Third Trimester

Today marks the start of the home stretch. I am two-thirds done with this pregnancy. I have a hard time believing that the end is really so near. Just 90 days, give or take a few, before Abigail Mae will make her appearance on Earth.

We went in to the doctor's on December 28th for a routine check up that got a little scary when I asked about some cramping on my upper right side. The doctor was concerned that it could be a problem with my gall bladder and ordered an ultrasound to check it out. We went in for the ultrasound on December 31st and found everything to be a-ok. Not only is my gall bladder perfectly normal, but my liver and kidneys are too. While we were there the ultrasound tech let us take a peak at our little girl.

In this 3-d shot you can see most of her face and her (left?) hand. The tech said you could make out her thumbnail, which is pretty incredible. She almost has a smile in this picture. This whole experience has been pretty remarkable and I'm so grateful that Greg has been able to be at every doctor's visit!

At this visit they also ordered routine testing for gestational diabetes and anemia, both of which came back perfectly normal. We have been so blessed to have had such a healthy, normal pregnancy thus far and I pray that the Lord continues to bless our family with good health.

I had the last week and a half off work for the holidays and had anticipated lots of studying for my teaching exam. That didn't happen. Not even a little bit. Instead, I came down with a head cold on Christmas Eve and spent several days on the couch getting better. We did make a quick trip to Seattle to pick up Abby's bedroom furniture and got to visit some friends, which was nice.

Greg spent a few days building shelving in the garage and organizing his man cave. We set up the crib in our bedroom and are in the middle of finishing rearranging the office so that her changer, rocker and other loot can share a space with my home office.

A Slice of Heaven

I was given a KicthenAid Heavy Duty Professional stand mixer as a wedding gift in June of 2007. I didn't use it much, maybe once a month or so, until Christmas of 2008 when my wonderful mother in law bought me several attachments for it. One of which was a much coveted grain mill! As a young girl I remember my Aunt Debi grinding her own flour and making homemade bread that was so delicious I could eat it until I was sick to my stomach and longed to be able to replicate that deliciousness for my family. Not to mention the smell is pretty amazing too!

I made a New Year's Resolution to bake all of our family's bread for 2009. We ate some pretty bad bread in the early days, but I found a wonderful shop here in town that I just love - Wishful Kneads! The first time I went into the store the owner asked what kind of machine I was using and as I raved about my KitchenAid he just smiled and said, "Well that's a good start. Someday you'll get yourself a Bosch." They are not cheap by any means and being so new to bread baking I didn't know for sure if I'd stick with it. Jan and Rick Thornton, the store owners, were able to offer advice that not only made my bread edible, but enjoyable too! Well, most of the time.

I was keeping up with my resolution very well until August when my morning sickness hit hard and I had all I could do to make it from the bed to the toilet. We realized during that time how flavorless and bland store bought bread really is. This is probably about the time that we also realized that homemade bread baking was going to have to be a part of our lives forever. Period.

Two days before Thanksgiving, with my mother and sister visiting and a delicious Thanksgiving meal to prepare my KicthenAid Mixer broke. Thankfully my Aunt April had purchased it at Costco. I rushed down and the immediately exchanged it for a brand new one, no questions asked. Crisis averted.

I spent quite a bit of time researching what I could have done wrong to make my old mixer break. In my reading I found that several other people have had problems with their mixers holding up to the beating that the grain mill and subsequent bread kneading give the mixer. One site suggested grinding the wheat at a coarse setting and then grinding it again at a finer setting. I decided to baby my new mixer by grinding smaller amounts of flour at a time and letting it "rest" more between heavy jobs. On my third use the bowl broke. Yes, the stainless steel bowl broke. Actually, to be fair the weld that holds the part on the side of the bowl that you use to mount it to the mixer broke off. I was pretty upset and didn't really know what I wanted to do about it.

I called KicthenAid, I'm not really sure why, I guess to express my frustration with their product. I was told that because it was still under waranty they'd be glad to send me a new bowl, but that they couldn't get it to me before Christmas. I agreed, but Greg wasn't satisfied. "How will you make cookies for Santa?" he asked me with a very worried look on his face.

