Sugar Free

I declared yesterday a sugar-free day for me. Lately I have been consuming so much more sugar than I should be. Between Christmas cookies, chocolate truffles, hot chocolate made nightly by my hubby, and various office goodies, I'm on sugar overload!

I know it's not good for the baby, and probably increases my chances of developing Gestational Diabetes. Also, I have my monthly checkup next week, and I am dreading stepping on the scale. What's strange is that I never used to have a big sweet tooth. Earlier in my pregnancy all I craved were salty/savory foods. But now I feel like I'm eating sugar just because it's in front of me. And because I'm been eating so much of it, my body has started to crave it.

So I decided to completely avoid sugar yesterday. Obviously I still ate sugar in the form of fruit and other natural foods. But I completely eliminated any desserts from my diet. How did I do? Here is exactly what I ate yesterday, as a 23-week pregnant woman. This might not be exciting to any of you, but I love to read about and see what other people eat. If I could, I would love to be a dietician or have some career involving food and nutrition.

7am - 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats, cooked with equal parts water and nonfat milk. I mixed in 1 small banana, some frozen raspberries, cinnamon, and one giant spoonful of natural peanut butter on top. (Don't knock it till you try it...banana, oats and peanut butter are the perfect combination.) I was feeling adventurous, so I added in the raspberries for a kick. I ate my oatmeal with a tall glass of nonfat milk.

8am - 1 cup hot Black Chai Tea. I only included this in order to be completely accurate and honest. No calories or sugar were involved in the making of this tea.

11am - I was really craving something sweet, so I ate an orange. Straight from my parents' orange tree! That makes it extra healthy, right? Oh, and about 10 minutes after I ate the orange, the baby started going crazy! I think he liked the orange. =)

20-minute walk
1 bottle of water consumed throughout the morning

12:30pm - 1 "Amy's Brand" Cheese Pizza Pocket Sandwich. I'd like to note that I adore this brand of food. Amy's soups and frozen meals are really tasty and completely organic and low in fat and calories. They can be pricey, but I found this on clearance for $1.50. Yea, I'm cheap.
With my Pizza Pocket I had a side salad of butter lettuce, red lettuce, black beans (for added protein) and balsamic dressing. I brought the salad from home but forgot dresing, so I went down to our cafeteria at work to get a little dressing from the salad bar. They charged me $1 for about 2 Tbsp of dressing....what a rip-off.

At this point I was still hungry and really wanted a cookie. Instead, I choked down my prenatal vitamin. Blech.
Lunch was consumed with a bottle of Tejava unsweetened iced tea. Best drink ever.

2pm - Started to get a slight headache. Maybe I really am addicted to sugar?

3:15pm - 1 slice sourdough bread with a little bit of light cream cheese. Also had 5 large baby carrots. I'd say they were more like child or pre-teen carrots.

1 bottle of water
20-minute walk with dog after work

6:15pm - 1 large bowl of fettuccine with homemade Bolognese sauce (made by my sister!) with a little ricotta cheese mixed in, and parmesan on top. With it I had a tall glass of nonfat milk.

8:30pm - I started getting hungry about 2 hours after dinner. As in, full on stomach growling. I resisted the urge to eat something sweet, and instead made myself a bowl of whole wheat Chex with nonfat milk. Definitely hit the spot. Ever since I got pregnant, milk has tasted SO good to me. It's like my body is craving the dairy or something.

There you have it.....congratulations if you are still reading this! I would like to point out that I easily ate this much pre-pregnancy. So it doesn't seem like a lot of food to me. What can I say, I love food! I commented to Adam the other day that I'm surprised I'm not really eating more than usual during my pregnancy. He just gave me a LOOK....as in, Stephanie that's a bunch of bologna.

Hmmm now bologna sounds good......

Adam Got Kicked!

That's right.....our little baby kicked his Daddy yesterday! For the past week I've been telling Adam whenever I feel the baby kicking, but every time he places his hand on my stomach, he stops. Or he will start out on the left side, but when Adam tries to feel him there, the baby somehow jumps over to the opposite side of my stomach. He's a quick one, that baby.

So on Sunday morning right after waking up, I was feeling a lot of movement, and this time Adam felt it too! He was able to feel 3 good kicks before the baby calmed down.

I think this kind of thing makes it more real for the Dad-to-be. Because for the most part, it's the woman who experiences all the symptoms, both good and bad. Sure, the husband experiences some of the effects of these symptoms (listening to his wife cry, going out for ice cream at 10pm on a cold winter night). But he doesn't really experience pregnancy like a woman does. And no, I have not made Adam get me ice cream at 10pm yet. I was thisclose to asking him the other night, but instead satisfied my ice cream craving with a mug of cocoa.

So I guess my point is that feeling the baby kick was a cool experience for Adam. I just can't wait until we both get to meet our little guy in person! I can't wait to see what he looks like. So far we know this: he will be white, and he will have blue eyes. Doesn't he sound adorable?? =)

I just made homemade macaroni and cheese using this recipe from Ina Garten. I was craving some warm comfort food for dinner, and had a block of Gruyere in the fridge. Now I just have to wait 20 more minutes for it to be ready......so hard!

