28 and 29 Weeks

   

I think my New Years Resolution needs to be focused on being a better blogger. Oops. I have the pictures, just not the blog entries! With the craziness that is visiting both of our families for Christmas, I actually forgot to take an actual picture for 29 weeks The picture above is from the annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party with our friends in Michigan. I guess it's better than nothing!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 28, then 29 weeks

Size of baby: At 28 weeks, he was about 2 1/4 pounds like a Chinese cabbage! He was approximately 14.8 inches from head to heel. At 29 weeks, he is 2 1/2 pounds like a butternut squash! He is just a little over 15 inches and growing!

 Total Weight Gain/Loss: My scale still has me at 18 pounds. I feel better about this. Not great, but certainly better! I know that this is the time where the pounds really start to come on as the baby grows and grows. Yay for a growing baby! 

 Maternity Clothes: All maternity pants, but a combination of maternity and normal shirts.

Gender: Boy!

Movement: He moves a lot! He gets a little crazy in the morning and the evening and after I eat. 

Sleep: I can fall asleep very easily but am having trouble with waking up for an hour or so in the middle of the night. This has not been so fun. 

What I miss: Sleeping through the night, but I know I need to get used to my new normal! :)

Cravings: Vernors Ginger Ale! This is a Michigan based soda, but thankfully they sell it here!

Symptoms: Nothing that I can think of at the moment!

Best Moment this week: Right before Christmas, I was given the most precious gift for our baby boy. A sweet friend at my school who is a fabulous quilter made the baby a play quilt! I really need to get a picture of it to put on here. It is full of bright colors and the most fun squares that she chose. It is large and soft and will be the perfect thing for the baby to lie on while he is playing on the floor. When she gave it to me, I cried. This has not been an easy year for me at work. I actually have a fabulous and pretty easy class, but there have been some other things that have been hard. Getting this quilt was just the most precious reminder that there are people there who love and care about me and the baby. I know that in my heart, but it was so amazing to get such a tangible reminder. It is so fun to look at and think about what a special thing it will be for the baby! 

26 and 27 Weeks

I have been crazy busy, so I'm combining these updates. I am 28 weeks TOMORROW, so I thought I'd better get on the ball and post!

 

Pregnancy Highlights: 

How Far Along: 26, then 27 weeks

Size of baby: At 26 weeks, he was about a pound and two-thirds and was the length of a hothouses cucumber (I actually know what those are, thank you, Food Network), which is about 14 inches. Now at 27 weeks, he is about 2 pounds and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. All in all, they compare him to a head of cauliflower!

 Total Weight Gain/Loss: Why did I put this part on here? Sigh. I went to the doctor on Tuesday and I have gained a total of... 18 pounds. Whew, that is hard to type. I know I'm supposed to be gaining weight, though. I asked my doctor several times if I was gaining too much weight and he assured me that he feels as though I am right on track. Alright, pity party OVER.

 Maternity Clothes: All maternity pants, but a combination of maternity and normal shirts. Gender: Boy!

Movement: He moves all the time. It's my favorite thing! I looooove that when I wake up in the middle of the night, I can always feel him rolling around in there.

Sleep: I'm still sleeping great!

What I miss: Cookie dough. I'm in the midst of all my holiday baking planning and I feel sad that I can't indulge in my favorite holiday treat (the dough).

Cravings: Food in general. That's not really anything new, though!

Symptoms: This isn't a symptom, but it's getting harder and harder to tie my shoes and put socks on. I don't do very well bending over, either. My big old belly keeps getting in the way! 

Best Moment this week: Ty and I went to Babies 'R Us on Sunday and looked at cribs and rockers. I love going in that store and thinking about how our house will be overrun with baby gear soon! We are also still working on the name and it's fun to talk over those things together. I just love the new level that this pregnancy is giving to our marriage! One sad moment was that our Bradley class met for the last time. We absolutely loved the sweet woman that taught our class and I am so thankful to have her as a resource during my pregnancy and upcoming labor. I need to write a post on the class soon! It was fantastic.

 

Thank you so much for all your sweet encouragement in many different forms about my discouragement last week. I am feeling a lot better-- thank you, Lord! I do think that a lot of it is hormones, but I also need to learn to be not so stinking sensitive! I'm working on it. :)

Christmas Cards

Last year was the first year I sent out photo Christmas cards. I really enjoyed the process of picking out a picture and finding the perfect card. I think there is something so special about getting a Christmas card with a picture on it. I love seeing how children have grown and how families have progressed throughout the year. Getting the mail is one of my favorite parts of the Christmas season simply because of Christmas cards! It always has been. I get so excited to go home at Christmas and go through my parent's basket of Christmas cards as well.

I have never used Shutterfly before, but after taking some time to browse the products that they offer, I feel like it would be hard to use another company! Everything is so quality and professional, and the process is easy for someone who gets frustrated with technology sometimes (me).

I love, love, love their photo holiday cards and I think that this one is my favorite. I hope they have it around next year, because I think it is a darling option for a family.

I also think that their Christmas invitations are just perfect. We are having our small group Christmas party on Sunday and the girls are doing a cookie swap. If it were a bigger event with just women (and I had more money), I would love to send out this invitation. Maybe next year!

