Thanksgiving Weekend

Hope you all had a great weekend filled with yummy food and fun times with loved ones. We had a very low-key holiday. Cooking and eating on Thursday, packing and relaxing on Friday, and decorating on Saturday. Get ready for the photo dump!

Red Lobster biscuits

Pumpkin Pie

Turkey

Aaaaand Andrew ate none of this haha

Sparkling Juices

Starting out the cooking!

Homemade stuffing

Snicker Salad

Green Bean Casserole

Cheesy Potatoes

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Well, Hello There Third Trimester!

How far along?  28.5 weeks!

Total weight gain: Found out today that I lost another 2 lbs so total weight gain this pregnancy is currently 1 lb. Crazy, huh? Major 1st trimester morning sickness and then acid reflux will do that to you I guess haha.

Maternity clothes?  Yes. I’m especially loving this little black maternity dress I got on sale from Old Navy. But otherwise my maternity yoga pants from Target are a favorite.

Stretch Marks?  I don’t think I’m getting any new ones so far. Definitely using lotion often and trying to drink lots of water to prevent them as long as possible. But if I do get more, meh. Not a big deal.

Sleep:  TERRIBLE. For weeks I’ve slept pretty well other than waking up briefly to shift around a few times a night but for the last few nights I’ve only gotten a total of about 3 hours a night, broken up in one hour stints. And I’m no longer able to sleep during Andrew’s nap time. Insomnia is in full force and it’s not pretty.

Best moment this week:  Cuddling with Andrew.

Worst moments this week:  Sleep sucking and being super emotional so I cry about my lack of sleep lol. Oh! And I got overheated on our hospital tour and almost fainted. I had to leave the tour for a moment to get some water from a nurse….

Miss Anything?  Hard cider.

Movement:  SO much. She’s super active and has been very regular since about 22 weeks which is nice. The other night I even woke up to her just shoving a hand or foot or something out the top of my belly for a few minutes.

Food cravings:  Chocolate. All the time. Also fruit, dairy and peanut butter toast.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Acid Reflux still but it’s been pretty good so far this week.

Gender:  Girl!

Labor signs:  Nope

Symptoms: Getting overheated easily, out of breath, sore ribs/back if I’m on my feet for too long, acid reflux, major fatigue, vivid dreams…

Belly Button in or out?  Top half is out, bottom half is about flat.

Wedding rings on or off?  On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: I’m more content than happy but definitely emotional. Not so moody but cry at the drop of a hat. I mentioned earlier that sleep is bad and makes me cry…. Well, the first time I couldn’t sleep during nap time I cried at least 4 or 5 times in a row. Ugly crying. It was a pretty interesting night.

Looking forward to:  Thanksgiving!!

Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup

I cannot remember where I found this recipe, but I tried it for the first time last week and I loved it! Hubby's reaction? He took one bite and his exact words were "Oh my God."

....So I'd say it's worth a shot ;)


Recipe:

• 4 diced large red potatoes
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 diced ham steak
• bacon bits (we fried our own and chopped it up)

Toss this all into your slow cooker, mix it up and set it on low all day (I think I let it cook for around 8 hours - just make sure the potatoes are soft and it's ready to go)

About 30 minutes before you eat, add:

• 1.5 cups milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• as much shredded cheese as you'd like

**The only thing I would change about this recipe is to add some diced onions. I did end up adding in some onion powder which definitely improved the flavor but I think the actual onions would be really nice! You could saute them and add in with the dairy at the end!

You can also add sour cream and cheese on top of your portion to eat!

Overall, it was absolutely delicious and I definitely recommend it. We will be making it for sure in the not-too-distant future.

Enjoy!

27 weeks!

How far along?  27.5 weeks!

Total weight gain: 3 lbs at the last appointment, but I’m sure that has gone up.

Maternity clothes?  Yes, almost exclusively now.

Stretch Marks?  I *think* the ones on my sides might be getting a tiny bit bigger, but I’m not 100% sure… also might be a few little ones coming in above my belly button but again, not 100% sure. I should probably pay a bit more attention haha!

Sleep:  Meh. Sometimes it’s great, sometimes it’s terrible. The vivid pregnancy dreams are not so fun though. I’ve woken up super emotional a few times now.

Best moment this week:  Andrew said a full sentence other than his usual ones like “Where are you going?”, “I love you too”, “What are you doing?”. He was watching Paw Patrol when a whale gets beached and gasped, pointed at the screen and said “Oh no, the whale is stuck!”. Also he read the word “NET” all by himself! He’s growing and changing so much lately it seems. Bittersweet, but I am definitely a proud mama.