Interesting Facts About Stephanie

I have created a short list of interesting facts about myself for your entertainment. While I can't guarantee that any of them are actually interesting, I tried to think of things that most people wouldn't know about me. Here we go......

1) I was told by my college choir professor and childhood piano teacher that I have perfect pitch, which is apparently not very common.

2) I often confuse the colors orange and green. No, I'm not colorblind. But for some reason when I hear the word "orange" I have to think really hard about it, because the color green immediately comes to mind, and vice versa.

3) I do not know how to write any capital letters in cursive, other than the essential ones, like S, L, P and N. I think I was sick when we learned that skill in gradeschool.

4) I got my very first cavity of my life last year. (And I think I may have my second one right now.) It's all downhill from here!

5) I have never seen a single episode/movie of Star Wars or Star Trek, and have absolutely no desire to do so.

6) I have never said a curse word, other than once as a child. And that was an accident. Promise.

7) You know those little pies you can buy at the grocery store? Adam says they're called homerun pies? Anyways, as a child I was very mad that I wasn't allowed to eat them. So everytime I went to the store with my mom I would squish them when she wasn't looking. Quite rebellious, I know.

8) I LOVE worcestershire sauce.

OK, that's all. Obviously I'm not as interesting as I thought, since I can't even come up with 10 things! What's interesting about you?

**Edited to Add**
I have NEVER had cramps. As in menstrual cramps. I guess that's unique. I'm assuming this means I won't have any pain during labor. Right?

We Registered!

Adam and I went to Babies R Us 2 weeks ago to register for baby items. How was the experience, you ask? In a word, OVERWHELMING! Don't get me wrong, it was fun to pick out things for the baby and envision using them in just a few short months. But the whole experience was definitely confusing and overwhelming.

Adam was in charge of the zapper gun, while I was in charge of the list. Babies R Us gives you a list of the "essentials". Oh my goodness. Who knew a baby needed so much stuff? We didn't strictly go by the list, though, because it is obviously much more than any baby needs.

Things started out well. After carefully examining the selections and comparing prices, we'd pick out an item, let's say a package of bottles, for example. Then we would turn the corner and find an entire other aisle full of bottles! (I am exaggerating here, but you get the point). How do we know that the bottles we already picked out and zapped are the best? Do they contain BPA? Are they slow-flow, or will the milk come out so fast that it will upset the baby's tummy? Is there another brand that is just as good, but $5 cheaper? Ahhhhh!

After doing this for over 2 hours, we had only zapped a total of about 20 items. I had a headache and was getting frustrated, so we decided to call it a day and make the rest of our selections online. I was really surprised by how well Adam did. He was really into the whole process and even wanted to make another trip around the store.

So our registry is still a work in progress. We still need to add a few more items. But I think we got the "essentials" taken care of. Any experienced moms out there, feel free to take a look and tell me what you think. Because I obviously have no clue what I'm doing.

Clever Title

Adam bought our son his first gift and it came today!

Awwww so cute, right? My friend Lisa made a comment this weekend about how our baby will come out of me holding a wrench in his hand. If he's anything like his Daddy he just might!

This weekend I was busy making Christmas cookies. I give them out to many many people, so I make a TON of cookies. Evidence below: (This isn't all of them!)

The trainer from Barkbusters came over on Saturday and talked to us for about 1 hour. Riley was of course on his best behavior the entire time. He even fell asleep in my lap while she was there. Totally cute and innocent. But then when she got up to leave Riley lunged at her ankles and tried to bite!

Part of me is secretly glad he did that, so she could actually see firsthand what we're talking about. She said it is immediately apparent that Riley doesn't respect me as much as he does Adam. Not in the sense that he would try to hurt me, but that he thinks he can get away with more naughty business when Adam's not there. Hmmm I don't know where he got that idea, but I plan to do whatever I need to do to establish myself as his "pack leader". We're still deciding whether or not to sign up for the Barkbusters services.....

I will leave you with a family recipe for beef stew, since that is what I'm eating at the moment. It has been cooking in our crockpot all day, and now our house smells so good!

Mom's Beef Stew

1-2 lbs beef stew meat

1 can tiny peas (optional) (I don't like peas, so I usually leave them out)

1 large onion sliced

1 cup sliced carrots

2-3 large potatos, diced in large cubes

1 bay leaf, salt & pepper

1 can tomato soup

1/2 can milk

Place all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low heat for up to 10 hours.

I don't have a picture, but just trust me. It's GOOD.

Riley Saga - Part 1

I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday! I like the super cold weather we've been having since it means I get to wear cute scarves and hats. Thankfully those items still fit me!

So Riley has been feeling left out lately with all this baby talk, so I agreed to write a post about him tonight.

