27 weeks, or maybe 30?

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and I got to have the "fun" of the blood glucose test.  That gross orange stuff makes me feel sick to my stomach!!!  But, on the upside, I don't have gestational diabetes. 

In other news, when my doctor measured my stomach, she paused and then said, "Oh, you're measuring 30.  That's interesting."  I asked if that was an indication of a problem.  She said no, that babies have growth spurts in utero as much as on the outside, so I could still be measuring 30 at my next appointment in 2 weeks.  However, if I'm still 3 weeks ahead, she'll probably schedule another ultrasound. 

With Evie, I was always measuring behind.  She was calculated to be a week behind at my 20 week ultrasound, so this is new territory for me.  Evie was a very small baby (5 lbs. 15 oz.), but all signs are pointing to a larger baby this time, even my doctor's comments at my first appointment.  Or maybe I'll just deliver earlier than originally thought (fingers crossed!!).  Or maybe it doesn't mean anything at all.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

27 weeks 1 day (officially)

Weight gain/loss: Up a total of 23 lbs. from my pre-pregnancy weight.  I'm trying not to obsess about it, and I'm hoping that going back to school tomorrow will distract me a little...from worrying about weight gain, and also from binging because I'm home all day.   

Fruit of the week: This week baby is the size of a rutabaga.

Feeling: A little anxious.  I am ready to just start school.  I always feel like this at the beginning of the school year.  

Sleep: Eh.  Part of it is the onset of my school-year insomnia, part of it is not being comfortable.  The body pillow has made its way back into our bed. 

Food cravings: Mass quantities.  I just feel like eating a lot of whatever I happen to be eating at the moment. 

Movement:  It's getting interesting!    I always had fun trying to identify body parts when I was pregnant with Evie, now I get to do that again.  :)

What I miss?  Just feeling normal.  In my lower moments, I think I'll never feel normal again.  I know that's not true, but it will be a completely different type of normal.  Maybe my anxiety isn't entirely related to school...

Best moment this week: M's birthday last week.  Evie and I threw him a "party."  Basically we made what he wanted for dinner, and then had chocolate chip cookies while he opened his presents (a new Badger sweatshirt and a wall hanging for his man cave).  It was fun, just the three of us.  :) 

What I'm looking forward to:  Going back to school tomorrow, and the kids start next Tuesday.  It will be nice to have the routine again, and it's always fun to see the kids after a summer off.  Even as high schoolers, they can change a lot in a few months!


Next Appointment: Sept. 12 at 29 weeks 2 days. 

Stuff my kid says, Part 2

I wrote about Evie's talking a few months back, but this kid just keeps saying more and more stuff.  Everyday she seems to come up with something new.  It used to just be words for actions and objects, but now she is putting together complete thoughts and scenarios. 

Talking to Evie is the highlight of every day for me.  Part of it is just seeing how she learns new words and phrases (language nerd here!), but more than that, it's hearing what she thinks and how she feels.

And, oh boy, does she have opinions!!!!  And she's not shy about letting me know what they are!  She's been pretty insistent on wearing her pajamas (specifically the monkey ballerina pajamas) all.the.time.  She wants a freeze pop for breakfast every day.  She wants to go to the park at bedtime (that's just a ploy to put off bedtime...hasn't worked yet, but she keeps asking). 

Monkey ballerina pajamas...the current favorites.

Other conversations that have happened lately...

On a walk:
Me:  Evie, do you see the squirrel?
Evie: Yeah.
Me: Is it gathering nuts for the winter?
Evie: No, chicken nuggets.

Playing with her toy camera:
Evie: I take picture of my dinosaur.  Points camera at her dinosaur ride along toy.  Cheese!!
Evie: I take picture of Keeka.  Runs to take a picture of the dog laying on the couch.  Cheese!!
Evie: I take picture of toys.  Runs into her room and points camera at her toy box.  Cheese!!
Evie: I take picture of nigh-nigh.  Points camera at her crib.  Cheese!!

Playing with my purse:
Evie: I have purse.  Bye bye!!
Me: Where are you going?
Evie: I go Target.....bye!!!!!
(Like mother, like daughter.  I have a serious Target addiction....)

