35 weeks

35 weeks

 {stripe pants}

Baby is now the size of: A coconut.  Baby is just over 5 lbs now!  Crazy to think I'm carrying a 5lb weight in my belly at all times.

Total weight gain: 23 lbs

Maternity clothes: A little of both.  But this belly is getting so big even my small maternity tee shirts are getting short. 

Sleep: Thankful to be sleeping like a rock still.  And still taking a catnap in the afternoon.

Favorite meal this week: {Salmon BLT's} are always a favorite in our house.  But we also made a chicken salad that was pretty darn good (and healthy so of course that was followed up by an unhealthy dessert!) Recipes below.
Cravings: Sweets and fruit constantly. 
Exercise: I still had my cold at the beginning of the week and then we were so busy with evening plans, I only worked out one day.  My body needed the break but I'm anxious to get back to running!

Pregnancy aches & pains: Just my typical right side rib pain.

Worst moment this week: Being sick which made me a not so patient mommy.  God teaches us so many lessons when we are down for the count.

Best moment this week: Baby is still head down!  Cannot believe it.  And after 5 weeks of contractors in our house, they finished our bathrooms and there's peace again.  AKA I can stay in sweats and no makeup longer in the morning :)

Looking forward to: Only one more month till baby is here and lots of fun activities planned for April.  It's going to fly by so I really want to cherish each day I have left with just Solis and Shaun.

 My favorite ray of sunshine.  She fills my heart with indescribable joy.

Adapted from Kraft Foods

Ingredients

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 cup chopped red pepper

1 cup chopped red onion

1 cup fresh cilantro

Extras 

avocado, cut into chunks

sliced almonds

shredded cheese

spinach

pitas or wraps

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the chicken with vegetables and cilantro.  Top the salad with avocado chunks, almonds, or cheese.  I eat this with spinach and no dressing b/c I'm not a fan of dressing.  My hubby puts his in a wrap or pita and adds a dressing.

Ingredients

12 oz. vanilla wafers, crushed

1/2 cup melted butter

12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

12 oz. evaporated milk

1/2 tea. salt

half gallon ice cream, softened

Directions

1. Crush the wafers and mix with the melted butter.  Set aside 1 cup and spread the rest on the bottom of a greased 13x9 pan.  Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

2. Melt the chocolate chips over the stove top with milk and salt until thickened.  This takes about 20 minutes and it is very important that it gets thick so it stays on top of the cookie layer.

3. Pour over the wafers then cover and freeze for 25 minutes or until firm.

4. Spread ice cream on top of the chocolate.  I usually get 2 flavors and do half and half so our guests have a choice of ice cream.

5. Top with the remaining crumbs and cover and freeze for 2 hours.

34 weeks

34 weeks

Baby is now the size of: A cantaloupe.  Baby is around 4.75 pds and almost 18 in long.

Total weight gain: 22-23 pds

Maternity clothes: Mix of both.  But my choice of clothes are regular yoga pants and old track sweatshirts.

Sleep: Great!  My husband commented how I don't get up to pee like I did the first time.  And I realized he's right...maybe once a night?

Favorite meal this week: Does a graham central station ice cream cone from Brusters count as a favorite meal?  B/c to me it does.  But if we're talking real food, hands down was date night to a local sushi place.  When I first started dating Shaun, I hated sushi.  Now I'm coming around to it but this prego stuck to teriyaki seafood. 
Cravings: Fresh fruit, chocolate, wine.  Sounds like a perfect summer afternoon to me.
Exercise: I started out the week so well-2 days at 40 min, 1 day at 30.  Then by Thursday, I was feeling sooo run down and on Friday the sore throat hit in.  So I only hit the gym 3x this week.

Pregnancy aches & pains: None really!

Worst moment this week: Getting sick at the end of the week.  After I had Solis, I was never sick.  Not even a cold.  This pregnancy, I have had cold after sore throat after head cold.  So over it.

Best moment this week: When your toddler asks you to cuddle with her.  Solis NEVER wanted rocked as a baby or wanted to sleep in mommy's bed.  When it comes to sleep, she gets right down to business.  But this week she was asking for cuddles....not sure if it's the baby coming but I'll take them.

Looking forward to: Another baby appt this week.  So anxious to hear if baby is head up or head down?  And another baby appt means another sweet treat afterwards with my Solis!

first day of spring happiness

 One morning, I heard Solis screaming at Naysa.  She was begging her to kiss her.  "Naysa, kiss meeeeee!"  

It was hilarious.  But she better not do this to the boys or we're in trouble.

 

33 weeks

33 weeks

 (green scarf)

Baby is now the size of: A durian, another fruit I've never heard of.  Baby is around 4 pds and over 17 in long.

Total weight gain: 22 pounds

Maternity clothes: Definitely jeans and tanks and tees.  I always throw on a regular hoodie or cardigan over top.

Sleep: Good when I finally fall asleep.  Getting hard to turn my mind off of everything I have to do still.

