Week 17: Turn it Up

In this week's news, the Baby's skeleton is developing from cartilage into bone. Is that a legit excuse for weight gain? haha! The only other useful tidbit this week was that the baby is developing sweat glands. Hopefully they aren't overactive. Hyperhidrosis is no laughing matter. As for what you have all been waiting for, here you go.

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These are turnips if you don't have a green thumb. This is a baby turnip.

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Although oddly I am not craving root veggies, I have been craving some delicious cucumber gazpacho that my favorite God Mother made over the weekend. It is healthy, refreshing and soooo good and I plan on making a big batch to sip on over the next few weeks. Click here for the recipe, Cucumber Gazpacho.

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This is probably the closest thing to a pregnancy craving I have had. With the cucumbers and vinegar, it had a hint of pickle taste to it and since I haven't craved pickles directly, this gazpacho is close enough. SOOOO good! Another perk to this recipe is that potentially I can get Matt (who rarely cooks) to make it for me. Why you ask? Because this soup requires a blender and Matt is now obsessed with his latest toy...

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The Blendtec. Will It Blend? Anyway, Matt has been a blending machine since he made this little investment and I'm sure he'd love to puree me some cucumber gazpacho. I have to admit, it is a sweet blender. I might put him on homemade baby food research duty now that we have some serious liquefying capabilities. To go with our new blender, we decided to upgrade another appliance too, our dishwasher.

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The issue with our old dishwasher was that I thought I was hallucinating. I SWORE the dumb thing did NOT fit the dishes our old house's did. I SWORE the bottom rack did not allow the height of dishes my old one had and neither did the top rack. Normal glasses only fit at an angle. Absurd! Unfortunately, we learned dishwashers are fairly standard in their height and depth (which added to the "Katy is crazy" theory) with the exception of some rare models with a kick plate on the bottom the makes the insides about 8 inches shorter. Why anyone would want this is beyond me. The outside takes up the same amount of space, so who elects for less space for dishes? Dumb. Needless to say, we had one of these rare models and Matt decided that in order to keep me happily doing dishes, we better fix this problem. I'm just glad I wasn't crazy.

One of Matt's bittersweet qualities is that he researches things. He is a mini-consumer report (which is why we have a Blendtec). This is good because I'd like to think we make smart purchases and have quality crap in our house. This is bad because he becomes a brand snob and our new dishwasher (that is unnecessary in the first place since our stupid mini-model does work) becomes more of an investment than I initially expected. Matt's research had him telling the NFM salesperson facts about brands and models that she didn't even know. One of the features (that I didn't know was a feature) that Matt was interested in was a hidden heating element (only present in models $$$+). Here is where his skills really kicked into play. "Katy, now that we are going to have baby, its important to have things like this. We wouldn't want the baby burning their fingers on the heating element." (insert smirky, pathetic, pouty smile) Good thing I'm not one of those loony moms scared of everything now that he is raising what should be non-existent concerns. Since when do babies get into the dishwasher, pull out the bottom rack and with Stretch Armstong arms, and reach into the base to touch the heating element? Whatever. Matt wins. We have a new kickass dishwasher.

Oh yea, and the best upgrade yet...

Our new granite went in today! Goodbye crappiest of all crappy white, linoleum countertops that even something as white as milk would stain! Goodbye crappiest sink in the world that was so small a glass would stick out the top! Good bye old owner's germs and crappy taste! Our final upgrades will be the backsplash and new hardware (which is currently little spoons, forks and knifes alternating around the room) and then we are done! Wait, the fire engine red sponge paint will probably be going soon too. But after that, ALL MONIES ON THE TURNIP!

Note To Self:

Not knowing gender saves money.

I made the mistake of looking at Baby Gap online today. Thank God I don't know the gender and thank God the clothing is seasonal and our baby will not need clothes this summer. Check these out...

Looks like a little Audrey Hepburn on the onesie - Court, you can give me this if we have a girl :)

Obsessed. Not only with the outfit, but the thought of the cute little baby belly going into it.

Fat Baby feet in these? Fo Sho.

So glad one-piece clothing is making an adult comeback. Doesn't this look comfy? (Don't ask Matt his feelings on my rompers)

This looks like a mix of denim and seersucker. I love all things seersucker.

