25 weeks video blog

 

 

 

 

Total weight gain: 0lbs

 

Stretch marks: Nothing new that I have noticed

 

Sleep: Having a hard time getting comfortable and waking up a lot to go to the bathroom. I think it may be time to get me a few more pillows to help get me comfy.

 

Food cravings: Not really craving anything but my appetite has increased quite a bit.

 

Food aversions: Fish and Eggs

 

Labor signs: None

 

Mood swings: Of course I am still having these, :/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zeddrick Amasa Maxson

will be here in 15 weeks!

24 weeks

Not to much to report, I have been feeling pretty good for the most part. I have days that I feel good and other days I simply feel like crap. Lately my back is hurting on a daily basis and the migraines are making a come back, hopefully neither of these stick around to long. Wednesday I started to feel contraction like pain in my back and abdomen, this is not uncommon for me to have this pain but it usually goes away after an hour or so. These, however, stuck around for over 4 hours and were just uncomfortable, but after talking to Roland he wanted me to go and get checked out just in case. Of course everything was fine with me and with baby, they did the routine urine check, checked baby's heart rate and monitored me for 30 mins or so. Our little guy did not like the doppler they use to check the heart rate at all he kept kicking it really hard when she was trying to get his heart rate, make me laugh. The doctor said everything looked fine and being this isn't my first pregnancy that I'm going to have a lot more cramping and pain but since I am also breastfeeding still that is going to intensify it that much more. She also assured me that since I have no history of preterm labor and everything is looking fine and normal this pregnancy that I can continue to nurse Charlotte as long as I would like. Because nursing her is not enough in it's own to cause my body to go into labor before it is ready. I have to say this makes me feel so much better about nursing her still and I am now in no real hurry to wean her as long as she is weaned about a month before the baby comes.

 

 

16 weeks to go

24 weeks and 3 days

Tried to get a nice picture with the girls
 and I end up with this or...

blank stares, I guess it was worth a try.

 

 

Total weight gain: 0lbs

 

Stretch marks: Nothing new

 

Sleep: Having a hard time getting comfortable and falling asleep, also I'm waking up a lot more at night to pee and because of discomfort in my back.

 

Food Cravings: No real cravings but my appetite has suddenly increased

 

Food Aversions: Eggs and some other things depending on the smell

 

Labor signs: Thought I was having contractions but it was just increase cramping because this isn't my first pregnancy and I'm breastfeeding.

 

Mood Swings: Pretty much the same, I feel pretty out of control of my emotions a lot.

 

 

 

Ok people be sure to tune in next week for a special video blog with me and my hubby, we will be revealing our little guy's name!

Pasta at its finest

I love to cook for my family and I love to find new and amazing things that we all enjoy. I have this amazing cookbook that I would recommend to anyone and everyone, The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. Not only is it filled with awesome recipes it has all kinds of tips in it and tells you why you are doing some of the things your doing. It help a person who doesn't know everything there is to know about cooking know just a bit more to make their cooking amazing as well.

 

 

 

So this last week I made Meat Ragu, I wasn't sure if we would like but it didn't call for many ingredients and it seemed pretty easy to make so I was all for trying it. Well to our surprised we loved it all of us even the girls, it was light tasting and very rounded in flavor. Not only was it amazing the first time we ate it but it reheated and tasted just as good if not better! This is a good plus because I love to have meals that make enough for leftovers night or for Roland to take to work and eat for lunch.

 

Well it's time to put up the recipe, and please don't the length of time it takes to make it scare you. It really doesn't take much and it's such a great tasting meal not to take the time to make.

 

 

Long-Cooked Meat Ragu

• 1 1/2 pounds beef short ribs, trimmed
• salt and pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, minced
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1. Pat the ribs dry, then season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown the ribs, about 10 minutes, then transfer to a plate. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp of the fat in the skillet.

2. Add the onion to the skillet and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in wine and simmer, scraping up any browned bits, until the wine has reduced to a glaze, about 2 minutes.

