Knuckle Dan

This evening Ryan took Stephen to the rec facility to go swimming. They both seemed to enjoy it, though Stephen apparently wasn't fond of showering instead of bathing afterwards.

I just went to Lincoln Square to walk for half an hour since I know I need to be exercising more. I wish lap swimming were more accessible.

Now I'm sitting at home while Ryan is still at school. He has quite a bit to work on, and will be gone all day tomorrow and Sunday.

We have been trying and trying to get Stephen to say "Uncle Dan." He got pretty close the other night. It went like this:
Dan Dan Dan Dan Dan Knuckle Knuckle Knuckle Dan Dan
We now refer to him as Knuckle Dan. I don't think he will mind.

Asking the Deeper Questions of Life

Where is your nose? Where is your hair? Where are your ears?

Life Beyond the Recital

Ryan's recital on Sunday went very well. Here he is with his two piano accompanists. We were happy to have family in town to hear him, and we got the added bonus of time in hotel pools thanks to the grandparents!

Stephen is walking (even running!) , pulling his little white doggie toy around, riding on his truck, and expanding his repertoire of food that he will accept. I am very thankful for that! I've been surprised by what he asks for: minestrone soup, lentil casserole - YEAH! He still rejects anything but pancakes if those are an option. We all enjoyed a nice pancake breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa Leatherman and Aunt Carolyn on Sunday morning.

Today we went for Stephen's last appointment at the Infant Cognition Lab. They gave him a certificate of completion. Now he will be observed at the Language Acquisition Lab. No, we don't really get anything out of this for ourselves, but with just one child it really isn't too much work for me to take him in. And it's interesting to see what they are trying to discover. Almost every time at the Infant Lab he has confirmed what they think an infant might be able to understand. For example, once they put objects in containers and at one point they put an object that was too long to fit in the container and he supposedly knew that it wasn't going to work, based on how long he stared at it.

Some side notes:

A friend of mine in Champaign who also owns the diaper and toy store Little Ants was recently on the news talking about cloth diapers. It's posted on the station's website here.

Stephen went to a free Kindermusik class that was offered in Urbana last weekend. He LOVED it! From the beginning to the end, he excitedly marched around and watched the teachers and the other students participating. I have noticed that at library storytime he doesn't care much for the stories that are read but when a song is sung he is quite attentive.

We just posted a video of the new sound Ryan has taught Stephen.

Eating "boom, " Drinking "burr," and going to "ool"

As hard as we try not to, Ryan and I seem to pick up "stephenish" and speak that language instead of pure English. It's fun to see him picking up new words on a regular basis. He is also walking all over the place now. It's refreshing to go to a bookstore or the library and have him walk down the aisles instead of pulling up to a shelf and pulling down everything in sight.

Ryan is practicing hard for his recital that takes place next Sunday. I have still been feeling really good - almost to the third trimester, and am working hard to be sure I get my daily protein. I make a menu that I try to stick to as much as our schedule allows, and so far it's working pretty well. Getting in the extra peanut butter on an apple - or a glass of milk before bed - can get me up to the recommended 80 grams of protein every day.

Stephen is still eating a banana every day—look what the sticker on it said today. We continue to be unsure what is causing his slight rash on his tummy. The dr. ran a basic allergy panel and found no positive allergies, which doesn't necessarily mean there is nothing wrong, so I guess we haven't learned anything significant yet. I still suspect a problem with corn, but we've decided for the time being to only avoid large amounts of corn, such as corn bread, corn cereals, etc. Avoiding it 100% is possible but it eliminates anything made with baking powder or cornstarch from his diet. That's tough to explain to a toddler ...

Well, I think the "little man" is waking up from his nap and would appreciate a visit from mommy.

The Nerd Test

We took the nerd test for Stephen. Here is his result.



(Ryan's score was 55 and mine was 42.)

Going through Ryan's old stuff

Could someone please tell Ryan that we don't need to keep his master's of the universe belt? Or the photocopy from a murder mystery dinner he attended in high school? We have found some interesting notes from old friends, and some old papers and badges. (Don't worry; we really aren't keeping that much; he just likes to tease me.)

We have been in Des Moines since the 25th and have been able to see some friends and family. Today we met Kevin and Kathy's new baby, Tessa. She is smaller than Stephen ever was - she just cleared 6 pounds!

Stephen is doing great and is feeling much better than last week when all three of us were sick. Yesterday he decided that walking around in circles by pivoting on one foot is really fun. He has also taken to prompting us to leave the house whenever he wants a little bit of air. He will go right to the closet and let us know that he wants his coat on!

We'll be back in Champaign for New Years' and Heidi will be staying there with us so she can see friends while on her semester break from teaching.

Helpful? Or not?

