{ 35 weeks }

35 weeks! Being 35 weeks is a fun thing... because not only am I 35 weeks, but I have 35 days until my "due date." Obviously being "due" doesn't mean baby will come then. Baby might not even come for up to two weeks after that! So it could be a little while yet. But the 35/35 milestone is kind of a fun one. Maybe it's because I didn't really "feel" all that pregnant until more recently, but I really feel like this is flying by. It's probably also because Ryan keeps me majorly on my toes, though, too... so I don't really have a lot of time to sit around and just think... and wait...

Best moment this week: Watching my belly twist and turn with the crazy movements of this little one! That's a "best moment" pretty much every day, though.

Prayer requests: Just the same thing as always... ;] The severe nausea and SPD pain. The pain has been excruciating and makes sleeping quite difficult. I hate taking medication and have yet to do so for this (even though I feel like the pain has been way more than enough to "justify" it)... I usually just try to "tough it out."

What scripture is speaking to you this week?: John 16:21 ~ "When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the aunguish, for the joy that her child has been born into the world."

Baby's growth?: He/she seems to be measuring right on target. I'm curious to know how big this babe will be...

Symptoms?: Um, everything! Nausea, SPD, sleeplessness, peeing a bajillion times a day/night, braxtion hicks... the works! But it's SO WORTH IT! ...even though it sucks. A lot.

Medical stuff?: Nothing to report. I didn't have an appointment this week, though.

Weight gain (or loss)?: Still below my pre-pregnancy weight. Don't worry, I'll gain it all back when I start nursing. *rolls eyes*

Cravings?: Today I craved a salad for lunch, so I ate one. I regretted that. Soo... my cravings don't really usually seem to be good ideas... like, ever.

What made you cry this week?: We had a huge snowstorm (~14"), and Jake was gone from Saturday night until Monday night doing snow removal. I'm getting pretty "husband-needy" as I seemed to at the end-ish of my pregnancy with Ryan... so it was hard not having him around. Especially because Ryan is here now! Anyway. I like my husband a lot. And I like it when he is home. :]

Maternity clothes?: ...what are those? I actually do have a few maternity shirts, but I still wear all my regular stuff.

Movement?: OFTEN, but mostly in the evenings or early morning. Baby is DEFINITELY head down and likes to twist and turn his/her head into my pelvis. It's such a weird feeling...

What I miss?: Feeling NORMAL. I miss feeling healthy, hungry, and like I could run around all day with my little guy outside.

What I'm looking forward to?: ...see above ;] I'm so ready for this wee one to be here! When baby is ready, of course. And I'm excited to nurse again. I'm determined to have a better beginning than Ryan and I did, and I feel really confident.

And finally... this is pretty much me right now:

Thankfully, since the beginning of my pregnancy, I have had the "Mission: Organization" going and had a goal to organize my entire house before the baby was born. You can look at a few of my past posts to see how that has gone. We just have to finish the attic and the office, and then we're DONE. So, there really isn't much to do... but I still feel like I have to clean things over (and over) again. Nesting much? ;]

Linking up with My Joy Filled Pregnancy... 

{ 30 weeks }

I'm not really sure how we went from an acorn squash baby to a cucumber baby... but whatever! ;]

My midwife appointment went well. Not really too many "new" details to share; we're still keeping an eye on my ketones and weight gain (or, well, lack of)... I've been starting to get really stressed out and frustrated with the situation, which isn't necessarily good, either. I explained to Jenny that I just get really frustrated that my urine keeps showing ketones when I feel like I've been really trying hard and doing the best I can with eating more... but yet it's just not enough. She understood and just encouraged me to keep trying.

I really, really need prayer regarding the pelvis/hip pain. It has gone from the point of painful but tolerable to barely tolerable... and I typically have a pretty high pain tolerance. This pain is no joke and it makes me feel pretty worthless... I have a few good hours every few days where I'm able to get some "house things" done, but other than that, most things are too hard on my body to accomplish and that's really hard for me. I actually ENJOY cleaning and organizing so not being able to keep a tidy house and prepare meals for Jake... it's just frustrating to me. Walking, sitting, getting dressed, rolling over in bed (or finding a comfy position in the first place) are all nightmares to do. So I would really, really appreciate prayer. I can't do this for the next 10 weeks... but I know that God will give me the grace to get through it.

