A few people have asked us about the name Noomi. It’s not from Greek mythology and it did take a bit of digging to find adequate information about the meaning of the name. Here is what I’ve found via the internet –
Noomi is a Danish name, but has it’s origin in the Bible as Naomi was the mother-in-law of Ruth (As you may well have guessed, “Noomi” is a derivative of “Naomi”). It is a traditional Jewish name and was taken up by the Puritans in the 17th century. In Finnish the name means- beautiful, pleasant, delightful and the root of “noam” in Hebrew means pleasantness . It is also common in the German and Swedish languages… not so much in the United States.
Today Dave and I went to the hospital for our anatomy ultrasound. The technician was very nice and said that everything looked good and that the baby was measuring as it should for 19 weeks (so it seems were still on target for late July). The baby also had all its hands, fingers, feet and toes, so that is always a relief. We listened to the heartbeat and all sounded well ( at least to our untrained ears).
The technician also asked what our child was at home and we answered we had a son. She said, oh good, so now you also have a daughter, congratulations! Dave and I looked at each other and gave a high five as we had both been betting on a girl, lol. We are both very excited. Ajax, however, seems stuck on the idea of a brother and wasn’t too happy with the notion of a sister and kept saying, no I’m going to have a brother. Oh well, he’ll come around I’m sure.
We have also picked out a name- Noomi Elizabeth (good thing because Dave kept pushing for Ulysses for a boy).
On Thursday, Dave’s dad came down and stayed the night at our house (he went to a hockey game downtown) and on Friday morning he took Ajax up north with him for the weekend. Apparently Ajax said heneeded a snack on the drive up and made his papa stop at McDonalds. He did well on the way up and even napped for about 45 minutes. The grandparents reported that he did very well up north and had a great time. He helped papa plow the driveway with the big John Deere and kept those dogs in line. He used the potty with no accidents and slept through the night. He did get one time out for spitting and appeared quite shocked that there was a “time out” chair at grandma and papas.
This was the first weekend that Dave and I have had to ourselves in a very long time where we weren’t up to our elbows in construction projects. We slept in and then just kind of bummed around. Dave took me shopping and bought me a few new maternity shirts. I also found the cutest little sweater vest outfit for Ajax. Dave was a bit horrified, but the nino is only going to let me dress him like this for so long before he revolts that I need to take advantage of it. Saturday night Dave treated me to dinner at a Korean restaurant in Novi. I ate there a few weeks ago with friends and had been craving it ever since (sushi, fermented turnips, bean sprouts, and bok choy). I loved it; Dave tolerated it because he loves me.
Today we met Dave’s parents and Ajax in Saginaw (kind of the 1/2 way point for everyone). We had dinner at a BBQ place and then hit the road for home. Whenever Ajax spends the weekend away, he is always anxious to know that his toys are ok and waiting for him at home. This time he also wanted to be sure that angry birds was at home too. We let him play angry birds while we unloaded the car. Afterwards I sat on the couch with him and he showed me how to play. He kept saying, like this mom, and then would demonstrated what all the different birds could do. I felt old.
It also appears from the poll that everyone thinks we’re having a girl! Everyone except for my mom and Ajax. They both declared we’re having a boy. Dave and I are very excited.
Today when I picked up Ajax from the babysitter’s she said that he was very good, but extremely hyper all day, bouncing off the walls. It took me all of two seconds to take this in as Ajax proceeded to repeat lines from Toy Story. His favorite one of the moment: “You are a TOY! … A child’s play thing!” He repeats it with hand gestures and all. He continued this all throughout dinner, which was actually quite comical.
I also had my 18 week check up today. The doctor reported that all was well. I’ve gained 6 lbs so far and we also listened to the baby’s heart beat. The littlest nino is much more active than Ajax and seems to be bouncing off the walls in there. On Monday, Dave and I go in for the full anatomy ultrasound where we find out if it’s a boy or a girl! So, just for fun –
Although the weekend has come to an end, I actually have tomorrow off for President’s Day. Ajax and I have no plans and I’m definitely looking forward to doing nothing. This weekend has been very quiet, which was wonderful. On Saturday we bummed around, dropped my car off for an oil change, and went visiting my aunt Liz. And on Sunday, I went grocery shopping and then took Ajax visiting over my grandpa Nader’s house.
That was about it. How excellent, eh? Dave is finally getting our cold and was a bit rundown, but Ajax has recovered 110% and has been in a wonderful mood. He’s sleep is back on track after nights of congestion and he’s been eating a ton and has generally been in a good mood. He has also been feeling very affectionate, for example this morning, as I was sick over the toilet, he came in and rested his hand on my back, saying it’s ok mom, take your time, it’s ok. How cute is that?
