I’ve had a few people ask if everything went OK this time round. As a reminder, I had an emergency C-section with Aiden at 31 weeks because I got severe pre-eclampsia and eventually HELLP syndrome. Things were a bit off this time as well. I went into the hospital on Sunday for monitoring after getting a horrible stomach bug during the weekend. Our little (well, not so little) man wasn’t being very active.

They let me know when I got to the hospital that my blood pressure was high (and there were other indicators that I was going into severe pre-eclampsia again). My OB made my C-section happen on Monday mid-afternoon just in time for pre-eclampsia to go into high gear, but baby was safe and we were already at 37 weeks this round.

When I arrived to the hospital with A, I was already into multiple stages of severe pre-eclampsia. My liver was shutting down as were other major organs and I was in loads of pain. This time was different. Getting a stomach bug while pregnant sucks, but I wasn’t hurting the same way I had before. So, after the C-section, I felt OK, even pretty good for major surgery. And then the major issues started. My labs came back much worse than with A, although nurses weren’t sharing info with me initially. It’s never good when your nurse says the doctor will talk to me about the tests. I had crazy high blood pressure, liver function issues, critically low platelets (you also never want this term to describe your situation). And, yes, I did have to take medication to get things to go back to normal. It took a while for everything to go into effect, but it eventually happened.

I was monitored a lot and my arms look like pin cushions, but it was worth every frustration and blood draw to get to go home on Thursday with Baby E.
A percentage of women who have HELLP and pre-eclampsia get it again. The number I was told was up to 30ish%, but I haven’t found literature to support that. A nurse also mentioned that it’s often the case that the second time around can be worse than the first.

I said this before and I will say it again. It’s so important to know your body and to pay attention to things that don’t feel right, based on your own experience. While this is really important during pregnancy, it’s really about paying attention to your body.

For a while now, we’ve been using this blog to provide updates on Baby A (I guess now Toddler A) and I have decided to change it up a bit. We were also focusing on all the good stuff to share and that is not real. Toddlers , like all babies are work. So, here goes sharing some of the challenges of toddlerhood.

We’ve hit a challenging time with A. A really challenging time. With tantrums and fits, oh my! This results in time outs and losing privileges and tears. And, often frustration for mom and dad, especially for mom.

I sought advice on this challenging time from a close friend, who shared an incredible insight from her years of parenting. She said, “It will get better. And then it will get worse again. And then, it will get better and then worse.” Just like everything else, it’s a cycle. Guess I missed that in the mothering books, but it makes sense.

Motherhood, or really parenthood, isn’t just about the fun moments. It’s about the whole experience – the good, the bad, and the ugly. We don’t have an ideal family life, where we just see unicorns and rainbows and have a perfect child, but that’s OK. We’re making it through the moments, some which rush by and some that seem like days.

Yesterday morning, A was a TERROR, who pushed boundaries without ever stopping, even for a breath. It was one big ‘ole “let’s see how far I can push Mommy moment” and it was BAD. And this morning, as hubbie knew I was within earshot to what he was reading A, there were some changes to a story that made me laugh so hard I had tears running down my face. We were all laughing, even though A was really laughing at Mommy and Daddy laughing so hard.

I guess we’ll survive this tough moment and it will all be OK after all.

Seventh tip/trick: remember that the simplest ideas can make things easy and can have a huge impact

First, we try to make everything easy when it comes to food stuff for A. The biggest thing is that we make things in “bulk” and freeze tons of stuff, from the biscuits, to fruity pancakes, to pasta squares, to egg dishes, to stewed apples. It keeps things fast the next time and we’re often looking for fast. Just keep track of your frozen supplies and replenish as needed.

As adults, we often try to mix things up or try adding more complexity to the flavor. With kids, they don’t need that complexity all the time. They’re fine with simple flavors as long as they’re good. Remember that simplicity. For example, A is a big fan of avocadoes. We would put it on tortillas or on a sandwich or quesadilla. And one day he was starving, so I gave him a bite without anything, just to have him start eating something. And something amazing happened. He picked up the spoon and started eating the avocado without anything else with the spoon out of the skin as if it was a bowl. Who would have known?!?

