Ginevra @ 11 Months

Hey Humble Readers,

Check me out!  Two posts in a week!  I'm exhausted but it's important for me to write this post.  I missed last month, and I'm totally kicking myself. 

I wanna learn to play the drums!

Ginny is such a big girl now.  Looking at pictures of her from when she was a newborn tears at my heart a little, because she's grown and changed so much.  Oh, and she loves looking at pics of herself... she's obsessed with the little photo albums we have filled with pics of her. 

Peek-a-boo!

She talks up a storm now.  She says baby and daddy really clearly, and mumumum (that's me) and pup-eeeee anytime she sees a dog.  She babbles to herself constantly, especially when I put her down in her crib for quiet/nap time. 

Mama and Ginny and whipped cream... bad Mama!

She has a huge appetite and eats like a horse.  She loves just about everything, except carrots.  We don't have to mash up her food too much any longer, and she adores her yogurt in the morning.  Other favourites include quinoa, chicken, cheese, grapes, tomatoes, roast beef, broccoli.  Oh, and don't get me started on cheerios!  I swear they put something addictive in them for wee ones.  She just tried mushrooms for the first time this week and was intrigued.  I've also started to transition her from formula to whole milk.  She prefers to drink from a straw or sippy cup now, rather than a bottle. 

Look at those eyes

She's a total ham in front of the camera.  As soon as she sees it in my hand she grins like a fool and shows off her 2 little teeth.  Still no sign of the others making an appearance, although she has been drooling again and has recently had a bout of diaper rash.

Good stuff!

She's 19 pounds, and tall.  Pants that fit the length of her legs fall off her waist.  I got her a bunch of overalls just so she can have some pants that stay up.  She sleeps from 8pm to sometime between 6-8am almost every night, although naps are shorter than they used to be and are less consistent.

Nap-time with Daddy

Ginny has two favourite tv shows (please don't lecture me about wee ones and tv.  I know, I know).  She loves the weather report on the news, particularly the satellite images.  And on Saturday mornings she loves watching "The Littlest Hobo", a really poorly done Canadian tv show from the '70s & '80s about a german shepherd dog that roams around saving people and solving mysteries.  She just loves that dog.  She gets so excited when it comes on that she practically hyperventilates. 

On the move

Ginny will walk a few steps at a time before falling to her knees or butt and then crawling at hyperspeed, usually toward something that she's not supposed to touch.  She's addicted to pulling books off the book shelves and pushing buttons on the tv, remote, phone, and dvd player. 

Mommy!  Turn off the light!  Too bright!

She has two comfort objects... the first is the green blanket that knitted for her while I was pregnant with her.  Sadly, she's pulled a couple of really big snags in it that I can't seem to fix, so I may have to spend some time knitting her a new blankie.  Ginny's other comfort object is a we.bk.inz dog (a little golden retriever) named Stanley.  He goes everywhere with her. 

Who me?  I'm not up to nuffin'...

Did I mention, she's a climber?

My honeybear can be a little monkey at times.  There's only one cupboard in the kitchen that doesn't have a lock on it, and it happens to be the cupboard where my Beloved keeps his breakfast cereal.  She's figured out how to open the door and can grab the cereal.  She also loves tearing apart the shoe rack by the front door and 'helping' when I'm folding laundry by taking the nicely folded clothes out of the basket and dumping them on the floor. 

Everything tastes better from Mommy's cup

Ginny hates socks... but she comes by that naturally.  I look at them as a necessary evil.  She's lost more socks in the last two months than I have in a lifetime. 

Flyin' with Daddy

She's happy and healthy, and very active.  Even though I'm struggling these days for energy to keep up with her, I wouldn't trade one tired moment of this life. 

10 Weeks: A Hibernating Hobbit

Hey Humble Readers...

Again, I apologize.  I had the best of intentions last week to get back into the bloggy-groove, but keeping up with a wee girl who's just started taking her first steps unassisted is taking what little energy I have.  My Beloved is lucky if he gets dinner when he gets home at night, and my house is a disaster.  About the only thing I have accomplished this week was weeding out my sock/underwear drawer. 

