Tarragon Chicken Salad in Lettuce Cups

Carbs have not been my best friend with this Gestational Diabetes, but oh how I miss them!  I have been getting by with a couple of cookbooks I have never used until now.  This recipe comes from Suzanne Somers' Eat Great, Lose Weight.  I now wonder why I've waited so long to use her cookbooks, because every single meal I've made from them has been so delicious; Matt says some of his favorites yet!  This chicken salad was not only amazingly mouth-watering, but so easy to make too.  I cooked chicken up especially for this salad, but it would be a great meal to make using leftover chicken from a previous night's dinner.  If you're not being forced to restrict your carb intake, this would make a delicious sandwich!

What You Need:

• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken (be sure to season well with salt and pepper before cooking)
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise (there's also a recipe for homemade mayo in this cookbook)
• 3 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 1/4 sweet onion (Maui or Vidalia), finely chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped (I had green, so that's what I used)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon, or 1/2 tsp dried
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4-6 romaine lettuce leaves
• 3 green onions, chopped
• Sprigs of fresh tarragon for garnish, optional.

What You Do:

1. Place all ingredients for chicken salad (first 7 ingredients) in a bowl and mix until well combined.  Adjust seasonings to your liking. 
2. Place a large dollop of chicken salad in each lettuce leaf.  Garnish with green onions and tarragon.  Then fold it up like a taco and enjoy.

Makes 4-6 lettuce cups.  I think Matt and I got a little more than that out of it and had just a little left over.  So, it may be a good idea to double the recipe if cooking for four people, etc...

Week 34 Prego Points

Gestational Diabetes:  Although frustrating at times when all I want is a brownie, I've found some good sweet-tooth alternatives that don't spike my blood sugar and the diabetes is really easy to keep under control.  I haven't had another ultrasound yet, but I'm going to ask about that today when I call my numbers in.  I'll have to share some recipes we've been enjoying lately.  They are great for my diabetes, and have also been some of Matt's favorites!

Fundal Height Measurement:  My belly measurement at 33 weeks was 34 cm.  Still on track, but it's the first time the measurement has been one centimeter over my week.  Slow down Lucy :)

Weight Gain:  As of last Thursday, my total weight gain was 24 pounds.  So my last Prego Points update was incorrect. 

Sleep:  I'm thankful to still be sleeping well!  No more leg cramps since that one a few weeks ago.  I have started to get up around 1:00-2:00 a.m. to empty my bladder, but not every night.

Project Nursery:  We have new blinds installed, the trim cut and painted, and we have the first coat of white on all the door frames. I will get the second coat of paint on the door frames tonight as Matt installs the trim!  Matt should also have the closet organization system installed by this weekend and then we get the dresser put together and Lucy's items can start going in her room instead of taking over our office.  Several items have been ordered and are on their way to nursery land!  I know we (hopefully) have 6 more weeks to go, but I really feel like we're behind.  I would love if the room was ready by now.  Click HERE for pictures of the nursery update. 

Upstairs is a mess right now!

Nesting:  Not really "nesting" yet, but I know it doesn't always happen for everyone and it can also manifest in different ways for every momma-to-be.  I have had bursts of energy and have done some organizing, but nothing out of the ordinary for me anyway.  I welcome the crazy nesting to begin any time now :)

Home Birth Kit:  My birth kit arrived!  Click HERE to watch the video.

Labor Bag:  Now that I have my birth kit, I'm starting to put together "Labor Bags" for myself and Matt.  For Matt, I want to be sure he doesn't forget his swim shorts in case I want him in the water with me.  He might not want to strip down to his underwear to do so :)  When the bags are packed and ready, I'll do a video for that so you can see what we're taking.  I did buy some aromatherapy oil to add to my bag .  Peppermint helps with nausea, and lemon is renewing and I just love the way it smells!!  We are practicing using all of my senses during labor.

