34 Weeks

So we took advantage of the long weekend and went out to the lake yesterday afternoon until this evening.  It was really nice to get out of the city, if only briefly.  I love the outdoor smells, and food always tastes better there.  Sleeping on a double bed was a little more difficult with the husband and the snoogle, but did not prove to be impossible.  I am getting increasingly uncomfortable though and really starting to feel very pregnant.  All of baby's movements are so strong and much sharper now. I read that the amniotic fluid is maxed out a 34 weeks and you have little cushioning from baby's kicks. I can definitely agree with that. Some of the pokes and rolls actually hurt! and the braxton hicks are getting stronger.

 I wanted to get one lake day in this year before the baby came because lets face it, who knows what things will be like when this little monkey is born.  We may get really lucky and be able to take our baby anywhere, or we might have a very fussy baby and be pretty home bound.  I am playing it safe and not getting my expectations too high of having many lake days this summer.  I am very excited though to be having this baby in the summer, since i can at least get out and go for walks and not be stuck inside all day.  I am thinking that it may help with all of the overwhelming feelings that go on with being a first time mom, if I can at least get out of the house from time to time.

How far along? 34 Weeks

Total weight gain? 22 Lbs

Maternity clothes? Most 

Stretch marks? No

Sleep? Not great. Getting up 1-2 times in the night, some trouble rolling over and getting comfortable

again while everything settles in its place again (baby, organs and such)

Best moment this week? Getting out of the city

Miss anything? Being more mobile and being able to go on longer walks.  I get tired a lot faster and get lots of contracting when i walk

Movement? Lots of rolls, stretching, pressure from what I think is baby's head low down. Still lots of hiccups too.

Food cravings? Ice cream sandwiches and Sangria

Food aversions? Nope

Labor signs? No

Symptoms? Lots of Braxton Hicks, (especially when I walk or pretty much every time I get up from sitting) pelvic pressure, some back pain

Belly button in or out? Not really either! kind of flush with my belly...

Wedding rings on or off? Still on, Yay

Looking forward to? The husband and I's 1st anniversary on the 28th!

Mmmm Cupcakes

Last month I helped my mom throw a wedding shower for a good friend of the family.  I decided to make these Iced Pistachio cupcakes, as I had made them once before and they were fantastic!  They don't actually use any leavening agent and are still so soft!  This recipe comes from the "Martha Stewart Cupcakes" book.

You will need:

1 cup unsalted shelled pistachios

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature

6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

3 cups sugar

6 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon coarse salt

3/4 cup coarsely chopped salted pistachios

Drippy icing (recipe follows)

1 1/2 cups unsalted pistachio slivers for garnish

Drippy icing

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, sifted

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until  smooth

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liner. In a food processor, grind shelled pistachios to a paste.

2. With an electric mixer on medium high- high speed, beat butter, cream cheese and pistachio paste until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low. Gradually add sugar; beat until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour and salt, beating until just combined. Fold in chopped pistachios by hand.

3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to one day at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

4. To finish, place cupcakes on a wire rack set over a baking sheet; spoon icing onto each, and garnish with pistachio slivers. Cupcakes are best eaten the same day they are glazed; keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

I ended up using pistachios cut in half for garnish instead of the slivers. Also i slightly adjusted the consistency of the icing.

32 Weeks

Seriously only 8 more weeks to go?  For some reason, when i say 8 weeks it seems very close. When I say July 1st, it seems a bit further.  I have noticed this with telling other people as well and their reactions.  If I say July 1st, I usually get a "oh so you still have awhile to go"  kind of response. This is where I feel I get defensive (like what are you saying, I look big? I'm almost 8 months pregnant for gods sake!)  Its funny feeling defensive about it considering I sometimes feel July is a ways off too.  I guess for one, July is really getting into summer, and that feels far away, but it's really not. Also being due on the 1st psychologically makes people feel that I am further away than say, If I were to tell people June 30th. Sometimes I feel like telling people June 30th just to conduct a social experiment.  I know, I am probably thinking way too much about this, but really?  you get a bit into thinking about these kinds of things when you are having so many opinions and comments thrown your way. Like one day, I will get someone who thinks I have a big belly, then the next someone will say it's small.  Its so confusing because what are these people basing their comments and observations on?  Their own experiences and how they looked? Other people they know? What they just feel a pregnant woman should look like?   To be honest, I have been pretty happy with my belly and the way I have looked. My skin has been amazing, and i never have to worry about my pants fitting right (like getting a bit of a belly bulge because well, it's supposed to be there!)  Lately I have been having some uncomfortable days that make me feel big but again, I'm almost 8 months pregnant and I think overall I have been very lucky with this pregnancy. Still, some comments can make you feel not the greatest even when you have been feeling pretty good about yourself. Maybe blame it on lack of grace and tact, insensitivity or ignorance.  Some people should just really think before they speak.  My friend Jen says,  "The only safe thing to say to a pregnant woman is 'You look great!' "  I totally agree.

