Question of the Week - Changing Tastes

Toddlers. They are picky little people, aren't they? But then, so are many adults. What I have found, however, is that people seem to be more open to trying new things as adults and that our tastes change as we get older.

For example when I was elementary-school age, I didn't like tomato sauce on my pasta. My very Italian grandmother couldn't get over the fact that all I wanted on my pasta was butter. It wasn't until I was in junior high or high school that I started liking tomato sauce on my pasta. And now? I could eat it every day for every meal! I've come a long way, though I'm still picky discerning about many other things, not just foods.

This week's question of the week is:
What do you like or have discovered as an adult that you didn't like or weren't interested in when you were younger?

In a non-food area, I have discovered Bonanza in the last year (thank to Londo), and I really love that show! I don't remember ever watching it when I was younger, even though I did watch some western movies with my dad and other old TV shows. But I had no interest in Bonanza. Londo loves it and always has, so he has started watching it now that it is on TV Land regularly. I just barely paid attention to it at first, but I soon started getting interested. Now, I'm recording episodes that look interesting and am trying to be home in time to watch it!

My brother's answer would be guacamole. I remember about two years ago at a family dinner, my brother claimed he didn't like to eat anything green (yes, he is an adult and is even 6 years older than me!). Somehow, we convinced him to at least try the guacamole that was set out with chips and salsa. And wouldn't you know it? He LOVED it! Now he is often telling people about how he didn't think he'd like guacamole but he was so glad he tried it because it's delicious. He often uses this example to get his 14-year-old daughter to try new things.

What about you? Is there anything to eat, watch or do that you really enjoy as an adult but didn't like--or wouldn't even try--when younger? Maybe you'll open someone else's eyes by sharing!

I'm Not the Only One Yawning

Our big ultrasound went well, as I talked about previously. There was one small concern that the doctor had based on the ultrasound. Apparently, the boy has a little bit of fluid built up in his kidneys.

The doctor says it's nothing to worry about, and I'm of the mind to believe him and not google it or anything. I'm so much less worried about everything with this pregnancy, and it's been nice. It's not something to ignore, though. What we need to do is keep our eyes on it. So every 4-6 weeks, we have to have another ultrasound. Not that we mind. We get to see the boy and how much he's developing!

So far, the fluid levels have stayed the same, which means there doesn't appear to be a blockage of the kidneys (that is the concern--that the fluid is due to blocked kidneys which would be a big issue). On Tuesday, I went in for another ultrasound, and the fluid levels are still the same. We're good so far!

What was amazing was seeing all the details of my little boy (as best as one can make out in the black, white and gray of an ultrasound)! We saw his diaphram move as he practiced breathing! We saw how he's lying vertical in my belly (no wonder it's painful when he's moving lately!). And we saw the cutest little yawning!

He kept yawning, and we could see his mouth open, stretch and close while his tongue made the adorable corresponding movements with the yawn. It. Was. SO. Adorable!!! And he must have yawned about 5 times within the few minutes we watched his mouth. That puts him on par with how often I've been yawning lately!!

I'll go back in for at least one more before delivery. Who knows what we'll see him do then!

Multi-Lingual Child

I love other cultures and languages. This is a love that runs in my family and has been cultivated by my family. For instance, my mother's father could speak 6 language fluently and could get by in maybe 5 or 6 more. My mother's mom's speaks Italian, and her mother came over from Italy. My mother majored in French in college and has picked up a decent amount of Italian, Spanish and German over the years. In my father's family, one of his sisters and his brother both married Filipino spouses. Although my dad struggles with languages, many members of his family speak English, Spanish and Tagalog with equal ease.

On all sides of my family, just about everyone has loved to travel. Londo's parents also love to travel and learn about other cultures, so there's definitely interest rom that side as well.

I can't wait until we are ready to travel to other countries with the Pumpkin and the Peanut. (What do you think? Is Peanut a good nickname for the boy?) I can't wait for them to understand and appreciate what other cultures and countries are like. I've already started introducing her to other languages and the idea of other cultures and countries. I've spoken to her some in Italian, read to her some Italian board books, sung nursery rhymes and songs in Italian and French, and played for her an Italian music and language CD for babies to toddlers. Our nanny is originally from Peru and teaches her some words and songs in Spanish. I must admit that TV has also helped, as she learns from Dora and Deigo, Ni Hao Kai Lan, and Toot and Puddle.

I've read that it is good to introduce other languages to children at a very young age. Not so that they can be child prodigies who are fluent in many languages. But for me at least, it's so that she hears the sounds of the other languages and becomes familiar with the idea of other languages. I was reading that often adults can't hear differences in the way some words are spoken in languages they haven't heard until they were adults. The ear loses the ability to distinguish certain sounds that it hasn't heard or needed to use before. So by introducing different languages and sounds to the Pumpkin at such a young age, she will hopefully have the ability to pick up languages later in life, if she so chooses.

