Pregnancy, Week 13

Physical Symptoms: Some people say week 13 is the start of the second trimester and some people say it is week 14. I'm going to go with week 13 because I have been excited to hit the second trimester since week 1! Why? Well, in your second trimester your energy starts coming back and you start feeling better.  I have seen signs of that this week. I do not need to snack as often to feel well and I have had a lot more energy getting up in the morning and staying up at night. The only bad symptom I have this week is gas. But gassy in weird places like my side near my ribs. Usually I need to lay down for a a little bit for it to relieve.  Sorry if TMI but pregnancy does weird things.

Food Weirdness: I really have no food weirdness anymore. I can eat anything! But still craving southern food like crazy. Can't wait for Thanksgiving Day in the south!

Size of Little Bug: Jalapeno

Workout: Feeling a lot more energy to workout. Have been walking during lunch at work, took a hike on Saturday and have done some Fitness Blender workouts! My only complaint is that I run out of breathe quickly.

Preparation: We haven't really done anything since buying furniture the other week but we have started saving money for baby and started talking more about what type of maternity leave I will be able to take, etc.  I have a meeting set up with my HR department this week to go over more details. It is so confusing!

Discovery: Little babe is nearly doubling in weight each week at this point! I feel like I am too. Ha Ha!

Funny Moment: We were at the elementary school fall festival with J and our family had a theme: Scooby Doo. J was Scooby, Chris was Fred and I was Daphne. It turned out really cute. J was running around with one of his friends and told him that I was pregnant and the little boy said "Well I guessed that by looking at her!" I just laughed but the little boys mom was like "I am so sorry! I hope he didn't offend you." I was not offended at all but it was really funny.

Feelings: Sometimes I feel overwhelmed as in, can I really handle a child 24/7 for the next 18+ years!?! But I remind myself that every new parent probably feels this way. With a great husband and a mighty God by my side I will be able to handle whatever the future holds!

Side note: Got away to Palm Springs with some girlfriends this weekend. It was such a relaxing and refreshing time! So thankful for Chris running the household while I was there including loading up a Costco!

Pregnancy, Week 12

Physical Symptoms: I am actually starting to get some energy back! For example, I actually had enough energy to empty the bathroom trashcan. At the bottom was the last pregnancy test I took which was around 6 weeks ago. Onward and upward!! (Sidenote: I need to give Chris credit because he has been great helping out the past 6 weeks. Many times he has cleaned the entire house. We just neglected that poor trashcan).

Food Weirdness: It's starting to become not weird and just normal that I crave fried things like french fries! I am no longer needing to eat every 2-hours to feel well. Now I just eat every 2- hours because I am hungry. I have taken a particular liking to ice cream with chocolate sauce. But in my defense,  in all the advice columns I have read stated ice cream = calcium. No shame. I also had a freak out that I should only be eating organic foods. I am really happy for those who can afford to do so but also glad that it is not required.  For information about that and other common questions, I recommend you read The Panic-Free Pregnancy: An OB-GYN Separates Fact from Fiction on Food, Exercise, Travel, Pets, Coffee, Medications and Concerns You have When You Are Expecting by Michael Broder. 

Size if Little Bug: Plum

Workout: Pretty much back to my same workout routine pre-pregnancy...workout when I am able to between work, family, food events, sleep, etc. Though, I am starting to walk during lunch with my fellow pregnant friend in my department.

Preparation: Chris and I (via facebook) found a great deal on a really nice crib and changing table through a friend. Also, my mom was gracious enough to help me out with some funds for maternity clothes! Shopping spree soon! We are so blessed!

Discovery: Everyone who has been pregnant or has known someone who was pregnant will offer unsolicited advice. Grin and bear it.

Funny Moment: Chris and I got together with a group of friends the other night and we wanted to announce the pregnancy to them all at once. Chris wore a sign that said "Bun Maker" and I wore a sign that said "Bun in the Oven" with a picture of a bread roll. It was a hit!