Birth Preparation Workshop:  Our birth workshop was last weekend, and what an amazing experience!  If you live in the Seattle area, we HIGHLY recommend Patti Ramos!  She is a doula and birth educator, and even if you plan on giving birth in the hospital with a doctor, take this class!  She showed us many techniques to help baby turn and get into the proper position.  One of which has been named "The Ramos" and 90% of the time allows the momma to avoid a c-section by getting the baby to rotate into position.  Matt calls it the "Cirque du Soleil" because it is...somewhat acrobatic and works best with two people assisting.  Matt was happy to learn that our 2-day workshop had been condensed to one day since one mommy-to-be was in labor, one was on bed-rest, and a couple other had to cancel.  Since there were only four couples total, we were able to complete the workshop in one day.  Many of my fears were laid to rest, and all of my questions were answered.  Everyone in the class cried, more than once, and it was definitely more emotional than we were expecting.  At times it was like a marriage retreat and Matt and I feel so much closer and connected, and are even more excited for the birth experience.  The Ice Journey is something I don't even know how to explain, and if you plan on taking Patti's class I'm sworn to secrecy.  Patti wants couples coming in to have no expectations in order to get the most out of, not only the workshop, but the birth simulation as well.  Let me tell you, you won't be disappointed working with Patti!  Sure, there are birth classes at hospitals all over the place, but I really feel like this is unique.

Overall, I'm starting to feel tired and easily out of breath, and have also had moments of dizziness.  While cooking dinner last night after work, I had to pull a chair over to the counter because I had to keep sitting down to rest.  It's frustrating, but understandable, as all my organs are being squished as baby grows...most notably, my lungs.  I've put a hold on my gym membership and am sticking to walking now.  I'm definitely moving slower at work, which puts me behind by 10 minutes all day long at times.  I have mixed feelings about work being a little slow right now.  I welcome the shorter days and work weeks at times, but also know my paychecks are about to come to a halt for a while and would really like them in full for now. 

Thanks for checking in and for all the sweet comments.  We are getting so excited to meet our sweet girl!

Project Nursery: Paint and Trim

The nursery is painted, the new blinds are installed, and this afternoon we worked on the trim (for the nursery as well as the hallway).  This week on Matt's agenda is to install the trim and get the closet organization system installed.  I've been searching for the perfect curtain rod and having a difficult time, so that remains on my agenda  Seems like a simple project, but I haven't found a white curtain rod yet.  I thought I could just paint the previous curtain rod in the room white and buy new ends, but that's proving to be difficult as well and Home Depot doesn't have a white rod nor the ends I want.  The search continues.  After this weekend, we will buy the dresser we have picked out from IKEA and get that put together and then Lucy's items received at her baby showers can be put in her room!

Cutting trim

Making sure everything fits before painting.

Painting trim (with no VOC paint, window open, and fan on :)

Painting the door frame (new white doors coming at some point).

Dry time!

What Comes in a Home Birth Kit? (My video debut!)

Have you ever wondered what comes in a home birth kit?

Me too!

Let's find out together as I open up my kit in my very first video...

Week 31 Prego Points

Gestational Diabetes:  I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and have to test my blood sugar levels four times a day:  first thing in the morning, then one hour after breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  I then call my numbers in every Monday.  As long as I watch my carbohydrate and sugar intake, my blood sugar levels stay very stable and I do not have to take insulin.  If I did have to take insulin, my pregnancy would be determined to be high risk and I would no longer be able to work with our Midwife.  I'm missing my bagels in the morning and ice cream after dinner, but I can sacrifice some carbs if it means keeping myself and baby Lucy healthy.  There is definitely a silver lining:  Knowing, means I can keep myself and Lucy healthy, and greatly reduce my risk for developing Type II diabetes in the future.  My midwife, Nancy, said that in her 30 years she has never had a clients' blood sugar levels so high!