Unfortunately, I don't have many good things to say about him. Riley has had some "issues" lately. Over the past 6 months he has become more aggressive and has developed some bad habits. I used to feel comfortable taking him to the dog park and letting him interact with other animals and people. I liked taking him for walks and letting him say "hello" to other dogs. But now he gets really snarly with dogs, and pretty much flips out if another human being approaches me. We've even had friends over who he has tried to bite for no apparent reason.

With a new baby entering our household in just over 4 months (so soon!), this is obviously worrying me. How will Riley react to a new "brother"? Will he be jealous and get aggressive towards the baby? Obviously I do NOT want anything like that happen......Enter BARKBUSTERS!

I've done some research on dog obedience classes, and have concluded that Riley needs some one-on-one training. Barkbusters is a program you pay for up front, and then get their services for the life of the dog. Whenever you are having a problem with your dog, you simply call Barkbusters and your local trainer comes out to work on the dog's issues. I've heard really good reviews about their training methods, so we're going to try them out. This Saturday they are coming over for an intro meeting. I'm really hoping this works, because I don't want to have to get rid of Riley. But of course if he showed any sign of aggression towards our baby, we might have to. Wish us luck!

Riley is really a sweet dog when he's with just Adam and I. He has never had an "accident" inside, he knows how to sit, stay, lay down, and shake. Here's proof that he shakes my hand on command.

"See Mommy, I'm a good boy!"

20 Week Belly

I'm halfway there! I definitely grew a lot this past month, as you can see with this picture. (My scale also told me so). Oh, and the nurse also told me. Seriously, why do they weigh you and tell you how many thousands of pounds you have gained, and then immediately afterwards take your blood pressure? It's guaranteed to cause temporary hypertension!

At my Dr. appointment last week I was told to start walking every day for 30 minutes. I have been successful most days, however it is COLD here! By the end of my walk today during my lunch break my entire face was numb.

Oh, and I may be feeling my little guy kick! For the past few days I have been feeling muscle twitches in my lower stomach. That's the best way I can describe it....not little flutters, like everyone else says it feels like. But very distinct twitches. I'm almost positive this is the baby moving around, as I've never felt this before. It's so exciting!!

Ultrasound Results!

Baby Nullmeyer is 100% a BOY! Just in case we had any doubts, the ultrasound technician provided us with not 1, not 2, but 3 pictures of his "boy parts". But let me back up....

The ultrasound scan lasted 1 full hour because our baby was so squirmy! Seriously, he would not stay still for more than a couple seconds at a time. The technician was getting frustrated, and she kept calling him our "busy baby". I guess that's a good thing! (As long as he calms down by the time he's born. Baby, are you reading this?)

After she confirmed that he has all the necessary parts and he's developing properly, she brought Adam in and showed both of us our squirmy baby on the screen. It's absolutely baffling to me that he moves sooo much, and yet I can't feel a thing! Not even a flutter. =( He kept flipping over on his tummy and covering his face with his arm. I really wanted to see his face and time was running out! Finally, he posed for one profile picture before doing a somersault away from the screen.

I'm in love. =)

A few people have asked if I am going to get a 3D/4D ultrasound done. I'm still undecided, although I think it would be totally fun. I'm just afraid he would look a little weird and dare I say, creepy? I was told to wait until I'm at least 24 weeks, because then the baby has a little more fat on him, and therefore looks more like a real baby. What do you all think?

O Christmas Tree.....

What is your favorite holiday tradition? Ever since I can remember, it has been a tradition in my family to cut down a Christmas tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I'm sure many other families have a similar tradition. We don't just go to a nearby lot and pick out a 6-or 7 foot tree, though. No way! We drive to the Santa Cruz mountains and cut down the best looking 12-foot tree we can find. See, my parents have cathedral ceilings in the living room, which allows us to bring home such a large tree.

I've been doing this for so many years now that the thought of bringing home a fake tree or even a fresh one from a local lot just seems wrong. (Although we will unfortunately have a tiny fake tree this year at our condo, due to lack of space) But for my parents' house, it must be a genuine tree freshly cut from the mountains. So yesterday, with my sister and her kids along for the ride, we drove down to Santa Cruz to find the perfect tree......

My sister and I in our vests. Have to look cute for the mountains!

There were so many of us we had to take 2 cars. Adam and I somehow ended up with 3 munchkins in our backseat.

It was cold in the mountains! We all bundled up.

My Dad was in charge of the saw......

After searching high and low, we found the perfect tree!

Adam and Josh broke a sweat cutting down the tree.

While the women supervised! (Took pictures)

Do you think it will fit? Adam doesn't.

Peek-a-Boo!

Samantha posed for yet another picture for her Aunt Stephanie.

We made it home without getting pulled over!

What a fun morning! The only problem is that the tree is actually 14 feet. And my parents' ceiling is 15 feet. Yikes!

On Tuesday Adam and I go to the Dr. for my "big" 20-week ultrasound where we will hopefully know the gender 100%. Can't wait! I will be back with a recap, and hopefully an ultrasound picture.

Thanksgiving 2009

Words can't really describe my Thanksgiving this year. Instead, I will post a few pictures from the day.

