Pregnancy Update: Week 29

It’s been 10 weeks since I've done one of these pregnancy questionnaire thingy’s, and my oh my has lots happened since then!

How far along: 29 Weeks and 1 day!

Gender: A baby girl :)

Total weight gain: 20+ lbs. Heh, surprisingly I’m not complaining because I’m a little curvier! The first thing to expand was my entire lower body and chest… My only concern is that I don’t know if I’ll be able to fit in my pre-pregnancy jeans again.

Maternity Clothes:  Yep! I have been rotating a couple of maternity jeans with several non-maternity leggings. A couple of weeks ago I ordered a nice variety of maternity basics from target and also been able to wear longer pre-pregnancy shirts.

Sleep: Lately I've been having a bit of insomnia…I’m not at the point where I’m struggling to find a comfortable spot, I've just been having a hard time turning off my thoughts!

Miss Anything: The ease of waking up and being able to throw together a nice outfit without a ton of effort; nowadays I’m forced to sort out what still fits/looks appropriate the night before. I also miss being able to exercise the way I used to.

Cravings: Runny eggs, popcorn, toast with avocado and cranberry juice.

Symptoms: Feeling tired again, getting cramps in my thighs and aches in my hips.

Belly Button in or out: It’s trying to come out. Right now it’s looking like a cinnamon bun.

Mood: Mostly excited!

Best Moment this week: Hmm... I made really good chex mix and also red quinoa with spicy peanut tofu stir fry. (I feel like I put something food related for the last post...) 

Looking forward to: We just entered a new year! I’m looking forward to seeing my family next weekend, the upcoming hospital tour, childbirth classes and my baby shower in February. And obviously March! The arrival of Lydia seems to be on my mind quite a lot and I can’t imagine how I’ll feel when she’s finally here in my arms… Ah, I’m going to be a mom!!

Exercise: Since I started getting cramps in my pelvis from doing plyometrics (sometime last month), so I decided to take a step back and do lower impact cardio interval training and have been able to do that 2-3x a week. On other days I mix it up by doing strength training at the gym or home, barre/Pilates and making sure I stretch every day.

On My Mind: Right now I feel blessed! A couple weeks ago we learned that I had the antibody Kell in my blood from recent blood work. Not knowing what that meant I did what any American would do and googled it. (My explanation might be a bit choppy so please bear with me!) I learned that if I have the antibody and if Michael carried the antigen then Lydia might be at risk. I also learned it’s possible that I got the antibody from a previous blood transfusion. A nurse from the department of fetal medicine called and scheduled us an urgent ultrasound and a consultation with high risk doctors to learn more about Kell. I immediately prayed to myself, and then I told my mom and she asked people from her church to pray and we told people from our church to pray for us too. Surprisingly I didn't feel worried but mostly at peace because I knew God was in control and that our questions would be answered that upcoming Tuesday. I thoroughly believe that God prepared our hearts for this.

At the appointment we got to see Lydia via ultrasound and learned that she is healthy, active and has no signs of anemia. After the ultrasound we met with the doctors and learned more about antigen Kell. We learned that if Michael had the antigen that it could mix with the antibody in my blood and cause the blood in my placenta to attack Lydia’s red blood cells. My pregnancy would require monitoring and if she showed signs of severe anemia they would have to give her a blood transfusion while in utero. I found that fascinating. Fortunately the doctors reassured us that because in her previous ultrasounds showed no signs of anemia meant that she could be in the clear and not need future transfusions. But in order for them to know they needed to test Michael’s blood to see if he even has the antigen. 

After the appointment we both felt at peace with the situation and prayed that his tests would prove him Kell negative. On Christmas Eve while printing out pictures at Walgreens, I got a call from the nurse and learned that Michael was Kell negative! Prayers were answered and we were so happy knowing that Lydia wouldn't need any further testing or blood transfusions. It really was that simple. Praise the Lord! And now I’m back to thinking about seeing her again..

xo, Jessica

Lingering thoughts

Hi everyone!

