Our World

So it has been a few days since I posted, I know how lazy am I? Anyway Evan has decided that we are going to walk Tippy everyday now together, because I don't get enough (any) exercise. So of course I brought my camera with and had some fun taking pictures, plus I really like outdoor pictures because everything is so bright and vibrant in comparison to indoor pictures. So of course the first (and maybe the second) time we went for our walk it was to the gas station so that I could get a beverage and maybe and snack for later (talk about motivation lol), but today we just went a couple blocks down to look at all the nice houses. Tippy had a good time, as soon as we were outside she was running to the end of her line, but quickly fell behind as she felt the need to sniff everything within reach.

We also have been cooking a lot lately, hoping to learn how to make some dinner dishes that don't come from a box that we actually like. So two days ago it was beef stew. We went to the grocery store (after finding a recipe online) and got all our ingredients and made it together. It wasn't very hard but it did take like three hours (just simmering!) so it was a good thing we weren't hungry when we started making it! If I remember the ingredients correctly it had carrots, potatoes, tomato sauce, beef bouillon cubes, water and beef in it. We didn't include onions or celery (because I'm a picky eater), and we had to cut the number of carrots and potatoes in half because I don't know what the person who wrote the recipe was thinking, but there just wasn't enough room for more than half.

Yesterday we made a cheeseburger bake thing (that we also found on the internet). It had really simple ingredients, ground beef, shredded cheese, condensed cheese soup, green beans (it actually called for broccoli and some other stuff but we substituted because like I said before, I'm picky), milk and bisquick. I think you can basically guess how we made this (brown the beef and then add everything but the bisquick and shredded cheese to it, grease a pan and spread the bisquick batter evenly on the bottom, add the meat mixture, sprinkle with cheese and bake in the oven!), but you can tell by looking at the pictures that it looked pretty gross until it was done. It was really good! Me and Evan ate the whole thing that night (and if we had leftovers I'd still be eating it!).

And finally! Today we made orange glazed chicken and risotto (rice). All we had to buy was the dry white wine, orange marmalade and shredded parmesan cheese, we just so happened to have everything else on hand. So Evan made the rice and I made the chicken (probably because it was so easy). I thought that the rice was a little bland, and that the chicken was good, but then I've always enjoyed the trashier food, so what do I know?

So yesterday about the only thing we did was go to the library so I decided not to post anything (I also spent the day reading and Evan painted), but today was a busy day! I had a midwife appointment at two, and my usual midwife was gone and there was a bit of a wait, but the lady was still pretty nice (I don't know her name though). She told me that the reason I don't really feel our babies movements so much is because the placenta is on the front (I think it's usually on the side?) and so it cushions his movements. She also told me that he was positioned head down (I don't know if he'll stay that way or if he's getting ready for birth) and that his heart beat sounded good. She also gave me some free samples, one was pills for pregnant or nursing women (vitamins) and the other was a box of supplements for baby and formula samples. When we got home I made some phone calls to arrange for some pregnancy classes, one is a five week child birth preparation course (started today) for Wednesdays at six thirty to nine. And the other is a newborn class which is on the 20th of this month. I also called my human services worker (because my case worker got switched again for who knows what reason) because my other worker had told me that I was eligible for cash benefits and that she would sign me up for the program (but I didn't know if she had or if my new worker new to sign me up if she hadn't). So I called and he told me he would mail me an application and that I should turn it in, and then I would get another letter in the mail telling me when my appointment is and that after that appointment if everything is good I should get my benefits. So at six o'clock Evan took me to St. Joe's hospital for the childbirth class. It was pretty boring because the first class just goes over the basics (everything I have read in every pregnancy book), but at the end they taught us some breathing techniques which was pretty cool. I am now planning to go to the grocery store to buy ingredients for beef stew (which I have never made before), here's crossing my fingers that it turns out!