Worst moments this week:  Pregnancy hormones making me crazy emotional!

Miss Anything?  Right now it’s just hard cider and not having to watch my caffeine intake. Also not being tired all the time and laying on my belly.

Movement:  Lots of kicks and punches and rolls and movement!

Food cravings:  Chocolate or anything sweet really. Luckily we don’t have many snacks lying around haha!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Acid Reflux, which has been a bit better this week. Only one bad episode.

Gender:  Girl!

Labor signs:  Nope

Symptoms: Getting overheated easily, out of breath, sore ribs/back if I’m on my feet for too long, acid reflux, major fatigue, emotional, vivid dreams…

Belly Button in or out?  Top half is out, bottom half is about flat.

Wedding rings on or off?  On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: I’d say more content. I’m not smiling and happy all the time but I find myself loving to just sit and watch Andrew play or see his expressions when he’s watching cartoons, or watching him and Jesse play…. My heart is practically bursting with love for the two of them and quite often I find myself rubbing my belly and smiling each time I feel baby girl kick. It’s hard to imagine how I’m going to be able to handle all the love I know I’ll feel the moment I see her, but I know it’ll just happen and I’ll be happiest, luckiest lady in the world.

Looking forward to:  The Macy’s Parade at a nearby mall this Saturday!

25 & 26 week updates!

How far along?  25.5 weeks!

Total weight gain: Up 3lbs from pre-pregnancy

Maternity clothes?  Oh yeah. Although I’ve been living in old dance shorts and a tank top for a few days haha

Stretch Marks?  Haven’t noticed any new ones so far

Sleep:  Pretty decent. Still shifting throughout the night most nights but not bad.

Best moment this week:  Honestly? Just spending time with my hubby.

Worst moments this week:  Munchkin falling and hitting the same spot on his cheek/ edge of his eye twice within three days.

Miss Anything?  Hard Cider, Moscato, being able to drink at social events…. SUSHI

Movement:  Oh yeah. Lots of soft kicks in my pelvic area, normal kicks above my hip bones and super strong kicks just beneath the center of my ribs. She likes to kick my bladder when I need to pee but am too lazy to get up and also gives me gentle kicks in the ribs when I have bad posture haha

Food cravings:  Hot Cocoa. I’ve had about 5 or 6 cups this week. Also one day I must’ve spaced out and realized at the end of the day that I’d almost entirely survived on sweets. Not good.

Anything making you queasy or sick: The smell around the kitchen sink/ dishwasher and dirty diapers.

Gender:  Girl!

Labor signs:  Nope

Symptoms: Mainly this week it’s been a bit more common for me to get heartburn/ acid reflux, needing to pee – a LOT. And baby girl sometimes likes to nuzzle up into my ribcage in the mornings which gives me TERRIBLE mid back pain until I can get her to shift downwards. Otherwise she pretty much stays down below my belly button.

Belly Button in or out?  Usually it’s nearly flat, sometimes one tiny part of it is pushing outwards.

Wedding rings on or off?  On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!!

Looking forward to:  Next weekend’s fun events and getting some answers about what’s next for our family!

Compare with Andrew here!

*******************************************************************

How far along?  26.5 weeks!

Total weight gain: 3 lbs last I checked. 

Maternity clothes?  Yes, and now my non-maternity shirts are starting to not quite cover my belly haha

Stretch Marks?  Haven’t noticed any new ones so far….

Sleep:  Could be better. Have been dealing with a bit of insomnia and combined with soreness, shifting, etc can make nights a bit rough.

Best moment this week:  My first successful attempt at baking bread EVER!

Worst moments this week:  Some issues with our bank account left us broke and because of that we couldn't get to Andrew's weekly music class :-/

Miss Anything?  Hard Cider, Moscato, being able to drink at social events…. SUSHI

Movement:  Lots of kicks and movement. Still pretty often in my pelvic area but getting more common for them to be on my sides.

Food cravings:  Hot cocoa, chocolate, fruit, tacos, anything with onions….it’s pretty odd haha 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Smells and acid reflux.

Gender:  Girl!

Labor signs:  Nope

Symptoms: Sore hips, stiff back until I crack it in the morning, heartburn, still a bit of acid reflux, overheated, strained eyes, stuffy nose, frequent trips to pee, etc haha

Belly Button in or out?  Almost always consistently flat with it poking out just the tiniest bit in the middle. Weirdest thing ever.

Wedding rings on or off?  On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!! 

Looking forward to:  The weekend! 

Compare to Andrew here!