When it comes to picky eaters I definitely don’t have one. Actually, come to think of it, she just may be a carnivore. Man can she eat a steak and she complains when it’s cooked more than medium rare. We tend to BBQ a lot in the summer and to be honest as long as the Q isn’t buried by snow, we do quite a bit in the winter too. This family loves meat!

I’ve learned over the past four years with M that there is an art to teaching your kids to eat balanced meals (even while out) and to enjoy items from each food group. How do some parents do this you ask? Parents lie. “Oh honey, try this, its chicken.” We all know it’s not chicken, so really are we just kidding ourselves? I’ve heard many parents tell little white lies to their kids. I, on the other hand, won’t do it. Sorry kid, you are getting the G-rated version of the truth, whatever that may be.

All I ask is that she tries everything once and if she doesn’t like it, fine, she doesn’t have to eat it. I’ll admit, sometimes a bribe may come in to play, but everyone has to have an ace up their sleeve. With this method, we’ve had some huge successes. She loves asparagus, spinach, kiwi, eggs and tuna. On the other hand we’ve also had some gags at the table and a few near upchucks but she still tries it.

The other thing is – spice it up people! Do you like bland food? No, so why would they? I usually make a dry marinade for our steaks. Its killer! Here’s what I stick in it:

· Garlic powder
· Onion powder
· Ground garlic and Himalayan pink salt
· Black Pepper
· Dill seed
· Coriander
· Paprika
· Peppers
· Natural smoke flavor

I know that sounds like a lot but really it isn’t. I swear by this and it is awesome on ALL meats. Spice up your dishes!! You won’t need any steak sauce, so you can cut a few calories out and enjoy! Teaching your kids to eat well balanced meals is not easy, but worth it. These are the things they take with them throughout their lives, teach their own families and be able to stay healthy with lower risks of diseases. Yes, it’s a lot of work, and everyone gets take-out once in a while, but instilling good health is the best gift you can give your child.

Get out and enjoy the nice weather, have fun and EAT!

Happy grilling people!

Mother’s day is full of love, spending time with your little ones and enjoying being a Mom. That being said it is very much a one of those holidays that can be quite overdone. I like feeling special for that day but, really, our lives should be filled with love every day! I’m not one for cards, honestly; I think they are completely a waste of money. However I do fall into the commercialism and hype of the holiday.

With the weather getting nicer we’ve been taking a walk to the park every night. It lets me spend time with the kiddies and get some exercise that doesn’t involve a treadmill every night. This is the time I love, this is what being a Mom is about, watching your first born learning to ride a bike and a scooter while you snuggle with your baby (who’s usually passed out in the carrier). Getting out, being healthy and enjoying each other.

Forget about the cards and spend time with your kids’ people! Those are the times that they will remember and you will cherish.

I’m not about to spend the next 11 months cleaning two plus hours a day (outside of regular tidying up etc. we’re not pigs lol). M goes to school in September, which means I only have seven months with her. I’ll never get this time back to spend with them. So yes, I am treating myself, and all of us.

Some people think I’m crazy and it’s unnecessary but do you like scrubbing your floors and washing windows? I don’t. I’d rather go out for a walk, hit-up Chapters, go to the park or having a play date. To tell you the truth, I can’t stand vacuuming… I’d rather be ripping my hair out one by one then pushing around the machine that everyone, including fur babies, are scared of. Have you ever had a cat hiss at the same thing the dog is barking at while one kid hides and the other screams bloody murder? Welcome to my Monday’s people.

So cheers to a clean house, more fun and a baby that sleeps 6 hours straight! This is going to be great!

I also usually do a mini photo-shoot of M, so that will be multiplied by 2 as well! Yikes! Sounds like a lot more work this year, but it will totally be worth it! I always have them in a killer outfit for Valentine’s day so I can’t wait!

There are always so presents exchanged. M is a bit of a choc-a-holic like her Daddy so they both usually get some more to add to their stash!

