Yoga

This morning I had my first prenatal yoga experience. I really enjoyed it. I hadn't realized how much I missed taking yoga classes. And it felt great to be exercising a little more than walking. There was one move I was doing -- going from a plank to a lung (you have to bring one of your legs up front.) I was like, "whoa. There is a stomach in my way." But other than getting used to that one move, there wasn't too much that was different. Although it was kinda weird when you're supposed to be concentrating on relaxing, breahing and poses when the little guy starts kicking. He apparently wants my focus on him. Lol.

Well, I'm going to try and get some cleaning and organizing done around then house this afternoon. I better quit procrasting and go do something.

J.B.

Summer fun.

Here are a bunch of pics from our spring and summer. I've spent too much time looking over these pics and am now starving...so this post is all in pics. Lots of Twins games (and on the field for batting practice!), Jameson's baptism, Grandma's Marathon (see if you can spot Dave...he's got a yellow hat), a day trip to Pepin and relaxing with the pups.

J.B.

The Boo Report

I had my 24 week appointment today. Everything is looking healthy and normal for both Boo and me, for which I'm grateful. His heart rate was 145. And I'm growing right on track. I was a little nervous (well, not really), for the big weigh in. The doctor's scale always says more than my scale at home, and this appointment was in the afternoon (versus the mornings for all my previous appointments when I generally weigh less). But it wasn't so bad. The doctor said it was fine anyway. As well as my blood pressure. Like I said, healthy and normal.

I'll have the glucose screening at my next appointment to test for gestational diabetes as well as more blood work, so they'll be checking my platelets again. The doctor said if they go to 100 or below, the epirdural becomes questionable. And as far as I know, they are still above that (I think she said it was 140).

As far as other Boo updates go....he's kicking A LOT more. Dave can feel several kicks in a row now. And on Sunday, we both saw my stomach move. I love that he's making his presence known. It makes things seem more real. I read somewhere online that 24 weeks marks the edge of viability. I pray that doesn't happen....but it's reassuring to know that doctors would do whatever they could to keep our baby alive if he was born this early.

6 months!

J.B.

Oh blog, how I ignore you.

Time is moving quick. And that combined with a lack of anything really blogworthy and quite a bit of laziness makes for not a lot of posting.

Here's a quick Baby Boo update. I'm nearing the end of my 22nd week. As you can see in the pic below, Boo is making plenty of room for himself in my belly. Or else, he keeps growing bigger. Hmmm...yeah, he's probably growing bigger. Once thing seems to be getting smaller -- my belly button. I really hope it doens't pop.

As you can also see in the pic, we've painted the room and set up the crib. Once it's all decorated, I'll post more nursery pics. This is just a preview. Shortly after we learned Boo was a boy, we went to Home Depot and picked out paint colors. Then I came home from work one day and the room was all painted and the nursery set up. All I can say is that my husband is amazing and I'm excited that he's so excited for Boo that he'll paint the whole room by himself. It was a really nice surprise.

Me and Boo at 22 weeks

Boo is definitely getting more active. It's lots of fun to feel him kicking. It's even more fun when he cooperates and Dave feels the kicks.

These days the pregnancy thing is going great. I feel good. Boo seems to be growing. We're starting to get some things organized. We're pretty much down to two names -- both of which we both like, which is a good dilemma to have. Live is just pretty sweet right now. We're so excited to meet this little guy. I keep daydreaming about it -- but as much as I daydream about meeting Boo, I know it's going to be so much better in real life

J.B.

Otis' birthday!

Here are some pics from Otis' birthday that I've been meaning to post...I think Otis and Cooper had a good time.

J.B.

Boo's half-baked!

We're halfway done with the pregnancy! Halfway to meeting our little baby boy! Otis says, "Hooray!"

The last couple two weeks have been pretty good. Our ultrasound last week showed us a healthy little boy growing. I had a doctor's appointment Tuesday and everything seems to be normal and good. The doctor said Boo had a strong heartbeat. My blood platelets are still low. But the doctor said not to worry about not being able to get an epidural. Nothing can be done to increase the platelets. It's just something they'll keep monitoring. Boo's kicks are getting stronger and more frequent. We also picked out the paint for the nursery. Jamaica Bay and Cornmeal. I came home from work to a nearly completely painted nursery. It's looking good so far. The rest of the week has been busy, so we haven't finished it yet.

Here's me at 20 weeks. Getting bigger. All over. 

J.B.

Adventures with food

We got another CSA box this week. This week's box included salad greens, red oakleaf lettuce, asparagus, spinach, green garlic, dill, rhubarb, garlic scapes, strawberries and kohlrabi. Some interesting stuff, huh?

Kohlrabi is certainly something I'd never seen before. Kohlrabi is German for cabbage turnip. Apparently it tastes like broccoli stems. It's used a lot in Indian food. Here's a pic.

Thank goodness for the Internet, so I can figure out what the unfamiliar vegetables are....and so I can find recipes! I've yet to get a vegetable in my CSA that I don't like, so I'm excited to try another new one.

With all the green leafy vegetables we have, I've been trying to figure out new ways to prepare them. I discovered a great way to prepare spinach. A smoothie! Yep, it probably sounds really weird, but you honestly can't taste it.

Spinach Smoothie
Blend:
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach
1 banana
1 apple
1/2 cup canned pineapple
1 cup vanilla yogurt
And some ice cubes

The smoothie is green, but it's delicious. Dave even told me he wanted one of my smoothies today. Dave generally likes the food I make him, but it's not too often that he asks for certain items.

Tonight I made an asparagus casserole. I'm not going to say "hot dish"...sounds too Minnesotan. But the dish was creamy, the asparagus crisp and overall delicious...just like a hot dish should be. Haha. I modified a recipe I found online with what was in my kitchen.

Asparagus Casserole
1 lb fresh asparagus, chopped
6 strips of bacon
2 T butter
1 1/2 cups crushed Ritz crackers
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (plus 1 can milk)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add cream of mushroom soup and water. Stir. Add cheese. Cook until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth, stirring occasionally. Separately cook the bacon and chop into pieces.

In casserole dish, add layer of asparagus, followed by bacon, crackers and soup mix. Repeat layers. Top with crackers. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

J.B.