Week 21: Hands on (off) the belly and Bathroom doors

Baby P is the size of (as long as) a Carrot.  She is roughly 10.5 inches and 3/4 of a pound. Honestly I hate the comparison to a Carrot.... that makes her seem so frail and thin!!

Seeing the pics in the purple dress made my belly seem bigger than it is so I changed quickly......

Ok, no. Still looks big!  I guess this is the first week that I feel like my belly is legitimately looking pregnant and not just bloated.

New this week: My first random belly rubs (or should I say belly rubs from randoms).... surprisingly I was not as offended as I thought I would be, however don't appreciate this complete disregard of personal space. It was at an alumni event at my parents' high school, hence people that felt they "knew me" but I've never met. I find it interesting that almost every belly touch was FOLLOWED BY A (not preceded with) "Is it OK if I touch your belly?"..... well Bubba, you've already crossed that line, so you may as well enjoy.

Sleep: Well, at least I had a couple of solid weeks of sleep somewhere between trimester 1 and 2 because I'm back to waking up every hour tossing and turning from my back.
NOT TO MENTION: Kevin shut the door to our master bathroom before getting in bed two nights ago. This is even less than a rare occurrence, it is a never occurrence. Of course being a careful preggo my eyes are on the ground making sure to not trip on shoes or dogs.  And I have mentioned before that my body does not give me any notice of when I need to Pee so it is typically a hurried journey from bed to toilet.  I don't even think I need to say what happened. That's right, head-throbbing, knuckle-scarring, knees-hurting slam into a door. I stood there cradling my head for a good 2 minutes. Needless to say, I didn't want to hear a bleeping peep out of Kevin, the peanut gallery, in bed. "What was that? Are you OK? What were you running or something? Are you OK? Why won't you answer me?" NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR STUPID QUESTIONS, I snapped back. He then proceeded to tell me how hot it was in our bedroom.  Yes, thank you meteorologist, I did wake up in the sweats so thanks for reminding me of this fabulous predicament. After a traumatic event like this it took me quite some time to fall back asleep.

Movement: Her movements are becoming like clockwork. She starts flailing around in there after almost every time I eat (which is a lot!). There have even been a couple that made me jump, Kevin got to feel one of those kicks.... in. the. FACE. Though I have also noticed that she moves when I am excitable..... and when I say excitable I mean excited happy, Florida State football excited, and excited stressed/anxious.  And that's one thing that I do NOT like, that she reacts to me being upset or nervous.

Maternity Clothes:  I officially need a maternity shopping spree. I am going through old clothes that I haven't worn in years in hopes of finding anything that fits. I love the maternity clothes I already have, but they are no longer enough (and a couple of them I can't fit in yet). There are only so many days in a week you can wear the same pants. And all of the tops that still fit me are tanks and tees.  I need some professional pieces BAD. Worrying about finding something to wear is one of the easiest things to take off of the stress plate.  And it needs to get done, now!

Food Cravings: Last week I got a very RANDOM craving for Pizza Hut.  I don't even like Pizza Hut, but there were no substitutions. Sweets are always on the list. One crunchy snack that I've really enjoyed having around is Baked Lays Cheddar and Sour Cream  (they were BOGO at Publix last week so we stocked up).

Week 20: it's halftime!

I cannot believe we are halfway through this pregnancy.  I know when she's finally here it will seem like it was all a blur, but the trials and tribulations of pregnancy sometimes make it feel like it is just dragging on.  We are just ready to meet her already!!! Even if her nursery is still just a twinkle in our eye (yes, we feel way behind).

So I wrote about my first experience feeling her kick.  Well since then, she likes to make herself known regularly throughout the day already (typically after I eat)!! And we're not talking flutters. Legitimate movements you can see when I'm laying on the couch.

And let me tell you, every time I feel movement, I stop dead in my tracks to pull up my shirt to feel her.  It is an indescribable sensation. It is magical. It has made pregnancy REAL for me. There is a tiny, helpless human living inside of me that is depending on me and me alone for her survival. This fact is almost too insurmountable to comprehend.  What a huge feat.  I am surely living in the most significant role of my life.  Every decision I make affects her.  I can only hope that I am giving her everything she needs and do my very best.

Perhaps just as magical as feeling her move myself was Kevin's first real experience feeling and seeing her move.

