Super Cute, Creative Baby Gifts - Month 9

38 weeks

Totally loving these gifts from the heart...

Karl and I have received some really awesome, creative baby gifts for Baby Koester since finding out we're expecting. Three of which we just received recently. I would love to go through every awesome gift, but since these just came about, I wanted to share!

Check out this incredible quilt made by Donna Shay. I grew up across the street in Illinois from the Shay's. My mom and Donna were pregnant the same time - my mom with me and Donna with Heather (Shay) Velasquez! Heather and I spent many days playing and still remain friends, even with a lot of miles between us. You can imagine my surprise when I got home from work this week and saw a package out front. I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened up the quilt. It is PERFECT! It matches the nursery great!

Adorable quilt made by Donna Shay

A coworker had left a box at my desk. I wasn't sure what it was but I opened it and found a beautiful (and very bright...my kind of colors) afghan inside. She said she spent about a month working on it. I couldn't believe it. In the bottom corner there was a cute tag that said, "Made by Alura Smith." Totally cool!

Afghan made by Alura Smith

I met up with my friend Meegan at Olive Garden a couple weeks ago. She's a mom to four little ones and is incredibly awesome (great setter in volleyball too). She had spent many hours working on this amazing awesome step stool for Baby K's nursery. We totally love it because it goes perfect next to our little zebra friend!

Awesome step stool made by Meegan Saucedo

We have such awesome friends. Feeling so lucky these days. Thanks to everyone for just BEING YOU and for BEING THERE for us:)

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Grilled Venison Loin Dinner

Karl's Secret Grilled Venison Loin Dinner
serves 4
recipe from a family friend

A nice low-fat dinner on the grill

Thaw venison
Let soak in marinade 6-8 hours in a Zip lock bag

Marinade:
2-4 TBS Olive Oil
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBS worcestershire sauce

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2 tsp garlic powder
1 finely chopped small onion
1 TBS black pepper
3 heaping TBS brown sugar
1 TBS red wine vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup

Throw meat on grill.
Don't overcook (internal temp should be 135 degrees). Needs to be pink.
Sit for 3-4 minutes then slice

Karl's reaction: "This is pretty good. A little dry and overdone. Marinade is really awesome and can be used on other meats. Yum."

My take: Still acquiring a taste for wild game, but I did eat it and liked it a lot! When Karl is cooking, I'm happy!

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"Better than Sex" Chocolate Nutella Cupcakes

“Better than Sex” Chocolate Nutella Cupcakes
serves 16
recipe adapted from Cupcake Project and Chockylit

I never bake and this turned out SOOO good.

1/2 C butter, room temperature
1 1/4 C sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 C flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 C milk
1 t vanilla

 Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter until softened and smooth. Add sugar and beat for a few minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each until well combined.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. In a separate small bowl, combine milk and vanilla.

Add about 1/3 of dry ingredients to butter and sugar and mix until combined. Add about 1/2 of wet ingredients to mixture and mix until combined. Continue alternating dry and wet, mixing in between (finish with the remaining dry ingredients).

Fill cupcake tins about 1/2 full (don’t overfill – you only need 1/2) and bake for around 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. They will come out flat.

Nutella Buttercream

1/2 C butter, room temperature
1 C Nutella
1 C powdered sugar, sifted
1-2 T milk
Beat butter until smooth. Add Nutella and beat together until thoroughly combined. Slowly add powdered sugar, mixing until combined. Add 1 tablespoon of milk. Add additional milk or powdered sugar as needed to reach desired consistency.

Karl's reaction: "These are pretty good! Kind of dry but I'll be eating these for sure. The frosting is amazing."

My take: I ate a lot of these. Not ashamed. LOVE Nutella!!!

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King Ranch Chicken Casserole

A recipe I had to try

King Ranch Chicken Casserole
serves 8 to 10
recipe found on MyRecipes.com

This recipe keeps showing up on my email so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

Good flavor!

1 (4 1/2- to 5-lb. ) whole chicken (I bought a rotisserie chicken)
2 celery ribs, cut into 3 pieces each
2 carrots, cut into 3 pieces each
2 1/2 to 3 tsp. salt
2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped1  medium-size green bell pepper, chopped

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of mushroom soup

1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of chicken soup

2 (10-oz.) cans diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon Mexican-style chili powder*

3 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese

12 (6-inch) fajita-size corn tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch strips

1. If applicable, remove giblets from chicken, and reserve for another use. Rinse chicken.

2. Place chicken, celery, carrots, and salt in a large Dutch oven with water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 50 minutes to 1 hour or until chicken is done. Remove from heat. Remove chicken from broth; cool 30 minutes. Remove and reserve 3/4 cup cooking liquid. Strain any remaining cooking liquid, and reserve for another use.

3. Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 6 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add bell pepper and garlic, and sauté 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in reserved 3/4 cup cooking liquid, cream of mushroom soup, and next 5 ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes.

