32 & 33 Weeks

Since I've overdue for some recent pics...

Here are a couple from last week at 32 weeks:

And, a few more that I managed to get today, just one day shy of 33 weeks.

Not much change between the two, but you get the idea. I am a full fledged pregnant woman!

As far as how I've been feeling... Pretty darn good! My back was really starting to bother me a few weeks ago. As in, waking up in the middle of the night from discomfort. Thankfully, my OB recommended a great chiropractor and after only a couple of visits I feel like a million bucks.

General movement is more labored than I'm used to - bending over and rolling over in bed at night are interesting. One night, I must have been making some grunting noises when trying to switch positions and I woke Josh up enough to ask me what was wrong. "Oh nothing, honey. I'm just rolling over...only takes about 5 minutes." :)

Heartburn was another huge pregnancy complaint for me, and as of about 2 weeks ago, it got unbearable. As in, I was a fire breathing dragon about 85% of the time. I've gone this whole pregnancy without taking anything more than Tums, but it got so bad that I finally gave into my doctor's recommendation for Prevacid. Strangely enough, I don't even have to take it everyday. One dose usually leaves me heartburn free for at least 2 days, but I'm so grateful not to be miserable when eating and drinking anymore.

Olivia must be running out of room in there because I seem to feel her moving around almost constantly, and when she does it often looks like a scene out of Alien. My ribs have gotten a bit sore from her tap dancing as well. I actually have a really short torso for my height, so I was definitely expecting the discomfort. But, other than a few minor aches and pains I'm still a pretty happy pregnant person!

The nursery is coming along and I hope to have some pictures to share with you shortly. In addition to all things baby, we've been working hard to get virtually every project completed at the house because I'm not fooling myself... Once she's here, those projects will be on the back burner for quite some time. So, needless to say, the weekends feel like one big long to do list, but we're getting there. I'll have a re-modeled bathroom and some Christmas decor to share with you as well. Tis the season!

Catch Up...

It's been awhile... Anyone else find that after a week or two goes by it's so hard to get that return post out of the way? Because I certainly do! So, here are some updates for you - bullet style.

• All of our childbirth classes have been completed. Josh and I took a 4 week Natural Childbirth Class and then a separate Natural Childbirth Workshop led by two doulas focusing on some Birthing From Within techniques. Both classes, but especially the later, were hugely informative and I think both of us feel prepared (as much as you can be anyway) for what's ahead. Josh even commented that he is much less scared about the whole process than before.
  
• We have the daycare situation covered. Thankfully, I have an incredibly awesome mother who is re-working her schedule to have Olivia two days a week, and I have an incredibly awesome boss who is okay with me working one day a week from home. Which leaves only two days a week for my sweet little baby girl to be at daycare. I think it will be a great balance for me, once my 12 week maternity leave is over and I have to return to the daily grind. The daycare we have chosen is a wonderful, small facility only about 3 minutes from the house and 7 minutes from my work.
  
• We've purchased a new car! After forgoing our original plan to purchase a brand new Chevy Traverse or GMC Acadia (with 3rd row seating and a DVD player) we decided to go with a slightly used Mazda CX-7 for the time being. While we will probably upgrade sooner with more children (God willing), for now the Mazda just made more sense financially. I just don't need all that car yet...

• Olivia's room is coming along... Unfortunately, we have a slight color discrepancy between her crib and dresser. The dresser/changing table is more white and the crib looks more ivory. It's a subtle difference, but when you spend that kind of money on furniture it needs to be perfect - plain and simple. The store where we purchased the set has assured us that they will switch out whatever pieces necessary to get us an exact match and are working with the manufacturer to get things straightened out. Since I simply cannot handle the stress of worrying when the details will be resolved, I'm forging ahead for the time being and will deal with the swap when the time comes.


• Did I mention that we're re-doing the upstairs bathroom and selling my previous car right now as well? Could I possibly put one more thing on my plate, lol.


• The house is decorated for Christmas and a huge chunk of our Christmas shopping has been completed. Just a handful of gifts left to purchase, thank goodness!


