Sunday Supper

It is looking like Tampa might host a tropical storm this coming weekend, and though we will be in Cleveland Fri - Sun for a wedding, I thought it would be a good idea to stock up with some food just in case we get stuck here.  We don't really need all canned stuff because we are lucky enough to have a generator in case we lose power.  But I still want to have a lot of protein around the house, being pregnant and all.  We have a few 5 gallon jugs of water on hand at all times so we're all good there.  Lots of cans of beans and beef jerky.  Nuts, dried fruit, and "healthier" chips and snacky things.  Of course protein bars which are a staple in my diet.  I love the Atkins ones, the Zone bars, and I'm currently eating my way through some Snackwells and some crunchy Cliff bars that were on sale and they're pretty good. 
I also decided to be a good wife and make dinner instead of the Publix sub that I am really craving.  I got my new Cooking Light magazine in the mail yesterday.  After I browsed the first few pages and everything looked good, I decided to open to a random page and cook the closest recipe.  Ended up making
 Baja Pork Stir Fry
It was quite delicious!  Unfortunately I somehow forgot a red onion at the store, which is odd because I lovelovelove onions.  But I added a whole jalapeno instead of half, and about a cup of extra green red and yellow peppers to sub the onion.  Besides that I followed it to a tee. 

poor cell phone shot

My plate!  Yum yum.

I'll make some brown rice for the husband to have with it, or I'll just have him bring a serving home with him from work tonight if he calls before he leaves. 

We're having a GIRL!!!

I absolutely hate waiting so long between appointments.  I wasn't feeling much movement even up to 20 weeks so I was freaking out a little bit, worried I wasn't pregnant anymore.  But then there is the appetite and the growing belly and I know I'm just out of my mind, but it is still peace of mind to hear that heart beat and hear the Dr say "sounds perfect".  So on Thursday I called my Dr office and asked if I could come in a day early and they said yes!!  We did the full sonogram where the tech (who I think is GREAT) measured all the major bones, the 4 chambers of the heart, the brain and all major organs, and the anatomy.  It is for sure a baby girl, so her 12 week prediction was correct!  Brian and I are very excited!  I wasn't crying but I strangely had tears coming from my eyes.  Maybe it was the angle I had to look up to see the screen, maybe it was just excitement?  Either way, it was just so heartwarming to see the little girl moving around and know she is growing just fine.  She had hiccups for a few minutes.  Then she had a big yawn.  She was also sucking her thumb (hopefully not biting her nails like her mom!)  She weighs 14 ounces which I was a little surprised by, because everything I read puts her at 10 ounces this week.  I asked the Dr if that is too much and he laughed and said "maybe you will be having a big baby".  I was worried about gestational diabetes because I know babies grow too fast with this.  But the Dr said my weight gain is right on track and everything looks great.  So my mind is at ease.  I think I will lay off the peanut M&M's and other various cookie and candy delights just in case.

Now we can start painting!!!  I have some fun ideas for the nursery and I can't wait!  Today I'm going to put up paint sample #1, which I think might be a touch too bright.  We will see.  The rest of the house is a dark earthy green and what I'm imagining for the nursery is not going to flow at all, but it will be her own little space and even though I'd rather it flow with the house, I will ideally change the color of the rest of the house in the next year or 2 to something much lighter and kinder, so it's OK right now.   I'm going to order her quilt and bumper today from Land of Nod.  I ordered a free swatch recently so they sent me an email saying I have 30 days free shipping.  I'm going to take advantage!  Yay :)  We also started our registry at Buybuy Baby.  Before publishing we will also do one at Babies R Us and Target.  I'm really excited about some of the things we registered for.  The bassinet is beautiful!  Craig in the stroller section was a huge help and gave us a lot of information.  Armed with the knowledge he gave us we went home with all our books and the computer and searched YouTube reviews for all.  We decided on the City Elite.  It's not cheap but it's awesome!!  Can't wait to take baby girl for lots of adventures in it!  I'm a little overwhelmed about the bottles so I just picked a few Dr Browns in case she doesn't love them.  If they don't work, I will try another brand.  I'm also excited about little food making kits, and little tubbys and tubby toys :)  Will be checking out breast pumps on line this week, as well as signing up for a class at the hospital.  That is definitely the scariest part to me.  But I know how good it is for the baby so I'm really determined. 

Well I'd better get going, I want to see my beautiful niece play some softball today and catch  up the the sister and family!  yay for Sundays off!!!

Weekly Check In

I hit my 20 week mark today!  Yippee!  I think I can finally justify the weekly update!  I used to read these on other blogs before I was pregnant and while they were interesting to me, I never thought I would be doing them, but here goes:)

How far along?  20 weeks

Weight Gain/Loss?  Well when I took my HPT on May 2nd I weighed 118 when I woke up, but on May 3rd I weighed 120 when I woke up and went to PCP office for an official test, so I fluctuate quite a bit, especially when my crappy home scale is involved.  At my first OB appointment on May 31 I was officially weighed at 126 so I think I will use that as my starting point.  Today at home I am 133.5.  So I'm either +13.5, or how I would like to think of it, +7/8 lbs.  I'm curious to see what the Dr says about my weight gain at my next appointment on the 19th. 

Maternity clothes?  Sometimes.  I can still wear my clothes from when I was heavier but the pants give me saggy butt, and the shirts are too short, since now I am carrying my weight very differently than the days of the weight struggles.  So I find myself wearing maternity pants because they make my butt look the best :)  I did pop into the Motherhood store at Citrus Park mall the other day since Brian was at Sears getting tools.  I got a dress for an upcoming wedding we are going to, and a more casual dress for day to day when jeans aren't going to cut it.  Overall, I'm not in love with maternity clothes.  They are still pretty big on me, I'm so in between right now.  Story of my life when it comes to clothes fitting me properly.  Will I ever stop changing shapes and sizes?  For goodness sake!  Maybe I will check out Pea in a Pod today at International Plaza.  They seem to have more variety. 

Sleep?  I am trying to sleep on my left because that is the way to get the best blood flow to the baby.  Problem is I have always slept on my right so I roll to my right after I fall asleep, then wake up and worry about the baby and roll back to the left.  Then there is the minimum of 3 times I get up to pee.  I have to note that at least getting up to pee isn't too difficult yet :)

Best Moment this past week?  Brian has been working hard on the bathroom and on getting our home ready, and he has just been so amazing through this.  So this week there isn't one specific moment that stands out (we've both been working a lot this week and I've had a cold, boo) but just that I'm feeling an overall sense of peace and happiness and comfort in knowing we are bringing a baby into a good place. 

Belly button in or out?   I'm in denial that mine is going to pop out.  In.

Movement?  UMMM.  I don't know?  Sometimes I feel a little something in my lower belly but I just don't know.  It's so subtle.  I am  hoping for a soccer player IRL and I'm hoping for some significant kicks in the very near future.  I'm constantly worried that something is wrong because I feel like I should be feeling more kicks by now. 

What I miss?  That is easy.  Working out.  A kick ass, sweat dripping on the ground, heart pounding, difficult to breath, wobbly and shaky work out.  My Dr said I can work out as long as I keep heart rate below 140, but worrying about not getting my heart rate too high makes me nervous and I don't enjoy the workout.  Not to mention, the back pain I have had since about week 10. 

What I'm looking forward to this week?  HELLO!  My 20 week appointment is on Friday and I will find out for sure what we are having, I.Can't.Wait!

Milestones. 
Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)
He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Labor signs  Nope. Thank goodness.  Baby has a lot more cooking to do.

Picture. 

Oh My!!  Where did that belly come from???  Oh yeah, I remember :)