Picture Update

Not a lot of pictures this month, but we did get some good ones of Christmas and of Jody's and Steve's visit.

Check out the December Pictures....

Puzzles, Puzzles

Aidan got several puzzles for Christmas and he's loving every one of them. These new puzzles are a little more advanced and Aidan seems to love the challenge.

Aidan is also getting into coloring with his crayons, which is something that hasn't really appealed to him all that much — up until now.

As Aidan was putting his seven crayons back into the box, he put them in without any objective. Then, he realized that he could arrange them. So, he dumped them all out and put them back in with a sense of purpose. As he placed them in the box, I could hear him mutter:

"This one goes here; this one next to purple; this one next to purple; this one next to purple ..."

This is when he realized that they all couldn't go next to the purple crayon. So, he dumped them all out again and started sorting them a different way. I'm sure there was some method behind it, but I don't know what it was. Apparently Aidan forgot, too, or the method wasn't working out, and he dumped all the crayons out again.

This time, Aidan took deliberate steps as he placed each crayon into the box. It must have been an acceptable method, because once he was done, he reached for the lid.

But then he realized that there was a picture on the cover of the lid that indicated the solution to the puzzle! He looked at his layout, then checked the cover ... out go all the crayons again. This time he tried his best to order the crayons as the cover of the box suggested. This, of course, resulted in the perfect box of crayons and he was then able to put them away.

Christmas Recap

We got a visit this weekend from Aidan's Aunty Jody and Uncle Steve. They made the trek down from Seattle to spend the Christmas weekend in Austin. Although I'm sure it was very hectic for the two of them, as they had to visit with lots of family and friends in four-days' time, we really enjoyed their company.

Aidan is still in his "Shrek" phase, but he had a little trouble deciding who exactly Uncle Steve and Aunty Jody should be. Ultimately they were referred to as Prince Charming and Fairy Godmother, respectively. Uncle Jeff, who came to visit with us on Christmas day, was easily and quickly named by Aidan: Giant Gingerbread Man (aka, Mongo).

Aidan got a bunch of really great gifts (as did Renee and I). Thanks so much to everyone for thinking of us. We really do appreciate it.

At this point, Aidan's favorite gift has to be his fireman hat that Renee got him on a whim. The helmet has a little visor in the front that goes up and down, perfect for protecting him agains the firey breath of a dragon. The helmut is a must have, and since he received it on Saturday, it's been everywhere: to bed, to the restaurant, to the car, you name it.

Our big gift to our family this year was a video project, distributed on DVD, complete with packaging. It was a long-term project that was a lot of fun for Renee and I to put together, since it gave us a good reason to go back and look at a lot of video archives that we just ordinarily wouldn't watch.

There was over 9 hours of raw footage for us to go through and, at times, it was pretty boring stuff. But we hopefully were able to bring it altogether in one neat package that everyone can enjoy.

Trail of Lights

We went to the Trail of Lights last night, which is an Austin Christmas Tradition^tm, but something that I've just never really did (I actually did go once about 10 or so years ago, but it was very different).

At the begining of the trail, there's a gigantic Christmas tree made out of lights and wire, attached to a Moon Light Tower. The object here is to stand under the tree, look up at the spiraling lights, and spin.

Aidan loved it.

So we walked the trail, which included some light tunnels and some statues of famous characters (Snoopy, Cat in the Hat, etc.). Aidan's favorite was this "ice castle" display, which was a fabric backdrop of an ice castle with some statues designed to look like ice sculptures; there were a couple of horses, a lion, one that looked like a Greek goddess of some sort, and one that kind of looked a little like Neptune without the trident. We walked past this display and Aidan wanted to go back and see it again. And again.

The other "Aidan favorite" was at the stage. Near the end of the trail there is a stage where various types of performers show their talents. When we arrived, we just missed some carolers. But we caught the begining of the belly dancers. Aidan was mezmorized.

I asked Aidan ... er, Shrek (yes, we're still playing that game) ... if he liked the music or the dancers better, and he said he liked the dancers. In fact, when he gets older, he wants to be a "Shrek dancer." Good work, if you can get it, I guess...

