Slouch

So, I've clearly been a slouch in the blogging department lately.  Boo for me.  I'll try to be better. :)  Since I've last posted I've:

-had baby shower #3. (I still need to get photos from my mama!)
-set up a high chair, a pack-n-play, and a  baby seat
-hung curtains and painted my old changing table
-finished all of my prepared childbirth classes in addition to breastfeeding class, newborn care class, and car seat safety class
-had my last meeting with our doula before baby comes
-briefly cried because work is so stressful right now
-had girls night with three of my favorite friends
-celebrated a lovely Easter Sunday with my family
-fought a cold for two weeks. (I'm not all about taking any sort of meds when I'm preggo even if the books say certain types are okay.)
-taken my weekly pregnancy photos (just haven't posted them!)
-been jealous of my friends who went to Raw Fusion last night. (I'm determined to go next year!)
-become an auntie again!  Jeff's sister had a beautiful baby named, Esme.
-missed my hubby when he flew to AZ to meet with new babe
-celebrated Jeff's 32 birthday

Things I'm looking forward to in the next few weeks (and will actually try to blog about some of them):
-our 4th baby shower (joint with one of Jeff's co-workers)
-my friend, Katie's, baby shower 
-learning to use a cri-cut to make our mobile. (I'm scared!)
-painting some artwork for the nursery
-packing my bag for the hospital
-installing the car seat and getting it inspected (tonight!)
-buying the last few things we need for baby and baby's arrival
-cooking and freezing meals for after delivery
-my niece's 4th birthday
-pedicure night with a bunch of neighbors next week
-my weekly doctor's appointments (starting tomorrow! no pictures of that though. ha!)
-Relaxing?!

Man, I'm so glad there is nothing on my calendar in the next few weeks so I can actually do some of these things!  I'm getting more and more excited to meet our little one, but am trying to enjoy the time I have left before my world completely changes.

Announcing Our New Bundle of Joy!

 Weighing in at 13.8 kg and 20.4"

 Sorry to disappoint! No new baby here.  Well, not for me anyway.  Jeff got a new iMac and is clearly in love. 

Fish Recipe #2 Attempt

I feel like a bit of a cheater with this recipe because I've tried it out once before, but I couldn't really remember if I liked it much or not.  I have to say I just can't stand salmon, but I'm trying hard to find a recipe that I can like because Jeff loves it.  I feel better about this recipe than the last one, too, because it seems to be much healthier. 

I liked this recipe MUCH better than I remembered.  Maybe I bought a different kind of salmon, but it was not fishy tasting at all.  And, I love cilantro so much, I could probably bathe in it. :)   

My rating

Ease to make: Super Easy
Taste: 8 out of 10

Here's the recipe.  Found at The Fresh Market.  Enjoy!

Roasted Salmon with Cilantro Pesto

Ingredients:

2-4 salmon fillets

1 clove garlic

1 cup cilantro, loosely packed

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. lime juice

1-2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.  Add garlic, cilantro, olive oil and lime juice to food processor.  Blend until creamy.  (Alternatively, if using a blender – mince garlic before adding to the blender.)  Grease a baking dish with olive oil.  Place salmon fillets in the baking dish.  Spread the cilantro pesto on salmon fillets, sprinkle with salt and pepper and top with chopped tomatoes.  Bake 15-18 minutes.

Baby Shower #2

I had a lovely work shower yesterday hosted by my friend, Annie J. Silly me, I forgot to bring my camera, so I have no pictures to share!  I can't believe I did that.  That's a typical work day for me.  Always forgetting at least one thing!

The ladies had some wonderful parenting advice.  I think my favorite was to remember to ask for help. We'll see how that goes. I have the mindset that I kind of want to do everything on my own and learn from my baby, but that's definitely not to say I won't be asking for tips!  We were also given some fantastic gifts: our car seat (yay!), some toys and baby music. The food was wonderful, too!

I can't forget to mention that the hostess was awesome to have us all over to her house while she is still on maternity leave.  I always enjoy cuddling her little baby, Henry, and I even got to play with big boy Thomas this time.  He is quite the ride when he's in his own surroundings.

I've hit 33 weeks today and am starting to count down the days until I get to enjoy my own little one! 

Baby Shower #1

My long time friend, Katie, hosted my very first baby shower for me this past Saturday with help from my good friends Sarah and Angie.  It was so fun to have all of my good friends in one place at one time!  It seems like my evenings and weekends are full with family gatherings, baby classes, etc., which doesn't leave much time for spending time with my lovely ladies. 

The shower was wonderful.  I was relaxed and happy, the day was sunny. :)  Being the guest of honor at such a nice event reminded me to be thankful for all of the thoughtful friends I have that love me and support me.  I received many thoughtful gifts and lots of advice!  I'm very blessed.

Opening gifts!

Christy, me, Angie, and Sarah. Can you believe the two girls surrounding me just had babies? They look fabulous!

Katie (the hostess) due in late August, Katie due in late June, and me. Buddies from high school.

31 weeks

Now just posting even though I'm almost to 32...but I'm okay with it!  I started feeling a lot of pressure "down there" recently.  It makes me awfully uncomfortable to walk, cross my legs, stand on my left leg (the pressure is on the left side), etc.  It's funny, though, I'm kind of getting used to it after dealing with it for nearly a week.  Guess the babe wants to prepare me for labor very early on! :)

Weight of baby during week 31: about 3.3 pounds (4 navel oranges)
Length of baby: 16 inches
Notables:
-My belly button is closer to popping out!  I'm not sure if it will completely pop out or not, but there's tiny bump in the middle of it now. Very weird!
-We watch the live birth without medication, c-section, and birth with meds at childbirth class last night.  I cannot handle this stuff. I am NOT meant to be in the medical field, that is for sure! 
-My mom finished the curtains for the nursery and Jeff is planning to paint this weekend.  So excited!  I also checked out the changing table my mom used for me.  I'm in love with it!  I'm going to paint it a greenish color to coordinate with the curtains.  I'm so excited everything is coming together!

31 weeks. 1 day.

In other exciting news:

-I had my first shower last weekend.  It was a wonderful time and deserves its own post.
-Jeff's sister had her baby yesterday! A beautiful little girl who has yet to be named. :) (It's narrowed down to two choices, but we are still waiting to hear!)  I'm not sure when we'll be able to see her in person as they live in Phoenix, but the pictures I've seen show a gorgeous baby!

Fish Recipe Attempt #1

In order to get an early start on my 30 Before 30 list, I tried out a new fish recipe last Friday.  (We're really not Catholic! It was just a coincidence. :) )

I wish I would have gotten a picture because it looked pretty nice.  But, alas, I was in a very crabby mood. I think my pregnancy hormones are finally kicking in.  Either that or the stress of all that there is left to do is getting to me.

Jeff said this was his favorite fish dish that I've ever made for him. (I've only made like 3 other versions of any type of fish, so I don't give much weight to this comment.)  I actually did like it because I don't think I could not like something with sesame, but all of the oil kind of bothers me. I know it just bakes in the oil marinade, but still. How healthy can it be? 

My rating

Ease to make: Super Easy
Taste: 7 out of 10

Anyway here is the recipe (found on allrecipes.com):

Sesame Tilapia

• 2 (4 ounce) fillets tilapia
• 1/4 cup sesame oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• kosher salt to taste
• fresh ground black pepper to taste

1. Place the tilapia in a bowl, and drizzle with the sesame oil. Season with the garlic, Italian seasoning, kosher salt, and pepper. Cover, and marinate at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Transfer the tilapia and marinade to a baking dish, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until fish is easily flaked with a fork.