After picking Kevin up from the airport from his business trip, I immediately showed him a video clip of Baby P moving inside my belly. He was excited, but ready to get home. Well about 15 minutes into our drive home she started moving again.  So I put Kevin's hand right where it was happening...and waited... "Is that her??" These movements were so faint, he wasn't sure. But yes, it was her.  Nevertheless, still magical.  It was pretty cool that she wanted to welcome Daddy home!

Now for his real experience.  We were watching TV the next evening (Wednesday) when she decided to put her dancing skills to the test. I started filming in an attempt to get some good footage, and he looked over to ask if she was moving. He came over and stared... I'd point as soon as I saw a movement (of course more apparent to me because I can actually feel it).  He was having a bit a trouble.  So he put his hand on my belly and waited. A significant bump. His eyes widened, his mouth slowly dropped. Clearly a different experience for him than the night before.

My eyes started to tear up as she continued to move and he was able to bond with our daughter for the first time.  It was one of those moments you wish you could hit pause and have it never end. We may not live an extravagant life, but we are truly blessed. There are so many couples that would give anything for this moment, and so many women that would give anything for a man this devoted to and excited about his girls.  Unfortunately my hormones and the stress that comes along with preparing for a baby often distract me from this fact, but I am eternally grateful, nonetheless.

Pinspiration: Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Muffins, just in time for Fall.

This morning while watching College Football, I got the itch for something tasty and fall-inspired. So I decided to try a tempting Pinterest recipe.  Here's what they look like from Pinterest:

Pinterest: Pumpkin Muffins

Originally posted by Recipe Dutchess at Pumpkin Muffins.

This recipe looked relatively straightforward. Almost too easy. I was actually worried how they would turn out because it seemed too easy!  I've never made muffins from scratch (only boxed), so I had no idea what to expect. These not only looked delicious but also manageable for a muffin-newbie like me.

AND I've never made anything with canned pumpkin, so I was super excited.

When it comes to cooking, what can be better than "Add all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix"?? And that's pretty much what this recipe calls for. So here's what you need:

Looks like the battle of Target vs. Publix. I tend to be a "clean" baker.... I would probably drive "real" bakers nuts.  I like to put away ingredients as I go, so baking can take me a while. On the plus side, if you pull all of the ingredients out first like I did and put away as you go, you know if you forgot something!

Here's what the mixture looks like in stages:  Dry ingredients, then added Wet ingredients.

Then mix until ingredients are combined.... do not over mix (which I have a tendency to do, so I stopped much sooner than I wanted to). You want it lumpy.

I got concerned here. This is when I normally would have tasted it, but there was raw egg.*
I mentioned that I've never made muffins from scratch (only boxed), so I wasn't sure if this was the consistency the dough was supposed to be.  It was rather thick. But, what can ya do? Just keep swimming.

So as I was dividing into the muffin pan I was surprised that this recipe only made 12 muffins.  That's like one serving for a preggo's hearty appetite.

Do NOT forget to sprinkle the sugar on top before putting them in the oven.  I ended up using the 1/4 tsp per muffin it called for on 2 muffins, and it still seemed like a lot of sugar.  Adjust according to your taste.  Oh, and remember to have enough cups on hand..... I clearly ran out :-). Though, next time I'll likely bake them sans cups.

The recipe called for baking at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes.  My oven tends to be "hot" so I always set a timer a few minutes early.  After poking them with a toothpick, I ended up taking them out at 17 minutes.

I would have liked the tops to be a bit crispier (you know that sugar crunch), but they were fully cooked through and the bottoms were brown. So next time I will likely lower the temp to 375 to see if I can bring the baking length up a bit.

There is never a better time to eat your freshly baked treats than right out of the oven.... so get after it!

They were dense and moist. None of the flavors were overpowering, so they are dangerous to have just laying around. I ended up eating 3 while they were still warm.

I will definitely be making these again.  Kevin's not home so I don't know how he'll like them, but he's not carrying a baby! The serving size is perfect to linger for a couple days without the worries of needing to throw any out ;-).

*Now I've mentioned previously the difficulty of baking while pregnant due to raw eggs. I do know that in some recipes apple sauce can be substituted for egg. This has never sounded quite right for any recipes I've made, but this actually seems like a recipe that apple sauce would work well with.  Perhaps I'll try that the next time I make this (which will be very soon!)