Sing-A-Long with Shrek

Aidan is getting in the holiday spirit and is learning some of the traditional christmas songs. It is not unusual to hear him singing:

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells Hey!
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells Hey!

Or the other holiday favorite:

Santa Claus is coming over

In other news, Aidan has taken to some "role playing" recently. He pretends that he is Shrek, I am Donkey, and Renee is Princess Fiona. Aidan will answer to his own name, but only to tell us that he's not Aidan, "I'm Shrek."

"Aidan, can you pick up your toys?" I'll ask.

"I'm not Aidan, I'm Shrek," he'll reply.

"Oh. Right. Shrek, can you pick up your toys?"

"Okay."

A few minutes later, after the toys are away....

"Are you hungry? Should we get some food?" I'll ask.

"Daddy .... Donkey, I'm not Aidan, I'm Shrek."

"Yes, Shrek, do you want some food."

"No thanks, Donkey."

This has been going on for days now. One day we were in the store and Aidan and I were together with the shopping cart while Renee was off looking for something.

"Where's Princess Fiona?" Aidan asked.

"I'm not sure," I replied. "Maybe we'll need to rescue her from a tower."

"Yeah!" Aidan said. "With a dragon, too!"

This morning, as Aidan ... er, Shrek ... and I were walking out the door to go to school/work, Renee ... um, Princess Fiona ... sent us off with a "Bye! Have a good day!"

Aidan stopped in the doorway, raised his hand and said, "Wait. I ... no. I ... Aidan ... not ..."

He couldn't get the words out, but Renee immeadiately figured it out. "Oh. Right. Good-bye Shrek, have a good day."

Aidan put his hand down and strode through the door as proud as could be.

Week 12

We have now successfully completed 12 weeks of the pregnancy, which is a huge milestone for us, as it gets us officially past where we were last time. So far, everything is progressing very, very well.

The other night, I put my hand on Renee's tummy and thought I felt some twitching. It was very odd and I couldn't make up my mind if it was some sort of muscle spasm or twitch or if it was maybe the baby moving. But I didn't say anything...

I finally mentioned it to Renee a few days later and she said that she thought it might have been her intestines or something weird like that ... but the more she thought about it, the way that she was laying down, considering the food she ate most recently (ice cream — high sugar content), it probably was the baby!!

So let it be known that we officially felt the baby move for the first time on Saturday, December 18.

Time to Pay Up

Has anyone else noticed? The Red Sox won the World Series. I still walk around the house in a daze over this and spontaneously remind Renee that the Sox won the Series.

According to Bill Simmons, there's supposed to be a five-year grace period after a team wins a championship in which fans of that team cannot gripe about anything the team does. But even he doesn't think this extends to the Red Sox.

The problem with the five-year grace period in the case of the Red Sox is that there's this other team, the Yankees, that we'd rather not lose to. Even if we finished in last place, as long as we won the season series against the Yankees, the season wouldn't be a total loss.

And now that Pedro is gone, and The Big Unit is possibly going to the Yankees, the worry and anxiety start to creep in.

Don't get me wrong. I'm still giddy. Giddy enough to think that, if I had to pay up on any promises I may have made in my lifetime in exchange for a Red Sox title, I'd at least consider paying up....

Maybe. But at least I wasn't caught on tape making any promises, like in this bit from a Comedy Central sketch: [launch movie]

Plenty of Protein

Recently, I read in one of Renee's pregnancy magazines that it is recommended for pregnant women to increase the amount of protein they consume to at least 60 grams per day. This is a fairly healthy increase, as the amount of protein one should consume is figured out to be about .37 grams of protein for every pound the person weighs, and this goes up to .5 for pregnant women, plus an additional 25 grams.

The most popular way this is expressed — and admittedly much easier to remember — approximates 56 grams of protein as the recommended daily intake for men and 46 grams for women. The catch is that these numbers are based on a 154-pound man and a 127-pound woman.

I weigh 165 pounds and based on the formula, it's recommended that I should get about 60 grams of protein per day. Which is also the amount that is recommended for pregnant women (via the wholesale method).