She really seems to be enjoying and picking up on the other languages now. She seems to prefer the French "Frere Jacques" version to the "Are You Sleeping" English version. She also loves to sing a Spanish song the nanny taught her to the same tune. She cackles with glee and joins in a bit when I sing her the Italian song (I forget the name)about winter ending and May returning with the song of the coo coo--she loves the coo coo part.

Then one morning a few weeks, she was pretending to need help getting up while I was talking to the nanny before I left for work, and all of a sudden, we hear her go "ayúdeme" (Spanish for help me), which she obviously learned from Dora and Diego. The nanny and I just burst out laughing.

She also says "ni hao" (Chinese for hi) and "xie xie" (Chinese for thank you) to us, which she learned from Ni Hao Ki Lan. She knows some other Chinese and Spanish words for things like push and pull that she randomly throws out there. I need to keep working on Italian words, but I've kind of been slacking on that for a while. I used to tell her "nella bucca" when I wanted her to put her spoon/fork/food in her mouth instead of playing with it, and the Italian "bucca" for mouth sounds the same as the spanish.

As for English, my supergenius is exceeding in that communication for a 25 month old, so I'm not worried about any language delays or confusion due to introducing other languages.

Mostly, I just think it's fun to learn languages and have her learn them. And apparently, she thinks it's fun too!

Question of the Week - I'd Eat That Every Day

The other night, Londo made us beanie weenies for dinner. He actually offered the Pumpkin the choice of Manwich or beanie wienies, and she picked the later, saying, "Oh, I love beanie weenies!" She really does love chopped up hot dogs mixed in with baked beans. And so does Londo. (I'm only okay with them. I'd rather have a hot dog in a bun with a side of baked beans, but I don't complain when Londo cooks--which is all the time lately.)

As Londo is dishing out his plate and the Pumpkin's plate, he says to me, "This is my favorite meal. It's nutritious and delicious. If I were stuck on a deserted island and could only have one meal, it would be this. I would eat it for breakfast, even."

It was quite a bold statement for a dish of food. I was impressed. I had not realized he loved beanie weenies that much.

Then he turned to me and asked me what is the one food I would have if stuck on a desert island. Without hesitating I answered, "Pasta." He asked if I meant plain pasta, and I said, "Pasta with pomodoro sauce." Apparently, when I say pasta, that's what I mean unless I specify it as another dish. But growing up with an Italian mother who makes a fantastic tomato sauce, when I think of pasta, I think of it with the pomodoro (tomato) sauce automatically. I do love other pasta dishes, but hands down pasta pomodoro is my favorite.

I was suprised at myself for how quickly and positively I answered. Oh, that would be the dish. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Serve me pasta! It's not even my favorite food (although it's probably my third favorite), but it's the one I could eat for every meal. It would be very hard for me to get sick of it.

And now I pose the question to you all for the Question of the Week...

What is the one dish of food you would choose to have if you were stuck on a desert island?

Will you have a quick, automatic answer like Londo and I apparently do? Or will you have to think about it? Will you have trouble narrowing it down to just one thing? When you figure it out, do share!

Pregnancy Shorts

Not the shorts you wear. Shorts as in snippets, briefs, little stories or thoughts. It occurs to me that I tend to write really long narratives (at least when I'm feeling myself). Sometimes, I just want to tell short stories, but they often turn into long ones (like this paragraph is already). So, I'm going to occasionally do shorts. Today's will be some lighter, brighter snippets about pregnancy.

------------------------------

A few weeks ago, when my dad was over to help get the Pumpkin's new room ready and we were just organizing things, I was sitting on the steps waiting for something. My dad looked at me and asked if I needed something to do.

I responded that I was doing something. I was always doing something. I was gestating. And it's hard work.

------------------------------

One aspect of pregnancy that I don't mind at all is the weight gain. I know plenty of other women who hated that part, but not me! I think it's hysterical that I weigh so much or that my stomach, boobs, butt and thighs are all much plumper.

In fact, I was so amazed at how much more my butt was jingling, I had to show my husband! He just laughed at me, knowing how funny I thought it was.

See? I don't hate everything about it!

------------------------------

The Joanna Cole book I'm a Big Sister is a big hit with the Pumpkin. Thank you to all who recommended it. The first time I read it to her, she started out not really wanting to read it and trying to just flip pages, but then she realized what it was about and what it was saying. By halfway through, she was enthralled. Now, she loves to help tell me what's going on in each page.

I also bought a book about mommy being pregnant and bringing home the baby by the Sears. They've got really good stuff in them, but they are much too long and have way to many words per page for my won't-sit-still toddler. But the mommy being pregnant one has a great drawing of the baby in mommy's belly and of mommy breastfeeding the baby. I think I'll try it again but make up my own brief description of each page, which we've done with other books.