Kitchen Adventures: Saucy Chicken

Good Evening Humble Readers! 

I'm slowly in the process of getting my pictures from our trip sorted out and finalized to show you all, but in the mean time, I have something fun to share.

The other night I wanted something tomato-y for dinner.  I went to the little grocery store across the back lane from us, looking for inspiration.  The only thing that really jumped out at me in the meat case were some chicken thighs... and that got me thinking.  This is what I came up with...

Saucy Chicken

4-8 chicken thighs (bone in, skin on, for more flavour)
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
flour
1 can diced tomatoes (28 oz can)
1 med yellow onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
basil
oregano
rosemary
1 bunch of green onion, coarsely chopped


Heat olive oil in an oven-safe skillet or dutch oven.  Season both side of the chicken with salt and pepper, and brown in olive oil until deep golden brown, remove from pan.  Saute diced onion and garlic in the same pot.  When the onion is translucent, use a couple tablespoons of flour and make a roux.  Once the flour has cooked through, add the can of tomatoes.  Stir and allow to the roux to thicken the tomato juices.  If it ends up getting too thick, you can thin it with some chicken stock or water.  Add in basil, oregano, and rosemary to taste (I prefer a lot of basil and just a little rosemary) and stir.  Return the chicken to the pot, cover and transfer to a 300 degree oven.  Allow to simmer slowly in the oven for 35-45 minutes, until chicken is cooked through (I think it would be great to do this at a lower temp like 225 for a couple of hours to really allow the flavours to blend). 

I served it over rice cooked in two parts chicken stock and one part lemon juice,  Top with the coarsely chopped green onion.

It turned out soooo yummy and it is definitely going into my regular rotation.  I only made 4 chicken thighs, so I had a lot of sauce left over.  It was really good the next day over grilled pork chops and mashed potatoes.

Enjoy!

22 Weeks: Halfling Update

Good Morning Humble Readers!! 

I hope that you are all doing well this morning and that the weather where you are isn't too hot or too rainy.  We seem to waffling between the two here on the flatland.  I missed last week's Halfling update due to being at my parents' place, but I wanted to get back on track here. 

How far along? 22w1d

Maternity clothes? Of course.  Other than my jeans (still weird), I don't have anything that fits that's not maternity or worn with a bella band.  While we were in Kelowna, I picked up another pair of work appropriate pants and a few more t-shirts. 

Body Oddities?  So so many oddities... heartburn, weight loss rather than gain, leg cramps, stunning hair growth, stuffy nose, dry skin (especially on 'the girls).  But what's really weirded me out this week (and this is tmi) is the increased amount of earwax.  I know, I know... who notices this stuff?

Sleep? I struggled with sleep the whole time we were on vacation.  I can fall asleep easily, but I can't seem to sleep longer than three or four hours at a stretch, at the best of times. 

Best moment this week? The look on my mom's face when she heard the Halfling's heartbeat.  (Yes, I brought the doppler on vacation)

Worst moment? The long drive home on Sunday.  I was really uncomfortable in the car, and my feet and ankles were really swollen from sitting for so long.  I had also managed to strain something in my back, on the right side, which then with my hypochondriac tendencies, I started worrying that my liver was inflamed (a sign of pre-eclampsia that my OB mentioned).  Of course, it was just that a lower rib was slightly out (fixed by my wonderful chiropractor this afternoon)

Movement?  Off and on throughout the day.  I can feel the Halfling rolling, poking me, and shifting from one side to the other.  My Beloved is very anxious to be able to feel our Halfling from the outside.

Food cravings? Mostly sweets recently... and I'm not really a sweets person.  I'm trying to be careful about how much I eat of them.

Rings? Still on, but Sunday night when I was feeling so very bloated after the drive home, I had to take them off for a few hours.

Gender? Not going to find out, but I think it's a boy

Intense Dreams?  Constantly.  The weirdest one was about my Grandma R dying.  It wasn't really an upsetting dream, as we have been expecting and even praying that she could go soon (she really has no quality of life any more and lives in pain and confusion).  In the dream, my mom called me from Grandma's nursing home, and told me that she had passed during the night.  My Beloved and I dashed down there, and when we arrived, my high school friend 'D' was there and I was trying to tell him about Grandma, but he wouldn't stop tad dancing around me in circles long enough to hear me tell him the news.  He just kept tap dancing around me in the entryway of the nursing home. 