Sometimes we go out for family date night for dinner, other years we’ve made something, so we’ll see what this year has in store. Now that I’m home though M and I will make our fave M&M cookies during the day, a simple chocolate chip recipe but we exchange the chocolate chips with pink and red smarties and viola! Dessert!

The best part of the day is spending time with the ones you love and M is a very loving little girl, she makes it easy to love her so I’ll really enjoy spending the day with her and T. I can’t wait!

I went to the hospital with contractions, was monitored for an hour or so, then the doctor came in and we decided it was game time! Baby T was born at 2:35 pm, weighing 7lbs 4oz (over double M’s birth weight). He did spend a few days in the NICU to get rid of some fluid and gain a bit of weight back but it was nothing I couldn’t handle. M was there for five and a half weeks… two days – I could do that in my sleep. I got discharged then spent two days in the NICU courtesy rooms with T until he gained some weight back.

I was strictly breast feeding so we didn’t know how much he was getting. He ended up losing 10% so I started pumping for him to make sure he was getting enough and topping up when I had too. We came home on January 3rd, my actual scheduled C-section date LOL.

I, on the other hand, starting going kookoo in the courtesy room. My blood pressure went through the roof and I ended up getting some meds to get it under control. It was probably due to stress, but who knows. Apparently some women get eclampsia AFTER the baby is born. I don’t think I was one of those “lucky” few but lack of sleep probably just got the best of me. Meh… everything is okay now, just still a bit sore and trying to do too much has set me on my butt a few times already.

Life with an almost four year old and a two week old is nuts! I’m exhausted, hubby is back to work (ugh) and M is acting up and driving me insane! I don’t think it’s a jealousy thing, I think it’s a total adjustment of being home with me, new brother, room and her attitude is out of control and my patience is extremely thin. It’ll all get better right?

On the other hand, T is SUUUUPER cute! Some babies aren’t the cutest when they pop out, you all know what I mean, but he’s perfect. He has blue eyes (so far staying that way), dirty blonde hair (I have a feeling it may get darker because M was really blonde at birth and his is darker). He has the same shape to his face and eyes like she does, even their noses are the same. I think if she was born with more meat on her they could pass for twins except he has more of my complexion.

The doctors and nurses were great and it was awesome to have some of the same NICU ladies taking care of T that took care of M. All of our favorites were there. Another huge thank you to them!

I’m glad it’s all over and we’re home. Now to get into a routine. I can’t wait for T to sleep through the night! It’ll make me one happy Mommy!!

I finished up my last day of work! I’m officially on vacation then short term disability (because of the surgery) then, maternity leave. I can’t believe how fast this pregnancy went. I had M at 33 weeks, I start 37 weeks in the next few days and I’m having T at 38 weeks. It’s all surreal. I can’t believe he’s basically double her birth weight already! What am I going to do with a baby that big?  Or a newborn? This is all new to me again!

No problems with my blood pressure this time and I don’t have to see the specialist any more. I’m tipping the scale at gaining about 20 pounds and T weighs just about 6lbs as of my last ultrasound. I can’t believe how different this pregnancy is… I can still wear my rings, however some days are tighter than others and sleeping is starting to become harder, but that’s pretty much the extent of my complaints this time.

Reno update: The basement is DONE! We are now in organization mode and M’s room just needs a few final touches. T’s room, on the other hand, looks like a bomb went off in there. I’ve had a ton of friends pass on their boys clothes, so many that I had to box up some as they didn’t fit in his drawers and that’s just the newborn and 0-3 month stuff!

Now that I’ve caught everyone up on “the bump” I want to wish everyone a safe and happy holidays! All the best for 2013 – my next update will hopefully be about a new perfect baby boy!

What does a high risk pregnancy mean to the one going through it? It means OB appointments regularly, pre-eclampsia specialist appointments on opposite weeks, diabetic clinic (I didn’t pass my glucose test by .1, so now I have to monitor my sugar levels four times a day… UGH) and a ton of other consultations, check-ups and specialist appointments. It also means taking my blood pressure numerous times a day, kick counts, ketone tests, logging a food diary and a whole bunch of extra ultra sounds, blood work and urine cultures. Sounds like fun, eh?

