Things I've learned while being KU - 2nd Tri Addition

Wow - as I come to the end of my 2nd trimester (I'm now 27 weeks baby!!!) I thought about what I've learned since the oh so early 1st tri...

• When you really start to show - it's gets really difficult to get the last of the clothes out of the back of the dryer.
• Shopping for your unborn child is WAY more fun than shopping for yourself (and I LOVE to shop for myself!). Thankfully, kids clothes are way cheaper - too bad they grow out of them so fast!
• I've officially lost track of my woo hah - I know it's general vicinity still but seeing it without a mirror (let alone doing any grooming down there) is out of the question. Oh, and unless you have really long arms - the reach to **ahem** wipe after using the restroom is slowly getting more difficult.
• Feeling Baby Schultz tumble around in my belly feels a lot different than I ever could have imagined it would feel. Sometimes it's still just flutters and others its way more forceful thumps. It's a wonder that my insides aren't completely bruised from the somersaults he seems to be doing in there.
• Bending down to shave my legs is almost impossible. I imagine I've got a good one or two more weeks left to have smooth legs.
• Watching movies like Knocked Up just aren't as funny while you are, well, knocked up?! Especially when they throw in that surprise crowning shot out of no where?! CLOSE YOUR EYES!

Photo Credit

• Thankfully I'm fairly small still so complete strangers are just starting to notice and ask when I'm due in the last few weeks. No one has reached out and touched my belly (besides family and without asking first) but I've decided I might just have to throw some elbows if this starts happening.

Photo Credit

• And last but not least - at this point people really genuinely care about your well being. But that's only because you have a little baby in your belly. As soon as that little guy pops out I imagine all the attention is going to shift to him so I'm trying to get used to that idea now! :)

Hello, My Name is Bad Blogger...

Ooops - been a little MIA lately and I have nothing to blame it on besides laziness...

We are now 25 weeks and 4 days knocked up! Woot woot! I'm feeling it though - BIG TIME. I'm not sure if I've just been eating crappy or if Baby Schultz is having a growth spurt but this last week I've been just completely and utterly worn out and I feel absolutely HUGE!

I'm going to ignore the fact that I made Adam bring me chocolate cheesecake for dinner on Monday night - along with the fact that I ate an entire Totino's pizza for lunch today. In all seriousness, I need to get my act together and start eating better and get my butt back in the gym a few times a week. So that's my goal - Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays from 5-6pm is my time I'm devoting to the gym - this was supposed to start today. Which brings me to excuse #1 why I skipped my first day back at it:

ICE SUCKS!!! Rather, a pregnant lady, holding a 16oz decaf latte in one hand, her purse and lunch bag in the other, wearing Ugg boots should not step out of her car onto a sheet of ice. She's bound to fall down - and that I did. Thankfully I landed on my left hip and not all that hard. Baby Schultz seems to be ok in there as he's been moving around all day but I called Dr. C to make sure they didn't want to see me just in case. She said as long as I'm not cramping or bleeding I should be ok. I thought maybe I'd take it easy and start the gym on Friday?! Sounds good. :)

Preggatini's

I had to take note of this drink I came across - it sounds really good, well, for having no booze! :) I also want this book... a.s.a.p.!!! I love me some mocktails!!!

The Bumptini
3 ounces pomegranate juice
2 teaspoons white sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 ounce lime-flavored club soda
1 tablespoon raw brown sugar (garnish)

*1 lemon twirl (optional garnish)

Rim a martini glass with raw brown sugar by rubbing the rim of the glass with a lime wedge while holding it upside down, then dipping it into a small plate of sugar. Set aside.

Muddle the ginger and white sugar in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add the juices and ginger and ice, then shake vigorously. Gently strain into the sugar-rimmed glass, then top with club soda or ginger beer.
*Lay a lemon twirl across the surface of the drink.

20 Weeks down...

20 to go! Ok I'm a little late but I was too tired to blog yesterday - it's actually 20 Weeks and 1 Day now... oops!? Anyway - the halfway point - such a good feeling! I can't say that I've enjoyed every moment of it but I sure am having a good experience so far... so far being the key word. I had kind of a bad experience at my monthly check up yesterday.

Here's the recap:

To start, I could have sworn my appointment was at 11:30am so I walk in at 11:25am and the receptionist informs me that I've missed my appointment because it was at 11am. What a fabulous feeling...

Great.

My appointment was to meet with the other doctor in the practice just in case Dr. C isn't available at "go time." Great first impression! So the receptionist calls back to the doctor who so kindly agrees to still see me if I'm willing to wait about a 1/2 hour. Thank goodness! So I finally get back to the room and meet Dr. W - she's nice - however I definitely prefer Dr. C. No real particular reason other than she just gives off a different vibe, if that makes any sense. She kept talking about doulas, yoga, and natural childbirth... PSH!!! I make it to the gym lady and when I ask for the effing epidural it better be on standby! ANYWAY!