Ava, sort of trying to maybe smile for me.

Adam, playing catch with the boys.

My Dad, trying to figure out the Christmas lights.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! What is your favorite food to eat on this yearly feast? Mine is Stuffing, hands-down.

Exercise

Hello readers! Today is just a lazy Saturday, full of laundry and errands. Nothing too special going on this weekend, except we are getting our brand new KING mattress delivered tomorrow! Can't wait to sleep on a comfortable mattres!

So I've been thinking a lot lately about exercise. I've never been the athletic type, and therefore exercise has never been something I really looked forward to or enjoyed. But before getting pregnant, I was training for a half-marathon. Although it was hard, it made me really proud of myself, and I felt good getting out there (most days) and being active.

But since becoming pregnant? Well, let's just say the word "exercise" is no longer in my vocabulary. And I feel guilty about this. During my first trimester I did have a valid medical reason to not exercise. But now that my complications have cleared up, I am more than capable of getting out there and being active. There's just always something more pressing to do. Such as making dinner, doing the laundry, doing something on my laptop for work, SLEEP. I don't want to use being tired as an excuse, but I'm tired!

I need to do something, though. Right now the only activity I do is walk my dog most evenings. But I only last about 20 minutes before I'm done. I've heard that exercising during pregnancy can be a big help during labor and recovery afterwards. So what should I do? Any suggestions for how to get started?

PS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! My wonderful mom turns 68 years young today. =) Love you!

Quick Update

So I'm 17.5 weeks now. I can't decide if this pregnancy is going by quickly or not. Sometimes it feels like it is taking forever, but in reality, I'm almost half way there!

I'm really anxious to feel the baby kick. So far, absolutely nothing! I've read online that many women start to feel the baby "flutter" around 16 weeks. So what's wrong with me? Any moms out there remember when they first felt their baby kick?

We haven't done any shopping, registering, or decorating yet. I think we will register once I have my 20-week ultrasound and we know the gender 100%. So far I have resisted the urge to buy any baby things. This is mostly because we have absolutely no space! Our 625-sq foot condo feel smaller every day. Maybe because I'm getting larger every day? =)

Decorating will have to wait until we move, since we only have 1 bedroom right now. We've been looking for a house for the past year, but so far nothing has worked out. But that's a story for another day.
I have a slight cold right now....sore throat and headache. Adam commented tonight that it seems like I haven't felt well since day one of this pregnancy. But honestly, I think things have gone really well!

PS: Thanks to Danielle, I just placed an order on www.uddercovers.com. If you enter in the code "country", you get $32 off, which means you only pay for shipping! I guess this means I have made my first baby purchase!

Family Day

Today I went with my parents to visit my sister and her family, who live up about 30 minutes north of Sacramento. Just in case you don't know, my sister and her husband have 5 kids, 2 dogs, and 2 cats. So yes, visiting with them is always noisy and tiring but incredibly fun. I wish my nieces and nephews lived closer! Here are a few pictures from the day:

Me with my 14-year old niece, Samantha. Pretty in purple!

Joshua, my 11 year old nephew.

Emma, my 7 year old niece. Missing her 3 front teeth!

Jacob, my 6 year old nephew.

Ava, my 2 year old niece.

Aren't they cute?? I love those kids.

16 Weeks!

Here is my official 4-month belly shot. WOW am I really that far along? This photo really doesn't do the belly justice. It is much larger in life! (I just showed the photo to Adam and he agrees with me. In his words, my belly went BOOM since this picture was taken. Nice, isn't he?)
Still no more weight gain since week 9, although I'm beginning to feel like a beached whale. I'm sure I will start to look like one in a few more weeks.

So Sunday was an exhausting day of cooking. I was actually a bit disappointed with how some of the recipes turned out. Probably no fault of the recipes, but rather the chef preparing them. =/

I started out with Pioneer Woman's Asian Noodle Salad. It sounded like something I would love, but sadly, the flavor was just "off".
Next up was Baked Beans and Bacon Onion Cheddar Biscuits for dinner. The beans were pretty good, but I was expecting a sweeter, more BBQ flavor. The biscuits, on the other hand, were absolutely delicious! Perfectly buttery and bacony. (Is that a word?).
In between lunch and dinner I managed to find time to make Oatmeal Crispies. Really good! Again, very buttery. Are you sensing a theme here?
I would have included my blurry pictures, but Pioneer Woman's pictures are 10x more appetizing. So click on the links and just imagine that's what my food looked like.

Whew! I was a very tired pregnant lady by the end of the day....

Next up on the dinner menu for tomorrow is Crispy Yogurt Chicken, minus the Tablespoon of butter on each piece of chicken. Don't believe me? Click on the link!

That's all I've got for tonight. I feel like I should be updating more about the baby, since this is the "Nully Baby Blog". But I honestly don't have much to update. I haven't felt him move yet, but I'm hoping it happens sometime in the next couple of weeks!

