What's Cookin In the Kitchen

Monday: Hawaiian Pizza

Tuesday: Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

Wednesday: Quick on the Run bite to eat; (We are doing the membership class at our church)

Thursday: Crock Pot French Dip

Friday: Stuffed Peppers

Saturday: Eric will be camping, so I'll have a nice quiet weekend.

13 Weeks

how far along? 13 weeks, Wednesday 1/25/2012

how are you measuring? 13 weeks 2 days (The ultrasound on 1/18 showed the baby was measuring 2 days ahead)

size of baby? Lemon, 3 in 1.5 oz

heartbeat? 151 as of 1/18
total weight gain/loss? + 2 lbs

maternity clothes? I have been wearing my maternity dress pants all week. My jeans still fit fine. However, I think it's about time I buy a bigger bra :)

stretch marks? Nope. Still using Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter.
sleep? I've been sleeping pretty good actually. I'm getting up once a night to go to the restroom.
best moment this week? The results from last weeks screening all came back NORMAL!!!
movement? Nope nothing yet. I can't wait until I feel movement.
food cravings? Still loving fruit.

gender predictions? Still going to say girl.

what i miss: Being able to stay up late with Eric. I've still been going to bed early.
what i'm looking forward to: To have a true baby bump!
how are you feeling? I'm still feeling great. I am in total shock that I've felt this good.

Development this week: Today starts week 14 of development. Beginning in the 2nd tirmester, fetuses start growing at different paces. Despite the differences in growth rates, all babies in utero follow the same developmental path. This week, that baby is having a straighter position as the neck is getting longer and the head more erect. On top of that cute little head, might be sprouting some hair. (hopefully curly!) Eyebrow hair is also filling in as is body hair, lanugo. This downy coating of hair is there to keep the baby warm for now, like a furry blanket. As baby fat accumulates later on, most of that hair will be shed. (According to What to Expect When You're Expecting)

What's Cookin' in the Kitchen?

Sunday: Taco Soup

Monday: Meeting up with a friend for dinner, so Eric gets left overs

Tuesday: Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake, Caesar Salad

Wednesday: Baked Pork Chops in Mushroom Gravy, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans

Thursday: Make your own Pizza

Friday: Chicken & White Bean Enchiladas

Saturday: Le Peep Breakfast (Groupon)
KC Restaurant Week Lunch Deal
Grilling Buffalo Burgers

12 Weeks

how far along? 12 weeks, Wednesday 1/18/2012

how are you measuring? 12 weeks 2 days (This puts my due date as July 30th which it was originally August 1st. I see the doctor in 4 weeks, so I'm not sure if she will change the due date or not)

size of baby? Peach

heartbeat? 151
total weight gain/loss? + 1.2 lbs

maternity clothes? I bought some black slacks from Target on Monday. My dress pants are just uncomfortable buttoned. They still fit, but once I sit they are snug. I wore them to work on Tuesday. They were super comfortable since there weren't any tight buttons. The only thing is they're too big right now. The belly band on them doesn't stay up that well. It'll be hit or miss on what pants I wear that day.

stretch marks? Nope. Still using Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter.
sleep? I've been sleeping pretty good actually. I'm getting up once a night to go to the restroom.
best moment this week? We had our first ultrasound today. It was amazing to see our little one. I posted 2 pictures but the pictures just don't do it justice. Seeing the little one on the screen was amazing. The right hand was up by their forehead the entire time. We joked saying if it's a girl, she's going to be a drama queen. The heart rate has slowed down to 151. Still nice and strong. This was the nuchal translucency screening for Down Syndrome. We won't get the results back for another week. They drew some blood as well, so they have to wait to get the levels back of my hormones.
movement? Nope nothing yet. The little one was moving a bit during the ultrasound. It wasn't too wiggly, just now starting to move some.
food cravings? Still loving fruit.

gender predictions? Still going to say girl. The old wive's tale is that a heart rate > 140 is a girl and < 140 is a boy. We will see!!!

what i miss: Running. With boards running kind of got put on the back burner. I'm excited to start running again.
what i'm looking forward to: I can't wait to get out of the first trimester. Eric and I worry about something happening. I know there's not a magical wand that says you're in the 2nd trimester now everything will be perfect, but the risks do go down. I think getting over this first hump will help ease our minds some.
how are you feeling? I am actually feeling great! My energy is starting to pick up some. Last Friday I did have a random morning sickness moment. I woke up and was some what shaky. I thought oh my sugar must be low, so I got a glass of fruit juice. I got ready and then when I was about to leave, I thought maybe I should go ahead and eat. Normally I'll eat breakfast once I get to school, but that day I was kind of shaky still. I made a bowl of cereal. After I finished the cereal, it wasn't even 2 minutes later I was throwing it up. After that I felt fine. Feeling great still.