Favorite meal this week: We tried a new sauce for salmon this week and it was delish.  Recipe below.
Cravings: Constant sweets.  A piece of chocolate doesn't cut it after dinner.  I need a real dessert every night.  It's bad for the hips, real bad.
Exercise: Running or elliptical-2 days at 40 min, 2 days at 30 min, and one 5k!

Pregnancy aches & pains: Can't complain too much.  When I was prego with Solis, I had horrible rib pain constantly but I only feel it once in awhile with this babe.

Worst moment this week: Not a particular moment but I am feeling so overwhelmed.  I've realized I only have less than 2 months till I won't be able to get anything done and my list is thiiiis long still.  I try to get these weekly updates out on the weekends and look, here it is Wednesday and I'm just now getting to it.  We're also getting our bathrooms remodeled so it's complete chaos here.

Best moment this week: I ran a 5k and Solis ran her first fun run!  My time was 25:58.  My splits were 8:45, 8:15, 8:00-which completely shocks me b/c when I run on the treadmill, I only run 9:15-9:30 pace.  And Solis's little race was just completely adorable.  It was so fun to introduce her to the running atmosphere.  I made a video of her run below.

Looking forward to: Solis is spending the night at grandma's this weekend and we plan on working on the baby's room.  And go to dinner without rushing through it.  And being able to finish a conversation for once.  Now if only I could drink some wine, that would be perfect.  I guess another dessert will have to do!

 Salmon with dill sauce

(adapted from Taste of Home)

Ingredients

1/4 cup mayo

2 TB sour cream

1/2 TB chives (or chopped green onions)

1/2 TB lemon juice

1/4 tsp dill weed

1 lb fresh atlantic salmon

seasonings for taste

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix the sauce ingredients and refrigerate until serving. 

2. Cook salmon in a skillet and season with your favorite seasonings.  We use salt, pepper, and Chef Paul's magic seasoning blends. (Link)

3. Serve salmon with dill sauce, your favorite rice, and veggies.

St. Patty Day Treats

St. Patty Day Treats

I whipped up some fun, festive treats for Solis this weekend in honor of St. Patrick's Day.  First up were the rainbow fruit kabobs.  She LOVED them.  More than I thought she would.

Other color options could be:

Red-red apples, cherries, watermelon

Orange-cantaloupe, peaches

Yellow-bananas, yellow apples, star fruit

Green-green apples, kiwi, honeydew

Blue-I used blueberries and blackberries.  Not sure what else there is??

Purple-raisins, plums

You could even add marshmallows at the end of your rainbow :)

 Home girl ate 5 of these sticks and still wanted more.  I've said it before and I'll say it again-if you put food on a stick, kids will dig it.

Now onto the dessert St. Patrick's Day pancakes.

 These unhealthy puppies are just Bisquick pancakes with green food dye, add some cool whip, and top it off with marshmallows from Lucky Charms cereal.

Why she wouldn't pick up that fork is beyond me.  It's not like she's never used one.  I guess it's more fun to go face first into a pile of goodness.

Green shirt-Old Navy

Green bow-Jameson Monroe

Happy St. Patty's Day!! :)

32 weeks

32 weeks

Baby is now the size of: A jicama....yea, I have no clue what that is either.  Baby is around 3.5 pounds!

Total weight gain: Holding steady around 20 pounds.

Maternity clothes: A mix of both.

Sleep: Pretty good still.  I'm napping everyday again.  And if I don't get a nap, I feel awful...and maybe a tad cranky ;)

Favorite meal this week: I totally splurged and had a major cheat day on Saturday.  Donuts from the Farmers Market, a chocolate chip cookie whoopie from Chocolate World, pizza for dinner....total fat girl day and enjoyed every second :)
Cravings: Donuts.  I would go through Dunkin Donuts drive thru every morning if it wasn't for the pip squeak in the backseat wanting one too....and I really do try to set a good example for her.
Exercise: Another great week at the gym.  I run most days or switch to the elliptical if I'm feeling particularly tired.  3 days at 40 minutes, 1 day at 35 min, 1 day at 30.

Pregnancy aches & pains: Feeling pretty good.  Starting to hurt to bend over so the bump is really growing!

Worst moment this week: That darn time change!  Ok, so I'm really grasping at straws to find a "worst" moment but our ALWAYS good sleeper Solis did not go to sleep after the time change.  She kept crying, "I'm trying, I can't do it!"  After about 5 times of going into her room, we let her cry it out.  And she finally zonked out.  But man, that was an exhausting night.  Thanks for prepping us for the baby, Solis.

Best moment this week: At my 32 week appt, baby boy was still head down.  Only 8 weeks away....will he actually stay that way?!

Looking forward to: Nicer weather and Solis's first race next weekend!

Someone was jumping for joy about the warmer weather! :)

 

Thin Mint Cookie Bars

Thin Mint Cookie Bars

 My all time favorite Girl Scout cookie is the Thin Mint.  I could seriously eat a whole sleeve in one sitting and being 32 weeks pregnant, make that the whole box.  So when I saw on a {blog} I follow that there was a recipe link up, I used that as the perfect excuse to create a Thin Mint dessert.

