20 Weeks

Sunday, October 28, 2012

How far along? 20 weeks or 5 months – that’s crazy!

 Due Date: March 17th

Total weight gain: Up just over 1 pound this week for a total gain of just under 10.5 pounds

Maternity clothes? And the in-between stage continues; although, I would say this is the first week that I am wearing more maternity clothes than regular clothes.  Leggings are still the best fit.  I have a few pairs of regular pants I can wear, but they are getting tighter.  I do wear a few pairs of maternity pants, but I am constantly having to pull them up.  Shirts are about 50/50 as long as the regular shirts are longer or have a long tank underneath.  Regular dresses still fit.

Stretch marks? none yet

Sleep: A few nights where I have slept straight through and a few nights where I have woken up restless around 2 or 3 in the morning.  But overall still sleeping well.

Best moment this week: Seeing our baby at our ultrasound appointment!  Despite my lack of ‘real’ symptoms, there is a real little baby in there!  Even though I can’t feel it, baby was quite active in there, rolling around and making it difficult for the tech to get clear pictures of its heart. 

Miss Anything? Purple People Eaters at our Halloween party….

What’s Baby Like? According to The Bump, Baby is now the size of a banana.  They must mean length-wise because overall I do not think a banana is bigger than a mango.  Baby is about 6.5 inches long and 10.6 ounces.  (According to the ultrasound, Lucky is about 12 ounces, which is the 50^th %ile.  Of course, it’s all just an estimate at this point.) Baby is making meconumium, has working taste buds, and is sucking down several ounces of amniotic fluid a day.

Movement: Well, clearly Lucky is moving.  We’ve seen it.  Despite lots of poking and prodding, I’m still not feeling it.  Apparently my placenta is attached to the front, which is ‘cushioning the blow’ of Lucky’s movement.  I won’t feel anything until he or she gets stronger.  (If there was one thing I could change about this pregnancy, it would be feeling movement sooner.  I’m going crazy waiting for this!)

Food cravings: Nope.  I like food.  Same foods as always. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: No.

Gender: Not only do we want to wait to find out, but it appears that Lucky wants us to wait to find out too!  During the ultrasound his or her legs were curled up, knees by the head, so that the technician was unable to determine the gender.  Now even the doctor has to wait.  Ha!  Good baby.

Labor Signs: No.

Symptoms: Well apparently I have been feeling ‘round ligament pain’ for a couple of weeks and didn’t realize it because I had a total misconception of what that would feel like.  I thought it would be in my hips, a constant pain, and actually painful.  You know, since the word pain is in the name and all.  Turns out those ‘cramps’ I have been feeling were round ligament pain, which occurs nowhere near the hips and is only an occasional sharp jab.  I also may have felt my first Braxton-Hicks contraction earlier in the week when getting up from a squat.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but all of a sudden my stomach felt tight and hard and after a few seconds it just went away.  So… Maybe…???

It’s crazy to me that I am 5 months pregnant, almost halfway done with this experience, and I still don’t even feel pregnant 98% of the time.  Trust me, I’m not complaining (well, except about the movement), but it is still surreal to think that there is a real live human in there…

Belly Button in or out? Most definitely in.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy most of the time.  But I am getting more impatient, more often, and more quickly.  So just, you know, stay on my good side. J  I also tear up at seemingly random things more and more often.  I’m not crying; I’m not sad; I just suddenly feel emotional or sentimental out of nowhere.

Looking forward to: Halloween!  It was fun having our ‘early’ Halloween celebration at my aunt and uncle’s house with all of my cousins’ kids getting dressed up, and this week we’ll get to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood for the first time.  This coming weekend is also our housewarming party.  We’ve only lived here since July…  It’s about time!

19 Weeks

Sunday, October 21, 2012

How far along? 19 weeks

 Due Date: March 17th

Total weight gain: Up ½ pound this week for a total gain of about 9 pounds.

I know I still have a long way to go, and, if you have had a baby, feel free to laugh at this next statement.  But I already feel like I’ve gotten so much bigger, and I look at the space that is still left in my maternity pants and think, “No way can my body actually grow that much more….”  (I clearly have a lot to learn about this process.)

