Any Day Now...

37 week update:)

We have been enjoying this beautiful weather!  As our last few weeks as a family of 2 comes to an end we are getting as much quality time in as possible.  The weekend before last we went to dinner with some friends and then continued our date night to the movies.  We saw This Means War with Reese Witherspoon.  It was good but not great!  This past weekend we spent some time finishing up some last minute errands and baby related things around the house.  I packed my and Stella's bags for the hospital and Adam installed the car seat base.  Then we had another date night.  This time we tried a new restaurant (well new to us!) called Grey Goose.  The service was a bit slow, but the food and atmosphere more than made it up for it.  It was so YUMMY!  Then we made our way to DQ to take advantage of the buy one get one $0.99 blizzards:)  Besides the time change messing up my sleep cycle, I'm really loving the beautiful days and extra sunlight!!

On to our weekly update....

I'm officially full-term.  I'm still in the attitude where I'm ready to meet her but ok with her "baking" a bit longer.  Only wishing it was the end of the month:)  

We had our weekly doctors visit today.  Nothing too exciting.  My BP was good as usual.  Stella's heartbeat was 145bpm.  Still head down but hasn't dropped.  Not dilated. 50% effaced (cervix thinning).  Still feeling lots of movement!

How I'm feeling: A bit better than last week-thank goodness!  Still with heartburn probably 75% of the time which only goes to show she definitely hasn't dropped.  My back pain has subsided!  We've been taking Brodie on walks at night and I'm getting short of breath and lagging behind Adam.  

Weight gain: up 1 more pound.  But still under my goal weight (barely!)

Belly Button: Almost popped!!  I was hoping that this would be another beloved sign of pregnancy that I wasn't graced with but you can almost see it through some clothes.  It's not as gross as I once thought.  Now I think of it as if Stella's almost done cooking!!  Ha!

Size of Stella: WATERMELON!  Whoa baby that's large:)

Now, I'm off to fill out my NCAA bracket...GO CATS!!

Unsolicited advice

Ok so this is a little bit of a vent/rant for me!  I figured since the people reading this are my close friends and family, I could speak freely.  Please don't judge me--remember the pregnancy hormones:)

Let me set this up appropriately: 

I LOVE getting advice from my friends that are new mommas!  I would be at a complete loss without each of you. (So this is no way directed towards any of you!) And in no way do I feel as though I know enough about anything to be deemed an expert despite being in the medical field.  However, I do understand some things.

Cutting to the chase:

Please don't judge or criticize me for the way I want to deliver my child or even raise my child.  Adam and I are first time parents, but WE are the parents.  We will make these decisions together as a family which does NOT involve any one else!

Sorry for that, but I've been really bothered lately by all of the unsolicited "advice" or really how people just tell you what to do.  Ummm hello I'm an adult and this child is coming out of me...I think I can decide for myself if I want an epidural or not, etc.  I may have touched on this topic before, but we have decided to be open minded about the laboring process and really everything bc who knows what things will be like the day of delivery or how our baby will be.  I've never experienced true pain--no horrible surgeries or broken bones, etc so I have no idea what my pain tolerance is.  I plan to "try" to go all natural but I'm not opposed to an epidural if I can't handle the pain.  That being said, Adam and I have educated ourselves appropriately.  We attended the natural childbirth course and have read many books (well I read the books!).  So I'm really offended when people blatantly disrespect our decision and tell me to get the epidural.  Now I may very well end up with one.  But honestly it's not your decision or any of your business, we are the parents and we will do what we think is best for our baby.  And please don't tell me to get the epidural and then proceed to tell me how big the needle is, etc.  Again I am in the medical field, unlike yourself, and have seen many epidurals placed!  And that's another thing, if you don't have some sort of medical credentialling (RN, MD, PA, etc) then please don't dish out medical opinions---you are NOT an expert just stop!!!  Did you forget that I know what you are saying is total bologna?!

SHEWW!  I feel a little better;)  That of course is just the surface of the unsolicited comments!

I love FOOD ~ Recipes

I've been busy lately. Not necessarily nesting as I should be, but baking and cooking in preparation of not having time down the road.  I LOVE food but hate dislike cooking mainly because I'm just not that great at it!  Adam can vouch for that:)  He will eat whatever I make for dinner; however I know that it truly is good if he keeps the remaining portion for leftovers the next day!   Sometimes, he'll make some simple suggestions that will make the dish better...believe me we have eaten some not so great things!  Anyways, I've tried a few new recipes and even some old favorites to freeze for later and thought I would share with everyone!

~Buffalo Chicken Wing Soup~

*if you like Buffalo Chicken Dip you will LOVE this*

What you need:

6 cups milk

3 10 3/4 oz cans cream of chicken soup

3 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup hot sauce (more or less for how hot you like-any brand)

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.  Serve with cheese, tostitos, etc.  Super EASY and yummy!

~Taco Soup~

What you need:

2 pounds ground beef

1 envelope taco seasoning mix

1 1/2 cup water

1 can mild chili beans

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (rotel)

1 can chopped green chilies (optional)

1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix

Instructions:

Brown ground beef; drain.  Add taco seasoning and mix well.  Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer, uncovered for 15 min or until heated through stirring occasionally.

~Blueberry Zucchini Bread~

What you need:

3 eggs beaten

1 cup vegetable oil

3 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 cup sugar

2 cup shredded zucchini

3 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 TBSP ground cinnamon

1 pint fresh blueberries

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, beat eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla, and sugar.  Fold in zucchini.  Beat in flour, salt, baking powder/soda and cinnamon.  Fold in blueberries.  Transfer to lightly greased loaf or muffin pan.  Bake for 50 mins for mini loaf pan (longer for large loaf, shorter for muffins).