Uncle Patrick, please get yourself a matching one. MC Hammer crotch included.

The best part about this is the capri-length shorts and the shoes.

I must admit, there were WAY more cute girl clothes than boy. I will not be disappointed either way but for now, the gender mystery is probably a good thing.

Week 16: Holy Guacamole!

Patrick thought this week would be a pear. Wrong.

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Avocados do not make good desserts like the past few fruit weeks have. They are also not $100 bills. Oh well, the bigger the better with baby! For a minute I was thinking I may have unintentionally eaten avocado last night but I don't think I did. We went to Hiro and I got some baby friendly sushi (with beef) but the green was asparagus, not avocado. I guess I'll need some guacamole this week to keep the trend going! In development news, toenails are on the agenda this week and baby will be doubling in size over the next few weeks.

We haven't been doing much on the baby front lately. We probably need to revisit the nursery thing and start decorating. Matt has mentioned an itch to paint so I need to get organized so I can take advantage of that. We did attempt to buy a rug for the baby's room. I loved the colors one from the Furniture Mart but I was worried it was too girly. We got it home and the current pink walls didn't help the situation~ it was too girly. Return. I also ordered a rug off of Target.com to try out in the room. When checking the order status a few days later, I saw it was on sale for $40+ less than what I paid so I ordered another one (hey, free in-store returns!). On delivery day, what did we get? 3 of the same rugs on the porch. I double checked my credit card and the orders and I had only ordered and paid for 2. Hmm... We ended up not liking the rug for baby and attempted to return all 3. The kid in returns with blue lips and an open pack of peeps was an idiot. He said we HAD to keep one and needed pick which one. Um, they are all identical but okay, free rug! Target's loss.

This is our new rug. I do like it, we just have no idea where we will put it. For now, it is taking up space in our 3 car garage that doesn't even fit 1 car. Hello, storm season. Please don't hail on my car!

Baby Mamma is feeling chubby but pretty normal. I gained a new appreciation this week for friends (and husbands) who can still drink alcohol. Hungover people and pregnant people make a great team~ especially at Valentino's GRAND Buffet. I think I out-ate the 3 strugglers (who will remain anonymous) who I went to lunch with. Carbs, fat and a wide variety of unhealthy menu options cure baby's cravings and booze soaked tummies. My new social time may be the morning after's. Call me if you need someone to eat with :)

Apple Core

Baby Apple Core. Haha.

We got apple crisp out of the deal this week. Rocky is on a roll. Matt suggested that I report the baby is the size of a $100 bill and see what comes our way then.

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Any takers?

Week 15: Ooples and Banoonoos

4 inches crown to rump is the size of an...

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Apple. The baby can sense light and if we shine a flashlight on my belly, baby should flinch even though the eyelids are fused together. Sounds like a mean trick to me. Taste Buds are forming which to me, sounds like an excuse to eat EVERYTHING so this baby isn't picky. Maybe some extra frosting, cheese dip, french fries from Runza with ranch, double-stuffed oreos~ I could go on and on. Its for the baby, after all. This could also be the first week to find out a gender BUT we aren't going to the doctor for a few weeks AND we aren't finding out the gender.

Apples are good. In previous posts you may recall that they were one of the few foods that I consumed in mass quantities during the sick weeks (even Matt's stupid bag of Red Delicious). Last week, my Mom brought me over some lemon cupcakes with lemon curd filling in honor of lemon week. They were fantastic and I ate all 3 without leaving 1 for Matt. This week, my door will be open to caramel apples, caramel apple pie, apple crisp, apple cake, apple muffins, apple-o's, cinnamon apple cheerio's, or most any other apple flavored consumable you desire. Although our house is in no shape for visitors, (the move happened, the organizing hasn't) you are welcome with treats. This can be my new weekly reward for blogging, a reader bringing treats incorporating baby's food of the week! Sounds like a win win to me!

