33 Weeks

Week 33 has been productive! We are VERY close to a finished baby room. I'm excited to share pictures on the blog soon. Baby K also now has clothes to wear! Finding clothes has been the most difficult part of not finding out the sex of the baby, but we have things to get us started and we are really set if the baby is a boy. I think I should start a line of cute gender neutral clothing. Lastly, we went on our tour of the hospital on Sunday. The hospital is so quiet. Everything seemed really nice too, and it's pretty much brand new. The bad news...labor is still medieval and you can't have any snacks but ice. Frozen water is not a snack. Oh then there's the fact I had to return to work full time. Rude. Like I said it's been an eventful week. 

How far along? 33 weeks!

How big is the baby? One website says a pineapple, another says a durian. FYI, the durian is the "King of Asian fruits." The baby is over 4 pounds and over 17 inches long.

Maternity clothes? Same status. Yes and no. Regular clothes are getting less comfortable. I did have a personal victory, though...I tried on my jeans yesterday for the first time since June and they still fit!!!

Sleep? Waking up frequently during the night, and sometimes having a hard time falling back asleep.

Symptoms? Still having back pain. Usually after I come home from work and lay down for a couple minutes it gets better.

Best moment this week? My mom visited at the end of last week and we did a little clothes shopping for the baby, Matt and I hung some pictures in the room on Saturday, and on Sunday we toured the hospital.

Food cravings? Not craving much right now.

Food aversions? Food is actually becoming less appealing. I just really hate how I feel after I eat. 

Gender? It's a surprise! I shared our Baby Hunch pool and we LOVE seeing your guesses! Submit one if you would like, just follow this link: http://www.babyhunch.com/poolpage.php?poolid=afff7a33bcd4c7d922db1523e31ba3e3

What I miss? Sleeping on my stomach, easier movement.

What I'm looking forward to? Actually meeting the baby!

Recipe of the Week!

Cheesecake

I have mentioned about being behind in my blogging, this recipe included. Matt requested cheesecake for his birthday a few weeks ago. I have only made cheesecake one other time and was slightly disappointed in how that one turned out. That was when I learned that cheesecake can crack if you aren't careful. This time I tried a little harder, but didn't go to the lengths some will go to to have a perfect cheesecake. I was not about to get involved in wrapping pans in foil and preparing water baths. After all, a cracked cheesecake is still going to taste good. I did take precautions in the cooling process as a compromise. I'm happy to say it worked and I didn't have a large ravine running through my dessert. I would recommend this recipe. It was pretty easy and tasted delicious.

Ingredients: 

Crust:

2 cups finely ground graham crackers
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 pint sour cream
1 lemon, zested
1 dash vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

For the Crust:
In a mixing bowl, combine the ingredients with a fork until evenly moistened. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of an 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the crumbs into the pan and press the crumbs down into the base and 1-inch up the sides. Refrigerate while you are making the filling.

For the Filling:
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on low speed until smooth and free of any lumps. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue to beat slowly until combined. Gradually add sugar and beat until creamy. Add sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Periodically scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters. The batter should be well-mixed but not overbeaten. Pour the filling into the crust-lined pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

Bake for 45 minutes. The cheesecake should still jiggle (it will firm up after chilling). After 45 minutes, turn your oven off, crack open your oven door, and let the cheesecake cool in there for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on the counter for 30 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for at least 4 hours. Loosen the cheesecake from the sides of the pan by running a thin metal spatula around the inside rim.

Storybook Baby Shower!

Matt and I both love books and reading, and we hope that the new baby will too. On Sunday, Baby K got a great start to their library at my storybook themed baby shower! I might be biased, but it was so cute! My sister, mom, aunts, and cousins did such a great job weaving the theme into every part of the shower.

The 'cake' was cupcakes in the shape of Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The cake table also featured a Very Hungry Caterpillar cookie basket. The cookies were in the shapes of the book, the caterpillar, the butterfly, and each piece of fruit. The fruit pieces even had the little holes that the caterpillar makes in the book. In addition to the caterpillar themed table, there was also a Winnie the Pooh basket, a Dr. Suess basket, and a Poky Little Puppy (my favorite book as a child) basket. The person who made these is seriously super talented. And they tasted good!