How far along? 10w0d

Maternity clothes? Not yet, but I have noticed that some of my jeans are a little tighter.  I think my bella bands will be enlisted before too long.

Body Oddities? New this week: acne.  Otherwise still dealing with mild pukiness, supreme exhaustion, insomnia, crazy dry skin, constipation, IBS flares, hungry, occassional dizziness and headaches (I'm going to talk to Dr. B about that on Thurs).

Sleep? Still awful.  I'm exsisting on a series of naps.  I sleep for a couple of hours, then I'm awake.  Wide awake.  This happened last time around, so it's no surprise, I'm just really tired of being tired.  Ginny gets what little energy I have have left, and my poor Beloved puts up with the dregs. 

Best moment this week? Ginny's been very snuggly the last couple of days, and I'm really enjoying it.  She likes to curl up with me on the couch under my fuzzy blanket while I watch the morning news.  Blood sugars are coming along nicely.  I'm almost bang on most of the time (except for when I have a weak moment), and I'm just about there with my first morning test.  Feeling great about that.

Worst moment? I had a scare this week.  As a certified tp-checker, of course I habitually check for spotting.  Last week Thursday I had a teeny bit of pink on the paper.  I freaked out pretty majorly.  All is well, but I'm still counting the days until my NT scan so that I can see this little Halfling.

Movement? Not yet, but I am hoping to recognize it much earlier this time around.

Food cravings/aversions? Still jones-ing for anything spicy.  Franks Red Hot is my new best friend.  I'm also seriously craving protien.  I'm eating a lot of chicken these days.  I can't go near cottage cheese this time around.  I normally love cottage cheese and it was great as I high protien snack last time around... hopefully after the m/s goes away I'll be able to eat it again. 

Rings? Still on, and still loose.

Gender? Not going to find out, but I'm leaning toward 'girl' this time around.

Intense Dreams? Lots.  A couple of delivery dreams, in one I have a boy and in the other a girl.  In one I had a c-section, and the other I delivered vaginally.  Also having dreams based on what I've been seeing on the news.  Not so fun.

Medical Concerns? On 200mg of prometrium 2x a day until 12wks, Gestational Diabetes (insulin 5 times a day... levels almost settled for now), High blood pressure (on 100mg of lobetalol 3x daily), continued heartburn (on 150mg of zan.tac 2x daily)

What I miss? energy, sleep, french fries (oh how I want an order of poutine!), having a clean house

What I look forward to? My NT scan on Nov 14, the end of the first trimester, finishing the progesterone

Emotional State? Mood swings, primarily connected to my energy level, are making things interesting. 

Week 9: Symptoms 'R' Us

Hey Humble Readers...

Long time, no post.  I'm sorry about that, truly. 

About all I've had the energy for lately is scrolling through Pint.erest for new recipes (most of which I'm not able to have until next summer... sigh) and sitting like a slugh on the couch.  In looking back at when I was at this point with Ginny, this is about when I hit the wall with the exhaustion.  I will get through this and feel more like myself soon, I hope.  I'm so thankful for the life inside me, and for the medication that keeps me pregnant, I'm just looking forward to having the energy to enjoy it.

(I've decided that I'm going to start my weekly updates, so that I have this record for Halfling 2.0.)

How far along?  9w0d

Maternity clothes? not yet of course.  But I do think that it will happen earlier than last time around.

Body Oddities? Morning sickness (not puking, just overall all day grossness), exhaustion, constipation, IBS flares, dry skin, incredibly sore boobs, hungry, backache, round ligament pain, gassiness, bloated

Sleep? I struggle to stay awake after 8pm, but then I'm wide awake at 2am.  Blech.  These days I'm living for the couple of hours in the afternoon while Ginny sleeps, so that I can crash too.

Best moment this week? Nothing really outstanding.  Any day with a solid nap is a good day.

Worst moment?  Finding out the my blood pressure is high again, and that I have to increase my bp meds.   Also, checking my blood sugar after I had chinese food for dinner (a very bad judgement call)

Movement? Not yet, but a lot of round ligament pain that makes me think feeling movement won't be too far behind.