Feelings: Besides still getting frustrated easily (ex: minor freak out when it took me 2-hrs to get to work today) I am in happy spirits! Chris and I had an amazing weekend relaxing and laughing.  We were both in such positive moods and light-hearted! I am pulling out of my emo state!

TOMORROW STARTS THE SECOND TRIMESTER! SO EXCITED!

Week 12 baby bump picture!

Pregnancy, Week 11

Physical Symptoms: I feel like I am starting to get some energy back. I am still exhausted at the end of the day but I have more energetic spurts. Hopefully those spurts will increase! Other than that I am feeling great! So thankful!

Food Weirdness: Still cannot eat wild game. We have some frozen deer meat we need to eat but I just cant bring myself to do it.  I am craving carbs, protein and salt.  Chips & fries specifically.  But I am not eating all things horrible. My snacks consist of fruits, veggies and yogurt.

Size of Little Bug: Brussel Sprout... Gross. This is the only "brussel sprout" I have ever been a fan of.

Workout: Ran 2 miles the other night...felt like I conquered the world.  I also did some pilates, cross training workouts and some lifted some hand weights. Feeling much better about my workouts this past week!

Preparation: Bought 1 pair of maternity work pants and 2 pairs of maternity jeans.  Had to go to Ontario Mills Outlets because they were the closest Old Navy with maternity clothes.  That place is a zoo. The older I get the more I hate crowds. If you love crowds, go there.  One of my friends said she went there on a date once. That would be the first and last date for me. Ha!

Discovery: Went back to the doctor this week! All good things to report! The baby is huge, coming in 4 days larger than my due date. I knew I was growing a linebacker! All the tests so far have come back normal. The person doing the sonogram said that the fluid on the back of the baby's neck looked normal which means there is a low risk of downs syndrome.  Baby had all it's fingers and toes and everything is progressing normally. So very very thankful!

Funny Moment: When the sonographer saw the baby was measuring 4 days larger than my due date she said "you may want to think about cutting back on carbs." I just had to laugh and told her "but that is all I want right now!" I followed up with the doctor and she said I shouldn't worry about it the baby will grow at the rate it wants to. Pasta anyone?

Feelings: I am feeling better about my body image now that I have clothes I am comfortable in. Buying cute maternity things have done wonders for my confidence. I can still look cute but not beat myself up for busting out of my pre-pregnancy jeans. Money well spent!

 

Pregnancy, Week 10

Physical Symptoms: Every night I go to bed wondering what crazy, wacked out dream I am going to have. They usually are not scary or sad but man they are random and so vivid. Besides the dreams, I can fall asleep like a champ at 10pm. I am still so exhausted.  The first 2 hours of my day I have tons of energy. By 6:20am I am ready to go back to bed (I get up at 4:20am). So try to catch me in that early morning 2-hr window if you want energized Emily. All my preggos that surround me tell me that your energy comes back in the second trimester. I am counting down the days.

Food Weirdness: Anything unhealthy, I want it. Get away from me salad. Remember, the first post when I was craving healthy food and hoped I would stay on that track? Well, the train derailed, hand over the fries.

Size of Little Bug: A Date. How about we make that date stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in bacon. Mmmm....(I dont want to eat my kid, btw)

Workout: I force myself to workout sometimes just so I don't feel like a complete sloth. Last night I decided to lift some hand weights.  I looked a lot like gumby. I was trying to lift the weights but my arms were like limp noodles.  My plan now is to up my game in the second trimester (snicker, snicker). We will see how that goes.

Preparation: Bought my first pair of maternity pants, leggings. They look awesome and feel awesome but it has been 100 degrees in SoCal (its October, what a crime) so I haven't been able to enjoy them. Cant wait!

Discovery: Little babes is head makes up half of its size right now. Brainiac!

Funny Moment: This week we revealed the pregnancy to our parents via skype.  This was such an exciting time. But the funniest moment was when my mom facetimed while driving. Que sharing the news and her bursting into happy tears. Driving + Facetime + Crying + Shock = Dangerous, but she made it home fine so it ended up being funny.

