26 Weeks

These past two weeks have flown by. I am thrilled to report that our doctors appointment went really well health wise. Neither of us were thrilled to sit in a waiting room for nearly two hours to see a doctor for less than 10 minutes but I would rather that be the case and get a clean bill of health. The only concern the doctor had was my low blood pressure. I have always had below the average range but never showed symptoms  I still do not have any symptoms (fainting, seeing stars or light headed) but she requested that I drink a Gatorade daily. This is harder than it sounds. I can not find a flavor that does not gross me out. Too many watered down Gatorades in the volleyball days and my dislike of anything artificially flavored has proved challenging so I am looking for an alternative.  

We also took a tour of the birthing center. That made everything seem so real. We even got to see a baby that was born only a few hours prior. So tiny! 

For this weeks progress picture, Geoff surprised me with a trip to a lake north of where we live. The 80 degree weather and sunshine on our pale winter skin was the perfect stress relief. 

How I'm Feeling:

I still feel great. My energy level is still high and I am still able to go to bootcamp a few days a week. I am using lighter weights then before I was pregnant and having to modify a few exercises to prevent injury to me or the baby but I feel strong. It helps with the aches and pains that are typically associated with pregnancy as well as helps me sleep at night. 

The need to use the restroom as often as I am is exhausted. I feel that my day is planned around going to the restroom. If I have to be in the car for longer than an hour or in a long meeting I know I will have to stop at a gas station or excuse myself from the table. Jumping Jacks are out of the question as well.

How I'm Changing:

I feel like my belly is HUGE and doesn't stop growing. I have been attempting to schedule maternity pictures and they suggest waiting at least another month so that you can see the belly but there is no missing it. I bump into everything and need to avoid light colored tops. Somehow  there is always a line of some sort across my belly. 

My emotions are starting to come on strong as well. I have to be very careful about what I watch on TV or read about. I saw a homeless man with a dog and instantly went inside the gas station and bough a few cans of dog food for his companion and snacks for him. When I handed it to him he nearly cried which instantly got me started. 

What I'm Eating:

I feel all I do is eat. My portions are smaller than I am used to because I fill up very fast but I am hungry again two hours later. I carry snacks with me at all times because when I get hungry, I get grumpy and can't focus. 

Have you seen the Target commercial where the lady is ripping open a variety of foods and vitamins. I feel like that is me. "What baby wants, baby gets" That commercial terrifies my husband. 

Everything Else:

I still need to share our nursery progress. I am so happy with the progress thus far and plan on working on it this weekend. 

I worked on our baby registries as well. Baby's need so much and there is so much to learn and research. I am loving the advice from our family and friends. 

Did you know there is a product called MilkScreen? Google it. It made me feel so much better about the fact that I know I will need a glass of wine upon occasion. 

We officially picked a name. We have decided to keep it a secrete for now. I am terrified I am going to let it slip.... 

holiday festivities

The holiday season flew by this year. We stayed in Florida due to the fear of cold weather which puts Geoff on call 24-7. It was a good thing he stayed. There were a few nights of the alarm going off every two hours. He is a trooper and I almost felt guilty for taking over the whole bed every time he left. 

The first item on the list was Geoff's 26th birthday. Having a December birthday is rough and I try to make it a big deal for him. 

I kept it simple and went with his yearly request of Mexican food and his family over for dinner. His parents, sister, cousin Eric and Eric's girlfriend Nicole joined us. A few months prior to his birthday, when I was taking my cake decorating class, he informed me that he didn't want a birthday cake. He may have been having nightmares of the disaster I made in the kitchen weekly... I then found a frittata "cake" recipe that I decided to make for dinner.

Of course a week before his birthday, Geoff decided he wanted a birthday cake and not only a normal, basic birthday cake but a "White Willard". Geoff's grandfather, Willard, was a fan of a layered white cake with 7 minute frosting and coconut. Luckily Geoff's sister asked a hostesses favorite question "what can I bring?". I quickly responded with his request that she was very familiar with. Good thing because we had to throw away the cake pans after this dish. Old nonstick cake pans with egg is not a good combination apparently. 

Geoff and Baby Roe got some great gifts and we are all very appreciative. 

The next event on our list was the Roe Family Eve of Christmas Eve celebration. We all gathered at Geoff's grandparents old home that is currently owned by his aunt and uncle and enjoyed great food, cocktails and family time.

The cocktail of choice yearly is the beloved Old Fashioned. The Roe family will not turn down a good bourbon or the dropping in of carolers. 

One of my favorite family traditions is attending Christmas Eve service at church. I always love the service and seeing all of the kids so excited to celebrate Christmas. I can't wait until we have our own children run up to the front of the church to hear the story of the birth of Jesus. The running part may be an exaggeration because Geoff and I were not that child. I know I preferred hiding in the pews. 