A few days before Christmas I went into Wishful Kneads to pick up some wheat berries and began looking more seriously at the Bosch Universal mixers. They happened to be on sale that day, a bundle package that included the mixer and it's grain mill counterpart for about $200 less than the going rate to purchase them separately. The sale was only on until the 31st on in stock merchandise only. And wouldn't you know they only had one mixer left?

I thought about it. I thought about it very hard and then decided it would make a nice anniversary gift for our 5 year anniversary, still two and a half years away, but that there was no way we could get it now. I collected the few small things I needed and Greg and I left to finish our errands. Having run out of homemade bread from the freezer, I was perusing the bread aisle at Costco while Greg stood back and watched me like a crazy woman. I made my selection and was putting it in the basket when he looked at me and said, "Uh uh. I don't think so. I'm not eating that." I asked him what other option I had, my mixer was broken and we were out of bread. He said, "We're going back to Wishful Kneads and we're buying that mixer and mill."

So, that's what we did and I am so happy that we did!

The Nutrimill grinds flour much finer than my KitchenAid did. The finest setting on the KitchenAid is more like cornmeal in comparison to the flour I am getting now. The combination of the finer flour and the more powerful mixer is resulting in lighter, more flavorful, more tender loaves of bread with no giant air holes in the middle!!

I have made several batches of bread with it and get perfect results every time! Last night I tried out the new bread pans that Greg bought me for Christmas and am very pleased with them. They produce the perfect shaped loaf! It's really amazing what a difference having the right tools for the job can do!

The milk & honey whole wheat bread that has been our daily bread for nearly a year is so amazing! Toast it and slather it with butter and some homemade (OK... it's from Costco) raspberry jam and it's like a slice of heaven! In fact, I have had several people ask if they can buy my bread so I'm beginning to think of how to go about this as some extra income once Abby gets here. Maybe I'll call it that: Slice of Heaven Bread Bakery!

Since Christmas I have made Cinnamon Raisin Walnut, Garlic Herb & Parmesan, Apple Cinnamon and Pumpernickel. I'm excited to try Rye bread and will probably fiddle with the Apple Cinnamon recipe some... it didn't taste Apple-y enough for me. The Pumpernickel didn't rise as much as I'd have liked, but it was my first try with Rye flour, so I'm sure next time will be better.

Getting Excited

Tomorrow I will be 24 weeks pregnant. That's six months. I cannot believe that time has flown by so quickly! I am by no means ready for Christmas and feel like I have miles to go before I am even remotely organized enough to know what needs to be done before Abby's arrival.

Hopefully that will change soon. I have the week after Christmas off and Greg will be done with school after tomorrow. I'm hoping that the shelving in the garage will get done before he goes back to school in January so that I can clean out the office and make room for Abby's things. In that week we'll also be making a trip over to Washington's west coast to purchase a nursery set from a former co-worker of mine. I know I'll feel better once we have a dresser and bed for her. I'll be able to start washing clothes and cloth diapers, folding them and putting them in drawers. I know I will be calmer then.

Greg and I went to a couple's retreat this last weekend with the National Guard. We had a wonderful time. The classes left much to be desired, but having meals provided and a cozy room with a view of the lake was well worth it. I especially liked the fact that I could leave my wet towels on the floor and someone came and replaced them with fresh folded ones for me. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of having a wife.

Saturday night the husbands were given the assignment of planning a date. Greg took my to the library where we searched and found each of our favorite children's books. We got cozy by the fire in our hotel room and Greg read Madeline and The Bad Hat, The Bearnstine Bears & Too Much Junk Food, and Where The Wild Things Are to Abby. Then he started reading James & The Giant Peach, which he has continued to do for the last few nights. I'm really glad that he's starting to get so excited. I always knew he would make a great father. Abby is going to be one lucky girl.