We primarily eat vegetarian in our household, although Renee does occassionally eat meat. But to reassure anyone who may be worring, Renee is getting enough protein (as am I). Here's a sample of what Renee or I might eat during the day (although I usually prefer toast with peanut butter in the morning); all of the protein totals come from the USDA:

Breakfast
1 cup of cereal, with 8 oz skim milk: 9g
orange juice - 8 oz: 2g
Breakfast: 11g
Running Total: 11g

Snack
plain, low-fat yogurt - 8 oz: 12g
Snack: 12g
Running Total: 23g

Lunch
mixed fruit (pre-packaged, sweetened) - 8 oz: 4g
fast-food salad, with cheese and egg (no dressing) - 1.5 cups: 9g
Lunch: 13g
Running Total: 36g

Snack
Cottage cheese, lowfat, 2% milkfat. mixed with fruit - 1 cup: 33g
Snack: 33g
Running Total: 69g

Dinner
spaghetti, cooked - 1 cup: 7g
ready-to-eat marinara sauce - 1 cup: 5g
garlic bread - 1 slice: 2g
Dinner: 14g
Running Total: 83g

Snack
peanuts, all types, dry-roasted - 1 oz: 7g
Snack: 7g
Grand Total: 90g

The above sample menu, which is representative of what we would normally eat, gives us the equivalent of what is recommended for an intermediate/advanced level exerciser of roughly 165 pounds. The average 165-pound person (which I am) and most pregnant women (which Renee is) are recommended to get 60 grams. We hit that mark easily.

If you are eating meat, you are probably hitting the 60 gram mark very easily. But that's not necessarily a good thing. There are indications that excessive protein intake is at best wasteful and potentially harmful. For example, excessive protein intake has been linked with kidney problems and dehydration.

Long term studies of large groups show that a high protein/low carbohydrate diet increases the risk of kidney stones and bone loss. These findings were substantiated by a University of Texas study of 10 volunteers on a high protein/low carbohydrte diet for two weeks. Blood uric acid levels (uric acid is a major cause of kidney stones) rose 90% and urinary levels of citrate (which inhibits kidney stone formation) dropped 25%. And finally, any extra protein Calories (beyond what you are expending per day) are stored as fat, not muscle. [from Cycling Performance Tips]

Thus, if you're worried about someone not getting enough protein, odds are they are getting enough by simply eating enough calories (extremely low-calorie diets may not have the opportunity to provide recommended protein levels). And by eating enough calories, odds are, they will be easily falling within the "safe zone" of 50-100 grams for an average person.

Basically, protein is in virtually everything you eat.

Oh, and for anyone who may be worried about Aidan (yes, he's vegetarian, too), he's also getting enough protein. As a toddler, he only needs about 16 grams of protein (which figures out to be about .5 grams of protein for every toddler pound); two 8-ounce servings of milk — with no other supplements — meets Aidan's needs for protein. He, of course, eats other food as well....

Brother or Sister?

Coming soon to a family near you — or to our house, if we don't live near you: A new baby!

We are now in the midst of the 11th week of pregnancy, and by all indications the baby is doing well. We started a progesterone therapy regimen, which we know is controversial. However, the therapy seems to be doing it's job, as Renee's levels seem to be getting closer to what we would want them to be. Still, having to give Renee the injections twice a week is not a whole lot of fun....

Renee's doctor's appointment last week allowed her to see the baby moving around and acting very lively, which is very exciting news indeed.

We also learned the due date is July 1st, although we'll just call it July 3rd, for other reasons.

So far, things are going very well and Aidan seems to be fairly excited about the prospect of a sibling; many of his little friends have baby sisters, so if asked, that's usually the direction he's leaning.

Cold Brings Out the Wet

Aidan has been potty trained for a few months now and we very rarely have an accident of any kind. However, recently, Aidan has been having accidents at night. A friend suggested that this might be from the change in the weather; now that it's colder he may be having more difficulty keeping it together.

Whatever the reason, we're washing a whole lot of sheets lately. We've even taken to waking Aidan up in the middle of the night to walk him to the potty. He'll co-operate, but by the time morning arrives, we'll most likely have wet sheets.

We don't really want to resort to having to back to diapers, although we've been trying pull-ups (diaper-type underwear), but the pull-ups don't absorb enough (which is really the point of them anyway) ....

Any suggestions or stories from others in a similar situation would be appreciated!