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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Why Not Bake?

As I've just outlined all the things one must stay on top of while waiting for a baby to arrive, I find myself using today's nap time to whip up a new Pinterest recipe. Luckily, it was a very very simple recipe so it didn't take up much time. Writing this will probably take more time than the recipe. But let's be honest, what pregnant girl could resist trying "2 Ingredient Cookies"??

Here is the link from the pin I found. The only two ingredients in the original recipe are bananas and oats. Seriously, you mash up the bananas with a fork and mix in the oats...

That's when the fun begins though. As you see in these photos with the chocolate chips, you can add in any number of other ingredients to your liking. I added a sprinkle of cocoa powder, a spoonful of peanut butter, and some chocolate chips to mine. Yum.

Other add-ins I thought of were...
 - Cinnamon and cut up apples, or apples and peanut butter
 - Raisins and walnuts (maybe also cinnamon)
 - Peanut butter or butterscotch chips
 - Diced peaches or strawberries, or both!
 - Craisins (I love the cherry ones)
 - Coconut
 - Blueberries
....basically anything you would eat in your oatmeal or a muffin. You bake them at 350 for 15 minutes and voila! The cookies aren't super sweet, which I liked. There's no sugar other than what you get from the banana and any add-ins. You could add sugar if you wanted, but I thought they were great as-is. They definitely satisfy a cookie craving without any guilt. Win! :)

These would be perfect after-school snacks or even as a treat to send to school with your kids if you didn't want to go the traditional cake/cupcake/brownie route. Also easy to throw together if a friend is stopping by for coffee or something like that. I can't wait to try some other variations and see how they turn out!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

While Waiting on a Baby

While waiting on a baby, you want to keep your house clean. No one wants to come home from the hospital with a brand new baby to dusty furniture, floors that need to be scrubbed, bathrooms that need a good disinfecting, or counters full of crumbs. If you're like us and a babysitter is going to be at your house while you're in the hospital, then you don't want to leave things in a state of disaster for that person either. So for a good three weeks or so when you're in that window of "the baby could be here any time" you spend every day making sure dust isn't accumulating, the stove top is sparkling, bathrooms are freshly cleaned and smell of lavender, and there's not a stray speck of lint lurking on the floor. 

While waiting on a baby, you want to keep your refrigerator and pantry stocked at all times. You may need to leave the house any day now and someone else will be there trying to care for your toddler, so you probably shouldn't be out of milk, eggs, or any of her favorite foods. So you buy those things and then try not to use them, because after all- tomorrow could be the day. While you're at it, you'll probably want to make sure there are things to eat for the very sweet people who volunteered to take care of your toddler... you know, at the ready at all times, for three weeks. Don't forget to keep other necessities like toilet paper, clean towels, and hand soap stocked in each of your three bathrooms at all times. You probably also wouldn't want to leave a sink full of dishes, so make sure you wash every one you use immediately. Just in case.

While waiting on a baby, you want to keep your legs shaved. Not only is someone about to be up close and personal with your whole lower half, but you're going to be in the hospital for a little bit. I don't know about other people who have given birth, but I was lucky to stand up long enough to shower much less shave my legs immediately after delivery. So if you're not shaved going in, you're going to be pretty fuzzy when you leave. You'll probably want to shave your legs every day, just in case.

While waiting on a baby, you don't want to make any serious plans. Since labor is pretty unpredictable, unless yours is scheduled for one reason or another, you hesitate to make any real plans in the days and weeks right around your due date. You don't want to schedule anything that you have to be present for, or commit to attending a big event like a wedding because who knows if you'll be able to make it. Casual social plans are one thing, but anything beyond that probably isn't a good idea. Plan to spend those weeks/weekends cleaning your house, keeping your fridge and pantry stocked, and shaving your legs.

That's what I've been doing for the past 3 weeks... and will continue to do for the foreseeable future. Waiting on a baby is possibly more exhausting than taking care of one. Looking forward to {ok, praying for} the day I can ignore the dust while cuddling a sweet tiny baby.... :)

Friday, March 22, 2013

39 Weeks


Here we are... 4 days away from the due date. Things are going well. At my appointment last week everything looked good and the midwife felt that the baby is moving down further into my pelvis. I have noticed this change {ouch} and consider it to be an exciting step in the right direction! My next appointment is Thursday next week which will be 2 days past the due date. We are supposed to be allowed to discuss scheduling an induction if I get to that appointment with no baby. I'm not crazy about that idea, but I guess it will depend on how I feel by then. Carsen was born at 40 weeks + 5 days, so I think it also makes sense to give Reagan until 41 weeks before we go in after her. Who knows how I'll be feeling by then though. The only date I feel like I'd want to pick would be 3-31-13 just because that would be an awesome birthday. But alas, not only is that a Sunday when I'm fairly certain they don't schedule inductions, but it's also Easter Sunday. So no hope of getting to select that date. I'd really love for her to come out on her own this weekend. If she's born tomorrow then her birthday will be 3-23, while Carsen's is 4-24. That's kind of cool. If she's born Sunday then she and Carsen will both be born on the 24th and that's kind of cool too. Regardless of the date, I'm just reminding myself that she can't stay in there forever, and we're about to meet this kid very very soon :D

Stay tuned....

Sunday, March 17, 2013

The Final Countdown


You know your baby-prep to-do list is all checked off when you have time for celebratory baby-girl-themed manicures :D

Meals are in the freezer, changing tables are stocked, the fridge and pantry are packed, hospital bags are ready, equipment is washed and set up, the house is guest-ready... and now we just wait. I intend to spend the time trying to relax, but also soaking up my only child while she's still an only child. The weather this week is going to be rotten so we won't be out going places, but maybe that's good for some extra snuggling, and book reading, and playing pretend. I know there will be less time/flexibility for those things once Reagan is here. 

I'm sure I'll also keep myself busy during any down time by continuing to find little things here and there that can be done around the house in addition to the "maintenance" items like dusting and keeping the kitchen and bathrooms sparkly. I'll probably wash and wipe things that don't really need it or that I otherwise wouldn't care about. And I'll blog, of course. I finished Carsen's quilt for her big-girl bed, so I'll put that post together with photos and my instructions. I found a few things along the way that I would have done differently than the tutorial I used, so I'll write about them in case anyone else is feeling inspired to make one. 

Stay tuned for updates on our status and progress between now and delivery!

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

38 Weeks!



As my to-do list gets smaller and smaller, my belly is getting bigger and bigger! Almost time to meet this baby girl face-to-face. Can't wait! :D

Monday, March 4, 2013

A Break From Baby Prep

We took a day off from baby preparations today to spend the day with my sister's kids! What's more fun than a house full of cousins, right?

These 2 cousins are 7 months apart...

These 2 cousins are 4 months apart...

Me & Sami Anne

The one and only Evan

The 4 bigger kids all engrossed in a post-lunch movie {score one for Mimi}

In other news, we're full-term as of tomorrow! I've got lots of updates to our prep-list, and Carsen's big girl quilt. We're also looking at a possible 4+ inches of snow hitting us starting tomorrow evening. Stay tuned for all the excitement :)