On another positive note, after a year of hard work Dave and I have paid off all our “consumer” debt (cars, credit cards, line of credit, etc). That means we are debt free, except for my law school student loans (we paid off our undergrad loans) and the mortgage! This is such an incredible feeling to be able to say, yes I do know exactly where my money is going each and every month because I tell it what to do, lol. This is Baby Step number 2 according to the Dave Ramsey plan and if you haven’t read it, I highly recommend The Total Money Makeover. It changed my life (is that cheesy? I don’t mean it to be).
Ajax received a second cape as a gift and was super excited to try it out.
This was bound to happen. Two capes, two adventure men.
It seems like this has been such a busy week and it’s only Wednesday. I think it’s because Ajax was under the weather, and then I was under the weather, and now it seems Dave’s getting our cold. And when you or the nino has a cold, no one sleeps.
On an upswing, we actually planned and wrote out our meal plan for the week and I must tell you it is so important to relieving stress during our week. I honestly don’t know why we don’t do one every week (pure laziness I guess). Because I’m proud of our meal plan, here’s what our week looks like- (M) Pizza calzone and salad; (T) Grandma’s chicken rice bake with apple slices; (W) Gringo enchiladas; (R) Italian sausage with peppers and onions; and (F) Hamburgers and fries! Yay planning!
On the nino update: I’m not sure what happened but lately Ajax has had a few accidents at night, I think it’s because he was sick, so tonight I put him in a pull up. He wasn’t too happy about being in one, but I explained that it was just until we got back on track and he seemed ok with this, and said, ok, till we’re back on track. Overall, he’s still doing well with the potty. We’ve had a few small accidents where he immediately catches himself and rushes to the bathroom, but overall I’m very proud of him.
For Valentine’s Day he received some candy from the babysitters, specifically those little heart shaped candies. For desert we let him have 4. He kept chewing them with a look of disgust on his face, yet refused to acknowledge that they were terrible. He kept saying, these are good. Dave and I just smiled, right kid, you just don’t get enough candy to know what’s good and what’s bad. Ajax knew it was candy and that he should like it, so he ate all 4.
Here are some pictures of me at 17 weeks. Ending last week and the beginning of this week has been a major turning point in my pregnancy. Although I’m still sick, it’s getting easier and I’ve been easing up on my nausea pills and my mood has greatly improved. You know you’re moody when coworkers tiptoe into your office and ask how you’re doing because yesterday you were a bit – eh- and simultaneously make the cat-scratch hand motion. Yes, at that moment you know you’ve been acting like a crazy person.
Ajax was doing laps around me. He was super Ajaxs.
Ajax loves helping me make granola bars. It is his most favorite thing to assist with in the kitchen. I think because he likes taste testing all the individual ingredients as we add them in. He’ll say, rolled oats mom, can I try some? Then it’ll be, oh coconut, can I try some? So on and so forth. Today when we were making them, his “helping” became a bit too adventurous and he put the mixer on high, sending flour and oats flying all over the kitchen. I was none too pleased. Anywho, we love this recipe and I make it every 2 weeks for lunches. I have never done a cost/benefit analysis so I don’t know if these are cheaper than buying a box at the store, but we like them better and I enjoy making them, so that’s good enough for me.
Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup butter, softened* (I use coconut oil)
1 cup honey
Wheat germ (I never measure, I just dump some in)
Add-ins: 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 cup chopped walnuts
other options include dried fruits, sunflower seeds, coconut, nuts… I always add in sliced almonds, coconut, and raisins.
Lightly butter a 9×13-inch pan. In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients except add-ins. Beat hard until combined. Stir in add-ins. Press mixture into pan — really jam it in there so your bars don’t fall apart. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting into bars. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing and serving. (You could also add in maple syrup as a sweetener, but it will not act as a binding agent, so you will still need the honey to hold your bars together. I’ve reduced the honey and added syrup with good results).
Friday we finally got a little snow. It really is only a little though, we’re talking 1-2 inches, but at least it’s something. We bought Ajax a sled and it’s just been sitting in our garage. Poor kid just stares at it. This winter has been quite pathetic.
Dave had a ton of work to do on Saturday, so I offered to take Ajax out to my parent’s house to visit. Ajax and I hit the road at 10 am and made it to Brooklyn by noon. The roads ended up being pretty slick so our drive was slow. This did not phase the nino as he talked the entire way out. My sister has moved home from Alaska so she was home and it was great seeing her. My mom bought us sushi for lunch and it was awesome. I ate so much I got a stomach ache. Ajax refused to try it and had mac and cheese.
