Thursday, March 29, 2012
Lady Antebellum Concert
On Tuesday, March 27th, my mom, Sheri and I went to dinner then to a concert. We went to one of my all-time favorite restaurants Gourmet 88, and I pigged out!! YUM! Then we met Rebecca at Staples Center for the Lady Antebellum Concert. Thompson Square opened who I am not familiar with, but they were really good. Then Darius Rucker from Hootie and the Blowfish did what seemed like an entire concert. He was SO good! I loved him, especially when he did a few Hottie songs. Only thing that was missing was Let Her Cry, otherwise his performance would have been perfection. Before Lady Antebellum came on, we went to say hi to Lauren and her cousin who found out we were at the concert because of facebook. It was so fun to see them, even if it was brief. Then we rushed back to our seats before concert #2 started. Lady Antebellum was amazing. There voices sounded exactly the way they do on the radio. I don't think they hit a single bad note. At one point, they had Darius Rucker and Thompson Square come back out and they all performed together, which was awesome. Then they surprised us by bringing the main guy from One Republic out to sing The Good Life! From there it was just one great song after another. It was such a fantastic concert!!
Monday, March 26, 2012
19 Weeks
Baby’s Milestones: Right now baby is about 6 inches long (crown to rump) and weighs about 8 ounces. Arms and legs are finally in proportion, neurons are now connected between the brain and muscles, and cartilage throughout the body is turning to bone. All of these combine to give baby more control over limb movements.
My Weight: 152.6 (up 2 ½ pounds from my starting weight! J)
Symptoms: My back has been a bit sore this week and I’ve also had some occasional cramping this week. I really feel like my belly grew overnight this weekend. I noticed a difference from Friday to Saturday and again from Saturday to Sunday and I finally feel like I have a real belly!
Cravings: Granola bars and milk have been my two favorite foods this week.
TP: 10
Measurements: Waist: 32 Below Belly Button: 35½
Emotions: Happy crying made a comeback at the end of this week. I left a disaster of a house on Friday to go away for the weekend and came home Sunday to a spotless house. When I saw the kitchen, which had been especially messy, I started crying. On Monday morning, I was freezing when I got out of the shower. I was standing in front of the heater shivering and Nic came over and put an extra towel around my shoulders and started rubbing them to help warm me up; again I started crying. I am so lucky to have the best husband!!
Feeling the Baby: On Saturday night, after eating a bunch of blueberries, some strawberries, and some pineapple, I could really feel the baby move. I felt it for quite a while too (apparently the baby likes sugar just like momma). Hopefully, I’ll continue to feel the baby more and more. J
Camp Scrap-a-Lot
Over the weekend (03/23-03/25) my mom, Tomi and I went to Camp-Scrap-a-Lot in Malibu. Our friend, Diane Davis, hosted the event and it was a lot of fun. After a week of bed rest and months of a scrapbooking hiatus, it was great to spend the weekend working on my album. I got to see tons of Acton friends I haven't seen in a while and everyone got to see "the Bump", which finally became more apparent seemingly overnight Friday night. It really re-inspired and re-motivated me to continue working on my 2011 album.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Spotting and Down Syndrome Scare
On Monday February 20th (at 14 weeks pregnant), I had some spotting. I was obviously worried so I called my doctor's office. It was President's Day so I had to talk to a doctor from the emergency line. She basically said there wasn't anything they could do, so just take it easy, spend as much time in bed with my feet up as possible, call my doctor first thing Tuesday morning and if it gets any worse go to the emergency room. I spent the day taking it really easy and when I called Tuesday, my doctor scheduled me to come in that afternoon. I prayed all day Monday and all day Tuesday that our baby would be healthy. Even though it was a tiny amount of blood, I had read so many horor stories of people having no warning signs and going in for an appointment and the baby not having a heartbeat, so I was pretty freaked out.
