Baby W's First Photos

At last, here are the pictures of our little Nugget! 

Since ultrasound pictures are actually kind of difficult to understand sometimes, I didn't include all the pictures of arms, legs, organs, etc. But really, everyone only wants the cute ones anyway! 

This is the little Nugget from the side. As you can see, he/she is folded in half here. Baby was moving around a lot, and the feet were usually folded up under the bottom, but he/she like stretching out, too. It's close quarters; not much room in there!

Here are the little feet!

And a bonus:

Here's a video of the little one moving around!

[i'm hoping the video works on here... it's super cool!]

Baby W: 22 Weeks

I was in Florida on Sunday for the weekly bump picture, so we had to make do! 

And who can resist the sunset on the beach?

To ease your curious minds...

Baby is as long as a spaghetti squash, and weighs almost a pound!

Total weight gain:  17 pounds
Maternity clothes: Still just a couple maternity things, mostly wearing bigger regular-clothes.
Stretch marks:  Nope
Sleep:  Still sleeping pretty well. I wake up every time I need to turn over, but fall asleep pretty easily.
Best moment this week:  Two things. Last week we met with the doctor to go over ultrasound results, and she said everything looks perfect. Thank goodness! It's amazing how many things they can check for! Also, I spent the long holiday weekend in Florida with two girl friends. We soaked up the sun for a few days- it was great!
Miss anything?: Nothing new; I'd still like to go for an occasional run or margarita
Movement: Baby is kickin up a storm in there! I feel kicks more frequently, and the doctor said there was a lot of movement when she was listening for heart beat. My vacation buddies were even able to feel a little kick from the outside! Mike can't feel it yet, but I have a feeling he will soon!
Food cravings:  Not really craving anything in particular
Anything make you queasy or sick?:  Nope
Aches and pains:  My back, right hip, and legs still get achy.. nothing new there
Starting to show yet?:  Yup
Gender prediction:  Baby's heart rate this week was a little higher at 151, so doctor isn't quite so confident in her boy prediction anymore! I sure don't know!
Labor signs:  Nope
Belly button in or out?:  Still in
Wedding rings on or off?:  On
Happy or Moody most of the time?:  Happy
Most looking forward to:  Another trip to Omaha this weekend for a wedding. Excited to see two great friends tie the knot!

Baby W: 21 Weeks

just finished a 6 hour drive... 

sorry i didn't dress up for you.

Total weight gain:  15 pounds [at this rate i'm going to gain 40 more... i gotta start reigning it in this week]
Maternity clothes:  I found a pair of super-cute white jeans for summer, with that rockin' maternity stretchy band. They're pretty fantastic! Also had to get some new scrub pants, but they're not maternity. Just a different fit... thank you, forgiving drawstring waist.
Stretch marks:  Not yet.
Sleep:  Only sleeping about 6 hours a night [day], but sleeping well when I do.
Best moment this week:  We finally got to see our little nugget this week! We had a 20-week ultrasound earlier in the week, and it was so amazing to see. We haven't met with the doctor to go over official results yet, but the ultrasound tech said that everything looks and measures great. [i'll post some ultrasound pics very soon]
Miss anything?:  I could really go for a StrawberryRita they just came out with. I was at my old roomie's graduation party this weekend, and they looked like a perfect Saturday BBQ drink!
Movement: Quite a bit of movement this week. Noticing a little something a few times a day. Still can't feel it from the outside though.
Food cravings:  Nothing specific. Snacks and desserts are where it's at, but I gotta lock it up. Some of these pounds are a getting unnecessary :)
Anything make you queasy or sick?:  Nope, I even cooked raw chicken this week! First time in five months.  
Aches and pains:  My back and my right hip are still pretty achy.  I need a chiropractor friend.
Starting to show yet?:  Yep
Gender prediction: I keep thinking boy, but after chatting with some people this weekend I'm not 100% convinced.
Labor signs:  Nope
Belly button in or out?:  In... for now
Wedding rings on or off?:  On
Happy or Moody most of the time?:  Happy
Most looking forward to:  Going on vacation with some girl friends this weekend! Sunshine, here we come!

