I finally found the supplemental nursing system tubing on EBay- yay! So now I can be prepared Dr. Jack Newman style for any needed supplementation via the breast without the cost of an expensive SNS.
Also, Brendan has used the potty 2 more times! In a row!!! Last night he climbed on and did his stuff without prompting. This morning after breakfast I noticed he was still dry so I prompted him to “go pee-pees in the potty” with me and he did! Double yay! His reward? A happy dance and lots of praise.

those muffalettas were so gooooooood! I am one stuffed happy preggo mama!!! 😀
Future reference:
-My olive relish recipe makes 2 large muffaletta sandwiches
-The recipe was perfect- I wouldn’t change a thing!
-Each sandwich feeds 3-4 adults
-I grilled the bread as for a grilled cheese sandwich (didn’t want the oven to heat the house up)
-I pan-fried the meats too for a hot sandwich

Yesterday was Bren’s second Little Gym class. It started out pretty shaky since he wasn’t even willing to go into the gym for the first half of the class!!! We sat and watched the kids and parents do their thing through the windows. Bren had fun watching them and talking about it. Every few minutes one of us would ask him if he wanted to go in there and play too. No, no, no some more. About 20 minutes into the 45 minute class his answer was a hesitant no. Five minutes later, the owner (who was manning the desk) came over and asked him if he wanted to go play and he finally said yes. And then off he ran into the room to go play. We have always said he has a 1/2 hour warming up period and that has been so consistent through this past year.
Once in the gym, Darrell and I stood by where the rest of the class was enjoying a giant parachute. The kids were put on top as it was shaken, the parents held it up as the kids ran underneath it, then finally everyone got underneath it and sang songs. It was my favorite activity from my nanny Little Gym days and I was sad to see Bren not participate. I hope they do the parachute stuff again soon- it’s so much fun! He wandered around the empty half of the room instead of coming over to the crowded group area with us. I noticed within the first minute of being in the gym room that he put his hands briefly to his ears a few times like it was too loud in there. That got my initial attention but in only a few minutes the parachuting was over and he was beside us again.
After that, Bren seemed much more like any other kid there. He played on and with the different items and interacted with the other kids some (though his issue is not the kids, it’s adults and crowds in general). He continued to shy away from any adults but he didn’t get upset when one tried to talk to him- he’d just turn his face into me. They end all the gym classes with 5 minutes of playing with bouncy balls and then a couple minutes where the instructor blows bubbles. These are Bren’s 2 favorite activites! I figured out the bubble-blowing is to get the kids back to the group area for the end of class good-bye song. Very clever of them.
In the end, I was happy with his progress because of 4 things:
1. Once we were in the gym room, Bren allowed us to clap along with the class. He typically gets really mad at us if we clap or sing along. Could it possibly be a noise issue?
2. He didn’t cry and was happy just about the entire time we were there- greatly improved over last week. He was obviously excited to be there and enjoyed himself whether he was watching or participating.
3. He approached an instructor and gave her 2 balls when it was time to put them away. He got a booming “Good job, Brendan!” LOL.
4. At the end of class, an instructor approached us and told us she saw improvement already.
We have the rest of May in the Parent & Child class (4 more sessions I think) and we signed him up for the 10 week summer Child Only class, which is 3-5 year olds. Perhaps being among the youngest will give him some good role models. The summer session ends immediately before my due date.
*****
As for potty training, he goes and sits willingly on the potty at times (when it’s his idea) but hasn’t yet peed again.

I was getting undressed for bed last night in our bathroom and just as I had my arms up and my clothes over my head, Bren walks in. He pokes me on a nipple, says “boooop!” and then proceeds to talk about how I have “chocolates”. I really tried to correct him but I was laughing too darn hard. What a shocker!!!
Bren is starting to branch out into more than basic words. For example, he has learned “wizard” from Dora, “witch” from Tom & Jerry and says other things now like “kitchen”. It is really nice to talk to him now because I really understand most of what he says. He is really into flashlights right now. Big ones, little ones, toys with lights, etc. We just bought him a Thomas toy that makes train noises and the face lights up when you push a button. He really likes it.
Little Gym #2 is tonight. Send patience vibes my way!
*****
24w5d. LBB had the hiccups the other night and DH got to feel some larger movements. That was fun! He is now kicking above the belly button here and there which always gives me a startle. He like to lie tranverse because I can feel a hard ball shape on my right side and the firmness extends sideways. It is so strange to be able to tell that!
Two days ago I was really sick and kept vomiting up whatever I ate or drank for the entire day. I was really worried about it but avoided total dehydration by a thread. By the next morning I was better. One small benefit though is that my body is working on replacing the fluids I lost and I haven’t had to get up in the middle of the night to pee the last 2 nights. Wheee! LOL.
*****
DH and I made the olive relish for muffaletta sandwiches last night. Here is what we used based on several recipes I found on the net. I’ll post about how it was after we try it. It has to marinate for at least 24 hours. We’ll probably eat some for dinner tomorrow night.
Muffalettas
Makes 4 quartered sandwiches
1/2 lb total of good ham, genoa salami and hard salami
1/2 lb of good cheese- havarti, provolone and/or mozzarella
1 1/2 lb round loaf italian bread
1 c olive relish (below)
Slice bread into top and bottom pieces. Warm bread for 3 minutes in 350 degree oven. Top each half with 1/2 c of olive relish, meats and cheeses. Heat til warmed through and cheese is melted.
Olive Relish
3.5 oz pouch green olives with pimientos, drained & minced
3.8 oz can sliced black olives, drained & minced
16 oz jar Mezzetta Italian Giardiniera (pickled veggies w/ cauliflower), drained & minced
1/4 c pepperoncinis, minced
1/2 c roasted red/yellow peppers, minced
2 T minced garlic
1 t celery seed
1 t oregano
1 pinch black pepper
1/3 c red wine vinegar
1/3 c canola + olive oil (you may want more oil)
Mix everything together in a bowl and allow to marinate for 24 hours.