Nic came with me to the appointment thankfully. We had to wait for quite a while. When the doctor finally came in she said our NT Scan results were in. She looked at the ultrasound results and said everything looked perfect. Then she looked at the blood test results and seemed a bit concerned. She said that our chances of having a baby with down syndrome was 1 in 210, which is apparently really high for my age. She asked if we would consider an abortion and went over our options for further testing. I was in shock. I had mentioned to Nic that we should discuss possible bad results before taking the tests, but his theory is always to not worry about things that are probably not going to happen. I had to agree with him because the likelihood we would be in this situation was extremely low. With that said, we hadn't really discussed abortion or what we would do if something was wrong with our baby. At this point in the appointment, I was really freaking out, because we had spent about 20 minutes discussing down syndrome and I still didn't even know if our baby was ok or not. After what seemed like forever, my Dr. checked on the baby with the Doppler. She said the heartbeat was nice and strong and baby seemed to be doing perfectly ok. That was suge a huge relief, but we still had no explanation for the spotting. My Dr. told me to take it really easy and come back for another check-up in two weeks. She also said that if the spottong occued again to call right away because she would definitely want to do a lot more tests if it happened a second time.
Once we got to the car, I burst into tears. I couldn't even comprehend the thought of an abortion. I've wanted a baby for so long and we went through quite a bit to get pregnant and I'm completely in love with my little baby. There was no way I could end it's life. I was an emotional wreck that we even had to be discussing the possibility that our baby may not be healthy. Nic and I discussed the fact that down syndrome is compatible with life, but that our baby would never get to be normal. We also realized what an impact it would have on our lives as well. We were terrified to say the least. Having to think about things like that when it is so real, really changes how you look at life.
We both spent the next week, scared and upset, both worried sick over our little baby. After talking to a few people and realizing how common false positives are with this test (our results were still considered negative) and after talking to the specialist who performed the NT scan, we felt a bit more at ease. Since we had decided finding out for sure wouldn't change our decision and we were over the initial stress and worry and had realized no matter what we would love our baby more than anything, we decided not to proceed with the blood test that would tell us for sure. Instead, we will wait to see if the second part of the test (the 16 week blood test) would change our odds at all and go from there.
On March 20, (at 18 weeks pregnant) I ended up back at the Doctor's office because of more spotting. The doctor ran a bunch more tests and conducted an ultrasound to make sure the baby was ok. She also gave us the updated results from our 16 week bloodwork. The baby's odds of having down syndrome had dropped to 1 in 810, which the Dr., Nic and I were all much happier with. It was such a relief.
This pregnancy sure has thrown a lot of curve balls at us, but it has definitely made Nic and I closer and made us both closer to God. We appreciate everyone's prayers and support and hope that you will all love and accept all children even if they have special needs.
Nic came with me to the appointment thankfully. We had to wait for quite a while. When the doctor finally came in she said our NT Scan results were in. She looked at the ultrasound results and said everything looked perfect. Then she looked at the blood test results and seemed a bit concerned. She said that our chances of having a baby with down syndrome was 1 in 210, which is apparently really high for my age. She asked if we would consider an abortion and went over our options for further testing. I was in shock. I had mentioned to Nic that we should discuss possible bad results before taking the tests, but his theory is always to not worry about things that are probably not going to happen. I had to agree with him because the likelihood we would be in this situation was extremely low. With that said, we hadn't really discussed abortion or what we would do if something was wrong with our baby. At this point in the appointment, I was really freaking out, because we had spent about 20 minutes discussing down syndrome and I still didn't even know if our baby was ok or not. After what seemed like forever, my Dr. checked on the baby with the Doppler. She said the heartbeat was nice and strong and baby seemed to be doing perfectly ok. That was suge a huge relief, but we still had no explanation for the spotting. My Dr. told me to take it really easy and come back for another check-up in two weeks. She also said that if the spottong occued again to call right away because she would definitely want to do a lot more tests if it happened a second time.
Once we got to the car, I burst into tears. I couldn't even comprehend the thought of an abortion. I've wanted a baby for so long and we went through quite a bit to get pregnant and I'm completely in love with my little baby. There was no way I could end it's life. I was an emotional wreck that we even had to be discussing the possibility that our baby may not be healthy. Nic and I discussed the fact that down syndrome is compatible with life, but that our baby would never get to be normal. We also realized what an impact it would have on our lives as well. We were terrified to say the least. Having to think about things like that when it is so real, really changes how you look at life.