Church was followed by a lovely dinner at our downtown Italian restaurant with Geoff's parents. It was delicious and required no prep work or cleaning. It was so nice to just enjoy the evening. 

We celebrated Christmas morning at home. Just us and our fury children. I made breakfast and we opened gifts from my family and each other. 

Argos was not left out either. 

He was obviously very excited about his gift but it was then time for bed. He knew he had a long night ahead. 

Traditionally we celebrate Christmas night at Geoff's parents house. His sister and her husband drive down from Atlanta in time for dinner and gifts. 

We had a great holiday but I did miss my family. Next year with a little one at our house, hopefully they will make the trip....

I am never ready to take down the tree... 

I can't wait until next year and we have 7 month old to celebrate with. 

Best wishes in 2013!

24 Weeks

A month has passed since my last update and time is flying. Our 24 week appointment is tomorrow and it feels like we just found out that we are having a boy,

How I'm Feeling:

I feel great. This may be because I had a week and a half of vacation but over all my energy is high. I am at boot camp a few days a week and crossing off items from my todo list daily. 

A good night's sleep is starting to become an issue. Sleeping on my side is not comfortable even with my pregnancy pillow. I have always been a belly or back sleeper and the side sleeping is causing my back and hips to hurt. We switched mattresses this week and I hope that is going to help. 

How I'm Changing:

There is no missing my belly. It is here to stay and is constantly bumping into counters, doorways and my desk. I am in full maternity clothes now and have packed away my previous wardrobe. It feels good to officially look pregnant and not just pudgy. 

Continuing a workout routine has been a huge help to my physical and mental strength. My endurance is nothing to what is used to be and I have lowered all of my weights to prevent injury but it feels good to push myself and sweat. Jumping jacks and running for longer than a few minutes cause me to run to the restroom but everyone tells me that will forever be the case from here on out... 

What I'm Eating:

The real question should be what I am not eating. I would say I am eating everything that I used to eat and the only adjustment is quantity. Large portions of raw vegetables are followed by painful side effects. I find that I am hungrier more often but am only able to eat small portions before I am full. 

Everything Else:

We are making progress on the nursery and I am very excited to share updates. I have also found it very difficult to go shopping and not by baby clothes. EVERYTHING is cuter in baby size. Even hangers. 

I will be back with a few updates: kitchen, holidays and nursery. 

20 Weeks

I can't believe I have hit the half way mark. Twenty down, twenty to go. This was a BIG week for us. We had the 20 week ultrasound and gender reveal. We are happy to announce that everything went well and we have a healthy mom and 12 ounce baby. 

How I'm Feeling:

I have been great these past few weeks. I still find myself exhausted at the end of the day but have no trouble getting through day to day activities. I actually took a pre-baby trip to visit my friend C (6 petals) up in VA this weekend. The trip included long walks, shopping, pampering, eating, friendly croquet competition, kayaking, a little wedding planning and relaxing. It was great to get away and see a good friend because who knows when I will be able to sneak away on the weekend like that again. 

How I'm Changing: 

Maternity clothes are my best friend. I am still able to fit in a small percentage of my clothes but I don't know why I bother. Thanks to Cyber Monday sales and many upcoming holiday parties, I finally invested in some maternity basics. They are comfortable and make me look pregnant instead of a few pounds over weight. 

At my 20 week appointment I was the same weight as my 8 week appointment and the nurse showed some concern. At the time I just listened to her suggestions and we moved ahead with the appointment. A few hours later, I began to stress the situation. HOW have I not gained weight when very few of my clothes fit and there is an obvious baby bump?! I know I have been eating well and not over doing my exercise program. THEN it hit me.  Pre-pregnancy I was doing Crossfit and building muscle, muscle weighs more than fat. I have loss some muscle mass and everything weight wise has balanced out.  It may have taken a piece of chocolate cake to figure this out. I now feel better and plan on continuing with an active, healthy plant based pregnancy. 

What I'm Eating:

I am back to my normal eating ways and my appetite has returned. There have been a few days that I have over done it with massive salads of raw vegetables and beans and paid for the fiber overdoes later in the day but it will return to normal soon. Anything roasted and salted is my favorite and baked sweet potatoes occur a few times a week.   We have bowls of tomatoes that I need to figure out multiple ways to eat them. The timing is good. 

Anything Else:

I have made two baby purchases that I will share. Both clothing related and both have stripes. I find my self not a big fan of the "typical" baby boys clothes and prefer the solids, plaids and stripes. 

I have also made my design decision on the nursery. I am so excited to share the progress and our "theme". Geoff is VERY excited about the direction I am going. I have promised that I will clean out the room prior to beginning the project if he finishes our kitchen before the end of the year.... 

Marriage is all about compromise. 

Boy or Girl?

Yesterday was a big day in the Roe household. We had our 20 week appointment and found out the gender of our baby. 

We decided to host a gender reveal party to share the great news with our family and friends. 