We then bummed around the house; Ajax insisted on watching Cars with grandpa. Around 3ish or so, Ajax and grandpa went sledding and fed the horses and went for a short tractor ride. I don’t have any pictures of this as I fell asleep on the couch for two hours. It was a glorious nap. We had dinner and then hit the road for home around 7:30. Ajax fell asleep before we even hit the expressway and then I transferred him right into bed.
Today has been quiet and I haven’t left the house. I have a slight cold so Dave was nice enough to go grocery shopping for me. Ajax is still congested, but other than that appears to be in good health.
Using the snow blower! Dave got done so quick, he also did our neighbor's driveway (as they don't have a blower). I didn't let Ajax go out as it was way way too cold.Relaxing watching Cars.Watching tractors with Aunt Emily.Showing grandma how to use her phone.Building houses.
I’ve had a mental list of recipes I wanted to share and it seems none of them have actually made it up on the blog. Well that’s going to change, starting with this wonderfully simple calzone recipe. I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and feel it is truly a winner. I first made it around Christmas and my family immediately declared that it was good enough to add into our regular meal rotation. I’ve even made this the night before, stuck it in the frig and then just heated it up for dinner the next day, still excellent. I wonder if I could modify this as a freezer meal…
Also, on a quick family update, Ajax is a eating machine we went out to dinner tonight and he ordered pancakes. A full order of silver dollars. And guess what? He ate almost every one on his plate, plus some of Dave’s sausage and two of my fries. On a food note, I’m just over 16 weeks now and am still sick in the morning, some evenings, and sometimes even at night… which is odd. I also want to eat almost everything. Currently, I’m craving California rolls, any type of seafood (tuna, shrimp, etc… oh tuna fish with salsa, yum), chow-chow, a brown rice pilaf (a recipe I’ll share next), and chili.
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon dry milk powder (I always omit)
1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar (I only use a pinch of sugar… less than 1 tsp, but if you like a sweeter bread add away!)
I also add in herbs to the dough- basil, oregano, etc.
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3/4 cup pizza sauce (or plain spaghetti sauce, whatever you have)
4 ounces pepperoni sausage, chopped (can also use, ham, onions, green peppers, mushrooms…)
1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I’ve made this without cheese and it’s still good)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
Place water, salt, bread flour, dry milk, sugar, herbs, and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Usually you just dump in your water, then add everything else on top, and then make a small dip for the yeast. Select Dough cycle.
After cycle ends, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface; shape into a 16 x 10 inch rectangle. I try to eyeball it, making it the rough shape of a cookie pan. Transfer to a lightly greased cookie sheet. To transfer successfully, fold the dough in half before trying to move it, and then unfold it once it’s on the cookie sheet.
Spoon sauce in a stripe down the center of dough lengthwise; add pepperoni and cheese filling (or whatever filling you like. I loved ham and mushroom).
Make diagonal cuts 1 1/2 inches apart down each side, cutting within a 1/2 inch of the filling. Criss-cross the strips over the filling, sealing with water (I’ve sealed it with water and I’ve also forgotten that step, no biggie either way). Tuck loose end up however you like. Brush top with melted butter.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 to 45 minutes.
For some odd reason I did not take a picture of the finished product. But, look at the pic above, now imagine it golden brown and delicious!
This morning Dave called me, Did you order something from Amazon? No, of course not, why? Well, then, Dave said, Ajax ordered Angry Birds this morning for $1. I can’t believe that kid knows how to use iPads and technology better than I do. It’s crazy.
Lately Ajax has been playing Angry Birds sitting on the couch in the morning with a cup of milk while Dave and I rush around getting ready for work. Yes, we’re kind of bribing/distracting our child, but when you need to be out the door by 7 am, all parenting rules go out the window. Ajax can really outmaneuver me with almost any hand held technology – smart phone or iPad – and he’s not even 3 yet. It’s amazing.
Ajax also currently has a bit of a cold, nothing major, runny nose and slight cough, and he’s very tired. He may be a little unsteady too because at the babysitters today he fell into the bathtub while using the potty. Somehow when he was pulling his pants down, he lost his balance and toppled head first into the tub. The sitter said that when she got to him all she could see was his bare butt and feet hanging over the tub edge. He now has a nasty bump on his head, but he says he’s ok. Poor little dude.
We also met with the realtor tonight and are listing our home with Century 21. The realtor was very impressed with how nice our house was and all the work we’d done, but when it came down to numbers he said it wouldn’t really make that much of a difference. We figure we’ll list it and re-evaluate in 4 or 5 months. Who knows we may be renting it. Darn e-con-domy.
