19 weeks

Here's what is going on with our baby this week, according to babycenter.com

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.  Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.  Think you're big now? You'll start growing even faster in the weeks to come. As a result, you may notice some achiness in your lower abdomen or even an occasional brief, stabbing pain on one or both sides — especially when you shift position or at the end of an active day. Most likely, this is round ligament pain. The ligaments that support your uterus are stretching to accommodate its increasing weight. This is nothing to be alarmed about, but call your practitioner if the pain continues even when you're resting or becomes severe.  You may be noticing some skin changes, too. Are the palms of your hands red? Nothing to worry about — it's from the extra estrogen. That darkened line running from your belly button to your pubic bone is called the linea nigra, or "dark line."  These darkened spots will probably fade shortly after delivery. In the meantime, protect yourself from the sun, which intensifies the pigment changes. Cover up, wear a brimmed hat, and use sunscreen when you're outdoors. And if you're self-conscious about your "mask," a little concealing makeup can work wonders.

As for me... I'm still feeling great.  I'm still hungry all of the time.  My belly is still growing constantly, sometimes even noticeably in one day.  This week that darkened line began to show up running straight down the middle of my belly.   When I sit or lay still I can frequently feel the baby moving inside of me now, which is super exciting.  Jeremy hasn't yet been able to feel it from the outside of my tummy, but I'm sure that will come before we know it.  I still want to eat all things meaty... especially sausage, hot dogs, and things of that nature.  I had a gyro platter for dinner on Friday and thought it was the best thing that I've ever eaten!  One week and two days left until we find out if our baby is a boy or girl... hooray!

Shannon

Jambalaya Pasta

Jambalaya Pasta

Shrimp would also be great in this, but I'm too cheap to use 3 types of protein in one dish, and I already had sausage and chicken in the freezer.  This is on the mild side, I added a ton of hot sauce to my bowl, so either double the cayenne or add a Tbsp of hot sauce if you like your food spicy.

-1 lb whole wheat penne, cooked to al dente

-2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
-2 chicken breasts, diced
-1 package turkey kielbasa, sliced
-1 yellow onion, diced
-1 green pepper, diced
-2 stalks celery, diced
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-1/2 cup chicken stock
-2 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
-1 1/2 ts salt
-fresh ground black pepper
-1 tsp thyme
-1 tsp oregano
-1/2 cup fat-free half and half
While the pasta cooks, set a skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, swirl the pan to evenly coat with the oil.  Cook the chicken in the pan until browned (5-10 minutes).  Place chicken to the side and cook the sausage in the pan until browned (about 5 minutes).  Set the sausage aside.  Add remaining 1 Tbsp of olive oil to the pan and saute the onion, green pepper and celery until soft (about 5 minutes).  Add garlic and saute until fragrant (about 30 seconds).  Add the chicken stock to the pan and scrape with a spoon to remove any browned bits that have formed in the bottom of the pan, about 30 seconds. Add the diced tomatoes, thyme, oregano, cayenne, salt, and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add the half and half to the pan and cook an additional 2 minutes. Return the chicken and sausage to the pan, as well as the al dente pasta.  Continue to cook the sauce and pasta, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Shannon

weekly verse: Galatians 1:10

Galatians 1:10  Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Lately I've been praying a lot about my people pleasing, conflict avoiding, rule following tendencies.  I've been praying about whether I am doing things as an overflow of love for Christ, as a result of prompting of the Spirit, or in bondage to rules, laws, guilt, expectations and religion.  I've been praying for guidance from the Spirit, for freedom from this bondage, and for strength and boldness to do as He leads me.  Seeking approval of others has always been a tendency of my flesh, and it's about time that I memorize this verse, and guard my heart with this truth.

This verse is in your face clear, cut, and dry!  One cannot serve Christ AND seek the approval of others.  As people pleasers we become slave to the seeking of approval.  We cannot serve two masters.

Shannon

18 weeks

Here's what is going on with our baby this week according to babycenter.com;

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.  Hungry? An increase in appetite is pretty common about now. Make it count by choosing meals and snacks that are rich in nutrients instead of empty calories (chips, French fries, candy, and other sweets). Bigger, more comfortable clothes are a must now as your appetite and waistline grow.  Your cardiovascular system is undergoing dramatic changes, and during this trimester your blood pressure will probably be lower than usual. Don't spring up too fast from a lying or sitting position or you might feel a little dizzy.  From now on, when you do lie down, it's best to lie on your side — or at least partly tilted to one side. (When you lie flat on your back, your uterus can compress a major vein, leading to decreased blood return to your heart.) Try placing a pillow behind you or under your hip or upper leg for comfort.  If you haven't already had a second-trimester ultrasound, you'll probably have one soon. This painless procedure helps your practitioner check how your baby's growing, screen for certain birth defects, check the placenta and umbilical cord, determine whether the due date you're working with is accurate, and see how many babies you're carrying. During the exam, you might see your baby moving around or sucking his thumb. Bring your partner along, and be sure to ask for a printout for your baby's first photo album!

