My PB + J

Last Post?

I am going to say that this is probably going to be my last post before Payton is officially here. I went to my 38-Week appointment this morning and got my first internal exam, I was 3 cm and 80% effaced. Now, all I need are some contractions, my water to (hopefully) break or some type of action. I am baking three dozen cupcakes right now for an order and then she is free to send me to the hospital because I am READY! Well, I think I am ready. Laundry is going, my bag is packed, Christmas shopping for my nieces and nephew are done and the only thing that is not done that my was my original nightmare is that our exterior Christmas decorations are not up due to the weather last weekend. I am okay with this, a little sad, but it will be less to take down with a newborn around.


Yeah! I am on a high right now of anxiety, fear and facing a complete reality check. Whew!

Will keep you all posted. . .

Nursery

Well folks, we are officially two weeks away from Miss Payton’s arrival. Time has literally flown by and every time I even think of her arrival I get teary-eyed. I am so ready to see her, to hold her and to begin our journey as a family. Over the weekend Jim and I spent most of our time putting together furniture and organizing the nursery. This is a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and as any mother knows you don’t feel ready until the nursery is ready, I am finally content that if she comes that we are somewhat prepared. We still have a few things that we need to do in the room like: hang a few pictures, get a mirror, purchase curtains and a television. But, for now I just wanted to share what we have completed, it may not look like a lot but if you could have only seen the status last week you would understand. I love it and can’t wait for everything to be in there, including my outside baby.



Southwestern Corn Chowder

One of my favorite soups is corn chowder. Like most things I love in life it’s not the most health conscious but with the rainy weather and cozy Christmas tunes playing I decided that this was a perfect Sunday meal. I found the recipe in my Martha Stewart New Classics cookbook, it was first thing I have made from it and it wasn’t bad; I may even eat it as leftovers (now, you know it has to be good for me to do this!). I paired the chowder with a mixed greens salad and cheddar garlic biscuits. Yummy!




The recipe is as follows:
(Martha Stewart New Classics Cookbook, page 123)

4 ounces Bacon (about 5 or 6 slices) cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large carrot, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 fresh small poblano chile, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
course salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin (After eating this I would have added 1 teaspoon)
Freshly ground pepper
Pinch of cayenne
1 cup dry white wine (not necessary, I added it but I would omit next time)
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cit into 1/2-inch cubes
5 cups homemade or low-sodium store bought chicken or vegetable stock
3 cups fresh corn kernels (I used frozen sweet corn)
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish (I only garnished with cilantro)
Hot sauce, such as Tabasco

1). Heat a large dry pot over medium heat. Add the bacon pieces, and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer with a spatula or slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
2). Add the onion to the pot; cook until just softened, about 4 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, and poblano; cook until the vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt, the cumin, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and the cayenne. Raise the heat to high; add the wine. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the potatoes and stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a medium-low; gently simmer until all the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
3). Stir in the corn and cream; cook until the corn is tender (do not let cream boil), about 5 minutes more. Stir in the 1/4 cup cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with cilantro and reserved bacon pieces, add hot sauce, if desired.


**I only added 4 cups of stock and found that the chowder was too thin for my liking. I added corn starch until I got the thickness I desired.

37 Week Appointment


Today Jim and I went to my thirty-seven week appointment. It was super stressful from the get-go. When the nurse opened the door to call my name she couldn’t even get out “Melissa” then she tried at my last name which just ended up being an “Aaaa–Tttt” sound. Irritated. We walk through the door and she seemed flustered, and told me to get on the scale. As we all know I hate the scale because I haven’t been eating that much but the pounds are packing on like I am an underweight wrestler. I step on the scale and the freaking numbers read 193. WTF!? HOW is this possible? Six pounds in one stinkin‘ week. No way. Even more irritated. We go into the room and another nurse follows the short in capable one. She explains how she is observing the other because she is training and coming from El Cajon (add that to the list). She tells me how she is going to take my blood pressure, great. I start laughing at Jim because he could already tell that it was going to be high when I threw my purse down before I did my urine test. Anyway, she takes my blood pressure and it was 135/98. Extremely high. The nurses start bickering about the way the one is inputting my information and the one tells her to re-take my BP. This time it was 127/89. Better but not great. The nurses finally leave and I am so over it that the only thing making me smile was Jim making fun of all the newborn announcements that adorned the wall. The ever so lovely Betty comes walking through the door, checks the fundal height (right at 37 weeks) and asks if they did an u/s last week. No. She tells me that since my BP was super high that I will now be on modified bed rest and that she was sending me down to have NST screenings done twice a week until baby girl comes. Great. Appointment over, thank golly. We head down the hall to be greeted by Shari, another fun lady like Betty which was calming me already. She explains the test and what I should expect every time I go in to see her. First, she did an u/s to check P’s fluid, fantastic! She is in the correct position for her week, laying on the right side, face down and her head is in position. I was then moved to another bed where she monitored the baby for 20 minutes to check for contractions, her heartbeat and my blood pressure. She laughed because she always tells the doctors and the nurses to check pregnant weight after they take our blood pressure, not before, but she said they never listen. So she summed it up that my heightened blood pressure was most likely due to me being upset over my ever so high weight gain. We summed it up that it was the incompetent nurses fault.


So, now I go for three appointments a week. Two for NST screenings and one for my weekly check-up. No internal was done today so I have no idea if I have progressed but the highlight was seeing baby for the first time in 17 weeks. Now, let’s hope she stops being stubborn and she graces us with her presence in the next week or so.

:Send Labor Dust my Way!:

23 Days and Counting . . .

I have been a bad, bad, blogger. I was really busy tying things up at work, sitting on the couch enjoying my quiet time while away from work and honestly going to bed around 8 pm. But now that maternity leave has officially started you should get some more updates on me and my ever growing belly. This week marks 37 weeks! I don’t know how we got here so quickly but it’s here and we still have a TON to do. The baby dresser still sits in it’s box, hospital bag needs to be packed (I gave myself a deadline of Wednesday), this house has got to get cleaned, and we need a crib. I feel as though every room is torn a part from a cleaning or decorating project and I need to get the motivation to finish at least one room a day. We have a pretty good feeling that this lil babe is going to come early, for some reason we both came up with the 12th and on our way to a friend’s wedding brought it up and just laughed that we thought of the same date. Now, let’s pray for a boost in nesting motivation! Below are a few pictures taken in the last week and of course the wonderful survey that I have slacked on as well.



  • How many Weeks: 36 Weeks 5 Days
  • Weight Gain: 44 Pounds! EEk!
  • How big is baby?: About 6 pounds
  • Maternity clothes?: Yeah but they are getting too small! Shirts barely cover my belly and my jeans are too tight.
  • Stretch marks?: Just a few red ones on my hips.
  • Sleep?: Is a joke! I am up every hour to go pee-pee and when I am sleeping I only last on one side for what feels like ten minutes. My hips/pelvic bone feels like they are going to fall straight out of my body and oh! the popping sounds of my bones in that region is ever so lovely!
  • Movement?: The last few days she has been going, going, going! Probably just trying to stretch out but luckily I don’t get the rib pain that most talk about.
  • Food cravings?: Not too much. I am disappointed about not having any “good” cravings.
  • Labor signs?: Yes ’em! Cramping all throughout the night and braxton hicks for days.
  • Belly button in or out?: Still in. If I eat a lot it looks like a winking eye. 😉
  • What I miss: Being able to see my toes!
  • What I’m looking forward to: Going into labor
  • Milestone: full term