the day i had a bebe

Sunday, October 28, 2012

talk about a teaser.

just kidding. i didn't have a bebe.

i'm nine days past the ol' due date. that's a niner folks.

le bebe is probably never going to make an appearance. well...maybe around christmas-time at this pace. right? right.

i recently learned how to use the hash tag according to twitter and instagram.

so we'll call this blog post: #pregnantgalproblems

it's officially a "problem" in my book.

as you approach the end of your pregnancy, you'll have people telling you to "relax" and "put your feet up."

i've decided to take the opposite approach. i really just want to do anything and everything that will pass the time...quickly.

i attempted to make cakepops for my friend's harvest party. i failed...again. out of about 40...only 20 kind of turned out:

these certainly aren't the prettiest. however, they are FAR better than my first attempt. you may recall the cakepop disaster of christmas 2011? click here to have a looky-lou.

i also made four batches of chili for this same harvest party. it's safe to say the chili is MUCH better than the cakepops.

but have a look at last year's harvest party. you can view it here and here.

the harvest party is tonight. i have high expectations.

i originally thought i'd be bringing a bebe to this year's harvest party event...instead i'll be shoving chili and cakepops in my face. moving on...

i would never say that 41+ weeks pregnant is "comfortable" or "enjoyable" or a "highlight" of the past year.

it's reached a comical state, though. sometimes i just look at my cartoon-shaped belly and laugh. i'm quickly jerked back to reality when le bebe adjusts position and i receive a lightening sharp pain on either side of my lower spine.

two words: super awesome.

guess what else? i'm so SO tired of hearing myself complain. and i can only imagine how tired my farmer is of hearing the same words come out of my mouth.

he's a saint, people. he just keeps asking what he can do to help.

he rubs my feet. he rubs my back. he even threw together a chicken dinner as i dictated from the couch the recipe i found on pinterest. bless him.

chicken dinner made in joint effort by farmer and me

in between trips to le big city, complaining, and half-hearted attempts at cakepops, i put some more touches on bebe's room:

the crib wall leaves much to be desired. i figure i'll jazz that up with le bebe's name...once we know what we're having.

we're also waiting on a chair to be delivered to go on the striped wall. a chair to be used for bebe cuddling.

i'll wrap this 41st week post up with a pathetic picture taken by my farmer.

here i am strapped up to some monitors for a non-stress test. it monitors bebe's heart rate and my contractions.

but don't worry...i'm not having contractions. that was easily confirmed.

killer flower, yes?

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what 40+ weeks looks like...oh...and that one time when my farmer ran 30 miles

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

guess who's still pregnant?

yep. it's me. notice the lack of exclamation points.

i wouldn't say i'm "thrilled," by any stretch of the word.

definitely not.

at this point i'm thinking stretch marks are inevitable. i mean...the belly can only be pulled so tight, right?

here is what 40 weeks looks like...

boom:

boom:

guess what else?

i wear this outfit...at LEAST every. single. day. my farmer even said that i should buy myself a new white tank top since i've permanently stained the belly of both the tanks i have. but i figure i'm just right here at the end...they are kind of nostalgic. i'll just keep wearing them.

these pictures were taken the day before our due date so i told my farmer...we should document! what if this is the last preg. picture?!

he agreed. so we popped out to the deck and snapped away.

our view of the farm really is lovely from the deck. the pictures don't do it justice.

you also may be questioning the ghost-whiteness of my face and assume it's the flash. nope...i really am that color.

enough bebe talk. let's talk about my amazing farmer and his amazing dancer legs. they really go for miles. both in length and distance. (one figuratively, the latter quite literally.)

so...my farmer got on board with a bit of trend a few of his friends took on.

to run 30 miles on their 30th birthdays. yes...this really happened.

unfortunately with a september birthday, being a farmer, working out the logistics of running a ski hill...you know...typical stuff...he missed the 30 miles on the 30th birthday deadline. alas, he amended the goal to be 30 miles before bebe-arrival.

just two weeks ago, on a GLORIOUS saturday morning, my farmer's great pal jamon, came to the farm and they ventured off into the desert. jamon rode his bike for 30 miles next to my farmer and played support.

pre-run:

mile four:

don't his legs look fresh and lively? like he could run 26 more miles!!

as he ran/jamon rode, i played support crew from the truck. i would drop off little baggies of necessities at certain mileage checkpoints. this was checkpoint 26...just four miles to go:

contents: PBR, some h2o, sweet & salty, and a goo. goo's are disgusting.

at mile 26...my poor farmer. he was feeling a little tired, a little doubtful, but with some serious determination on this face. regardless...they needed to have a little sit-down to enjoy their well-earned PBR's.

approaching the checkpoint!

having a sit-down at the checkpoint:

i do believe this is where my farmer said, "i think my right calf has exploded."

i didn't question it.

but guess what. he made it. he survived. he ran 30 freaking miles with VERY limited training.

i think his longest training run was 16 miles.

i'm not sure he would recommend only running 16 miles before a 30-miler.

upon our return another well deserved beverage for my farmer:

beverage totally helps with the recovery. it really really does.

sweet victory.

thank you jamon for your 30-mile assistance through the desert. i believe my farmer would agree that the task would have been MUCH more daunting without you.