We both spent the next week, scared and upset, both worried sick over our little baby. After talking to a few people and realizing how common false positives are with this test (our results were still considered negative) and after talking to the specialist who performed the NT scan, we felt a bit more at ease. Since we had decided finding out for sure wouldn't change our decision and we were over the initial stress and worry and had realized no matter what we would love our baby more than anything, we decided not to proceed with the blood test that would tell us for sure. Instead, we will wait to see if the second part of the test (the 16 week blood test) would change our odds at all and go from there.
On March 20, (at 18 weeks pregnant) I ended up back at the Doctor's office because of more spotting. The doctor ran a bunch more tests and conducted an ultrasound to make sure the baby was ok. She also gave us the updated results from our 16 week bloodwork. The baby's odds of having down syndrome had dropped to 1 in 810, which the Dr., Nic and I were all much happier with. It was such a relief.
18 Weeks
Baby’s Size: Sweet Potato
Baby’s Milestones: Right now baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (crown to rump) and weighs about 5 ounces. Baby has learned to yawn this week. Baby’s nervous system is also maturing rapidly. Nerves are forming more complex connections and the ones in the brain will specialize in the senses of touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing. Baby’s hearing is also growing more acute.
My Weight: 151.2 (Not much change from last week)
Symptoms: I had a bit of cramping over the weekend and Monday night, then Monday night I also had some spotting, so I went to see the Dr. on Tuesday 03/20. Everything looked good, but as a precaution she put me on bedrest for the remainder of the week.
Cravings: No cravings to report.
TP: 9¼
Measurements: Waist: 30½ Below Belly Button: 35
Emotions: I was under a lot of pressure and stress at work Monday and obviously became very emotional when I had the spotting. It is always worrisome when things aren’t going smoothly. It was such a relief to find out baby is doing well and resting this week did me a lot of good, so it must have been needed. I guess I just have to get used to the idea that I can’t do everything I could pre-pregnancy and that sometimes it is important to relax and take it easy.
Feeling the Baby: I haven’t really felt the baby this week either. Hopefully I feel baby again soon.
St. Patrick's Day
After last year's epic St. Patrick's Day fail, I swore I would plan ahead this year and make real corned beef in a crock pot or in the oven. Well, I'm pregnant now, and honestly just couldn't be bothered, plus I tried some corned beef at Costco and didn't even like it, so I decided all the effort was not worth it. Instead, I opted for a green themed meal.
I saw a recipe on one of the food blogs I follow for Crispy Gnocchi with Basil Pesto and thought that sounded perfect. So Nic and I went to the grocery store Saturday, in the rain, to track down all the ingredients. First of all, Nic decided that I did not need to make the sauce from scratch. He has been urging me to take it easy and thought this was a completely unnecessary way to make extra work for myself. So we picked up some pre-made pesto. Then to my disappointment, they did not have the good gnocchi. I really didn't want to eat sub-par gnocchi (especially while my mom and Tyler were in Italy enjoying the real deal) so we settled on green cheese stuffed spinach tortellini. This meal was getting easier by the second!
I did, however, insist that I get to make the dessert I had been dreaming up for the last few days and I'm so glad I did because it is one of my new favorites! I took one of my favorite cupcake recipes from Rachelle, red velvet chocolate chip cupcakes with peppermint cream cheese frosting, and transformed it into Green Velvet Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Mint Cream Cheese Frosting (and some Andes bits on top for good measure). They were ridiculously good!! I think I have found my new approach to St. Paddy's day: cut as many corners as possible on the meal (no matter what now, it will always be better than my 1st St. Paddy's day meal) and put all my efforts into a delicious dessert. Or, make these cupcakes every year as our new tradition because they are THAT good!!
I saw a recipe on one of the food blogs I follow for Crispy Gnocchi with Basil Pesto and thought that sounded perfect. So Nic and I went to the grocery store Saturday, in the rain, to track down all the ingredients. First of all, Nic decided that I did not need to make the sauce from scratch. He has been urging me to take it easy and thought this was a completely unnecessary way to make extra work for myself. So we picked up some pre-made pesto. Then to my disappointment, they did not have the good gnocchi. I really didn't want to eat sub-par gnocchi (especially while my mom and Tyler were in Italy enjoying the real deal) so we settled on green cheese stuffed spinach tortellini. This meal was getting easier by the second!