How far along? 32 Weeks

Total weight gain? 20 Lbs

Maternity clothes? For the most part, or some things in bigger sizes

Stretch marks? No

Sleep? Not great, but a bit better since getting my Snoogle

Best moment this week?  Technically it was the week before buuut since I missed the 31 week post i will just say the Snoogle purchase

Miss anything? Having more energy, being able to turn over while sleeping without it being a big ordeal

Movement? A lot of the baby stretching out now, slides, sharp pokey bits (feet, knees, elbows?) that sometimes hurt when they jab! oh and lots of hiccups!

Food cravings? Today it was a Montreal smoked meat sandwich, but I did not give in.........yet.

Food aversions? Not really

Labor signs? Still the odd Braxton Hicks

Symptoms?  Feeling a lot more pressure low down now. I don't think the baby has dropped, but I think It's head is in that area now. Its tough to sit sometimes, especially if my pants are putting to much pressure on the area.  Back pain has not been worse but comes and goes depending on what I'm doing.

Looking forward to? Hmmm a few things! Tomorrow's 32 weeks Dr. visit. After this I move to the 2-3 week visits! Our pregnancy and family dynamics pre-natal class tomorrow night and also a visit from my friend Jenelle who's in from Toronto!

 

30 Weeks!

I am sooo excited to be writing a 30 week post!  Somehow I feel like now that I am in the 30's, things are becoming more real and close! (which is both exciting and kinda scary) 10 more weeks.... or maybe less....or more... still the thought is pretty crazy.  Since coming back from our Minneapolis trip we are really getting a move on baby's room. Or well, we're trying. The plan is to move the rest of the husbands stuff out this weekend and start to paint the room.  We picked up the paint the other day, and decided on a beigey color.  I really want something neutral that will go with most things. I plan to incorporate a fair amount of white in accents, and when the baby is born to hopefully personalize it a bit more whether it is a girl or boy. Our biggest challenge to date is finding a glider.  I cannot believe how hard it is to find a glider in a natural wood finish!  All of the ones I seem to find are espresso,oak, or cherry, and when you try to order it in natural? they up the price several hundred dollars. This is soooo infuriating!  The other day I thought I got lucky at finding one online and second hand, but when i went to see it, the cushions (while beige) looked too grandma like. Blech. All paisley and such.  So, back to square one.

How far along? 30 Weeks

Total weight gain? 19 Lbs

Maternity clothes? Can I just leave out this question now? Pretty much unless I found a flattering top that works in a bigger size

Stretch marks? No

Sleep? Usually the sleeping itself isn't that difficult (except when this little monkey is crawling all over the place. Last night it was like non stop!) What is tough is the getting up to pee or when I need to roll over it feels like a bowling ball in there.

Best moment this week? Just being 30 Weeks!

Miss anything? Being able to sit comfortably. My back is either sore or it is putting too much pressure on the lower part of my belly.  Since I am not very long in the torso, my belly comes right out from below my boobs. Sometimes I am starting to wonder if the baby will have enough room to be head down and vertical! So far it really likes to be diagonal.

Movement? Um, yeah. I honestly have not even bothered to count kicks.  I really haven't needed to! Now there are a lot more rolls and slides though, and being able to feel more pokey bits like elbows and knees.

Food cravings?  Nothing specific. Since being home from our weekend of food adventure I have been back to eating pretty healthy.

Food aversions? My new Omega three gummies. Blah. I can definitely taste the fishyness.  so stupid that Costco gets rid of things so fast.  These taste like sugared fruity fish jelly.

Labor signs? Some painless Braxton hicks

Symptoms? Pressure on the ribs (and organs?) when i sit and lean over (who are we kidding, slouch),  The need to pee has increased again, back pain (the chiro said it looks really good now, but i won't be able to be totally pain free with being pregnant) and achy in the legs when I stand too long at work (been pretty good at wearing my compression stockings and they seem to help a bit)

Belly button in or out? In

Looking forward to? Having baby's room painted so we can set up the furniture!