My sister and cousin also did If You Give a Mouse a Cookie themed favors. They put together a mason jar of cookie ingredients for each guest to take home and make cookies later. There was also a 'wishes for baby' table featuring Oh, the Places You'll Go! 

The shower was very cute, and it was great to be able to celebrate the new baby with family and friends, some of which I haven't seen in a long time. The baby received so many nice things. Matt, the baby, and I are so lucky to have so many caring and generous people in our lives. Now all that is left (for the most part) is waiting for Baby K's arrival.

32 Weeks

32 weeks and a Very Hungry Caterpillar cake and cookies!

Friends, I am so behind in my blogging! We have had a very busy few days. We visited Pittsburgh for the second weekend in a row for my baby shower, then Matt graciously took a day off from work on Monday to help me at my work with moving furniture and other junk. Yesterday, I was just trying to get my life back in order, and today I worked a few hours at school. I am hoping to post all about Baby K's Storybook Shower tomorrow, but for now here is our weekly update!

How far along? 32 weeks!

How big is the baby? One website says a jicama, another says a squash. FYI, a jicama is a Mexican yam or turnip. Both estimate the baby is about 3 and 3/4 pounds and almost 16.7 inches.

Maternity clothes? Same status. Yes and no. I have yet to wear a pair of maternity pants. I'm so hoping I can make it the whole time without having to do so. Mostly I hope I can wear dresses and skirts until this baby is born.

Sleep? Still waking up a lot during the night, but I'm trying to enjoy my last week off work to get some extra rest.

Symptoms? I'm having trouble with my very low back, more like my tailbone area. It's mostly when I'm walking. I fear that I'm going to start walking like a pregnant lady for the next 8 weeks.

Best moment this week? Baby K's baby shower! It was so much fun to visit with people I haven't seen in a long time, and my sister, mom, aunts, and cousins did such a great job making everything so cute. I can't wait to post about it. Matt and I also got to go to the doctor together on Monday to hear the baby's heartbeat.

Food cravings? Mostly green grapes. I also keep making hard boiled eggs. Weird. I don't even really like eggs.

Food aversions? Not much right now.

Gender? It's a surprise! I shared our Baby Hunch pool and we LOVE seeing your guesses! Submit one if you would like, just follow this link: http://www.babyhunch.com/poolpage.php?poolid=afff7a33bcd4c7d922db1523e31ba3e3

What I miss? Sleeping on my stomach, easier movement.

What I'm looking forward to? As we were driving home from Pittsburgh this weekend I told Matt all of our big events before having a baby are over and now all we are waiting for is the baby. Obviously we have lots of little, and not so little, things to take care of and think about, but all trips and major plans are over. So right now we can focus on looking forward to actually having a baby!

31 Weeks (and 3 Years)!

Today, I am not only 31 weeks pregnant, but also married to Matt for three years! Matt took the day off and we celebrated by going to the Book of Mormon at the Kennedy Center and having dinner at Founding Farmers. This week in pregnancy is not much different than the last. I was grocery shopping on Monday and Wegmans already has Halloween candy. My first thought was, "Really, it's August!" Then I thought, "OMG I will have a newborn on Halloween." Two-ish months to go!

How far along? 31 weeks!

How big is the baby? One website says a coconut, the other says a pineapple. At least both are tropical! So appropriate as I sit here drinking from my Hawaii Starbucks mug in commemoration of our honeymoon :)

Maternity clothes? Same status. Yes and no. I am really dreading having to go back to school simply because I'm going to have to really think about clothes. I don't know what fits and what doesn't. That's a project for next week.

Sleep? My sleep has actually been OK the last few days! I'm still waking up a lot, but I feel pretty rested when I get up in the morning for the most part.

Symptoms? My symptoms are pretty much at bay. I do have an occasional issue with heartburn, and I still have the crazy, weird hiccups. Lately, I wake up feeling good, but by the end of the day I feel like a huge pregnant lady.

Best moment this week? We have made great progress on the baby's room this week, my parents' anniversary party, seeing some work friends I haven't seen all summer, and just the everyday growing movements of Baby K.

Food cravings? Mostly green grapes.

Food aversions? Not much right now.

Gender? It's a surprise! I shared our Baby Hunch pool and we LOVE seeing your guesses! Submit one if you would like, just follow this link: http://www.babyhunch.com/poolpage.php?poolid=afff7a33bcd4c7d922db1523e31ba3e3

What I miss? Sleeping on my stomach, easier movement.