Here's a snapshot of Stephen "helping" me to prepare dinner last night. He thought this was great fun, and it kept him content during one of his least favorite times of the day: mommy has to cook.

Then this morning Ryan took him to the bank. All was fine and dandy until we tried to get back in the house after our sonogram. Ryan didn't have the house key! He went back to the bank, where Stephen had been playing with them. And found them. In the garbage can.

In other news, our sonogram went well. All the parts are there, including the parts we don't know about yet. We just had to turn our heads during parts of it to avoid accidental discovery. The baby is at 50% for 22 weeks. (That is a good thing!) They estimate it weighing about 1 lb 2 oz right now.

An Idea

Heather posted about inventions, but I just have an idea. How about having special parking spaces for pregnant cellists when it's really icy and cold outside? That would have helped last night as I faced a full parking ramp at Krannert and had to park outside for the performance of The Messiah.

Speaking of the performance, it was downright exhausting!! I thought today that I don't know which was harder and required more endurance: running the half marathon in Des Moines a few years back or playing the entire Messiah with the CU Symphony last night. The half marathon took me exactly 2 hours. The Messiah was almost 3. And I felt it! I just don't play my cello enough to have the stamina for that.

Ryan finished up with his classes and finals on Friday, so he's been around more this weekend. It's been really nice, and I know he is enjoying being home more. He loves getting Stephen to say "I am ..." which doesn't really come out like sounding quite right. But his mouth opens really wide and it's hilarious. We are trying to get it on video but he always just reaches for the camera when we get it out. He can't quite call it quits for the semester yet as he still has some assistantship work to do. He's planning to get back on the subbing list for the next couple of weeks. Hopefully he'll get some decent classes! I don't wish too many days of kindergarten on him.

Hemoglobin

We just found out this morning that Stephen's iron levels are back up where they are supposed to be (11.3). I am so relieved about that! We went to celebrate with some cheesebread at Penn Station and then we went to Meijer.

This is also a big day for Ryan, as he is currently about an hour away from being done with the semester! He has had such a busy couple of weeks and we'll both be relieved when it's all done. It's hard for me to watch him go to bed late and get up early day after day. I know he's worn out.

I'm performing Handel's Messiah with the C-U Symphony this weekend. We needed to get friends to watch Stephen both last night and tonight because Ryan also has concerts. He did great last night with our friend, Joyce. I think she enjoyed him, too.

I was watching Stephen this morning as he played with other kids in the waiting room. He was very gentle but at the same time kind of bossy. If another kid started playing with a toy he wanted, he would just go up to them and lift their hand up and move it away. I didn't let him get away with it because even gentle selfishness is still selfishness.

A Whirlwind of a Week

I just checked and I guess it's been a week since we've posted. We've had a chance to see lots of friends and family while in the Chicago area and also in Des Moines, where we still are staying until tomorrow afternoon.

Stephen did absolutely wonderfully with my parents when we left him there in order to go to see Wicked in the city. The show was enjoyable, as was our dinner at Reza's. We stayed at a nice hotel in Burr Ridge - about halfway between the city and my parents' place. Stephen has only recently been sleeping through the night, and it was a relief that he slept all night - 11.5 hours - while we were gone. It made for a much happier little boy and some well-rested grandparents.

We went back to Champaign for Monday and Tuesday because Ryan needed to get a few hours of recording done. He also had a limo meeting on Tuesday evening that necessitated us staying in town until 9 p.m. We also had a friend who we wanted to see and he was only available for breakfast in Des Moines on Wednesday morning. We got into grandma and grandpa Leatherman's at 2:45 a.m. and were up again at 6 for breakfast. Thankfully, the grandparents were eager and able to take care of Stephen a little more so we could snooze some more.

We had a great Thanksgiving meal at Dan and Sheila's in Knoxville. Stephen got along just fine with our cousins Claire and Anna. He didn't like not being able to eat the pumpkin pie, but with his fussy eating habits of late, we really didn't have a choice.

Yesterday we left him with the grandparents and aunt Care for much of the day. Though he still doesn't appreciate me leaving, he did very well for all of them. Ryan and I got to enjoy a nice lunch with John and then saw some friends at Rock Bottom in the evening.

Today we've run around town to see more friends - even Stephen sure enjoyed Max, Ian, Joshua, Luke, Porter, Foster, Rede, and Laurie. :)

I really hope our return trip goes well. It's risky since Stephen will be awake for about 80% of it. I'm sure we can all tough it out but I sure appreciate it when he isn't crying a lot!

For the Non-Iowa Fans

I am taking a break, eating chips and my leftover Qdoba salsa, and decided to "fix" the photo of Stephen that I thought turned out really well. Some of our friends and family aren't University of Iowa fans (like my dad)!

Here are the two side by side.

Oops! I'm 30!