I also think that it would be fun to make a family photo calendar next year. If I'd thought of it earlier, I would have done one the last few years. My aunt used to do one for our grandparents. Maybe that's a 2011 Christmas gift idea! I also love the calendar poster. If I were going back to work after the baby is born, it would be a fun way to have a calendar to see his sweet face everyday!

Shutterfly is obviously a great company that offers many different photo products. It's great to have Christmas cards be an easy part of the holiday season! Merry Christmas!

25 Weeks

(Yes, I know my hair is in my eye and no, I didn't want it there nor do I think it looks awesome. This was EARLY in the morning and I just wanted to get the picture over with. Ha!)

 

Pregnancy Highlights: 

How Far Along: 25 weeks

Size of baby: Baby Boy is about a pound and a half. He is measuring about 13 1/2 inches long and is the size of a rutabaga. Can't say I even know what a rutabaga is, but whatever!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Honestly, I have no idea. I haven't stepped on the scale in a while. I probably need to get on that.

Maternity Clothes: I am exclusively in maternity pants now. My regular pants are fine with the Bella Band, but I am so much more comfortable with maternity pants. I am still able to wear a lot of my normal shirts. Not sure what that says about me before I got pregnant!

Gender: Boy.

Movement: He is a violent mover! This morning, my stomach was absolutely jerking from side to side. His movements really do vary according to the day, though. Sometimes he doesn't stop for a whole day and then other days he is pretty low-key. It makes me really wonder about what life will be like when he is born!

Sleep: I'm sleeping very well but really struggling to get up in the morning. Why is it that when I can sleep in, I don't? What in the world?

What I miss: Nothing that I can think of at the moment!

Cravings: I will still eat anything sweet. I was not like that before pregnancy. I could pass on dessert any day of the week, but now, I would beat someone for it. I also eat a lot of peanut butter. YUM.

Symptoms: WELL. A few times this week, I have had this awful bladder pain. It feels like the worst UTI in the world. The only conclusion I can come to is that boyfriend is sitting/ laying right on my bladder and it is really painful. I've found that if I drink something and lay on my side, he generally moves within about 30 minutes. It's hard to do at school, though! Actually... it's impossible at school, so if it happens here, I'll just have to stick it out!

Best Moment this week: I loved being with our families for Thanksgiving and thinking about what the holidays will be like for us next year! Also, I got to do something fun that I will probably post about tomorrow. I just love all the prep work of getting ready for a little one!

 

As a side note, I have been battling some great discouragement over the last few weeks. I know some of it is due to my wacked out hormones, but I've really tried to distinguish between what is merited discouragement and what should simply be attributed to pregnancy sensitivity. I would really appreciate your prayers against it if you think of it; I know that Satan is trying to attack me with it every single day. I keep repeating this verse and praying it over and over-- "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." Zephaniah 3:17 I know that this is a strong truth and that the Lord will lift me out of this in His time. Thank you in advance for your prayers on my behalf! He alone is good! 

My Thanksgiving Secret

I love Thanksgiving. It is one of my favorite holidays because of the combination of amazing food and family. I also tend to think holidays mean more to me now because of the long distance that is between Tyler and I, my parents, and my brother. I get so excited for the time that we get to spend with each other!

However, I have a confession.

As a (self proclaimed) foodie, this is horribly embarrassing. I hope that you can still like me despite the weakness I am about to share with you.

My favorite Thanksgiving dish, the one that I can't possibly live without...

Yes. It's cranberry sauce. And not homemade cranberry sauce. I'm talking the stuff that you see above. None of this "whole berry" crap. I want cranberry sauce that comes out of the can still looking like the can. I think the picture above does it justice. My mom is always kind enough to serve it because she knows that my dad and I loooooove it, but she always mashes it up and puts it in a pretty dish. I personally don't care what it looks like; I just know that this stuff is GOOD. I love the combination of sweet and salty and if you think about it, most food on a typical Thanksgiving table is salty. The cranberry sauce is the perfect bite of "sweet" that I enjoy having with all my sodium on Thanksgiving day.

There's my secret. Don't hate. What's your favorite Thanksgiving food, and how do you feel about cranberry sauce?

24 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights: 

How Far Along: 24 weeks

Size of baby: Baby Boy is has gained approximately 4 ounces since last week, so he's still right over a pound(according to Baby Center). He is almost a foot long, which is the length of an ear of corn.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: This morning I got on the scale and it said that I'd actually lost 2 pounds. I don't believe it. However, I think I'm still holding pretty steady at a ten pound weight gain.

Maternity Clothes: I'm wearing a combination of my regular clothes and maternity clothes. Today I'm wearing normal pants. Not as comfortable, but I can still wear them! 

Gender: Boy.

Movement: Yesterday, I could not get the child to stop moving. It was GREAT! I know I've said this before, but there is nothing like it. I LOVE that part of being pregnant, along with others. He is very active when I lay down at night and if I wake up in the middle of the night, he kicks to let me know he's in there!

