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)

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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...

              

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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!!

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Things to Do Before Baby Arrives - Month 6

24 weeks

Planning ahead

So I've always been a bit of a planner. I mean...did you attend our wedding? Ha! Planning for a baby is hard for me because I'm beyond clueless. I've been reading loads of books and surfing the web for as much information as I can, but I know nothing is truly going to prepare me. Super Nanny is helping too! Any bit helps, right? I find myself asking anyone I can for advice. The good advice. Not the scary stuff or horror stories that people will freely give up.

Things I have yet to do before baby arrives:

1. Secure a daycare
I found two places I love. (Try to hear/feel my excitement.) I am working on it! This is SO hard. I just wish I could stay home or at least go part time. Hoping for something to work out, but we will see. Anyway, one place is in-house and one is a center. The difference in costs is around $400 a month, which is about $5000 in savings a year. **gasp** But I know this isn't all about the money for me - it's about the care! Still...wowee!!!

So right now it's trying to come up with a decision of what we want to do, and what we can afford. It seems the average costs for centers in the Cities is about $300 a week. Just a heads up for those planning to have babies. That leads me to my next item. 

2. Create a budget
Karl has had his own excel spreadsheet of numbers since he can remember and I basically pay the bills addressed to both of us as they come in. I have yet to pay one late or not in full! That's what I always did when I had my own place, but now I added both our names to our bills so there isn't that "his and her" account. We share now! But Karl takes care of his own bills as they come in addressed to him but the money comes from our shared account. Probably not the best way to go about it, but after seeing a financial planner and getting on track, I know we save enough in plenty of different areas and we have enough left over in our account to get us through week by week. However, with daycare costs, we're going to be quite tight. And I mean tight. Especially with me having a car with as many miles on it. How much longer will she hang on? So it's time I put both our expenses together and get a spreadsheet going so we are much more wiser with our money. Why does money have to be so stressful?

3. Make a Will
We need both - a living will and a will. We've put this off for too long and it's time. I'm searching for a lawyer right now who can make one up for the both of us. Most importantly we don't want to leave baby hanging if anything should happen to us, that's for sure!

4. Take Classes
The hospital we'll be having Baby K at offers several classes. One I need to take is on breast feeding. I hear people say it's an awesome experience, but thankfully all the books I've been reading and new moms I've been talking to have been super honest with me, saying that breast feeding is VERY painful. And the first two weeks can suck. So do not give up. And do not feel like you're broken in some way. It takes time! I still want to take a class.

I've also been reading Heading Home with Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality. I like this book a lot. I also want both of us to take a class on car seat safety and how to install those suckers. And also a class on what to expect with baby. How things will change and what to do with those explosive poops. The thing that stinks (no pun intended from that last sentence) is I'm CPR certified until May 2012. So I wonder if I should take another refresher course...

5. Arrange a Cleaning Service
Thanks MOM! I have selected you (and dad) to help us the first week or two after baby is born so I know what the heck to do with myself...and have a clean house and some food on the stove when we come home! I remember my mom saying she felt so alone after my older brother was born since her entire family lived in Arizona. It was just her and my dad and he went right back to work. She didn't know what to do.She kept saying, "now what?" I'm sure I'll figure it out, but it'll be nice just to have those extra pair of hands there helping with baby and housework...and getting me used to things.... Plus, my mom finds dirt in places I would never know to look. I mean, this woman KNOWS how to clean a toilet.

6. Get Things Ready at Work (i.e. Maternity Leave)
I plan to take 12 weeks off but I need to get this in writing. I need to figure out the FMLA stuff and short term disability and benefits and what happens with my 401K and all that so nobody is left wondering what's going on. I started a spreadsheet of all the tasks I do every day of the week, hoping that will help my coworkers, boss and me! And I want to discuss the transition back into work after having those 12 weeks off. I'm glad I'm coming back in the summer when most everyone at my company works less hours.

7. Selecting a Pediatrician
Thankfully I have this really awesome friend Jill who delivered all three of her babies at St. Francis and recommended her doctor, Dr. Druckman, to us. We also found out he won the big Capstone award during our ultrasound, so we really got a good one!! Jill also recommended her pediatrician too! So we will most definitely be checking him out! Dr. Westholder, for those in Shakopee.

