Pregnancy update & Nesting!

I think it's funny how different pregnancy is for everyone. All the symptoms I was expecting with pregnancy I never got...but all the ones I didn't expect - I did. I am still absolutely amazed at how God builds life through our bodies. It's so humbling to think that an actual human life is growing inside of me. I can't wait to meet our little guy!

As for an update, I'm measuring 2 weeks ahead and the baby is "locked and loaded"...okay not really, but I'm told..."in position and ready to go". My doctor and I am thinking it will be about 3-4 weeks...I'm hoping closer to 3. So we will see. I keep waiting for more "signs" that the little tike is ready to show his pretty little face...but haven't had many.

I am in nesting mode...but it's interesting how even nesting manifests itself in different ways. Nesting for me means stockpiling. For whatever reason, I feel it's necessary to stockpile everything. As if when the baby comes I nor anyone around me will have access to a grocery store what so ever...so I feel it's necessary to have crazy amounts of all things on hand. The instinct is also so strong I really can't NOT stockpile. I have even felt the need to make sure that all of Joshua's fall clothing has been purchased. But I am feeling pretty on top of everything right now. I haven't been cleaning all that much...just stockpiling...maybe the cleaning instinct is yet to come.

Finally, here is my 35 week pregnant belly pic.

Freezer Meals Part 2

I am so tickled to already have 7 meals in my freezer. I'm sure it will be such a huge relief to have things already prepared and have one less thing to worry about as I adjust to becoming a mother of two! This week I made Chicken Enchiladas & Baked Ziti for the fridge. I have yet to make any bread for the freezer yet - but it's still on my list.

Chicken Enchiladas (This is an adaptation of an allrecipes.com recipe)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp margarine
1/2 onion diced
1 tsp taco seasoning
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chile peppers
8 flour tortillas (large ones)
1 cup shredded Cheddar

Mix chicken soup & sour cream in small bowl. Set aside. Melt margarine in saucepan and saute onion & taco seasoning until tender. Add in chicken, peppers, and 2 tbsp of the soup mixture. Spoon 1/2 the soup mix in bottom of pan. I actually did 2- 8 x 8 pans and divided the soup in 1/4. Fill tortillas with 1/4 cup of mix. I put 4 tortillas in each of the pans. Cover with remaining soup and cheese. I cooked one that night and put the other in the freezer.

To bake from freezer. Thaw - cook in preheated at 350 for 25 minutes.

We both really liked this recipe!

Baked Ziti (This isn't very fancy but it's delicious!)
1 lb ground beef
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 - 8 oz container sour cream
2 cups cooked ziti noodles
2 cups mozzarella cheese
seasonings of your choice

Cook & drain ground beef - add spaghetti sauce. Layer 1/2 sauce/meat mix, 1/2 sour cream, 1/2 noodles, then 1/2 cheese. Repeat. Cook at 375 for 30 minutes. To freeze - freeze and cook frozen for about an hour.

Freezer Meals - Part 1

As part of my preparations for the new baby, I have started planning & making some freezer meals to have on hand. I searched and found a ton of useful websites with lots of freezer meal ideas & recipes. I'm trying to take it slow so to start I baked 7 boneless chicken breasts yesterday and shredded them. Today I used the chicken to make 2 Chicken Pot Pies & Caesar Chicken Casserole.

Chicken Pot Pies
4 shredded/cooked breasts of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can veg-all (large)
salt
pepper
garlic powder
4 pie crusts

Mix ingredients together and split into 2 pie crusts. Cover with the other. Wrap & freeze. To bake: Thaw 1 1/2 hours then bake at 350 for 1 hour & 15 minutes.


Caesar Chicken Casserole Recipe was found at momsbudget.com here but I did modify mine..here is my modified recipe.

3 shredded/cooked chicken breasts
1/4 cup minced onions
1/3 cup light creamy Caesar dressing
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 cups Mozzarella cheese, grated
1 - 12-oz package tubed pasta (such as penne or macaroni), cooked and drained
1/4 cup croutons

Combine all ingredients but croutons, mixing well, in a 2 quart baking dish. Allow to cool and freeze. From freezer: Thaw casserole. Top with crushed croutons and bake in 350F preheated oven for 30 minutes or until topping is browned and casserole is bubbly.

I also made these Chocolate Chip Cookies this week and froze them. I did find I needed to cook them a little longer than stated - like 12-13 minutes but they are really good. Also, out of the freezer I found you can cut and bake them frozen and they turn out great!

Some of the great websites I found for freezer meals are listed below:

• The Freezer Chicks
• Mom's Budget
• Southern Living
• Mrs.Pear at Home
• Kids Cooking Activities

Next week I plan on making Baked Ziti & Bread for the freezer.

Hot!