Feelings: I am going to take a moment and be really honest. Some may think I am being superficial, and that's okay, because I already feel the guilt of that label. But the bloating, weight gain and overall not being able to fit into many clothes has really been hard for me. Usually when I gain a few pounds, I change my diet, workout a little more and everything goes back to where I am comfortable. Right now I feel like I am in that place of where I would usually make some changes but know that this feeling is not going away and in fact my body is only going to get bigger! I have to remind myself there is a baby in there and its a beautiful miracle! But I see women walking around who are fit and trim, like I used to be and honestly I get super jealous. It sounds so superficial, I know! But my girlfriend (who is also pregnant) put it this way, "I never knew how much the body changes while pregnant would get into my head." That is so perfectly stated. I am excited to let this little guy or girl grow and I make sure to not deprive myself of nutrition and food (aka. food weirdness entry). So, I am confident my mind will soon catch up with my body and my body image will sway to the positive but right now its just difficult, Just being honest!

Pregnancy, Week 9

What happened to week 8, you ask? Well, I went to my first doctor's appointment last Friday and based on the measurements of the little one I was at 9 weeks. Either that, or I am growing a linebacker (sometimes I think it's the linebacker option). But visiting the doctor we also learned I have a healthy baby in my tummy with a steady heartbeat. Hoorah!

Physical Symptoms: EXHAUSTION. I wake up tired. Growing a baby is hard work folks. Lately I have been needing to eat almost every hour to not feel sick. I am the snack queen. In general I just lack energy which sometimes makes it seem I am in a bad mood or sad.  I am none of those, I just dont have enough energy to smile, walk fast or control my body from doing anything than sitting on the couch.

Food Weirdness: Today I craved Chef Boyardee. And when I say crave, I mean, had to have it immediately. It's totally terrible for me, I know, but it sure tasted good. No shame. Still eating grapes like crazy. It seems I crave anything really cold like juice, grapes, sushi.  I really want sushi but cant bring myself to eat if because they advise against eating raw fish. No aversions really except gamey meat like deer. I think it is the gamey smell more than the taste.

Size of little bug: Strawberry (little ones, not the genetically enhanced ones you but at the store)

Workout: When I have the energy Ill do a workout video, walk, or run. I hope to be more consistent once I hit the second trimester and hopefully not be as tired.

Preparation: Was glad to finally have our first appointment. Now that we know the baby is so far healthy and normal we get to tell our families. So that is what we are doing this week. I also will need to get some maternity pants this weekend or at least bigger pants because everything is so snug!

Discovery: Well, we discovered we are almost 2 weeks further along than we originally thought.  That was surprise enough for the week!

Funny Moment: Chris asked my stepson Jbug (7) how he felt about me being pregnant. He said "excited and stressed out." My hubby was a tad concerned about the "stressed out" statement and asked him to explain what he meant. Turns out he really meant "shocked!" He has seemed really excited about it since we told him so we are not too worried about him being stressed out.

Feelings: At our first appointment everything became real. Seeing the baby on the ultrasound and hearing the heartbeat, wow, crazy, this is real. There is a human growing inside of me. How crazy is that? After the appointment I have found myself getting more excited and less fearful. And I have been appreciating my body more and giving myself a break for feeling chubby. My body is churning up a human being. Crazy. So crazy, So pass the ice cream, lets celebrate!

Pregnancy, Week 7

Physical Symptoms: Bloated like woah.  Already hard to fit into my jeans and can't really wear any form fitting dresses or shirts.  Not looking pregnant just looking fat.  Good times. Really haven't dealt with any more morning sickness which I am happy about but it is also kind of scary. I hope everything is okay! Still exhausted and smelling every good and bad odor in a 10ft radius around me. The only weird thing that happened is that my stomach was really tight for a few days. I described it as a high hernia even though I have never had a hernia.  Just seemed like someone was taking the upper part of my stomach and stretching it out.