Medical Concerns? High blood pressure (on 50mg Trandate/Lobetalol three times a day). I will be going for multiple (3+) GD tests... yuck!

What I miss?  Proper sleep, energy for intimacy with my Beloved

What I look forward to? starting to work on the nursery, doing more practical prep for mat leave and the Halfling's arrival.

Emotional State? Up and down.  I found myself being rather irritable with my poor Beloved a lot more lately.  I think it's primarily due to my lack of sleep, but I really do feel bad about it.

Your Questions... Answered!

Good afternoon Humble Readers!

I had planned on giving you a run down on the vacation today, and as it's Monday, I also wanted to do a weekly Halfling update.  But... honestly, after spending several hours this morning catching up with many of you, I'm pooped! 

So, instead I'm answering your wonderful questions!  They were interesting, thought-provoking and fun!

Marianne asked: What is your fave Harry Potter book and why?  My favourite is not one of the common favourites.  I love love love Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  I confess, the first time I read it, I had the usual response... Harry is whiny, mopey, and generally not the hero he had been up to this point.  But, upon rereading it, I found that I fell in love with Delores Umbridge.  She is the best un-bad bad guy I have ever read.  I can't help but love to hate her!  Her obnoxious pink and lace personality combined with her need to be in control makes my skin crawl in the best possible way!

Kakunaa asked: What is the craziest thing you have ever done on a dare?  Oh Kakunaa, have you forgotten that I am a hobbit (albeit three times removed)?  I generally stay away from dares, but sometimes adventure is thrust upon me.  Once, many many years ago, I went parasailing.  I'm not good with heights, and I'm really terrible when I can't have my glasses, so it was very nerve-wracking being towed along way up in the air like that.  Other than that, most of the dares I succumb to end up involving food... eating ridiculously hot wings, or weird stuff like chocolate covered ants. 

Amy asked: What were you "into" when you were a teenager?  I was a nerd.  A total nerd.  I loved reading (still do).  I loved cooking (still do).  I loved boy bands, particularly New Kids On The Block (still do).  My bedroom was covered in pictures and posters of them.  I actually have a box that full of stuff I had up on my walls, and some of my other memorabilia from that era. 

Kristin asked a ton of questions:  How did you and the mister meet?  We were matched on eHar.mony dot com on Valentine's Day 2006.  Yup, we could be on one of their commercials... and I totally endorse their process.

What is your favorite guilty pleasure when it comes to reading?  Oooh that's tough...  I love rereading old favourites.  And I have a history of reading a lot of geeky sci-fi/fantay stuff.  But I guess my guiltiest pleasure is steamy romance novels.  Generally, regency era romances. 

Salty or sweet? Both, at the same time!  :)  I lean toward the salty side of things... but put a little bit of salty with my sweet and I am a happy happy girl!  The olive oil gelato I had at Otto (Mario Batali's restaurant) was a perfect balance of salty sweetness.

You mentioned your crazy family, what makes them so crazy?  To explain it all, it would take a separate post, which I will do sometime... but here are the basics.  My bio-parents were 'forced' to get married by their parents when my bio-mom got pregnant with me (mom was 17, dad was 20).  Two more kids and 9 years later, they split up.  My bio-dad remarried first, to a woman with three kids of her own.  My bio-mom went through several live in boyfriends before remarrying a guy with four boys.  We (the three kids) went back and forth between the bio-mom an bio-dad for a few years before things settle out with me with mom and my sister and brother with dad.  After she and her second hubby split, and a couple more boyfriends later, I decided that I had enough.  I moved in with my best friend and her parents... these are the people I am referring to when I make general mentions of 'mom' and 'dad' and 'my sister'.  I moved in with them just before my 17th birthday, and they have been my parents ever since.  There is some other craziness, but I don't want to overwhelm you all with too much Jerry Spr.inger fodder all at once.

When are you coming to North Carolina to visit?  LOL!  Well, the Carolina's are on my list!  Someday I want to do a road trip of the east coast, north to south. 