Maternity clothes? Clothes limbo still. Most regular pants are uncomfortable.  I still wear a few pairs though.  I’ve started wearing maternity pants a bit, but they are too big.  I’m practically walking out of the jeans by the end of the day.  And I have nowhere near enough belly to fill in that stretchy panel, so I fold it over, but then when I sit it gets saggy and…. Seriously, I’ve never wanted my stomach to just expand already so much!  Leggings and dresses are still my best bet as far as fit is concerned.  Shirts are also a conundrum.  I need the maternity shirts length wise (to cover my attractive pants) but not width wise yet, so nothing really feels right…

Stretch marks? none yet

Sleep: Same

Best moment this week: Getting a haircut.  I know it’s a small thing, but I was a month overdue.  I feel like a new person. 

Miss Anything? You know the answer to this one by now…

What’s Baby Like? According to The Bump, Baby is now the size of a mango.  Baby is about 6.0 inches and 8.5 ounces.  Doesn’t seem like a whole lot new is going on this week except that he or she is now coated in vernix caseosa to protect from the amniotic fluid.

Movement: Still nothing.  Waiting impatiently.  I’ve heard from other moms that some didn’t feel their first baby until 22 weeks!

Food cravings: Nope.  I like food.  Same foods as always. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: No.

Gender: I’ve heard recently that ‘easy’ pregnancies indicate boys.  I have nothing to compare it too, and it’s still early, but if you ask me this is so far the easiest pregnancy in the history of pregnancies so….

Labor Signs: No.

Symptoms: Not really.  Itchy belly.  But I have some lotion that helps.  I think I just need to start using it morning and night.  No other aches or pains to speak of (despite the increasingly awful symptoms described on The Bump…).

Belly Button in or out? Most definitely in.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.  Until I’m not.  And then no one is happy.  It seems to be mostly indicative of being suddenly overwhelmed between school, and work, and baby, and house, and….  It comes on suddenly and goes away just as suddenly.

I also had one emotional cry today.  Very brief.  And for a good reason.  It was just weird because I haven’t felt over emotional very often during this pregnancy.

Looking forward to: Ultrasound appointment and celebrating my mom’s birthday this Wednesday!  If I can’t feel this baby move, it will at least be nice to see it.

18 Weeks

Sunday, October 14, 2012

How far along? 18 weeks

 Due Date: March 17th

Total weight gain: Up 2 pounds this week.  (Ummm… Yikes!)  For a total of +8.6 pounds.  Not that I’m worried about the weight gain or anything, but I’m hoping this doesn’t become a pattern.  I think we can thank/blame the weekend jaunt to Chicago and lots of sitting in the car…

I still don’t think I look “pregnant enough” for a stranger to say, “Look, there goes the pregnant lady.”  But I am apparently now pregnant enough for people who see me every day, but don’t already know that I’m pregnant, to put 1 + 1 together and get 2!  (And by “people,” I mean teenagers with impulse control issues.)  At 17 weeks and 1 day, students started to ask, shall we say, leading questions….  They didn’t want to come right out and ask the obvious, since that could be taken the wrong way.  But it was very cute, and most of them were very excited.  Except for the one boy, only focused on if it hurts.  ;-)  Cute in its own way.  Apparently, they had suspected for about a week but didn’t know how to ask, and the rumors were just flying around Facebook and school. Ahhh, the joys of pregnancy in 2012.

Maternity clothes? Still pretty much in clothes limbo.  Wearing a mix of regular pants with hair tie and maternity pants.  At the end of the day, regular pants are too tight and uncomfortable and maternity pants are practically falling off.  Awesome.  Leggings and dresses are still my best bet.  All regular shirts still fit (most maternity shirts are laughably big) as long as I wear a long tank under them to hide the awesome hair tie and/or elastic waist.

Stretch marks? none yet

Sleep: Same

Best moment this week: Visiting Uncle Greg in Chicago!  I thought Lucky might want to wiggle and say hello but no movement yet… The five hour drive wasn’t too bad. I only needed one bathroom/stretch break on the way there and none on the way back.

Miss Anything? Well Chicago in the fall with my family wasn’t really the same without a Sam Adams seasonal or two… And sparkling cider doesn’t exactly fit the replacement bill but… I’m surviving!