Food Weirdness: The food aversion weirdness has subsided for the week. And remember when I was craving healthy foods? Now I am craving more comfort foods. Really bringing out my southern cooking as of late and the casserole dish is getting used a lot more often. Also, still on the grape kick. Grapes anytime and all the time. Oh and I have been craving ice cold orange juice.

Size of little bug: Raspberry

Workout: Still just working out when I can find the time. But I do not like doing things that require me to stretch my stomach out because of the tightness I have felt in that area.

Preparation: We got a Costco membership. Have a feeling we will be using that A LOT to buy things in bulk like diapers and wine (for after the baby comes). And to follow up from last week, I decided not to take the job I was offered.  Our budget just cannot handle the decrease in pay to reach our previous savings goals. Add a baby on top of that and we really need that extra income. Praying for a better opportunity to come my way with the right pay.

Discovery: Pretty much everyone I know is pregnant. It seems I find out about someone else every week.  Be careful! There is something in the water! But glad I am in good company.

Funny Moment: Was volunteering at Youth Group (YG) and they sat out a huge bottle of ice cold orange juice for refreshment.  Proceeding to drink many cups which was then proceeded by a major stomach ache.  Whoops! I need to have some control.

Feelings: I cry when I am overwhelmed, when watching cute dogs doing cute things, when watching something extremely funny or heart warming. Pretty much I cry way too easily and I can't control it. It just happens. Also, I have been way too emotional and sensitive which then induces crying. Poor Chris, he takes it so well.  But feeling a lot less stress since making the decision about the job offer.

Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed Peppers

The other night we had our good friends Doug and Emily over for dinner at our apartment for the first time.  Chris suggested I make stuffed peppers since we bought 6 peppers with our new Costco Membership which we are slightly obsessed yet reasonable with.  Main rule of thumb with Costco is to only get items that can be stored for a long time or fresh foods which you know you will use relatively quickly.  And only get what you need though they are so tempting with all those free samples!

I really wanted to impress our guests since Doug is an excellent cook.  We usually go to their place just because we know we are going to eat what I would consider gourmet food but we wanted to give them a break this time. Though we did make them bring dessert with the requirement of his homemade whipped cream. Yummy!

Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
6 Peppers (I like multi colored ones)
1/2 medium onion
1 tbspn olive oil
1 pd ground beef or turkey
1 cup cooked white or brown rice
8 oz can of tomato sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 pinch of paprika
2 pinches of salt
Sprinkle of pepper
1 heaping tablespoon of chopped fresh cilantro
Sprigs of cilantro for garnish
Grated Mexican cheese

*I'll note I completely forgot about the rice this meal so it is optional if you are trying to make this carb free meal. But I am adding it in the recipe because I usually prefer to add rice.

Turn oven on to 350 degrees
Cook rice
While rice is cooking cut the tops off of the peppers (save the tops) and clean out. Soak in water while rice is cooking. Some people boil the peppers to make them softer, I personally like them crispy.
Chop up tops of the peppers (minus the stems)
Chop up onion (I always like to chop an entire onion and save half of it in the refrigerator because it is usually guaranteed ill need chopped onion again later in the week.)
Saute' onion in a tablespoon of Olive Oil until onion is slightly transparent
Add meat and simmer until almost completely cooked
Add chopped pepper and mix in
Add chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne, paprika, salt and pepper and mix until meat is will coated
Add tomato sauce and rice, mix together
Add chopped cilantro and let simmer for 5 minutes (if things start getting a little dry just add a little bit of water)
While simmering line up peppers in a deep casserole dish. Make sure it is coated in olive oil or Pam. (I try to use a dish small enough to where the peppers lean against one another to help them stand up)
Take meat mixture and fill each pepper halfway
Sprinkle a layer of cheese over the meat filling
Fill the rest of peppers to the top with the meat mixture
If there is extra filling put it around the peppers in the bottom of the casserole dish
Bake for 10 minutes and then add cheese on top of the filled peppers
Make for 10 more minutes
Take out of oven and  garnish with cilantro

Everyone cleaned their plates so I consider that a win!! Enjoy!!