Eating breakfast (blueberries and yogurt...not a freeze pop):
Me: Can you please sit in your chair?  I'm going to get your breakfast ready. 
Evie: No, sheep in chair.  Buckle in.
Evie buckles her plush sheep into her booster seat, then sits in the chair next to it.
Evie:  Sheep eat too.
Looks at me and smiles. 

Eating breakfast with the sheep.

Hearing her ideas and listening to her begin to pretend and imagine is possibly the coolest thing about being a parent (so far).  I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!  :)

26 Weeks

I've had a few blog posts rattling around my brain lately, but as I'm enjoying the last few weeks of my summer, I haven't found the time or energy to post them.  All in good time....

But for now, here's proof that I wear something other than yoga pants and maternity tank tops when I'm off work.

26 Weeks (and 1 day)

The past few weeks have just plodded along.  Evie and I have made the most of our time by going to the park, visiting family, doing some back-to-school shopping, and trying to stay caught up around the house. (Yeah, right!)  Next Tuesday is my last official day of summer before I go back for inservice.  The kids start two weeks from today.  It will all be here before we know it!

Weight gain/loss: Up a total of 20 lbs. from my pre-pregnancy weight.  Blargh!!!!!  As I've posted before, it's bothering me much more this time, and I'm not really sure why. 

Fruit of the week: This week baby is the size of a head of lettuce.

Feeling: I feel like the 3rd trimester back ache kicked in a couple of weeks early.  It could probably be attributed to wrestling taking care of a toddler every day.  I've also been getting a headache every afternoon for the past week or so.  I've been trying to drink more water to see if that helps. 

Sleep: Actually pretty good.  I'm trying to enjoy my last week of non-school year sleep.  I'm a total insomniac during the school year.

Food cravings: SWEET.....anything sweet and bad for you.  Chocolate, cake, cookies, brownies, you name it.  I'm kind of glad that M's birthday is tomorrow so I have an excuse to make one of the above.  Right now, I'm thinking a double batch of his favorite chocolate chip cookies....

Maternity clothes:  See picture above.  I actually own a maternity dress.  However, the only reason I'm wearing it today is because I was sick of hitching up my maternity pants which always.fall.down.   


Movement:  We can now see movement from the outside!  And I feel like I'm beginning to place body parts.  Pretty sure I felt a leg earlier.  

Gender? Boy!

What I miss?  Not being pregnant.  I'm emotionally ready for this baby to be here.  I'm not trying to wish the time away, but the sooner he's here, the sooner we can adjust to life as a family of four.  (i.e. NO MORE WAITING!!!)

Best moment this week: Visiting my sister in Illinois with my other sister and her 4 month old daughter.  Evie, my sister, the baby, and I made the 4 hour drive on Friday and then back home on Sunday without too many problems.  Although, we probably looked like a traveling circus!   

What I'm looking forward to:  As much as I'm dreading bringing Evie to daycare every day, and not having this time with her, I am looking forward to school starting.  I'm trying to finish a few projects around the house in the mean time!


Next Appointment: Next Monday, August 27 for the blood glucose/gestational diabetes test.  After that, my appointments are every two weeks. 

Names, names, names

I will save you the suspense, I can't reveal "the name" quite yet....because we don't have one picked out.  M and I are currently hashing that out.  He is going to go through out baby name book one more time to see if there is anything that we've missed.


The middle name is non-negotiable because they are both family names.  It will be either Michael or David depending on which first name we choose and which of those two middle names sounds better with it.  And "the name" may even be something that's not on this list because we really don't have much of a clue yet.

Picking a name for Evie was a breeze in comparison to this baby.  Knowing that it's a boy actually makes it more difficult.  M and I could agree on a million girl's names, but boy's names are particularly difficult for us.  We want something that is masculine (i.e. you know that it's a boy when you see it in writing...so no Taylors, Rileys, etc.), but we also want something relatively unique so that he's not one of 14 Jacksons in his 1st grade class. 

