FOR THE RECORD

Pregnancy is really a connundrum. When I was preggers with Branson, I remember being MISERABLE. And I remember thinking, "I can't ever do this again. I HATE being pregnant." And then 9 months later Branson was born, and that old cliche of, "oh, you'll forget" was so true. Well, now I remember. I thought this pregnancy would be different. I wasn't nauseaus, not throwing up, all that good stuff. I thought it was completely different. With Branson I had an aversion to food right away, this time I'm craving it all day. With Branson I was throwing up for 5 months straight. Last night was my frist actual PukeFest, but other than that I've just been nauseas as all get out. With Branson I didn't show until I was 12 weeks. - I'M ALREADY SHOWING - And this time I have the headaches and the weird dreams to boot. And I'm remember exactly why I hate pregnancy. It's not fun to feel sick all day. It's not fun to just sit on the couch because that's all I can do. I haven't mopped in - too long -, I just don't have the energy. I'm hoping the morning sickness (all day sickness I mean) will not last as long this time. And I'm hoping soon I'll get to the point where I look pregnant, and not just fat. And I hope I can find a little energy to keep up with B.... Lord help me. And this time it's documented. I HATE BEING PREGNANT. It's not fun. I feel terrible.

ANOTHER BUN

With baby number 2 on the way, I'm watching Branson closely every day. He is growing so fast, and doing so many new things. I have fears of not being as good of a mom to him when the baby gets here, and an even bigger fear of not loving the baby as much as I love Branson. Of course I know this is NOT possible, but, it is still a very real fear. Branson is doing so many amazing and cute things. His vocabulary grows everyday. Yesterday he learned where an elbow is and how to say it. And, when is wakes up in the morning he says hi to everyone, "Hi dodo's, (dogs), Hi momma!, Hi dada! Hi mow! (cat)". And he loves to say bye bye and go bye bye. Just the other day, he brought me a DVD and when I told him we weren't going to watch it quite yet, he then grabbed his shoes, sat down on the floor and tried to put them on. I helped him, and the promptly got up, walked to the door and said "bye bye momma!". The kid knows what he wants! He can open the cupboard door and pick out EXACTLY what "nack" he wants to eat. Usually it's "coco's" (cookies). He can ask for his water and milk, and can really give a good lecturing to anything that is a "no no", like the outlets, or the dishwasher, or daddy's vitamin bottle. Oh he is so cute. He runs the entire yard. this kid is an outdoors man for sure. It is a meltdown every time we have to come inside. And when it's time to go "night night", he can either tell you no, or say "night night!" and walk right over to his crib waiting to be put in it. I love him more than anything. He seriously makes my world go around. I wish it would turn slower.

KID FRIENDLY FOOD? UGH.

I hate to admit this, but I'm totally one of those moms that stresses at every single meal that her child isn't eating enough. I read somewhere that Branson should be getting 1300 calories a day. WHAT???????? That is CRAZY. But they also said that you should look at it all spread out over a week. I could bore you with all the studying I've done on this topic but I won't. I will bore you with what I do that seems to be working. Number one, if I sit back and think about it, I'm pretty damn proud of how good of an eater my little man is. An example: yesterday we went to sushi. Of course Branson didn't get any raw fish, but he did eat cabbage salad with walnuts (ok, so he ate mostly the walnuts), edamame, shrimp tempura, veggie tempura, and sticky rice. Pretty darn good for a 17 month old, in my opinion. One of my tricks when cooking at home is to hide veggies. In everything. Eggs, mac n cheese, grilled cheese, quesadilla's, mashed potato's. I also offer veggies in their natural form at least twice a day, so he knows that they will be served and they are expected to be eaten. Usually he just eats around them or feeds them lovingly to the dog. But every once in a while, when he thinks I'm not looking, I'll see him take a bite of broccoli, celery, or something else "healthy". And there are veggies that he loves: cheesy broccoli, sweet potato's, beets, hearts of palm. I also refuse to make more than 1 meal. If he doesn't eat lunch, he's SOL until snack time. And usually the snack is raw veggies with ranch (I'm evil) and maybe some crackers. But hey, if he's hungry he'll eat it! Speaking of ranch, this kid loves anything dipped in ranch or ketchup, including but not limited to asparagus, raw veggies, meatloaf, veggie corn dogs, eggplant meat balls. So I'd say all around I'm pretty lucky. He loves his fruit, tolerates his veggies, and of course he thinks bread and dairy were put here just for him. I think so too.

