38 weeks

How far along: 38 weeks #foreverpregnant

Gender: GIRL!

Weight gain: 23 lbs 

Maternity clothes: Absolutely! I seriously am beginning to loathe some of my most worn maternity clothes. I'm sure my husband is too, as are people at work that watch me rotate the 7 things that fit me.

Stretch marks: Think I saw some today :(

Belly button in or out: It's flat/poking out a little, and very weird :)

Sleep: Could be better. My sleep is either really good, or really bad. Had another 1:30-4:30am awake session this weekend. Ate some cereal, did some online shopping whilst drinking my red raspberry leaf tea.

Symptoms: Braxton hick contractions, sore all over, "lightning crotch" as it's so pleasantly called, groin pain (almost like a pinched nerve), cannot get comfortable, lost part of my mucus plug today!!

Best moment this week:  A fun weekend with the family. We went to the zoo on Saturday and made cauliflower crust pizza for dinner. Sunday Brandon played golf so me and Hadley had a Kroger date and lunch date at Taste of Thai - I ordered her what I normally get, rather than the kids meal and she ate it right up!  She is just at the cutest and most fun age right now - I am so enjoying these last few weeks with her!  

World Giraffe Day at the Zoo!

 

 

Miss anything: Sleeping any position I want, sleeping through the night, being comfortable, running, wine, sushi (I'm getting my Nama takeout order ready for the hospital stay).

Movement: Yes! Her movements literally make my entire belly squirm. It's so fun to just watch my belly :)  Baby girl is estimated to weigh 6 lbs 10 oz and is in the 31st percentile for her gestational age.

Cravings: Sweets, fruit, and peanut butter.

Workouts:  Going to barre about 3-4 times a week and now just doing interval walking several days a week. 

Looking forward to: The big day, although I am wondering when that will be!  I pretty much have completed everything on my to-do list finally. I've got bags packed for all of us, 10 meals in the freezer, nursery is ready, took a breastfeeding class and purchased new pump parts, tiny clothes and linens are washed and put away, and now we wait....

I keep envisioning how it will be, and the look on Hadley's face when she meets her sissy for the first time. I have the sweetest conversations with Hadley about what it's going to be like having a sister, and I have no doubt she will be the best big sister in the world!  I'm trying to enjoy the last few weeks of my pregnancy and not wish them away, because these are really the end of a chapter to our story. We've been making so many great memories that I will cherish forever!
 

38 week bumpdate!

37 weeks

How far along: 37 weeks - full term!

Gender: GIRL!

Weight gain: 22 lbs as of Friday 6/13

Maternity clothes: Absolutely!

Stretch marks: Still haven't noticed any - although I can't see my feet so there could me some hiding.

Belly button in or out: It's flat/poking out a little, and very weird :)

Sleep: Could be better. My sleep is either really good, or really bad. I woke up at 2:30 am last night and never went back to sleep (maybe for 30 minutes around 4:30, then my alarm went off at 5:00). Today should be interesting.

Symptoms: Lower back pain (pretty intense yesterday), random contractions, sore all over, cannot get comfortable.

Best moment this week:  1) Celebrating Father's Day with my 2 favorite people!  We had fun yesterday making the day all about Brandon. I love this pic of Hadley and him - can't wait to make him a daddy again in a few weeks - he's the best!

 
2)  Pool party at the Bennetts' on Saturday - great company, perfect weather, and the kids had so much fun. Hadley slept till 8:00 AM - that's UNHEARD OF!   

3)  My C-section scar ultrasound went great and I can try for my VBAC. PTL!  Little girl looked great at my 36 week ultrasound last week - 6 lb and 5 oz, 45th percentile! The sweet ultrasound tech turned on 3D and got a quick peek at her profile :)

 
Miss anything: Sleeping any position I want, sleeping through the night, being comfortable

Movement: Yes! Her movements literally make my entire belly squirm. It's so fun to just watch my belly :)  

Cravings: Sweets, fruit, and peanut butter.

Workouts:  Going to barre about 3-4 times a week and now just doing interval walking several days a week. 

Looking forward to: D-day. I've enjoyed my pregnancy so much and in a way I am sad for it to end because it is such a special time, but I am ready to meet baby girl.  Everyday I wake up and wonder if this is the day :)  I packed baby girl's hospital bag this weekend and I just cannot wait to slip this on her and snuggle her ALL DAY.

37 week bumpdate!

Warning - bare belly picture!

 

 

 



 

BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad

I'm always looking for easy, clean, and healthy dinner ideas.  I've made this delicious BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad a couple times and the whole family has enjoyed it. I found a great recipe for a clean BBQ sauce and it did not disappoint! It's got a kick so you can leave out the cayenne pepper if you prefer a milder flavor.  Here is the recipe for both!

BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

  

2 cups cooked quinoa

3/4 cup frozen or fresh corn, thawed

1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups shredded BBQ chicken (see recipe below, can also use bottled BBQ sauce)

1/2 avocado, chopped

4 green onions, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cilantro, as garnish

 

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions. 
2. In a large bowl, mix together quinoa, corn, black beans, and BBQ chicken. Fold in avocado, green onions and season with salt and pepper. Top with a bit of cilantro and additional BBQ sauce as desired and enjoy!

Note: This makes 2 nights of meals for us, and then some.