I ordered a birth pool today. If I can’t have a home waterbirth, at least I can have a home water labor! I just hope I get the opportunity to use it. I also bought a nifty sink-hose adaptor so I can use warm water straight from the sink. It sounds heavenly! 😛
With this being a VBAC, I want as little opportunity as possible for them to turn it into another c-section. I am staying away from the hospital til I can’t stand it any longer! Just wish I could check myself for dilation so I’d know when to go! I also need to read up on the safety of laboring in water after your water breaks… the pool will be brand new so should be pretty sterile itself. Doubt I’ll have time to boil 106 gallons of water, lol.
You guys get to look forward to a moment by moment labor story. I haven’t held anything back yet and don’t plan on starting now.

OMG! Brendan did something I’ve been just waiting patiently for… totally unprompted, he pulled off his own pants, climbed onto the toilet and peed! DH was in there brushing his teeth and didn’t do a thing! Well, except slyly run the water to help give him the urge, lol.
We praised and praised and praised and praised some more til the kid glowed!!!
I guess we’ll start asking him if he wants to go potty during the bedtime ritual and maybe another time during the day when he is still dry but been eating and drinking. I want him to continue to lead the way if he will. Famous last words?? 😉

24w0d. Very glad to have made it this far. LBB has been a wild wee beastie lately! Last night he kept me very well entertained by his constant rolling and thumping.
As for my weight, I really have not gone overboard at all so I have no clue exactly how I am gaining so rapidly. My total weight gain isn’t astonishing or anything (10 pounds from low point, 7 from the beginning) but I’ve gained it *all* in the last 6 weeks. Doesn’t a 10 pound gain require eating more that usual? The only things I eat a bit more of are fruits and veggies. I have always had a dessert every other day or so and lately it has been a 150 calorie reduced fat cone from McDonalds more often than not. I am afraid this child is 3 pounds already or something! Ahhhhhhhhhh! My only real craving lately has been cake and I have only made cupcakes 2x since my morning sickness left. That, peoples, is being GOOD!
Anyway, I have 8 pounds left to gain in 16 weeks. That’s 1/2 a pound a week. Sounds simple but my body is doing its own thing. I read in a book that you gain about 50% of pregnancy gain in weeks 20-30 with 25% before and 25% after. Six more weeks til I am out of the crazy-gain period, I guess.
Next OB appt is in 2 weeks and I get to enjoy the glucose screening. Oh joy… that syrupy gunk makes me sicker than a dog.

23w6d. TMI ahead. I’ve noticed some “crumblies” on my nipples lately and when I shiver I get a strong tingling *zap* from each of my nipples. It’s been going on for about 2-3 weeks now along with some more soreness the past couple of days. I shivered once last night and went to investigate… sure enough, there were 3 miniscule drops of clear colostrum on one of my breasts! Exciting but annoying!
*****
Bren’s first Little Gym session was last night. It went… about as well as I should have expected but definitely not as well as I had hoped. He flat out *refused* to participate in the whole class activities such as ringing bells, singing, coming forward to jump into a circle (ha!) and doing different things with pretty scarves. We sat on the sidelines, all 3 of us, and alternated between encouraging him to participate and just letting him watch. It was frustrating. Any time an instructor tried to offer him something he would shake his head and hide his face.
The 2nd half of the class was more of a free for all on the different equipment centers around the room. He loved swinging on the bars and tried out a balance beam. At one point the instructor demonstrated a heel swing on another bar where she had the child hang by the arms and then pull her feet up to the bar and hang. We separately did that with Bren and he liked that. Then then class was given some balls to play with and Bren played with a ball and began to come out of his shell. They were put away all too soon though. He really acted more normal at the end though when the instructor blew bubbles and all the kids ran up to pop them. He ran right up and joined in. Then the class was over and he did allow us to sit in the circle though not to sing.
At one point in the class, Bren got mad and started crying so hard that we left the gym and spent a minute with him in the outer room. He jumped down and raced right back in. And at the end he cried because it was over. So, apparently he liked it even though he found it difficult to deal with. I felt so discouraged in the beginning of the class but by the end I was hopeful. If this wasn’t hard for him, it wouldn’t be of much help to him. I signed him up for the rest of the semester (til the end of May) but lost all hopes of putting him in the “on your own” class for now. And I was right- the kids do have to be fully potty trained to go to the summer camp classes. Darn.