 Warning: The cookie bars I made are super rich and all chocolate.  

Your stomach will hurt if you eat too many.

Ingredients

20 mint Oreos

6 TB melted butter

1.5 sleeves Thin Mints, chopped

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

14 oz sweetened condensed milk
(I mixed green food coloring with the milk but after it baked, you couldn't really see the green.)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Spray an 8x8 or 9x9 pan with cooking spray.

2. Place the Oreos in a food processor and pulse until they are fine crumbs.

3. In a bowl, stir the Oreos crumbs and melted butter.

4. Press the mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.

5. Layer the chocolate chips over the Oreo layer.

6. Add the chopped thin mints over the chocolate chips.

7. Evenly pour the sweetened condense milk over the cookies.

8. Bake 30-40 minutes (depending on your oven) until edges are golden and bubbly.

 

The finished product.  It's probably best to cool completely and eat as a single bar.

OR you could just get a spoon and start eating the gooey mess.  

Not that I did that or anything.

While I was on a St. Patty's Day kick, Solis and I made the cutest little art project: 

a handprint clover picture!

Happy March!! :)

ABC and Numbers Chart

ABC and Numbers Chart

The teacher in me came out today.  Big time.  There was tracing, cutting, matching, and cheering on a mini student.  I made a chart for Solis to continue working on her alphabet and numbers and she looooved it.  She knows her alphabet like the back of her hand, as well as numbers 1-9.  We are starting to work on the teens with her so that part was hard for her.  This chart was super easy to make, just a little time consuming with the cutting of circles. 

Supplies

contact paper

sharpie

ruler

card stock in different colors

tape

First I traced circles with a bottle and cut them out.  That was the most tedious part and definitely reminded me of my teaching days.  Then I wrote the alphabet and numbers 1-20 on the circles.  I had a few extra so I threw in some shapes.  You could really put anything on the circles.  Shapes for younger kids, higher numbers for older kids.  Or matching lower case and upper case letters.

On the contact paper, I taped the non sticky side to our sliding glass door.  Then with a ruler I drew boxes with my sharpie and filled in the boxes with the alphabet and numbers.

Little Miss Diva said the sun was too bright and had to wear her shades while doing this "special project" (as she called it).

Working hard.

Taking a break.

Admiring her work.

Solis was so proud of her work that every time she saw her chart throughout the day, she would exclaim, "Look what I did!!!"  I must had heard that phrase at least 10 times today.  I call that one successful special project :)

 

31 weeks

31 weeks

{Pink Tutu Dress}{Navy Cardigan}

 

Baby is now the size of: A pineapple, around 16 inches long

Total weight gain: 19-20 lbs, depending on my food choices :)

Maternity clothes: My staple Old Navy maternity jeans, a few Target maternity tanks/tees but for the most part, just wearing the next size up in regular shirts

Sleep: Wonderful!

Favorite meal this week: Mexican chicken corn chowder...recipe below
Cravings: Fresh fruit.  Oh how I'm longing for warm days, fresh fruit, and a glass of wine.
Exercise: Great week at the gym!  3 days of running or elliptical at 40 min and 2 days at 30 min.  Lots of squats and pull ups.

Pregnancy aches & pains: The right side rib pain has made a glorious return.  I can deal with it w/o pain meds but it can be so darn uncomfortable some nights that I can't even sit on the couch!

Worst moment this week: This is going to sound really, really spoiled but I worked 2 days this week and dreaded it!  I went back to sub at my old school-the school and kids were great-but I would just rather stay home with my Soly.  SAHM is definitely my calling in life right now!

Best moment this week: At my appt, my mid-wife said baby boy was head down!!!!!!  First time ever I've had a head down baby (after 20 weeks)!!

Looking forward to: I'll tell you what I'm NOT looking forward to: more snow and temps in the 20's for the first week of March!  On another note, I cannot believe I only have 9 weeks left!  Super excited!! :)

 Instagram Pictures

 After my baby appt, I took this little lady for a special treat.

End of week pizza night.  And precious toddler prayers.

 

Family fun Saturday!

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

 I got this delicious soup recipe from my first grade teacher.  

I changed a few things around to satisfy our family's taste buds and it is our go to winter soup!

Ingredients

one Rotisserie chicken (or 1 lb of any cooked chicken)

1/2 cup chopped onions

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 cup hot water

2 cups half and half

1 can (16 oz) cream style corn

1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies, undrained

1 medium tomato, chopped

parsley

optional ingredients: black beans, shredded cheese

Directions

1. Tear your Rotisserie chicken in pieces.

2. Cook onions with garlic in a small skillet.

3. In a large pot, dissolve bouillon cubes in hot water.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Add chicken, half and half, corn, and chilies.  Cook until warm.

5. Stir in tomato and top with parsley.

    My husband adds black beans to his and feel free to add shredded cheese if you prefer!