We got the dresser from Ikea set up and stained, and I put all of baby's clothes in it; washed, folded and organized. Maybe it's too early for me to be doing that... but I don't care. Honestly, with all this pain... I want to get as much done now as I can! But I think that's all we really have to do. Other than the few house projects that I want to get done before baby comes. We're still "planning" on doing those. Hmph. We'll see. ;]

Random annoyance... I think my house smells like poop and I cannot figure it out... it's driving me crazy. I took out the garbage (it could have been a stinky diaper, maybe) and searched for the odor... but it's no where. Maybe it's in my head? I lit a candle and the smell has either gone away, or I'm just used to it because I've been in here all day... ha.

CRAVINGS... this is probably a bad idea to post pictures of what I'm craving right now... *starts to salivate*

apples

tortilla chips

raspberry milk shakes

...aaaand that's pretty much it. 

I took a "field trip" with my mom to the thrift store today. I just HAD to get out of the house today. I think I spent the most today that I ever have at a thrift store, but it was really fun to find some treasures. I found a toy organizer for Ryan (one like this), a fun tunnel for him to crawl in, and a little wooden stool to sit on. He found it in the store and we carried it all over, and he sat on it while I looked at things... it was perfect, haha! I got a few Christmas decorations and a fall wreath for the door. Oh, and a couple books for Ryan. All in all, it wasn't an expensive trip (and everything was half off, except for the toy bins), and it was fun to find some neat things. 

Not very much else is going on around here... Ryan is doing really well and has REALLY started to talk in the last week... I mean, he talked quite a bit before, but he repeats a TON of stuff now and it's so much fun! He has quite a few two-word sentences  too, which has been cool. "Socks on/off," "thank you," "excuse me," "get down," "all done," "help please..." I'm probably forgetting some. I'm not even sure what his single word vocab is up to now. He hasn't learned any new signs (rather, I haven't taught him any) because I've felt like the ones he knows have been beneficial enough and haven't really felt the need to teach him more. He is so much fun to be around, though... writing about him gives me all sorts of warm fuzzies because he is just such a joy. What a little blessing!! 

Can you believe he is 21 months now?! 

[phone pic; eating carrots and dip!]

[phone pic; riding his truck around]

[phone pic; testing out baby's new carseat with Lamby {"Me me"}]

And I'll leave you with one more picture... of da belly. 

{30 weeks}

Please remember to pray for me! I really need it.

{ 28 / 29 weeks }

And here is it, the third trimester! We're on the homestretch, baby!

I had an appointment with my midwife last Monday. {Mostly} everything looks great! I'm still having issues with ketones being in my urine and we aren't really sure why. I'm sure it's from not taking in as many calories as I "should" be... but it's very hard when you don't have a big appetite.

I've also been having SPD issues... SPD is basically where you have too much of the relaxin hormone in your body and it makes your joints feel super loose. It hurts, a LOT. There are some days when I just want to tie my legs together at the knees so I don't have to move my hips. It basically like someone took a sledgehammer to my pelvis...not fun. I typically have a pretty high pain tolerance but this is definitely the worst I've felt (yes, worse than Ryan's labor/birth!). Going up/down stairs, walking, sitting, putting on pants, stepping over something, carrying things, picking up Ryan... simple, every day "life" things have become pretty painful. If it isn't one thing, it's another, huh? I must just be meant to have pregnancies that are... interesting.

The nausea has lessened to an extent but it's still around, here and there. I've been nauseous most of the day today, and night time has been pretty awful. Baby, you are so worth this! But that doesn't make it "fun" or easy.

I was up a 1/2lb at my last appointment, so still 3lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight. Blood pressure was good, like 108/70 or something like that. She also did the gestational diabetes test, which I kicked in the pants ;] Instead of having to drink that nasty glucose beverage (oofta, that made me so nauseous last time), I got to eat 18 jelly beans. They've been tested to have the same amount of sugar and it's a more "pleasant" thing to eat. It still wasn't the most enjoyable (I'm not a huge fan of sweets/jelly beans), but it was way more tolerable than the awful orange drink! Then we waited an hour and my midwife checked my blood (finger poke). The blood sugar needed to be below 140 (but she prefers 130), and it was 102. We were kind of wondering if maybe the GD test number was high if it would give us an idea of what's going on with the ketones in my urine, but that obviously has nothing to do with it.