What’s Baby Like? According to The Bump, Baby is now the size of a sweet potato or a pint of Ben and Jerry’s (mmmm…. ice cream…).  Baby is about 5.6 inches and 6.7 ounces and apparently moving like crazy; although, you couldn’t prove that one by me.

Movement: Nothing yet.  Since I’m a first timer, my midwife says I will probably feel flutters around weeks 19 or 20.  It’s getting closer…

Food cravings: The desire for Mexican food hasn’t come back, so I think it’s safe to say that’s off the cravings list.  I pretty much just like all the foods I liked before. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: No.

Gender: We don’t plan to find out.

Labor Signs: No.

Symptoms: Two days last week my lower back was more sore than normal.  I think it was caused because my students were working on an essay in class, and I spent a lot of time bent over at the waist helping individual students with their writing.  I made a point of avoiding that position for the rest of the week and, so far, no more problems.  A slightly itchy belly in the evenings.  And a noticeable increase in appetite.  Nothing else.

Belly Button in or out? Most definitely in.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Still overall happy.  But I HATE Thursdays.  Between work and class, it’s my 12-hour day, and I don’t have time to exercise or eat right.  I get home tired and feeling like crap, which makes me feel guilty because if I feel like crap, my baby must feel like crap…  And it’s not like I consider it all worth it because I’m doing something important or life changing or at all valid.  It’s a pointless class that is more work than I care for right now.  So I think Alex can pretty much count on a weekly Thursday night meltdown from now until my class ends (December).  Fun for him, right?  On the other hand, a good mood 6/7 days  of the week isn’t bad, pregnant or not.

Looking forward to: Ultrasound appointment on October 24^th!  Can’t wait to see my baby.  And hopefully feel him or her soon. J

17 Weeks

Sunday, October 7, 2012

How far along? 17 weeks

 Due Date: March 17th

Total weight gain: Up .6 this week for a total of +6.6 pounds.  My midwife was happy with my weight gain at my appointment last week, so I’m happy too.

Maternity clothes? Still in that frustrating in-between stage…  Mixing maternity leggings with regular pants (aided by a Bella band or the hair tie trick).  My regular shirts still fit, but I often layer them with extra long tank tops underneath to hide the elastic or the fact that I’m walking around with my pants essentially unbuttoned.  Classy.  My maternity pants still have a bit too much room to them, but I’ve worn them a few times anyway.  They are more comfortable.  Plus, when I put on my regular pants, I feel fat.  When I put on maternity pants, I feel pregnant.   I fully realize that it’s all in my head, but if it makes me feel better, I don’t care!

Stretch marks? none yet

Sleep: Still good.  Still usually one early morning wake-up. Sleeping more on my side, but it’s difficult to fall asleep sometimes on my left side, so once in awhile I cave and sleep on my stomach a little.  It’s not uncomfortable yet.

Best moment this week: Getting the all-clear from my midwife that everything looks exactly as it should.  Finally getting a laundry tub!  Thanks hubby and dad!

Miss Anything? Saw some Witches Brew wine when shopping at Meijer yesterday…    Sigh…

What’s Baby Like? According to The Bump, Baby is now the size of an onion.  Baby is 5.1 inches long and weighs about 5.9 ounces.   Its skeleton is turning from cartilage to bone and fat is accumulating.  (come on chubby cheeks!) 

Movement: Nothing yet.  Since I’m a first timer, my midwife says I will probably feel flutters around weeks 19 or 20.  I’m not a patient person though, so I’ve been trying to convince Lucky to give me little kick.  Yes, yes, I am trying to bribe the unborn.  (And no, it’s not working.)

Food cravings: I don’t know if this counts or not, but for awhile every time I thought about ‘What’s for Dinner?” Mexican would pop into my head.  I insisted on Mexican last night, and it was oh so good.  I won’t count it as an official craving though until it sticks around for awhile… 

Anything making you queasy or sick: No.

Gender: We don’t want to find out until the baby comes, but that doesn’t mean I am above investigating Old Wives’ Tales.  So far, the heartbeat of 155 suggests Girl.  The Mayans say that it’s a Boy based on my age at conception (29) and the year of conception (2012).  I’ve been breaking out, which points to Girl.  And I had almost no morning sickness, which means Boy.  What have we learned from all this?  Old Wives’ Tales are crap.  :-P   Any other theories I should investigate?