 

 

 

Clean Crockpot BBQ Chicken

 

 

Ingredients:

• 3-4 large chicken breasts
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, minced
• 1 Tbsp of minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cup of organic ketchup
• 3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp of natural honey
• 1/2 tsp of low sodium soy sauce (I use Tamari for gluten free)
• 3 Tbsp of paprika
• 1 tsp of chili powder
• 1/2 tsp of ground cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• pepper to taste

 

Make your sauce:

1. Add EVOO to large sauté pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes.
2. Add in ketchup and honey, stir.  Add in dry spices.
3. Add soy/tamari and apple cider vinegar.
4. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 25 minutes, or until thickened.

Make your chicken:

1. Place chicken in crockpot and top with BBQ sauce. Mix, cover, and cook on low for 6 hours. Shred with fork (I do this on a separate plate) and add sauce as desired.

36 weeks

How far along: 36 weeks, 9 months today folks!

Gender: GIRL! Think we've picked a name :)

Weight gain: 22 lbs as of Friday 6/6

Maternity clothes: Um, yes! 

Stretch marks: Still haven't noticed any - although I can't see my feet so there could me some hiding.

Belly button in or out: It's flat/poking out a little, and very weird :)

Sleep: Could be better. I was up from 2am-5a one night this weekend. Don't worry, I at least finished the grocery list and ate a bowl of cereal while I was up.

Symptoms: Lower back pain, trouble bending over, get out of breath easy, contractions, sore muscles, fatigue

Best moment this week:  We had a wonderful and productive weekend! Hadley stayed with Brandon's parents this weekend and had so much fun with her cousins. We put our house back together as the painters finished this week (absolutely LURVE our new look!!). My mom came over on Saturday and we did some serious work organizing 27 piles of Hadley's outgrown clothes and getting the baby's room cleaned and ready to go. Brandon and I got facials (his first and he loved it!) and had 2 dates over the weekend at Cru and Lakeside Tavern!
 
Miss anything: Sleeping any position I want, sleeping through the night, being comfortable

Movement: Yes! All the time! She is getting cramped - I can hardly bend over as I feel like I'm squishing her.  

Cravings: Sweets, fruit, and peanut butter. I may or may not have eaten half a jar of peanut butter last week. By myself.

Workouts:  Going to barre about 3-4 times a week and now just doing interval walking several days a week. Brandon and I went on a 3 mile "wog" (walk/jog) Sunday morning with Riley. I get lots of strange looks when I run these days :)

Looking forward to: 

1) Meeting our precious baby girl!  We've been waiting 36 long weeks and I can hardly wait to meet her.  I am so looking forward to her birth and Hadley being a big sis! :)  I'm having fun gathering items for Hadley 's"Happy Big Sister Day" bag she'll get on baby sister's birthday.

 

2) Also on Wednesday, I have my big ultrasound where they will look internally at the C-section scar on my uterus to make sure it is thick enough for me to attempt a VBAC. FINGERS CROSSED Y'ALL!    

3) Father's Day this weekend. Brandon has dominated fatherhood and I want to make it a special weekend for him! 

 

36 week bumpdate!

work bathroom selfie, allsome!

 

 

Just for comparison, look how huge I was with the Hadster at 34.5 weeks and 37 weeks, respectively...wowza! I currently (at 36 weeks pregnant with #2, weigh the same as I did when I first got pregnant with Hadley - insane!)

 

 

 

35 weeks

How far along: 35 weeks

Gender: GIRL! Still nameless though...

Weight gain: 22 lbs 

Maternity clothes: Um, yes! 

Stretch marks: Still haven't noticed any - been using my mama belly oil I used while pregnant with Hadley. I've heard these last few weeks could be when this changes.

Belly button in or out: It's flat/poking out a little, and very weird :)

Sleep: Could be better, 2-4 am is my most difficult time period

Symptoms: Lower back pain, trouble bending over, get out of breath easy, contractions, sore muscles, fatigue

Best moment this week:  Sorry can't pick just one!

1) We had a wonderful weekend, with no planned events which is SO nice sometimes! Pool time, sprinkler fun in the yard, homemade muffins, lunch with Brandon's parents after church, washing baby clothes, perfection!
 

2) Had a fun work baby shower at Litton's - thanks to all who came to celebrate baby girl and also for the generous gifts!

3) Last week I read somewhere that if you sing the same song to your baby frequently before birth, when she makes her debut, she might recognize the song when you sing it to her when she is finally here. I told Hadley this and asked what song we should sing to her each night. She picked Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and for the past week we've been singing to my belly each night.  Yesterday morning Hadley crawled into our bed at 6 am, and within a few minutes got right next to my belly and started singing Twinkle Twinkle, totally unprompted.  It was literally the sweetest thing and I started crying immediately just hearing her precious voice singing to her sister. I was overcome with so many emotions - joy and excitement as we prepare to welcome a little baby into our family and also a little sadness as our chapter as a family of 3 is about to end. I'm trying to savor each of these last little moments with my Hadley Bear!

Miss anything: Sleeping any position I want, eating/drinking anything I want, being comfortable

Movement: Yes! All the time!  I hope in all these movements I feel, she is still head down. 

Cravings: Sweets, and peanut butter of course.

Workouts:  I believe I am finished running. It's just getting so hard on me. Still going to barre about 3-4 times a week and now just doing interval walking several days a week.
 

Looking forward to: Hadley is spending the weekend with Brandon's parents and I can't wait to have one last weekend with just the hubs. One last fancy dinner and maybe a couple of facials in store :)

  

 

35 week bumpdate!