I did, however, insist that I get to make the dessert I had been dreaming up for the last few days and I'm so glad I did because it is one of my new favorites! I took one of my favorite cupcake recipes from Rachelle, red velvet chocolate chip cupcakes with peppermint cream cheese frosting, and transformed it into Green Velvet Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Mint Cream Cheese Frosting (and some Andes bits on top for good measure). They were ridiculously good!! I think I have found my new approach to St. Paddy's day: cut as many corners as possible on the meal (no matter what now, it will always be better than my 1st St. Paddy's day meal) and put all my efforts into a delicious dessert. Or, make these cupcakes every year as our new tradition because they are THAT good!!
Green Velvet Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
24 paper liners for cupcake pans (2 1/2 -inch size)
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain German chocolate cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain German chocolate cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 bottle (1 ounce) green food coloring
3 large eggs
1 cup dark chocolate and mint chips
White Chocolate Mint Cream Cheese Frosting (see below)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 bottle (1 ounce) green food coloring
3 large eggs
1 cup dark chocolate and mint chips
White Chocolate Mint Cream Cheese Frosting (see below)
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.
2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil, food coloring, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon or scoop N cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in the oven.
3. Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.
2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil, food coloring, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon or scoop N cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in the oven.
3. Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the White Chocolate Mint Cream Cheese Frosting.
5. Place a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and swirl to spread with a short metal spatula or a spoon, taking care to cover the tops completely. Place these cupcakes, uncovered or in a cake server, in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes. The cupcakes are ready to serve.
5. Place a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and swirl to spread with a short metal spatula or a spoon, taking care to cover the tops completely. Place these cupcakes, uncovered or in a cake server, in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes. The cupcakes are ready to serve.
Store the cupcakes, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze them, wrapped in aluminum foil or in a cake saver, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cupcakes overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
White Chocolate Mint Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 3 cups, enough to frost 24 cupcakes (2 1/2 inch size) generously
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Makes 3 cups, enough to frost 24 cupcakes (2 1/2 inch size) generously
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 ounces (half an 8-ounce package) reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon mint extract
2 to 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
4 ounces (half an 8-ounce package) reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon mint extract
2 to 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1. Place the white chocolate in a small glass bowl in the microwave oven on high power for 1 minute. Remove the bowl from the oven and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until it is smooth. Set the chocolate aside to cool.
2. Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the melted white chocolate and blend on low speed until just combined, 30 seconds. Add the mint extract and 2 cups of the confectioners' sugar and blend on low until the sugar is incorporated, 30 seconds more. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the frosting is fluffy, 1 minute more, adding up to 1/2 cup more sugar if needed to make a spreadable consistency.
Feel free to sprinkle Andes chips on top to make the cupcakes extra minty!
2. Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the melted white chocolate and blend on low speed until just combined, 30 seconds. Add the mint extract and 2 cups of the confectioners' sugar and blend on low until the sugar is incorporated, 30 seconds more. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the frosting is fluffy, 1 minute more, adding up to 1/2 cup more sugar if needed to make a spreadable consistency.
Feel free to sprinkle Andes chips on top to make the cupcakes extra minty!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
17 Weeks
Baby’s Milestones: Right now baby is about 3 inches long (crown to rump) and weighs about 3½ ounces. Body fat is beginning to accumulate and baby can definitely hear. Baby's eyes are in their final position and can move side to side. Baby is also practicing sucking and swallowing skills.
My Weight: 151 (I’m finally up a pound! I didn’t know it was possible to be so excited about gaining weight until I saw that number on the scale.)
My Weight: 151 (I’m finally up a pound! I didn’t know it was possible to be so excited about gaining weight until I saw that number on the scale.)
Symptoms: Nothing really new to report this week.
Cravings: Although I haven’t really had any strong or weird cravings the entire pregnancy, this week has been especially boring. I haven’t even had any slight cravings. I’m still enjoying my morning glass of milk though. ;)
TP: 9 ¼
Measurements: Waist: 30½ Below Belly Button: 35
Emotions: This is the first week I have had any mood swings (besides the crying). I have been under a lot of stress at work so I am sure that had something to do with it, but I stood up to co-workers and replied back somewhat harshly to a few e-mails. Everything I wrote and said was deserved by the recipients, but the “normal” me would never have had the courage to actual say what I said. I normally just think it and vent to Nic or write what I am thinking in a much nicer “sugar-coated” way. For whatever reason, my hormones decided that I had had enough and I turned kind of mean this week.
