Baby Brain

No, I'm not talking about that thing that happens to pregnant women when they suddenly can't remember anything/have instant ADHD.  By the way, that is a real thing, I swear it.  Today I am talking about how I have become an epic freak about everything.

First of all, we are finding out the gender next Wednesday morning!! OMG!  I am sooo anxious for this.  I keep saying I am excited, but actually I just feel the weight of anxiety pinning me down.  Is this normal?  I have always had a pretty high anxiety level, but I feel like I ball of nerves.  I don't know why I am so anxious about this! Ok…I kind of do.  I am terrified that I will have "the wrong" reaction to whatever news we get.  I used to really want one of the genders, but I have completely opened up to both.  But….I still have this feeling in the pit of my stomach that I will somehow be disappointed.  AM I CRAZY?? This is a real question, please tell me I am not alone!

Week 18

Symptoms?

I feel like I have more energy to stay up later, but am still pretty tired in the afternoon.  No new symptoms though, just the same old stuff!

Stretch marks?

No!

Food cravings?

I craved a bagel and cream cheese all week and finally caved and got one on Friday.  It was glorious.  I went to Panera for lunch on Sunday and had a terrible time deciding on something, NOTHING sounded good at all. 

Movement?

I still don't think so. Its really hard to tell though because I have so much going on in that area due to my GI disorder.  I wish I could tell for sure what I am feeling.  

Workouts?

I went to the gym 3 times and walked the dog twice, so I feel pretty good about it.  I sort of beat myself up for not working out on Sunday, but I knew I was getting sick and didn't want to over work my body. 

Gender?

We have an appointment on April 2nd to find out! 

Maternity clothes? 

I'm mostly wearing maternity with a few exceptions.  Please get warm soon, I don't want to have to buy winter clothing!! 

what I miss? 

Cold medication.  Seriously, taking some Nyquil would be awesome.


I'm linking up today with Kristin for Baby Talk!

Weekend Update

This weekend involved some painting, some board games, some yummy food, and this kitty:

We were cat-sitting for our friends while they are in Florida, so we got to hang out with our buddy Mr. Paws, such a sweetie.

Last week, I decided that I finally had had it with our living room.  We painted it last year and the color turned out the be not at all what we wanted.  I didn't take a good before picture, but here is the color it used to be and then some paint samples. 

We went with the darker of the two grays and also patched up some holes in the wall.  I love the way it turned out! Such an improvement.  We also decided that the room was too cluttered and ended up selling our tv stand and coffee table, both of which FLEW out the door on craigslist. 

I can't believe we got the entire room and hallway taken apart, painted, and put back together in one weekend.  I helped as much as I could, but my husband and his brother did most of the work.  Mark worked non-stop from Thursday night through Saturday afternoon.  

We got things put back in place in time for my brother in law and sister in law to come over Saturday night.  We ordered a few pizzas and played board games while watching the NCAA tournament.  It was really fun, but I was definitely wiped out by the end of the day!

I went to church Sunday morning with some Bible Study friends and then out for lunch at Panera.  It was great to catch up with them, but by the end of lunch I started feeling like I was coming down with a cold.  I felt like I just needed to take it easy the rest of the day, so I watched Property Brother on the couch for the rest of the afternoon.  I really hope I don't get more sick!

March BirchBox

I finally got on board with Birchbox a couple of months ago, and I love it!!  I meant to write reviews of my previous boxes, but time just got away from me.  I loved my March box though , lots of great products!

Starting in the top left corner and working clockwise:

Gilchrist & Soames London Collection Body Lotion

I got the shampoo and conditioner from this collection last month and I loved the smell, so I was happy to see this!  I love having small bottles of lotion to take in my purse with me, but I already have a lotion that I really like from Target, so I don't think I'll buy a full bottle of this.

Harvey Prince Cherie Blossom

Yum!! This smells SO good!  I am not a big perfume wearer, but if I do, its Chanel no. 5.  However, this smells so good that I might consider it if it wasn't 55$ for a full size.

Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle

I really like this product.  A leave-in conditioner is nice for me to have since I try not to shampoo my hair everyday, but still end up showering everyday.  This stuff does not leave your hair with the crunchy feeling that some leave-in conditioners do.  Its not super expensive either, so I will seriously consider ordering more!

Ghirardelli Intense Dark Cherry Tango

Getting chocolate in the mail? Yes please!  I love keeping a bar of dark chocolate around for when I need my "sweet fix" after dinner but don't want to have dessert.  I find that eating just one square of high quality chocolate totally satisfies that craving.  I will remember this one for sure.

COOLA Tinted Matte SPF 30 for Face

Now THIS is a product I will definitely be purchasing!!  I honestly love this, and it will be the perfect thing to wear on my face this summer.  I hate wearing makeup/powder in the summer time, and this is the perfect compromise.  It feels AWESOME too, its so silky smooth.  I definitely recommend it.

Tea Forte Minteas

Again, getting a sweet treat in the mail is a good thing in my book.  I am enjoying these, but I don't think I'll buy any.  They have a nice flavor, but I prefer mints that are really minty and these are more green tea flavored.

I can't wait to get my April box!  Seriously, I don't know why I waited so long to sign up to get these, super cheap and such a fun little treat!

