11 Year Anniversary & 23 Weeks Preggo

May 21, 2013

ELEVEN years ago today, when I was 15, I started dating the love of my life & we haven’t looked back! I couldn’t ask for a better husband/father to for our kiddo(s). McKenzie and I can’t wait to see him this weekend!

Since we sorta consider the 21st to be “our” number, I think we’ll shoot to have Baby B on August 21st, at 36½ weeks. Which means he might be on his way exactly 3 months from today! That’s insane. Truly. It seems so soon! On to the pregnancy update:

How far along are you? 23 weeks, 2 days.

How big is the baby? The size of a large mango?

Weight Gain? Closer to 10lbs now.

Maternity clothes? Yep. Picked up even more for summertime. The next 3 months are going to be looooong.

Stretch marks? Still just tiny ones on my inner thighs. And my boobs. The joys.

Sleep: Sleep has been less than ideal. I’m pretty itchy again, don’t know if we need to up my dose of Urso again.

Best moment this week? Not baby related, but my little sister graduated college! Yay! I’m so, SO proud of her. Being a student-parent isn’t easy, but she did it. Takes a whole different level of determination and perseverance. I got her green hunter boots to celebrate. =)

Movement? Yep! Definitely getting stronger. As I mentioned in my last post, I haven’t let anyone feel him move yet so Jon can be the first. =) I can see my stomach move sometimes now when he kicks. So cool!

Food cravings? Tostitos. The bite sized ones. With cheese. Or guac. Mmmmmm…

Food aversions? Meat. Yuck.

Labor signs? Nope.

Gender? BOY!

Symptoms? Cholestasis of Pregnancy, Carpal Tunnel of Pregnancy. I really feel pretty good, aside from the itching.

Belly button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? Off now. That Carpal Tunnel thing makes my hands go numb occasionally, and the rings worsen it.

Happy or moody? Happy…we get to see Jon in 3 DAYS! And also, my pre-eclampsia labs were normal, and my liver panel was normal for the first time since high school! I think the meds are doing some good, I just wish they’d help more with the itching. ALTHOUGH, I discovered this anti-itch lotion called Sarna, per the suggestion of other ladies on the ICP Care Facebook Page…it’s amazing. Smells like Vicks (menthol?) but it makes my skin feel cold & it’s very soothing. I recommend it for sunburns too!

What I miss: Not itching. =/ And consequently, sleeping through the night.

What I am looking forward to: Seeing Jon this weekend, of course! He wants to stay in ATL away from military personnel. I’m also looking forward to my appointment tomorrow to check heart tones, then on Sunday I’ll be 24 weeks…”officially” viable! So that’s exciting. Next week I have my first growth scan ultrasound at the high-risk Perinatal Clinic. I’m excited to see him again! Hopefully they’ll switch over to 3D for me, that’d be nice. =)

 

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Angie @ Pint of Goals - May 21, 2013 - 4:39 pm

Look how cute you two were in high school!
You are looking great still, and I’m glad you’ve been feeling good (aside from the itchiness).
Have so much fun in Atlanta for your family “reunion” :)

Jesse - May 21, 2013 - 6:21 pm

Thanks sis =) Love the boots!!!!

The countdown begins!

May 17, 2013

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.

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.;)

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Angie - May 18, 2013 - 6:38 am

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?

Nicole | Life So Lovely - May 18, 2013 - 9:37 pm

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. =)

Guilt-Free Swedish Pancakes with Strawberries. YUM!

May 16, 2013

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.;)

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:

  1. Whisk eggs and milk in a mixing bowl, and slowly add flour while constantly stirring (so it doesn’t get clumpy).
  2. Add sugar, salt, and melted butter to the mixture. Whisk thoroughly and your batter is complete!
  3. Pre-heat a non-stick skillet to medium heat (I used 4 on our electric stove-top) & coat with non-stick spray or butter.
  4. 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!
  5. 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!
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Angie - May 16, 2013 - 7:30 pm

Yum!!! And agree about the food photo – well done. Definitely makes me want to try these this weekend.

Jesse - May 17, 2013 - 7:52 am

Nice plates, looks yummy! =)

Dana @ Conscious Kitchen Blog - May 17, 2013 - 2:33 pm

Yum! These sound delicious. I prefer thinner pancakes too. Regular ones always feels so heavy to me. And yes, the photo looks fab! Love how you cut the strawberry.

Mother’s Day 2013

May 12, 2013

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.))

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Cuteness for Every Season (Part 2)

May 10, 2013

As a follow up to this post, here is the final installment of McKenzie’s seasonal collage: SPRING! It’s slightly different from the other photos…she didn’t want to open her eyes because it was too bright, even though it was cloudy. Little stinker. I still think they’re sweet! Oh well, maybe it’s just an excuse to take some more pics soon. =) I really do love how her personality shines through, and you can see every gorgeous eyelash. Can you tell she’s growing??

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litzy margot - May 10, 2013 - 10:53 pm

Adorable! You’re a great photographer and she seems to be a ham! :)