Week 19 Update: The Kick

As I got started with weekly bump updates I didn't recognize that I was actually posting closer to the following week (like week 18 I wrote a day before I was 19 weeks!). I can't help I've enjoyed blogging while watching College Football Gameday. BUT all of my pictures are taken on their respective days. I'm trying to catch up so bear with me. We're 1 week until halfway!!  I cannot believe it.

Kevin's been out of town the last several nights, so I was on my own for this pic (though before he left he drew our Mango, and clearly wrote Mango. Me and my fellas have missed him a whole bunch, and I blame my poor sleeping habits the last couple of nights on his absence.

So since my "week 18" update, not a whole lot has changed. EXCEPT One. Big. Thing.

I was laying quietly on the couch watching football, when there were distinct feeling. It was the feeling that I have expressed time and time again I have been anxiously and eagerly awaiting.  Sure I've felt faint flutters randomly here and there over the last couple of weeks, but questioned every single time that they were gas. But this was different. I felt distinct movements in a specific spot... so of course out of curiosity I gently press down on my abdomen there. And what happens???? I felt it again! Now I know that it was likely a coincidence that she moved right after I pressed on my belly, for the pure fact she was just moving consistently at that point in time.  Either way, it was more than a flutter.

I immediately texted Kevin.  To which he replied that he showed the whole dinner table (of business colleagues, mind you).

I was prepared to not feel this for a few more weeks, but they say everyone is different. I'm sure it helps that I am slim so there's not a whole lot of excess cushion. Now I'm just dying to feel it over and over again. I could get used to this! (Insert a snide rebuttal from a recent preggo about getting kicked in the ribs). Well, she can't reach my ribs quite yet, so I'll take whatever I can get.

Week 18: feeling TOO normal

This week has been strange because nothing really major has occurred, just subtle little changes that I've recognized.  I always wonder if everything's going alright in there when nothing strange is happening to me.

Don't be fooled, I didn't blow up over night. I think the way this dress is sitting makes me look much bigger than I am. But it's still exciting to me to see me with a Baby Bump! There's a Baby in there!!! It's still surreal.

And I always second guess her movements.  When they are happening I think "that has GOT to be her." And then several hours later I look back and I'm like "well, what if that wasn't her, what if that was just gas??" And I swear I've felt a couple of movements inside coincide with a faint bump from the outside, but it's too early for that, isn't it??

Maternity Clothes: For the most part I have still been able to wear my pre-maternity pants, even if it entailed the rubber band trick. Until this week. I slid on my most comfy pair of slacks and the zipper wouldn't budge.

Exercise: This is another thing that's stuck out to me.  As a jogger, my stamina has declined considerably (I wouldn't classify myself as a runner because even when I "train" I've never been able to run long distances). I can make it just a few blocks before I need to stop to walk.  But exercise is exercise, and I'm grateful that I am able to do it. I've also been adjusting my stride a bit, keeping my feet closer to the ground to minimize chances of tripping.

Cravings: Somehow, Mellow Crème Pumpkins, Candy Corn Oreos, AND White Chocolate Candy Corn M&Ms have made their way into this house.  I swear Kevin is using my Belly as an excuse too!! That's a bit candy corn overload for me.....

......but I am already in my second bag of Mellow Crème Pumpkins this season......... and all I want is more candy.

AND Kevin found these gems!!!
 

If you haven't heard of them, I suggest you find them N-O-W. Cotton Candy Grapes, not artificially flavored. Yes, they really taste like cotton candy.  And apparently they are only available for 1-2 months out of the year (right now!). Kevin said he searched high and low for these guys. Then as soon as he found this bag, we walked into our neighborhood Publix that he said he checked several times and there was a barrel full! I've also heard they carry them at Fresh Market. I plan to buy another bag and freeze them.

Weight:  As of my appointment last week, I officially gained 3 pounds. I'd like to find a RELIABLE scale to use because we don't have one here.  I don't trust Publix scales for the pure fact that every time I go to step on one there's a child jumping up and down on it.  Can't be good for calibration.  At this point I'm fine with just getting my poundage at the Doc, and every once and a while stepping on my parents' scale for pure curiosity.

Baby Bump: My belly is officially sticking out farther than my boobs so I know it's growing.  Though, Kevin will tell you that it's at least a once-a-day occurrence for me to comment that my belly's not growing.

