Tidbits

I've made it through this pregnancy so far with surprisingly few meltdowns of any kind. I had a few emotinal days here and there, don't get me wrong... Such as the day I fell to my knees crying in the closet because nothing fit (I've since had to get over that because, well, nothing ever fits now. So I've just decided to accept looking like a sausage stuffed in its casing when I get dressed. That and I've bought a few new things :) ). Well it's been a while since I had a breakdown, until Monday. I woke up feeling really swollen and uncomfortable, and when I got to work the scale showed me that I was indeed, swollen. Pregnancy weight is not something I want to be upset about because it is necessary and important, but I have learned the women in my family are water retainers which makes the numbers pretty shocking. Well anyway, I was upset, and tired, and after work I was going to go to the grocery store to do a large shopping trip since the house was pretty empty. I got to the store, couldn't find what I was looking for, and nothing Iwas putting in the cart would combine to make any kind of dinner... so I started to break down. Eric advised that I go home and we will try the shopping another day. So I took the few things I had and headed out, stopping for a little latte on the way to lift my spirits. As I'm pushing my cart over the ice packed parking lot, the gravel scattered all over it caused my cart to shake so severely that I'm just dumping my latte all over myself. Which of course then makes me cry, and I proceeded to cry the whole way home. Eric came home then, and said he would go to the store to get the ingredients for what I wanted to make for dinner. He headed out and was gone for longer than expected, and about an hour later he shows up with a houseful of delicious groceries... including healthy options he thought I might want to take to work for snack, lunches etc. What a guy, it was really sweet of him. Of course made my mood infinitely better. I went swimming at the pool the next morning before work, hoping it would help with my swelling, and I am in love with swimming again! Of course, swimming now looks a lot different in my opinion. But it feels amazing, and will now be a regular part of my routine. I have been wanting to get in te pool for months, even before I was pregnant I wanted to get back into swimming but never got motivated to go to the pool. Well the swelling got me there, and now I'm hooked! It was so refreshing, and although I look like a flailing fish, it still feels right. I was a good swimmer back in the day, but the racing suit has been retired quite permanently. In fact, I really have no swimsuit that fits at all. I decided to brave it and just wear one of my normal summer bikinis, because I don't have any one piece and it wouldn't fit over the belly even if I did, and I didn't think it was worth it to buy a special maternity suit. Well, my suits don't fit me, so I wore the bottom of one, and the top of another trying to cover as much as possible. It wasn't a very nice look, but I really didn't care, and no one was looking. I think to be sure everything important stays where it ought to be (covered) I may go look for a slightly larger tankini or something for the next few times.

Along with the excitement of swimming, we have been trucking along on exciting things here at home! This past weekend we bought a chair for Henry's room! It's a very pale green, just the right size and very comfortable. I'm glad we found the lighter color because it brightens up his room I think. His rug should be here this Friday, so that's exciting. We also bought his diaper bag! And on the same day we got that, one of my orders from Etsy arrived-- they are fantastic bags with owls on them to go in his diaper bag... One is a wetbag, canvas on the outside with a waterproof lining to hold wet/dirty clothes and such, and one is a smaller wet bag for wipes so we don't have to carry a whole pack of wipes with us. Or we can shove the pack in there just because it's a fun bag.

I finally got motivated to cook again yesterday, and I'm feeling inspired in that department again. I'm thinking of only healthy recipes, and trying to get out of some of the regulars that we gravitate towards. Last night we had salmon with a soy/mustard/garlic sauce, over whole weat angel hair with sesame broccoli and snap peas. Tonight we made turkey noodle soup! I love making dinner because it's fun and healthy, but also because then I automatically have lunch figured out for the next day and for some reason that makes me really happy. So if any of you have recipes you enjoy, or have been wanting to try, please share them with me! At the bottom of these posts, you can leave comments (that will also be fun so I know who, if anyone, reads this!) But I'd love to hear some of your recipes, please share! One thing you should know, is that I don't eat beans... but you can still share bean filled recipes if you'd like. I'd love to hear them, I just won't eat them! :) Mom shared a recipe for a seafood soup last week, right after we had eaten a cioppino at one of the midwives' houses. It was delicious and Eric and I both wanted the recipe, and it sounds like Mom's recipe is just like it so we are looking forward to trying that. Oh, another thing: Please refrain from giving me brownie recipes or anything that I might find suitable doused in hot fudge... Mom sent me a jar of hot fudge in my Christmas stocking, and I am hooked, dangerous! I just finished a bowl, I had vanilla bean ice cream on top of a pear with some of the hot fudge on top... YUM! Today I found myself at work thinking of what else would be good with the fudge on top, so we better just watch out and not give me any more ideas for that :)

I spoke too soon the other day when I said Henry wasn't kicking much-- I think the past few days he must have been in a growth spurt. Usually right before he gets considerably bigger, he is really still and I don't feel much of him for a few days and when I start feeling him again I feel him in a much stronger way. Well last night after dinner (and dessert) he started just kicking and wiggling all over the place. Eric and I had fun watching my belly shake, and the boy hasn't stopped since! I felt him all day at work, this evening, non stop. It's been great :) I hope he is healthy and happy in there and moving in happy ways. They sure feel happy from the outside, I love it!

Those are the updates for now, hoping I hear from some of you after this to get some tasty food ideas.

Here's a picture of the frost that is covering every tree in Anchorage, all the fences etc... It's called anchor frost, and I think it's really beautiful!