27-28 Baby Bump & Photo Dump

I cannot find these pictures on our blog anywhere! Hopefully I didn't just miss them and now I am posting them twice. This is at the temple for Ben and Amanda's wedding, it was a really wonderful day! I already put up the pictures of their reception and a couple of them coming out, but some how I missed these.

Carolyn and Greg, she is such a great mom and sister. She got a weekend all to herself for Ben and Amanda's wedding! Ryan took care of the kids and held down the fort back in Ohio. This was the 2nd time I really got to be around her, so it was fun not to be the wedding planner and to enjoy all the family that was in town. We had a lot of fun at the wedding festivities and at Aunt Sandy's house.

Greg and I, we had only been married 6 months right here.

Oh Happy Day!

And of course the car decorations! I thought it turned out classy!

Leaving the luncheon.....

Newly married for maybe 3 hours or even less! Introducing, Mr. & Mrs. Ben Sloat. 

I want to write a little bit about my experience being pregnant. I wonder if this will even be interesting to this little girl we can't wait to meet. But, I want to journal about it anyway. Right now, I feel really good. My belly isn't big enough to make me too uncomfortable. I can still tie my shoes on the side, I can still sleep on my back without any discomfort, and although clothes aren't fitting and I have to wear all maternity clothes now I don't feel huge yet. My energy has been up to almost normal the last month, and I am having no sickness, light headedness, and no other aches and pains. I get winded a lot easier, I get sore a lot faster, and my nose is stuffy a lot. Sleep is slightly more difficult but not bad, I have mostly comfortable nights and only have an irritated back ache once in a while. I haven't had any round ligament pain and no other pains in my belly area from all the growing. Cross my fingers!  I still have to pee a lot, and I always pee at least once a night. A BIG improvement from the 2-3 times a night that went on for months. I can handle getting up just once! I am really emotional, I can cry on a dime and it makes movies more entertaining for those around me to see me bawl at all the silly stuff. I can't help it! Even the cheesy movies that don't have believable plots make me tear up and bawl. Greg and I have started some P90X and I do some aerobics that I started a few days ago. I am almost to my 3rd trimester and I finally start exercising, go figure! I have way more energy now, I guess I better start using all that nap time. As far as nesting goes, I do have a lot I still want to get done but I have also done quite a bit. As far as cleaning and rearranging I am half way done. I have rearranged the apartment in every area I wanted to, dejunked, reorganized, and have done about half the cleaning. I like this nesting stuff! It makes me feel productive. So, that is me at the 27.5 week mark. We are so excited. I am enjoying the 2nd trimester comfort! The first 4 months were dulled with a lot of cramping, nausea, fatigue, and frequent urination which interrupted my sleep significantly. Lets just say the improvement for the last 2 months has been great, I even came to the conclusion that I would be willing to do this again...several times! I can remember thinking for the first few months...HOW DO WOMEN DO THIS!!??? I am not even the worse off, but this is difficult. Thank goodness for the 2nd trimester!

I am still not very natural at these "belly" pics...but at least it's fun to document what I looked like at each stage. I am excited to compare belly growth with subsequent pregnancies, that will be interesting! 

 

Awe, Greg wanted to take a picture of his belly too!

There is a spider in our midst....

And it likes to bite Greg, only Greg. He must have sweeter blood then me, we sleep in the same bed! I haven't had one bite though...
He always gets bit at night and this was the worst reaction yet. HATE that spider.

 

 Greg had to get IV drug therapy to fight this infection twice. You can see the infection going up his arm in the second picture. It was worse the morning after he had the IV drugs, so we went back according to the doctor's instructions and they gave him another dose. It got better slowly, but finally got better.

 

 Both from our first visit to the hospital. I am not a huge fan of ERs, not a lot of "personal" care. Maybe that is just how health care in general is...

 

Second visit.

 

 

Not sure where that darn little thing is. Or if there are several. We have fumigated our apartment, rearranged furniture, gotten ride of furniture, threw away clothes, washed every piece of clothing and bedding, and taken apart and cleaned our bed. NO. SIGNS. OF. A. SPIDER. Come out, come out, where ever you are! This was the 4th time that he had been bitten that it would swell up, be super red, and hot to the touch. With the increased swelling and redness happening so quickly, we decided to see the ER doctor. He said he was surprised that Greg wasn't sicker then he was with the looks of the reaction he was having to the bite. He was diagnosed with cellulitis and lymphgitis. He just got bit again, but it looks like his immune system is taking care of it. I AM GOING TO FIND THAT SPIDER and I won't feel bad killing it. Poor Greg.

