33 Weeks

33 weeks! Where has the time gone? We found out we were pregnant Thanksgiving weekend. If I think about how long ago Thanksgiving was, it feels like forever. If I think about how long 33 weeks is.. it seems like I couldn't possibly have been pregnant that long. I've never done anything for 33 weeks before!

I would say that so far my pregnancy has been fabulous. I have my fair share of complaints and discomforts, but none of that matters when I think of the fact that I'm growing an entire person. I'm still baffled that an entire person can be grown in 40 weeks. I think its going to take my tomato plant longer than that to grow one tomato!

My short list of complaints includes my pelvic pain (aka crotch pain), that has gotten worse as the baby has gotten larger. If I didn't have that, I think I would be the most comfortable pregnant woman in all the world. I had major sleep problems, but praise Jesus, I have been sleeping well this week. I hope that continues. Lack of sleep makes a person feel bad everywhere. I have also started to get a bit woozy in the mornings again. I have not figured out why yet. It comes about an hour after I awake, which corresponds to when I walk in the door at work, and lasts till about 11am.

Other than that, I have had absolutely no heartburn thanks to my wonderful papaya enzyme I take with breakfast and dinner. (It also keeps gas at bay, I haven't had the slightest issue with gas since I started taking it in February). I have never had an issue with contipation, and I have virtually no swelling, though some days my calves feel really tight. I don't have any cravings at all, and generally eat like I did before I was pregnant. Although - my watermelon obsession is a borderline craving. Its so sweet, juicy, and delicious; I ate two watermelons since last Thursday. Patrick did help - so I ate maybe 1.25 watermelons since last Thursday. We got another one last night but its BAD! So dissapointing!! but I digress. Blood pressure is good, hemoglobin is good, baby's heart rate is precious. Everything is going well!

At home, things are moving along and we are almost ready for the little one. Patrick finished all our furniture this past week (yay!). We had bought a used solid oak furniture set for our bedroom that he refinished dark mahogany, and he painted two old dressers that I had since I was probably a baby. We just moved those into the baby room and now we're trying to get organized. Once we do that, we'll have the nursery ready! I'll post pics!

Patrick can't hardly wait until August; I'm still adjusting to the idea of parenthood. I guess we only have about one full month before we are on "stand-by". I still haven't decided when to start my maternity leave. I'm planning on just taking it day by day and deciding when the time comes.

Tasty Tuesday - Tofu Noodle Soup

Why, oh why, am I eating soup when its 95 degrees outside?? Because Patrick likes this soup enough to eat it in 95 degrees. This was a great soup in my first trimester since it is easy on the tummy. Plus, it is a very quick-cooking soup. I used Tyler Florence's Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe and just took out the chicken and added tofu! (BTW, my broth was not green in person. I think its just the red bowl.)

Tofu Noodle Soup

1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 celery ribs, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
4 fresh thyme sprigs (I used dried)
1 bay leaf
2 quarts no-chicken stock*
8 ounces dried wide egg noodles (we found whole-wheat)
1 package of tofu, pressed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped


Place a soup pot over medium heat and coat with the oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned. Pour in the stock and bring the liquid to a boil. Add the noodles and simmer for 5 minutes until tender. Fold in the tofu, and continue to simmer for another couple of minutes to heat through; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

*The brand, Imagine, makes a great no-chicken broth that is vegetable based but it does taste a lot like chicken broth. Otherwise you can just use veggie broth.

Tasty Tuesday - Vegetti

This is a play on one of my very favorite dishes my mother used to make with all that leftover Thanksgiving Turkey. There were two things I loved about holiday leftovers, one was Turketti, the other was Potatoes, Ham, and Cheese which always came around after new year's ham. Well, I've taken the main ingredients in Turketti, got rid of the Turkey and added spinach. The result - Vegetti! At least it has all the classic flavors of Turketti.

For my fowl eating friends - Give this a shot next time you have leftover turkey. You'll just need to chop up your cooked turkey and probably use chicken broth instead of veggie broth.

Vegetti
1 package of whole wheat spaghetti
1 package of frozen spinach, thawed and extremely well squeezed and drained
1 2oz jar of diced pimentos, drained
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1/4 tsp Celery Salt
1/4 tsp Garlic Salt (or powdered Garlic is fine)
1/4 tsp Pepper
2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
1 cup veggie broth

Cook spaghetti according to package directions, be sure to leave them al dente; drain and set aside. Combine corn, pimentos, seasonings, and 1 cup of cheese (or more!). Stir in the noodles and then the veggie broth a little at a time. You really might only need a splash of veggie broth. It is extremely important to get your spinach as dry as possible or you will end up with vegetti soup. So eyeball the broth and don't overdo it. If you are using Turkey instead of spinach, you will need to add much more broth (near 2 cups) Spoon into a lightly greased 12 x 8 inch baking dish.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake until cheese is bubbly, another 10 minutes or so. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

A Bun and the Sea

We went on our much needed babymoon this past weekend. Patrick planned the whole thing, I had only told him "I don't care where we go, as long as its to the beach!" We went to Seagrove Beach in Santa Rosa, FL. It was absolutely lovely. On the shore between Destin and Panama City, it was much less touristy than either of those locations. No giant hotels, no chains, just beach life. Lots of adorable million dollar beach houses and condos. We stayed in a condo right on the water.

We left on Thursday and came back Sunday, so it was a way-too-quick trip. I would have loved to have spent a whole week. We got two full days on the beach (except for having to retreat inside from the hour long deluge on the second day). Patrick managed to get a little burned, but I hid tucked under the umbrella most of the time. I had a great prenatal massage on Friday, and I certainly didn't want to be burned for that.

We keep saying we need to move to Santa Rosa because I slept better there than I have anywhere in weeks. I was able to go straight(ish) to sleep and go back to sleep after nighttime bathroom trips, which I have a very hard time doing at home. Fresh air and plenty of activity definitely does the body good. So does the ocean. I say the ocean will cure anything that ails you.

Both of our beach days were red flag days, which I found out the hard way really kills my hips. Fighting currents and waves are not so great for the pelvic area, so I was really sore most of the time. I didn't go in the water much after that.

I have a very hard time coming home from vacations. I get quite a bit bummed and pretty moody. This vacation was no exception. But, this time I have so much to look forward to coming home for. I felt like our babymoon was the marker to the final countdown. So now, it is getting so close to birthing and parenthood, there's nothing else on the calendar!

Oliver is convinced he is the baby.