• I have the first of three showers this weekend and am excited for all that comes with it. Strangely, I always have a bit of a hard time, all the fuss being made over me, but it will be so much fun to catch up with family and friends and swoon over all of the adorable baby items.


• Ummm... Can we talk about the fact that I'm just over 7 weeks from my due date!?!?! Seriously, folks, this is getting wild. Time is flying by faster than I can believe. She really will be here before I know it. And, I have lots to get accomplished in the meantime...

32 week belly pics to come... :)

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Last week, I had a sudden urge to do some baking. It was a dreary fall day (as most have been lately) and I decided to whip up something with pumpkin to fit the mood. Using a combination of recipes from All Recipes and The Hungry Housewife, I forged ahead.

Because I didn't have any buttermilk on hand to make Leslie's recipe, I found a suitable one on All Recipes. The basics are as follows:

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups canned pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 cups white sugar
6 eggs
4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

DIRECTIONS:
1.)Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 9x5 inch loaf pans.

2.) In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; stir into the pumpkin mixture until well blended. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

3.) Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The top of the loaf should spring back when lightly pressed.

I got to work mixing everything. And, threw in some extra cinammon because I'm crazy like that.

Then, because things only get better with chocolate, I eye-balled some milk chocolate chips for an addition.


Then, I mixed up some of Leslie's crumb topping, minus the oatmeal (we were out).


CRUMB TOPPING INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed
1/2 cup oatmeal (1 package of instant oatmeal)
1/2 cup walnuts

In a medium bowl, combine first five ingredients with a pastry blender or fork, so it resembles, well "crumbles". Mix in oatmeal and walnuts.

I poured my pumpkin mixture into the prepared loaf pan and muffin tins.

Note: This recipe makes a ton (3 full loaves). I went with one loaf and the rest muffins, but plan accordingly.


And, added the crumb topping.

Into the oven they went...
And, after...the house smelled wonderful!

These were a huge hit and I'll definitely be saving the recipe because it was so simple to throw together. My husband swears that the bread only got better as the week went on... Everything stayed very moist and fresh (the last of it was being finished by family and friends a week later) and the flavor was full without being over the top pumpkin-y.

I just love this time of year for baking, don't you?

28 Weeks

So, I'm a bit behind on these, but here are some recent belly pics at 28 weeks.

Ladies and gentleman, time is really flying now. At my doctor's appointment last Thursday, we scheduled everything thing through December (37 weeks). Holy hell, that was a reality check. Olivia will be here before we know it.

I'm still feeling pretty good and working out 4 to 5 days a week. I had to give up my step aerobics class, but I'm keeping up with the light weights, elliptical and stationary bike. And, to make squeezing in some cardio even easier (now and when the baby's born), we now have this pretty little thing in our finished basement.

I told Josh it could be my Christmas, birthday, push, whatever-we-need-an-excuse-for present. Staying fit is obviously important to me, and getting to the gym is going to be a much more difficult task with a newborn. Problem solved :).

In other pregnancy news, I gained 5 pounds this month for a total of 20. It's hard for me to make peace with any weight gain, but this is obviously a necessity. And, I'm still right on track in terms of what is recommended so I can't complain too much.

As far as eating goes, during the week I keep it all healthy, and then I allow myself some splurges on the weekend. If I'm craving pizza, cookies or donuts, I make myself wait until Friday through Sunday for the most part, and I think it keeps me from going too crazy. But, I'm not going to say no to those things entirely. I mean, I'm pregnant for goodness sake. What indulgences do I have besides food???

The doctor also commented on the very faint linea nigra that has appeared on the lower half of my stomach. It's barely noticeable at this point, but she said with my darker, easily tanned skin tone, it'll probably be out in full force by the end of my pregnancy.

