get a kick out of opening mail? 😉

Week 36

It’s been a pretty busy week as we continue to get things ready for Baby Girl’s arrival. I finally got all of her clothes away and we put together the swing and bouncy chair as well. Next we’ll probably set up the co-sleeper and most importantly make sure the car seat is installed and ready to go.  It’ll be good for Enzo to get used to seeing it in the car anyway.

 

As for me… the PUPPPS is becoming more manageable.  My midwife gave me a prescription for an antihistamine that is supposed to help me sleep, and it does… slightly.  I’ve also upped my dose of dandelion root and have started using Tea Tree Oil as well as Aveeno Eczema lotion and oatmeal baths.  I’ve only been doing all of these together for a few days now, so I do get hit with really nasty itching spells, but dare I say it? I think it might be working. I’ve also been drinking V8 juice every day since some people said that combined with other remedies helped.  I’m so desperate for relief, I’ll try anything.  The biggest thing is just remembering to do everything every day.  I ran out of the house this morning without the dandelion root, so it looks like I need to keep a stash at home and at work so I never miss a dose.  I just really need the last few weeks (if that) to go smoothly without horribly distracting itching getting in the way.

Chilly October Weekend

I’m definitely bummed that the temperatures have dropped so quickly.  I was hopeful that the weather would continue to hold, but alas… it’s been chilly and gloomy and this weekend we pulled out warm hats and gloves and decided to get out in between expected rain showers, so we went to the 101 Market, ate some food, visited the petting zoo and corn pit.

This was the first time Enzo really wanted to pet any of the animals, so as soon as he showed interest, Josh went and bought some treats to feed the animals who didn’t always feel like cooperating. Enzo really wanted to pet the bunnies, the wallaby , and a couple of the other smaller critters. What he especially wanted, though, was the food pellets… yeah.  Josh handed him some to feed the rabbits and Enzo popped one in his mouth.  We figured he’d spit it out because it’s gross, but not long after while Josh was feeding another animal, Enzo reached over and grabbed some more pellets and proceeded to ask for “More.”

I’ve apparently been spending far too much money on fancy organic snacks and should have been buying rabbit feed this whole time. Who knew??

We were both actually really impressed by how many kinds of animals were in the “zoo.”  Neither of us have ever gotten to pet a kangaroo before and there were actually some porcupines you could pet as well, and can be surprisingly quite docile and cuddly. They also had your usual petting zoo animals like goats (never have been Enzo’s favorites) and these guys.

They very badly wanted the snack cup, and jerk on the right decided to be greedy and grabbed it right out of Josh’s hand.  Notice the look of disgust?  (On Josh, not the llama).

After the animal encounter, we decided to head inside and Josh joined Enzo in the corn pit.  I figured it might be too awkward for me since I’m so pregnant, so I passed in favor of watching from the sidelines and snapping a few pictures.  At first we weren’t sure if Enzo would just want to eat the corn or if he’d hate it, but he ended up having a blast. Who knew corn could be so much fun?

Now we just need to start finding some indoor things to do as the weather gets cooler and cooler. We got him a snowsuit for day care, but I’m not a huge snow fan myself, so I imagine our snow play days will be far and few between on weekends, so hopefully we can find enough to do inside.

35 Weeks

Only 5 weeks to go!!  I finally went to see a chiropractor this past week and wish I had done so sooner.  Now I just need to be better about doing my stretches daily and prepping myself for the big day.  They say the last month is the hardest, and I’d have to agree.  I just feel heavy and tired and the belly can be a tad cumbersome.