Food cravings? Mushrooms, anything spicy (buffalo chicken anything speaks to me in a big, BIG way!)

Rings? Still on, actually a little loose, as I've lost a few pounds in the last few days.

Gender? Not going to find out, but I'm leaning toward 'girl' this time around.  Maybe that's just wishful thinking tho.  We all know how acurate my gut feeling was with Ginny.

Intense Dreams? Lots, but nothing I really remember at this point.

Medical Concerns? On 200mg of prometrium 2x a day until 12wks, Gestational Diabetes (insulin 5 times a day... levels constantly changing), High blood pressure (on 100mg of lobetalol 3x daily), continued heartburn (on 150mg of zan.tac 2x daily)

What I miss? Carbs, energy to do just about anything

What I look forward to? Seeing Ginny in her halloween costume, my NT scan on Nov 14

Emotional State? Just blah... exhaustion will do that to you.

Please drop me a note and let me know how you all are doing.  I'll get back into the swing of things soon.

(btw... I'm not sure how it happened, but somehow blogger has turned off the comments on all my posts.  Grrr.  I'm not sure how to fix it other than to go back through each and every post and set them to 'allow comments'.  I've done so for the most recent few posts.  Hopefully, I'll get it sorted out soon)

Foodie Friday: Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken

Hey Humble Readers...

I'm squeaking this one in under the wire... it's been that crazy the last few days.  Okay, so not so much crazy as it has been exhausting, pukey, and lethargic.  Throw in a busy week of appointments, and a busy weekend ahead of us, and I'm just tuckered out. 

Something new and slightly odd with this pregnancy... I have been seriously craving spicy foods.  I have always enjoyed a bit of kick in my food, but now is different.  I put tobas.co in my eggs, I'm going through black pepper like mad, and anything "buffalo chicken" is my new best friend.  And, surprisingly, my heartburn hasn't kicked in any worse than normal.  Hmmmmm....

Anyway, when I saw this recipe on Pint.erest my mouth started to water.  The great thing about it is that the recipe is totally adjustable.  You can make it as spicy or as mild as you like, and it's easily increased to feed as many or as few as you like.  The version of the recipe that I adapted from can be found at Cassie Craves.

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken

2 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
1/3 brick light cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (the heat in a pepper lives in the ribs and seeds so remove as much or as little as you like)
1/4 cup bacon bits (you could fry up a couple strips of bacon if you like.  I just can't stand the smell)
1/2 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp each garlic powder, seasoned salt, & black pepper

Cut a large pocket in the thickest part of the chicken breasts and set aside.  In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, cheddar, jalapeno and bacon bits.  If the mix is hard to combine, add a splash of milk to help it along.  Stuff each chicken breast with half of the cream cheese mixture.  If necessary, secure the opening with toothpicks.  Combine the spices with the bread crumbs.  Dredge each chicken breast in flour, then dip in the egg, and then roll in the seasoned bread crumbs.  Place in a greased baking dish and bake in a (preheated) 350F oven for 25 minutes.  If needed, you can finish them under the broiler for a nice crunchy brown top. 

The first time I made these, I was waaaay too conservative with the jalapeno.  Next time I will leave at least some of the seeds and ribs in the pepper.  Even my Beloved, who's not a big fan of spicy foods said this could have had a bit more kick.  I will be glad to oblige.  :)

I hope you enjoy this one.  Let me know if you try it out!

Such A Relief

Humble Readers, I am a very blessed hobbit! 

Halfling 2.0 is very much a reality!  The heartrate (at 7w1d) was 141 bpm, and is measuring right on track.  I feel like I'm able to breathe again. 

I was so anxious this morning, I almost burst into tears while we were driving to the medical imaging center, and then again when the tech called me back to the room. 

The clinic is a pretty large, and it's like a maze of little exam rooms, curtained changing rooms, and bathrooms.  Normally I end up having to wander around for quite a while before I get shown to a waiting room.  This time, the tech took me into the very first room off the main waiting room (and I didn't have to wait more than 3 minutes before he called my name to take me back). 

