26 weeks

Here is my 26 week photo update. We had a great time visiting family this week. I am feeling really good - no serious aches or pains and plenty of energy. I can't believe my second trimester is coming to a close!

I feel her kicking around a lot more often now and even notice little hiccups (they are a very strange rythmic pulsing feeling). I think her little head is pressing down on my sciatic nerve though because I have sharp lower back pain almost all the time now. I need to keep doing my stretches. :)

In the next few weeks I will have my gestational diabetes test (so fun! you get to skip breakfast, down some really nasty sugar orange drink, and then have your blood drawn) and another sonogram to look at her brain development and positioning.

I am getting more excited, but I can't say I am ready for her to make her appearance just yet. I am glad for another 2 1/2 months to read some books, get baby gear organized, and cook some meals to store in the freezer for those first few weeks.

A Simple Christmas Meal

This year Drew and I were able to spend a quiet day together at home for Christmas Day. We slept in, read books, watched movies, played games, set up & decorated our Christmas tree, and made a simple meal for dinner.

We had leftover ribs and pork tenderloin that Drew's granddad had smoked for Christmas Eve. So delicious! Everyone goes crazy over the ribs especially. I felt like we were walking away with precious cargo getting to have so many leftovers. :)

To accompany these we made cornbread, BBQ baked beans, and a new veggie side dish I had wanted to try. We really enjoyed it, especially because it was fairly healthy and easy to make.

Here is the recipe for the veggie side dish.http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/roasted-kabocha-squash-haricots-verts-mushrooms-and-pepitas-recipe/index.html Roasted Kabocha Squash, Haricot Verts, and Mushrooms
It was a little spicy, but perfect with the other parts of the meal. I used butternut squash instead of kabocha, onions instead of mushrooms,  and green beans instead of haricot verts because 1) I'm cheap and 2) I was at Albertson's not a farmers market.

Baby Shower in Sherman

A few weeks ago some friends of ours hosted a shower for us at their home in Sherman. It was really just an excuse for us to get together with close friends and have a relaxing night of socializing. We treasure nights like these because our friends are precious to us and we may not have the same opportunities in the future between moving (God knows where. really. he does.) for residency and a baby.

We asked everyone to bring their favorite children's book so that we could start to build up a library for baby Evelyn (and any future kiddos). Our hosts had each person record themselves reading the book too, so now we have audio files to easily entertain her for years to come. Plus, even if we move far away she will still be able to hear the voices of her aunties and uncles. :)

Thanks for a great night friends!

25 weeks at the baby shower! 

Drew looking serious with his buddy (also soon to be dad) Adam

The Maze Runner - Review

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The library recommended this book in the same vein as Hunger Games. I would say that is pretty accurate - if you liked Hunger Games you will probably like this.
I did grow frustrated (along with the main character) at how little information was known or given, but this seems to be the main basis of the plot. I didn't know it was the start of a series when I checked it out, but my final judgement on the book will depend upon how well the author brings things together and explains the world he has created. Its definitely imaginative and I appreciate the risks he took in story telling. My heart raced in the action parts, but I did not feel as emotionally compelled and connected to the main characters as I did in Hunger Games.


View all my reviews

23 Weeks

Yesterday I marked 23 weeks. I can hardly believe how much our baby girl is growing these days. At this point all her organ systems are developed, she's just filling out and putting on the finishing touches before she comes out to meet us.

Drew and I worked on the registry at Target this past weekend...I think he thought it would be more fun for him than it actually was. I was very impressed with how long he stuck with it and what a great attitude he had about it. :) I just have a few more items to add, and clean out the items we dont really need - its just so fun to use the scan gun they give you. lol.

I am trying to eat healthy this week after lots of delicious Thanksgiving indulgence (so worth it). We had meals with Drew's mom, dad, and my family, plus we took lots of leftovers home. I got back into working out on Friday and have gone to the gym everyday since then. I dont always want to go, but once I get there I am glad I made myself get up off the couch. I definitely notice the rate of my weight gain corresponds to whether I work out consistently or not. So far, so good though. Mainly I am trying to keep my chances of gestational diabetes way down and have a reasonably sized baby (I dont relish the idea of pushing out a 9+ lbs. child).

Here is a look at my growing belly:

 One without the sweater (its gotten really cold here just this week, which for us means 50s)

22 Weeks

Here I am with baby at 22 weeks! I'm over half-way through, can you believe it?

I have a 23 week pic - I think all the good Thanksgiving food I ate helped the bump grow a bit more. :) Hope you had a great Thanksgiving too! We really enjoyed getting to see family and spend some time resting.

Healthy Meal

Saturday night I was very hungry, but not feeling up to cooking an elaborate meal. I have been trying to use Saturday to clean-up, regroup, and organize our home so that I can actually rest and Sabbath on Sundays.

I'm also making it a high priority to eat healthy while I'm pregnant & later breastfeeding. I'm trying to keep our diet filled with lean protein, lots of veggies & fruits, whole grain, and plenty of fluids and fiber. :) I hadn't had salmon in while since just walking by the meat & seafood section at the grocery store made me feel ill up until week 12 or so. I've been wanting to re-incorporate it to our meal schedule.

Here is what we had for dinner on Saturday:

This pregnant momma was so satisfied! I picked up salmon pinwheels stuffed with spinach and feta, baked fresh green beans with Parmesan cheese, and homemade sweet potato fries (also baked and lightly coated with EVOO, salt, pepper, and brown sugar). Apple butter is in the small bowl - its my favorite sweet potato fry condiment (only apples, apple juice, and spices go into it).

It was nice to have a really filling meal after working out hard earlier that afternoon, but also not feel the least bit guilty about indulging in such healthy fare. Do you have a favorite easy, healthy, but satisfying meal?