We still have not decided on a spelling for her name. Abigail is in the lead for now, but Abigayle is still in the running. There are pros and cons to each. Greg and I like them both pretty equally, so we may end up drawing straws or something like that.

House Guests, Thanksgiving & 22 Week Update

My mom and sister visited for Thanksgiving and we had a nice time. It snowed the first night my mom was here, but my sister missed it because she flew in a day later. We spent most of the week hanging out at home by the fire, watching movies, baking, painting our toenails, and playing with Copper. We did venture out to Cabela's to sample fudge, try out my sister's aim, and pose next to the animal exhibits. And of course, I couldn't let them leave without a trip to Dockside for a Gooey, which my sister (nearly) devoured by herself! We had a very nice Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey and pumpkin pie both came out exceptionally better than I anticipated! I have some pretty funny pictures of my mom prepping the turkey.

She was saying that it's going to be just like this when the doctor delivers the baby. I think my facial expression says it all... "God I hope not!"

Dinner turned out great! Poor Greg has been working nights for the last week and a half and had to be woken up for dinner.

On the pregnancy front, Greg and I went to the doctor yesterday for a routine check up. They seem to be a bigger waste of time than anything. We waited in the waiting room for 20-30 minutes. The nurse took my weight, blood pressure and urine sample before putting us in an exam room where we waited for another 15-20 minutes for the doctor to arrive. He asked how I was feeling, if I had any questions, poked around in my belly, and listened to Abby's heartbeat with the Doppler - 156bmp. "Everything looks good. See you in four weeks." And he was gone. I'm very grateful to be healthy and have a healthy baby, but it seems like they could maybe stretch them to every 6 weeks for low-risk pregnancies.

My belly is getting noticeably bigger, finally. Greg knows how much I hate it when people call me Prego (I'm not a spaghetti sauce, thank you very much, nor am I "knocked up"), so he's taken to calling me "saucy". This morning he said I am looking very saucy today, so I'll have to take a picture later and post that. For now, here's a picture of me at 20 weeks:

It's a ....

Last night we were joined by a houseful of friends and family members to reveal the sex of our baby. Super1 made a beautiful cake for us and did an excellent job of keeping the secret, despite our friends' best efforts to get the info early!


Greg wasn't able to get the night off work, but was able to come home for an extended lunch break. First, we had to get the Grandma's in California on the phone so they could hear the news with everyone else.


Then, we cut open the cake and it was PINK! (I knew it all along!)


Our pastor was on hand and scolded us for not praying before serving the cake.


So we invited him to offer a blessing. He led us in a beautiful and heartfelt prayer for our family that brought tears to my eyes. We are so truly blessed to have been led by God to our church. The genuine fellowship is like none other I have ever experienced before and thought not possible outside of the gates of Heaven.


The cake was delicious and we have more than enough leftover! If you'd like a slice of baby girl cake come on over!


For those of you wondering - her name is Abigail (or Abigayle, we haven't decided on a spelling yet) Mae after two courageous and faithful Christian women - Abigail (1 Samuel 25) and my great-grandmother, Ethel Mae. I pray that our Abby will have even a sliver of the greatness that was in each of these inspiring women.

Thank you to all of you that were able to join us in celebrating! We look forward to sharing many more happy moments with you in the months and years to come!

18 Weeks

We had our ultrasound today. I have attached a few of the better pictures. The baby was being a wiggle worm and wouldn't hold still, making the ultrasound tech's job a lot harder. Every time the baby would move I'd start laughing, which would make the baby move more. It was very cool and I'm so glad that Greg was able to be there to share in such a wonderful experience.

3d shot of the baby's face
Baby's Profile
The baby was sucking his/her thumb.
Let's hope this doesn't become a habit! :)

The doctor said that the baby looks great! He/she is in the 56th percentile right now, weighing in at a whopping 8 ounces and a heart rate of 167 beats per minute. He said he/she is right on target for our April 6th due date. He said that I am in excellent health - all of my labs and blood work came back perfect (duh) and he seemed pleased with my weight gain. I lost quite a bit of weight in the first few months, but I've gained all that back plus four pounds.