So, without further ado, in no particular order, here is our current short list of boy's names that we don't hate:

• Cade Michael
• Dillon Michael
• Miller David
• Dominic Michael
• Tyler David

Cade is actually a student's name at school.  It's not like we'd name the baby after him or anything.  I just like the way it sounds.  Plus, Cade was ranked #347 in popularity last year by the Social Security Administration, so it's not crazy, but it's not super-popular either. 

Dillon is a possibility only if it's spelled like this.  It's another one that I just like the way it sounds.  Dillon (spelled this way) was #345 last year...another plus for us!

Tyler was suggested by my sister and I've always liked it.  I like the option for Ty as a nickname too.  I'm worried that it's becoming a girl's name though.   Plus, it's very popular (#38 last year). 

Dominic is a surprise for me on this list.  I never thought that M would like it.   Now, I'm not sure if I even like it that much anymore.  At #76 on the Social Security ranking, it's a little high for my liking too.

And then there's Miller.  Miller is what Evie's name would be if she were a boy.  M and I heard it years ago (long before we even really talked about having kids) on a VH1 celebrity baby name show and we couldn't get it out of our heads.  It's still in the top 5, but we want to explore other options.  I would hazard a guess that it's probably the front-runner.  However, M works in the beer industry, and we don't want the poor kid to be called "Miller-time" his whole life.  But who knows??  Maybe he would like that!

Part of me doesn't care about the beer association though.  I've had students with pretty unusual names, and I think that they grew into those names.  I was surprised to find Miller at #925 for 2011.  It doesn't have a ranking in the top 1000 for any year prior to that.  Apparently, the name is catching on.

The hard part is that although I like all of these names (I think), I don't love any of them.  Maybe the right name is still out there and we just haven't hear it yet.

Also, I know that by putting this out on the interwebz, I'm inviting opinions.  I'm happy to hear them!  I don't think that M or I could be too swayed from our own opinions about the name of our child.  :)  So, if you hate it, let me know.  And if you love it, let me know about that too!!

24 Weeks

So here I am at 24 weeks pregnant:

Do I look bored??  Because I feel bored.  I am just bored with being pregnant right now I guess.  We've passed the excitement of the big ultrasound and the gender reveal.  My big summer trips are over.  I'm feeling ok, but I know I still have a long way to go.  I'm actually really looking forward to school starting in a few weeks, mostly because it means I'm that much closer to my due date.  ;)

Weight gain/loss: Up 18 lbs. from my pre-pregnancy weight and feeling REALLY bad about myself.  I keep reminding myself that I gained 40 pounds when I was pregnant with Evie, and I started at a higher weight that time too.  I've been very good about exercising since I got back from Panama, but I need to start watching what I eat better.

Fruit of the week: This week baby is the size of a cantaloupe.

Feeling: Physically, fine.  Just a little bored.  I've been very into some school projects, and I really am looking forward to going back in a few weeks.

Sleep: My hips are feeling much better.  At my appointment last week, my doctor gave me some exercises to strengthen my lower back and hips.  I think that it's really been helping. 

Food cravings: Coffee.  I haven't given in yet because I feel like it's been too ridiculously hot out, but I think that I'll have to get some in the near future.   

Maternity clothes:  Blech!  I haven't had this bad of body issues in a while.  I need new bras because I've outgrown all of my old ones, which might help. 


Movement:  I've definitely felt a couple of bouts of hiccups in the past week.  I forgot how weird that is!! 

Gender? Still a boy, I hope... That's what we're planning on anyway.  ;)

What I miss?   Clothing that fits normally, and not feeling like a huge whale all of the time.    

Best moment this week: Seeing Evie's reaction to the animals at the State Fair on Friday.  She was SO into it!!   

What I'm looking forward to:  Meeting my new department team member tomorrow.  He's in Wisconsin on a teacher exchange program from Mexico.  I think it's going to be an awesome experience for the kids and our school.  (See, I'm school-obsessed right now!)  Also, I'm "coaching" in the teachers vs. students softball game at our local community picnic on Saturday.  I thought I'd look ridiculous trying to play softball almost 6 months pregnant, so they assigned me the job of coach...yikes!!