Date Night & Teaser Spring Weather

Well, you know Greg is excited about something when he comes up with the idea himself TO GO SHOPPING for it. He wanted to take me out on a date and so we went to dinner and then went baby shopping! One of my favorite things to do!

 Out at Red Robin, mmm...mm! Oh so good. I took a picture because they plated it different then they normally do, it was fancy! Plus, I was on a date with a hot guy, I had to take a picture of him too. 

Our purchases! We got A LOT this night. It is so much fun to go get stuff for our little one. All the big stuff we got gender neutral stuff, because we are hoping for more kids! But everything else is as girly as we can get it, or I can get it anyway.

 

 

 

 When the weather looks like this....

 You do a little of this.....

And a little of this....

 

Check out those great new shoes. They are the "minimalist" shoes, and he is really enjoying them so far. He is starting to train for a 50 mile ultra marathon in September! Can't wait to cheer him on.

 

We love/hate spring, because the next week, it looks like this....

 And you are so sad that you can't enjoy good weather, so you make some of these.....

And you have more time to make some Cornish game hens like these...

 

Mmm...Greg's dinner. Complete with mashed potatoes, Cornish game hen, green beans with mushrooms, and stuffing. WOW! Okay, we can handle a few cold days!

 

A great bonus to some to this particular cold day was, yep, another snow day at school. The interstate is closed so I couldn't make it up to Cheyenne. My mom had school cancelled, so we had a sewing day. Loved it, we finished the first part of Tess's crib quilt.

 Pre-cut...

 Post-cut...

All sewed together. Still more to go as far as applique, backing, and quilting! We had fun doing it and I am so glad I had my mom there, she basically did everything and I just followed her instructions! So, 6 degree weather in April isn't THAT bad...



FOOD!

Oh yeah, getting close. I love this point. The anticipation starts to really build. I. LOVE. CINNAMON ROLLS. I love them...A LOT! They are my guilty delight, besides ice cream and Ruby Dessert. Okay, I could name a lot but cinnamon rolls seem to top them all! I have tried a lot of recipes. I found that there are a couple things you need in order to make great cinnamon rolls. Frist, you need a good recipe. Second, you need to practice, practice, practice. I think I get better each time. Third, you need to develop your own "style" as you practice. You can't really get that from any recipe. Here is where I get my recipe, it fits me, and my "style" and I can't stop eating them each time I make it!

http://jodysdishes.blogspot.com/2012/04/yummy-cinnamon-rolls.html

Here was my FRIST one, I nuke them for 20 seconds if they aren't hot out of the oven. They are good cold or hot, but hot to me is always better. With a cup of milk of course....

And then I ate the rest...not really but almost... I think I hat at least 4 on the first day and many more on the leftovers for the next few days! Ahhh...cinnamon roll heaven.

 

Okay, taking a turn for healthy. This was a random recipe that I put together to balance out the sweet cinnamon rolls. I call it "Southwest Chop Salad." I looked over several recipes online and included the ingredients that I actually wanted. I used this time around:

Bed of lettuce, with spinach, romaine lettuce, and red leaf mixed all together.

1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed

grape tomatoes, cut in half

frozen corn-thawed about 1 cup

4 avacados

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

juice of 2-3 limes

handful of cilantro

cheese as desired

café rio dressing or tomatillo ranch dressing

limes if wanted, on top! Of course some salt and pepper added according to your taste.

 

 In the process....

 

Greg's final creation, mmmm....

 

And might I add my favorite recipe I have ever found on Pinterest...Garlic Tuscany Chicken!

 

 

 TRY IT.

 

 http://www.therecipecritic.com/2013/02/tuscan-garlic-chicken.html

 

Growing, growing, growing!

 Week 14-15

I don't really have any other belly pictures any earlier, but here I am in my scrubs, getting ready for an EARLY morning at clinicals for nursing. Kind of funny, not very flattering, but it's fun to put up some nursing pictures too. I have really enjoyed nursing school Being pregnant in school was harder then I anticipated, with nausea, light-headedness, and fatigue all settled in...I have had some very nice and understanding teachers. I have been able to sit down in clinicals, take breaks to eat, etc.

 

 

Week 21

 

Week 22-23

 

 

 

Week 23-24

 

 

 

Week 24-25

 

 

Week 25-26

 

I'll be the first to admit it, I don't like to be the "subject" of pictures, as evidenced by silly faces and unnatural poses, but I love seeing the "growing" belly.