Week 18

Apologies for missing a week.  It was the week of Thanksgiving.  Busy, Busy week to say the least.  But I'm back.  :)

We had a lovely Thanksgiving.  We invited some friends over (one family had never celebrated Thanksgiving before).  It was really nice with lots and lots of food.  EM woke up everyday asking for turkey and came home every day asking for turkey.  LOL. I finally had to kill the turkey (much to EM's dislike). We froze most of the meat and made stock out of the rest. 

Every phase that EM gets to, I'm convinced that this is the best and I worry about the next phase he'll enter.  While he certainly has his moments, he is the most awesomest three year old little thing.  Last night, I was doing a load of laundry and he asked to smell the fabic softener.  "Mmmm, dadiscious"  was his response.  :)  This morning, I was out of the Cheerios that he likes to snack on in the morning, I gave him prunes instead - sure that they would be rejected.  He responded with another "dadiscious" followed quickly by "thanks Mom.  You're the best mom ever?"  I like that he put the question mark at the end, like I'm supposed to confirm this.  I just smile.  I remember when he was a babe and he would poop and pee and puke on me and then smile the biggest toothless smile.  Then the next day he would pee on himself (which was hillarious.)  I remember being so excited when he started talking, walking, eating, etc.  I was so utterly in love and amazed that his daddy and I created this little being.  I've been in love since minute one, in fact I wanted to make another right after the doctor gave the green light.  :)  So happy that we have another on the way and that this new addition will have an awesome big brother from which to learn the ways of the world.

Babylove #2 is doing great.  Doing a superb job of stretching out my belly and growing.  Head to rump, baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

EM is convinced that baby is not one, but two and he thinks they are both girls.  Daddy thinks it's a girl, too. I'm holding out hope for ...  What do you think we're having?

Week 16

I got EM a new clock.  It is fantabulous.  How?  It keeps my kid in the bed.  This clock glows yellow during the night, so it acts like a night light; however, in the morning it turns green.  EM knows to stay in the bed until it turns green.  Not only does he know it, but he actually does it.  Then he comes in my room tapping me on the head telling me, "It's green!  It's green!"  So there is an added bonus that I will not oversleep.  :)

Babylove #2 is growing up a storm.  In the next few weeks, baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

More and more people are getting up the nerve to ask me, "Are you...?"  I can no longer blame my protruding belly on lunch.

Baked Potato Soup

Photo credit: Randy Mayor and Iain Bagwell - taken from Cooking Light website


I've never made potato soup before.  For some reason it seemed complicated and intimidating, though I'd never looked at a recipe before.  LOL.  I had a bowl of this delightfulness at work a couple of weeks ago and have wanted another ever since.  I decided to take matters into my own hands! :)  A quick web search led me to Cooking Light's version of potato soup.  It did not disappoint.  I used skim milk and regular sour cream, I also did not use bacon.  It was still fantabulous! Recipe below:

Ingredients

• 4 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds) 
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces) 
• 6 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
• 1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided
• 6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
• Cracked black pepper (optional) 

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 400°.
• Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes; coarsely mash.
• Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flour in a large Dutch oven; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes). Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.
• Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 8 bowls. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons onions, and about 1 tablespoon bacon. Garnish with cracked pepper, if desired.

Ann Taylor Pittman, Cooking Light
SEPTEMBER 2007

Week 15

Babylove #1, EM, has discovered "Step Into Reading" books.  He's on Step 1.  Of course, the first one he got put his little hands on was the one about Cars.  It stays on his night stand.  :)  The joy on his face when he is "reading" in priceless.  He gets so excited!  I have ordered a few more for him, hopefully they will be met with the same level of enthusiasm.  He has also developed an intense love for Old School Sesame Street!  He will watch it over and over and over.  I love that he loves it.  Though I have to admit I cringe a little, when I see the little kids playing in a junkyard full of rusty on metal pipes and boards. EEEKKKK!!!!  However, we still have great love for Kermit and Grover (and the fact that there is no Elmo).

We went to the beach earlier this week with some friends.  It was lovely!  The beach was small and not crowded.  The weather was perfect.  The water ... was cold!!!!  EM was not interested in frolicking in some cold water.  He said he'll wait till he gets home and will frolick in a nice warm bubble bath.  That's my boy!  He was none to pleased to walk down to the shore and dip his toes in, only to return to the blanket with sand covering his feet.  Reminds me so much of his Moonpie.

EM is doing great as the mommy protector.  I can not wait to see him in action with his new sibling.  Right now he likes to rub my belly and given it kisses.  So sweet!

Babylove #2 is doing his/her on thing and not caring too much about what going on outside my belly.  Baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). Baby is busy moving amniotic fluid through their nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in his/her lungs begin to develop. Baby's legs are growing longer than her arms now, and baby can move all of her joints and limbs. Although baby's eyelids are still fused shut, baby can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, baby's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but baby is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")  I am holding out till delivery to find out the gender, though hubby wishes otherwise.

I keep thinking I'm going to take a belly shot to post, but I keep not doing it!  : p  The problem is I'm rarely wearing a form fitting top when it's time to take pictures.    Maybe by Week 20????

I think I'll save the survey for once a month.  Seems like posting it every week has me saying the same things over and over.

Happy November

Halloween was yesterday.  EM's school had a Halloween party.  Let me tell ya, some of the cutest creatures were hanging out there that day.  They were seriously so cute,  I didn't want to leave them.  EM dressed as "Captain D'America."

Since Daddy is out the house for a while, EM is taking his role of protector quite seriously.  He makes sure I get down the stairs without falling and tells me "You're doing a good job, Mommy" when I get to the bottom.  He's also put a few cars and one cement truck in timeout for pulling out in front of me while driving.  He then reports, "Everything is OK, I took care of it, Mommy." :)

Babylove #2 is doing quite well, too.  This week, we will have a nuchal translucency scan to test for Down's Syndrome.  (S)He is quite busy in there dancing up a storm.  Usually in the middle of the night after I got to the bathroom (down to one visit @ 3:30 AM) Little one stretches and wiggles.   :)

Week 14
This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.
In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells.

*Maternity clothes?: They are making a more steady appearance.  Whenever I wear a maternity top I get tons of "Are you ...?"  Ha Ha Ha

*Sleep?: Can not get enough sleep.  This weekend, EM and I slept in until 10-10:30 AM, both days.  I would love to go to bed every night at 8 and sleep until 7.  But to do that, the dishes wouldn't get done, there would be no clothes to wear the next day and no lunches to eat.  :(

*Best moment this week?: Looking more pregnant and less fat

*Movement?: Not really, some times when I feel a little squiggle, but not too much and not too often.

*Food cravings?: Chili.

*Labor signs?: Nothing to report

*Belly button in or out?: yes to both.

*What I miss: I miss wine and beer, though I don't really drink much in Qatar.  I also miss my 30 Day Shred.

*What I'm looking forward to: feeling el bambino move

*Milestone: none really.