nursery pix and baby girl update.

well as of yesterday, i am officially 36 weeks pregnant.  that means in 6 days, i will be considered full term! that means, she should be absolutely fine if she comes anytime.  (kena, you just can't come until the 11th so grandma can get here first). 

this week i had two doctors appointments.  at my regular OB on tuesday, i had my first "check".  i'll leave it at that, as to not gross anyone out that doesn't know what it is.  apparently i'm still tight as a clam (lol, inappropriate?) and am not at all dilated or effaced.  in other words, that means nothing.  i was initially disappointed but i realized that i'd rather be at zero progress than think i was more ready than i am.  i now go to weekly appointments to check on the progress.  my mom said she never progressed at her appointments, she just started moving along once active labor started. 

wednesday was my last high risk appointment.  which means it was my last ultrasound. crazy i won't see makena's cute face again until she's in my arms.  i can safely say that she is still...healthy!! the tech giggled when she measured her round little tummy, chubby cheeks and double chin :)  as of wednesday they estimated her weight to be 7 POUNDS 2 OUNCES! holy crap.  i still have 4 weeks to go (or less, hopefully) and babies gain about 1/2 lb per week at this point.  the doctor predicted her weight to be between 8 lbs 9 oz and 9 lbs 3 oz if i deliver at 39 weeks.  that being said, if she goes to or past her due date, she will for sure be over 9 lbs.  my poor.....body! she's also slightly posterior, which means that she is partly angled face-up.  she is head down, but her spine is slightly facing my back.  this could still change, even as late as the day of, but if she stays in this position, labor will be more difficult than normal.  great!  i already have to push out a 9 pounder, might as well throw in some intense back labor to really make it a party.  i could be making this up, but i think her slightly posterior position is why her movements are so constant and violent! her sharp elbows and knees are scraping against my belly!! (OUCH, its like she just heard me!!).  as of tuesday she hasn't dropped yet, but i think each day she is slowly starting to, because at night i swear i feel like shes gonna fall out sometimes.  enjoy those cute cheeks one last time before you get to see them OUT of the womb, lol.

profile shot

straight-on face shot. if you were to turn the picture to the left it would be right side up. see those cheeks?!?

well that's that latest on whats going on inside my uterus....

here's whats going on outside.  her nursery is officially DONE!! i am so happy.  i had so much fun putting everything together.  we decided to stick with a gender-neutral theme so we can re-use everything with each kid.  the pictures speak for themselves.  special shout-out to kim for painting the name letters over her crib, they turned out AMAZING!

toy box (courtesy of tbr), crib, hamper, and name letters :)

different angle, including dresser. shows the wall colors well

close-up of the dresser with lamp and scentsy on.  name blocks made by andrea and a jar to hold her bows made by me

close-up of her scentsy, its a photo frame that lights up her ultrasound picture when turned on! thanks mom and dad!

the lighting is a little off, but here's the second wall with dresser, table and chairs (from tbr crew) glider chair and bookshelf (made by daddy).

close-up of table and chairs (tbr), a scentsy stuffed animal (from auntie sooz) and a homemade frame from andrea that still needs a picture.

homemade bookshelf by daddy, bookends painted by me and some classic books (some from uncle jeff)

third wall.  door to the bathroom, glider and changing table/dresser.

another angle, including her decorated diaper pail and homemade door sign (made by me). the wall decorations are decals that we stuck onto backless frames :)

inside of her crib, kind of blurry...woops!

last wall view, sitting in glider.  door and closet

inside of her closet. spoiled baby! those aren't even all the clothes, just the ones that are 6+ months!

proud mommy and "sister" hanging out in the nursery, 36 weeks pregnant

and there you have it! until next week...

i can't sit still!

ugh i'm going nuts today.  the last two nights i haven't slept great at all, so needless to say i'm tired.  i have no plans and nowhere i need to be, yet i can't sit still.  i should be basking in my giant pregnant lady glory and lying on the couch all day, but all i can do is clean and cook.  nesting, if you will.  and then i vacuum and make meals and then my whole body hurts.  oy. 

welp, my restlessness means more recipes for you!  i made this cajun beef casserole as another make-ahead freezer meal.  i don't have an "after" picture since i haven't made it yet, but here's my "after" picture of the orange-rosemary chicken i roasted last night....

yum.

 

here's what you'll need for the cajun beef casserole:
(it's super easy, i don't even need to look at the recipe again because it was so simple. and i'm soooo smart.)

-1 lb ground beef
-2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, drained
-1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
-2 cups frozen veggie medley, thawed
-1 to 2 tsp cajun seasoning (i used 1.5)
-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
-1 or 2 green onions, chopped
-1 (8.5 oz) box corn muffin mix

1. start by making the muffin mix according to the directions on the box (for me this meant 1/3 cup milk and 1 egg. stir milk and egg into mix.)

2. grease a 7x11 casserole dish and pour batter evenly into it.

3. in a large skillet, brown your ground beef; drain.

obviously not fully brown yet. i cooked it all the way, i promise.

4. add tomatoes, veggies, cajun seasoning and tomato paste.