What I'm looking forward to? Visiting Pittsburgh this weekend for my baby shower! Matt gets to come with me to my next doctor appointment on Monday. Hopefully getting most of the baby's room ready before heading back to work soon.

40 Years!

My parents officially celebrated 40 years of marriage yesterday, but on Saturday we surprised them with a gathering of family and longtime friends to help them commemorate the occasion! My sister and I talked about having a party at the end of June, made a guest list, and worried about my aunts spilling the beans for the next six weeks. 

Last Thursday I talked to my mom on the phone and was still pretty convinced she had no idea what was happening over the weekend. Matt and I arrived in Pittsburgh late Friday night while my sister and Mike were at the Pirate game with my parents. When they came home that night they were convinced my parents knew something was going on. They kept telling her that they were going to come over to her house earlier than invited the next day (Caitlin had told them to meet at her house for a drink before going to dinner with her in-laws). 

Saturday, after a smooth and uneventful set up, all of our guests arrived and we all awaited the arrival of Jim and Jane. At the time they were actually invited to my sister's house my parents randomly called me. I found myself a quiet spot and talked with them during their drive to my sister's house. Couldn't have worked out better. We knew exactly when they were coming into the backyard. You can watch the video above. They were definitely surprised, and my dad even admitted he didn't know. The evening was a great success and I'm really excited it actually was a surprise for them!

30 Weeks

The weeks start with a THREE! I feel like that's a big deal. We have checked quite a few boxes this week (and last) in our prepping for the baby to be here. I visited two pediatricians this week, and I think we made a decision last night. We also received our glider last week and went to IKEA tonight to finish off furniture. There's still lots to do and important decisions to make, but it feels good to be checking off a few of these things. 

How far along? 30 weeks!

How big is the baby? One website says a large cabbage, another says a cucumber. They both say that the baby is almost 16 inches and around 3 pounds. I've never seen a 3 pound cucumber. I am convinced, though, that the baby is long. It can touch my hip bone and my ribs (opposite sides) at the same time.

Maternity clothes? Same status. Yes and no. I wore all regular clothes today, but my shorts were a little harder to button.

Sleep? Mediocre, but I do make myself get up with Matt at least two or three mornings a week as to get some exercise and stay productive. I'm losing motivation for getting up, though.

Symptoms? I don't have a whole lot this week, other than actually sometimes feeling pregnant. I feel like I have become substantially bigger in the last few weeks.

Best moment this week? Our glider arrived! Feeling the baby's movements get much bigger, and I had a doctor appointment this afternoon that went well.

Food cravings? Just the usual...green grapes, fruit in general, salt and vinegar chips.

Food aversions? Not much right now.

Gender? It's a surprise! I shared our Baby Hunch pool and we LOVE seeing your guesses! Submit one if you would like, just follow this link: http://www.babyhunch.com/poolpage.php?poolid=afff7a33bcd4c7d922db1523e31ba3e3

What I miss? Sleeping on my stomach. I have thought of sushi and red wine recently, but I'm not missing those terribly.

What I'm looking forward to? Continuing to work on preparations and visiting Pittsburgh next weekend for my baby shower!

Recipe of the Week!

Buttermilk Biscuits

I randomly got a craving for biscuits, probably a month ago, so I made these things. I felt so southern. They are pretty simple, but a little messy. I made myself take a very long walk before making these, and then ate them straight out of the oven. It was awesome. The recipe makes a dozen, so I had a whole bunch leftover. I was all excited that I could have them for breakfast the next couple of days. Biggest disappointment ever. Not even close to the same as straight out of the oven. All I wanted to do was take a time machine and go back and eat more fresh biscuits. Lesson learned.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1⁄4 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, very cold
1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Cut the butter into chunks and pulse a few times until a cornmeal like consistency is achieved. Add the buttermilk and mix just until combined. If it appears on the dry side, add a little more buttermilk. It should be very wet. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Gently pat the dough out until it's about 1/2" thick. Fold the dough about 5 times, gently press the dough down to a 1 inch thick square. Cut the dough into 12 smaller squares (I did squares so that I didn't waste any dough, you could use a round cutter if you want circles). Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet - if you like soft sides, put them touching each other. If you like crusty sides, put them about 1 inch apart. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until the biscuits are a light golden brown on top and bottom.