JUDGEMENT DAY IS EVERYDAY

So here is the thing. I really hate being judged. Of course as human beings I think it's almost natural for us to judge others, some people are better about not doing it than others. I try really hard not to judge, especially those that I don't know. Being judged as a parent is almost as bad as being judged in like, middle school. You know how in middle school you want so badly just to "fit in" with everyone? it's that age where you still are young enough to want to please your parents (and excuse me, but parents I think are very judgemental, and rightfully so), but you also so badly want to please the "cool kids"? Well being a parent of a toddler I'm not at all trying to please anyone, but I feel the same hot-cheek feeling of everyone who has an opinion about what I'm doing as I did in middle school. "he's hungry", "it's too cold", "he shouldn't play with that", "he shouldn't eat this or that or the other", "why isn't he talking more?", "he talks too much", "he isn't using a utensil diligently at every single meal, for every single bite???". You get the gist. So frustrating. I try really hard not to butt into anyone else's parenting style, unless I am asked or if the child is in danger. It is so not my place to judge someone else, especially since I can barely figure out how to be a mommy to my one little monster that hasn't even hit the terrible 2's yet. (or maybe he has, temperament wise, not age wise). You'd be amazed at how many people, most of whom I don't even know, have something to say! Like in the grocery store, the lady that sees him fussing for 2 seconds and says, "oh, he needs a nap!". Please. He doesn't want to be sitting in the lame ass cart anymore lady. Ok. rant over. Thank you and come again.

A LITTLE TIME AWAY MAKES FOR A HAPPY MOMMA

Ryan and I finally went on our first out of town vacation with out Branson. I missed the little guy SO flippin much, but it was so nice to just be a couple again, and not have to worry about being Momma and Dadda. My mom was kind enough to come stay with Branson at our house, where he would be most comfortable. Of course it didn't go of with out a hitch. Right as we were boarding the plane to Sin City, we got a phone call. Branson has smushed a bee, and had been stung. I'm sure any parent would be worried at this point, but since my mom is DEATHLY allergic, my heart dropped into my toes. Thank God, he isn't allergic. And after calling the bee "caca", Momo saved the day and made it all better. On to the vacation. We arrived at Ceasars, we ate glorious food, gambled a little, and got to see my bestest friend in the whole wide world, Chrissy. Chrissy, Chris, Ryan and I dined at Sushi Roku, my most favoritest sushi place ever. That's the one thing I seriously look forward to in Vegas, the food. Serendipity 3 is my new favorite place. They are famous for their Frozen Hot Chocolate, but honestly I could do with out it. I had an amazing mochachino, followed by even more amazing Mac N Cheese, the best chicken sandwich I've ever eaten, and I forgot to mention they brought us frozen cheesecake on a stick because we are "diamond" members. This place has awesome food, so much so that I am inspired to create a Yelp account and give them a bazillion stars. (we ate there twice, it was THAT good). The second best part about Vegas is my ability to sleep. For some stupid reason, I sleep SO MUCH BETTER in hotels than I do at home. I've always been that way. But since I've had a baby, I can assure you I slept like the dead both nights at Caesars palace. I wasn't even bothered by Ryan's restless legs or snoring (sorry babe!). The third best part about Vegas? Coming home to my beautiful baby boy. And he was so happy to see us. A big thank you to Momo for watching over our little compound. Dealing with our animals is a full time job in itself.

On a less positive note, Branson has croup again. It's not as bad this time, but it's lingering. I took him to the Dr. yesterday to have a wart burnt off (caused by eczema, who knew? not me), and he not only has croup but an ear infection as well. Poor baby! So he is on a steroid and an antibiotic. I wish we could have had the steroid shot opposed to the oral liquid. He had his first does last night, and despite being EXHAUSTED, he was up playing until 1 am, and then up again from a coughing fit from 3 am to 5 am. Needless to say I didn't get any sleep. And now it's almost 1 pm, and he is napping his little head off. Of course! Because he probably sleep until like 3 pm and then be totally off his schedule. Wish me luck...

DO IT LOCAL.