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bebe watch 2012 - week 39

Monday, October 15, 2012

well. it's week 39.

39 weeks and four days to be exact.

guess who has two thumbs and is sick and tired of carrying around a bowling ball in her gut?

this girl.

fun story - an elderly man in the grocery store was picking out some lettuce yesterday. so was i. in a very gruff voice he leaned to the side and said, "swallowing watermelon seeds can be dangerous."

i'm not the "quickest" when it comes to wit, so after about five seconds of my hamster stumbling on the wheel it finally clicked. the bebe = watermelon. i swallowed a seed.

i instantly fell in love with that old man. i'm convinced he was flirting. all 117 years of him.

so, above and beyond obsessively cleaning and trying to get comfortable, my farmer has been doing his very very best to keep me busy so i don't dwell too hard on the fact that le bebe is actually climbing up my ribcage instead of settling down...bebe is going to get a spanking as soon as i see it. (kidding.)

to keep me busy, farmer took me on a bike ride. well...he ran. i biked and carried water. naturally i made him snap some shots...

quick, look super-duper awkward, perfect:

you'll notice that not only is my gut growing outward these days, but i'm also rapidly becoming wider. it's NOT a great look.

guess what you shouldn't do at 39 weeks pregnant?

you shouldn't ride a bike with poor balance and try to take a picture with an iphone...that's what you shouldn't do. almost had an accident.

my farmer ran 10 miles this evening. isn't our view lov-er-ly?

a few nights later my farmer sent me to the big city and said, "go get yourself something pretty and meet me for dinner at six."

actually, he didn't say anything about going shopping. but he did ask me on a date. and i may or may have needed a new, cute top. and so i did and we did...

but i ONLY purchased a new top because my farmer purchased new wheels...for this thing...

he calls it his "pup." it's an isuzu, diesel, flatbed that he adores more than me. and i will say it makes me a little jealous.

he's currently in the process of stripping it down, sanding it down, and jazzing it up real good-like. as if he doesn't have enough going on...

he loves his pup. he loves his pup so much. i wonder how much he's going to love his pup when he realizes it's not exactly bebe-friendly.

now how much do you love your pup?

he still loves it.

39 WEEKS & 4 DAYS STATS

how big is bebe? bebe is large. watermelon sized. like 27 pounds. or more like 6.5 - 8 pounds and about 20 inches long.

weight gain - oh weight gain. you elude me. i'm sitting still at somewhere between 15 - 16 pounds. my fabulous, best nurse-galfriend, cathie, (labor and delivery, thank you very much) gave it to me straight. she said that since there hasn't been any water weight (as in, low to minimal swellage) 16 pounds is just dandy. that made sense to me. so i'll probably still have a few L-B's to work off after bebe. unless i have that 27 pound bebe i was talking about.

stretch marks? i don't see how it's possible, but still no stretch marks. my belly is LITERALLY at capacity. the skin is as tight as she'll go. please bebe please. if you love your mama you'll come out before those first stretch marks creep up on me. (and by first i mean any new marks. let's not forget the marks i gave myself while i ate and drank my way through college. dear god...)

gender - so...don't tell my farmer...but i may have accidentally fallen into bebe gap yesterday and i may have accidentally purchased a new girl-going-home outfit. the one i had picked out was just too gender neutral. and i can always return it should the bebe be a boy. but let's face it...it's a girl. and to go with the new going-home outfit i also purchased some super, darling pink socks, and a little zip-onesie with cats riding on broomsticks for halloween. daaaaaahling i tell you.

cravings - anything i want at any given time. on saturday i ate exactly 1/2 of an apple pie. thanks amy!

crazy-town - you know. dare i say, but i tink my "crazy" moments are subsiding. i'm down to maybe one cry a week. sometimes no cries at all. can you believe it? maybe i'm saving up for a big one. that could be fun. i did tear up at the movie argo yesterday. it was good. you should see it.

okay y'all. let's cross our fingers and toes that my next blog post will having nothing to do with being 41 weeks large. word?

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farm food | zuppa toscana

Tuesday, October 09, 2012

numero uno - 38 weeks and five days doesn't look so hot on me. i'll spare you the picture.

numero dos - my farmer. he's one lean and mean farmer...minus the mean part.

numero tres - my cooking (or lack there-of) in NO WAY correlates to his lean-ness. seriously.

numero quatro - i cooked last night. i cooked last night for the first time in a very VERY long time. and that's just the charm in me.

numero cinco - my farmer is a saint and takes me out for dinners a lot. or we just happen to stop by friend's houses, conveniently, around dinner time. (thank you: amy/ryan, will/julie, jake/walker, annie/jamon...i'm sure there are a few i'm forgetting.) or farmer and i sit on the floor and eat cream cheese and wheat thins. hey...it's what we do.

however, a few days ago i was sitting on the ol' iPad, pinning away on pinterest when i spied a recipe for zuppa toscana that you make right in your ol' crock pot...or on the stove. both work!

my farmer's motto when it comes to the crockpot - set it and forget it. (i just love when he says that.)

and boom - just like that, i made dinner. a soupy dinner, but dinner nonetheless.