I am officially HOT! Yes, it was 95 yesterday and is supposed to be 95 again today...but I am hot sitting still in a perfectly good air conditioned home. Thankfully we are at the point in the year where every day is supposed to be getting a little bit cooler now. YAY! Weather.com says that the week I'm supposed to deliver this baby the average highs will be between 78-80. I am PRAYING that is true. Being in my 3rd trimester the hottest time of the year is just misearble. Only about 6 weeks now though so I'm truly counting the days at this point and thinking if the baby wants to come a week or two early I'd take that too. :)

In the short stretch...

I'm beginning to feel like I'm finally in the short stretch of this pregnancy. Only about 7 more weeks left according to my doctor...yay!!! We took our birthing classes over the weekend which really made me feel like the end & the beginning are near. I must admit I knew very little about childbirth before the class and feel a bit overwhelmed afterwards but I'm hoping that it all goes smoothly. I think I have a pretty high pain tolerance and am not easily grossed out or anything and neither is John so I'm thinking I won't do too badly. My biggest concern is going through something so huge and so foreign and knowing that Joshua will be on my mind. I can't wait for him to meet his little brother and I'm praying all the logistics & transition for him goes smoothly. I'll gladly take any tips on getting a little one ready for a new baby by the way!

28+ weeks Preggie Picture

Ok...side angles are just hard on being flattering to a pregnant woman but here ya go. I also couldn't resist this sweet one with Joshua - I don't look quite so pregnant from the front. :)

99 days to go!

I'm so thrilled to be out of the triple digits! 181 days finished only 99 left to go! Yay! And this time next week I'll be in my last trimester. Yahoo! I'm really starting to feel like the end is near as my doctor now wants to see me every other week and of course, hitting my third trimester.

Pregnancy is amazing and I feel so blessed with this miracle...but it is SOOO much harder on my body then I figured. I'm seriously only getting about 5 hours of sleep - even though I'm in bed or trying to sleep for at least 8-9 hours. I get up to go to the bathroom at least every hour and 1/2 so no stretch of sleep is longer than that. I am also a stomach sleeper and sleeping on my side is just next to impossible for me. This little boy also seems to hate ANY pressure I place on him so if I get even a little bit tilted on my stomach he kicks and kicks and kicks. I can't wear certain clothes either if they hit him in the wrong spot cause that seems to upset him too. Picky, picky!

I absolutely LOVE feeling the baby kick but it is starting to get a little bit stronger and now it wakes me up at night too. This little boy is VERY busy at night. I find myself laughing in the middle of the night though wondering what the heck he is doing in there. He kicks me all over but it's definitely strongest on one side so I "think" I know what position he is in - but that is the other game I play with myself - wondering if it's a headbutt, a hand, or a foot kicking me. In fact, I think he still has enough room to do complete flips so I could be totally off. I also love that John can now feel the baby cause I feel like we can share in the baby a little more. I'm hoping that Joshua will be able to feel the baby soon...but the baby definitely kicks the most at night when he is asleep.

Other than painting and washing stuff the baby room is pretty done. Joshua loves to play in 'baby bwovers room". So I'm glad he is getting excited although I think he might be a little disappointed at first when all the baby does is lay around. So that is the pregnancy update for now.

Pregnancy Pic - 22 weeks

So when it's your body you really have no idea how much you are showing until you take a picture. I can't believe that I'm showing this much!! I mean I know my belly is getting bigger and I absolutely have to wear maternity clothes now but when you look at it like this it's amazing! I am TOTALLY having a "OH MY GOSH - I'm actually pregnant" moment!

It's a BOY!!

We were thrilled today to get to have another ultrasound that showed the baby being really healthy. Everything looked just great and it's officially a boy!! I'm so thrilled that Joshua will have a little brother and can't wait to meet the little guy. The baby is about 4 days ahead of schedule in growth and weighs 11 oz. All is well! Praise God!!

The picture is a 3d scan. Hopefully everyone can clearly see what everything is. Isn't technology amazing!!

NEWS!

As most of you know we experienced several years of infertility where we literally tried everything. In all MY plans, I never thought we would become a family through adoption but God's plans were different and I'm so very thankful. God knew that Joshua was meant to be our family and that infertility was the way to get Joshua here. I am so thankful for that struggle and where it has brought us.

Well, in January, we were absolutely thrilled and SHOCKED to find out that we are pregnant. Praise God for His amazing plans!!! Not many people have the chance to experience the blessing of adoption AND the blessing of being able to give birth. I am so very, very humbled by God's grace.


I feel over the last few months I've had to be so cryptic and haven't been able to really write as I've waited very anxiously to share this news to you but wanted to wait till we were at the "safety" point. We just had an ultrasound again today and were able to see our precious baby doing well. I am due Sept 25th. Your continued prayers for the health of this baby are greatly appreciated!

P.S. Also, I have the most precious shirt that Joshua's aunt made for him that I was going to use to announce the pregnancy...and can you believe it is LOST somewhere in my house. I looked for it for literally an hour and could not find it. SOOO...as soon as I do, I'll take his picture and put it up.