Sneezy Sunday

I woke up this morning and decided against going to church because I am sneezing my head off. No, I'm not sick. Just cursed with allergies. We went to our good friends Jon and Danielle's house last night to watch the MMA Strikeforce fight. Unfortunately, they have 3 cats and 1 dog, and I am allergic to all of them. We had a good time, eating turkey burgers and watching the Sharks game in between fighting rounds. (5-0 Sharks!)

So today I am just taking it easy and cooking/baking! One of my favorite things to do. =)

I recently stumbled upon the Pioneer Woman, thanks to reading Tara's Blog. Oh. My. Goodness. You have to go to PW's website and check out her "cooking" tab. The most amazing looking food ever! Now just to warn you, many of her recipes include butter. Big hunks of butter. But everything looks absolutely delicious, so I've decided to try out a few recipes today. Stay tuned for the results!

This is what Riley is doing today. Just chillin'.

15-Week Appointment

I had a routine check-up today and everything seems good! No ultrasound today, but my BIG ultrasound was scheduled for early December! That is when we'll know 100% that we're having a boy, instead of just 90%.

As of 15 weeks, I have gained a total of 5 pounds. Wow, I can't believe I just gave out that information on the internet.....My doctor is pleased with that number and said that I'm right on target. It's still hard to see the numbers creeping up, though.

I finally broke down and got the H1N1 flu shot today. I've been very conflicted about the shot, but after getting that horrible migraine last week, I've been reminded of how miserable is it to be sick. I absolutely hate being sick. For some reason it really scares me and causes me to have a lot of anxiety. So I think the best choice for me was to get the shot and ease my fears of getting the flu.

I have added a poll to my blog, asking for your opinion on some potential baby names. Please vote honestly! And I would love to hear your reasoning for your votes!

Maternity Clothes and Pumpkins

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

They turned out pretty good, huh? Only problem is that we carved these last weekend, and they are now shriveling up and growing mold. =/

So I had some time to waste last night after work. I didn't want to drive home during commute time since I take the San Mateo Bridge. Ugggg what a mess. So I went shopping! Up until now the only Maternity Clothes I've purchased are a pair of jeans. But my work clothes are definitely getting uncomfortable, so I went to Motherhood Maternity. I tried on a ton of clothes, and ended up with some new work pants, a dress, and a few tops. The thing about maternity clothes is that they make you look pregnant. As in, very pregnant! Something about the way they are cut just suddenly makes me look 6 months pregnant. I don't really mind, because they are quite comfy, but it's going to be weird to start wearing them when people aren't used to seeing me with a huge belly.

Random Topics

1) I made homemade chicken enchiladas and they were delicious! Even Adam commented that they were the best I've ever made. I actually made the enchilada red sauce from scratch, since I didn't have any on hand, and it was really easy! Let me know if you want the recipe.

2) I recently finished this book, and did NOT like it at all. Julie & Julia should have focused more on the actual food and less on Julie's constant whining.

3) I just bought this CD, and absolutely love it! I've been hearing Francesca Battistelli on the radio for a while, so I finally splurged and spent the $10 on her CD. Well worth it! I would compare her singing style to that of Sara Bareilles, only a bit more unique. She's a Christian pop singer with some attitude in her voice.

4) Tonight I am meeting some friends from Team in Training for dinner at Buffalo Bill's. I'm looking forward to hearing their success stories from the half-marathon. Actually, I'm hoping they will all whine and complain about how terribly difficult and stupid it was, and make me feel like the smart one for not running. Just kidding! Kind of.

5) I love being in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy! Except for the trouble sleeping through the night, the teenage acne, and the back-aches. Other than those things, I really am enjoying the 4th month. I absolutely can't wait until I start to feel the baby moving around. I'm sure it will be a little weird, but awesome at the same time.

6) Baby name suggestions are still welcome! Please note that I have strict rules, though. The middle name will definitely be James, so the first name must contain 2 syllables, and cannot start with "N". Got it?


***EDITED TO ADD**

I cursed myself! I wrote that the 2nd trimester is going great, and then WHAM! I get the absolute worst migraine of my life. Imagine hanging over the toilet in the middle of the night, calling the Dr. and begging for something stronger than tylenol. Waaaa

It's a..........

So this afternoon I had my "NT" scan. This is where they use an ultra high-tech ultrasound machine to look at every part of the baby's body. They are checking for signs of Down Syndrome, as well as just making sure all the necessary parts are present and growing. It was sooo much fun! The Dr. was super zoomed in with the ultrasound, so the baby looked huge! (It's only 3 inches)

We saw its little fingers and toes, spine, profile, and the Dr. said everything looks absolutely perfect. He kept saying it had a "very nice face". I assumed this just meant it had two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. Adam thinks it means the baby is really good looking.

At one point the baby reached out its arm and waved at us. So adorable! But almost the entire time, the baby was standing on its head. No matter how much the Dr. poked and jiggled my belly, it wouldn't cooperate. But he was able to get all the necessary measurements and gave us the A-OK.