I can't wait to feel more and more movement.... but I guess I just have to be patient and let her begin communicating with me as soon as she's ready.

Elyse's Philosophy of Cooking. On the menu: Chicken Mushroom Spinach Lemon Pasta

While I really enjoy cooking, I hate going to the grocery store (though we do love us some Publix down South).  I do not plan on what I'm going to cook throughout the week before I go to the store, and part of this is because I absolutely HATE wasting food (in the case that it ends up not getting cooked). So most nights I'm in the mood to cook consist of me scrambling to come up with a meal based on what's in the fridge.

This feat is even grander when you are married to an individual with an extremely small palette. Though, I will say that it has expanded drastically since we began dating!! I had warned him at the beginning of my pregnancy that I will need to cook more of a variety of healthy foods so he'd need to be prepared to have cereal for dinner from time to time :).

Typically, I take whatever main ingredients I have on hand that I'd like to use and generically Google for recipe ideas.  I rarely use just one recipe, but a compilation of several I find.  This has me following very few measurements, eyeballing a lot, and often has me never being able to cook the same thing more than once.

I must input here that I don't plan to do thorough step-by-step cooking instructions (nor list ingredients with accurate measurements), but a general idea of recipes I used, the outcome, and whether I plan to cook it again.  I'm way too high-strung in the kitchen to worry about that! But we'll see how this evolves.

So tonight's Google Search:  Chicken Spinach Lemon Pasta
(I intended to use Mushrooms as well but am comfortable with just tossing them into pretty much any pasta dish)

Several recipes of interest popped up, including some that I intend to try in the future:

Lemon Spaghetti with Chicken and Spinach (tons of pictures and looks delish!)
Chicken & Spinach Lemon Angel Hair Pasta
Easy Lemon Pasta with Chicken

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures during prep and cooking so only have of the final product (cut me some slack, I'm still learning!!).

Chicken, Mushroom, Spinach Lemon Pasta

Typically when I cook "one pan" pasta dishes I start with getting the pasta cooked and out of the way so there's one less thing going on (I'm an anxious cook). With this recipe, I used a little less than half a box of Angel Hair.

As the sliced mushrooms (roughly 2 handfuls) sautéed, I cut 2 chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces and seasoned with thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper.

I removed the mushrooms and cooked the chicken with the juice of half of a lemon. After the chicken cooked I removed it to start with a fresh pan and to remove the white goop that sometimes gets cooked out of chicken. Don't worry, I've researched this and it is protein that is more likely to occur with frozen chicken.

I returned the mushrooms and chicken to the pan with 2 tablespoons of butter and began to add the pasta.  I added some olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, and the zest of 1 lemon. Once the pasta was well coated I added two heaping handfuls of fresh baby spinach.

I turned the heat to low and tossed from time to time until spinach was wilted.

I topped it with shredded parmesan and served with garlic toast.

I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. I was looking for something light but starchy, and this hit the spot perfectly. Just what Baby P ordered. I will definitely be making this again!

One thing I would change in the future is the type of pasta I used, perhaps Linguine or Penne.  The Angel Hair seemed just a bit too flimsy.  If I use long pasta in the future, I'll also plan to cut it shorter so it blends easier with the rest of the ingredients. I'd likely add more spinach next time too.

Kevin's not a big lemon fan, so his initial reaction after his first bite was: "it's citrus-y".  It wasn't overbearing, I was actually wanting it more lemony (remember his sensitive palette), so he'll have to live with it when I make it in the future.... because I definitely will be!

Our first major Baby Purchase & My birthday surprise - The stroller travel system

OK, so my birthday was more than a month ago. But I wanted to wait and post about Kevin's gift to me until I got a couple of pictures to go with it (which were on my Dad's difficult to use cell phone).

If the first thing that comes to mind isn't a Baby Necessity when you think of the perfect birthday gift, then you aren't Me.  I am all about being practical and efficient, and Kevin knows my reaction to a bling-bling piece of jewelry will be "how much was this?"  Nevertheless, Kevin always manages to throw me for a total loop for birthday/anniversary/holiday surprises, and my 28th birthday was no different.

We had originally discussed not getting me anything for my birthday (it was more like me saying "don't get me anything, we have a lot going on this year"), but Kevin never seems to agree with that idea. I had mentioned I thought he may surprise me with a Pregnancy Pillow, so he ran with that.....

