Belly Shot

Whoops! I meant to include a couple of belly shots for this week's update. Just in case you can't tell from these pictures I have been wearing my pre-pregnancy tanks for workouts and obviously they are getting a little obscene... haha.

The baby's back and butt are curled up on my right side, and yes, thats my belly button, it is a little point now instead of the innie that it once was. If you look really hard I'm pretty sure you can see some baby bump skin in this one too....

34 Week update

34 weeks today and the weeks continue to fly by.
The baby is putting on fat and his lungs will finish up developing this week. From now until he is born he will pretty much just be fattening up. He is getting big at almost 5 lbs and 18 inches long! He is definitely face down and his little back is facing out which is good. We have so much fun feeling him when he moves, trying to decide if its an arm or a leg poking out.
This morning especially I am having a lot of braxton hicks. They don't really hurt but they are definitely becoming more uncomfortable than they were when I first started getting them at 17 weeks. I am noticing that I am more tired, especially at night, but even so it has been difficult to fall asleep. Exercising still feels really good and I have been able to reintroduce some elliptical into my weekly routine. I haven't been working out with quite as much intensity but have thankfully managed to make it to the gym almost every day.
Jeff and I have been using these last few weeks to get everything set up and ready for the baby. Among other things we have set up his swing

and tested out his car seat

Most women are an average of 8 days late with their first baby. Even so its getting harder and harder to resist counting down the days until I'm full term and my tentative due date. Only 3 weeks until I'm full term ( and can have the baby out of hospital at the birth center) and 6 weeks until his due date!

Meals for this week

Last weeks meals were all pretty good. We especially liked the Buffalo Wing Turkey Lettuce Wraps and I loved the Asparagus, goat cheese, and lemon pasta. Jeff isn't a huge fan of goat cheese so needless to say, that wasn't one of his favorite meals...

Here is what we have planned for this week:

Monday - Veggie Quiche and the best blueberry pancakes you'll ever try

Tuesday - Baked chicken and ground turkey chimichangas with salad and veggies

Wednesday - Artichoke ravioli from Trader Joe's

Thursday - tba...

Friday - Sweet Chili Asian Stir Fry with chicken

Project Nursery: Fitted crib sheet

With just about 7 weeks left there isn't too much more time to complete projects. Honestly I don't even feel like starting anything new right now at all. However, when I saw these cute crib sheets I decided to try my hand at them. I just finished the first one and it turned out...well, it turned out and Im happy about that. It was one of the easier projects that I have done but my machine was / is being finicky which made all of the actual sewing a little difficult. I ran out of white thread so I decided to use forest green. Elastic is awesome because it transforms the entire project. It was fun putting it in and watching the flat sheet of fabric bunch up and turn into a crib sheet! Definitely an enjoyable and rewarding project. I started with a simple color to go with the nursery decor but will definitely be making several more of these. Maybe some flannel? Now I just need to pick up a mattress pad.

Meals for this week

Here in Washington it is a beautiful sunny Monday! The recipes from last week all turned out really well. My favorites by far were: Triple Lentil Recovery Soup and Honey Sesame Chicken. Both recipes I will definitely be making again soon! Jeff's parents are coming in for a visit this friday and we will be heading East with them to visit more family that afternoon/night so I only planned a few meals for this week.
Here's what's on the schedule for meals this week:

Monday - Carne asada beef and chicken with mexican rice and refried black beans - Trader Joes
Tuesday - Asparagus, goat cheese, and Lemon Pasta
Wednesday - Mexican Chicken Lime soup
Thursday - Buffalo Wing Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Snowy days

We have had the most wonderful snow here over the past few days. It started on Saturday and has been snowing ever since! Even though we are used to lots of snow (sometimes) in Colorado, the snow here is a whole new experience.
Its far more wet. People joke about how the locals here in Washington have no idea how to drive in snow. That is partially true, snow makes people very scared here. The side that Coloradoans don't understand is that the snow here is so wet and it gets so cold that the streets turn into literal sheets of ice every single afternoon. Its like an ice skating rink here people. I don't think there is any way to be a skilled driver on the ice. Im planning on being home bound until Thursday because our little town is surrounded by steep hills that my Jetta would most definitely slide down.
The sun doesn't come out after it stops snowing! This is one of my favorite things about the past few days. In Colorado it will typically snow for a little bit and then the sun will come out full force and melt everything away. I like my snow days to feel wintry and cozy and they certainly do here.

Meals for this week

I thought it would be fun to just do a quick post every Monday with our weekly meals, kind of as a follow up to the meal planning post. Here's what's cooking this week:

Monday - Triple Lentil Recovery Soup with ground turkey and roasted beets
Tuesday - Honey Sesame Chicken with brown rice and veggies
Wednesday - Spicy Thai Noodles with Tofu ( didn't get around to making these last week)
Thursday - Black Bean, Brown Rice, and Quinoa Cakes with sweet potatoes and butternut squash
Friday - Either Fire Pot Soup  or Asian Chicken Noodle (so good) with Tofu and Chicken

Meal planning

 Up until this past fall I had never taken the time to sit down and write out a meal schedule for the week, I just didn't think it was necessary. On top of that a meal plan seems so constricting like once you write down your meals for the week and buy all of the groceries you are tied in whether you feel like chicken casserole on Tuesday night or not. How wrong I was. Not only is planning out our weekly meals more economical, it is also fun! I really had to change my mindset about the whole thing. Planning doesn't have to be about wracking your brains for hours every weekend trying to come up with meals for the week or just using the same old recipes over and over again. I look at it as a chance to try new recipes and make fun meals each week.