And last but not least... Cadnawes asked:  If you had had a bad day, what would be your ideal comfort-filled evening?  Hmmmm, I would want to come home to an already prepared comforting meal... like chicken curry or beef dips or an oven roasted chicken with the fixings.  After dinner, I would want to curl up on the couch with my Beloved and a good movie or a good book.  If I could, I would talk my Beloved into a foot rub.  Simple, but oh so restful!

This was fun!  If you have more questions, fire away... Now I'm off to continue on wading through my reader!

I'm Baaaack

Good Evening Humble Readers...

My Beloved and I have just returned to our stifling hobbit-hole, and the suitcase hasn't been unpacked yet.  11 hours in the car (including meal and pee stops) is enough to break anyone's spirit.  The trip was good, and I will post pics and an update tomorrow. 

I just wanted to say I will be jumping on the ICLW bandwagon tomorrow, and getting caught up with you.  I have loved reading your comments over the last week and I can't wait to answer your questions (if you haven't asked me any yet, please do!). 

Q & A With the Hobbit

Good Afternoon Humble Readers!

I'm going to be on my way home soon, and I thought it would be fun to do a Q & A post... you ask me the questions, and I answer them. 

Ask me about food, my crazy family, books, Broadway musicals, whatever!  When I get back I will answer all of them.  Nothing is off limits... within reason...

See you soon!

July ICLW - A Hobbit, By the Numbers

Greating Humble Readers... 

I'm so glad you stopped by!  I'm not here right now, but I will be back in a few days.  I hope you find something here that makes you smile. 

About a year ago, I did an ICLW intro that was me by the numbers.  I thought I would update that post, as many things have changed in a year.  (Of course, some things never change)

59 - the number of times I have moved in my lifetime.  It's a bit of a pride issue now.

35 - how old I am at the moment

25 - the number of states I have visited.  I want to visit all 50 before I die.

21 - the number of children in my grandmother's family... she was the oldest.  Great-grandma sure didn't deal with IF! (also the number of weeks pregnant I am at the moment)

10 - the number of years I have worked as a retail book sales.  I love my job, but I am am sooo looking forward to mat leave

9 - the number of nativity sets I have in my collection.  (I really wish I could keep at least one out year round)

8 - the number of my mom's homemade perogies I can eat in one sitting (they're huge!)

6 - the number of parents I have had in my life

3 - the number of years I have been married to my Beloved.

2 - the number of angel babies I have in heaven, Emily Hope and Olivia Noelle

1 - the number of little halflings baking away inside me right now

What are some of your numbers?

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: On the Road

Good Afternoon Humble Readers...

I hope that you are all enjoying your weekend.  As I write this we are in the midst of a major thunder storm with hail, but when you read it, I will be on the road with my Beloved.  We will be driving the most beautiful highway in the world (in my hobbit-ish opinion), through the mountains, heading toward my Mom's fabulous cooking and real summertime weather.

*****
I'm hoping that we get to stop a few times on the drive.  There are some great places to visit between here and K-town.  I'm especially hoping to have some pictures of the Enchanted Forest for you when we return.

*****
Thank you to everyone who gave great suggestions on how to deal with my 24 hour urine collection.  I ended up doing a variation on Kristen's cooler idea (as the only cooler we own is a big one and would have been far more conspicuous.  I ended up taking a tote bag with several containers, ziploc bags, and a frozen water bottle in a plastic bag.  I also sort of limited my water intake, so I only ended up having to pee once while I was at work.  I made up all for the lack of H2O when I got home, and ended up peeing all night.

*****
There were a couple of very funny moments that came out of the whole pee collecting situation.  First, yesterday at 4:00am I got up to pee and went to find the collection jugs.  My Beloved, in an effort to be thorough when he was cleaning up the kitchen, saw a plain paper bag on the counter.  He didn't look inside.  He just threw it out.  As in the dumpster behind our condo building.  So, at 4:00am, I'm having what can only be called a meltdown because I can't find the jugs or the bag (with the lab requisition in it) and I am visualizing having to put off our trip just so I could pee in the damn jugs that I would have to replace.  Keep in mind I wasn't really awake, and I was fully over the edge.  My poor Beloved, had to get dressed and go dumpster diving in the middle of the night.  Have I mentioned how much I love him?  The other funny moment was a dream that I had this morning... in my dream I had overslept, and was rushing to get my sample to the lab.  I ended up getting lost in the hospital, and I was running around for hours (and was very late for work) carrying a bunch of vials of pee, asking people to help me find the lab.  Goofy!