So since I missed my 29 week post, here are pictures for both 29 and 30 weeks :)

29 Weeks

30 Weeks

30 weeks

Weekend trip

I realize there is something missing here.... my 29 week post.  Le sigh, things sort of got away from me this week.  I've noticed that if i don't post by Wednesday, it seems more appropriate to wait until the next week.  I do have 29 week bump pics that I took in Minneapolis on our trip though! I will hopefully be posting my 30 week post tomorrow!

So lets talk about Minneapolis. Our little weekend trip didn't start off amazing...  First it was Friday the 13th. Driving out was rainy and foggy and we sort of may have hit a raccoon.  The Yaris, slightly damaged with cracked bumper, was the only one who probably walked (drove...ha) away from the incident out of the two. We didn't look for the raccoon, but given the bits of fur we found stuck in the cracks, I don't think we would have wanted to.  We continued on to Fargo where we stayed the first night. Looking for our hotel proved to be the next challenge. It was nowhere in sight.  Finally we started comparing addresses and realized ours belonged to an Econolodge, not a Comfort in which we had booked. Upon check-in we were informed that they had just made the switch and had changed the sign a few hours earlier!  Then? we were put in room 213. Several other odd things happened that day too, and even though I am not typically a superstitious person, I was glad when midnight rolled around.

Saturday and the rest of the weekend proved to be much better!  We did the outlet mall in Albertville, Checked into our hotel in Minneapolis (which by the way we got an AMAZING deal on booking with Hotwire) and went to eat at Chevy's for dinner.  This is a chain restaurant but it is fresh mex and very yummy. They even make their own salsa, tortilla's and tortilla chips.  After we both practically rolled out of the restaurant it was off to bed!

Marc with his MASSIVE margarita. This really is to scale. It was almost the size of

 his head. I was a bit jealous, not gonna lie, but most of the time when we go out since

 I have been pregnant he doesn't bother orderinga lchoholic drinks. What a great husband!

Sunday our eating adventure really began when we went to our first of three restaurants featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives! this one was called the Colossal cafe and extremely delicious. We even met and chatted with a retired couple with the same idea as us! They said whenever they travel they try to hit up restaurants from DDD's.  In most cases we tried to order what was recommended on the show!

Cheese and herb scone.....mmmmm

Marinated berkshire pork sandwich

Flappers made with yeast topped with Brie, walnuts, apples and honey

We then hit up the Mall of America and Ikea.  I have to say, I think being pregnant actually saved me in the spending money department.  While walking past the endless lovely wearable things for my pre pregnant self was a bit depressing, I probably spent less money. At Ikea we picked up a dresser and night table for our room. Since the husband is being kicked out of his getting ready room for baby, We needed a dresser in our room.  We didn't have one that will fit right with the angles of the room. Right now we have built in drawers besides the closet,  and um I am not really willing to share ;)    We finished the evening off with a trip to the Blue Door Pub, another DDD and tried their yummy burgers.  Basically burgers stuffed with delicious things. 

The Bluecy stuffed with blue cheese and garlic. Yes those are tater tots in the
background.We also tried the beer battered green beans. Very health conscious on this trip :)

Monday we went to Al's breakfast.  It is so small that we actually drove past it.  It is the tiniest narrow building close to the campus in Dinkytown (!??!) that looks like it has been there forever. Super kitschy with only 14 stools at the counter. You basically walk in, and squish yourselves against the wall behind the people eating while you are waiting for a seat. We were smart going on a Monday. We only waited about 15 minutes. I have heard that the wait can be hours!!! I'm glad i wasn't more pregnant because i can tell you that it might have been hard to fit against the wall without bumping someone with my belly! Oh and, no bathroom! is this even allowed???  A pregnant woman's worst nightmare. Thankfully I made it through.

Best. Eggs. Benedict. ever.

The Jose, a house specialty. Poached eggs with cheese over
 hash browns with homemade salsa on the side

See how tiny it is?!

We finished off the trip by going to Trader Joe's on our way out of town. Can I just say how much i LOVE this store!?!  The husband had to pull me away from the cheese aisle.  At one point I said to him, I don't think we have enough snacks. He looked at our cart and said "you're kidding right?" and actually I wasn't.  Its healthy, interesting, inexpensive food and we figured that if we had a Trader Joe's here in Canada, we would spend a third less on groceries!  Likely the prices would be higher here if there was one, so that's why I am banking on Fargo or Grand Forks getting one. I can dream.  

That pretty much was our trip. Eating and shopping! two things I love.  I was hoping to get some good prices at Target on jumbo boxes of diapers that I had priced out but it seemed like these sizes were available only online.  We didn't save very much, but that's ok We're a bit more prepared now. I can say it was very strange walking out of Target with $100 worth of diapers for the first time.  This really was our last road trip together before baby.  I have a feeling these last 10 weeks are going to go by very fast! Yikes.