A meal schedule is also much more versatile than I thought it would be. There is so much freedom within each recipe to modify ingredients to suit your needs on any given day. Also, if something just isn't sounding good to us one night we will do one of 3 things: cut it out of the plan all together, switch it with another night's meal, have a mini date night and eat out!

My love of reading food blogs helps me to explore the culinary world with just the click of a mouse. If I find a recipe during the week I want to try I bookmark the page so that I can remember it for our next week of meals. This ensures that I always have several different recipes to draw from when planning meals. I have found this method to be so fun because I get exposed to so many different writers and recipes throughout the week.

Some of my favorite food blogs:

*Sugar Crafter - for sweet and savory
*Smitten Kitchen - just a good, well written blog
*Eat, Live, Run - every recipe I have tried has been delish
*Oh She Glows - for vegan and vegetarian recipes
*Tasty Kitchen - a compilation of different recipes/food blogs
*Pinterest - Although its not technically a blog there are SO MANY recipes to browse through, love it

Sample of my weekly grocery list + meal plan:








I like to list my meals on the back of the grocery list so that I can make sure I have all of the ingredients for each recipe before going to the store. Also, your list does not have to look like a piece of trash...it might even up the "fun" factor if you buy yourself a cute little grocery notebook or something.

*Sausage,Kale,& White Bean soup - Sugar Crafter
*Chicken Gyros - The Girl Who Ate Everything
Spicy Thai Noodles - A Small Snippet
*Turkey Pot Pie - Sugar Crafter

*Recipes we love

31 week update

Wow! Already 31 weeks. I can't believe it has been a week since the last update. This week I am feeling:

*Tired
*Hungry
*Excited
*Lots of movement

The baby is almost 4 pounds (my update says about 4 navel oranges) and 16 inches long. He is pretty much just fattening up at this point. He can move his head and arms and legs which we are able to see constantly. Most of the time his movements don't make me uncomfortable but occasionally it feels like his whole body moves to the other side of my stomach which is very strange. He is definitely going through a growth spurt. Just in the past couple of days I have noticed an increase in my appetite and have been having to eat a snack after dinner.
My food preferences have kind of changed in general I think. I have been loving peanut butter. During my second trimester I was gulping down the green shakes and this trimester I feel a little more like I did for the first twelve weeks: a little more tired and wanting more toast and comfort foods rather than a ton of veggies.

We are going to start setting up his little nursery soon and are so excited to get everything organized for him!

Only 9 weeks until my due date and only 6 weeks until I am considered full term

Spicy Chicken and Rice bake

I made this for dinner the other night and it was de-lish.
Adapted from Sugar Crafter's recipe:

Spicy Chicken and Rice bake
preheat oven to 350 degrees

• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded ( I baked mine with a little seasoning and olive oil)
• 4 cups cooked rice (about 2 cups uncooked)
• 2 cups black beans (about 1 can)
• 1 can sweet corn, drained
• 2 cans green chilies
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 small jalapeno, minced
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups grated cheese (I used a combination of goat gouda, white cheddar, and gruyere)

saute the onion and the jalapeno until soft. In a medium sized bowl mix together chicken, rice, beans, corn, yogurt, cheese, and jalapeno onion mixture until well combined. pour into a greased 9x13 pan and sprinkle more cheese on top if desired. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and the dish is heated through. Serve with salsa, hot sauce, or siracha on top!

* When I make this again I will probably omit the corn, I just didn't prefer it

* If making for two people cut recipe in half and use a smaller dish to bake!

Baby Shower!

During our stay in Colorado my sister - in - law Sharon threw me an awesome baby shower. She went all out with the decorations making banners and table runners and adding sweet touches everywhere.

 She also had some help from Tara and Jess

Hannah couldn't be with us so Tara and I saved a spot for her in this picture :)

Tara prepared all of the food, it was amazing!

Cake pops, chocolate covered pretzels, cheesecake filled strawberries were a few of the things we got to eat

Jess covered the games which were so fun!

There was lots of time spent unwrapping presents. The baby has so many sweet little clothes, blankets, and toys! I can't wait to meet him soon. 

It was so nice to catch up with family and friends

with my sweet sister-in-law Amber

Tara and Tabbi (and the baby)

Random belly shot

I was so happy that my mom was able to be there for the shower! They drove all the way from Arizona and it was so good to see her.

30 Week Update: Midwife appointment and Birth Center tour

Its good to be home again. It was so fun to be in Colorado with family for Christmas but traveling is definitely not as fun when you are pregnant. I didn't think I would notice the altitude and lack of moisture as much as I did. Washington is such a gentle place to live :)

30 weeks this past Tuesday and feeling pretty good. I've been staving off a cold since we got back from our travels so that hasn't been fun. The baby is 3lbs and 15.5 inches long! Its so neat being able to feel his little body moving around all day. I would say that his most active times are in the morning and afternoons. Its hard to believe that in only 10 weeks he will be at least doubling in size. Exercise still feels great. I definitely noticed a decline in my energy levels, circulation, and overall mood while we were traveling due to lack of exercise. I have been loving the stationary bike and try to do a combination of that and elliptical and or walking at least 4 times a week. Intensity has dropped off a little and I expect to be walking more in the near future.

At my midwife appointment last week she felt my stomach and said that it felt like the baby was head down which is great for obvious reasons. We went over all of the signs of early labor that I should start watching out for in the  next several weeks just in case he decides to come early.

On Monday we drove to Kirkland to tour the Puget Sound Birth Center where I will be having the baby! It was extremely surreal walking around and looking at each of the rooms. So weird knowing that any time in the next 2 1/2 months we will be there again to meet our baby boy.