4. Skin and bone chicken; shred meat into bite-size pieces. Layer half of chicken in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Top with half of soup mixture and 1 cup Cheddar cheese. Cover with half of corn tortilla strips. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining 1 cup cheese.

5. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes to 1 hour or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

*1 tsp. chili powder and 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper may be substituted for Mexican-style chili powder.

Quick-and-Easy King Ranch Chicken Casserole: Substitute 1 (2-lb.) skinned, boned, and shredded deli-roasted chicken for whole chicken, 3 cups coarsely crumbled lime-flavored white corn tortilla chips for corn tortillas, and 3/4 cup chicken broth for cooking liquid. Omit celery, carrots, and salt. Prepare recipe as directed, beginning with Step 3.

Karl's reaction: "Tortillas have a nice crispness. I don't dislike it but I think this is just average. Would have been better with Frito's."

My take: I actually liked this. I think it had too much spice for Karl or something. Kind of a pain to put together though.

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Sweet Mustard Chicken Thighs

Easy grill recipe

Sweet Mustard Chicken Thighs
serves 4
recipe found on MyRecipes.com

So easy to make and really tasty!

1/2 cup prepared mustard

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

8 (3-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken thighs

Cooking spray

I didn't have allspice so I mixed in some Ginger and Nutmeg and that seemed to do the trick. I also mixed yellow mustard and some fancy whole wheat mustard I had in the fridge.

I also bought red bell peppers and a red onion and a sweet potato. My intention was to get these on the grill too but we didn't have enough time. So I cut up red onion and bell peppers and roasted them in the oven with olive oil. Turned out great!

1. Prepare grill.

2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well. Reserve and set aside 1/4 cup sauce mixture.

3. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Brush half of remaining 1/2 cup sauce mixture over one side of chicken. Grill chicken 3 to 4 minutes. Turn chicken over; brush with remaining half of sauce mixture. Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until done. Place chicken on a serving platter; drizzle with reserved 1/4 cup sauce mixture.

Karl's reaction: "Double yum! This sauce could go on pork too!"

My take: So easy to make! I could eat this once a week for sure.

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38 Weeks and Counting - Month 9

38 weeks

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb. Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. (babycenter.com)

Holy smokers! I'm 38 weeks.

When we saw the fill-in doctor this week (a female), she said that most women deliver the week before or the week after their due date!! I have this feeling it will be next week, but my feelings have been off too - maybe it's more wishful thinking than anything. I have decided baby will come out when baby is ready. I don't really want to be induced. Plus, I had a coworker tell me I'm way too small yet. But I'm measuring 37 centimeters now. So it's not like I'm uber small or anything. I think it's the height that's throwing everyone off. Anyway, here's the latest....

Car seat has been installed and approved by an Eagan Police Officer/Car Seat Specialist

My health...and all those pains and aches
I know I shouldn't complain. I've been very lucky. I feel great, but I have noticed more aches and pains if I do too much. Even when I go on a 40-minute walk, it's not long before my back and neck are killing me and even my feet. Can't say that normally happens. But I love the way the fresh air makes me feel and it's nice to get my heart rate up. So I push through. Plus, I'm up about 35 pounds - I really don't want to add on anymore pounds. But the scale showed no weight gain this week...even after making those Better Than Sex Nutella Chocolate Cupcakes... I will post the recipe for those soon.

My massage lady is a genius. I've been drinking about 6 ounces of milk before bed and NO leg cramps. I am getting up every hour to use the bathroom though, which makes me pretty tired throughout the day, but thankfully on the weekends I've been able to take a couple naps. And I have no idea how I'm so focused at work, but I am. I'm cruising through projects. I'm on a mission not to leave anyone hanging and to get as much done as I can.

I can really feel baby move. I swear yesterday he/she physically grabbed one of my ovaries in his/her hand and squeezed! Ouch. It's just so crazy to see parts of his/her body move across my stomach. As of now, no stretch marks....fingers are crossed they don't decide to show up anytime soon.

I see cellulite. Like...even when I'm standing. I'm not even pressing my skin against anything - the cellulite is just there, staring at me in the mirror. That's tough for me, but I know after baby is out, I can fix that. I'm not used to it though, and it's a hard pill to swallow.

I'm now down to working out hardcore only one day a week, as in sweating up a storm on the stair climber and the rest of the week I'm walking. I kind of feel that the sweat fest helps keep the bloat away. And I was hoping working out would make labor go faster, but the doctor said it mainly will help me get in shape faster after delivery and I'll heal a lot faster too.

Me! 38 weeks. Getting pretty ready these days!

Nesting
Oh, man, I've been nesting. I spent all day Saturday doing laundry and dishes, cleaning the kitchen, cleaning out the fridge, washing the edging around all our windows, baking...washing the strollers. You name it. Boy, was I sore after all that though. I think I have one more weekend of intense cleaning in me and then I'm done. I still have to hit up the freezer and our bedroom. Why is it every other room is clean but our bedroom? Anyone else have this problem?

