SHE's Here!

Sophia Mae Himmelberger

February 28, 2012

born 2:54am

6lbs. 5oz.

19.25 inches long

Baby H. Week 38

38 weeks

Two Weeks Left!

The angle of these pictures is way off but I was not in the mood to retake them.

Size: Baby H. is the length of a leek about 19.5 inches long and weighs about 6.8 pounds.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: One more pound gained for a total of 36 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: Yes! Looking forward to fitting into some of my regular clothes in the near future.

Cravings: Not really craving anything this week- we did have sweets in the house. I am looking forward to having a Slurpee in the soon when 7-11 opens two locations near me, but that is more nostalgic than anything else.

Symptoms: No major symptoms except for being VERY pregnant. I have found myself to be a little irritable this week. I get winded easier and my back has been a little achier. The unseasonably warm weather is also wreaking havoc on my allergies.

Movement: Yes! I am still waiting to feel real contractions, but what I think may have been contractions are just strong braxon hicks contractions.

Sleep: Still getting between 5 and 6 hours a night but I am having a harder time falling back to sleep after I get up to use the bathroom.

Moments of the Week:

Our doctor's appointment went well. The heart rate was 142 and I am holding steady at 3cm (and relaxing as often as possible). I did test positive for Group B Strep so I will have to take antibiotics at delivery. Pretty bummed about that, but the antibiotics make for much better odds of not passing it to the baby.

Dave assembled all of the furniture - I think there is only a swing left to put together. We have furniture in the nursery, but are waiting until the little one arrives to finish decorating. We need to touch up paint still and cuteness needs to be added, but I would like to add some feminine touches if we end up with a little lady.

I finally packed my hospital bag. I am sure I over packed, but I would rather be prepared than send Dave to pick up things I am missing.

It was another good week of packages. I really love getting mail.

What I Miss: Having energy!

What I'm Looking Forward to: We head to the doctors on Thursday this week. I am anxious to meet our little one, but hoping to make it to my due date.

Baby H. Week 37

37 weeks

Full Term

Three Weeks Left!

Size: Baby H. is about 6 1/3 pounds and measures about 19 inches long, like the stalk of swiss chard.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained one more pound this week for a total of 35 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: Yes, yes, yes! Some of my maternity shirts no longer fit :(

Cravings: Not much of anything, but still wanting sweets - probably because they are not in the house.

Symptoms: I was a little more uncomfortable toward the end of the week. I am also enjoying allergy symptoms in February - will we get any winter weather this year?

Movement: The little one is still moving around in there in the little space that is available. It makes for some strange belly movements.

Sleep: Overall good, most nights I got between 5 and 6 hours of sleep.

Moments of the Week: It was a very good week.  I was very fortunate to spend time with many of my friends. It was heartwarming to hear all the nice things they had to say. We also had the carpets cleaned and started setting up a nursery. I washed all of the baby's things and got them ready to be used.

Tuesday night I got to talk to one of my sweet friends who just moved to Atlanta. She gave me so much confidence about breast feeding. Her little one had the hardest time latching on so she pumps and bottle feeds and it works out great for them. I will definitely be calling her for some words of encouragement if I get discouraged.

I had a doctor's appointment on Monday and I left completely freaked out! The baby's heartbeat was lower than normal (which happens due to the baby being in the birth canal). I had my iron test (normal) and my strep test (still waiting for results). When she did my internal exam it was discovered that I am already 3 cm dilated! Yikes! I called Dave (who was very busy preparing to feed all of the love bugs their valentines dinner) and he decided to freak out with me. We definitely had the giddy-this-is-really-real giggles. The doctor said that I could stay at this point for a few weeks. I am just monitoring for other signs of labor. I will be sitting with my feet up and keeping my legs crossed as much as possible! One of my friends was 3cm dilated for the last four weeks of her pregnancy and still needed to be induced, so there is hope to last until my due date.

What I Miss: Aside from allergy medicine I am missing my  independence. When I prepared our second floor for carpet cleaning I got really discouraged with how little I was able to do. Aside from the lifting that I was unable to do, I had a really hard time reaching under the beds and furniture. Although I want the little one to stay in until our due date, I am very much looking forward to bending and moving normally again.

What I'm Looking Forward to: My next doctor's appointment and continuing to work on the nursery.

Baby H. Week 36

Four Weeks Left!

Size: Baby H. weighs 6 pounds, about the size of a crenshaw melon, and is 18.5 inches long.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Total of 34 pounds gained.

Maternity Clothes: Yes...and the wardrobe is very stale.

Cravings: Sweets this week, especially red velvet cupcakes and chocolate.

Symptoms: Nothing new. I think I feel pretty good for being nine months pregnant with the exception of a few aches and pains.

Movement: Yes! I can tell it is harder to move around in there, but the little one continues to be very active. Hiccups are still happening almost every day.

Sleep: Not great this week, but I am still getting about six hours of sleep a night.

Moments of the Week:

Being at the doctors. It never gets old hearing the heartbeat. They decided to do my first internal exam and strep test at my next visit.