We do the usual: pee in a cup, blood pressure, any new concerns... etc, etc. Then she starts to tell me that they've looked over the results of my ultrasound from 2 weeks ago and they need to schedule a follow up. What? So what do I do? I FREAK THE EFF OUT!!! I think I went into panic mode instantly - already flustered from being late - I start to ask all kinds of questions. Dr. W kindly calms me down and clarifies that I shouldn't worry that they just have to do a follow up ultrasound - all the measurements that they did get looked good and right on track where they should be. It just appears that Baby GB was quite active and was moving around so much that they didn't get everything that they wanted.

Hmmmm... I just have a weird feeling - I hate it - and I'm really nervous. My follow up ultrasound is scheduled for Thursday and while I'm really excited that I get to see Baby Schultz for a second time, I'm really hoping that what Dr. W told me is true and that I don't need to worry about anything. I am debating on whether or not to call Dr. C tomorrow just to get some reassurance that really they just didn't get all their measurements.

Anyway, today was also the first time that I've had my belly measured. Apparently, from the top of your uterus to the bottom should measure the number of weeks you are + or - 2. So at 20 weeks my belly should measure 18-22 inches... Guess what we're at? 22 inches baby! Normal - but on the large end of the scale :) Slow down Baby Schultz - this isn't a race here!!!



(NOT my belly!!!) :)
Photo Credit

AND - last but not least - again, Dr. W had the same tact as Dr. C when talking flu shots and I was again bamboozled. I left with the h1n1 shot. I feel good about it though - granted 2 months ago I was 100% against EITHER shot, I ended up getting both.

Wow... that was quite the update! I'll leave you with what Baby Schultz is up to this week from thebump.com:

Baby's now the size of a cantaloupe!
Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they've already had via amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you'd like your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

Cheers all!!!

You guessed it - We are officially Team Blue!!!

When we first went in the tech asked if we wanted to know the sex. Of course we said yes! She then said that only if she's 100% sure will she say either way. Then Baby Schultz decided to spread eagle!!! And she said - we've definitely got a boy! Adam of course needs to be sure before he gets excited so he asked the tech again how sure she was. Her response was really funny - she said (in really technical terms) that they say a boy looks like a turtle head and a girl looks like a big mac... she points to the money shot and says "THAT, is a turtle head." Haha... here's proof:

Then we went through about a zillion other angles and shots - all of which she said seemed to look ok. I guess Dr. C gets to go through all of them and only if she see's something out of the ordinary will she call... let's hope for no call! :)

The heart had all 4 chambers and the heartbeat was at 156 beats per minute. Baby Schultz's kidney's were functioning and his bladder was full (as was mine! I had to get up and pee 1/2 way through). The spine looked straight and the head was measuring right on track. I can't remember exactly but I think she said he was about 9 ounces based on all her measurements.

The rest is kind of a blur but I have ton of pictures! This one's my favorite:

I think that's all the excitement for today - our next appointment is Nov. 7th and we get to meet our alternate doctor, Dr. W - just in case Dr. C isn't available. That should be fun, I hope she isn't planning any late March vacations!!!
Cheers everyone!

Baked Potato Soup

THANKS PEPPER!!! :) Tonight's dinner was fabulous!

Adam went out hunting all day so I made this while he was gone. He also added rotisserie pheasant and hungarian partridge to the menu but I decided to pass on that one.

Baked Potato Soup
* 12 slices bacon
* 2/3 cup margarine
* 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
* 7 cups milk
* 4 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
* 4 green onions, chopped
* 1 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
* 1 cup sour cream
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 teaspoon chili powder


DIRECTIONS
1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
2. In a stock pot or Dutch oven, melt the margarine over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk, whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in potatoes and onions. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
**At this point I put everything in my crock pot until Adam got home.
3. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Mix in bacon, cheese, sour cream, salt, chili powder, and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted.
**I omitted the sour cream because Adam doesn't like it, but added a dollop to the top of mine when I served them. Still oh so good!

YUM-O!!!! :)

Dirt Cupcakes!

Happy October everyone!
So we're having a potluck tomorrow at work and I got a little creative tonight. I decided to try some dirt cupcakes! haha - here ya go!
I have yet to try them but I'm sure they are nice and yummy :-) ENJOY!

• 1 pkg. (18 1/4oz) chocolate cake mix
• 1 can (16oz) chocolate frosting
• 20 cream filled chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed
• 24 gummy worms or other gummy bugs
  

1. Prepare and bake cake batter according to package directions for cupcakes. Cool completely.
2. Set aside 1 Tbsp frosting. Frost cupcakes with remaining frosting; dip each into crushed cookies.
3. Place a dab of the reserved frosting on the bottom of each worm or bug; place on each cupcake.

Recipe courtesy of: Taste of Home - Simple & Delicious, Sept/Oct 2009