Week 26

Look at that! I actually took a picture this week!  I feel like I'm getting behind on these as I'm actually halfway through week 27, but they might be pushing my due date back anyways.  Hey, at least I'm documenting this at all. 

Symptoms?

More of the same I guess…heartburn, ligament pain, fatigue.  I've also noticed that my hair is greasy like the second after I wash it, not cool.

Stretch marks?

No!  Still oiling up every day though. 

Food cravings?
Strawberries, cherries, pineapple, lemonade.  I had a chocolate milk craving too!  Never craving anything savory.

Movement?

Lots of movement at times and nothing at other times.  Movement seems to happen most in the morning or at night, but I get little kicks every couple of hours or so.

Workouts?

Still keeping up with the elliptical machine and walking the dog.  I wish I had kept up with lifting weights because my arms are feeling flabby!  

Sleep?
I'm having a hard time sleeping because of the heartburn!  I'm definitely starting to need more and more pillows all around my body too. 

Gender?

GIRL!!! 

Maternity Clothes?

It was still cold during week 26, so more of the same old stuff.  I am really looking forward to warmer weather!

What I Miss?

I wouldn't say that I missed drinking all that much, but going to a Twins game without a beer wasn't as fun.  We also went to Fargo to celebrate Mark's birthday and it would have been great to indulge some, but honestly I wanted to indulge in the Dairy Queen cake more, I had to limit myself to a tiny slice due to heartburn!

Week25

I got lazy about taking a picture again this week, but here's me with my friend who is due a month before me!  We had a busy week celebrating my birthday, our 3rd anniversary, and mother's day!

Symptoms?

Heartburn!! SO BAD!  I can't eat anything at all past 8pm at the latest or I will be up all night!  My GI symptoms are getting much, much worse.  I've changed some of what I'm doing to manage it after seeing my gastroenterologist last week.  She says's its only going to get worse :(

Stretch marks?

No!  Still oiling up every day though. 

Food cravings?
I mostly crave fruit still.  I eat fruit with every meal and I want it for every snack.  I am trying hard to get those veggies in too, but they don't sound appetizing to me at all!

Movement?

Feeling more and more.  I think I can tell when the baby is punching, kicking, or rolling over now.  I can also see my belly move sometimes too!

Workouts?

Still going to the gym 3-4 times per week and walking to dog about that often too!  I did the Race for the Cure on Mother's Day, but we walked the 5k.  Running is ok for short distances but it makes me feel like I'm going to pee!

Sleep?
I'm having a hard time sleeping because of the heartburn!  I'm definitely starting to need more and more pillows all around my body too. 

Gender?

GIRL!!! 

Maternity Clothes?

I just want it to be warm enough to wear a dress.  Yes, I am still saying that because it hasn't warmed up yet!!!

What I Miss?

It would have been nice to celebrate all of these occasions last week with some beverages.  My friends and I went out on Friday to celebrate my birthday and it although it would have been nice to have something, I am surprised by how much I don't think about it. 

Week 24

I didn't have time to take a cute picture this week, I was thinking of stopping writing in this blog all together because of my "security breech" but I know I will want to have these weekly updates on record. 

Symptoms?

I had an eventful day that ended up with me at my OB's office, who sent me to L&D to be checked for early labor.  Thankfully it was a total false alarm, I was a little embarrassed but totally didn't think they would send me to the hospital!  The OB assured me that it happens all the time.  At my 24 week appointment, the OB also told me that I was measuring small so they will do an ultrasound at the next appointment to get a more accurate measurement.  I also am starting to get really bad heartburn!

Stretch marks?

No!  Still oiling up every day though. 

Food cravings?
I mostly crave fruit still.  Everything I want is on the sweet side!  My doctor told me to make sure I'm eating enough because I'd only gained 4 lbs at my 24 week appointment.  I feel like I am eating like crazy though, but I'm grabbing for snacks even more often. 

Movement?

Part of my mishap earlier this week was due to me not feeling any movement for at least 48 hours.  (It was also due to concern over leaking amniotic fluid, which turned out to be nothing.)  I just keep telling myself that the baby probably turned over, and with my anterior placenta, it's normal that I wouldn't feel as much.

Workouts?

I took it a little lighter this week, just walking and a little yoga.

Sleep?
I'm having a hard time sleeping because of the heartburn!  I'm definitely starting to need more and more pillows all around my body too. 

Gender?

GIRL!!! 

Maternity Clothes?

I just want it to be warm enough to wear a dress.  Is that too much to ask?

What I Miss?

I just miss not worrying about every little thing.  Its exhausting!

Private…again.

If you've found your way here, congratulations!  You've made "the cut" for my private blog.  Ugh, I did not want to go private again, but I am grateful to those of you who wanted to continue reading.  I once again found myself with unwanted attention/privacy issues that caused me to want to just shut this whole thing down.  I went through this before, and to be honest, it was no fun at all.  I don't know if this is going to work out, last time I went private I did not have one page hit the entire time, which leads me to believe that either I'm doing it wrong, or having to log in every time you want to read something is too much of a hassle, which I totally get.

With such a small audience now, I will probably just use this for my own personal record of my pregnancy.  Thats really the thing I was upset about having to "give up" because I don't keep a journal outside of this.

We'll see what happens, but thank you for being willing to keep reading!

My favorite dinner recipes from around the web

I shared some of my favorite breakfast and lunch recipes here and here, but today I am talking about whats for dinner!  Here are some favorites of mine, some are more summery and some are more for the fall/winter…so still suitable for May in Minnesota.  Ugh. 

Grilled Avocados

These are MY FAVORITE thing to have in the summer.   I serve them exactly as pictured, with quinoa salad on the side.  My quinoa salad is literally just cooked quinoa, black beans, red onion, and jarred salsa all mixed together. Such a yummy and healthy meal.

African Sweet Potato Peanut Soup

I remember the first time I had sweet potato peanut soup, it was from the deli at a local co-op I visit sometimes for lunch.  It was truly a life-changing experience for me, I had never tasted such flavors and I knew immediately that I would forever be trying to recreate it.  I made at least 3 big batches of this last fall.  I had a soup exchange party with my friends and this is what I made.  I followed the recipe for the most part, but I used vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, and I pureed it after adding the beans to make it smoother.  This is definitely favorite soup of mine, which says a lot because I am obsessed with soup.

Ratatouille with Polenta

I love this meal, there is something so comforting about warm polenta on a cold day.  I don't like the tubes of prepared polenta, so I cook my own and serve the veggies on top of it.  I also leave out the eggplant as its one of the only foods I don't like.  I've made this with a can of diced tomatoes instead of the fresh ones and it still turned out well.   Talk about a cheap meal!

Crock Pot Italian Sloppy Joes

I couldn't get away with all vegetarian recipes because Mark would go crazy after awhile.  However, we haven't had meat for dinner for at least 4 nights now and he hasn't complained.  That's neither here nor there though, because these sloppy joes are great!  I love sloppy joes and have been known to regularly use good ole manwich with ground turkey, but this is a special twist on your typical sloppy joe. I love that its a crock pot recipe too because these are really easy to serve to a crowd.  I made these when Mark had a few of his friends staying with us on a weekend and they all went back for extra helpings!

Skillet Cassoulet

I came across this recipe when I was trying to figure out how to use up some ingredients I had on hand.  I love that its made up of a lot of stuff that I usually have already, and everything else is easy to find.  I'm not a big meat eater, but I can usually find it in me to eat ham, I love the saltiness.  This makes a big batch and the leftovers get better as the flavors blend together even more.  

I hope you guys try some of these, let me know if you do!  I can stand by all of them!