23w1d. It’s a 2 in 1 baby bit. Son #2 had his first bout of hiccups (that I felt) and the first movements that could be felt above the belly button. Wheeeee! He’s a-growin’.
Goin’ shoppin’ for the baby bedding tomorrow with Aunt Cathy. Wheeeee some more! 😀
*****
As for Brendan, I get a kick out of hearing him say sure- “shore!” 🙂 And yesterday he started getting my attention with “Pssst! Mama!” Haha.
Speaking of kicking… I need to kick myself. How long ago was it that I won the playstation Sesame Street Sports game for him on Ebay? He played it for the first time last night and loved it. It’s perfect- no skills needed. Time to get out the V-Smile again too. It’s been almost 4 months and I hope he’ll understand it now. I want to try Candyland as well but I just can’t see him leaving the pieces on the board. :/

DH wanted me to call this entry “Tit-bits.” Hahahaha.
It was interesting. Not as many people as I thought (about 7 of us including the leader) so there wasn’t any sitting in the back. I only got overly emotional once- pat myself on the back.
There were 2 mamas with 2 month old babies. One was a BFing pro, the other was there for serious help. The 2nd lady’s baby wasn’t too keen on BFing for more than about 5 minutes. The leader, Desiree, helped some as she worked on feeding her during the class and asked anybody who wanted more help could stay after the meeting was over. Unfortunately, she left right away. I have a feeling she won’t be back and don’t really understand why she took the big step of coming if she wasn’t going to stay for help. The leader said she was fairly sure is was a bad latch problem and the baby could be totally off formula in about a week. She was a bit sad as well.
The remaining four of us were pregnant. One is due next week, one the next month, one the next month and then me in August. So there should be a new baby in each of the next 4 meetings or so. Should be fun!
Tonight’s main topic was weaning and low milk supply. Well, considering the crowd, we hardly touched weaning. Honestly, we talked about whatever issues we needed help with. It was nice that way. We got a few handouts. We chatted about how childbirth and interventions can affect your breastfeeding success… lots of other stuff.
I was the first one there since I had to search for the room and arrived early. The leader and I had just gotten into why I was there and I had told her just about anything she could name was a problem I had encountered when others started arriving. So over the course of the meeting we talked about various problems and I mentioned how difficult it was to get nurses and the like to stay away from bottles, how we syringe-fed him for a few days and how he had a tight frenulum that I had to wait 5 days til I was out of the hospital to deal with because my pediatrician didn’t believe in frenulectomies. But I don’t think she was suitably impressed with my dilemmas until I mentioned after class, as I hung around waiting to borrow a book or two, that I also have inverted nipples. She so understood that because the first thing she said was “Don’t give your new baby a bottle! Babies with tight frenulums have a really difficult time going back to the breast afterwards.” She had nicely summed up the beginning of the end of breastfeeding with Brendan.
I did learn about one thing pertaining specifically to inverted nipples- something called the piggyback hold. When you compress the areola, my nipple moves inward. I mentioned before that pushing the breast back into the chest helps to have it stick out more. Apparently, also holding the upper breast tissue, close to the areola, in a two finger pinch works too. You’d think it’d hurt but it doesn’t. Makes me think of a cat holding her kitten by the scruff of the neck though, lol. Can’t find anything on the net about it at all, curiously. Maybe I heard the name wrong.
This should be fun for all of us. I get adult conversation and much needed encouragement and help. Bren gets to play at an awesome indoor McDonald’s playplace nearby (seriously- the thing had 4 separate entrance towers just to get up into it!!) with other kids and DH gets to enjoy his enjoyment and read magazines. This particular night started with a comedy of errors though. Brendan fell asleep on the way to the restaurant. He had just woken up and got into the play tubes when I called saying my meeting was over. So, he wasn’t particularly thrilled to be taken away. So we went back afterwards and he got to run around with lots of other little boys that were surprisingly all around his age while I ate. He loved it!! And Lord help me but McDonald’s will now dip your ice cream cone in chocolate shell and it’s GOOD!