On My Plate

I have tearing it up in the kitchen lately! I want to start putting some of our fave recipes on here so they don't get lost in never never land.

First up- Black Bean Cakes, adapted from chow.com

Now I'm not a huge breakfast person. I don't eat meat, am not a huge egg person, and I feel like something sweet in the morning just makes me even more hungry. My go-to breakfast is usually a fruit smoothie. Ocassionally though, I do get in the mood for something hearty in the AM. Enter black bean cakes.

For the black bean cakes:

• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs (I used panko, gotta go with what you got)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (raining and didn't want to go outside to get it so I omitted)
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 chilli pepper (I grabbed on from our chilli plant, but you could use hot sauce)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal

Sauce:

• 1/4 cup nonfat greek yogurt (or can use sour cream
• 1/4 cup chunky salsa

Place beans, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, cilantro, onion, hot sauce, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Pulse until ingredients are incorporated and beans are broken down but some whole beans remain, about 15 pulses. Stop the processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula during processing.

Form 6 (3-inch) patties and dust each patty on both sides with cornmeal.

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes. Place 3 patties in the pan and fry until golden, about 3 to 5 minutes. Flip and repeat on the second side. Now I have a deep seeded fear of frying things so my handsome kitchen assistant steps in here to help me out. I think next time I am going to try baking.

 

Sohail likes an egg on top. I generally omit. Combine salsa and yogurt to make sauce to spoon on top.

Modest little lady?

As if an ordinary pregnancy doesn't bring enough emotional craziness enough, I have this way of really spicing things up.


We went for an ultrasound about two weeks ago. I go for monthly ultrasounds with the perinatologist and I really love that I get to see baby so much. Well I love it and hate it. I do get myself a little worked up on these visits, almost like I am preparing myself for bad news because that would be easier than going in thinking everything is cheery and being caught off guard if it isn't. I will never forget with Gabriel watching them take measurements at my 21 week ultrasound and seeing them smaller than 21 weeks. I said "Oh, he's a little guy" and the lady doing the ultrasound told me "yes, the Dr. will probably talk to you about that". I didn't think anything of it, actually I felt almost a little proud that I have always been a big girl but I was eating so well that my baby wasn't all blown up and oversized. What irony.

Anyway, I do look forward to seeing how little chum chum is doing, good or bad. I really watch as they look at the anatomy, I try to stay relaxed and focus getting a glimpse of the goods, but the eagle eyes really come out when they are taking measurements. And I have gotten pretty good about being able to follow everything as they go. So far this baby is measuring right on schedule, a little ahead. Thank God for the small things. If the he ever fell below the 50% mark (which obviously 1/2 of all babies do) I think I might stroke out.

So as we are going through the process and still haven't found out the sex of the baby yet and she says she's going to go get Dr. B to see if he can tell.  Well probably even outside of my previously mentioned over anxious state I know it is really never a good sign for the person doing the ultrasound to leave and go get the doc mid ultrasound. Long story short, there is an issue with the way the umbilical cord is inserted in the placenta. Normal insertion is in the center of the placenta, and mine is not. The doctor himself really tried for a good 1/2 hr to tell where/ how the card was inserted, and can see that it is not in the center of the placenta, but just couldn't see it where it was inserted.

The complications with cord insertion vary from baby could be fine or baby could be small because cord 'kinks up' and decreases nutrients from placenta to baby, to baby could need delivery via c-section at 35-36 weeks because going into labor would be dangerous. Right now we don't really know what the risks are because we can't see the cord insertion. BUT, my doctor kept reiterating that either way there is nothing to be done now. I am already getting monthly ultrasounds, and by the time we need to make any decision about what needs to happen re delivery, then we will know more about this little cord issue.

So, with that in mind, I am choosing to (try my hardest to) not think too much about what I cannot change and focus on the fact that baby is getting all it needs now, as a matter of fact little chum chum is quite a chunk. And this time I am so proud to have a big baby! He/she is above the 70% mark for size for his/her age and weighed 12 oz at 20 weeks. Just for a little perspective, that is normally the weight hit around the 21-22 week mark. No wonder I feel so big sometimes!

On the stubborn front, we still do not know the sex of this little one. Once again, legs crossed at the ankles is chum chum's position of choice, like sunning in a lounge chair at the beach. My big take away is this- baby is going to do his/her own thing, on his/her own timeline. I am sure this will be a definite test of patience, but there could be worse things. Especially if baby stays in beach mode. And, as Sohail pointed out, if it's a girl, at least she's modest.