Don’t get me wrong, though – I’m just as nervous this time around as the first.  I do have a better idea of what to expect during labor, however, I also know that you can plan for nothing, so I really can only prepare so much as anything could happen. I could be in for another long delivery, or Baby Girl could decide to come fast and furiously.  While I’m not as nervous about becoming a parent again, I am nervous about having two kiddos. I remember how exhausting a newborn can be both physically and mentally, and now we’ll have a toddler who has his own routines and is used to being the center of attention, if you will.  I guess all we can do is prepare for the adjustment period and do our best to take it one day at a time as we create new routines and get used to becoming a family of four.  As of tomorrow only 4 weeks until our due date, which also means she could come at any time.  Let’s hope she at least waits until we get her room finished.  😉

Currently

Who can forget this October favorite? :p

Reading

Warm Bodies.  We watched the movie and really liked the different spin on what could have been just another zombie film, so I added this book to my wish list and was pleasantly surprised when I got it as a gift for my birthday. The movie follows the book fairly well, I thought, so if you enjoyed the movie, you’d probably like the book as well as it gets into more detail and really is just a nice change from your average zombie story.  I’m personally not aware of any other books written from the perspective of a zombie.

I also just started reading ‘The Sleep Lady’s Good Night Sleep Tight: Gentle Proven Solutions to Help Your Child Sleep Well and Wake up Happy.’  I don’t know what exactly changed with the little man, but we need some new techniques.

Watching

Josh and I are still watching Fringe on Amazon Prime, but also started watching ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D’. It’s pretty fun, if not a tad cheesy at times.  The cast is decent and it’s a decent show to watch. My favorite is definitely ‘The Neighbors,’ though.  Seriously awesome show.  We also started checking out the first season of ‘Duck Dynasty’ since that just became available on Prime.  Yeah, we’re late in the game again, and I’m on the fence as I am with most reality type shows.

As far as movies, we just watched ‘Iron Man 3’ and it was better than I thought it would be, though like most sequels there were a few things that were just “meh” for me.  We also recently watch ‘Epic’ and while it sort of felt a little like ‘Fern Gully’ the animation was so pretty, and you should watch it for that reason alone. It was definitely one I wouldn’t mind adding to the collection as I’m sure the kids will like it will one day.

Eating

Pretty much anything and everything, though my favorite thing to do is go to Dairy Queen for a blizzard and cheese curds.  Josh and I have gotten into the very bad habit of stopping there if Enzo happens to fall asleep in the car after errands on the weekend since we know if we go home and wake him up he’ll never go back to sleep and a nap will be ruined.  So we drive around eat ice cream and delicious cheese curds and explore back roads.

Loving

Fall.  While I wouldn’t mind if it was a tad warmer and less wet out, I love watching the colors change and I’m enjoying various pumpkin flavored yummies. It’s such a cozy time of year… if only I could convince Enzo that’s a good thing. He kind of hates mittens right now and they don’t have gloves small enough for his little hands that will keep them from getting wet.  Oh the frustrations of a young boy.

Thinking About

Baby Girl, of course. I can’t help, but wish a little that we were having her at home.  It’s something I had thought about even with Enzo, but we both decided that we’re so far from a hospital we didn’t want to take the risk of something going wrong.  Now that our impending due date is drawing near, I find myself wishing we were having the baby at home, though.  I like the idea of not leaving Enzo and of being able to curl up in my own bed right away afterwards.  It’s hard for me to feel super relaxed in a hospital type setting, and this will also be the first time we’ve been away from Enzo overnight.  Even more reason to make sure we get him back on track in terms of sleeping.  The kiddo has been having a hard time lately and has been waking up in the middle of the night and wanting to crawl into our bed. He was doing so good in his toddler bed, too!  I guess we have a few weeks to get him on track… 5 if she waits until her due date.

In the meantime, we’ve also made an appointment with an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist for him because he’s had several ear infections in the past couple of months and now that we look back, we think he’s had even more than we realized based on behavior.  We don’t want to rush into tubes, but if a doctor thinks that will help him out, we’d like to have it done sooner rather than later. The poor kid has been a lot more cranky than usual and then there’s the sleeping issue, plus the fact that if his health is at all hereditary – his mama was sick a lot as a kid.  I was on antibiotics a lot and had pretty awful tonsils that eventually got removed, which was the best thing ever for my health. I stopped getting ear infections and even the amount of colds and strep throat went down as well. While I don’t want Enzo to have to get tubes or anything like that, if we at least knew that something was physical was going on, we could fix it. I miss my happy baby who used to sleep so well.