18 Weeks

How Far Along:  18 weeks

Baby Size: About the size of a sweet potato.  I've really popped out, haven't I?  This picture might have just been after a big meal ;)

Total Weight Gain: I guess I won’t know until my next doctor appointment at 20 weeks.

Maternity Clothes: I finally have some maternity clothes and they are so much more comfortable.  They also totally embrace the bump so I look more pregnant than fat.

Stretch Marks: Not yet. Still using the Palmers.

Sleep: I am still sleeping fine. Trying to stay on my side but it’s hard. I might look into a body pillow soon.

Best Moment of the week: I can feel her move!!!

Miss Anything?: I’m not really missing anything in particular right now.

Movement: Yes, but it’s minimal and only when I’m really still.

Food Cravings: Not really.

Anything Making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Gender: Girl.

Labor Signs:  No

Symptoms: Still kind of into nesting.

Belly Button in or out: In

Wedding Rings on or off: On

Mood: Good but a little stressed. Juggling life has been hard lately and now we are moving so that’s one more thing.

Looking forward to: Planning the nursery in our new apartment.

Exercise:  Working out is getting easier and I’m feeling more like myself. Babymoon: We are heading to Maui this week for my bestie’s wedding. I can’t wait to get some down time sunbathing and to see my girl marry her dream man.**this will be the 1st time in 10 years that I will be flying without a Xanax and a beer so more to come on that later.  I’m am ridiculously afraid of heights and flying.

A few more photos from our Day-After Shoot

Gender Reveal

Well...

It’s a Girl!!

We took the grandmas-to-be out to dinner and surprised them by having the bar send over some pink martinis with "It's a girl" charms I made for the stems.  It helps that I work at the restaurant so I could have this all planned ahead.  

They were really surprised and we still got to have a surprise gender reveal, just on a smaller scale. (I don't think I could have handled a party for this occasion)

16 Weeks

***I know this is late but my computer has been broken for the past few weeks.  Week 18 is coming soon also.  How Far Along:  16 weeks

Baby Size: About the size of an avocado

Total Weight Gain: 5lbs. My doctor said that I had only gained 1.5lbs since my last appointment but that it is ok and should average out eventually.

Maternity Clothes: I give up on the bella band.  It just rides up or down or wherever I don’t want it.

Stretch Marks: Not yet. I’m being good about using my Palmer’s Cocoa Butter lotion though, just in case. *Stretch marks may be inevitable for me anyway so I’m ok with it.

Sleep: I’m sleeping well and still on my stomach part of the time. I am trying to train myself to sleep on my left side, since they say that is the best for me and the baby.  I think I move around a lot though.

Best Moment of the week: Finding out the gender!!

Miss Anything?: Beer. I smelled one at work the other night and really wanted a sip.

Movement: No.  I’m dying to feel the baby move and I guess it will happen any time now.

Food Cravings: Spicy again

Anything Making you queasy or sick: No. Actually I feel great.

Gender: Girl.

Labor Signs:  No

Symptoms: Nesting. I am feeling so productive and cleaning/organizing/planning like a crazy person. Also, some heartburn but not too bad.

Belly Button in or out: In

Wedding Rings on or off: On

Mood: Great. I didn't realize it but I think I was a little down in the first trimester, due to being so tired and unproductive (and possibly hormones).

Looking forward to: Feeling some movement. The gender reveal ultrasound confirmed for me that I really could not feel the baby moving L

Exercise:  I have been working out regularly and it has increased my energy.  I feel so much better J The Bump: Getting bigger and I can already see the linea nigra. Actually, I knew it was coming because it was always faintly there. Also, I can really feel the ligaments stretching now. I was wondering how I would know the difference between that and other cramping or aches but it’s totally obvious.

Good Book

Last month's book club choice was Annabel by Kathleen Winter.  It was slow-going at first but that might have been because my mind was elsewhere (babies).  I ended up really liking it and I'm definitely recommending it.  It is about a child born, both male and female, in a 1968 small town in Canada. It follows his life and the relationship with his parents, who decided to raise him as a boy, and with a family friend/teacher who wants to embrace his differences and inner female.

Mini Donuts

OK I have to admit right away that these are baked and so they are not nearly as good as real, fried donuts. But...they turned out really cute and pretty so I guess that makes up for it.

I got this idea from Cupcakes and Cashmere over on this post.

**I used a real piping bag because the dough is really thick and the plastic bags just kept ripping.

Here is her recipe:

Recipe from BakingBites.com

Ingredients:

Donuts
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk

Vanilla Glaze
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 tsp milk

Directions:

Donuts

1. Lightly grease a mini donut pan.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together brown sugar, egg and melted butter until mixture is smooth. Beat in vanilla extract, then half of the flour mixture. Mix in the buttermilk, followed by the remaining flour. Stir only until all ingredients are combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain visible.

4. Scoop batter into a quart or gallon-sized plastic bag and chill for 1-2 hours, or overnight if you want to prep the donuts the night before.

5. Preheat the oven to 325F and remove the bag from the refrigerator after batter has chilled. Snip the corner off of the plastic bag and pipe batter into mini donut cavities, filling each about 2/3 full. 

6. Bake for 9 minutes, until cake springs back when lightly pressed. (For regular-sized donuts in a larger donut pan, bake 12-15 minutes)
Turn donuts out to cool on a wire rack. Dip tops of donuts in glaze when donuts are completely cooled and decorate. Allow glaze to set for at least 1 hour before storing, or just eat and enjoy!

Makes about 18 mini donuts.

Vanilla Glaze

Whisk all ingredients together in a small, shallow bowl, adding milk as necessary to make the glaze thick enough to stick easily to the donuts. If it becomes too thin, simply add a bit more confectioners’ sugar.

St. Patrick's Day

I’ve traded in green beer for green whole wheat pancakes. 

My how things have changed J