Last post I spoke about my eating habits and how I seemed to be feeling lethargic/meh/bored with my choices. I’ve actually followed the little guidelines I wrote down in my previous post and can honestly say I feel a lot better consuming less sugar, caffeine and wheat. And guess what? I haven’t touched a bowl of cereal before bed in nearly two weeks! BUT,  I will admit I did bake a cake in the middle of the week and had a slice or two :x though, I am not guilty about it! I’m glad I’ve been more conscious of my whole food intake and believe that a delicious piece of peach upside down cake (I didn’t take pictures, sorry guys!) is okay to indulge in once in a while. The cool thing is that the cake I made contained two whole eggs! After eating the cake I did not feel cramps in my stomach at all. It was kind of like a victorious moment considering eggs have been absent in my diet for well over a year. I’m incredibly intrigued to try a whole egg fresh out of the pan with a sprinkle of herbs and salt + pepper. Will it upset me? I won’t know if I try it and that’ll be another story for another day...

Other than eating, this week I’ve been finishing up my premarital homework and have come across some very interesting realizations. The chapters that stood out to me focused on evaluating your prayer life and bible study practice. It helped me realize the areas in my life that I needed to improve and to seek God for strength in those places. I learned that I need to pray more through all areas in my life, for the people I love, the president, our nation and the world's events. I learned that prayer grants us with the spirit of wisdom. (Ephesians 1:17) The wisdom needed to discern false teachings and to comprehend the mystery of the gospel to share with unbelievers. (Ephesians 6:19)  Overall the whole study on prayer and bible reading opened my eyes to be more involved with my relationship with Jesus, and I was so blessed to have received that wakeup call through those chapters. I really look forward to Wednesday when we actually go over our notes as a couple with our counselors, Esperanza and Mike.
Well that’s all I have on my mind today, perhaps I’ll have a recipe of the delicious smoothies now that the weather is finally heating up. Aren’t you glad summer is here? I know I am!!

-Jessica

7 true facts + what I've been cookin'

1. I used to love insects when I was little and I kind still do. (Mosquitos and cockroaches not so much!) I find caterpillars to be the most fascinating creatures and the way they grow up to be beautiful butterflies’ will always blow my mind.
2. I don’t favor eating alone. I’m getting better at it considering I’m alone throughout the day (girls gotta eat!), but I used to have such a difficult time eating by myself.  I find food best to be shared through fellowship and laughter. To be perfectly honest, a lot of my fondest memories with my fiancé, friends and family were created during a meal.
3. This kind of embarrassing but the one movie I can watch over and over again is 13 going on 30. I watch it EVERY time it comes on TBS with my mom. It’s a real classic for us!
4. My goal is to make my own stocks (I made an excellent shrimp stock last week!), breads and goat milk yogurts. Eventually.
5. “Chia” is what my fiancé likes to call me… I guess its cause I eat chia seeds every single day; I just cannot live without their absorbent powers and a powerhouse of nutrients! I personally love putting it in my oatmeal; it adds so much volume and gives it a fun texture too.
6. I have this recurring desire to do this cleanse that requires giving up coffee for three weeks… That desire is often stomped on the minute I wake up and smell the robust smell of Café Bustelo coming from the kitchen. The wonderful smell, strong taste and unfathomable warmth are what make it so difficult to give up!
7. After therapy, I start my internship and after my internship I plan on looking for little freelance project/jobs. My goal is to eventually establish my own line of goodies made with natural ingredients, try to focus on food styling/photography and educate myself on different exercises for my new hips.

Now on to the food:

Possibly the most quickest, healthiest and tastiest lunch I've come across... All it is mashed avocado (seasoned with salt + pepper, a dash of raw apple cider vinegar and a squeeze of sriracha) topped with sliced scallions, and on the other side is sardines in olive oil on perfectly toasted wheat bread. Perfection!

I made these gluten-free brownies but substituted the eggs for two "flax eggs" and used coconut oil as opposed to butter. The brownies were...um..flat. I should've known that eggs were the primary leavening agent. So instead of  cutting them into traditional brownie squares, I cut half of them into heart shapes and the other half I rolled them into truffles with some shredded coconut. They were absolutely decadent!

A simple frittata for the special man in my life... I made this one with sweet potatoes and onions, spiced it with cumin and smoked paprika and topped the eggs with goat cheese and collard greens. My dad and Michael approved of its deliciousness immediately!

Last but not least, a German apple cake that was adapted from this vegan baking book. I added slight modifications by using goat butter and added ground cardamom to the spiced apples. This cake was perfect with coffee, I know I say that line a lot.. but this time I am being very serious! It was like apple pie and coffee cake had a baby. If that doesn't excite you, than I don't know what will!

That's all, I have for you all today! Enjoy the rest of your weeks :)

-Jessica