prediction

I think I've done this before, but Julie is insisting on a new blog entry since I've been lazy. Here it is: My labor prediction. It actually sounds like it could be pretty accurate- minus the eyes which should at least turn blue!

Madame Zaritska, using her mystical powers, has the following prediction: The day you deliver, outside will be overcast. Your baby will arrive in the evening. After a labor lasting approximately 10 hours, your child, a girl, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 8 pounds, 10 ounces, and will be 22-1/2 inches long. This child will have dark brown eyes and some brown hair.

The size sounds right, it would be crazy to have a baby that long though! My co-worker who was due on the 18th of this month had her baby girl last week. It feels weird to have one less of us at work now. That means it's getting closer! Anyway she and her husband are both above 5'8" and their baby girl was 17.5 inches long! It could be because she was a little early too- a little under 38 weeks. Everything was good though and now they are all at home. Lucky!

Anyway I'm just making salmon quiche for dinner tonight. John caught several Salmon when we in Seattle last week for my shower and we had some for dinner last night. There were a lot of leftovers since salmon isn't really my favorite. So I'm making 2 quiches, one to freeze and one for dinner! yum!

random

Nothing new going on around here lately, but I thought I should post something... John and I decided that we are just going to order blinds for the upstairs bedrooms and bathroom for now since It will be about 1/4 the prince of all the blinds we need. Since our living room faces a hill and no other houses, it's not that critical that we get them now. The only annoying thing is when 6pm or so rolls around and the sun is right in your face when you are sitting on the couch! Oh well, we just have too many things we need and those are down on the list.

I am making my mom's chocolate cake for dessert tonight, so that smells really good. We are having Amanda and Taylor over for dinner tonight- tacos! It will be nice since Taylor and John don't see each other too often. Amanda and I try to hang out every couple weeks or so. She made me a super cute diaper wipes case that she is going to help me make for a couple of my co-workers too. She says it's easy, and it looks so cute! So I will be busy today cleaning the house and getting ready for tacos. At least I will have the cake done in the next hour or so. Me and Amanda at a concert last year:

As far as Olivia goes, she was moving like crazy last night. John commented on how much she was moving, said she was probably trying to get comfortable spinning circles. That's what she felt like anyway! This morning she was on my left side, when she is usually on my right side- so that was different. It seems like she has days where she is super active (like yesterday) and others where I don't feel her quite as much. I am 31 weeks today. The time is flying by! I told John she could be here in 7-9 weeks! Crazy! Hopefully not any sooner than that though- I would not like to have her at work with co-workers taking care of her. I know she would get good care, but I want her to be healthy!

I hope everyone has a good day. It is supposed to be much cooler here today and tomorrow than it has been. I can't say I'm too sad about it, it's a nice break from all the 90-100 degree days. I am so glad I got this dress from target, I got it in 5 colors and I pretty much live in them now!

Strawberries and socks

Today Jenny and I went strawberry picking in Greenbluff. We went early in the morning before it got too hot. I'm glad we did. I think it is already around 85 degrees out now! The strawberries were only .99 cents a pound and we each got around seven pounds. I always think I am not getting enough and then end up with way more than I need! Jenny and I each made a batch of 5 1/2 jars of freezer jam at her house before she started feeling kind of bad. I am at home now and will probably try to use up the other 9 jars I have here. I'm sure I will have plenty of strawberries leftover after that even! That's ok, both John and i like to eat them!

When I got home from Jenny's house, I had a package from Julie waiting for me! They are the cutest little socks that I've seen. They are baby socks that are made to look like little mary jane shoes! They came in 6 colors. They are even packaged cute.

Well, that's about it for today. I think I will try to start making some more jam before these berries get over ripe!

29

Today is John's birthday. Last year of his 20's! I can't believe we will have know eachother/been together for all of our 20's. I am so lucky to have John as a husband, he really couldn't get any better (most days ha ha). For instance he never leaves the seat up on the toilet seat and ALWAYS makes the bed before he goes to work so I come home in the morning to a freshly made bed to sleep in after working all night! I can't say I do the same for him... but I try! He is also so good at doing things around the house and taking care of the dogs. He is going to be a great dad!

So, since we had store bought cake last week with John's family, I figured I would try making something for him since I have the day off. I found a recipe for maple bar cake, and thought it sounded good since that happens to be his favorite donut. Well, it didn't go as smoothly as I would have hoped. The cake took way longer to cook than instruction said, and the icing was supposed to be poured on while it was still hot. Oh and I didn't add as much butter to the frosting recipe as it called for. (The intructions were screwed up) It wasn't the prettiest cake ever, but I dressed it up with a little white icing and candy and it does look quite a bit better. I just hope it tastes ok! Here is a couple pictures of it:

You can see how the maple frosting is pretty uneven over the cake. I think it had gotten too hard in the pot waiting for the cake to finish!

Happy birthday John! I love you!

p.s. The Happy birthday pic is actually a card from an etsy seller! http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15021363

Fruit

I have become a little obsessed with fruit since I became pregnant. Especially oranges. They are becoming hard to find good ones though! Jenny and I went to costco last night and I saw the most perfect strawberries. I had to get them. There are a TON of them, but I'm determined to eat them all! I tried some as soon as I got home, and they taste as good as they look! John had a couple and said they were the best strawberries he's had this year! So if any of you want some good strawberries, head to costco!