So yesterday I decided that I would try to read all of the Harry Potter books before going to see the premier of the new movie (half blood prince), I finished the first book already, but didn't spend much time today reading the second. I guess I'll just have to spend some more time on it tomorrow. We also decided that we were going to buy our tickets early (at Lakeville theater) just on the off chance that they run out when we get there on the night of. So today we went to the library so I could return a big pile of books and also to get a new library card (because I lost mine), and while I was there we picked up a book that had just come in for me. Evan then dropped me off at home so that he could go to the art store and buy some canvas's (I hate standing around the art store, it's boring and makes my back hurt), and I started Harry Potter while he was gone. When he got back we agreed that we would watch the first Harry Potter movie together while he painted, we only got about half way through it before we turned it off because it was so bad (bad acting reminded me of made for tv movies (sorry if I offended any Harry Potter movie fans) ). We then picked up my big bag of drugs from Walgreens (prenatal pills, ketonstix, and blood test strips) and I made us some personal pizza's when we got home (they were reeeeeeally good). I plan on making chicken fajita's for dinner later tonight, but for now I think I will lay back down and read.

Ok, so me and Evan woke up early to get ready because my Dad was coming to pick us up. He got here and gave me lilies and a camera! I have decided lilies are my favorite flower because they are so pretty (not the orange ones though because you see those everywhere). I got in the car and then had to get out about ten times because I kept forgetting things! I also forgot to check my morning blood in all of the excitement! We were ahead of schedule so we decided to get some fast food (also because I was starving), I got orange hi-c which is my most favored fast food beverage, it was awesome. We then discovered that my aunt, uncle, cousin (and her husband and two childeren) were going to the hospital first to visit with my other cousin (and her boyfriend) who were there with their little girl. So we decided to head over there too, but then we had to wait a long time for everyone else to arrive (at least it seemed like a long time lol). Anyway we visited and hugged and were sterilized etc and asked my cousin and her boyfriend if they would like to join us all at the lake, but they declined, and then we were off!

It was really humid out and the bathrooms were pretty gross but I had a good time, even though the lake was way too cold to actually swim in me and Evan went in up to our knees before we came back out. I spent a lot of time taking tons of pictures (I love taking pictures!) and then it started to rain a bit. The lifeguards saw lightning and everybody had to get out of the water, we waited it out for a while but then decided it was a lost cause. We got home and then half an our later we were off to my (this is going to be an annoying I warn you) boyfriends moms boyfriends house for food and fireworks. We had really good ribs and ham and me and Evan played scrabble while watching the others light off fireworks. And then later watched the real ones. I think it was an all around good day.

Go here for more pics: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1097144310321&saved#/album.php?aid=2015920&id=1278000162

Ok, so yesterday I started working on what was formerly mine and Evan's bedroom (we moved out because it was too hot in there for me so now we're in the room next door) and will now be babies future room. I sorted out all his clothes (which was hell on my back) and painstakingly made a list of everything he has in what size (so that I know what I still need). The clothing itself took yesterday and part of today and I hung all the premie, newborn, and months one through three in the closet and put everything up til month twelve in the dressers (if you see the plastic bags lying about in the pictures those are the baby clothes I haven't sorted by size yet). I still have to clean off the shelves and dressers of all the junk still but I think I've done a pretty good job (and please don't remind me that we'll probably have to move everything out when we get around to painting etc). Also included in the pictures is the highchair/desk/rocking horse that my dad made for us (it's just too nice). Anyway, more to come soon (probably). Also you can't really see it, but what the desk has written on it is, "It's a boy!".

Just got batteries for our camera and decided to take some belly pictures since it has probably been quite a few months since we last took a picture. I couldn't decide which one was better because I liked the lighting in the one but thought you could see me better in the other so I just decided to put them both up since my page is somewhat lacking in pictures at the moment. I wish I had more to say but the only news is that I will be going through (my big huge) pile of books and deciding which ones I don't want to see if I can get some store credit or cash at a bookstore. Still reading horrible chick lit, which reminds me I must go to the library and pick up the books I have on hold before they get sent back. Also watched the first two episodes of Trueblood season two (I don't actually know how many are out now) and it was great! Will now watch Spinaltapp before going to bed (sorry I know I'm boring so I'll just stop here while I'm behind).