The packages keep on coming - the little one is very fortunate to have so many people who already love him/her and are spoiling all of us.

What I Miss: Napping. I have never been good at napping - don't get me wrong, I LOVE to nap, but I am a much better at sleeping for long periods of time. Unfortunately, my pregnant body feels that any extra sleep during the day means less sleep in the middle of the night. Cat naps are out of the question.

What I'm Looking Forward to: We are full term at the end of this week! We have a doctor appointment early in the week and may actually start creating a nursery. Everything is in the garage and once the carpets are cleaned it may feel a little more like a baby will be joining us in a month.

Date Night

Dave and I took advantage of a superbowl neither one of us wanted to watch by headed out to the movies.

We started out evening with some amazing lettuce wraps that Dave made. He used pork, carmelized onions, apples, cashews, and avocado wrapped up in huge iceberg lettuce leaves. They were DELICIOUS! I am glad one person in our family is good in the kitchen. Hopefully the new addition will be able to pick up on Dave's culinary skills.

We headed out to the movies to watch The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. We both enjoyed it, but I found some of the scenes a little disturbing. I read the book recently and was pleased that the movie followed the book with only a few exceptions. I hate it when the screenplay is completely different than the book.

We are still hoping to head out for a nice dinner before the arrival of the little one.

Baby H. Week 35

Five Weeks Left!

Size: Baby H. is the size of a honeydew melon, about 5.25 pounds, and is about 18 inches long.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Total of 33 pounds gained - the fabulous stomach virus going around my school may be the reason no weight was gained.

Maternity Clothes: Yes!

Cravings: I had a little stomach bug this week so I kept things pretty bland this week. Fortunately my bathroom issues only lasted one day.

Symptoms: Nothing new this week. Little achiness and vein issues continue.

Movement: There is not much room for the little one to move, but an effort is being made. I find myself frequently distracted by all of the strange movements that are happening.

Sleep: Averaging about six hours a night. I am definitely yawning more now...but I can only imagine what my sleep will be like in a little over a month!

Moments of the Week:

Our hospital tour was Sunday evening. I liked the hospital - it was much more hotel-like than hospital-like. Most of the rooms have a private balcony. Hooray for fresh air! The only thing I need to check into is the food. I know they can accommodate my gluten allergy. I just want to make sure my food will be prepared in a separate setting since I will still be eating for two after delivery. It was a little quiet, which is not a bad thing, but I expected to see more mommies and babies.

My sweet Charlotte friends threw a baby shower for me on Saturday. It was held at a Mexican restaurant - yum! We got some great gifts for the little one and I loved spending time some great people.  I forgot my camera, so no pictures!

What I Miss: I decided against painting my toenails this week because it is not comfortable to reach my feet!

What I'm Looking Forward to: Our doctor's appointment is later this week. I got quite a giggle when the nurse told me to be prepared for a "pants off" appointment - sorry for the TMI! We are getting close to the end so I imagine my pants will be off at the rest of the appointments.

Better Together

I have been cooking quite a bit more than normal recently. I eat well, but cooking for one has never been my idea of a good time.
Last week I made gluten free spinach lasagna. Dave was working ridiculously long hours during restaurant week here in Charlotte and I wanted him to have some real food to eat when he got home. (He tends to miss meals when he is working.) It was delicious, but I forgot to take a picture. I also realized that I do not follow a recipe when I am cooking, so I don't have a recipe to share either. I will do better.

Sunday Dave and I cooked together for the first time in a long time. I will help Dave (when asked) while he is cooking, but he is the chef, so I am usually hands off.
I wanted to make Baked Mac and Cheese since I have a long week and wanted something quick to reheat when I get home from school. Dave made the protein - originally going to be lamb, but we went with pork instead. The meal turned out great! I do not have a recipe for the Braised Pork with tomatoes and red wine, but the mac and cheese recipe is below.

The picture was an afterthought. Picture-taking is not my strength!

Gluten Free Baked Mac and Cheese

14 oz. Gluten Free Pasta (Farmo Penne)

Sauce:

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

8 oz grated Cheddar

8 oz grated Monterey Jack

4 oz Italian cheese blend

1 teaspoon thick Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste

pinch of cayenne

Topping:

2 cups bread crumbs (buzzed up ends of udi's gf multigrain bread)

thyme

rosemary

salt

pepper

Cook pasta until al dente. Drain, coat with oil, and set aside.

While pasta is cooking make the cheese sauce.

 - melt butter over low heat, whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly.

 - slowly whisk in milk. Increase heat and whisk until mixture bubbles and thickens.

 - add extra milk to thin sauce if it gets too thick

 - add the cheese, mustard, Worcestershire, spices and reduce heat to low.

 - stir until the mixture is smooth and creamy

Coat the inside of a baking dish with butter. Pour half of the pasta in the dish and cover with half of the cheese sauce. Put remaining pasta on top and cover with remaining cheese sauce.

Salt and pepper the top. Bake for 18 minutes until top is golden and bubbly.
Top with bread crumbs and bake another 5-7 minutes.
Let stand for five minutes before serving.