Everything about the scan went in hyperspeed.  Seriously, it was the fastest ultrasound I've ever had.  He was taking his pictures, and telling me to hold my breath, turn this way and that way for a look at my kidneys.  Before I knew it, he as asking for my Beloved's name and getting up to go get him.  Being a little flabbergasted, I asked "So there IS a baby?"  The tech was rather surprised at the question, but he said "Oh yes, why?  Have you been bleeding?"  I told him no, but with my history this is a very important and scary ultrasound.  He just shrugged and said 'Oh". 

As soon as he left the room I started to cry.  It was just such a relief. 

My Beloved came in with Ginny, and we got a quick look at the little blob with the flickering little heartbeat.  He printed off a pic for us...

Such a pretty little blob!

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers.  I felt you all with me today.

Up From The Depths

Howdy Humble Readers...

I'm finally beginning to feel like a real person again (as opposed to a snot-filled slug).  I'm still tired, but overall feeling much better. 

So, this week is the busy busy week.  Or at least the jam-packed with appointments week. 

Yesterday was the diabetic clinic, to go over my insulin program.  They have me starting really low, but increasing by a unit every day until we get things balanced.  The nurse was great, and reminded me that in the second trimester, when I'm off the prometrium, my insulin needs may drop a bit before they start to go back up going into the third tri.  So, two different kinds of insulin (one for meals, and one that's long-acting to help with my baseline sugars). 

Today was Ginny's well-baby check up.  It was technically her 9 month check up, but it had been rescheduled a couple of times.  She's doing good (will give you a complete update in a day or two as I need to do 'Ginny @ 10 Months) and other than being made to wait for more than an hour for a 7 minute appointment, things went well. 

Tomorrow... the ultrasound. 10:45.  To say I'm nervous would be a bit of an understatement.  I want to be able to say that I am 100% confident that all will be well, but really it's more like about 60% to 40%.  After much internal debate, I have decided that Ginny will be coming with us.  I figure, if things go south, then I'll have my wee sweet girl to cuddle.  And if things go well, I want her there even if she has no clue what's happening.  I'll post about that as soon as I can afterward. 

Thursday... Must Clean The House!  It's not terribly messy, but for some reason I thought black furniture would be great, never considering how much dust shows on it.  Duh!

Friday... I have another Dr. B appointment.  Follow up on the u/s and to discuss what happens next.  I am really going to push for a decision on an OB referral.  He's been holding off every time I ask (altho he seems to be open to it), but I want to get the NT scan booked asap, and that request needs to come from an OB. 

Then comes the very busy weekend... this weekend is Thanksgiving here north of the 49th parallel.  We are having turkey dinner at my MIL's on Saturday, and then I'm having 11 people for dinner on Sunday.  Considering our kitchen table seats 4, ths could be a challenge.  I'm doing roast beef (a huge costco sized roast), oven roasted autumn veggies (parsnips, carrots, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, onions, and maybe some asparagus for some green), mashed taters, gravy and rolls.  My mom has said that she'll bring dessert (pumpkin cream cheese pie)... YAY! 

Then Monday, we crash.  Thank heaven for long weekends! 

Excuses, Excuses

Hey Humble Readers...

Just wanted to stop in and let you all know that I am still alive (altho I really feel like I'm just hangin' in there).  I spent pretty much all day sleeping and I feel like I could go to bed right now.  I've got a lot of strikes against my energy levels...

I'm pregnant (soooo not complaining, just stating a fact)

I'm on prometrium (also not a complaint.  I'm so thankful for the whoo-haa pills!)

I have a biotch of a cold (yes I AM complaining about that)

and my blood sugar levels are all kinds of f*cked up (up, down and all around.  yes, it's a complaint.  Thank the Lord I start insulin on Monday)

All that, Humble Readers, to say that I'm sorry I haven't been around.  Hopefully, tomorrow or Monday will see me feeling a little more human.  Until then, I pray you are all doing well.  I know that there's been a lot going on in the blogosphere.  I'll get caught up soon.