Next Appointment: August 27.  This is my last 4 week appointment, after that I go every 2 weeks!

The Recipe for my Craving

I posted in my 23 week update that I had been craving "scotcharoos."  I had one comment saying that they hadn't heard of them, and to me they seem very Wisconsin-y, or at least very Midwestern.  (Like 7 layer salads and hot dishes, ha ha ha!)  Obviously, they're not a delicacy or anything (I would argue that they should be),. but I wanted I would share the awesomeness of scotcharoos with the world.  Please let me know if you've ever tried anything like this, and what you call them.  If you've read my blog much, you know I'm a big language nerd and colloquialisms like this are my favorite.  Yup, I'm that big of a dork. 


Also, I found this photo online (source) because by the time I got around to writing this, I (with M's help) had already polished off an entire pan (and a half if you count the leftovers from M's parent's party a couple of weeks ago), and I felt too bad about myself to make more....as much as I really wanted to...for the sake of my blog and all.  ;)

I think there's a lot of ways to make these, and I don't use a recipe, I just go from what I've always done.  So here's my version: 

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
6(ish) cups of rice krispies
1 1/2(ish) cups of chocolate chips
1 1/2(ish) cups of butterscotch chips

Heat corn syrup, sugar and peanut butter on the stove until just melted together.  Careful not to overheat, or the bars will be hard as rocks.  Mix rice krispies with the peanut butter mixture.  Spread it in a 9X13 pan. 

Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips in the microwave.  Spread the mixture over the rice krispies and wait for it all to set.  I usually put them in the fridge/freezer (depending on how quickly I want them) to speed up the process. 

I don't really bother measuring the ingredients other than the first three.  I just eyeball what looks good.  I know, I'm so good at recipes, I should write a cookbook.  (<--sarcasm)  I've never made a pan of these that were inedible, even when I overheated the stuff and it was hard as rock, we found a way to eat them.  Even when they're bad, they're good. 

Have you ever tried these?  What do you call them?  Do you have a dessert or recipe that's specific to your state/region that you LOVE??  Please leave me a comment!!  I need more dessert recipes while I still feel not bad about eating whatever I want!!

Happy Birthday Evie! - A letter for your 2nd birthday

Dear Evie, mi hijita,

It's hard for me to believe that a year ago, you couldn't walk, you didn't talk much, your hair looked so short, you were still such a baby in so many ways.

Evie with my mom on her first birthday

Now, you are a toddler to the core.  You don't just walk, you run, you climb, you do somersaults while watching Olympic gymnastics...  And boy, do you talk.  You've inherited that trait from both of your parents, although we'll both blame the other if asked.

One of my favorite pics from the past year...telling the world what she thinks

You've even become a little world traveler.  I'm so proud of how you adapted to a different way of life, and a new language.  You made me so proud, and I hope that my travel bug wears off on you a little bit.  I'm going to need someone to go with me on my world adventures, and your dad has never been interested. 

Chasing some pigeons in a plaza in Barcelona

With me, overlooking Barcelona from El Parque Guell

The past year has been easier than the first in some ways, and more difficult in others.  Asserting your independence is part of growing up, and, as your mom, I am going to struggle with that at times.  But I wouldn't trade a single temper tantrum for the ability to have a conversation with you, or to hold your hand walking into the grocery store.

"Talking" on the phone.  Around Halloween last year

You amaze me every day.  I think that I couldn't love you more, but then you imitate how your dad puts on deodorant, or how I talk on the phone, and I melt all over again.  Each moment is something new and exciting and I am honored and thrilled to share it all with you.

Evie at her 2nd birthday party.
She picked put the Brewer cake...I was pushing for a big 2 with zoo animals.

The next year is going to bring some big changes.  You'll be a big sister soon, and I'm going to need your help every step of the way.  I worry all the time about how you'll handle this, but you never cease to surprise me.  I know you'll charge into the role, like you do with everything else, and you'll be fine.  ;)

I love you completely, and that will NEVER change.  

Love,
Mama