20 Weeks

How far along? 20 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 0 lbs. I think I am getting pretty close to throwing something on the board. I definitely thought I was after making cookies with the M&M white chocolate candy corns. OMG good.
Maternity clothes? Dresses are standard attire for the sweatshop. Think I may need to get a new one or two to add to the rotation- I'm sick of wearing the same ones already. I am still sporting my white jeans, something tells me they will be ready for the burn pile in a few months. 
Sleep: This is pretty hit or miss. Some nights it's great, others not so great. What's sleep anyway? 
Best moment this week: Feeling the baby kick! We also had a pretty great weekend in Birmingham weekend. Just nice and low key.
Have you told family and friends: Yep, and now pretty much everyone at work knows. I think I look pretty pregnant now, and when we had cupcakes at work I mentioned something about getting gestational diabetes, so that probably cleared things up for anyone who thought this was tailgating tum tum.
Miss Anything? No, I really don't think so. I am looking forward to our little family growing. Maybe it's the holidays, but I am getting all inspirited about having our own little family traditions.  
Movement: I have been feeling movement for a little while, the fluttering type, but I felt a definite kick last night! So exciting! I was eating some mushrooms (so delicious, will try and post recipe), and I guess baby has a thing for them. 
Food cravings: Not really any now. The weather may not be warm but I am looking forward to when it is, so we have been have some yummy soups, and tomato and grilled cheese sandwiches lately. Just really good clean, hearty food sounds delish to me.
Anything making you queasy or sick: no
Have you started to show yet: Yes, I definitely think so. I think my bump is probably still less typical than the norm at this point because everything on the front has grown pretty proportionally, but either a bump or a serious tum tum is pretty clear in most things.
Gender prediction: I don't know? We try again this week and I do hope baby is cooperative. After feeling the kick I feel better that baby is feeling alright, so I am starting to lose my patience about not knowing the sex. At the midwife appointment two weeks ago, she said she thought boy. Stefanie says that if we don't find out soon and keep on with the boy assumption, then if it's a girl we may have to do a swap at the hospital. We will be like we can't take home a girl, we have blue things!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy. I think my mood has stabilized a little bit, but I can't lie about having a nasty blanket of anxiety hanging over thoughts in the back of my head. I think I will feel so much more relaxed once I reach 28 weeks, because I feel like if anything happens baby will be fine from there on.
Looking forward to: Again, ultrasound this week. I get myself a little worked up for these appointments, almost like I am bracing myself for bad news. After we leave with good news, I just feel like I need to puke to wind down, maybe do some shopping, and then I generally feel pretty happy afterwards.

All in all, I am can't say that I have loved this pregnancy. I have felt pretty emotional at times, and pretty ready to be done with it. I feel very guilty about that sometimes, like I am somehow cheating this baby. However, I have come to be OK with the idea that I don't have to love this time to be thankful for the experience, and that doesn't make me a bad person/mom. And no matter what, I am crazy in love with this baby already. 

Fall Plan

The weather getting cooler has me super pumped for fall!

LittleBabyGarvin posted about a super cute pumpkin farm in the Atlanta area. I remember going to the pumpkin patch every year in elementary school (what's up Mr. Peters?!) and it being so much fun. A tradition I definitely want for my family, and this year is the year to start! So my fall plan looks a little something like this:

Step 1. Make hot apple cider. I bought these hot apple cider K-Cups to try and we are pretty obsessed. I still need to get some caramel syrup to add to take right on over the top.

Step 2. Head to pumpkin farm and pick out pumpkins.

Step 3. Decorate my little heart out. I feel like you get a pretty good bang out of 'fall' decorating. I love the look and it lasts for two months. Winner winner.

I was thinking about how I want to decorate this fall, and the decorations we had for our wedding celebration keep coming to mind. We had the marriage paperwork for a little while (went to the court house), but at some point decided we should do a little something something. We had a small celebration in the fall with close family and friends (that my sister essentially planned in two weeks- knocked it out if the park!) and that was really just right up our alley. My hyper talented style guru spear headed the decor for the event. I know her mad skills so my expectations were high, but she still managed to surpass them. Everything turned out relaxed and rustic and so elegantly beautiful it couldn't have been more appropriate for the occasion/ weather/venue/overall vibe.

 



(Loved this guy! When I went back and was looking at pictures I was cracking up because apparently he felt so comfortable he jumped in all the group pictures!)

The great thing is that I still have a lot of these decorations. Cha-ching.

The weather this weekend is supposed nice so I hope whatever the plans are, that they include a little trip to the pumpkin patch to get the ole ball rolling. Nothing thrills the husband more than when this tornado gets going! Hope you have a great weekend too!

Making blue work on a baby girl

So keeping with the theme of working with all the boy items I have, on to attire...This one may be a little bit trickier, but I think bows are 100% the way to make it happen. That and baby girl's ears pierced. Side note, I know some people think it's barbaric, but I like it and it is a cultural thing for the baby daddy and that is just the way we will role.

Anyway, I have loads a of baby blue little baby clothes, and I think soft pink, yellow, and green coordinate nicely. Let's get a little visual.