I went to go into the lab and get my blood drawn yesterday. My midwife tried to draw my blood again at this last appointment and my veins are just too difficult! Their urine tests are more sensitive so maybe it will give us some insight on the ketones. Otherwise if I continue to have issues with it, she may want me to see a regular OB to make sure she isn't missing something. I'm hoping to avoid that... but if it happens, it happens.

The birth is starting to feel so much more real... I was given a list of things to purchase! It's so surreal. I think it will feel that way until I'm in labor. Or until the baby is here :] But it's starting to become very, very real and I am SO excited!!

I was hoping to post a picture this time, but every time I am "photo decent" (which, let's be honest, is not every day at this point), I forget to ask Jake to take a picture. Oh well... next time! Next appointment is November 5th. :]

Waiting

A certain little someone loves his papa, and anxiously awaits for him in front of the window in the living room. I love that he loves his daddy. :]

Fall Fun Outside

Ryan... what an adventerous little boy!! He loves being outside and has really enjoyed the cooler weather so we can be outside more often. 

With... or without?

Our living room windows have wooden pieces on them that gives the illusion that there are several panes of glass instead of one large window. Lately I've been thinking about taking them off. I did the other day and took a few before and after pictures so I could see what you think.

Here is an older picture of our living room...

And here are the before/after window pictures...

WITH

WITHOUT

WITH

WITHOUT
 

WITH

WITHOUT

These windows are also in the living room on the other wall, and they don't have the "panes." The windows in the dining room do, but the other windows in the house are quite random... there is one on a half of the kitchen window, one of ours, both of Ryan's... but none upstairs. So not having them on all the windows is a factor, too... we don't plan on having them made, because that isn't an important expense that we don't plan on putting into our budget, Also, our house is not new. It was built in 1964 and I don't necessarily want it to look "modern" in any sense; I like the old feel of it with all of the original hardwood and wood work. But the panes were starting to feel "jail-ish" to me in a sense... I feel like it's way more "open" without them. It's kind of a way to "lighten up" the room without having to change anything else.

So, what do you think? Jake's vote is to leave them off, and I'm leaning in that direction as well.

Also, those cheap "shades" are there to stay... our budget is super tight when it comes to home decorating, but we needed something to cover the windows (especially since I'm having a home birth in January, haha). Any ideas for curtains or something to pretty it up? You can see in the section with the bay window that there isn't a lot of ceiling above the windows, so I'm not sure what to do there. Help me out, creative friends!! :] I'm good at organization but my decorating skills (on a budget) are lacking.

Keeping Cilantro Fresh

I finally heard of a way to keep my cilantro fresh, and it works really, really well! I've tried several other ways to keep it fresh for longer (refrigerate it, don't refrigerate it, put it in water, put it in a container, etc), but none of them worked well. Sure, they all worked in the sense that they kept it fresh longer than if you left it in the little baggy, but not as fresh for as long as I had hoped.

Wash your cilantro and let it air dry, shaking out the extra water. You can keep it tied in the bundle for this; it will be easier. Then just stick it in a glass or jar of water, and throw a gallon sized baggie over it. That's it.

These pictures were taken when my cilantro was about 3 weeks old, and that was a week ago; it still looks really good. It's a little "mooshed" because of the baggy, but it's still super green and not limp. 

Yay for fresh cilantro!! What's your favorite thing to make cilantro with? 

{ embrace the camera : 10.18 }

Earlier this week, the weather was so nice!! We got to play outside every day. Now I stare out the window and the wet, cold and grey drizzly mess... and I start to dread winter! I LOVE FALL. I wish it was fall all the time. Ryan loves being outside, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the little guy once it becomes to cold to regularly play outside! Of course, come January, I'll be super busy with a newborn and will probably appreciate being "stuck" inside. Ryan might go stir crazy, though.