Development this week: Today starts week 13 of development. The little one is about 3 inches long. The head is now about half the size of his/her crown to rump length, but that cute little body is picking up steam and will continue growing overtime. At birth, the baby will be 1/4 head and 3/4 body. The intestines have been growing inside the umbilical cord, but this week they are starting their trek to their permanent position in your baby's abdomen. The vocal cords are developing this week. (According to What to Expect When You're Expecting)

11 Weeks

how far along? 11 weeks, Wednesday 1/11/2012

how are you measuring? ????

size of baby? Large Plum

heartbeat? 171
total weight gain/loss? + 1.2 lbs

maternity clothes? One day during last week, I had to leave my black dress pants unbuttoned. They buttoned but during the drive to work, they were a bit snug. The slacks had a button on the inside and then two clasps on the outside. I decided to leave the two clasps on the outside undone. Yikes! Also this morning I felt like my boobs grew even more. haha

stretch marks? Nope. Still using Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter.
sleep? I've been sleeping pretty good actually. I'm getting up once a night to go to the restroom.
best moment this week? I took my boards yesterday. WOOHOO!!! We also heard the heartbeat last Friday at the doctor's. It was nice and strong at 171.
movement? Nope nothing yet.
food cravings? Still loving fruit and clementines

gender predictions? Still going to say girl. The old wive's tale is that a heart rate > 140 is a girl and < 140 is a boy. We will see!!!

what i miss: Running. With boards running kind of got put on the back burner. I'm excited to start running again.
what i'm looking forward to: We have an appointment next Wednesday for an ultrasound. This is the Nuchal Translucency screening for down syndrome. They will look at the amount of fluid behind the baby's neck. The only reason we are choosing to do the screening is so we can prepare for anything extra that needs to be done. Down Syndrome children have complications such as heart and intestinal issues. If we find out the little one is at risk for Down Syndrome we can have any specialists lined up for the birth.
how are you feeling? I am actually feeling great this week! I'm so happy to have boards over. My energy is starting to pick up some. Still no morning sickness.

Development this week: Today starts week 12 of development. The baby has more than doubled in size during the past three weeks, weighing in at 1/2 ounce and measuring about 2 1/2 inches. Most of the systems are fully formed, but plenty of maturing to do. The digestive system is beginning to practice contraction movements, in order to eat, the bone marrow is making white blood cells, to fight off all those germs, and the pituitary gland has started producing hormones. (According to What to Expect When You're Expecting)

Tomorrow's The Day!

So I take my second set of national boards tomorrow. EEEK!!! I spent my Christmas break studying like a mad woman. I have watched a total of 75 hours of lectures and done thousands of practice questions. I feel prepared. The past few days have been stressful though with times filled with doubt. A huge test plus pregnancy hormones= tears.

One thing that keeps me hopeful is that God knew about this test well before I even knew I was going to med school. He has gotten me this far in my journey to becoming a physician, so I have faith that I am going to do great.

This past Sunday at church the sermon was on John 8: 12-20. It was just the message I was needing to hear in the time of doubt right now. "I am the light of the world." The preacher answered three questions and one of them was "What does the light of the world do?" He talked about how God brings light into the darkness. He brings hope when there is hopeless and brings light when there is doubt. With huge tests like this, I tend to doubt myself and all of the time I have spent preparing. After hearing this message, it gave me a calmness. Told me that I can give this test to God as he is in control. It also helped me to realize not to place my hope and identity in a test or school.

I strongly believe God's plan for me is to be a physician and to help those that are sick. As long as I continue to follow Him and trust Him, then I will get there. If you wouldn't mind just say a short prayer for me to keep me calm tomorrow during this 8 hour exam. Thanks!