Happy mom's day!!

Today is Mother's day- my first. I had to remind John a few times that the day was coming up!! This morning I woke up and John had wrapped a present for me and gotten me a card. The card was really cute and I unwrapped a present- he got me a snoogle! I had told him about it, and that someone from work had said it was the best thing they bought when they were pregnant. I totally forgot I mentioned it to him, so I was really surprised and happy he bough one for me! I've already tried it out and it does seem really comfortable.

Here is a description and a couple pictures of it:

The patented Snoogle by Leachco is a full-body solution for expectant moms that replaces the arsenal of pillows you otherwise have to use to get comfy. The Snoogle supports your back to prevent sciatica and lower back pain, tucks between your knees for help with back pain and temperature control, cradles your tummy, and props up your head to aid in breathing and help prevent heartburn and other pregnancy pitfalls.
The Snoogle is made from polyester and comes with a custom pillow you can remove for washing. The Leachco body pillow helps mom wake up refreshed and invigorated--and after baby is born, it is just right to support mother and child for nursing.

John is currently making breakfast- bacon and swedish pancakes- yum! After that I think we are going to go for a walk with the dogs along the river. We haven't been able to lately with either working schedules or the weather, but today is all sunshine!

So Happy Mother's Day to my Mom who is awesome and all the other moms out there! I hope everyone has a great day!

All I want is a ham sandwich....

Is it safe to eat deli meats when I'm pregnant?
Expert Answers
Lindsay L. Whitcomb, CIRS

It's not safe for pregnant women to eat deli meats (such as ham, turkey, salami, and bologna) or hot dogs unless the food has been thoroughly heated and is steaming hot. These foods can cause a form of food poisoning called listeriosis.
Listeriosis is caused by a type of bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes. Heating deli meats until steaming hot will kill the bacteria if it's present.
Listeriosis is especially dangerous during pregnancy. Most people don't get sick when they eat food contaminated with listeria. But healthy pregnant women are more likely than other healthy adults to get listeriosis and are more likely to become dangerously ill from it.
The flu-like symptoms of listeriosis can sometimes advance to potentially life-threatening meningitis (infection of the membranes covering the brain, with symptoms such as severe headache and stiff neck) and blood infection. Contact your healthcare provider if you're pregnant and you develop any of these symptoms.

Larry Pickering, infectious disease specialist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA

It's not safe to eat precooked meats such as deli meats, hot dogs, and pâté when you're pregnant unless they're heated until steaming hot. Pregnant women are about 20 times more likely than other healthy adults to get listeriosis, and newborns – not moms – suffer the most serious effects of infection during pregnancy.
Listeria can cross the placental barrier or, more commonly, be transmitted in the birth canal, and it can be devastating for the baby. Every year or so, an outbreak occurs in which miscarriage, preterm delivery, or death occurs because pregnant women ate deli meat or hot dogs contaminated with listeria.
Contamination may result from improper handling, or the bacteria may already be present in the meat. But whatever the reason, unlike other bacteria, listeria grows well at refrigerator temperatures. So while we think we're being safe by putting cold cuts in the refrigerator, this germ outsmarts us.
You should avoid getting fluid from packages of hot dogs and other meats on other foods, utensils, or food preparation areas, and be sure to wash your hands after handling hot dogs or deli meats. Listeria is also a problem in unpasteurized milk, soft cheeses, and uncooked poultry. While you're pregnant, you should stay away from cheese made from unpasteurized milk.

Recipes

I'm really trying to get better about making meals at home and not having to go the grocery store 50 million times a week. Anyway I am trying to think of meal ideas for a couple weeks. I need them to be easy- especially the nights I work. I don't have much time to cook! Do any of you have some easy good recipes to share? Here is one from my mom that I am making tonight.

Baked Chicken

1 cup rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can water
1 cup milk
1 chicken (or chicken breasts)

Lay in order in a large flat buttered pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, 20 minutes uncovered.

Easy, quick, and tastes good!

Salmon

So 2 nights ago John and I made salmon for dinner. There was WAY too much leftover, since I don't really love "meat" (I know this is seafood)... and I just wasn't that hungry for some reason. Anyway since we had so much extra, I decided to make my mom's salmon quiche for dinner the next night. It came out super good, and I had so much salmon I was able to make another quiche, bake it and put it in the freezer for a future dinner! Here is the recipe for anyone interested. It is really easy!

Salmon Quiche

1 (15oz.) can salmon (my mom always used leftover salmon and I did too- just add what you think looks good)

3 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayo

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 Tbsp. grated onion ( Its not that much, but I didn't add any since I didn't have onion and don't love them)

1/4 tsp. dill weed

3 drops liquid smoke (My mom adds more, I think I used a capful? The caps are pretty small) Don't leave this ingredient out- its important!

1 piecrust ( I just bought a frozen premade one at the store- don't bake before hand)

Directions:

Drain salmon (if using canned) flake, and set aside

In a bowl, blend the eggs, sour cream and mayo. Stir in salmon, cheese, onion, dill weed, and liquid smoke.

Spoon filling into crust

Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until firm in the center.

* I had to cover up the crust with tin foil about half way through baking to make sure it didn't burn.

Here is the inside of ths finished product!