Feeling the Baby: I felt the baby pretty consistently last week, but I haven’t felt anything this week.
Papa's 76th Birthday Lunch
On Sunday March 11, we went to Ruths Chris for Papa's birthday lunch. My mom, dad, and Sabrina flew in from Arizona (they went to a Suns game the night before). Aunt Susannah, Will, Sam, Aunt Marsha, Tom, Uncle Nick, and Lynn were all there too which was nice. We don't get to see them that often so it was good to spend time with them. The food was delicious! Even my well-done filet was still so tender and falorful. The sides of mashed potatoes and creamed spinach were also wonderful! I didn't get to spend that much time with Papa, but it made me happy that he was able to leave the house and celebrate his birthday with his family.
*I'll add more pictures when I get them from my mom.
Friday, March 9, 2012
16 Weeks
Baby’s Milestones: Right now baby is about 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. Baby’s legs are much more developed, its head is more erect than it has been, and its eyes have moved closer to the front of its head. The ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of the scalp has begun, though locks aren't recognizable yet. Baby’s even started growing toenails.
My Weight: 150 (I’m back to my pre-pregnancy weight)
Symptoms: I’ve been feeling pretty good this week and I’ve had a lot more energy. My appetite has increased, my face is a bit broken out and my hair is still greasy, but other than that, I’m great.
Cravings: This has been the week of the chicken sandwich. Most days on my way home from work, I become starving and always end up wanting a chicken sandwich. Thursday night I went to Chick-fil-A. Friday night and Saturday lunch I had a McChicken sandwich from McDonalds. If they didn’t make me feel so guilty, I would probably have one every afternoon as a snack. I’m still craving milk, but I haven’t been wanting fruit as much. I had green curry with chicken on Tuesday night at Vivian’s and couldn’t stop thinking about it all week, so I convinced Nic to stop on the way home from the Laker Game Sunday so I could have the exact same meal for dinner. Chicken is 100% my favorite food at the moment.
TP: 9
Measurements: Waist: 30 Below Belly Button: 34 1/2
Emotions: My emotions have been way more under control this week. I’ve still had the occasional tear-up, but they have been few and far between this week.
Feeling the Baby: On Sunday afternoon, I felt this twitching in my stomach (like an eye twitch). I felt it again as I was going to sleep and thought it was pretty annoying. On Monday morning I felt it again, in the exact same spot (my lower left belly). I googled it and most people said it was the baby. When I mentioned the twitching to my doctor at my appointment on Tuesday she immediately said it could be the baby! So, that is what I am going with, I might be feeling the baby!!
Feeling the Baby: On Sunday afternoon, I felt this twitching in my stomach (like an eye twitch). I felt it again as I was going to sleep and thought it was pretty annoying. On Monday morning I felt it again, in the exact same spot (my lower left belly). I googled it and most people said it was the baby. When I mentioned the twitching to my doctor at my appointment on Tuesday she immediately said it could be the baby! So, that is what I am going with, I might be feeling the baby!!
Lakers vs. Heat
On Sunday, March 4th, Nic and I went to the Lakers vs. Heat game with our friends Ashley and Andre. Ashley and I used to meet up for dinner or coffee every couple of weeks, but since she moved down to Huntington Beach we don't see each other as much, so we had a blast catching up. Plus it was a really exciting game! On the way home, I made Nic stop at Leela Thai (the place we got food from at Vivian and Matt's) because I had been thinking about Green Curry with Chicken all week. It was SO good!
Kings vs. Ducks
On Saturday night, March 3rd, Nic and I went to the Kings vs. Ducks game with Jordan and Jeff. Jeff loves hockey and was beyond excited and it was our first game of the season so Nic and I were pretty excited to see some hockey too. Jordan and I talked pregnancy during the game, which was fun, and the Kings ended up winning a great game!
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