Leg Cramps:  I woke up in pain this morning about 5:00 a.m. with my first leg cramp.  Not a pleasant pregnancy milestone.  Because of the Gestational Diabetes, I cannot each much fruit (such a bummer) so bananas, cantaloupe, and even potatoes are not allowed to help with my potassium intake.  I already drink nothing but water, all day long.  My midwife suggested a warm bath with Epsom salts before bed because the Magnesium Sulfate will help

Nursery: After four different paint samples, we finally chose a color for Lucy's nursery walls! We chose Behr's Ice Folly.  A nice blue that's not TOO blue and I think it will look lovely with the white furniture.  Matt has also ripped out all the baseboard and door trim in not only the nursery, but in the hallway upstairs as well, so he can replace it with white baseboards to match the downstairs.  He's totally nesting right now :)

Fundal Height Measurement:  At 31 weeks, my belly measurement is right on track at 30 cm.

Weight Gain:  I gained another 4 pounds this month, which brings my total weight gain to about 24 pounds.  I can't really remember exactly after today's appointment for some reason.

Blood Pressure:  Nice and low at 100/60

Lucy's Heart Rate:  Strong and healthy at 140 bpm.  I love that sound!

Fetal Kicks:  Lucy has been moving and kicking like crazy!  I told Matt it's so amazing and creepy at the same time...but mostly amazing.  She is head-down, which makes momma happy.  My midwife told me that if she's head-down, she'll stay head-down.  It's so crazy seeing my belly jumping around and seeing what I think is a knee move across my tummy.  She also likes to stick her bum out on the right side and make my belly go completely lopsided.

Sleep:  I'm still sleeping really well, other than that leg cramp this morning :) 

Home Birth Kit:  It's time to order our home birth kit!  No, I'm not planning on giving birth at home, but I'll need it to give birth at Nancy's birth center, and we simply take it with us on D-day.  I can't believe we're close enough to be needing to order this!  I'll share the contents once I receive it.

What if I need to transfer to the hospital?  I get this question often from those concerned that I'm not giving birth in a hospital.  Our midwife, Nancy has delivered over 4,000 babies in homes and her birth center and has a transfer rate of only 4-5%.  This is lower that many midwives, who have transfer rates of 15-18%.  Most of her transfer rates are due to mothers asking for pain relief (epidural) after a long labor, and not due to an actual "emergency".  She said that if we do need to transfer, it's very easy and we won't have to worry about a thing.  Nancy handles everything and will have a hospital staff waiting for us when we arrive to the hospital if need be.  I'm not worried and I know we are in very knowledgeable and capable hands with Nancy. 

It's time for my appointments to be scheduled every 2 weeks instead of once a month.  I'll also be going in for more ultrasounds due the gestational diabetes; they'll want to take more measurements of Lucy to make sure she doesn't get too big.  We get to see more of her!!!

Oahu Day 1: Let the fun in the sun begin!

Come along with me to Oahu!

Good morning Waikiki!  This is one of the views from our room, and although I can't really see the beach from here, Waikiki Beach is just beyond those buildings.  It's about noon here and I've been up since before 6:00 a.m.  Matt left for work at the Disney Aulani Resort around 7:00 a.m., and I decided to stick around here for the day to do some exploring and go with him on another day. 

Room without a view.

Although it would be nice to have a view of the beach rather than buildings while in Oahu, I can't complain.  Our room is covered since Matt is here for work, and I'll stay wherever they want us to!  We are downtown, so I do hear the sound of delivery trucks beeping while in reverse, car horns honking, and the hum of building air conditioners while outside.  However, Waikiki Beach is just a short walk across the street and I plan to check that out this afternoon.  I really wanted to get away for a "Babymoon", one last trip before our lives change forever, and it worked out great that Matt had to come for work right now.  Although he is working during most of the days while we're here, we have at least the next three days and all evenings together, and I really don't mind being alone during the day...I just want to relax and read (and shop) anyway!  I just spoke with him and he'll be heading back in a couple hours, "It's a bummer sitting in a dark closet in paradise", he said.  His equipment he is working on today is in a closet.  That is a bummer. 

