Prep and Updates

Another week of inconsistent blog posts, but as we near the end of pregnancy I find myself less eager to sit in front of a computer when I can be hanging out with Terry or playing with Scout. I know I'll still be able to do those things with a baby, but perhaps not in the same way, so I'm soaking up this time while I can.

Yesterday I stopped at the grocery store on the way home from our doctor's appointment (more on that later) to grab some staples as well as the necessities for this week's meals. I stocked up on a few items we want to have at the ready for when baby comes:

• peanut butter
• bananas
• a whole chicken to freeze so we can throw it in the crock pot one day
• whole wheat pasta

When my mom was visiting last week, she made me feel better about all this meal prep. While I do want to have lots of food stocked up, I can still plan to be in the kitchen at least a little. Of course I'll avoid crazy complicated meals and steer clear of big baking projects, but I can still plan to make small, easy meals here and there. And of course I also have a wonderful, helpful husband who knows his way around the kitchen (and the grill!). 

My mom has also been busy at home making some freezer meals for us--pasta sauce and chili verde (yum!). We have a few meals ready in the freezer, too: a homemade pizza crust and sauce, that whole chicken I mentioned, pork shoulder (we can use it for carnitas or slow cooker pulled pork), some ground beef for whatever purpose. 

We're assuming the first few days home will be the most hectic, between settling in and having the grandparents around, but those visitors will be more than happy to help us with food, so I'm not worried. Between snacks and take out, we'll have plenty to eat. 

But we've started brainstorming easy meals that aren't necessarily freezer-friendly but are easy enough to make without too much fuss and without creating too many dirty dishes:

• Roasted vegetables and whole wheat pasta in marinara sauce
• Sandwiches, either grilled or cold
• BBQ anything--burgers, chicken, whatever Terry wants to make
• Breakfasts for dinner (pancakes, eggs, French toast)
• Soup--tomato bisque, broccoli cheese, anything Ina Garten recommends
• Slow cooker refried beans (to make burritos)
• Vegetable quesadillas

I'm feeling a lot less panicked about needing to have a million meals ready to reheat, because I know Terry and I will figure it out and get meals on the table. 

Along with meal prep (or at least thinking about meal prep), we're slowly getting to a point where we're somewhat ready for this kid to take over our lives. My doctor has officially recommended for me to stop working, so I'll be off starting Monday. And this weekend is our last "busy" weekend, with three big events--visiting friends, a graduation party, and a graduation ceremony/lunch. All exciting, but I'm sure I'll be exhausted! Luckily the heat is supposed to taper off by the weekend (thank goodness). 

Yesterday I washed a bunch of baby clothes, as well as blankets, burp cloths, and bedding. I still feel a little clueless as to whether or not we have enough clothing, but I know both grandmas will be more than happy to buy some more outfits for the little one if needed. 

In case you're wondering, Scout was not at all helpful with folding the laundry and instead chose to simply claim all the new items for himself.

Today we're planning our "big trip to Buy Buy Baby"--an event that has loomed in our imminent future for months now. We did a great job of holding off until after the showers and after the move to make any purchases, but now we can stock up on the missing items. Once we are finally "finished" (a relative term that won't ever really be accurate) with the nursery, I'll post a few photos.

I also spent a little time over the last week or two getting ready for Terry's first Father's Day. Since we obviously don't know when the baby will be here and under what circumstances, I wanted to be sure to have his gifts and a card ready well in advance. I'm so excited that the baby will (almost certainly) be here by then! 

Since I've already provided several other updates, I may as well include a few more:

Symptoms: I still have itchy skin in the evenings (usually starts around 8 pm), but it hasn't been as unbearable the last few nights! I get a little swelling in my feet now and then, but I know the heat has a lot to do with that. I feel sharp pain in my groin/inner thigh quite often now, but it's likely just the baby moving lower. 

Exercise...is at a minimum. I definitely have great intentions, and I'm still feeling fully capable of walks and even strength workouts, but the heat has taken a toll on me. Staying cool, hydrated, and well rested feels more essential than squeezing in every scheduled workout, so if I miss something, I'm not giving myself a hard time. On the other hand, I do feel great after almost every time I exercise, so I hope to keep up at least a few walks per week until the big day.

Emotional Well-being: For a few weeks, I felt absolutely panicked--about how much our lives are going to change, about whether we're ready for those changes, about the process of settling into our new lives. Thankfully, by talking with a lot of people and being really open about my fears, I'm starting to feel a lot better. I still have moments of anxiety, of course, but I really have a great partner to help me with this parenting thing, and I know we'll figure it out.

Getting Scout Ready: Some people have asked how we think Scout will adapt to the new arrival, and while we can't be sure, I think he'll adjust fairly quickly. Our only real plan is to bring home some of baby's clothing from the hospital before we bring the baby home so he can familiarize himself with the smell. Aside from that, we're teaching him to stay off of the baby's furniture (mostly the co-sleeper and the crib), and we'll just roll with the punches as needed when the baby arrives.

And lastly, we had one pink and one blue ribbon from our showers, and I put them out for Scout so he could play. He has determined we are having a girl.