Favorite Lunch Recipes

I'm back today with more of my favorite recipes from around the web- this time all lunch recipes!  I usually have a hearty salad for lunch with some protein and healthy grains.  Bonus points for added fruits and veggies!  I love to make a big batch of one of these on Sunday afternoon and portion out my lunches for the week.  It saves so much time and energy for someone like me who is always very concerned with what my lunch is going to be!  As you can tell from my selection below, I hardly eat any meat, but I'm sure these would all be great with some grilled chicken or shrimp.  

THIS quinoa salad with apple, chickpeas, toasted almonds & apple cider vinaigrette is TO DIE FOR.  Also, I'm obsessed with apples.

I totally love this salad as well- the lightened up protein power goddess bowl from ohsheglow.com, which you need to go check out because I get tons of recipes from that blog.  I am in love with the tahini dressing!

This is another great lunch salad.  Quinoa with black beans, avocado, and cumin-lime dressing.

This salad is really tasty, but to be honest, sometimes I seriously skip a few steps and just mix cooked quinoa with a jar of salsa and a can of black beans.  It gets the job done.  

Of course, I don't always have time to make something like this.  My usual go-to is cottage cheese with pineapple and a piece of nut butter toast.  Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done.

What are some of your go-to lunches??

Week 17

This past week has been great!  The weather is sooo much nicer and I can actually get out and about without dreading going outside.  I'm just praying it stays nice out.  This weekend Mark and I started a baby registry just for some basic stuff.  It may be early, but I'm going nuts trying to keep track of the products that I know I want, so it made sense to just start putting it on a registry. 

Symptoms?

If you go back to my post from last week, you'll notice my belly seems to have shrunk.  I guess it really was just a food baby after all last week.  I feel pretty good this week, I've had more energy, but I get tired in the afternoon if I push it.  My nails are growing like crazy and my hair, oh my gosh.  How can my highlights already be so grown out, I just had them done! (Yes, I'm one of those people who still gets their hair done while pregnant, my doctor assured me that its fine, so thats good enough for me.)

Stretch marks?

Nada.  Last week seems to have been a false alarm.  Only time will tell.

Food cravings?

I still crave sweet things, like my jellybeans, but I did have one fairly intense craving over the weekend for mozzarella sticks.  Kind of embarrassing, but its true.  I have been SUPER healthy most days for 90% of the day, but will indulge in dessert or yes, mozzarella sticks, when the moment hits. 

Movement?

I don't think so.  I'm used to having lots of weird cramping in my abdomen thanks to my lovely colon, so I'm really having a hard time distinguishing between that and the baby.  

Workouts?

I worked out 5 days this week, but I was very active getting other things done on my "rest" days still.  I have been running some, walking some, using the elliptical, and lifting weights.  I taught yoga on Sunday, which was active, but I'm counting it as a rest day because I didn't demonstrate that much.  To be honest, teaching is getting a bit tricky.  A lot of poses don't feel right at all so I have to skip those. 

Gender?

We have an appointment on April 2nd to find out!  Anyone find any of the old wives tales to be true??

Maternity clothes? 

I'm mostly wearing maternity with a few exceptions.  I just hope it gets warm quickly this spring so I don't need to buy any long sleeved stuff.  I have a few already and I don't want to buy more!  Even though I have a ton of clothes from when I bought my co-worker's old stuff, I still browse Zulily.com and I bought I cute summer top from there this week.  I don't really NEED anything, but its so fun to look. 

what I miss? 

Not too much.  It was St. Paddy's Day weekend and I thought I would miss my favorite Irish beverages, Harp and Bulmers Cider, but I really didn't.  I had the BEST prenatal massage this week, and although it was sooo great, I missed being able to lay on my belly.  Very small complaints though.


I'm linking up today with Kristin for Baby Talk!

Homemade Rye Bread

My mother in law makes all of her own bread from scratch always sends us home with at least one loaf of rye bread.  We usually savor it until its gone and then wait it out until the next loaf comes our way, but after finishing off a loaf about 2 weeks ago, I decided that I'd try out her recipe and see if I could make something similar.  

The bread tastes so good, it is perfectly sweet and yeasty.  I didn't get mine to rise properly, as seen in the photo above, but it still tastes great and toasts really well.  I will allow more time for it to rise next time, and I think I'll try using the kitchen aid mixer with the dough hook.  Also, I'm planning to add more rye flour to my next batch because usually her loafs are much darker in color and have a strong rye flavor.  Suggestions welcome.  My MIL is going to bake some with me next time we go to visit, so I don't want to completely embarrass myself!  Here is her recipe (passed down from her grandmother) that I followed:

Mix and let stand together for 10 minutes

1/2 c. water

2 pkg yeast

1 T sugar

In large bowl mix:

1 1/2 c. warm milk

1 T salt

1/2 c. brown sugar

Add (I warm this all in the microwave):

1/2 c. melted butter

2 T. molasses (I used Plantation blackstrap)

2 T Dark Karo Syrup

Add Yeast mixture, 1 cup rye flour and 1 cup of white flour.

I beat with a mixer for a few minutes. 

If mixture is too thin, add more flour 1 cup at a time. 

Recipe calls for 6 c of white flour, but I usually don't use it all. 

Continue adding flour until soft dough and kneed till elastic and smooth.

 Place in a warm place to raise to double in size. Knead down, raise again. Then put in bread pans, smoothing out the dough. Let raise in bread pans.  Bake 350 degrees for one hour.

This dough made 2 loafs this size.