You're not going to believe this...I still can't

I was putting groceries away this morning and had to put some stuff in the freezer that's in the garage. I didn't want Bret to follow me so I closed the door behind me. Very much to my surprise, Bret locked me out of the house. I was instantly panicked because we don't keep a key in the garage or anything. All the doors are locked and the windows are closed and locked because I turned the A/C on. My neighbor across the street was home so I asked him if he knew how to pick a lock. He said 'no' but gave me a bunch of small screwdrivers to try. None worked so I called Jason to tell him to come home. In the mean time, I knocked on the locked door and heard Bret whining behind it. I tried to explain to him that he locked me out of the house and I couldn't open the door. I asked him to open the door for me, knowing he wouldn't know how to do it; although for some reason it made me feel better asking anyway. In utter amazement - he twisted the knob and unlocked the door. HE. UNLOCKED. THE. FUCKING. DOOR. I seriously can not believe he did it! Never in my wildest dreams did I think that my kid understood me that well; let alone knew how to twist a door knob. I am still shocked as I write this.......Oh, wait. Damn. Now we have to put the knobby-things on the doors so that he doesn't walk out of the house. Shit.

Going backwards

For the past couple of weeks it seems like Bret needs two naps again. On some days by 9:30 or 10 am, he's just a terror - yelling, throwing his toys, wants me to hold him a lot and rubbing his eyes. There have been days when I've held him in a recliner and he's fallen asleep on me. I don't want to revert back to two naps. I'm confused.

Nothing has changed in his routine. And I know he's not sick. I noticed today that he's getting four teeth (upper and lower canines). Maybe that's the problem. Who knows?! All I know is that he's been a handful for the last few days! PHEEEWWW

Prenatal appointment #3

Super bummed - we didn't get to have an ultrasound today. Have to wait 4. MORE. WEEKS. until we find out baby #2's gender. You know me - I am super impatient!!

Everything checked out great - I gained 2 lbs and the heartbeat was 162. My first instinct says girl but now I'm starting to think boy. We'll see!! I told the DR that my bumps (on my left side) have started to itch. I think I stumped him. He looked at them and then looked at me with this puzzled face. He said that it's not shingles because they'd hurt; they're not PUPPP. So he recommended that I see my dermatologist. It actually works out because I'd like to bring up a few other things, too - like some moles I'd like removed, acne that never seems to go away, possible laser treatment for my stretch marks if they're not too deep, etc.

Everything else is going well :)

Yummy new recipe - Estofado de pollo

I tried a new recipe that I clipped out of Family Circle magazine and it turned out really good. I'm going to make a few changes the next time I cook it - they'll be in parentheses.

8 bone-in chicken thighs, skinless (4 breasts)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons paprika
2 cups chicken broth (2.5 cups)
1 cup frozen peas (1/2 cup)
1 cup frozen carrots (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup white port wine
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
(curry powder - I don't know how much yet, maybe 1/2 teaspoon or so)

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Fry chicken in batches, 4 minutes per side until lightly browned; transfer to plate.

Add onion, garlic, tomato paste and paprika to pot. Cook 3 minutes, stirring. Add chicken broth, peas, carrots and wine. Simmer, covered for 5 minutes. Add potatoes and chicken making sure most of it is covered in sauce. Simmer, covered for 25 - 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

It turned out really good but I would like it to have a little kick. Next time I'm going to use some Arabic curry powder that my friend's mom gave to me. Also, Jason isn't a big peas/carrots fan so there was a lot of veggies left at the bottom of the pot. The sauce was a bit too thick so I'm going to add another 1/2 cup of broth next time, too. Other than that, I could eat that dish once a week!! If you make it, then let me know what you think.

Hilarious

I was just called a "jerk" by someone I don't know on Facebook just because I disagree on a subject. The best part - she's not even my "friend". LOL

I'm breaking up with FB

18 months old!!

Seriously, Mom, enough with the pictures. Can't you see I'm trying to get some work done?

I am Daddy's big helper.

This is how my dad has to cut grass from now on......Aren't I a little stinker?!

Check out my new sunglasses!! Too bad I rip them off after about 30 seconds.

What do you want now, Mom?? Another picture?? Geez.

Today was his 18-month wellness appointment. He's still on the low-end of the curve. Weight: 22 lbs, 1 oz; height: 30" (which I think was measured wrong at his last appointment because he did not grow one inch - impossible). He's about at the 5 - 10 percentile. His DR said not to worry, the curve doesn't represent how he'll be the rest of his life, just a estimator. Jason, at Bret's age, was 34-1/2" long and 24 lbs, 4 oz. Who knows what I was since my family didn't keep records of that stuff.

He did well, although he got 2 shots today. The last of the PCV (pneumococcal) and DTaP series. His next shot is at 2 years old and it's the MMR. That'll be the only one he gets that day. Then he'll get the HepB vaccine before he starts school. I changed my mind and decided not to give him the chicken pox vaccine. So, two more shots then no more until he's a tween or teenager....I didn't get a chance to tell his DR since we were talking about her pregnancy!! She's due in July. I was glad to find out that she's going to be a mom. I feel like she'll be a better pediatrician because of it since she'll know what it's like to have her own. Different perspective, ya know?

I'm super excited for mother's day.

Random thoughts

There are a ton of differences in my pregnancies! The most noticeable one is the red, blotchy dry skin patches on my left side. I started noticing them about 3 weeks ago on my leg. Since then, they've spread up my side. They don't itch, per se, but they are really gross looking. I mentioned it to my DR and he said it was hormones. UGH. I asked if it would go away and he said "maybe not until the baby is born". Ha, ha, that's funny.....no, not really.

I'm carrying a little higher than I did with Bret. I don't sleep as well this time around and I'm not as hungry with this pregnancy as I was with Bret. So strange!! I am convinced that it's a girl. I was right with Bret so we'll see if I'm right with this one.

Jason has to take unpaid time off again - 1 week per quarter for the rest of the year. That equals almost an 8% pay cut for '09. I've decided to start thinking about my next career move after this baby is born. I'm pretty sure what I want to do, but I don't think I'm going to do anything until this baby is sleeping through the night. I don't want to say anything now but I will some time soon. It's got me excited about taking classes again, learning something new AND a profession that's pretty flexible depending upon where I work.

I went on a shopping spree for Bret to get ready for summer/Charleston trip. He got a whole summer wardrobe - thanks to my awesome Old N@vy coupon and the great sale they were having last week. He also got a new squirt pool, sunglasses, 3 swim diapers, sandals and a sun tent. I love buying stuff for Bret!! I think he's got more clothes than I do!!

I've decided on names for the baby. Now I just have to run them by Jason and see which ones we agree on. Yes, we are going to find out what we're having but I think we're not going to tell people this time. We'll see :)