Towards the end he said "So do you know what you're having?". I'm thinking, how on earth would we know, since I'm only just over 13 weeks. So I said "Why, do you?". He responded "Yup". I said "Oh My Gosh, that means it's a boy". He turns to Adam and says "She's smart!"

It's a BOY!!!

The Dr. is 90% sure, but we're assuming he's right. Once he pointed it out to us, it became pretty obvious that it's a boy. =)

Any name suggestions?? So far Adam hates all my suggestions, but can't come up with any himself. We are open to suggestions!

Bittersweet

Yesterday was the Nike Women's Half-Marathon. The marathon that I was supposed to run. I trained with Team in Training beginning in June, with every intention of running/walking my first half-marathon this month. The training was difficult and very frustrating at times when I couldn't see or feel any progress. I documented my training on this page here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/nikesf09/snullmeyer

In mid August, I completed a 7-mile run, not realizing it would be my last for a very long time. When I found out I was pregnant I was really conflicted about my marathon training. I had committed to raising the money and running the race, so I decided to continue the training by walking instead of running.

But God had bigger plans for me! Due to the complications I experienced, it became apparent that I would have to quit my training. I was definitely disappointed, but you know what? I wouldn't give up this pregnancy, complications and everything, just to run a race. So far this pregnancy is one of the most amazing things that has ever happened to me. I'm sure the rush of crossing the finish line would have been pretty incredible. But I know that giving birth to my child next April will be by my biggest accomplishment to date.

So yes, reading and hearing about the half-marathon this weekend was bittersweet for me. I do wish I could have been out there running with my Team in Training friends. But I am completely happy with where I'm at. I'm going to be a MOM!!

Memory Lane

I just discovered that I DO in fact have the cable for my old camera, which means I can download pictures from my old memory card onto our new computer! Here are a few pictures of Adam and I from years back.....awwwww! One of my favorites pics from college. This was right before a Valentine's dinner at Maggiano's at Santana Row.
He was not my husband at the time. I take no responsibility for his actions.

Studly hubby at the beach, trying not to get burned.
Honeymoon in Maui.

Does Your Dog Do This?

160 BPM!!

That's right......we heard the heartbeat! Adam suggested we use our home fetal doppler again to search for the heartbeat. I tried with no success, and then let Adam have a turn. He found it right away! It was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. Seriously, that sound just made my day. We timed it for 15 seconds, and got 40 beats, which equals 160 BPM. So fast and strong! It was really loud and strong, and then all of a sudden there'd be some fuzzy sounds and then it would be gone. Like maybe the baby was doing little somersaults? How cute! I can't wait to meet this little Nully Baby.

I attended a class today at work where I learned all about maternity leave, FMLA, blah blah blah. It was definitely confusing, but the basic idea is that through my company I can take about 6 months leave. Only half is 100% paid, while the rest is either partial or no pay. Adam and I still have a lot to discuss in terms of our plans after the baby is born. But it feels good to be informed and know what options I have in terms of keeping my job after the baby comes.

Is anyone else loving this big scary storm? I secretly wish it would last all week long. I love the rain! Well, except when I forget my umbrella (like today).

Another Recipe

I love banana bread but I hate nuts. I found this recipe a long time ago in some magazine, and have adapted it slightly. So I will call it my own. =)

I like it for many reasons. Aside from the fact that it's super yummy, it only requires 1 bowl. And no butter defrosting required...just microwave!

Chocolate Chip "Nutless" Banana Bread

3 Overripe Bananas

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

Dash of salt

1 egg

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1/3 cup chocolate chips

*Heat oven to 325 degrees

Mash bananas, then add flour, sugar, soda, salt & egg.

Melt butter slowly in microwave on low heat. Add to bowl and stir.

Sprinkle in half of the chocolate chips. Pour batter into greased loaf pan.

Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top. Bake for 60-70 minutes.

It will come out golden brown. Let cool and enjoy!

*Please note that this recipe is by no means healthy. Eat at your own risk! Otherwise, you might end up with a 3-months pregnant belly like me!

Pathetic

Yep, I'm pathetic. I'm currently slurping a bowl of chicken noodle soup because I threw up tonight for the 2nd time during my pregnancy. The first was many weeks ago. Now that I'm 12 weeks (11 weeks and 5 days to be exact) aren't those pesky symptoms supposed to be going away, and not just starting?? I was having hot flashes all afternoon at work, and then got dizzy while in Safeway after work. I developed a headache on the way home, and then threw up once I got here. I am now drowning my sorrows in a bowl of Campbell's.

Honestly, I know that I've had it pretty easy with the whole morning sickness thing, so I'm really not complaining. What I would like to complain about is my bathroom floor! I got a good look at it while bending over the toilet, and let's just say it needs a good scrubbing. Hmmm someone should probably clean it tomorrow. Hint. Hint. Husband, are you reading this?

To Vaccinate or Not?