So, now that you’ve read seven tips/tricks, do you have any to share? Is there anything you’ve had great luck with freezing or simplifying? Any foods that your little one can’t resist? I’d love to collect some ideas here (or as a comment to any of these posts) for moms and dads to use and share.

Sixth tip/trick: Crescent rolls hearts

I think I found a picture of this on Pinterest that originally gave me the idea to do Crescent Roll hearts for A’s Valentine’s Day party. I was the mommy doing the Vday party this time and I wanted to have a treat for the kids that wasn’t cupcakes, cake balls, or something over-the-top sweet. So I did Crescent Rolls Hearts with strawberry cream cheese with a sprinkle of red sugar. Just a touch of sugar, but not to induce a crazy sugar high. They were a great hit with kids and grown-ups alike. Next time I’m taking a pic.

It’s easy. Roll out the Crescent rolls. Put the seams almost on top of each other so that they disappear. Cut out whatever shape you want. Bake them as per the directions on the can. To make the cream cheese, use whatever fruit. Put it in the food processor to make it into a puree. I used our standing mixer to whip up the cream cheese and fruit puree to make it nice and light and have it fully blend. It’s sweet (assuming you use ripe fruit), so I wouldn’t recommend adding sugar. Or just add a touch of confectioner sugar. Once the Crescent Roll shapes are fully baked and cooled, smooth on that yummy spread. You can color your sugar or buy it already colored. Or don’t add the sugar and add some small fruit pieces. Whatever your creativity draws you to do. And you can do this for all sorts of holidays or treat times.

Fifth tip/trick: Parfaits

I was watching Giada on Food Network and one of her birthday food ideas was parfaits. Of course, she her version was a kajillion layers and looked perfect. We decided to make them for A’s bday to follow the theme of food for jungle animals, so we did banana parfaits to feed monkeys. They were a HUGE hit with pretty much every child. In fact, A either ate all or part of probably 6 parfaits that day. He even stole bites from any parfait put on a table nearby. (BTW, he ate plenty of other stuff, but the parfaits were huge with him.) We have done them with other fruit and we sometimes do vanilla yogurt and sometimes plain. It all depends on the sweetness of the fruit and just the chance to mix it up. We add a touch of granola or corn flakes to add some crunchiness on top.

If you’re out and about and want an easy healthy snack, McD’s has parfaits with fruit. It’s a great option for kiddos. The granola comes in a sealed packet, so you don’t have to add it if you’re kids aren’t a fan.

Fourth tip/trick: Use potatoes and sweet potatoes as a base

We use potatoes as a base to mix in some yummy goodness. For potatoes, we mix in cauliflower puree. Steam cauliflower and then put the steamed pieces into the food processor to make the substance really smooth (as soon as you can handle the pieces). While that’s all happening, make your mashed potatoes as you usually would. Mix them together with a spoon – don’t use mixer anymore after initially getting each part realy or the whole thing will become gummy.

Some moms might say it’s bad to hide food, but, for us, it’s about developing a taste for all sorts of different foods and then showing it later. If your child is OK with mixing in stuff and won’t respond negatively to the visible pieces in their food, potatoes are a great base – you can mix in any kind of veggie – spinach and broccoli have both been big hits.

For sweet potatoes, you can do the same. Blend in pureed carrots or even a bit of cauliflower puree. Both will slightly change the color, but that’s OK. Again, if your child is OK with the different colors in the mix, spinach and broccoli are great in sweet potatoes too.

Third tip/trick: Almost French toast

We give our big little man egg-soaked bread — simple, yummy, no major sugar. It also kinda looks like French Toast until you add the cheese.

Soak the bread (your usual bread is fine) for 10-30 minutes in egg that you’ve whisked. Grill it until the bread is thoroughly cooked as raw egg can be a very bad thing. We actually use all the egg, even what didn’t soak into the bread. Just pour it on to the top of the bread in the pan or on the grill. We add a touch of salt and pepper, based on A’s preference for seasoning. And we top it with shredded cheese and cut the yumminess into strips or squares to make it easier to eat. A is a big fan and it’s actually pretty healthy and hearty.

Don’t have time to soak for 10-30 minutes, that’s fine. Soaking just a few minutes is OK; it’s just yummier when you soak for longer.