Sleep: I'm still sleeping pretty well. Some girls from birth class were scaring me last night with their stories from their no-sleep third trimester. We'll see if that happens to me!

What I miss: Not shedding like CRAZY! I'm telling you, my hair is falling out in clumps. At this rate, I'll be bald by next Tuesday.

Cravings: My craving for lemonade has subsided (for now). I crave sweet things a lot more then I used to. The hard part is not eating the sweet things!

Symptoms: Nothing other than my crazy baby brain!

Best Moment this week: We went home this weekend and I got to see my parents and so many of my precious friends at church on Sunday morning! I hadn't been home since my baby belly popped out and my sweet mom made me feel so much better by saying, "You are NOT as big as you look in the pictures!" HA! My other favorite moment was when my friend, Matt, told me I didn't look like I'd gained that much weight. BLESS YOU, MATTHEW. And really, the BEST moment of my week was that my parents both got to feel the baby kick! I just love that they got to experience that. I'm obsessed with this child moving, can you tell? 

Muffins and Macaroni

When I got pregnant this summer, I got sick. I'm talking sick sick. I threw up almost everyday, sometimes multiple times a day, for about 4 months. It was not pleasant. I also lost my appetite and desire to cook. I still am slowly regaining the passion I once felt for food. Now, it's mostly because I'm tired that I don't have a desire to cook and bake, but I am feeling the urge much more than I was this summer.

I really love fall foods. Chili, cornbread, soups, stews, anything with pumpkin, I'm totally game. My love for fall food and the fact that I'm feeling like myself once again has caused me to make some new recipes lately. I am SO GLAD. It's like the cooking angels blessed my dry and weary soul and said, "Here! Here are some recipes that are simple but taste like heaven itself!" Cooking and baking have once again become a true delight.

The first recipe I tried was from the Tastebook that my girlfriends from small group put together. I was craving an easy and delicious muffin and decided to make Katie's Almost-Like-Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins. Honestly, they were the best muffin I've ever made. You can make them in one bowl and they are perfect on a cold morning or when you're craving a quick snack. I can't wait to make them again! I'm thinking that I'll make them Thanksgiving week and take some when we go to visit our families.

The second recipe was one that I had saved on Tasty Kitchen quite sometime ago. If you haven't browsed the website, then GO. GO NOW. There are thousands of excellent recipes and I have gotten so many that I will use for years to come. Our chili recipe is adapted from TK and we absolutely love it. Anyway, I had Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese bookmarked and hadn't thought to try it. Last week was a busy week at work, and I wanted something easy to make for supper. I decided to make the mac and cheese and I could not believe how amazing it was! I'll admit, I'm a sucker for the blue box mac and cheese simply because of how creamy it is! I don't love baked macaroni and cheese, either, so I never thought that I would find a recipe for homemade mac and cheese that fit my standards. This is honestly the best macaroni and cheese I have ever had. Even if you don't like butternut squash, you can hardly taste it-- make this for dinner tonight!

Almost-Like-Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Makes about 24 muffins

3 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of cardamom (I didn't do this because I didn't have it)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
8 oz package cream cheese*
Chopped nuts** (walnuts, pecans) optional

Preheat oven to 350. Mix ingredients together except cream cheese and nuts. Fill muffin tins (greased or paper cups) half full. Put 1-2 tsp cream cheese in the middle, pressing down. Sprinkle with 1 tsp chopped nuts. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the muffin part (don't touch the cream cheese!). Let cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to racks to cool completely. Do not touch the cream cheese until it cools, as it is very hot.

*Put the entire tub or brick of cream cheese on a piece of tin foil and shape it into a long log. Put it in the freezer while you mix and fill the pans, up to an hour. Unwrap and cut with a sharp knife. If the disks are too big around (mine were), cut thick slices and then cut them in half. This keeps the cream cheese in one big lump and also lets you push it down into the batter. I also think these will be great without the cream cheese. I'm going to try them without it the next time I make them!

**Starbucks uses chopped pumpkin seeds (if you can find them). I used walnuts and they were so good!

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese (Printable)
Serves 4

2 cups small pasta (I wanted to find wheel shaped pasta, but used shells instead)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
¾ cups milk
½ cups butternut squash puree
1-½ cup Monterey Jack cheese
2 tablespoons cream cheese
½ teaspoons salt
⅛ teaspoons pepper
⅛ teaspoons paprika
Steamed vegetables of your choice

Bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add pasta and cook until pasta is tender (about 7 to 10 minutes). Strain and set aside.

Melt butter over medium low heat in a saucepan and add the flour. Whisk and cook for 2 minutes. It will resemble a paste.

Slowly add milk. Whisk until combined. Next add everything thing else. Stir until combined. Add sauce to the pasta and stir!

Note: I got home late when I made this, so I used butternut squash baby food! It was perfect, although I can't wait to roast and puree my own squash for the next time. I'm sure it would intensify the flavor in a great way. I also steamed some broccoli and added it to mine. It was incredible! The other person in my house didn't want any in his. I told him he would regret that decision. Jury is still out on whether he did or not.


I hope that these are helpful to you! Let me know if any of you decide to try your hand with either recipe. What are some good recipes you've been making this fall?