First of all, my fantasy daughter looks like this



I think she is 100% scrumptious just like that, no clothes needed. But society and weather dictate so just imagine her with this

               and





Delicious, no? I could already gobble this little easter egg up!

Baby girl nursery plan

First of all, this is such a trivial thing, and I will be extremely thankful if the sex of my baby is the biggest thing I have to be concerned about during this pregnancy. I remember with Gabriel being so concerned about child care details, and then later so mad and stupid that was one of my biggest concerns. So I feel a little guilty now thinking about something silly like this, but it is kind of fun so I will let myself go there for a minute or two, so back to my original thought...   

In my head I have always just thought boy, I guess because everything I have is boy. Writing the 15 weeks post was really the first time I guess I ever considered that this baby could be a girl. Of course that sent my little brain into overdrive. The only thing I have bought for this baby is some crib sheets I got a couple weeks ago and I do like them:

{Sage Penny Tile}

{Cloud Bamboo}

  (Two separate pictures because I can't hold them both in my T-Rex hands)

 

 

I thought at the time they were gender neutral, but of course that was when little chum chum was still obviously a boy and before I considered she could actually be a girl. I still think they will be ok, especially with the addition of one of these super cuddly bla bla dolls
 



{Lilipop the Frog}

{Josephine the Elephant}

                                       

 

And maybe something like this draped over the side of the crib. Is that allowed?

 

{Freesia-Blush}

I think it will work. What do you think? Any other ideas?



 

Baby's First Timeout

Well we didn't find out little chum chum's sex today. It was clear to me by the level of cooperation displayed that this child is its father's son/ daughter. To rub it in our face a little he/ she was moving and doing all sorts of other things, except of course uncrossing it's legs. When I poked enough to cause a virtual inter-uterine earthquake, the cord was in the way! I think the angle may have been more difficult because baby is breech right now, but that was certainly not a sufficient excuse to keep me from considering baby's first timeout.

Oh well, obviously most important is that baby is looking good. Still on track growth wise, which is always very much a relief. And a very large head. That is probably going to feel great coming out the ole birth canal.

On to the cute things...we caught baby playing with its feet, which was pretty cute, and also of baby sticking its hand in its mouth. The ultrasound tech said that we may have a thumb sucker on our hands. That really blows me away how they can tell that 20+ weeks (hopefully) before baby is even born!



Heartbeat was 148 BPM



And for comparison, here are the pics at our last ultrasound- about 11 weeks.



Heartbeat was 166 BPM

It seemed like the last ultrasound was clearer, but I guess looking at these pics that is not the case. It is kind of funny that baby has the same hand up in the air in both pics. It will be fun to see the differences next time too.

15 weeks

I'm obviously a little late to the game, but ces't la vie...

How far along? 15 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 0 lbs. At some point I think I went down an few lbs, but now I am pretty much holding steady where I started. That's obviously just fine with me as long as baby gets what it needs.
Maternity clothes? It's been a couple of weeks since I was able to wear any work pants (maybe about 13 weeks?). I'll be donning dresses to the sweatshop from here on. I have two pair of pants that I can still manage, with assistance of some very fancy pony tail holder  button hole rigging. Every weekend I say I am going to go get some maternity jeans, and then every weekend I decide to try and wait another week. What sense does it make? None. I know. I can't explain the unexplainable.
Sleep: Sleeping great, until that early morning need to empty the ole bladder, after which I lie in bed trying without avail to will myself  back to sleep. And that is on days that I can breathe through my nose. Clearly I have an opportunity for a little bit of improvement in this area.
Best moment this week: We went to Lake Lanier yesterday, and that was pretty fun. I really love doing little impromptu stuff like that with my man!
Have you told family and friends: Yep, I think most. I was feeling especially bumpalicious this week at work and told HR.
Miss Anything? Not too much. Hmm, maybe having the urge to clean house a little more frequently. Oh wait, is that baby related? 
Movement: I'm pretty sure I felt some fluttering this am. It was in the daily post bladder void, lying in bed period when I am trying to think of nothing and everything. Could have been figment of my imagination?
Food cravings: Fruits & sweets, and nothing like a baked potato!
Anything making you queasy or sick: no
Have you started to show yet: I can definitely tell and have a good bump, but then some other areas "are HUUGE" so I think my stomach may still not be the most prominent protrusion.  I definitely don't think I can hide it much longer though, and I don't why I think I need to. Just do.
Gender prediction: Sohail says girl - we should find out in Wednesday. I didn't think I had a prediction, but girls can wear blue, right? With a hair bow?
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, although my better-half may disagree. This is definitely food dependent.
Looking forward to: Ultrasound this week- first and foremost making sure babies growth is on track. Finding out gender would be a super scrumptous cherry on top.