First I must explain HOW he knew what to surprise me with.
When we took our first baby bump trip to Babies 'R' Us, we walked away glossy-eyed and overwhelmed. BUT we also walked away knowing one thing: which stroller would be ours, no question. I think both of us fell in love at first site. The Gracco FastAction Fold Jogger Click Connect.

And while this stroller was available at several other stores, some at a cheaper price, the black/grey color scheme was only available at Babies 'R' Us.  And that's what I wanted. But it was not on my mind that we would have it for some time.

Back to my birthday:
Kevin had me open my birthday card in the car on the way to my parents' house where we were meeting for dinner. Inside was also a smaller envelope which he told me not to open and hang on to. So we walked into my parents house as we always do, me not noticing Kevin makes a beeline down the hallway away from the usually meeting area in the kitchen.  My parents and Gramma were standing in the front room where I turn around and here comes an assembled stroller down the hallway.

"What the F---????"

Extremely excited about the newest and first addition to our Baby Arsenal, I patted it and stroked it as if it were a puppy.  But Kevin knew. He knew I did not want him to spend that much money on me for my birthday. 

Well-timed. "Open the little envelope."  What's inside?? A long wadded-up receipt.  Knowing how much the stroller was I go, "Oh, ok, 20% off, that's cool." Still expensive. There's more.  An ADDITIONAL 20% off of that! Holy Cow! Now we're talking. Now THAT was worthy of birthday purchase.

At this point Kevin began explaining his day to me.  He had originally gone to Babies 'R' Us to get the pillow I had wanted (you can read about here). When the stroller had been shipped, the box had somehow gotten wet/damaged in transit.  So when Kevin found it already assembled in the store he inquired about it being discounted. Kevin proceeded to chat to the store associate, saying how he was torn... how could he leave it there? Well, when she offered up an additional 20% off he knew in his heart of hearts that I would be OK with this purchase.  He was right!

We proceeded to have a wonderful evening, satisfying my pregnancy cravings with dinner at Cantina Laredo.  Boy, does Kevin sure know how to treat his lady...... I mean ladies. ;-)

Week 17: Seeing our little Angel

What an exciting week Kevin, Baby and I have had this week (so exciting I had no time to even look at my blog).  Our ultrasound and monthly check-up appointments just so happened to align with our 3rd anniversary.  Talk about a priceless anniversary gift!!!

Labor Day weekend had us taking our chalkboard picture a day late, lining up with our ever exciting first Seminole Gameday of the year. 

So, in addition to a turnip, Kevin wanted to take a special edition picture.

We had a relatively low-key anniversary considering we celebrated at Disney a couple weeks back.  We actually were going out to dinner two days after our actual anniversary to celebrate, but we had probably one of the worst thunderstorms we've had all year.  Both of us dressed up nicely, by the time we got in the car we were so soaked we decided to nix the dinner plans and order some Carrabba's takeout (which is NEVER a bad idea!).

But enough about Kevin and I!!! We have a beautiful Baby Girl to discuss!

Kevin and I had been looking forward to this day for the last month since we scheduled the appointment (well, since our last ultrasound really). I was happy that with a last minute invitation both of my parents were able to attend as well.

It was such an incredible experience to get to see every part of her body. Her complex spine, her beating heart (159 bpm, to be exact), her wiggling toes, her dainty fingers.

But I think I fell most in love the moment I saw her beautiful profile. It we perfect timing.. Kevin managed to record her trying to stick her thumb in her mouth (missing a few times and poking her little nose). You could even make out her suckling.  Words cannot describe this feeling. I am just so ready to hold her!!

Apparently our Lil Princess is rather stubborn, to which my Mom, Dad, and Kevin all snickered about her being like her Mom. She refused to re-situate herself in there, so the ultrasound tech was unable to get a few critical images.  I'll hear from my doctor next week to see if we need to come back in for another ultrasound. I won't complain to have another opportunity to see our Lil Princess.

One major thing I noticed this week was my pants.  I have been opting to wear dresses a lot more recently, but a couple of events this week called for some slacks (there's only so many dresses you can repeat in a matter of a couple of weeks!).  Obviously reaching for my most comfortable pair, I realized that not only can I not button them, but the rubber band trick no longer works! I literally could not zip them one centimeter.  I guess a pair of maternity black slacks will be in order for my next shopping trip!

Oldest brother taking a nap with his Baby Sister