*****
We had a scary moment at work the other day.  A little boy, about 3 years old, was in the kids section, and collapsed.  I don't know exactly what happened, but we ended up needing to call the paramedics.  The little boy was unconscious for a moment or two, but then when he came to he was screaming and crying.  The EMTs were pretty sure that he was going to be okay, but took him to the hospital for a full exam.  It was a stressful half hour, that's for sure.

I Knew It Would Happen Eventually

Good Evening Humble Readers...

So, something kind of interesting happened today while I was at work. 

I need to preface this by reminding you all that I am a VERY plus sized woman.  My weight has always been an issue for me (from the age of 11), and it's really only in the last few years that I have come to accept myself for who and what I am. 

I am short.  I am round.  It's my reality. 

Often in my past, I have been in the oh so awkward positition of having to say, "No, actually I'm not pregnant.  Just fat."

Children, who speak with an honesty that is incredibly refreshing, are often the instigators in these situations, leaving their parents to make the embarassed/apologetic face in my direction. 

Today, while I was at work, a little girl pointed to me and said, "Look Mommy, she's got a baby in her tummy."

The mom immediately shushed her, and got that look on her face.  That 'oh-my-gawd-my-child-has-no-tact-feeling-bad-for-the-fat-lady' look. 

But today, instead of being embarassed and trying to pretend I didn't hear the comment, I just smiled at the little girl and put my hand on my tummy. 

I know I'm not showing all that much, not really.  Anyone who doesn't know I'm pregnant would just assume that I have gained some weight.

But I'm still tucking this moment away in my heart.  The first time someone, albeit a child, said that I looked pregnant.

It feels good.

A Logistics Nightmare

Good Afternoon Humble Readers...

This is the situation.

Dr. U has ordered a 24 hour urine collection.  It has to be done this week.  After my vacation is later than he would like.

We leave for vacation on Saturday afternoon, as soon as I'm off work. 

So that leaves me tomorrow to get the collection done and to the lab by Friday.  Not impossible, right?

Here's the glitch...

I work in retail.  We only have a public bathroom available to the staff to use.  Not to mention the fact that the sample is supposed to be kept cool, preferably refridgerated. 

Anyone see a problem? 

Maybe, I can hold it for 8 hours?

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: A Grouchy Hobbit Lives Here

Good Evening Humble Readers...

It's been a trying evening, but now I am home, in my pyjamas, cuddled up on the couch with my Beloved, my puter, and America's Got Talent.  (Does anyone else thing that it's hugely ironic that none of the AGT judges are American by birth?)

*****
It has been raining cats and dogs here for the last two days.  Yesterday we had tornado warnings to the south of us, today we had wind gusts up to 90km.  We've gotten 130mm of rain in 36 hours.  It's cold too.  We went from upper 20s and low 30s (that's celcius folks... and damn hot!) down to 7 this morning.  Brrrr!

*****
I have 8 very itchy mosquito bites!  I am trying very hard not to scratch.

*****
Today was busy from the get go... I had a chiro appointment, then a Dr B appointment (another good bp day).  Then home for an hour or so, then off to work.  And because it's raining buckets it was pretty busy.  And the second half of my shift was full of big and small irritations that made me very Very grouchy. 

*****
And because I was cranky, all I really wanted when I got home was a slice of the chocolate cake that I made last week... if you haven't checked out the recipe yet, you MUST... only to remember that we polished it off a couple of days ago.  Bummer!  I'm going to have to make it again for my Beloved's birthday next month.

*****
I am facing a quandry, Humble Readers.  In the next month, three of my favourite authors are releasing new titles (one is already out, actually).  Part of me wants to stock up before we go on vacation, so that I have stuff to read, but most of me knows that I'm going to be staying up late most nights talking to my mom and not doing a whole lot of reading while we are out there. 