Ok, I need your help. And by "you" I mean the 5 people that now read this blog. hehe
So last night Adam and I went to Kaiser and got our flu shots. My doctor strongly recommended it for me because I'm pregnant. And even though Adam had never had one before, I made him get it this year for my sake. I can't take care of a sick husband in my condition! Anyways, I get the shot every year so it really wasn't a hard decision for me. I figure pregnant women have been getting the flu shot for years, so they are pretty well informed about it.
The H1N1 shot, on the other hand, is stressing me out. Again, my doctor's office highly recommends it. I mean, pregnant women are dying from the swine flu! But for as much good information I hear about the vaccine, I also hear that it is causing miscarriages. I'm so conflicted! I have a couple weeks to decide, because I can get the vaccine during my next Dr. appt on the 22nd. Until then, I need your opinions. Would you get it if you were pregnant, knowing what you know about the vaccine?

On a lighter note, Adam and I celebrated our flu shots with Olive Garden last night. We were both really hungry, so we got the never-ending pasta bowl. We both ate our first bowl and then got the 2nd bowl of pasta to go. Ever since I got pregnant, it's like I can still eat as much, just not all at once. I have to eat smaller meals every couple hours. Otherwise I will get a horrible tummy-ache. =( And believe me, I got one last night! We asked our waiter what was the maximum number of pasta bowls a customer had ever consumed in one sitting. Can you guess what he said? 13!! I was blown away by that. I bet the person cheated.

Sweet Corn and Leek Risotto

Tonight I got the urge to cook. I wasn't necessarily hungry, or craving a specific food, but just really wanted to cook. So I did! I first decided to make some risotto.

I searched the internet for a decent recipe, but ended up just winging it. I knew I wanted to put corn in it, and I had leeks that were on their last leg. The corn inspiration came from my lunch at Chevy's today. You know how they always serve a little blob of sweet cornmeal with your meal? Well I don't really care for it, but Adam loves it. So I thought he might eat risotto if there was sweet corn in it. But then I was afraid it would end up too sweet, so I added in the red chile peppers for a little spice. Here's my made-up recipe along with a few pictures of my creation.

Sweet Corn and Leek Risotto

1 Tbsp Olive Oil or Butter

1 tiny Onion, diced

1 Leek, white portion chopped (discard the green tops)

2 small Red Chile Peppers (each about half the size of a bell pepper)

4 cloves Garlic, diced

5 cups chicken broth

1 cup Arborio Rice (risotto)

1 15 oz can Sweet Corn

Red Pepper Flake

Parmesan Cheese

Heat the olive oil or butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and onion. Stir for about 2 minutes, then add chile peppers and garlic. Meanwhile, heat the chicken broth in a separate pot on the stove until at a low boil. Once the vegetables soften, stir in the 1 cup of arborio rice. Saute for a few minutes, but don't let the rice burn or stick to the bottom. Add the can of drained corn, and a sprinkle of red pepper flake. Next, add 1 ladle-full of the hot broth, and stir the risotto constantly.

Over the next 25 minutes, you should continue to gradually add the broth and stir. At the end, your risotto will be creamy and thick. Add salt and pepper to taste, and a very generous handful of parmesan.

The risotto wasn't as sweet as I was expecting, but I still really liked it. I would estimate that this serves 4 very hungry people. Risotto is very filling! I served it with salmon fillets. Yum!

Fetal Doppler

So we got our fetal doppler in the mail yesterday! I rented it from here: http://www.babybeat.com/

So, I totally knew this would happen. We couldn't find the heartbeat! I realize that being 10 and half weeks along, it's not easy to hear the heartbeat yet. I did find my own, though! It was a loud woosh woosh sound. There was one second where both Adam and I looked at each other and thought we heard the baby's beat. It sounded like quick hoof beats. But as soon as it was there, it was gone!

I got my box of organic produce delivered today. We get it from these guys: http://www.farmfreshtoyou.com/index.php
Unfortunately, nothing in the box appeals to me. Lettuce? Nope. Pears? Yuck. Broccoli? Ewww. So unlike me!

We have absolutely no plans for the weekend, and I am totally fine with that. Just this week the fatigue seems to have hit me. My other symptom of nausea has gone away, but in its place has come tiredness and daily headaches. Blaaah

Normal

Today was the first day in a long time that I felt more "normal". I didn't wake up feeling sick, and I didn't collapse in bed immediately upon returning home from work at night. I will admit that the worry-wort in me is thinking this is a bad sign. But hopefully it just means the first trimester is coming to an end!
Unfortunately I am still unable to go for walks, per instructions from my Doctor. Right before I found out I was pregnant, I was training for a half-marathon. I got up to 7 miles before stopping due to my pregnancy. 7 Miles! I went from hard-core training to sitting on the couch channel surfing. As a result, I am HUGE. Seriously, I'm not really huge, but I have definitely gained a few pounds and I could easily pass for being 5 months pregnant. My pants are getting very tight and I fear I will soon weigh more than Adam.
OK, enough complaining. Here's what you've been waiting for. A picture of our little baby! Here is my 9 week, 4 day ultrasound pic from last week. Sorry it's a bit blurry. Basically the baby is towards the bottom, laying on its back, with the head on the left side. See it?

