Travel Often

“I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.” — Rosalia de Castro

Love Deeply, but Laugh Along the Way

"Happiness is only real when shared." - Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild

View Marriage as an Adventure

"Love is a flower which turns into fruit at marriage." ~Finnish Proverb

Fuel your body with GOOD (It's the only one you get)

He who has health has hope; and he who has hope has everything. - Arabian Proverb

Open your Soul to Motherhood

A Grand Adventure is About to Begin - Winnie the Pooh

A New Kind of Love is Born

Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Pregnant Belly Getting Bigger - Month 6

24 weeks

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon. (www.babycenter.com)

The Latest


Oh baby, I'm definitely growing! Sometimes I feel like my stomach has grown overnight. I've been going through the cocoa butter like crazy - morning and night. Be gone stretch marks!

Remember that post I had last week about the flu? Well, I did catch some sort of bug on Christmas Eve. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as my parent's - it was like a war zone in our house. Wow. I felt so bad that my parents had to feel so crappy! I basically ended up with a fever and felt extremely lethargic. I couldn't keep my eyes open. I figured my body was fighting off what it could. So I slept for a good couple days. I tried hard to force food and liquids down, but my stomach wouldn't have it. Finally come Tuesday morning, I could eat again. I think baby was happy about that. It's NOT good to be and feel dehydrated while pregnant. Ish!

Christmas, other than most of us being sick, was great. I love love love spending time with my family. My younger brother Mark and sister-in-law Tot came up from Kansas with their dog, Kacey. I just love her so much. Isn't she so adorable??
Kacey - my brother and sister in law's dog

I guess my parents, brothers, Tot and Karl all played games while I was sleeping. Only my favorite thing to do when we get together!!!!! But I was able to get out of bed on Christmas Day and spend time chatting with them. So that was good. And Mark was able to sketch some animals on the walls of the nursery before he left. I can't wait to paint those crazy monkeys. My dad wasn't able to finish painting the nursery, though he got a lot done even being sick. He is so awesome. Karl and I plan to finish this weekend! I can't WAIT for you guys to see the end results. Mark and Tot said the nursery gave them A.D.D when they walked in. WHATEVER!!!

My first shower is coming up, and I'm getting really excited for that. I'm more excited about seeing family and friends though. I can't wait!!!! I will be taking lots of pictures for sure!

Other than the little bug, I've been feeling really good. I've been sleeping great this week, which I love. I haven't been craving too many things...okay, I love Qdoba right now (love their grilled veggies) and every night I need two Cuties for my snack. I love those little oranges!

Baby is kicking more and more and loves the sound of his/her dad's voice. That's when he/she moves the most. I love it! Karl does too!

We also received our first shower gift for Baby K via UPS last week! That was pretty cool. And my brothers and Tot bought Baby K his/her first book for baby's library!! YAY! I am so excited to read stories together.

I can't believe the year is coming to a close. Time to write out those New Year's Resolutions for 2012...

              

Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken

Quickest dinner ever!

Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken
serves 5 - 6
recipe found on Real Housewife in Minnesota Blog

Delicious Sweet and Sour Chicken (healthier version)

1 pound Chicken (cooked and diced) *I used a rotisserie chicken
3 cups frozen stir-fry vegetables
1 8 oz can diced pineapples
1/2 Cup Sweet and Sour Sauce
2 cups uncooked rice *Instead of rice, I wanted to try cooking Thai Rice Noodles which worked great!
1 cup water

1. Dice and cook your chicken breasts. Stick them on the grill for 10 minutes, or in your pan with some cooking oil for a few minutes.


2. Add the diced pineapple (don't drain it before-hand, add the juice and everything. This gives it lots of flavor)

3. Throw in the vegetables and sweet and sour sauce. Stir so everything is coated in the sauce. Heat until the sauce begins to boil (about 3-4 minutes only. You're also getting the veggies cooked during this time)

4. Add in the uncooked rice and water. Stir well so the rice is covered in the sauce/veggie mixture. Cover and let it simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes. You may need a few more minutes here, but five is a good guess. Try out the rice and once it's cooked; you're good to go!

Karl's reaction: "This is good! Much better with a little more sauce added to it. I like it, babe."

My take: So incredibly easy to make, how can I not make this again? And it's loaded with veggies!!