10 Weeks

I said I was going to probably start baby bump pictures today, but I am sick and still in my pajamas. Sorry maybe next week. Don't worry there's no bump yet, so you're not missing anything.

how far along? 10 weeks, Wednesday 1/4/2012

how are you measuring? ????

size of baby? Lime

heartbeat? 171
total weight gain/loss? + 1.2 lbs

maternity clothes? I noticed a pair of my jeans were feeling a bit uncomfortable when I sit down. The waste band is right where the bloat is right now. Agh!

stretch marks? Nope. Still using Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter.
sleep? I've been sleeping pretty good. Now that I have a cold, I've been sleeping a lot!
best moment this week? I was actually starting to feel good with energy and my appetite came back.
movement? Nope nothing yet
food cravings? Still loving fruit and the clementines

gender predictions? Still going to say girl. I read online that craving oranges means girl, so we will see.

what i miss: Not having the energy to fight a cold. This is my 2nd cold already.
what i'm looking forward to: We have a doctor's appointment on Friday. She said hopefully we will be able to find the heart beat with the doppler. If she can't find it then, I will get an ultrasound.
how are you feeling? This last week I was really feeling awesome. I woke up Monday morning with a sore throat. Yesterday with a little bit of a headache and today I just felt like I got hit by a bus. Man I feel miserable. I stayed home today, and I have been sleeping off and on all day.

Development this week: Today starts week 11 of development. The little one is just over 2 inches long and weighs about a third of an ounce. The body is straightening out and the torso is lengthening. Hair follicles are forming, and fingernail and toenail beds are beginning to develop. The nails are forming on individual fingers and toes, having separated recently from the webbed hands and feet of just a few weeks ago. And although you can't tell the baby's gender, ovaries are developing if it's a girl. The fetus has distinct human characteristics by now with hands and feet in the front of the body, ears nearly in their final shape, open nasal passages on the tip of the nose, a tongue and palate in the mouth, and visible nipples. (According to What to Expect When You're Expecting)

Happy New Year

Wow 2012! I can't believe it's finally here. I remember when I started med school with an estimated graduation date of May 2012, I thought 2012 was just so far away. Well I won't be graduating this year since I added on the fellowship, and I'm ok with that. The year 2012 has some exciting things in store, ie. having a baby!!!!

Here are a few Goals for the new year.

1. Be more consistent in spending time reading the bible. I get on kicks where I will do really good for a few weeks and then slack off. I have a devotional book that has a small reading every day that I want to do. I feel advent really helped me focus on the Lord and trusting in him to provide for us. I hope to continue my spiritual growth by being consistent in my daily devotionals.

2. Be consistent on doing a couples devotional once a week with Eric, so our relationship with Christ can continue to grow as a married couple working for His will.

3. Be more intentional when it comes to my friendships. I want to try and hang out with a friend at least once a week. This can be with a couple or just some girl time for me. I just want to continue to grow in the friendships God has created.

4. Organize and Declutter!!! I found this on Pinterest, and I'm so excited to give it a shot. It's a 2012 Declutter Calendar. Want to try it with me?

5. Exercise at least 3 times a week. Eric and I were doing such a great job with working out and eating healthy. Then I got sick right when I found out we were pregnant, and the working out stopped. Then the board studying came on and is in full swing. Once boards are over, January 11th, I want to get back into running and videos.

What are you wanting to do with the new year?

What's Cooking in the Kitchen

All of these recipes came from Pinterest. I'm excited to actually try some of them. I really haven't had the energy to do much cooking. The fatigue is starting to ease up, or I'm just getting use to it. We are also wanting to try and hang out with friends once a week with a date night once a week which will include our couples devotional we do.

Sunday: Turkey Burgers on the Grill (Sunday Night Football)

Monday: Buffalo Chicken Tacos

Tuesday: Ginger & Cilantro Lime Tilapia

Wednesday: Baked Chicken Parmesan

Thursday: Brisket Tacos

Friday: Date Night

Saturday: Hanging out with Friends

I'm also going to try a Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie for breakfast one day this week.

What's on the menu for you this week?