Week 22 – The Nesting Continues

This week has been such a fun week of decorating.  I feel like we were able to make a huge check mark off one item of our list.  Living room, CHECK.  We have been ordering furniture for about a month now and picking up little odds and ends from various markets, second hand shops and other home good stores and we could finally put it all together.  Perfect timing too because we would be having some friends come in town for the weekend.

Logan and I have wanted to get this room complete first before moving to the nursery.  It was the last room of the house that needed furniture.  Before now it was always referred to as the ‘yoga room’ because it was just a big empty space that we didn’t know what to do with.  Now it is a cozy media room that is prefect for unwinding after a long day.  Here are some before and after photos.  Obviously there is still some work to be done but it is a comfortable and functional space.  Most importantly, it has a recliner for Logan. 

So… I get it.  Everyone who has seen it so far has referred to it as an adult room and Logan has warned me that it isn’t kid friendly.  There are fragile antiques, light color furniture and a lot of ‘stuff’ on the tabletops.  However, this is not the kid room.  The kid room is the one with the divorce collection that while I am not going to be encouraging it, I will not be getting mad if there ends up being spilled milk, crayon, or scissor cuts on.  How long will I be able to pull this off?  Who knows?  Maybe not even a year.  But I will be enjoying it while it lasts, that’s for sure.

Now I have a little bit of time that I can soak in snuggling on the clean couch in a pretty room with my husband before baby girl comes.  This week our little girl weighs a pound.  A pound?  That is it?  Well, I sure have made her a big home to roam around in.  She can hear my voice and heartbeat.  It really makes me want to come up with her name so I can start talking to her.  Right now it is a little hard for me to comprehend that she can hear me and would benefit from hearing my voice.  I mean I remember all the long talks I had with my mom while I was in the womb…. Said no one ever.

While baby girl is hanging out and taking naps on my bladder, I have been experiencing some wicked heartburn this week.  It doesn’t matter what I eat or when I eat it, I am going to have heartburn.  And I always forget how bad it is until it comes so I am never prepared.  I need to just keep a thing of Tums in my purse but I don’t think about it until it is already too late.  It usually happens around 4:00 and goes on until I finally get home at 6:30-7 and can pop a few Tums like candy. 

Thank goodness it hasn’t really been an issue while I am going to bed.  The only issue I have when I go to bed are these crazy anxiety dreams.  I keep thinking about all the things I could forget about and neglect my poor child.  Most of them are extreme and would never happen like leaving her in the car all day because I forgot that I was driving her somewhere or just not feeding her at all for 3 days straight because I didn’t think about it.  But the truth is that even though none of these things would happen, I think the anxiety is just coming from the fear of the unknown.  So, I have been trying to spend a lot more time in prayer.  I find that the more I lift up our sweet girl and all my fears to God, the less often I have these dreams and thoughts.  I have to keep reminding myself that I cannot spend my time stressing over things that I don’t have power over and that I need to Him in control.  When I did my 30 before 30 challenge, one of my items on my list was to memorize some of my favorite bible verses.  It is amazing how those have stuck with me and pop in my head when I need them the most.  This week, my verse was Philippians 4:6.  I hope it can be as good of a reminder to you as it is for me.

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God

Week 16 - Feeling awesome

I love looking at my ‘bump’ app on a daily basis.  It always has fun facts on it about the baby’s development and gives little tips along the way.  My favorite day to look is on Wednesday because that is when I get to see how big the baby is going to be for the upcoming week.  Normally it is cute fruits and veggies like the sweet pea week or my little blueberry.  This week was a little disappointing.  BB is the size of an onion.  Really?  Onion is the only thing you can come up with.  Sure, I love some caramelized onions on just about anything but it isn’t exactly a ‘cute’ fruit or veggie.

When you think of your sweet newborn you want to think of all things perfect and pure.  The baby smell after they take their bath and have their footie pajamas on with little monkeys on the feet.  Or the peaceful way they look when they are sleeping.  That is what my mind drifts to when I see it is the size of a Georgia Peach.  But for some reason, onion doesn’t take me there.  It takes me to waking up in the middle of the night to a screaming baby or the joy of changing a poopy diaper.  So… I’m changing it.  The heck with you bump app.  So I am going with a large Pink Lady Apple.  Wait… if I end up having a boy, maybe that isn’t the best selection.  I am going with a large Honeycrisp Apple.  Ah… now I can get back to fantasizing about rocking my sweet, perfect BB to sleep.

 

Week 16 has been awesome.  I had another doctor appointment which always makes me happy because it confirms that there is still something growing inside me.  Since I haven’t gotten to the ‘flutters’ or kicking stage yet, I like having a reminder that I really am pregnant and not bloated.  While I didn’t get to see a sonogram which is a little bit of a bummer, I did get to hear the heartbeat.  I am really tempted to buying my own fetal Doppler.  I could listen to my baby’s heartbeat all night.  Call it hormones, but every time I hear the repetition of the heartbeat my eyes swell with tears and I get a little choked up.  I am making this. 

The only downside was that the doctor did confirm what I already knew was true.  I am gaining weight a little quicker than what they would like to see.  Then she made a little joke about how ice cream isn’t a food group and I couldn’t help but lower my head a little bit in shame since I definitely made myself a milkshake the night before.  Do I get any points for making it with Organic milk with extra Omega 3’s and DHA?  The milkshake is for the baby!  I want it to have healthy brain development. (Totally justified.)

But the good news is that I feel awesome.  I really think the worst is behind me (for now) and I’m taking advantage of it.  I went to the gym 3 times this week and did yoga once.  I’m saying goodbye to the ice cream for now and am going to seriously reduce the extra carbs that I don’t need.  While I will not deny that I have my indulgences, I am proud of how healthy 90% of my diet has been.  I do a smoothie every morning for breakfast, eat a ton of fruits and veggies, and for the most part am sticking to lean proteins.  Here are a few of my favorite recipes that anyone (preggers or not) would enjoy:

 

Tropical Smoothie

1 banana

1 handful of fresh or frozen pineapple

1 handful of frozen mangos

1 carrot or a cup of chopped carrots (I swear you can’t taste it.)

Pack the rest of the blender with raw fresh spinach – roughly 1.5 cups (again you won’t taste it)

Fill with OJ and blend

If you don’t use any frozen fruit then you will want to add ice to make it nice and cold but it is delish!

 

Berry Smoothie

1 banana

1 cup of frozen strawberries

1 handful of frozen blueberries

Lots of raw fresh spinach – 1.5-2 cups

Fill with vanilla almond milk and blend

 

What I love about these is because you are adding raw veggies to it; you are getting all of the nutrients.  Nothing is being stripped like it does when you cook them.  Plus you are getting your day’s serving so if you don’t make the best choices the rest of the day; you at least gave your body what you need.  And the fruit hides the flavor and makes it delicious! 

 

Butternut and Carrot Soup

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 carrots, sliced

3 stalks celery, diced

2 small or one large butternut squash, peeled and chopped

5 cups vegetable broth

2 tbsp chopped fresh sage

Cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

 

Preparation:

In a large soup pot, sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil until onions turn soft, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the carrots and celery and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the squash and stir just to coat, then add the vegetable broth and sage. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a slow simmer. Allow to cook for at least 25 minutes, or until squash is soft.

Add a touch of cayenne pepper and a little salt and pepper to taste

Puree the soup in a food processor or blender.

I ate this for 5 meals in one week and already want to make it again!  It tastes like autumn in a bowl.