So far so good, I’ve gained about 15 lbs. Baby T is already about 3lbs and right on track for development and growth! Actually, come to think of it, I’m pretty laid back considering all the extra hoops I have to jump through. Over the next few weeks is when the appointments will really start to ramp up so just have to hang in there for another seven to eight weeks and I’ll be a happy camper!

Once he’s here I’ll be able to put this all behind me and have only the fond memories of him bouncing around in my belly, which really is the only thing that reminds me that I’m even pregnant! This pregnancy has been so different than with M. I can still wear my rings, and no kankles this time LOL! I’m sleeping better, not stuffed up at all and it’s all belly. My husband actually said the other day that I have a nicer belly this time… totally out front and round! HAHA!

I guess it is true that not every pregnancy is the same, or as horrible in my case! I’m officially on countdown now!

I figured I should “help” her change her mind quite quickly, because, who wants two chicken costumes? (Hmm, never thought I’d ever say that lol.)  The problem is EVERYTHING she wanted to be we actually have the costume already, I just can’t get to them! A lion, a rabbit, a bee, even an elf! So I took her to the mall to try to pick out a new costume.

She changed her mind 50 times before picking a costume out! Cupcake? No. Owl? No. Tiger? Dragon? Finally she picked out the strawberry one!  I turned to her and said, “Okay, are you sure you want to be a strawberry?”and giggled a bit. She promptly replied with, “Mom, this is serious business!” I literally almost peed myself right in the middle of the store. Three years old and this is, “serious business,” to her! One of the sales associates had overheard and even giggled.

We got to the cash, put it on the counter to pay and asked her one last time if that’s what she wanted to be this year. She replied “Yes!” We paid and left the store. When we got home she wanted to show her Daddy her new costume, I figured this was a good sign – she must be excited about it. Nope! She holds it up and says, “Look what Mom is making me be for Halloween… I wanted to be a tiger!” Great.

After our “talk” I asked her what she is thankful for this year. She said, “The dog, the cat…. Daddy…Mommy… my grandparents… and baby T.” I said, “You’re thankful for baby T? He’s not even here yet.” She replied with a, “Yeah, Mom…he’s gonna make me a big sister…. The best-est big sister ever!”.

Wow! She understands and she truly appreciates the most important things in life. I think I’m truly proud of a 3 ½ year old.  I love hearing how she views the world and watching her grow, learn and love. It’s what makes me love being a Mom and makes me thankful for having her in my life. Now I get to start it all over again with T as we start a new chapter in this crazy whirlwind of trying to be ready (which you never truly are), realizing the differences between children, their “isms” and quirks and preparing M all at the same time. Well, that’s what I’m thankful for this year.

Enjoy every second of your long weekend, eat too much, laugh too much and love too much – that’s what it’s all about. To health, wealth and happiness!

Once we told our family and friends everyone started asking M if she thought she was going to have a baby sister or a baby brother. At the beginning she was just telling everyone she was having a sister, until one morning she woke up and said it will be a baby brother. She didn’t waiver at all after that. She wouldn’t even fathom the thought that it could actually be a girl, even though I tried to prepare her that it could in fact be a sister. No deal.

I decided to take her with me to my ultrasound. I thought it would be cool for her to see the baby and to be a part of the whole experience. Well we got there and were seen almost right away, so that was a bonus. We got in the exam room and the ultra sound tech started and M’s face totally lit up. It was really cute for her to see “Puddin’” (as she so thoughtfully nicknamed the baby). The tech got all the measurements she needed while we tried to sneak a peek and see if we could tell if it was a boy or girl.

We sure did have a surprise or should I say I did! I thought for sure it was a girl, we even had a name picked out! Nope, M was right, BOY all the way! We figured that part out when she yelled out, “Mom, puddin’ has a tail!”…sigh. LOL! I explained that it wasn’t a tail and that she was right she’s going to have a baby brother! She replied with a “TOLD YOU, lets go get ice cream.” Apparently that was that, as she proceeded to tell me that she was right EVERY day since then! The next 16 weeks should be fun!