(One moment in a busy week, captured in a photograph. Time to slow down, reflect, give thanks, and enjoy.)
Strawberry rhubarb pie
Homemade
Delicious
Summer
Dessert
Slice
Rustic
Indulgence
Sweet flavors
Plate
Fork
Still life
Viewed from above
*Lovingly made by my mama*
Week 21 and baby is now the size of a banana! (I can only assume that this refers to baby’s length these days… the fruit & veggie baby analogy is just a bit odd, don’t you think?)
Banana
One
Ripe
Whole
Peel
Yellow
Black
Spots
Plates
Cropped
Nutrition
Healthy eating
Ingredient
So lets just start the recipe ideas off in the right direction… four words… Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins. That’s all you really need to know about baking with bananas. That recipe is so tasty!!! I think the key to it, is the plain yogurt. We always eat a Greek style yogurt with about 10% M.F. We’re not afraid of fat in our little household. If you want these to turn out darn yummy, embrace the fat a bit. Trust me.
Let’s not forget the tasty banana smoothie option. Again, I use a Greek style yogurt for that. Then there’s the truly decadent banana split, which I’ve only had once in my life (and it was just at Dairy Queen, not Rachel Ray’s version). Or banana cream pie, which I’ve always wanted to try making.
Any other super yummy banana recipes out there?
Week 20 and baby is now the size of a small cantaloupe!
Cantaloupe
One
Whole
Rind
Texture
Complex
Abstract
Beige
Detail
Full frame
Background
Nobody
Ingredient
I’m having a bit more of a brain dead week. Sitting here trying to think of recipes I make using cantaloupe is proving “fruitless”. However, if you really want to indulge yourself, take half a cantaloupe, scoop the seeds out and fill it will vanilla ice cream. Eat and enjoy. Of course, the enjoyment of it increase dramatically if it’s a super hot, sunny summer day. My grandfather or great grandfather, I can’t remember which at the moment (again, brain dead) apparently used to sit and eat cantaloupe like this. I’ve only eaten it that way a couple times myself, but it’s definitely a lovely way to enjoy a summer afternoon. For those of you in Calgary, it might help to just picture what that would be like since it’s another cool, rainy morning out and ice cream in cantaloupe just doesn’t seem quite right for today.
Hope you all enjoy the long weekend!
Week 19 and baby is the size of a mango!
Mango
Sliced
Cubed
Ripe
Juicy
Orange
Sweet flavor
Fresh
Summer
Detail
Indoors
Still life
Ingredient
Can you believe that we’re basically half way through this pregnancy?! Hubby had a bit of panic attack when a friend pointed that out to him the other day. I mean technically, the baby can be born safely any time after week 37. We already know that, unless our baby decides to come really early, we will be welcoming him/her into the world between weeks 38-39. So, for us, we are definitely half way there! I will be having a scheduled C-section probably about a week or so before my due date, which means several things: One, we will know the exact date of the birth well in advance, not too much of a surprise. Two, we won’t be sitting around past my due date wondering when this baby is finally going to show up (you know what I’m talking about Shauna). Three, we are hopefully choosing the safest possible birth option for our own circumstances.
I always thought that when we finally had children, I would of course try to have them more naturally. Heck, at one point, I was interested in water birthing. But things changed after dealing with my uterine fibroid issues. In fact, I started this blog while I was recovering from my surgery and wrote all about my fibroid saga. Since then, I’ve been getting used to the idea that if I got pregnant, then a C-section would be the safest option for us. Trust me, it does take getting used to, especially when you’ve always had a particular vision of what you want your labor to be like. Of course, after going through some even more challenging times following the fibroid surgery, I came to realize that I would just be thankful to become pregnant. And now, the method in which that baby comes out, is less of a concern. We just want a healthy child and mom in the end, so that’s what we’re focusing on. For every couple that means different things. It is becoming a truly amazing experience among my friends, as we each have such widely different birth experiences. The full range, from completely natural (no drugs, birth-center scenario) to healthy hospital birth to scheduled c-section. Thank goodness for options!