5. mix until blended and let come to a boil, then simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes. spread beef mixture over cornbread mixture.

6. top with cheddar cheese (apparently you're supposed to put the onions on after you bake it, but i didn't read that part until now. woops.)

7. bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes

ok, you caught me. i did have to refer back to the recipe to check for baking time since i haven't actually baked mine yet.  sorry in advance if it sucks! it was just too simple to pass up. i'll let you know how it was once i bake it.  (actually, i will probably forget. just being honest.)

very productive. (i think its safe to say i've started nesting).

as i sit here with ellen on in the background, this chicken cooking in the oven...

orange-rosemary roasted chicken

this make-ahead meal cooling off in the fridge....

garlic chicken with orzo and wilted spinach

these nursery-themed homemade shelf bookends drying...

 and this ninja baby kicking my innards...

i'm feeling very productive.  and super housewife-y. (its a word). 


i figure a quick baby update is in store.  well, to be honest, its not so much of a baby update as a whiny pregnant lady update.

let me just start by saying, i absolutely love being pregnant.  the fact that i am growing a human being inside of my body is completely mind-blowing.  i watch this miracle play out and wonder how people don't believe in God.  seeing my belly contort and wiggle because my active, strong and healthy baby girl is playing around in there still amazes me.  BUT.  there are definitely some less glamorous "side effects" that come with the joys.  i'll share just a few of the things i've been experiencing as the weeks quickly count down to the big day (keep in mind i'm only sharing the pg side effects. you're welcome):

-apparently i snore now.  i used to snore when i was little.  and when i was little, i was tiny. like, a tiny skinny person. but apparently i had a MEAN snore.  my parents room was down the hall and they would wake up to my snoring.  at 5 years old i got my tonsils removed, for numerous reasons, and the snoring ceased.  fast forward 20 years and i now saw logs again in my sleep.  jon made me aware of this about a month ago but i didn't believe him.  he spent the next week trying to videotape my snoring in the middle of the night, but i guess every time he would start the video i would stop.  of course this made me believe him even less. well after about 4-5 attempts, he caught me.  touche babe.  those snores are no joke.

-my heart burns.  i had never experienced heartburn before, and honestly, i hope it promptly leaves when makena does.  it is awful.  i pop a zantac 150 before bed and sometimes a few tums, but nevertheless i'll wake up a few nights a week with burning acid in my throat.  it feels like i need to burp but its just liquid in my throat and burrrrrrrns. my stomach is smooshed up to my neck practically, so it makes sense. but that doesn't make it pleasant.  i'll leave it at that.

-i am a human heater.  jon and i aren't that cutesy pukey couple who snuggles up in each other's nooks as we fall asleep and just hold each other through the night.  we usually sleep back-to-back with a few inches of space (or a dog named kona) between us.  well, now that the weather is a lot colder and i radiate heat, jon loves to snuggle up to me.  he really just needs to put his feet up to my feet, because its enough to warm his whole body.  cute right? not really. i already have an extra person inside of me, my body is pumping 40% extra blood and i am freaking roasting.  the last thing i want is someone else sending more heat through me.

i usually wake up sweating. most of the time its in the middle of a crazy weird dream, usually about labor. then i realize i have to pee. so i waddle out of bed. then my burny acidic throat starts to bother me.  and then my moving around wakes makena up and she starts practicing her kickboxing.

look, i know motherhood is going to be extremely challenging (especially in the first few weeks/months) but i do have to say i'm getting excited to not be pregnant anymore.  i can't wait to meet our sweet baby girl and kiss on her chubby cheeks! 

sidenote: i went to my regular ob this morning and everything looks good.  i've been noticing my belly button rise up and down consistently for a few minutes every few days and i found out that its makena practicing her breathing.  a very good sign!!  i now will have weekly appointments and they will start checking me next week to see if i'm dilating.  one of my best friends ashley is coming to visit on saturday for a week while jon goes to newport beach, ca for a service meeting.  so excited!  next wednesday is my last appointment/ultrasound at the high risk ob.  excited to find out how she is measuring and what she is weighing at 36 weeks.  check back next week for the deets!

maternity pictures!

we decided to roam craigslist and see who we could hire for cheap to take some maternity photos of us.  i came across a girl who lives in the area who is 18 and charged $45 for a photo shoot and editing. um, yes please!  i wasn't too picky about amazing editing, just wanted to make sure we were able to get these pictures before it was too late.  she did a great job and i couldn't be happier.  (well, i would probably be happier if my face wasn't as fat, which i realize now because of looking at myself in 50 pictures. but that comes with the territory, right??)

here's the majority of them, my favorites :) 34.5 weeks pregnant!

One of my favorites!

BIG belly.

Admiring baby girl

SOOO cliche but it had to be done.

Another one of my favorites

just belly :)

another favorite. such a cool editing trick!

Comparing bellies. I win.

Roping me in!

What?? Have a put on a few pounds??

Love!

DOUBLE love!!

Makena's chubby cheeks are rubbing off on Mommy.

Peek-A-Boo

Beautiful background.

Kisses for Kena