Turning over in bed is becoming quite the challenge, as is bending over. I've had three instances of sciatica in the past week, and all I can say about that is it's pretty horrible. It has to do with Olivia shifting in my pelvis and she'll temporarily place pressure on the nerve, causing shooting pain all down my right side. The best I can describe it, it feels like a charley horse, total numbness, and pins and needles all at the same time. It lasts anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes and provides a perfect opportunity for me to practice my pain management techniques :).

Speaking of pain management, we're halfway through our 4 week childbirth classes and I'd have to say that we're both really enjoying them. The three hours go by pretty quickly and I think my husband especially appreciates all of the information. I've read every book under the sun and he's read his fair share as well, but the added visualization is a plus.

Her room is coming along, we're shopping for a new car and our baby preparedness is in high gear. Just over 11 weeks to go...

Apple Pie Rave

The hubby recently had a birthday, and requested some apple pie to celebrate. And, while I love to bake, I'm not the type of person who typically likes a complicated four hour recipe. So, Jennifer's apple pie over at This Girl Loves Pink, seemed like the perfect compromise.

I knew I wanted a crumb topping, and it called for a pre-made pie crust, so all that left was peeling and slicing the apples and then throwing it all together.

Unfortunately, I failed in the photo department because I didn't think to take a picture until it was 2/3 gone and sitting in the fridge. But, oh my goodness, this pie delivered and will definitely be a part of my dessert repetoire.


It was perfect without being too sweet, and still delicious when re-heated. We served it while warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and it was divine.

25 Weeks

My Lord, how time is flying!! I've passed the six month mark and will be in my third trimester in a couple of weeks.

Little Olivia is now over a foot long and is working on fattening up, and my uterus is approximately the size of a soccer ball - feels like it too!

Some of my most recent belly shots at 25 weeks, 2 days:

I've noticed that my belly button is starting to decrease in depth. I still have quite a ways to go until it's an outie (I have a pretty deep belly button), but I can tell that some of the former inner is now the outer :). According to the doctor, I've gained 15 pounds so far - currently right on track for the recommended 25 to 35 pounds, so I'll take it.

Olivia is kicking like crazy and moving all around. At times, I feel her way down low kicking my bladder, and the next minute I feel her up near my ribs. Her kicks have gotten so strong that not only can Josh feel them, but he can sometimes see them as well.

In other belly news, it is evident that my abdominal muscles are beginning to separate. For instance, below is a picture I took leaning over my relaxed (round) belly.

And, here is a picture of me leaning back, thus slightly flexing my ab muscles.

Nice cone, huh? And, it feels really weird to. On either side, my stomach still feels really hard as my ab muscles are there. But, when you push in the middle (the height of the "cone") it actually feels really soft. No muscle there...

And, would you believe that in the midst of my pregnancy I managed to sprain my ankle!?! I rolled it Wednesday night at the gym. It's an old injury that I guess just couldn't stand up to the loosened joints that come with carrying a baby. As if I needed another reason for uneducated gym-goers to look at the pregnant lady like she's a cripple who should be on bed rest.

I was in a good amount of pain through Friday and couldn't walk on it at all. Did I mention that my husband was out of town?? Yeah, it was a miserable couple of days. I realized how much one can take for granted things like getting to the bathroom and showering, when you don't have the use of all four limbs.

Thankfully, by Friday evening I was able to put some weight on it without crutches as we had a wedding to attend. Did I mention that we had a wedding on Saturday as well? I was quite a sight I tell you...

Oh, and for documentation purposes here's a picture of my injury with 4 days of healing time. The golf ball is gone, but it's still a bit swollen and a lovely shade of purple.

Looks like I'll be sticking with some light weight training, the elliptical and stationary bike from now on.

Finally...

Our dining room furniture arrived from Thomasville.

We had waited quite a few weeks to receive it and were so excited to finally see it in our home.

We are tried and true adults.

Of course, my always organizational husband immediately unloaded our boxes of Vera Wang china (yes, still in the boxes from our November 2007 wedding) and we went about situating them in the china cabinet. I wonder if it'll take us just as long to finally eat off them...

We still need drapes, a new chandelier and are tossing around the idea of an area rug under the table, but I think we're off to a great start.