Since I grew up in a home where my parents owned a small local business, and now my husband owns a "small" "local" business, I try my hardest to support these people. People who started with nothing, or maybe a little something, and are working their butts off to make a nest for their little family. I know personally, Ryan started literally with nothing. At the time he borrowed a few bucks from his mom, got a business license, and off he went. Thank GOD he has the business brain of a genius. Not many people can say they have done that. I was going to school full time and had 2 jobs, so I chipped in where I could with everyday costs. Now, even though he is still considered a small business (and, pretty much local) he also does business world wide. He has friends on every continent, and people know and LIKE him. And he works hard at that. And, it is rewarding to work hard. We have had the opportunity to help out many friends and family members that have needed it. It makes you feel good to be able to give back. I always say, even if you have just a little to give, you should do it. Because one day that person who has nothing might be you.



When we go out to eat (not to often anymore, now that we have a 16 month old monster on our hands!) we try our very hardest to chose local. And despite what people say, Reno really has some GREAT local places to eat. We order our produce from a wonderful local business called Basketcase Organics. They deliver local produce to their customers on a weekly basis. And get this, it only costs me $22 a week. I can't even walk into Whole Foods for that price. And while I do buy most of Branson's clothes at Baby Gap, we also try really hard to support local company's. Rockaboo, and Scrunch Nose are 2 of our favorites. I'm trying every day to be more conscious of where and what I buy. Sundance book store? YES PLEASE! Eclipse Pizza? Supper yes! Squeeze In? Duh, we could live there. We always donate to the Local SPCA and Humane Society, and local schools as well. This last year we did the Angel Tree through a friend at Christmas time. We were able to donate Walmart gift cards of a substantial amount to 2 local girls who have nothing. I've never felt better doing anything in my life.



Of course we all have our vices. I can't help but buy my coffee at Starbucks. I just love the taste of the stuff. I've tried all the nearby local places, and I just don't like them. So, I spend a few bucks a week on my lattes and Via's. But, I almost always see this young kid (maybe 18?) sitting outside in the cold, and it's clear that he might very well be homeless. I always buy him a latte or hot chocolate, and sometimes a bite to eat. You have to give back when you can. And if I can afford an extra $5 added onto my starbucks order, I'll do it.



Bottom line, we are blessed. We live within our means, but if we have a little extra we don't mind sharing with our local friends and family, and those in need. Branson has everything, so I can't wait to teach him about giving back. Starting Local is the best way to do it.

I know I don't have a bazillion followers, but I'm going to give a list of some of our favorite local joints below. Visit them if and when you are in Reno, these places ROCK. And they have earned or are trying to earn their way in this community, and this economy.

Resaurants:
www.squeezein.com (the BEST breakfast anywhere. On the planet)
http://silverpeakbrewery.com/ (great for beer and a little bit nicer pub food)
http://sezmurestaurant.com/(a really great upscale dinner joint)
http://www.renogrill.com/ (a nice in between restraunt)

Baby stuff:
http://www.wix.com/scrunchnose/web
http://www.rockabyereno.com/

Other:
http://basketcaseorganics.com/index.html (local produce delivered to your home. A. Mazing)

FOOD. I LOVE IT.

Sometimes I really want to write in my blog, but don't have much to write about. Then it hit me: FOOD. Duh. I love food. Perhaps a little too much? I consider myself a foodie in the simple fact that I really, really, love the stuff. So here goes!

Last night Ryan made me dinner. And not only did he make me dinner but he cleaned up the kitchen after as well. Normally I would think this is super super sweet, but if you have ever seen a kitchen after Ryan cooks, it's literally like bombs over Baghdad. I mean every dish, every appliance, every condiment, everything you could get out and dirtied is out and dirtied. So it was more than super sweet. The poor guy got home about 5:30, started cooking and when all was said and done it was after midnight. But the meal was. A. MAZING. As follows:

Appetizer: caprese salad and stuffed mushrooms

Main Course: Pork chops (he makes the best, I promise), asparagus with Hollandaise sauce, blue cheese twice stuffed potato's, and garlic pesto bread.

Dessert: donuts or German chocolate cake. Buuuut neither of us had any room :)

Ryan is an amazing cook. It is one of the many ways he won my heart. I know he loves to cook, and even when he thinks he has overdone something or ruined it, the meal is spectacular.

Thanks babe :)