As for me, no real changes this week.  Still feeling good, still getting bigger, still hungry all the time.  I'm wearing almost only maternity clothes, with the exception of a few stretchy shirts, skirts, and dresses.  I'm still feeling a few little flutters in my belly that I think are the baby from time to time, but I'm still not very confident in what I think are movements of the baby.  We have just over 2 weeks until we find out if it's a boy or girl, so this is your last chance to throw in guesses.  We've narrowed down some of our names and have 2 boy names that we like, and 3 girl names that we like.  We still won't tell what names we're thinking about, but we will take suggestions and consider them with the rest... so this is your chance to throw in name requests... but we can't promise we'll use the suggestions.

Shannon

Oriental Pasta Salad

Warning: this salad is DELICIOUS, but the dressing will give you bad breath... cut down the ginger and garlic if you are planning on being in public after eating this, or having long, meaningful conversations.  Bagged cole slaw mix could be substituted for the cabbages and carrot.  Cilantro and/ or bean sprouts would also be great in this salad, but I didn't have any on hand (and I read this week that pregnant women shouldn't eat any type of sprout... although I'm still not sure why).  If you like more pasta than veggies in your salad cut each of the cabbages down to 1/2 a head, but I like LOTS of veggies in my salad.

Oriental Pasta Salad



SALAD:
-1 package whole wheat linguine, cooked and drained
-1 head green cabbage, shredded
-1 head red cabbage, shredded
-4 carrots, shredded
-5 scallions, sliced
-1 cup dry roasted peanuts
-2 tsp sesame seeds

DRESSING:
-juice of 1 lime
-6 Tbsp olive oil
-8 Tbsp soy sauce
-3 Tbsp sesame oil
-⅓ cups Brown Sugar
-3 Tbsp ginger, minced
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Mix salad ingredients together. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Mix with tongs.  Chill at least 2 hours prior to serving.

Shannon

Improved Sesame Noodles

Sesame noodles have always been one of my favorite dishes.  For some reason I've never been able to get Jeremy too crazy about them.  For the past few months I've been tweaking my usual recipe until I finally came up with a version that he likes, a lot in fact.  So this is my new go to Sesame Noodle recipe, Jeremy approved.

Sesame Noodles

-16 oz whole wheat linguine, cooked and drained

-1/2 cup soy sauce
-3 Tbsp sugar
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-3 Tbsp rice vinegar
-4 Tbsp sesame oil
-1 tsp sriracha sauce
-4 green onions, sliced
-2 carrots, shredded
-2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
Whisk soy- sriracha sauce together in a bowl.  Pour sauce over warm noodles.  Toss pasta with green onions, carrots, and sesame seeds.  Chill at least two hours prior to serving.

Shannon

17 weeks

Here is what is going on with our baby this week according to babycenter.com;

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.  Starting to feel a bit off balance? As your belly grows, your center of gravity changes, so you may begin to occasionally feel a little unsteady on your feet. Try to avoid situations with a high risk of falling. Wear low-heeled shoes to reduce your risk of taking a tumble; trauma to your abdomen could be dangerous for you and your baby. You'll also want to be sure to buckle up when you're in a car — keep the lap portion of the seat belt under your belly, drawn snugly across your hips, and also use the shoulder harness, which should fit snugly between your breasts.  You may also notice your eyes becoming drier. Using over-the-counter lubricating drops may help. If your contact lenses become uncomfortable, try wearing them for shorter stretches of time. If you still have discomfort, switch to glasses until after you give birth.  Many women report that their dream life shifts into high gear during pregnancy. Interestingly, during the second and third trimesters, you spend less sleep time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the cycle in which most dreams occur. Why, then, all those frequent and vivid dream memories?  It's probably at least in part because you may be interrupting a dream-filled cycle when you wake up to pee, cope with heartburn, leg cramps, restless legs, or a backache, or to shift to a more comfortable position. Waking up during REM sleep makes you more likely to remember your dreams.  It may also be in part that dreams seem so vivid during pregnancy because for most women pregnancy is a time of such heightened emotions — from joy to apprehension and everything in between — but no one really knows for sure.

As for me... I'm still feeling great!  I've had some cramps here and there, but nothing major, or that lasts over a few minutes, they are probably just the result of my body stretching and growing.  I'm hungry almost all of the time, and rarely seem to feel full, but I've been trying to eat lots of little meals rather than trying to get full in one sitting.  I've felt a few little rumblings in my tummy that I think may have been the baby moving, but I'm still not 100% sure about that.  My doctor says that is normal, and eventually I will know what it and isn't the baby moving around.  My belly hasn't grown too much in the last week, but it has gotten a lot firmer all over.  It's nice to feel like my bump is actually a baby and not just extra squish.  I could still eat sushi all day, every day and I'm still loving eating lots of salads... mostly cabbage based this week.  I'm not craving nearly as much heavy food as I was before, but frozen yogurt, sausages, and pizza all sound amazing.  I'm getting up at least 1-2 times per night to use the restroom, but nothing too bad yet.  I have been having lots of vivid and crazy dreams recently, so it's good to see from babycenter.com that that is normal.  I've had a lot of spells of "baby brain" where I just do silly things and feel dumb... for example, I made chicken curry (which I make about once a month, and have been making the same way for years) and I forgot to saute the onions before I made the sauce, and when I realized it and decided to do them in a different pan and then add them in I chopped them instead of slicing them like I always do.  This is small and silly, but I've been doing things like this all of them time!

Shannon