Excited to see our little mango-sized baby at our next ultrasound on Monday. Still not sure if I’ve felt the baby move or not. I have felt the occasional flutter that people keep equating the baby movements to, but not sure if that’s truly the baby or just gas or something. I’m trying not to be too impatient about feeling the baby move, but I would love to feel more bonded with the baby than I am now. One day, soon, I’m sure…
Week 18 and baby is the size of a sweet potato!
Sweet potato
Slices
Raw
Orange colour
Peeled
Preparing
Ingredient
Green
Plate
Indoors
Still life
Nobody
Viewed from above
I do love sweet potatoes almost as much as I love avocados. So many pregnancy books recommended ordering sweet potato fries over regular fries at restaurants, and I am happy to report that I have followed that advice. Okay, so maybe I was doing that even before I got pregnant, but it still counts. Here’s a couple of typical recipes that we use sweet potatoes in:
This week baby is the size of an onion!
Red onion
One
Whole
Purple
Roots
Peeling
Simplicity
Detail
Selective focus
Indoors
Still life
Nobody
Ingredient
Comparing baby to fruits and veggies is a touch confusing. Some weeks baby seems to get smaller than the previous week, but I just go with what I’m told. At week 17 the baby is anywhere from 5-6 ounces and roughly 5 inches (from crown to rump). My baby bump has made an appearance and I feel like I’m getting bigger each week now. The waist on some of my pants are getting too tight to wear, but thankfully my friend has let me borrow her Bellaband (a simple stretchy fabric band to wear over unbuttoned waistbands). So hopefully, I can get a few more weeks out of my pants before having to move onto true maternity clothes. Guess I should schedule in some shopping time soon.
I’ve also been hunting around for simple sewing tutorials and patterns for maternity clothes here, here, and here. I’d love to save a bit of money and make some of my own clothes. Goodness knows I’ve got plenty of fabric in my stash to whip some things up! But I’m not sure how realistic a goal that is. Keep it simple. Gotta remember that motto. And sometimes simple means buying some things instead of trying to make them all yourself.
In other maternity news, we’re all signed up for our main prenatal class, which doesn’t start until the beginning of December. It seems a long way off right now, but I have a feeling that the fall will go by quickly. There are some other classes we’re considering like CPR, baby safety, cloth diapering etc. There’s even one for preparing to introduce your pet to the new baby, which might be useful. Pretty sure that Chloe (our fur baby) will absolutely hate the baby, but we’re really not going to know how she’ll react until we bring baby home. Oh the joys of integrating a household!
For now, I try not to worry about all those things and just focus on keeping healthy and rested. Baby still has lots of growing to do after all.
Week 16 already! Baby is the size of an avocado!
Avocado
Ripe
One
Whole
Yellow
Plate
Green
Bumpy
Close-up
Viewed from above
Indoors
Nobody
Ingredient
Oh, avocados! How I do love thee! Let me count the ways:
How do you enjoy avocados?
Baby is the size of a navel orange this week!
Navel orange
Label
Barcode
Sticker
Brand
One
Whole
Detail
Cropped
Copy space
Indoors
Nobody
Ingredient
Hmm… oranges… I really don’t cook with oranges much. When I do, I use them the same way I use lemons (sliced on fish or use the juice for a marinade). I have however, been eating oranges like mad since I had that cold during my first trimester. It’s not that I’m concerned about getting enough Vitamin C, I just honestly enjoy oranges a lot right now. We’re keeping them sliced in a container in the fridge, so when the day gets super hot and/or I need a little snack they’re ready to devour. So refreshing!
This week baby is the size of a lemon!
Lemon
Whole
One
Yellow
Blue
Vivid
Sour flavor
Colourful
Close-up
Indoors
Still life
Nobody
Ingredient
Ways I like lemon best (especially in the summer):
Baby is now about the size of a peach!
Peach
Whole
One
Overripe
Wrinkled
Unfresh
Red
Ingredient
Forgotten
Close-up
Indoors
Still life
Nobody
I can’t think of anything better than cutting up an overripe peach and pouring cream over it. Mushy and sweet! Yum! Of course there are plenty of other options out there:
– Peach Crumble
– Peach Pecan Muffins
– Peachy Delight Smoothie