*****
And speaking of vacation... I am so excited to be going 'home' for a week!  I haven't been home for two and a half years (far too long considering it's only a 9 hour drive) and I miss my mountains soooo much!  Not to mention my family!  And on the list of must do's for while we are in K-town... a trip to Wr.ap Zo.ne for a Leaning Tower of Pesto!  Yummy!

*****
If you've made it this far through this tedious whiny post... you deserve a gold medal!  Hobbit points all around!

An Update on the Update

Good Morning again, Humble Readers...

Two posts in less than 12 hours... how is this possible?

I just wanted to give you a quick peek in on my OB appointment today.  It started out a little odd, because Dr. U is now sharing his office with a pediatrician, so things were a bit more crowded than normal.  Also, he had an intern with him today, which was something new. 

While Dr. U was finishing with another patient, he had me give his intern a run-down on my history.  His quote was, 'tell him the story... it's got a good ending'.  Have I mentioned how much I love Dr. U?   I gave him the story of our losses and how long we had been ttc, and what's been happening with this pregnancy. 

So, after the intern had all my info he checked my blood pressure.  It wasn't perfect, but it was certainly miles better than two weeks ago.  Are you ready?  Are you sure?  Ok... well, since you asked so nicely...

130/76!!!  Soooo much better than last time!  Dr. U coached the intern through talking to me about pre-e and what to watch for, and then chided me for consulting Dr. Google too often.  He wants me to do a baseline 24 hour urine test, so we know when/if things change later down the road. 

Dr. U is so great.  He celebrates every appointment with me.  He understands how I'm nervous and excited at the same time.  He always ends my appointments with 'I told you we'd get here.' 

Ok... enough with the love-fest.  Back to your regularly scheduled blogging!

20 Weeks: A Rather Big Week

Good Morning Humble Readers...

I hope you all had a great weekend!  Mine was good, work was busy busy busy on Saturday because it rained all day.  Rainy days in the summer are good for the book biz.  Last night we had our annual staff bbq.  It was a little cool and breezy, and it started raining about halfway through, but we still had a good time.  I ended up eating a bunch of stuff I shouldn't have.  I also got eaten alive by the bugs. 

Here's this week's run down...

How far along? 20w0d

Maternity clothes? Absolutely!  My plus size maternity swimsuit arrived this week.  Just call me Shamu!  I can still fit into my pre-preg jeans tho...

Body Oddities? Hair growth is out of this world... my hair is longer and thicker than it ever has been, and it's growing really fast.  And don't get me started on how often I have to shave my legs and tweeze my brows!  (and then there's my newly fuzzy belly... what the heck is up with that?)  Leg cramps, heartburn, and constipation... sound familiar?  I feel like a broken record.

Sleep? It's been hit or miss, some nights I do pretty well and sleep until 4am.  Sadly, my work schedule has been different lately and that means I don't get as much time to catch up on missed sleep.

Best moment this week? A tie between seeing the Halfling on the ultrasound screen and feeling him/her rolling around inside me.

Worst moment? Nothing major.  Just some IBS pain.

Movement? Heck yeah!  Now that I can tell the difference between tummy rumblings and the Halfling, I'm feeling the him/her all the time!  Usually between dinner time and when I fall asleep is when I feel it most.

Food cravings? cottage cheese

Rings? Still on, but I won't count on that lasting. I'm actually kind of surprised that I've lasted this long.  (I am beginning to think they might last the duration.)

Gender? Not going to find out, but I think it's a boy

Intense Dreams? I had my first dream where I actually saw this baby.  In other dreams, I have seen him/her, but never the face.  In my dream, the baby was a very sweet little boy with a round face, blonde curly hair (where the curls came from I don't know) and big blue eyes.

Medical Concerns? High blood pressure (on 50mg Trandate/Lobetalol three times a day).  I will be going for multiple (3+) GD tests... yuck!

What I miss? pepperoni pizza, being able to sit the way I usually do on the couch with my computer on my lap... it's hard to explain (sort of curled up with my legs under me), but sitting that way hurts my hips and I'm starting to feel my stomach changing shape now.