[I had to tickle him to get a smile]

Link up with Emily over at The Anderson Crew for Embrace the Camera every Thursday... it's all about getting IN the photo with your child(ren) or loved ones instead of always being the one behind the camera! 

{ 27 weeks }

Last week of the second trimester! Things seem to be flying by. Jake and I were just talking the other night about "all" the things we need to do before baby arrives. The main thing I want to do is to finish our bed room! We just have to sand the walls and prime/paint them, but finding the time to do it has been a problem lately. It's definitely at least a weekend project, if not more.

In the last post, I mentioned having some trouble deciding on the name... well, our trouble just got a bajillion times worse and now pretty much every name has been nixed due to one reason or the other. I don't remember having this many problems with Ryan's name!! Ha. Oh well. It'll happen.

I had an appointment with my midwife on the 10th. Things are well! I was measuring at 27 weeks (I was 26 weeks at the time), up 2lbs from my appointment a month ago (but still -4lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight), baby's heart rate and my blood pressure were all great. The only "thing" was that I had ketones in my urine... which basically means that my body was  (is?) using stored fats instead of what I'm taking in, because what I'm taking in isn't enough. Ketones in your urine are good if you are on a diet but not during pregnancy!! I haven't been too sick lately, just some nausea here and there... but I literally have not had much of an appetite at all. I'm not one who can "force" myself to eat when I'm not hungry (the thought of that makes me feel even worse), so if I'm not hungry, I can sometimes forget to eat. It's not intentional by any means, and it's frustrating when people tell me "JUST EAT!" Sometimes I just can't.

My next appointment is October 22nd... which is actually really soon! We started doing every-other-week appointments now, to make my appointments line up with when she wanted me to do some tests (if I chose to). At this next appointment, we are going to do the GD test. I have to eat 18 jelly beans (ugh, but better than the nasty glucose drink), wait an hour, and then she'll do a finger poke to take a blood test. I don't remember what number it needs to be under (140 or something?), but with my last pregnancy, it was 91... so I'm not worried about it.

Still having quite a few BH contractions... since like 20 weeks now, I think? My midwife said that she wasn't concerned so much with the number of them, but more so if I was having bleeding or if they started to get really intense. Well, I dunno what "really intense" means, but some of them have been pretty uncomfortable! Not painful, and manageable, but not the most comfortable thing, either.

The midwife's assistant, Kate, started phasing out of being a student with Jenny and started working with a midwife who had a busier practice. Kate will still likely be at the birth as Jenny's assistant, unless Jenny has a new student by then. I hope Kate will be able to be there! It's just nice to have developed some sort of relationship with people so I KNOW them and know who will be there.

I'm getting so very excited about a home birth!! All the little details are falling into place and it's just very exciting!! We need to get going on ordering the birth tub and the supplies... not sure how long shipping will take for that stuff.

Nap time... hooray!!

Mission: Organization {vacuum closet}

I had been waiting to organize my vacuum closet until I was able to find the plastic "drawers" to keep all the little random things in (batteries, screws, outlet covers, etc) on sale. Is "vacuum closet" a good name for it? I don't really know what else to call it. Anyway, I finally found a couple drawer bins at Target yesterday for a decent price, so I got to work organizing. I actually took a before picture this time, too. I knew I would be organizing the closet soon, so a lot of things just got thrown in there recently... which makes it look so much worse! Haha.

Before:

After:

Don't mind the little vacuum-obsessed sweetie in the last picture ;] He seriously asks to vacuum at least several times a day. What a good helper!

So all I bought were the two drawer bins and the big plastic bin on the top shelf. I put all the extra lightbulbs and garbage bags in that bin. The cost was close to $10 which is more than I've spent on any other organizing project, but those drawer bins are not cheap! Oh well. One more thing organized! And I've been working oh-so-very-hard on the guest room upstairs. All the baby clothes and "stuff" are organized... yay! The room is almost clean. I didn't take a before picture of that... oops. I think my urge to organize/clean is so spontaneous that I forget to take a picture before hand. And by the time I do remember, I don't even feel like taking a picture for fear that I will lose my motivation or get distracted by something else!

My tea is calling my name...!