The ultrasound tech was able to tell the gender of the baby, but we still don't know what it is! She sealed the photos in one envelope and wrote the sex on a slip of paper and sealed it in an another envelope. After the appointment, Greg and I took the envelope with the note in it to a bakery. They are baking us a cake with either pink or blue filling in it. On Saturday our friends and family will all come over and we'll cut the cake open to reveal the sex of the baby! It will be a short and sweet party, but it's a fun way for us to share the joy with the people will love.

I am feeling better every day! I was able to go back to my normal 3-day/week work schedule. I'm back at the gym three times a week, just not pushing myself quite as hard as I was before. I have been keeping my heart rate between 145-155. I usually have to use the bathroom one or two times during my 30-minute workout, which is kind of a pain but I'm grateful to be there at all! I have been cooking again! I didn't realize how much I missed it. In the last week I've made spaghetti squash from our garden, chicken fried steak, turkey burgers and sweet potato fries, and veggie fritata to name a few. It seems as though I am finally able to eat what I like without getting sick. I have a nearly insatiable appetite, to the extent that I wake up in the middle of the night and need to eat a bowl of cereal. I've been taking Flintstone vitamins and successfully keeping them down for several days now, so tonight I took one of my prenatal vitamins. So far, so good!

Let's hope these blessings and positive progress continue!

16 Weeks

I'm actually closer to 17 weeks pregnant now and am thrilled to report that the morning sickness has almost completely vanished!! I am feeling MUCH better, but still find myself being cautious about what kinds of things I am eating. Pretty much all tomato products are out for the time being, as are most meats and eggs. I'm trying to get most of my protein from cottage cheese, cheese, yogurt and milk.

Our next doctor's appointment is November 2nd and it's a big one! It will be out 18 week ultrasound and we hope to be able to find out if we're expecting a boy or a girl. I have a strong hunch it's a girl and I'm very excited to see if my intuition is correct. We're planning a surprise party to announce the sex of the baby. We will ask the ultrasound technician to seal the sex of the baby in an envelope and after the appointment we will take the envelope to a bakery. We will give the baker instructions to open the envelope and if it says "boy" then they are to make the cream filling inside the cake blue, or pink if it says "girl." On Saturday, November 7th at 7pm our friends and family will be at our house - you're welcome too if you're in the area! Once we're all here we will cut open the cake and reveal the sex of the baby in front of everyone! I think it's going to be a lot of fun and I'm really excited about it!

This next doctor's appointment is a big deal for another reason. We will be discussing a cost-share analysis from our insurance company. We still have a very strong desire to use Dayspring Midwifery in Hayden, but because our insurance company won't cover the birth if we do we have been thinking and praying a lot about what is in our family's best interest both financially as well as emotionally, mentally and physically. If our cost share is significant enough to allow us to come close to paying for the midwife, then that's what we'll do.

We seem to be in the midst of lots of decision making about the big changes coming in the next year. We're considering trading in Greg's truck to get a more family-friendly vehicle that will accommodate a car seat more comfortably. We're deciding how and when and where to put the baby and how to rearrange our current set up to best use our space. Greg has been working on installing some shelving in the garage. I have been space bagging all of our linens and shoving them under beds and couches, so we have a nearly empty linen closet! We have some work ahead of us, but it feels good to be working together for such an awesome cause.

We recently learned that my mother and sister will be joining us for Thanksgiving and I could not be more ecstatic! They will be here for almost a week! My mom has only been here once overnight and my sister came and stayed a week with me while Greg was away at training, so I'm very excited to get to show them around and partake in so many wonderful local festivities! This is the first time EVER that my mom has not spent Thanksgiving at my Nana's house, so I've got quite the shoes to fill. I've been working on the Thanksgiving dinner menu for days and think I have it pretty close to done. I will post it when it's been finalized!

Here's some recent pictures of the belly... enjoy!

Approx. 6 Weeks

15 Weeks, 1 Day