Seattle Springtime Snow

Most of western Washington has seen snow during these past few days. Friends in Phoenix have told me that they are seeing temperatures in the high eighties. Though that kind of weather does sound refreshing, I am still captivated by snow in the springtime. Not only is this the first place I've lived with snowy weather, but the first time I've ever experienced snow in the spring. My favorite thing to do in the snow is throw a snowball at Dexter. He excitedly catches it in his mouth and eats it! However, we haven't had quite enough snow for that. I'll try to snap a picture of it next winter.

I am now about 17 1/2 weeks pregnant. I try not to gripe about my unpleasant symptoms too much, but sometimes they get the best of me. Jeff is fantastic, and takes great care of me. Also, I feel fortunate to have a decent amount of knowledge about pregnancy. My studies and time as a massage therapist probably gave me the most background on the subject. Not only did I learn about the symptoms themselves, but also why they are present. It is a nice relief to know that my experiences are "normal", and that they are a result of purposeful cause and effect within my body. Of course, no matter how much anyone reads or hears about it, there is no substitute for the experience itself.

Jeff and I have discussed a mini-vacation this summer. We may look for a small cabin on the Washington coast so we can spend a long weekend there with the dogs. It will be a nice, inexpensive getaway for just the two of us before the baby comes. We haven't been to the local coast yet (shame on us), so I'm really looking forward to the prospect.

Sundays are quiet now with Jeff's new schedule. I mostly laze about with the dogs and put off doing homework as long as possible. I've become a huge fan of afternoon naps, and think we should start a petition to introduce siestas into the American culture. Admittedly, that is the pregnant-me talking, but I truly think we would be a more productive, energized society! Think about it!

S

Making up for lost lbs...

Today was a perfect, rainy day in Seattle. It was the perfect kind of day that you want to slough off of work early. Luckily, we had a planned excuse--our 4-month appointment with our doctor (who we LOVE, by the way)! I weighed in at 10 lbs more than my pre-maternal weight. I had to make up for the 3-lb loss from the last weigh-in during my 12-week appointment. Judging by the way my belly popped out in the past month, I knew for sure that I had gained everything I was supposed to, along with what I was supposed to gain the month before! The nurse even said with excitement "Well, you look pregnant now, so thats a good thing!" Let me tell you--looking pregnant is far superior to just looking chubby!

We had a good chat with the doctor (did I mention that we LOVE her?!) about the results from our last visit. Everything came back with shiny gold stars. She did tell me (which I knew already) that I have a negative blood type, so will have to take a few extra precautions that are ultimately nothing to worry about. We got to hear the heartbeat again (140 bpm), which is always a little miracle in itself.

We also talked about the next appointment, which will probably be one of the more exciting visits. We will have our 20-week ultrasound on April 21st. During this appointment, they will measure the growth and anatomy of our precious, perfect, little baby-to-be. However, we know that no matter what--this baby is going to be perfect in every way. My friend Debbie put it into perspective today. Even the women who truly have no history or anything to worry about--worry anyway!

So here we are, this little family that grows every moment of every day because our little sprout is developing inside of me. Being pregnant is one of the most beautiful journeys a human being can experience. It is right up there with falling in love and getting married to your soul mate... two things that Jeff and I have also been fortunate enough to experience together. In a way, we re-live all of those things every day. So yes--you can have your cake and eat it too. With the right ingredients, cake can magically appear out of nowhere.

S

"Um... a little room here please, Mom?"

Many experts say that first time moms-to-be don't feel their baby move until 18 or even 20 weeks. Despite this claim, I have been overflowing with anticipation of feeling the baby move for the first time.

I was sitting at my desk today--plugging away at amazon.co--- ahem... I mean plugging away at work like a good worker bee should. ;) Well, I will admit (with a bit of shame since I was once a massage therapist) that I was slouching at my desk. I suppose that just wasn't enough room for the baby, because I felt a distinct bubbly, bouncy movement at the very bottom of my belly. The baby wanted to let me know that he/she is renting that space for the duration of my pregnancy, and I needed to be a good landlady. Of course, being the pregnant emotional roller coaster that I am, I sprinkled a few quiet tears of joy. I thought I'd share some fun reactions:

Kristen: "Oh hun that is so precious! Except, are you just hungry?" Shauna: "No, I just had a huge scone... and I don't have gas either haha"

Greg: "(Lil) Greg is gonna punch his way out!" (Yes, after birth, Uncle Greg will be calling the baby "Lil' Greg" regardless of the gender!)

What a beautiful moment. I can't begin to describe how it has made me feel while truly doing it justice. For those other mommies out there, I'm sure your own experiences will be enough for you to understand.

S

Cravings for the Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Alike

Although we can't take credit for this yummy concoction of deli delights, we certainly don't mind doing so, as we've been digging this for quite some time. If you've seen Spanglish, you'll recognize this as the sandwich Adam Sandler makes about halfway through the flick. Outside of adding avocado and making it a little more vegetarian friendly, this is the original recipe in all it's glory:

* 3-4 slices of Morningstar Veggie bacon strips(the real stuff works as well although you'd be surprised at how good the Morningstar ones are!)
* 2 slices of Monterey Jack cheese
* 2 slices of toasted rustic country loaf(we also like sourdough)
* 1 tbsp of Vegenaise or Mayo
* 4 tomato slices
* 2 leaves of butter lettuce
* 1 teaspoon butter
* 1 egg

* 1 Avocado(only need 1/2 per sandwich, so make two!)

Preparation:

1. Cook the bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels
2. Place slices of cheese on one side of toasted bread. Place in toaster oven or under broiler to melt.
3. Spread mayo on other slice of bread top with avocado, bacon, sliced tomato, and lettuce
4. On non-stick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Fry egg, turning over briefly when the bottom is set (up to you if you want to keep yolk runny or not. I think if you're pregnant it's better not to keep runny)
5. Slide finished egg on top of lettuce, top with other slice of bread
6. Place sandwich on plate and slice in half, letting yolk run down sandwich

Enjoy!

J

The Journey Begins...

...Albeit 4 months into the journey! We'll make up a bit of time by posting our first two ultrasound pictures. Jeff is infamous for taking "pictures of pictures", so the quality might not be the best. (His empty promises of using a scanner in the future lead to justifiable skepticism.)

Everything is going really well with the pregnancy. We've decided to let the gender be a surprise during the delivery. Almost everyone (especially soon-to-be Uncle Greg) thinks this is a crazy decision! People also think its a little nutty that we are going for a drug-free birth. What can we say, its the tree-hugging hippies in us.

We will be at the 16-week mark tomorrow, and we are excited for our next appointment on Tuesday, March 25th. It will just be a quick, normal check-up, but we're excited for every little event. Jeff is so wonderful to go to every appointment, no matter what it is for.

Mama's belly is definitely swelling with a baby bump these days. Clothes aren't fitting quite like they used to. Hopefully we can hold out for the weather to warm up before buying new maternity clothes.

S&J