What I look forward to: vacation (starts on Saturday at 4:30), starting to work on the nursery

Emotional State? I cry really easily these days.  I was watching the Prin.cess Diari.es the other day and I was bawling at the end.  How goofy!

A Little More Than Maybe

Good Evening Humble Readers...

Today has been a good day.

It didn't start out that way.  My IBS flared again during the night and I didn't get a great night's sleep.  I also was in a bit of pain from the most ridiculously huge inflamed taste bud (if you've ever had one you know what I mean... it feels like it's the size of Mt. Rushmore and it hurts like stink). Then, I was certain I worked a closing shift, but when I got up at 9:30 this morning I checked my schedule and discovered I worked at 11am instead.  Yikes!

Work was work.  It was my Monday.  A lot of playing catch up and figuring out what's gone on over the last couple of days. 

But then, after my lunch break, I was in the office, sitting at the desk.  I was leaning forward over the desk when suddenly I felt it. 

It was a rolling sensation in my lower abdomen that felt different from any of my normal IBS/intestinal sensations.  It went on for what felt like a long time, but it was really only a few seconds.  I'm sure it was the Halfling.  It was the most amazing sensation.  He/she must have been doing somersaults or something...

Incredible!

The Ultrasound, The Nursery, and A Cake

Good Morning Humble Readers!

The ultrasound was a tad bit anti-climactic.  When we got to the medical imaging clinic, it was pretty busy, so I expected to be waiting awhile.  Oddly enough, I got called in right away.  Like the last time I was at this particular clinic, they made my Beloved wait in the waiting room for the first part of the scan. 

When I got into the room, I immediately told the tech that we did not want to know the gender of the baby.  She told me that she would take all her pictures, then show them to the doctor on site.  Then my Beloved would be called in and we would get to see our Halfling. 

I spent the next 20 minutes or so staring at the ceiling and trying not to think about my ever shrinking bladder.  The tech didn't say anything during that 20 minutes, so I was starting to get just a tad concerned.  Then she handed me a strip of three pictures of the Halfling and said that she would go talk to the doc and then bring in my Beloved.  I couldn't see much in the pics she gave me because it was so dim in the room,  She was gone for almost 10 minutes, so I really started to get worried. 

But when she came back in with my Beloved, and started scanning again she immediately said that all that she could see looked great, and that our little Halfling had been playing shy.  Talk about a sigh of relief.  She turned the screen toward us and we got to watch the baby twist around and wave at us.  Halfling gave us some great views of his/her spine and hiney, but kept turning away from the u/s.  We finally got a quick view of the head, then the arms and legs flailing about.  And that was about it. 

Like I said, anticlimactic. 

When we got out of the room, we were able to get a better look at the pics she gave us, and honestly I have to say...

they are the CREEPIEST ultrasound pictures ever!  No cute profile for our Halfling!  No way!  :)  Take a look for yourself...

The first is of Halfling's face... nice skeletal look huh?  Maybe we should have called the baby a Wraith instead.  The second shot is of his/her spine.  Crazy!

It was great to see the baby, to know that all is well.  When we left, on our way out my Beloved looked at me and said, "We made a real person!".  It was really cute.  I think it's starting to become a bit more real for him. 

*****
After the u/s, we stopped at the paint store to pick up some paint chips to help us decide on the perfect shade for the nursery.  Tell me what you think...

I'm trying to decide between the top three colours.  I want a soft grey.  Trim and furniture will be white, and the accent colour is going to be a bright apple green (curtains, bedding, etc).  

*****
In other news... You remember that recipe that I mentioned yesterday, the one from Kristin at Dragondreamer's Lair?  The one for a Blow the Diet cake...  Yeah, well, it's frickin' outstanding!  I wimped out and used a chocolate cake mix (my scratch cakes never ever turn out), and the next time I make it I will double the peanut butter filling.  I don't pretend to know how to ice a cake properly, so it turned out looking a tad sloppy, but it tasted sooooooo good!  It's calling my name right now, but I am successfully resisting. 

19 Weeks: Almost Halfway!

Good Morning Humble Readers...