3. Return the browned ribs and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, turning the ribs several times, until the meat is very tender and falling off the bones, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

4. Using a slotted spoon, remove the ribs from the sauce and let cool. Shred the meat, discarding the fat and bones. Return the shredded meat to the sauce and continue to simmer over medium heat, uncovered, until the meat is heated through and the sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I tossed this sauce with 1lb of penne pasta but rigatoni or ziti can be used as well. If the sauce is to thick use some of the pasta cooking water to loosen the consistency.

Sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Also pork spareribs or country-style ribs can be substituted for the beef short ribs. (I used the beef short ribs, so yummy.)

 

I really hope that anyone who makes this thinks it is just as yummy as my family and I did!

 

 Enjoy!

23 weeks

This week has not been much fun, I have had this awful cold since last Friday that is still going strong. I don't ever get colds really, except when I'm pregnant, so I'm not very good at feeling crappy on a daily basis. Our little guy is growing strong he likes to let me know he is there all the time, he is constantly moving around and kicking pretty hard. I'm not sure if that's a sign he's going to hurt me when he's bigger, I always hear other women say how their baby is kicking them in the ribs or kicking so hard it hurts or makes them jump. Well neither one of the girls did these kinds of thing to me but I have a feeling this little guy is going to be that kind of baby. His movements are already so strong that I can only imagine they will get worse with time. Roland is very happy our little guy has such strong movements because he can feel him moving. Last night for the first time Roland was actually still awake when our little guy started moving a bunch so I told him to see if he could feel him and sure enough he could. Roland wasn't able to feel Charlotte move at all because he was deployed and he didn't feel Amelia until around 28 weeks or so.

 

I know I've seen our little guy on ultrasounds and I know I'm really pregnant but up until about a week or so ago it hasn't really set in that we're having another baby. I'm still in shock that we are having another one so close to the other 2. This was certainly not what I had planned when we decided to start having kids that is for sure. I would have much rather waited until our kids were at least 18 months old before trying for another baby and believe me we did try to do this each time. However God had another plan for us and even though life will be crazy for a while I know it will all be worth it.

 

 

17 weeks to go

 

 



23 weeks

 



23 weeks

 

 

Total weight gain: -9lbs

 

Stretch marks: Nothing new

 

Sleep: Sleeping pretty well once I get comfortable

 

Food Cravings: Nothing really, not much of an appetite lately

 

Food aversions: Eggs and fish

 

Labor signs: none

 

Mood swings: Still getting the best of me, working on trying to control them

 

22 Weeks

This last week has been a bit of a roller coaster, all these hormones I have running through my body are making me an emotional mess. I'm either really happy, super angry or just in some kind of strange funk. It doesn't help that my husband always seems to be working and I don't really feel like I'm have much support most of the time. My migraines have been getting worse again but I'm not quite as tired as I had been. My two little ladies are keeping me busy most of the time. Charlotte is not a fan of being whined, she is much more clingy lately and even more attached to her paci. Amelia is officially out of a crib and in a "toddler" bed, she is doing much better about it then I thought she would. We took the side off her crib and put on a side rail so she won't fall out of bed, although she knows she can get out of bed she doesn't. At night she pretty much goes right to sleep but at nap time she jumps and plays in bed for a while, yesterday I went in and told her she needed to lay down and go to sleep. After that she laid down and went to sleep without any issues, much easier then I thought it would be that's for sure. At the beginning of the year we will be getting her a twin bed so we can use the crib for the our little guy.

18 weeks to go

Your baby has stretched to the size of a spaghetti squash,
 nearly 11 inches, and weighs almost a pound. 

Total weight gain: -10 lbs

 

Stretch marks: Nothing new

 

Sleep: Once I'm sleeping it's good

 

Food cravings: Not really any at the moment

 

Food Aversions: Eggs and Fish

 

Labor signs: Nothing other then Braxton Hicks

 

Mood swings: Of course, just getting worse