Instead of the cutting a cake or popping a balloon ideas I found on Pinterest we decided to embrace the season. We kept score on a dry erase board and had pink and green boys for our guests to wear their vote. Geoff and I wrapped about a dozen clear ornaments in small boxes with a festive paper. In one of the boxes we had wrapped an ornament that represented the gender. It was so much fun to watch everyone open the boxes. 

Our friend, Holly, had to "winning" box! A green ornament. We are having  BOY! We are so excited. I always wanted a big brother and can't wait to meet the little guy. 

We celebrated the rest of the night with a chili bar that contained a black bean chili with multiple ways to prepare your bowl. There were tortilla chips for nachos, Fritos for Frito boats, baby potatoes for loaded potatoes and corn muffins plus all of the needed chili toppings. I wish I would have taken a picture. Geoff's sister, who was informed of the gender earlier in the day, brought cupcakes with blue frosting to finish the night. 

We were both so grateful to have so many friends come over on a Thursday night to celebrate with us. Now they all need to start having babies themselves.....

Farmers Market Finds: The Guacamole Guy

This weekend was our town's Carols in the Park as well as our First Saturday Farmers Market. Vendors, music and Christmas Festivities with 80 degree weather? Count me in. 

I was on a mission: guacamole for my Sunday dinner. 

Mexican food ranks at the top of Geoff's favorite food list and is easy to make vegan (if desired). Being Geoff's birthday month, I thought it would be appropriate to make a new Mexican inspired dish that combined Mexican food with his second favorite home made dish: pizza. 

There are times where we will have buckets of avocados but this year that has not been the case and I knew that The Guacamole Guy would fill the gap perfectly. 

Here is a rundown of how I put dinner together: 

Excuse the iPhone pictures. My camera was dead.... 

I started with a quick salsa of diced cherry tomatoes, onion, lime juice, and salt and pepper.

I then made a cornmeal pizza dough recipe that I found from Martha Stewart. You could buy pizza dough or even use tortillas. Pizza dough is so easy to make and takes very little effort if you have a stand mixer or food processor. 

Once the dough had gone through the rising process, I stretched it and pierced a few holes with a fork. Instead of pizza sauce I used the Mild Tangy Tomatillo Salsa. 

I topped the pizzas with Diaya Pepper Jack cheese, black beans, and sliced cherry tomatoes. 

The pizzas were then baked at 425 for about 25 minutes. Typically we will make pizzas on the grill or using a grill pan to get them crispy but I wanted to cook all four at once. 

Once the cooking was complete, I let them sit for a few minutes and topped the one he was eating for dinner with guacamole. 

On top of the guacamole went the fresh salsa I prepared earlier. I did not top the remaining pizzas so that they could be stored, reheated and topped when ready to eat. 

Geoff was rather impressed and looking forward to leftovers.  It was the perfect Sunday dinner. 

Thank you Guacamole Guy! 

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year was relaxing and peaceful, neither terms that I typically use to describe holidays. My parents made the trip down which eliminated the need to drive through the night or deal with traffic and packing. I was so grateful. Days off are few and far between and I prefer to not spend them in the car or in an airport. The ten hour drive could have turned into 12+ hours with my pregnancy bladder and that doesn't include holiday traffic. 

The weekend prior I spent baking and decorating my Thanksgiving sugar cookies. I was rather impressed with how they turned out but know that next time I need to increase my collection of squeeze bottles and food coloring. I chose to do a chocolate royal icing and I was a little nervous to how it would turn out but everyone seemed to enjoy it. I didn't want everyone to finish their turkey's with a brown, food coloring stained mouth. 

We divided and conquered for food this year. My parents supplied the wine as always. Geoff was on turkey duty. Very rarely do we cook meat in the house and he took full advantage of the opportunity. I did a roasted brussel sprout dish with pecans and maple syrup as well as a butternut squash mac and cheese that I found on Manifest Vegan. It called for smoked paprika which I didn't have. This eliminated the smokey factor but it was delicious. I savored the left overs and really want to make it again. One thing I love about a majority of vegan "cheese" sauces is that they can be made in the blender and combined with the cooked pasta. Only suggestion was to clean out the blender prior to dinner and going to bed. My dad tackled the cleaning the next morning and it took effort.  

I am so grateful that Geoff's and my parents get along so well. They can talk for hours and have plenty in common. Being able to spend holidays with our families together eliminates so much stress as well as guilt. The six of us even attended the musical Elf the next day followed by a great dinner. 

Thanksgiving decorations have been put away and the pumpkins have taken their traditional spot behind the garage until I have the heart to throw them away. I almost wish they could be part of Christmas when they still look so great and Geoff took all that time to grow them but on to the next holiday. Our trees are up and decorated and just in need of a few finishing touches. My goal is to have the house 100% decorated by the end of this weekend. Wish me luck!