Labor Signs: No.

Symptoms: I’ve been feeling a little crampy off and on.  Which is supposedly growing pains in the uterus.  Makes sense.  And my belly gets a bit itchy at night.  Overall though, I still don’t feel pregnant.  Either I’m really lucky.  Or it will catch up to me and I’m going to hit a wall and feel like crap at some point.  Or exercising during pregnancy really is as magical as everyone promises.  (More likely a combination of all three.)

Belly Button in or out? Most definitely in.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Still overall happy.  One emotional moment Friday night.  Grey’s Anatomy made me start crying (I know, lame), and I literally could not stop.  I was sobbing.  You would have thought there was a real-life tragedy rather than just on TV.  This went on for like 20 minutes after the show ended. 

Looking forward to: Still haven’t been to the cider mill because the weekend weather was so icky.  But we’ll be heading to Chicago this weekend to visit Uncle Greg!  Can’t wait!

Make Your Own Taco Seasoning

I'm trying to get away from store bought seasoning packets wherever possible and instead rely on seasoning dishes myself with actual herbs and spices.  No chemicals.  Less salt.  Better flavor.  Win.

This combination of seasonings makes a great replacement for store bought taco seasoning!

Recipe: (from Sweet Peas and Pumpkins)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or hot chili powder
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Mix it together and add to dishes as you would 1 package of store-bought taco seasoning.

We've used it a few times and love it.  Plus, these are pretty standard spices in my kitchen, unlike taco seasoning packages, so it's one less thing that I have to remember to pick up at the grocery store!

Mini Frittatas

I've been trying to specifically eat more eggs because they have all sorts of good nutrients for Lucky.  The problem is, when I already have to get up at 5 am, making a production out of breakfast is not high on my list...

This recipe looked like something I could make ahead, keep in the freezer, and warm up quickly in the morning, so I thought I'd give it a try one Sunday night...

Recipe: (from familyfun.com)
4 large eggs
1/4 cup half-and-half (I used 2% milk - another change from my usual skim for Lucky)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Assorted mix-ins: spinach, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, bacon, sausage...
grated parmesan cheese

Heat your oven to 350 degrees and coat a 6-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.

Whisk together the eggs, half-and-half (or milk), and salt in a medium bowl.  Evenly distribute the egg mixture among  the muffin cups.

Add mix-ins.  If using bacon or sausage, make sure it is cooked.  Sprinkle parmesan on top.

Bake about 20-25 minutes, until frittatas are puffy and edges are golden brown.

Verdict:
A delicious and easy way to get eggs into my breakfast on a weekday (not to mention the spinach and other veggies I added).

They freeze well and I can reheat them quickly in the morning.  No muss, no fuss.  Two egg frittatas (for right now) keep me pretty full until lunch, and I know Lucky is starting the day with some important nutrients.

Zucchini Pizzas

I don't have a garden, so I don't know if it's too late for this or not but...  If you have leftover garden zucchinis or just score a really good deal at a farmer's market or local vegetable stand, this is a great and slightly different way to use them up!

Recipe: (from Gina's Skinny Recipes) (as written serves 1, expand as desired)
4 slices zucchini, 1/4" thick
Spray olive oil 2 tablespoons pizza sauce
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper

optional toppings: olives, pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers, onions

Cut zucchini about 1/4 inch thick.  Spray or drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Broil or grill for about 2 minutes on each side.

Top with sauce, cheese, and desired toppings (we used pepperoni) and broil for an additional minute or two (being careful not to burn cheese).

Verdict:
Well first of all, I think I cut mine a bit thicker than 2 inches.  I was concerned about making them too skinny, and I made them a bit too thick.  I ended up cooking them quite a bit longer than the directed 2 minutes.

In the end, though, that didn't matter.  They don't taste exactly like pizza, but if you like zucchini, you'll love these as a light and fresh pizza substitute.

It was also a fun meal to make together.  If I had planned ahead, we could have had a variety of toppings and really gone to town!

(About 14.5 weeks pregnant... Hadn't really produced a tummy bump yet...)