I N G R E D I E N T S 

• (1) cup heavy whipping cream
• (1) pound italian sausage (i went with mild because my farmer doesn't do spicy.)
• 16 oz. chicken stock
• (1) onion
• (2) large potatoes
• (2) cups of kale or swiss chard (i did kale)
• (2) cloves of garlic (i just scooped some out)
• (1) quart of water (which i found out is actually 32 ounces. why didn't they just say 32 ounces? i probably just should have known the conversion, but i didn't. don't judge me.)
• bacon bits - you can do these. i didn't. very optional.

so you gather all your little ingredients and immediately put the heavy whipping cream and the kale back in the fridge. apparently you don't need those for about 3 - 4 hours.

1 |  chop time

• dice your onion
• chop your potatoes - they said into 1/4 inch pieces, but i felt like i got good results from a thinner slice. they weren't mushy. they weren't crunchy. delish after about four hours of crockin'. (that's what we're calling it now - crockin'.)

 2 | cook your meat

 3 | add chopped ingredientses, meat, water, broth, and garlic to crock.

4 | set it and forget it - on high, for four hours.

5 | return four hours later and chop some more...delicious kale this time.

add the kale to the crock and set it and forget it - but only for about 10 - 20 minutes

take a crappy photo. perfect.

6 | now add your heavy whipping cream. forget to take a photo. perfect.

enjoy...

my farmer "ooo'd and ahhhh'd." i don't know if he really did enjoy it or if he was just employing the theory of positive reinforcement. but i will say, it felt good to cook something. and eat it. with my farmer.

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ants in my pants at 37 weeks

Monday, October 01, 2012

i officially have an entire colony of ants in my pants at 37 weeks and four days.

i'm freaking out, people. it's officially bebe month. according to le EDD (estimated due date) we're down to 18 days.

adjectives that could describe my intense mood-swings:

• cry-ish
• nervous
• anxious
• excited
• freaking out
• can't sit still
• can't focus
• sweating from nervousness
• can't hold conversations...

okay, those aren't adjectives...but that's basically what we're dealing with. i'm all over the map mentally these days.

you would think this is because i want to "nest." but it's not.

you see, my farmer believes i'm in a permanent state of nesting and probably have been most of my adult life.

i REALLY enjoy things to be clean and organized at all times. it's a burden and a blessing.

however, i'm also in an intense state of procrastination. i feel like i don't want to do too much bebe-prep because we're still three weeks out.

but then i look at our little bebe room and freak out because the dresser drawers still smell like paint fumes and glue. details...

i digress...

so i had so many ants in my pants on friday i announced i was getting the heck out of dodge. i packed my bag(s) and headed to the most charming of towns here in idaho. i've been visiting mccall since i was a wee one and it always brings a sense of calm, relaxation, and simplicity. i just love love love it there.

we are lucky enough to be able to escape to a family cabin that was built by my great aunt and uncle (my grandpa helped too!). they've since passed, but it's remained in the family.

isn't it adorable?

right off the driveway is a road that leads into a state park. i love running there...but these days i only walk...

on saturday i walked the opposite direction into town and treated myself to all the glorious sites and a new restaurant. it's called notch 8 and it was indeed a tasty lick...

the lake...

adorable shops...

at one of these adorable shops the shop owner stopped me and wanted to chat about bebe. about 30 seconds into the conversation she said she just couldn't stand it anymore and had to hug my belly. she looked to be nearly in tears from sheer thrill so how could i turn her down? i couldn't.

however, it wasn't just a hug. she started with some hugging. moved onto rubbing. finished with some light scratching.

now, if you've been pregnant, you know that a preg belly is an itchy belly.

now, if you know anything about me, you know i enjoy my personal space.

but something about the sincerity and "vibe" from this gal...well...i just let her keep right on hugging/rubbing/scratching. thinking back, we probably looked pretty hilarious.

37 WEEKS & 4 DAYS STATS

how big is bebe? they say bebe is full term now and probably about 6-ish pounds and 19 inches. i think bebe is closer to the size of a two year old with the way it does pull-ups on my ribcage.

weight gain - oh...goll. i don't know. somewhere between 15 - 16 pounds. i lost some ounces in there somewhere. we'll see what doctor says on thursday. (probably water weight.)

stretch marks - BOOM! HOLLA! NONE! keep your fingers and toes crossed for me. my skin is feelin' real REAL tight.

gender - farmer and i are feeling quite convinced that it's a girl. i was looking at our 18 week ultrasound pictures and i'm pretty sure she has my cheekbones.

cravings - good news...i'm off the frosting. i've moved onto cereal for all meals which is a total throwback to my college/post-college days. mostly cinnamon life and rasin bran. i think i'll go have some now.

most dramatic moment of the week - can we count my rage from thursday night? no worries...i'm feeling better now. less angry and moreso ridiculously anxious.

happy monday you fine folk.

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