Oh, and Riley felt left out, so here's a recent photo of him:

Goodnight!

Been a While

I guess now that I have a blog I should actually post things on it! There's really no motivation, since I have no readers. But here we go.

Good News: No more hematoma! I went to the Dr. this week and she saw no sign of it! To top it off, the baby grew from 15 mm to 30 mm. Woohoo! Grow, baby, grow!

Bad News: I also grew. As in, more than 15 mm. =/ But I'll take that any day if it means my little baby is healthy. It was really such a relief. It was like I had been holding my breath the entire week waiting for some dreaded news. I told Adam this doesn't mean I'll stop worrying, though. Nope. In fact, I'll be worrying about this little baby for the rest of it's life.

I'm contemplating visiting the Old Navy maternity department today. Yep, I am 10 weeks pregnant and I no longer fit in most of my pants. Or if I do, it's just too uncomfortable. So I'm going to just suck it up and buy some basics. Who cares if I'm only in my 3rd month?

Oh! I also rented a baby doppler today! I get to keep it for a month, and it will allow me to hear the baby's heartbeat any time I want. I have a funny feeling I'll be using it about 100 times each day. =)

Finally, I would like to say that I love the Fall. It's by far my favorite season. I just wish the weather would hurry up and cool down. I have thanked God multiple times since I got pregnant that I won't have to be hugely pregnant during the summertime. Perfect timing! (Although isn't God's timing always perfect?)

Subchorionic Hematoma

I finally have a medical term for the cause of my bleeding. A subchorionic hematoma.
Without getting too graphic, it's basically a blood clot between my baby's sac and the uterus wall. It will most likely go away on its own, but I am still on bed rest for the rest of this week.

I am happy to announce that some good friends of ours will probably be bringing a baby girl into the world either tonight or tomorrow morning! Despite all my personal worry, it is exciting to hear about others' happy and successful pregnancies. I'm a sucker for a cute baby. =)

Ultrasounds

I am just over 8 weeks pregnant, and I have had 4 ultrasounds! Due to my complications, today's ultrasound was in the Radiology department. The technician wasn't allowed to tell me anything, but I tried my hardest to squeeze some information out of her.

I casually asked "So can you see the baby?", so which she responded "Sorry, I can't say". I asked a similar question later, hoping to catch her off guard. No luck. =/

Now I am sitting on the couch waiting for some type of results. This is definitely testing my patience.

FOOD

Food....one of my favorite topics!
So I absolutely loved to cook in my pre-pregnancy days. There was just something really relaxing and enjoyable about coming home at night and making a healthy dinner. I loved going to farmers' markets and picking fresh produce. I browsed through recipes online and in cookbooks, and dreamt about a life where I was paid to cook and eat.
So what am I eating now that I'm pregnant?

EasyMac, Spaghettios, and OtterPops, just to name a few.

It's not that I'm even having morning-sickness. It's more like an all day icky feeling that has resulted in my new aversion to all things healthy. This includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc. Instead I'm craving fast, salty, convenient foods. I have a new appreciation for corned beef hash out of a can. Who knew it was such a delicious and satisfying meal?

It's Me Again!

I'm baaack!

This blogging thing is pretty fun, even though nobody is reading it yet. Just thought I'd give some more info about myself. Although I'm pretty sure that anyone who ends up reading this will already know everything about me. Oh well, like I said, this is fun! (And in case you didn't read my first post, I'm stuck in bed. This is far more exciting than watching ANTM re-runs.)


Here is my little family: First up, my dog Riley!


Yes, he's a strange dog. He is a schnoodle (part poodle, part schnauzer). As I type, he is intently staring out the bedroom window at a bird. Too bad I can't take him for a walk!


Next up: The Hubby!

OK, so this is actually my husband and one of my nephews on our wedding day, but I thought it was a cute photo.

My collection of photos actually downloaded to my computer is pretty limited. Stay tuned for my next post about my new pregnancy eating habits! Exciting stuff.

First Blog Post Ever

Hello Blogworld!

I'm not entirely sure what to say (or type). I've never had a blog before, but now seems like a good time to start one!
Adam and I recently discovered that I am pregnant, and I really want a way to document the ups and downs of the next 9 months. We found out just 3 weeks ago that a Little One is growing inside of me, and whoa baby, so much has happened since then! Without going into too much detail, I've developed some frightening complications which caused my Dr. to put me on bedrest this week. I've only been laying in bed for 1 full day now, but this bedrest is tough work! My back aches and I'm sick of depending on someone else for all my needs. (ie: cookies).

Assuming all goes well with this pregnancy, I hope to update this blog frequently with updates on my pregnancy symptoms, complaints, and just life in general. According to my calculations I should be just over 7 weeks today, due late April 2010. But at our ultrasound yesterday, the Dr. said the baby is measuring just 6 weeks along. But we got to see the little heart beating at 160 bpm! That was super encouraging.