Car Seat Installed
I met with a super cool police officer/car safety check lady in Eagan over my lunch break on Monday. Since car accidents are the number one reason for children's deaths, I wanted to ensure I had our car seat installed properly. I need that peace of mind. Plus, it's free! I got a major high-five from her when she saw we had the Chicco Keyfit 30 (which I didn't realize is pronounced 'See-Co'). She said that is the number one car seat out there for safety and installation!!!! YEAH!!! Trust me, I've done a lot of homework and research on every piece of product we registered for and have brought into our house. Yes, it's more expensive. Always seems to work that way, doesn't it?

Anyway, we spent about an hour going over all the specifics and she walked me through everything. I feel really good about that.

But I will say as I was filling up with gas, I looked through the window and stared at the empty car seat, realizing quickly that a body will be in there...soon. Oh, how life is about to change is so many ways. I also thought this as I was getting ready the other morning. I have my routine down to about 20 minutes... And my husband sleeps as long as he can. But soon we'll have to factor in a baby. How will that change it all? Will the hubby start springing out of bed all of a sudden? Hmmmm. Change is so good though. Scary. But good.

Thoughts/Feelings up to this point
I met a great friend in college while at UW-Whitewater. We played volleyball together. She texted me as soon as she found out I was pregnant to tell me she was due just a week and a half before me. Well, the minute she was induced on Monday night, she was texting me play by play. Karl couldn't believe she was doing this, but I could and I loved it!!! Over 30 hours of texts and I received her final one that she had a 8 pound 7 ounce boy. I loved every second of it. I thought all those updates and texts would make me nervous or more fearful...even when she said that volleyball conditioning didn't hold a candle to pushing a baby out. It was just a really cool moment. I've accepted the fact this is going to be painful and it could be quite long. But I know I can do this. I'm probably not going to like it, but something wonderful is going to come from all the hard work.

That's about it. Our next appointment is next Wednesday and who knows what that'll bring. Every day I wake up wondering if today will be it, but then I kind of go into work mode and forget that I'm ready to go any day. My life always seems to be so crazy, busy that it's hard to focus on baby and when his/her shining moment will be. I'm more worried about getting everything done on time so I can be that devoted parent. It's kind of fun. I feel like we're on the brink of something big... Just a matter of time.

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Doctor Visit at 37 Weeks - 9 Months

37 Weeks

Your baby is now considered full term, even though your due date is still three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. He weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. (www.babycenter.com)

37 weeks and counting!

Karl and I returned from our 37th week check up today. Happy to report, all is well. Blood pressure remains around 96/54 to about 106/56. I tested negative for Strep B. Yay. Very minimal swelling in my legs and hands. Weight gain is still up. I'm getting close to Jessica Simpson's weight gain. Yikes. Thank God I'm tall. Oh, and our baby's head has dropped since last week. I had everything checked and the doctor noticed a change in the baby's placement (as in dropping lower), but our baby is still snuggled in me pretty tight. My belly is measuring about 35 centimeters at 37 weeks, which the doctor said is great.

In our baby pool I said I'd be going into labor on April 6, which would be next week. That just seems nuts to me right now. No way. Me, becoming a mom in a week?? Say what? I've decided I want to change that. Our doctor is going on vacation next week. My brother Mike is going on a mission trip to Peru through Easter. My sister-in-law Kelly is going to Colorado. And my parents will be finally getting back to Illinois from Arizona. Soooo...the timing wouldn't be the most ideal if baby decides to show up next week. But when baby is ready, baby will be ready. Again, trying to keep that open mind!

Changes in the past couple of weeks... Lots of pain going on in my bladder area since last Saturday. I went on a walk and soaked up the wonderful sun and fresh air, but when I got back, I felt like I pulled every muscle in my groin and the pain kept getting worse, moving on to other areas. And it hasn't quite gone away since. Just feeling lots of stretching going on.

Lots and lots and lots of trips to the bathroom. Like, every hour on the hour. The past three nights I haven't had the best sleep, but I still have a ton of energy. I'm plowing through tons of projects at work just to make sure I have everything in order and done before I have to leave at a moment's notice. And the house is pretty clean.  Except for all these gnats all of a sudden. How does one get rid of them?

Those nasty leg and foot cramps are back. It never fails. I work out at the gym hardcore and that very night the leg cramps come on with a vengeance. I did get an amazing deep tissue massage at a new place in Shakopee last week and the massage lady told me to drink 4-6 ounces of milk right before bed. I did, and the cramps actually went away. I think she might be on to something!

Also, during the day I have been feeling a lot more tightening going on, almost like it's that time of month, but nothing too painful. Enough to notice though. Body must be getting ready.

We scheduled our next three doctor appointments. That's it - just three more until the big day...if that. I can't believe this!!!! I have a ton of emotions flooding me on a daily basis. Sometimes I feel like I'm in denial. Not sure what that's about. And I keep having dreams of a baby boy...

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