The day was originally going to be pretty low-key. Then we decided to meet mom, dad, grandma, Evelyn, and Bridget for lunch in Bloomington. I'd been wanting to take Stephen to the Children's Museum there because I had heard good things about it, so we went to that in the morning. WOW! He loved it! He could have spent the entire time in 1/4 of the first floor. Ten minutes before we had to leave I picked him up and took him through the other floors so I could see what was there.

We enjoyed a nice lunch at Avanti's and walked around the mall for a little while. Then we went to a Thai restaurant to get takeout to eat with Ryan at his office at the music building. Stephen and Ryan's gift was tickets to see Wicked this weekend in Chicago. Stephen doesn't know it yet, but his part of the bargain is to give his mommy a break for a night by staying at grandma and grandpa's house. They'll all do just fine ...

A Post of Photos, not in chronological order

Having a great time with grandma and grandpa. They were in town along with Aunt Carolyn and my parents to hear the C-U Symphony perform with Ryan's jazz band.
Self-explanatory.
With daddy ("da") and Aunt Care.
Family photo. Should have combed my hair :).
My friend Linda posts photos of food. So I figured I could, too. Here is my first and not-entirely-disastrous attempt at making Thai Spring Rolls.
When Stephen wasn't 100% better yet, I took advantage of his lack of cheesy camera grins to get some nice fall photos.

Take-out Chinese dinner before the concert on Saturday.
A friend of mine made this chocolate cake for my birthday and we celebrated with family this weekend. And, yes, it does taste as good as it looks!

Thanks, Stephen!

When Stephen knocked our alarm clock radio to the floor today, he managed to break the clock mechanism. The radio still works, though.

The funny part is that I am not upset about this in the least. I have had this alarm clock since I was in jr. high and have kept hoping it would stop working.

And we have Ryan's that we can use now. So no need to run out tomorrow for another.

Man does not live by bread alone ...

... but a toddler can survive on cheerios, applesauce, and breastmilk. (Warning: this post is not for the weak stomach.)

This last week has been rather eventful (or uneventful, depending on how you look at it) for the Leathermans. It started out on Monday night when I lost my dinner. Chalking it up to a nasty chicken salad sandwich, I thought that was the end of it and was glad to have it out of my system.

Then Stephen woke up around 11:30 with some strange-sounding coughing. Upon careful inspection of his bed, we found partially mushed up macaroni and cheese. Poor guy. He had never experienced throwing up before. As Ryan pointed out, now we know the answer to the question: "Does Stephen chew his macaroni before swallowing?"

My parents (lucky them!) happened to be in town that night on their way back from Virginia, and they came over Tuesday morning to take care of both me and Stephen so Ryan could go about his day at school. I was really thankful for the help. Even though my stomach had settled down, I had not the energy to do more than just sit around. Stephen ate some dinner and then lost it an hour later that evening.

Yesterday I was back to normal, but Stephen was still very listless. His temp was a degree or two above normal, and he slept much of the day. After I put him to sleep, I was praying that he would be better today; I really wanted to avoid a trip to the dr. and so far he had seemed to be fighting it fine on his own.

Then at ten till six this morning, Ryan got up. His turn. He's been in bed most of the day, but he did have to drag himself to campus to play a half hour gig over the noon hour. Stephen and I went to watch him perform with his quartet. He played fine, but he sure did look pale.

Good news, though, for Stephen. He woke up relatively happy. He's still not at 100% but he is playing with his toys, walking, eating cheerios and applesauce ... that's the little boy I'm used to hangin' out with!

As of 10:21 this evening, the only other person who has caught it is my mother. As Stephen's grandma, she just couldn't stay away from her sweet little grandson when he wanted to play.

Here are some things I am making a mental note of:
- There is a difference between lethargy and listlessness. Apparently, in medical terminology, listlessness is perfectly normal for a sick child. They want to cuddle all day, sleep more than normal, don't play or talk much. But they do make eye contact. They are physically able to sit up and make simple requests. A lethargic child just lies on the floor, totally unable to let their needs be known - and this is when they likely need more attention. They stare right past you when you try to talk to them. Since I never ended up calling a doctor, I didn't need to know this distinction this time. But for future reference ...
- I am SO SO SO glad that I haven't weaned Stephen yet. Nursing during the first trimester was difficult at times, since I was so tired already. I had cut back significantly on the amount of nursing I let him do, and we had night-weaned him. But with the stomach virus, he really needed hydration. He does drink water, but not very much at a time. We got some pedialyte, and he reacted with hives. Nursing was what kept him hydrated and I am so thankful for that!
- Even though his colds don't take the toll that they do on adults, the stomach virus took him longer to overcome than it took for me. A friend told me that her daughter was the same way! I was starting to worry yesterday when I was feeling better and he was still fighting it.
Tonight Ryan started to feel better and had a bowl of soup for dinner. He's planning to go to school tomorrow, but to take it easy. He also has a performance tomorrow night.