So I am a picky eater (about the only things I like are meat pasta and junk food) and I have gestational diabetes. The Dr told me that all I have to worry about is counting my carbs and checking my blood so I thought I would put down my favorite snack/meal for anyone who's having a hard time finding something good to eat.

pan fried rope sausage with rice and soy sauce
I buy the lite sausage to make myself feel slightly better and when I buy the rice I look at all the boxes and find the one with the least carbs per highest serving (I believe the lowest one I found was Roundys instant rice with about 30 some carbs per 1/2 cup uncooked) and the soy sauce I use is only 1 carb per tablespoon.
So anyway, yes cut the sausage and pan fry it with oil (I like mine a little burnt) and while you do that cook the rice (mine only takes five mins on the stove) add the sausage to the rice and then add your soy sauce and your done! I get 45g of carbs for snacks and lunch (60g for dinner) so I can have this for a snack or lunch because if you add a little more then a 1/2 cup it roughly adds up to 45 (I only use 2 tablespoons soy sauce)

toast pizza or taco pizza
I have discovered that Sarah Lee's bread has the least amount of carbs per serving at 19g for 2 slices, also cheese is extremely low in carbs too and the pizza sauce I use is about 2g for a 1/4 cup which is way more than I need. I also found out (when we were low on groceries) that soft shell tacos (or in my case soft shell fajitas) work really well for pizza too.
If you do the toast pizza just put the toast in the toaster, put some sauce and cheese on it and then microwave it for however long it takes (microwaves vary) and you're done!
If you do the soft shell pizza preheat the oven to 400 put some sauce and cheese on your shell and put it in for around five mins and that's it! Both are very good but I suppose the taco version tastes more like an actual pizza

Popcorn
If you buy the kernals so you have to pop them yourself you can make about a 1/4 cup (which makes a big bowlful) and still be good and you can melt some of your own butter to pour on it and add salt to your taste (but this should probably be a once in a while snack due to health reasons)
Put some oil in a pan and let it heat a min then pour the kernals in and cover. Shake the pan often so the ones at the bottom don't burn and wait til most of the popping has stopped. Add butter and salt and enjoy!

Anything else I like is basically meat, because I don't have to worry about carbs in them unless I add a marinade or something. So steak, and then count the carbs in the ketchup (or whatever it is you eat steak with) and then find yourself something else to have with it like a potato or something.

That's all I can think of right now, I hope someone found this helpful!

Had my diabetes check in appointment today to make sure that everything is ok with my blood sugars etc. I will admit they have been a little high lately (but nothing serious) so I should pay more attention to the amount of servings I am giving myself, and if I eat out and have fries I should probably only eat about 1/3 of what they give me (the worst part! I love fries :( ). Anyways, I did have a very strange number (it was 230) and we couldn't think of what had made it go that high, so we decided that (because the last meal I had eaten before checking my blood that time was BBQ ribs) that I must have had some sauce on my finger that got into the blood and made the reading crazy. My weight gain for today was also perfect (205) and we are scheduled to go back again in three weeks.

Just had another midwife check in (at 30 weeks 6 days), and basically all we did was listen to Jamie's heartbeat. Except this time I was hooked up to a machine and had to press a button every time I felt him move (which after the first ten minutes was a lot actually). Lisa (the midwife) is also going to have someone from the hospital call me because I lost the dates for my childbirth classes etc and need to know when I am signed up, and every time I called them myself they would just keep transferring me and I never got an answer. Anyway, while we were doing the heartbeat thing it got really hot so Evan fanned me off (isn't he sweet?) and then he talked to my stomach to try and get Jamie to move around a bit. That's it for today! Tomorrow will probably be another update because I am having a diabetes check in meeting in the morning.

Just wanted to have this set up for when my son is born because I'm sure people will want to know how he's doing once he's here. I don't really think that I am interesting enough until then to keep a blog going, so, if you are reading this and want more, you'll probably have to wait til the end of aug. Sorry