{ 25 weeks }

Hello 25 weeks :]

Things have been going well... hence the lack of updates, because things have been "boring"! I don't have an appointment until the 10th. After that, we start going to bi-weekly appointments, so then maybe I will have some things to talk about. It's a little early to do the bi-weekly appointments, but we are doing it this way to make things line up the right way for when she wants to do some tests and things.

I have been having a LOT of braxton hicks contractions lately, though, and they've been annoying! I really do think I do too much some days, and they could be caused by that... but also not drinking as much water as I really should be. I'm trying to keep a full bottle of cold water near me at all times to make it easy to stay hydrated. Yesterday I made myself sit on the couch and not do anything (but play with trucks and read books with Ryan, of course!) because I felt like I was having too many. I figured resting and hydrating myself would help, and it did. If it wouldn't have gotten better, I probably would have called my midwife. But it's fine for now.

Baby names... oy! I'm pretty sure this child just won't ever have a name. I mentioned a name to Jake last week and it's been "the one" for him since. I feel like it's too popular, though... so I don't know. Ryan turned out to be a more popular name than I thought it was going to be (#25), although we don't have anyone in our friend group with that name at all. There are a few other names I like (that Jake doesn't really care for), but I keep trying them out on him in hopes that he will maybe soften up to them. Give me suggestions, I'm all ears! We try to avoid super popular names and we really don't like "trendy" names... but we'd like to stay away from super old names, too.

Ryan seems to be really excited about the baby in my tummy. We'll see if that excitement lasts once baby is outside of my tummy ;) He gets mad when I don't let him lift up my shirt to pat my belly, haha! He likes to give the baby kisses and hugs. I tell him, "The baby is hiding! But soon the baby will come OUT!" Then he runs around and says "Out, out, out, out."

I don't know if I'm really seriously "nesting" (because some say that is an indicator of labor, which is definitely not right around the corner for me), or if I just like being prepared and looking at baby things... but I have a serious itch to wash all the baby clothes and put them into the dresser. We bought a small, unstained dresser at Ikea recently (did you know they have unstained furniture now?! So you can stain it to match your decor!!) and Jake just needs to assemble it for me so I can fill it with baby fluff. The only other thing that we "have" to buy is a car seat, since I sold Ryan's that was a travel system (we hardly used the stroller). I'd really like to figure out cloth diapers, too, but I suppose I don't need to rush on that because I don't plan on using them right away anyways.

That's all for now. Ryan is napping and will probably wake up soon... we just had a stretch of sleeping really horribly (and I'm talking that I maybe got three random hours of sleep per night for 8 days in a row) because he is teething... and I think things are kind of getting back to normal again. Thankfully! I felt so bad for him, and I was getting to be absolutely exhausted. Anyway, we're going to go outside and play in the leaves with the kitties after lunch. It is SO BEAUTIFUL outside!

Haha, speaking of... I just heard him over the monitor ;)

[25 weeks]

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Since our family has been making transitions to eat better*, I've been trying to make a lot more of our own pantry staples. An easy transition has been to make our own taco seasoning. I've tried a few recipes and didn't really care for them... the recipes that had chili powder as the main ingredient just didn't seem to taste all that great. Then I found one that used mostly cumin... and I tweaked it to fit our tastes... and we loved it. It's the only one we make now! 

[terrible phone picture, but oh well!]

2 tablespoons cumin
1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon black or white pepper
1/4 teaspoon chili powder

(sometimes I add a little bit more of the "spicy" ingredients depending on how hot we want it, and sometimes I add red pepper flakes. It all depends on our mood... or my pregnancy nausea!)

I always double it, though. Throw all the ingredients in a bowl and mix it up. You can put it in an old spice container or whatever you have. I've been asked several times "how much do you use?" and honestly, it depends! I usually make 1 lb of ground beef when we have tacos (so Jake can have leftovers for lunch the next day), and when the meat is done browning (with diced onions) and has been drained if needed, I add a bunch of this seasoning and some salt and a little water... and I taste it. If it needs more, I add more. Simple as that. :) 

What other home made pantry staples should I give a try? Any suggestions? 

*we generally eat pretty "healthy," but I've been trying to reduce the amount of processed foods (even though we don't eat very much), things with MSG/GMOs, etc.