Discovery Stop

There is an indoor playground that we like to go to when the weather gets chilly called the Discovery Stop. It has a variety of stations with different toys and games to play and a large padded climbing area. Finn enjoyed it last year, but this year he is able to explore everything much more.

First off, he found a motorcycle. He is obsessed with motorcycles these days and he had a blast riding on this one:


And, his other new love, trains:

Here he is going all through the padded playground:

19 Weeks

Well this picture was taken at 19 weeks and I am just behind on the post. The belly is definitely evident at this point and if you go back and peruse the pictures from Finn, it is definitely bigger this time around than last time at 19 weeks.

Let's see, pregnancy news:

Movement - just this morning, I was resting my hands on my belly and I swear I felt Peapod kick from the outside. It was definitely just the right quiet moment, but I imagine it will become more common and I am excited that Sean may be able to feel it soon.

Food - I love food when I am not pregnant, so when I am pregnant, I really really love food. I got no nausea or food adversions this time around and everything just tastes wonderful. With Finn, I was all about sweets. I wanted sweets all the time. This time, I have been much more about savory stuff. I have been a big carnivore lately, which isn't really like me. I also cannot get enough hummus. And it can't be homemade either, I want the super creamy store bought stuff (weird, I know). During the first trimester, I also craved submarine sandwiches, usually around 10pm. I never satisfied that one at the time, but I think I was just always so hungry and that was the biggest thing I could think of. One day, I did go get a sub chock full of all sorts of wonderful pickled items. It was great at the time, but luckily I am off that kick. Just this week, I got my first, oh-my-goodness-I-MUST-have-this-RIGHTNOW! craving. Of all things, it was a root beer float?!? Seriously, I probably haven't had one since I was twelve! But I was sitting by the fire and the urge overtook me. Thankfully, Sean came home the next day with root beer and vanilla ice cream and it was heavenly! I am now over that too. Other than that, I have been doing pretty well with eating good healthy foods and I am so thankful we did the winter CSA to keep the veggies coming.

Aches and Pains - This time is very much taking its toll on my body in ways I never experienced with Finn. I am tired much more this time. I keep waiting for that 2nd tri burst of energy, but it is just not happening. I also already have some sore back pains in the evening. And, I have some weird pelvis pain in my right side that makes me feel like my right leg might fall off at any moment. It tugs and pulls with every move. I am not sure if I pulled a muscle or if it is just the effects of that wonderful hormone, relaxin. I still go for 2-3 mile walks almost daily, but any kind of running is out of the question. I keep thinking I need to integrate some yoga and some strength training into my routine, but given my first complaint of tiredness, I have resorted to laziness at night. Isn't lifting an almost 30lb toddler throughout the day strength training?

Hormones - I am so emotional. I got almost weepy the other night when I saw a pacific life commercial where the mama whale lifts the baby whale up to the surface of the water for its first breath! Oh, boy!

We are anxious for the big 20 week appointment next Wednesday. It is picture day for Peapod and then we get to go to the checkup with my favorite midwife. I am really excited to see Peapod. I am much more aware of all that can go wrong this time and I can't wait to see 10 fingers and toes and good healthy organs to put my mind at ease. I have had some panic attacks that we will get there and horrible things will happen (hopefully, I can also chalk that up to hormones). Well, until then, this has been the Peapod update :)

Trim the Tree

Finn's excitement in decorating the tree was absolutely wonderful. The lights were complete magic, each ornament was new and wonderful. He had a blast and his spirit was infectious. Kids at Christmas are the best thing. Now that we have decorated, every so often, he will want to run to the living room to "check the christmas tree" and every morning the first thing he asks about when he wakes up is the tree. We go in an turn on the lights with applause. It is pure and utter joy!

On a Christmas Tree Hunt

This year we decided to go for the full adventure of finding our perfect Christmas tree in the White Mountains. I have such fond memories of chopping our tree in the Rockies growing up and I am so please NH has a program to do the same. Last Saturday, we bundled up and headed north. We stopped at the visitor's center to get our permit. The guy who sold it to us was less than helpful in directing us to a cutting spot, so we had to wing it. We found a wilderness trail and followed that until we came to an old logging road. It was chilly, but there was no snow. It was a nice day to be out walking and Finn and Lily enjoyed it a lot.

We were starting to get nervous when all we saw were hardwoods, until we came to a bit of a clearing and things started to look promising:

And then we found the cutest little black spruce, the perfect size for our home:

Sean cut it down and we were off:

Finn very much wanted to help carry the tree out:
Ah, here is the best way:

Reflections on Breast Feeding

Well, after 2 years and about 2 weeks, Finn has self-weaned. It was such an easy and natural transition that I didn't realize it happened until I was thinking today that I couldn't remember the last time Finn asked to nurse. This has been such an amazing experience we have shared, and I am sad that it has come to an end. I am so very happy we made it through the initial challenges and that we made it to my minimum goal of 2 years. I suspect his weaning does have a lot to do with the changes in my breast milk due to the pregnancy. A couple of weeks ago, he would ask to nurse, but would latch off within seconds. My midwife said it is very common beginning around 16 weeks in a pregnancy, which fits this time frame. I am partially sad to think that it is the diverting of resources to his sibling which has led to his weaning, but I know that I can offer comfort in many other ways and we have a good, strong, attached relationship. Today, I came across this youtube video, Reflections on Breast Feeding, which is what got me thinking about this post. I have watched it twice and bawl each time. It is beautiful and sums up a lot of the feelings I have experienced on this journey.

Homemade pasta

Finn loves to help in the kitchen, and I really hope it is something he will always enjoy. The other day, we tried our hand at homemade pasta. It is really fun because you mound up the flour and crack and egg in the center and stir. Finn thought it was great. It turned into a big mess, but was worth it. It came out pretty good too. Unfortunately, I don't have a roller and tried to do it by hand, which was not the best idea. I have a book that outlines this rolling and stretching technique, but still the pasta was really thick. We tried to make sage/pumpkin raviolis and they turned out looking like big perogies. They were still quite yummy. It may be worth getting a roller in the future.

Back to Flipz

With the weather becoming cooler, we are once again seeking out fun winter activities. Yesterday, we headed to Flipz, our favorite gymnastics place from last year. Finn had a ball. It was really fun for me to see how he has developed in his activities from last year. He was so excited to get on the trampolines and jump as high as he could!