Baby W: 20 Weeks

Total weight gain:  13 pounds [last time i checked]
Maternity clothes:  One shirt so far. I was at Target searching for some belly-fitting cute shirts to wear, and I found a maternity shirt on clearance for $4. Couldn't pass that up! It's amazing how well a maternity shirt fits... it's like it was made with belly room or something.
Stretch marks:  None so far, and I'm dreading the day I find one.
Sleep:  Just depends on the day. Still sleeping well for the most part, I just have a hard time falling back asleep when I wake up during the day. [night shift problems]
Best moment this week:  The little nugget is kicking even more this week, which has been pretty fun. Also, still haven't gotten a phone call about the Quad Screen they did a couple weeks ago, and the doctor said no news is good news. That test looks for a few conditions including Down Syndrome.
Miss anything?:  This sounds a little insane, but I really miss running right now. I know I'm not much of a runner anyway, but I would give two pickles [what, did you want me to give money?] for a good couple-mile run. I can't run even a block without my heart rate getting higher than the doctor's recommendation.  Guess I'll stick to walking, though it's not doing much for my feeling chunky and packing on the cellulite.
Movement: A few more kicks this week. Still can't feel much of anything from the outside, but Mike's excited for when that time comes.
Food cravings: Let's be real, the ice cream never stops. Add a little chocolate chunk-iness and we can be friends.
Anything make you queasy or sick?:  Nothing.
Aches and pains:  Achy back and hip. Thank you, 13 pound weight gain.
Starting to show yet?:  Heck yes, this baby is poppin'.
Gender prediction: No news on this front, still not sure.
Labor signs:  Negative
Belly button in or out?:  In, but holy buckets it's getting shallow.
Wedding rings on or off?:  On
Happy or Moody most of the time?:  Happy, until I see a scale or my ever-spreading cellulite.
Most looking forward to:  Ultrasound on Tuesday!! We finally get to see our little nugget! [praying for a healthy baby] Also looking forward to an Omaha trip this weekend!

Baby W: 19 Weeks

Total weight gain: 12 pounds
Maternity clothes: Nope, still holding out!
Stretch marks: None, but it's definitely stretching
Sleep: Sleeping well, although I wake up every time I have to turn over. And sometimes I have to tuck some blanket under one side of my tummy, otherwise it gets sore from pulling on the other side.
Best moment this week: A weekend of sunshine, 60 degrees, and no plans. Had a great weekend with Mike and some friends, and even got some spring cleaning done!
Miss anything?:  I had a sad realization this week that I can't actually have those pickle roll-ups I was talking about a couple weeks ago. I was tempted with them this week at a friend's shindig, and immediately after popping one in my mouth I realized they're rolled in lunchmeat. [of course they are. that's on the doctor's stay-away list.] So no more of those until the fall. 
Movement: A few kicks here and there, mostly when my pants get too tight. The wee one isn't a fan of the drawstring on my scrubs!
Food cravings: Nothing that I didn't crave before. Ice cream is still at the top of the list, but I think that's a life-long thing for me.
Anything make you queasy or sick?: Nada
Aches and pains: Just my back. Gotta get used to it.
Starting to show yet?: Yep, done with the cheeseburger belly. 
Gender prediction: Nothing new this week; still don't know.
Labor signs: Nope
Belly button in or out?: In
Wedding rings on or off?: On 
Happy or Moody most of the time?: Happy, unless I'm tired
Most looking forward to: Ultrasound in a week and half!!

We're Gonna Win, Twins!

Nothing says Spring like the beginning of baseball season.

A friend from college was in town over the weekend, and he invited Mike and I to  join him at the Minnesota Twins game. We didn't have any plans, and the forecast called for 70 degrees and sunny skies. Of course we were in! 

So we made our way to Minneapolis and enjoyed a great game. It couldn't have been a better day for baseball... and the Twins won! 

walking toward the stadium

game time!

mike & i after the game

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

It's finally Spring in Minnesota! It took long enough to get here, but enough complaining about that. The first day the sun was shining and we had our windows open, I decided I needed a little something from the kitchen that made it feel like spring as well. [of course i needed something from the kitchen...]

I saw something on Pinterest and ran with it. I looked at several similar recipes, and this is what I came up with. The simplest, quickest little lemon cookies. They're so easy you might even judge me for what's in them. I'm ok with that... they took under a half hour to make, including washing dishes. And I didn't even need a measuring cup! They're light and lemony-- perfect for spring. And Mike's favorite part:  they're soft!  [first words out of his mouth when he took a bite]

What you need
1 box lemon cake mix
8-oz container of Cool Whip, thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten
about 1 cup powdered sugar, in a separate bowl

What you do
Preheat oven to 350 (because my oven takes about three hours to preheat). 
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, egg, and cool whip. It will be very sticky! Take a generous tablespoon of the batter, roll it into a ball the best you can, and roll it in the powdered sugar. Bake for 9-10 minutes, just until the edges start to turn golden-brown.

That's it! They kind of resemble lemon bars, except they aren't as dense as those sometimes are. And they're much quicker to make!

I hope you're enjoying your Spring, wherever you may be.