I've also made banana bread, lasagna, and pulled pork!  Tonight for dessert we had strawberry shortcake:)  And last week I made some brownies served a la mode-yummy!  Can you tell I've been feeding into my sweet cravings?!

36 Weeks:)

Wow!  I can't believe it's already March and the birth month of our little girl (well unless she decides to stay put for longer than expected!)  Let's do a little update about what's been going on lately

How Moma's feeling: VERY PREGNANT!  Up until this point the pregnancy hasn't really phased me as far as my daily activities-I mean I just kind of trucked along no biggie.  Well this past week I really started to notice a difference.  I'm not getting around quite as quickly as before and may even have started to waddle a bit YIKES.  I blame this on the persistent SI joint (back) pain that I've had since Thursday--occurs with any movement.  Also now experiencing fairly persistent heartburn.  Sometimes this isn't too bad just more of an acid taste in the back of my throat, but other times it is quite miserable.  Doesn't really matter what I eat either.  Also, I've been experiencing some BH contractions mostly at night which makes for fairly restless sleep.
Weight Gain: 1 lb since last Dr. visit
Sleep:  As above with BH contractions.  Now getting up at least twice a night to empty bladder.
Size of Baby: Could be close to 5 lbs by now!
Baby Movement:  Still kicking and moving up a storm.  Has the hiccups probably once a day:)  This past week I've started to "see" her movement moving my belly and even Adam saw this!  It's weird but cool all at the same time!
What others are saying: Lots of people think that I'm a bit on the small size for how far along I am (but doc says I'm right on track!)  Others are just now figuring out that I'm expecting, which I think is hilarious. I mean some people at the hospital are a bit offended that I hadn't told them!  I mean what am I suppose to do-wear a badge that says "HI. I'm pregnant"?!!  I figured the growing belly was obvious enough but I must have been hiding it pretty well:) Others are commenting about how I"m really starting to pop out there and my face is getting fuller.  I too feel as though my face is fuller but seriously no need to point that out HA!


***Doctor's visit today***
We had our 36 week visit today.  We are now on weekly visits:)  Because I've been having BH contractions and feeling very pregnant I was crossing my fingers for a little progress.  Unfortunately, NADA.  My exam checked out great.  Baby is head down (WooHoo) but I'm not dilated or effaced any.  A big fat ZERO.  Well, that's ok because I know she will come when she's ready, but still I was hoping for something.  My weight and blood pressure was good.  Stella's heart rate was 136bpm which is a little lower than normal, but that's expected as you get closer to term.  We also discussed our birth plan and when to come to the hospital.  Overall a great visit.  Looking forward to next week!

Maternity Pictures

A few weekends ago, we had TWO big Stella days:)  First we celebrated Baby Stella at a shower hosted by my friends Mandy and Andrea--more to come on that later.  Then, we took some maternity photos. I was 34 weeks at the time and thought it would be the perfect time.  We initially had our photographer (Jackie and Josh Johnson--coworker of Adam's) on back-up for a "Snow Day"  What a beautiful background that would have made.  But it didn't look like that was going to happen, so we scheduled for the weekend of the Feb 19th because it was suppose to be nice out.  Well at the last minute Mother Nature had a change of plans.  I fretted at first because my original outfit was not suited for the frigid cold, so I changed!  We were expecting tons of white snow and even planned on using a bright colored umbrella for a few of the pictures but again Mother Nature decided otherwise!  So, we went with the flow:)  Here are some of our favorites

Nursery

Baby Stella's room is pretty much complete....just waiting for BABY:)  It's been a huge renovation and looks completely different from where it started.  What was once our office and catch all room, is now a beautiful nursery.  I will admit that it's not exactly how I had originally envisioned it, but I think it's even better!  Adam worked so hard on all the little details--and I truly was just the mastermind behind the scenes:)  Here's the finished product:

Details:

• Paint Color: Sherwin Williams Fisher Price DragonFruit
• Bead Board and Chair rail from Lowes
• Furniture from Nursery Time
• Bedding: I picked out the fabric and ordered online.  Kristen @ Caught Ya Lookin on Clay Avenue made the bedding and personalized it.  I even have a matching pillow for the chair
• Wall decal above bed from ETSY
• Nursery Glider: Virginia Glider from Babies R Us
• Pom Poms: I made:)
• Wall Art: I made!!  It's a vinyl decal that reads "Read me a story, tuck me in tight, say a sweet prayer, and kiss me goodnight" on painted canvas and hung by ribbon
• Curtains, rug, and mirror from Target 
• Table Lamp from Hobby Lobby

MARCH

WHOA!!!!  We are having a baby this month:)  That's the craziest thing to think EVER!  We are excited and anxious all the same time...

It's killing me that I have no idea when she will arrive. Will I feel any different before she comes or will I continue to go about my daily activities like normal and then BAM the start of labor?!

We have been super busy preparing for Baby Stella's arrival. Adam has been placing the finishing touches on the nursery (pics to come soon).  And I have been busy washing clothes for Stella (aww the smell of Dreft!).  Other things on my to do list that I've partially started: packing my hospital bag and Stella's bag; gathering recipes for make ahead meals; cooking.  Not thinking that this is truly "nesting" but more of my "PLANNER" personality shining through.  It's making me nervous that we still have so much to do and she could really be here ANY DAY AWWWW!!!

February was a busy month and I haven't had a chance to update everyone on everything just yet.  But we had to baby showers celebrating Baby Stella.  We feel so blessed by all our family and friends:)  We also had maternity photos done by a friend which was super fun! (pics to come later)  We are looking forward to spending some quality time together these next couple of weekends, enjoying our little family of 2 before little one arrives!  I think this weekend will definitely include a date night:)  Tomorrow marks 36 weeks so be sure to check back for more info regarding that!