In Katy news, this past week I tap danced in a recital. 2 years ago my old studio invited me to come back and do a dance we had done when I was a senior. It was a tap dance to "Freeze Frame." I had not performed since 2002 (this was 2009) and it was quite a shock to my aging body. Plus, I was the oldest in the group of come-back-kids and one of the few no longer dancing. The recital went just fine, and fast forward to 2011, the studio called once again for me to do an alumni dance. In January when I committed, baby was not in the picture but by recital this past weekend, baby was on board. We tapped to a mix of Billy Preston, Billy Idol and Billy Joel and it was fun to get back into it. I did feel SUPER old though. It was 9 years since my last "official" recital and out of the 8 in the alumni dance, I was the oldest, only married one, only prego one, only non-dancing one, and only one not able to use a tanning bed (haha~ my legs had not seen the light in a while!). 3 of the girls were freshman in college and I had taught one of them when she was a BABY (okay she was probably like 5 but it still makes you feel old!) Just for fun, we put in the old "Freeze Frame" tape and holy cow!!! I would have had a heart attack had we tried that dance again! So fast, so many steps and SUCH a long kick line! Thank God this year's dance was toned down~ It was hard enough on my late-twenties body! And, Thank God there was no Spandex involved in our costumes.

If you are blind, I am bottom center.

Our Alumni group may become a yearly thing. Tap dancing is really fun (and good exercise) and I would enjoy getting back into it in our casual, Tip Tap Toe way!

That's the news for this week, tune in next time for Baby Progress Week 16! (In a TV announcer voice)

Week 14: When Life Gives You Lemons...

Squeeze it over your "medium sized shrimp" and eat it because we've moved on!

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FYI, I meant to insert a new Week 13 post because What to Expect While Expecting claimed Week 13 was the size of a peach. I LOVE peaches and all things peach flavored (like the tea I drank yesterday). I'd much rather refer to the baby as "Peach" than "Shrimp" plus, peaches seem way more in line with these fruit comparisons. Trouble is, using a new set of references would throw this blog into a tizzy. So far, I've stuck with one source for comparison so I guess I'll take the good with the bad.

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I have mentioned how I am strangely craving my food item the week it is mentioned. Without realizing it, last night I drank lemonade and had some of Matt's Lemon-Berry Cream Slush. (Haha~ I also had shrimp. No worries, limited mercury!) As I am typing this, there is also an Arnold Palmer on my desk.

*Sidenote: I have never liked cream slushies and have tried them on more than one occasion HOWEVER, last night I got flustered in the Sonic Drive Through ordering Matt a surprise Cream Slush and chose the Fresh Fruit Lemon-Berry flavor. As soon as I ordered, I regretted the flavor choice not thinking it would be Matt's ideal option. As soon as I got the slush in my hands I realized, "Who the heck cares if Matt likes this! This is the best thing ever!!!!" My new summer splurge will be those. Happy Hour 2-4 (and its on my way home from work!). I think its all about the real fruit instead of the artificial flavor.

Back to baby! This weeks big news, baby can squint, frown, grimace, pee and possibly suck its thumb.

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The body is now growing faster than the head and by the end of the week, the arms should be proportionate to the body (unlike Grimace's).

As for me, I am same old, same old. My pants are still snug but they still fit! I ordered some belly bands this week because I have heard rave reviews and I'm hoping they get here before I actually need them.

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The gist is that you can leave your pants unbuttoned and the band will cover it so you can wear your normal clothes for a longer length of time without needing maternity pants. They supposedly transition with you as the bump gets bigger. Reviews were good so here we go, my first maternity purchase!

Thats about it for this week. I will leave you with some thoughts on lemons.

*Although I enjoy lemon flavor, it is the worst candy flavor in a multi pack. I always get the pack with the MOST yellow starbursts, or 3 yellow SourPatch Kids to each red one, or yellow sweet tarts~ yuck! Get the clue Willy Wonka! 3:1 red flavors to citrus (or grape or lime in my book! Orange and yellow = dumb).

*The one exception to the lemon candy rule is Lemonheads. Those are acceptable. I know what I'm getting into with those.

*I enjoy lemon-scented kitchen fragrances.

*Wheatfields has Lemon Season going on. Their Lemon Wedding Cake is worth trying although I wished it was a little more sour and less sweet. Sweet lemon tastes too artificial.

kellyontherocks.com

To See Me Dance, Click Here.

BTW: Our Buyers closed FINALLY yesterday. We have 1 house~ Good Riddance to the old one!