I have been wanting to make spring rolls (the kind you don't cook) for a long time. I also knew that they are pretty tricky to get the hang of. So tonight I took the plunge. Yes, they were messy, but they still tasted great! Maybe after a few more trials I'll be ready to serve them to company.

My husband, the fix-it man

Here is Ryan finishing up the fixing of the dryer. He and a friend took it apart last night and found the offending belt. This morning Ryan tracked one down at a parts shop in town and then began the task of putting the belt on and the dryer back together. We had the drum on and off several times before finally getting it to spin. Apparently you can't just put the belt on the pulley - it has to go on in a very specific way!

Stephen is up now from his nap. What should we have for dinner?

The Great Pumpkin Patch

Stephen and I got to enjoy the Great Pumpkin Patch yesterday morning in Arthur. We met some friends there and explored the exhibits showcasing many types of squash as well as animals. We even got to navigate a maze made of hay bales! It was a little chilly out but we did pretty well all bundled up - him in his Iowa sweatshirt and me in Ryan's Illinois hoodie.

Last night our dryer broke. I don't consider this a huge crisis, because I do like to hang clothes on the line. But many days I would put them in the dryer for a little touch-up. We also wash diapers every other day, so several rainy days in a row could prove to be a problem. Or just less-than-ideal conditions. Take today, for example. There was no rain. Yet the clothes still weren't entirely dry. We are not well-prepared for such a situation, considering we don't have a drying rack and our kitchen chairs can't weather dampness. Here is what our living room looks like right now.

A Quick Bedtime Note

I'm ready to call it a night, but I wanted to put an update about our appointment today. We heard the heartbeat again (160 bpm) and we found out that my thyroid labs came back perfectly normal. That's a relief.

Ryan was supposed to have 2 jazz tests today, but one of the classes was cancelled, so that test is postponed until Wednesday.

Next time you see Stephen, ask him what a horse says ...

Worthless Outlet Covers

This morning I went to see what Stephen was so excited about in the hallway; he had managed to get one of the plastic outlet covers off. Thinking it was a fluke, or that it had been loose, I put it back on and watched what he did. Sure enough, he felt around the cover until he got to the part that has a little bit of room for a fingernail and stuck his tiny little finger in there and yanked the whole piece out. I wonder if the covers are more of a hazard than safety feature at this point because it's enticing to pull them out. I think we'll take a trip to the hardware store tonight and get the (much more expensive and complicated) full outlet covers. I'll let you know when he figures those out ...

He took his first steps last Sunday!!! It was so exciting to watch as he took off from Ryan to me without holding on to anything. He took 5 steps and did very well. Yesterday I think was a turning point for him; I saw him walking several times without me there coaching and coaxing him. I'll try to get some video on YouTube soon.

Cookies, Potstickers, and Chicken Nuggets

Ryan thinks this pregnancy is characterized by food. According to him, last time I was much more emotional and this time I have lots of cravings. He would know. He lives with me. Last week I had to talk myself out of ordering pizza; after I saw a pizza hut commercial on TV it was hard not to pick up the phone and order ... Stephen was in bed so going to the store to get a frozen one was out of the question and Ryan was gone. Then the next day I saw a Home Improvement rerun and Tim Allen said "fajita chimichunga" and I had the most wonderful memories of going to Chi-Chi's for lunch on a Sunday afternoon with my family and ordering a chimichunga. Wow, were they good and did I know how to eat them! I thought that this post that is titled with some of the things we ate today could include a photo of Stephen after eating part of his sunbutter and jelly sandwich. He loved it! (And we got to slip in the Iowa bib, hereby congratulating them on their win over Illinois today. Yes, I know where we live. But I also know who Stephen's grandpa is.)

I had a C-U Symphony concert tonight, and my friend Sumin was able to come and see it. It was the very first time she left her 3-month-old baby with her husband for the evening! The two of them hung out with Ryan and Stephen. And when we got back from the concert, both babies were sleeping and neither husband was! Looks like success to me!

Ryan is currently out finishing a limo job. We've had this gigantic stretch hummer limousine in our driveway much of the day since he had it earlier to pick the party up from the wedding. I'm eating some Korean cookies that Sumin brought and putting off the dishes I created when baking a banana bread earlier.

We're going to attempt a much-needed haircut on the little man tomorrow morning. It's not gonna be pretty. We'll probably spare our neighbors from doing it too early in the day.

Pregnancy update: I've begun to feel the slightest little movements. I remember feeling them when I was pregnant with Stephen, even really early on, but this time I know what it is - that it's not just indigestion. It's pretty cool to know that a 3-inch-long person is performing in a solo gymnastics show in there.