I hope that my friends south of the 49th parallel are enjoying your long weekend!  The weather here has cooled off a bit, which means I might actually try to do some real cooking, and maybe even bake a cake... Kristin (at Dragondreamer's Lair) posted an amazing recipe last week that I'm dying to try. 

Here's this week's run down...

How far along? 19w0d

Maternity clothes? Yup. Can't live without them!  I have a couple more things, including a swimsuit, on the way (ordered online).

Body Oddities? Leg cramps R Us!  Pretty much every night now.  And the weight thing is really starting to freak me out.  One week I'm up, the next I'm back down.  Today I'm actually back to where I was pre-pregnancy, exactly.  Dry skin is making a comeback too. 

Sleep? This week has been a rough one.  I'm tired, but I can only sleep for the first 2 or 3 hours before something (my bladder, IBS, leg cramps) wakes me up and I end up being wide awake for an hour or two. 

Best moment this week? Being able to tell Dr B where to find the Halfling when he did the heartbeat check. 

Worst moment? Finding out I have chronic high blood pressure.

Movement? Ummm, maybe?  When I go to bed, out of habit, I still stretch out on my stomach (at least to start) and the last couple of nights I have felt something moving.  My brain says that it's just my IBS twisting my insides as usual, but my heart says it just might be the Halfling.

Food cravings? chocolate milk (which I am trying to stay away from since I found out the sodium content), red meat, dill pickle chips (which I obviously can't have)

Rings? Still on, but I won't count on that lasting. I'm actually kind of surprised that I've lasted this long.

Gender? Not going to find out, but I think it's a boy

Intense Dreams? Not many.  Again, mostly related to my reading.  So it's a mix of wizards, medieval England, and terrorists.

Medical Concerns?  Officially diagnosed with chronic high blood pressure and have been put on meds.  I will be going for multiple (3+) GD tests... yuck!

What I miss? Fresh tomatoes with salt, wine coolers, and yes, sushi.

What I look forward to: My ultrasound this afternoon (yay!), feeling movement that I'm certain is movement, getting started on the nursery.

Emotional State? This week has been a bit mellower.  Still dealing with mood swings.  And I'm still (even this close to the halfway mark) finding it hard to really accept that this is real.  I have moments where I'm certain that all has gone wrong, or that it's just a dream.  But I guess if this is a dream, I don't want to wake up. 

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Let's Go To The Movies (Let's Go See The Stars)

Good Morning Humble Readers...

First up, 10 hobbit bonus points to anyone who can name the movie that my subtitle for today's post comes from.  I'll give you a hint... it's a musical.

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So, you probably noticed the two countdown clocks at the top of this page.  I think it's a tad ironic that the movie I have been looking forward to for almost three years (basically since the first time I started reading the last Harry Potter book) is going to be released 10 days before my due date.  This little halfling had better stay put until then!  ;)  I was also hoping to add a Hobbit movie countdown, but the dates for that one keep getting pushed back.  Come on, Mr. Jackson... take pity on a poor little hobbit!

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My Beloved and I went and saw Toy Story 3 last night.  It wasn't as good as the original of course, but it was still pretty darn good.  It had me crying at the end... and even my Beloved got misty.  There were some really great funny moments, and quite a few adult jokes throughout.  I have to say, I loved the addition of Barbie and Ken to the crew. 

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I want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who offered their info and advice on my last post.  On the advice of my OB's nurse I chose not to take the meds until I am able to discuss it with Dr U.  I have a phone consult scheduled with him on Monday.  I am feeling much better about the meds and that they will be okay, I just want to hear it from Dr U.  In the mean time, I have been a good girl and have stayed very hydrated and away from salt as much as I can.  I have never been one to cook with salt (my mom never did either), but I always have added salt at the table.  I have also been more aware of the sodium that is in prepared foods (who knew there was so much sodium in chocolate milk?!?).

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I missed out on doing a Canada Day post this year.  I had to work and it ended up being a crazy busy day.  We did a hot dog/lemonade stand to raise money for our in-house literacy fund.  It was a lot of fun, and we raised a ton of money.  Afterward, tho, I was exhausted.  I am so looking forward to the day when I can share weekends and stat holidays with my husband.