28 weeks

Hello 3rd trimester!  I feel like the 6th month went by pretty fast, despite being sick for much of it.  Now that I am starting to feel a bit better, of course the tiredness is setting in. I had been doing pretty well for that, with quite a bit of energy all through the 2nd trimester.  Now I don't know if it's just that my body is so drained out from the last few weeks or if its the 7th month that's really hitting me. Yesterday I went out for just a few hours and had to come home for an hour nap. Today I just dragged myself around work all day like a zombie, totally out of it.

I'm really looking forward to this weekend. The husband and I are headed to Minneapolis for some shopping and together time. Our last little weekend away before baby comes.  We would have waited a little longer to go, but considering we're driving, It probably wouldn't be that comfortable at 8 months pregnant. Also, I am looking forward to getting some new maternity clothes that I can wear these last few months.  Hopefully we will be able to get some good deals on things to stock up on for baby, such as diapers, wipes, maybe some more outfits and other essentials.

We're also hoping to stop by a few places that we saw on Diners Drive-ins and Dives. Yumm! I really love that show  (my other favorite is Eat St. and sadly there are not many food trucks like that in Winnipeg due to the long winter I guess), although everytime I watch it I get hungry.  It might sound funny, but it is actually a dream of mine to do a big food road trip.  I'll have to settle for this for now!

How far along?  28 weeks

Total weight gain? 17 Lbs

Maternity clothes? Getting to the limit of the non maternity tops, although some bigger sizes of flowy tops work 

Stretch marks? No

Sleep?  Getting more and more uncomfortable. When I rotate myself during the night it sometimes feels like i am moving a rock inside my belly. Almost kind of a sick feeling

Best moment this week? Making it to the 3rd trimester milestone!

Miss anything? Being able to sit without my legs apart.  Again, I get that sick feeling if there is too much pressure on my lower abdomen

Movement? Now that there is less room in there I am feeling more and more rolls rather than kicks. Lots of pressure pushing out on my belly from some parts of baby. Still tough for me to figure out which body part is which though!

Food cravings? Brownies, chocolate things 

Food aversions? Not really

Labor signs? Not really this week (Braxton hicks)

Symptoms? Headaches. Ugh. Although i am wondering if these could be due to the antibiotics the doctor put me on because of my plague.  One more day of these pills, and hoping my head stops being sad.

Looking forward to? This weekend's roadtrip to Minneapolis!

27 (and 1/2!) weeks

So it has been a rough few weeks, but I feel like I have improved a little bit over the last few days! I am finally able to sleep laying down with less coughing and sleep in general has been a bit better. I have actually found that sleeping on our futon is actually better on my back.  It sucks though to think of going the next few months sleeping in the den... especially with the husband not there.  We can both fit on it, but it is a little more cramped. 
Had my monthly doctors appt yesterday, and all appears excellent! I was supposed to have my glucose test, but stupid me, I had coffee a little too close to test time.  We're just reschedulling it until next month. The doctor obviously doesn't seem concerned that I have any issues there.  Heart rate is 150 and the crazy little animal is very active!  After next month I move to the every 2-3 week appointments!

So here we go....

How far along?  27 (and 1/2!) weeks

Weight gain?  About 17 lbs

Maternity clothes?  I have gotten lucky with Joe lately having some cute peasant tops that I just bought in a larger size.  Will hopefully have some luck when we are in Minneapolis next weekend shopping for some things to make me feel good!

Stretch marks?    Nope. I have started looking all the time though. Fingers crossed.

Sleep?  Slightly better because of the futon, and actually making it through the night without peeing sometimes!  I am enjoying this now because towards the end I know it will get bad!

Best moment this week?  Just knowing that I am starting to feel a bit better!

Miss anything?  Um have I mentioned how shaving is nearly impossible? 

Movement?  Um have I mentioned the crazy animal inside my belly that is doing acrobatics constantly?

Food Cravings?  Two words. Mini Eggs.  And with easter coming? They are always in my face!

Food aversions?  Nope

Labour Signs?  No, other than what I have finally decided must be the odd Braxton Hicks contractions. Totally painless, just the belly gets rock hard.

Symptoms?  I have been very sleepy the last few days, despite having been better rested than I have been in the last several weeks. Either it's because I have been sick, or because the 3rd trimester is right around the corner!  Is this the start of my energy lever decreasing?

Looking forward to?  Our trip to Minneapolis next weekend! Hello shopping!