I ate breakfast at the Jimmy Buffett restaurant at our hotel and pigged out on scrambled eggs, potatoes, sausage, pineapple, and a bowl of oatmeal.  The waiters were so friendly and talked me into also eating a Belgian waffle...you know, because "I'm sure the baby wants one!"  Ok, twisted my arm!  It is an all-you-can-eat buffet so, why not?!   I felt like Katniss Everdeen eating her first meal in the Capitol! (I got through most of The Hunger Games on the plane).  I'm sure I'll be getting to know those waiters well by the end of my stay. 

Next, I decided to take a walk down Kalakaua Avenue...shopping galore!  Where did I find myself amongst all of the cute boutiques and luxury stores?  ROSS!  Let me tell you, the Ross here has the cutest stuff, and a great maternity section.  I found myself two pair of maternity shorts, which I've been desperately trying to find without spending a lot of money.  $13.00 sounds great to me :)  I browsed in some other stores along one side of the street and decided to head back to the room. 

I have our bags unpacked and clothes neatly stored in drawers and the closet for our week-long stay.  Next on the agenda:  Grab some lunch to go, and head over to the beach for a picnic, reading, and relaxation time!

Pregnancy Points:

• I had my Week 27 appointment with my Midwife, Nancy, last week and got my injection of RhoGAM and my blood draw for my glucose test. 
• Pregnancy brain helped me leave my keys (turned) in my ignition all night prior to my appointment, and luckily my neighbor was able to jump start my car since Matt was already gone for the day.  This, however, resulted in me drinking the glucose drink later than I was supposed to, and not realizing it might affect the results of my blood draw.   My blood glucose levels came back very high, and I was sent for the 2-hour glucose tolerance test where my blood was drawn three times...yesterday morning when I was planning to be doing laundry and packing for our trip.  I have yet to hear the results of the test, but hopefully everything is fine.
• At 27 weeks, my Fundal Height Measurement (belly measurement) was right on track at 27cm.
• I have gained another 6 pounds in the last month, which brings my total weight gain so far to 19 pounds.
• Blood pressure is good.
• Sleep is still good, although I'm starting to get a little uncomfortable changing positions.
• Thanks to a friend from church, I have more maternity clothes options!  She let me borrow two boxes of maternity clothes and among them are a pair of shorts and pair of jeans that fit!  I'm so excited to have something other than leggings and yoga pants to wear!
• Last weekend, I washed the walls in the nursery and they are now ready for paint! 

Broccoli Salad with Apple and Garbanzo Beans

Tonight, I had some broccoli I wanted to use up, but didn't want to steam it like I usually do, so I came up with this side dish delight with what I had on hand.  Most broccoli salads include bacon, but since I ate bacon twice on Saturday (and we have none left) I thought it'd be best to leave it out.  Raisins or craisins would make this salad even more delicious, but we don't have any right now.  Almonds or sunflower seeds, grapes, or quinoa would also be tasty in here.  By using this dressing and broccoli as the base, the rest of the ingredients can easily be mixed up to suit whatever you have in your cupboard, or what sounds good to you. 

What You Need:

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar (white wine would be fine too)
• 2 Tbsp honey
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 head broccoli, chopped into easy-to-eat pieces
• 1 apple, roughly chopped
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup onion, finely diced (red onion or shallot would be best, but I only had white and that was fine)
• Chopped walnuts, about 1 cup

What You Do:

1. In a small bowl mix mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, and salt & pepper until well blended.
2. In a large bowl, add broccoli, apple, garbanzo beans, onion, and walnuts.
3. Add dressing to salad and mix well.  I recommend refrigerating for at least 30 minutes before eating, but feel free to eat right away.