In exactly 1 week we’ll be with Jon right now…say it with me: “YAY!” McKenzie is SO excited to see her daddy, it has been over 2 months now, which is the longest they’ve ever been apart. And I know he misses her like crazy. Obviously I’m super-excited too. I haven’t let anyone feel the baby move, so he’ll be the first one. =) When Baby Boy is born, Jon will have missed the majority of the pregnancy…so honestly I’ve been a little worried that it won’t be real to him. Like, BAM here’s a baby! But he has assured me during our phone conversations that he’s very excited, and he thinks about it all the time. So that comforting.
Anyhow, our upcoming visit to Georgia was also a great excuse for me to do some shopping for myself, and splurge on some summer-appropriate maternity clothes. I’ve gotta feel purdy around my man, ya know what I’m sayin?! I only have about 3 months of pregnancy left (since Baby Boy will be 4 weeks early), BUT that is 3 very long summer months, so I feel justified. When I was pregnant with McKenzie I tried to buy “normal” clothes that were pregnancy-friendly, but maternity clothes are infinitely more comfortable. This time around, I’m going with comfy. I got some cute white capris and colorful tank tops at Target, and a pretty tunic-tank from Motherhood. I’m excited to wear them when we see Jon, and I haven’t been excited about clothes at all lately.
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In other news, this week McKenzie had a fun play date with her friend, Sophie, from her daycare days (1½ years ago). They didn’t skip a beat! They played with dirt, found a dead bird, rode bikes, and played “bird catcher” with a hula hoop. Sophie is a brand-new big sister too, which is great for me…to McKenzie, becoming a big sister seems like the “cool” thing to do! It’s pretty great. And now that my stomach is FINALLY starting to look a little pregnant, it’s getting more real to her. She knows that he’ll be here the week before her birthday, so that’s her measure of time. She wants him to be at her party and have a tiny cake just for him. =)
I had a doctor’s appointment this past Monday, and Baby Boy’s heart rate was perfect at 145. We went over the Perinatal Specialist’s suggestions, and my doc agreed with them. She said she’s comfortable inducing me anytime between 36-38 weeks. Personally, with the scary stillbirth rate of ICP I’m totally fine playing it safe and inducing around 36½ weeks. During my last month of pregnancy (32-26 weeks), I will have at least 4 appointment per week…which is insane. And kinda overwhelming. NST’s 2x/week, amniotic fluid checks via ultrasound once/week, and one regular doctor’s appointment. I guess we’ll be putting more movies on the iPad for McKenzie, hopefully she’ll be cooperative. I foresee lots of merry-go-round rides as incentive for good behavior…sometimes bribery goes a long way.
Have I ever told you I’m a HORRIBLE pancake-maker? I am. Like, really bad. Jon is the pancake-maker of the house. I am so impatient, and they usually end up mushy on the inside and burnt on the outside. Gross!
Anyway, the other day McKenzie requested pancakes, and with Jon gone I didn’t know what to do. I prefer thin pancakes anyway, so I looked up a quick recipe for Swedish Pancakes…I made a few tweaks and they turned out SO tasty, I had to share! Since I love my sweets this pregnancy, I added powdered sugar, a couple chocolate chips, and strawberries. Delicious, and practically guilt free…and the best part is: you probably have most of the ingredients already! So what do you think of my first ever attempt at food photography? Not too shabby, if I do say so myself..jpg)
Guilt-Free Swedish Pancake Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 20 minutes | Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- ½ cup flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
Cooking Instructions:
- Whisk eggs and milk in a mixing bowl, and slowly add flour while constantly stirring (so it doesn’t get clumpy).
- Add sugar, salt, and melted butter to the mixture. Whisk thoroughly and your batter is complete!
- Pre-heat a non-stick skillet to medium heat (I used 4 on our electric stove-top) & coat with non-stick spray or butter.
- Add enough batter (about ½ cup) to thinly & evenly coat the bottom of the skillet. Allow the batter to cook all the way through until it’s solid, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and allow another 2 minutes, or until slightly browned. Repeat with the rest of the batter so you have a complete batch, and you’re done!
- Cut pancake into slices of 4, pizza style. Garnish as desired. I used strawberries, powdered sugar, and chocolate chips. It’s also delicious with jelly! You could probably drizzle with chocolate too. Yum!
Thinking of my Momma this Mother’s Day weekend. She was the most supportive and unselfish person I know, and I am a better mother because she was mine. Even though she was taken too early, I had an amazing childhood. She made it magical: heart-shaped pancakes on Valentine’s day, green milk on St. Patrick’s Day, crafts & building tee-pees outside, and the list goes on. She was my biggest fan, my constant supporter, and I am so lucky she was my mom. Happy Mother’s Day to all deserving Moms & moms-to-be out there!
And this morning, I got this gem from McKenzie. It’s absolutely adorable, and she was so excited to give it to me! ((And to clarify, my “bad shows” are Supernatural & The Walking Dead…of course I wouldn’t let her watch those with me! Haha.))
Last weekend McKenzie and I went to the Farmer’s Market on the Capitol Square. For those of you who don’t know the Madison area, it’s pretty sweet…the entire half-mile around the Capitol Building is packed with local farmers, bakers, and their goodies from 6am-1pm every Saturday in the summer. The fresh fruit, veggies & flowers are so beautiful! We picked up some of the most incredibly delicious “Hot & Spicy Cheesy Bread” from Stella’s Bakery, it’s one of our favorites! Jon would be super jealous.
image via dekerivers.files.wordpress.com I was on the hunt for a pretty spring floral bouquet. I promised McKenzie we’d get some flowers (the girl is obsessed with them), but I couldn’t find any! Maybe they were sold-out. Anyhow, we happened to pass a vendor with potted herbs, and I saw the most beautiful Rosemary plant and fell in love! I think I’ve mentioned it, but lately I’ve been craving scallops (this recipe…but I substitute rosemary for parsley), and some fresh rosemary makes the dish. It was only $12, so I think it was a steal! We bought a pretty pot on the way home, and now Rosemary has a home in my bedroom. I think it looks like a little Christmas tree, and it smells so good! Have you ever grown fresh, potted herbs? I’m horrible…advice welcome.
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Outside I can handle, but my indoor plants generally have a sad fate. Nothing like fresh herbs though!
I hope this week goes by super speedy for you two! What a sweet idea to not have let anyone else feel the baby
Good job on buying cute clothes. It’ll be worth it to feel pretty and be comfortable when you’re in GA (and after). Is the weather supposed to be hot?
Thanks Angie! I’m very excited for him to be the first to feel him moving around…I’ve tried to get McKenzie to feel the kicks, but she can’t really tell what it is.
And yeah, I think it’s supposed to be relatively hot/humid while we’re there! The new clothes should work nicely. =)