8. Forming a mom's group
I'm working on this right now. Right now I'm focusing on young moms from my church and I have a few women already who are super excited about this. I want to meet at least once a month just to talk about all the things that happen once you become a parent and bounce ideas off one another. I want that support group for all of us - a place to feel safe and welcome - a place where we can share what's on our minds and relate to one another...and share our faith too. I think that's very important.

9. Clean and Purge
Our carpets need some serious cleaning and I'm wondering if now is the time to get that done? I have also heard that some of those carpet cleaning chemicals can cause autism in babies. I know... I know... I think of everything. But think of John Travolta's son Jet! They blamed his autism on the carpet cleaning! What to do? We have been purging a lot the past several months, but I'm thinking about doing another big purge. I would also love to get some furniture to hide the clutter in our kitchen area (i.e. alcohol) and picture frames and candles all over the coffee table in the family room. What baby isn't going to knock that stuff over?

10. Register for recalls
I just did this now. Went to Consumer Product Safety Commission (www.CPSC.gov) and signed up so I'll be informed of all the latest recalls as they come out. Oh, and of course I'm now following them on Twitter.

11. Sleep - Get Lots of it ...and maybe a prenatal massage here and there...
It feels weird for me to nap. But I'm doing it. And I'm going to keep at it because I love sleep and I know it's going to be few and far between for awhile there. I also got my first prenatal massage and it was wonderful. An awesome friend gave me a gift card and I couldn't wait to use it! Now, it was nothing like a deep tissue massage, but still soothing. The great part? My massage therapist said she was a student at Minnesota School of Business in Lakeville and they are ALWAYS looking for pregnant woman to give massages on. You better believe I'm calling them! Free massage? Ummm...yes, please!

Am I missing anything?  Let me know!!!

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Making My Day - Month Six

Cheese!

24 weeks

I just have to post this picture of little Baby Koester because I find myself talking to him/her everytime I look at it. This picture is just too cute!! It was actually from the video from our 20-week ultrasound and I took a picture snip-it. He/she is smiling!!!!!!!!!!!! My heart totally melts every single time.

I mean, when you're having a bad day, just look at this little cutie pie! I picture him/her laughing inside me. Maybe cuz he heard his/her dad laughing and just had to join in.

Baby K giggling in my belly! I can't wait to meet him/her!!!!!!!

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North Woods Bean Soup

North Woods Bean Soup
serves 4
recipe found on My Recipe.com site.

Cooking spray

1 cup baby carrots, halved

1 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

7 ounces turkey kielbasa, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 (15.8-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 (6-ounce) bag fresh baby spinach leaves

1.  Heat a large saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and kielbasa; sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes. Add the broth, Italian seasoning, pepper, and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

2. Place 2 cups of the soup in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. Return the pureed mixture to pan. Simmer an additional 5 minutes. Remove soup from heat. Add the spinach, stirring until spinach wilts.

Karl's reaction: "Oh, man. We're having soup tonight?" **grumble grumble** "Wait, this is pretty good. Actually this is really good. I think I need more."

My take: REALLY good soup. Loved this. Super quick and easy.

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Quick Healthy Breakfast Casserole

Tasty breakfast casserole goes a long way
serves 8-12
recipe from a church friend

1 dozen eggs

1 cup milk
1 1/2 cup water
1 tsp dry mustard
1 bag of Simply Potatoes Hash Browns
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Bacon or other goodies

1. Mix all ingredients together and pour into casserole or cake pan and bake at 350 F for one hour.

2. Add bacon bits (I used real bacon) after it is in pan. I also added mushrooms, green, red and yellow bell peppers.

Karl's reaction: "Probably could use just a little more salt but this is really good."

My take: I love this recipe. It's easy to make and tastes great. It also feeds a lot of people.

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Chicken, Wild Rice and Cherry Tomato Casserole

Chicken, Wild Rice and Cherry Tomato Casserole
serves 6
recipe found in an advertisement in on of my health magazines for Nature Sweet Cherry Tomatoes

1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin

2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
4 oz mushrooms, bottoms trimmed, sliced thin
2 (5 oz) packages long grain and wild rice seasoned rice mix (I used the 5 minute rice)
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
4 chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2" slices
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 cups of hot water
1 package of NatureSweet cherry tomatoes, halved

Preheat oven to 400 F. In a large casserole dish, combine the first nine ingredients, top with tomatoes, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Karl's reaction: 'This is different than anything you've ever made before. I like it a lot. Good job babe."
My take: I was surprised cuz I normally don't make rice but this was good! Will make again!

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