I have a recipe all ready to post finally! It will go up in a few days but I thought I’d give you a little pregnancy update in the meantime. 

Pregnancy 27_28_30 weeks_Collage ~ ElephantEats.com

I’ve been MIA and missed a couple weeks of a belly pics because I managed to somehow throw my back out. I woke up one morning with it hurting and by the next morning I literally couldn’t move. It wasn’t fun.

My doc told me to head over to the PET unit at the hospital which is basically the ER for pregnant women. I didn’t know it existed but it sure made the wait better! 

I wasn’t worried about the baby since he was kicking a ton, but wanted to make sure I didn’t have some sort of bladder infection. Turns out it was just muscular and they gave me some pregnancy-safe muscle relaxers that I took for a few days and then switched to Tylenol. 

I was back at work this past week but still in some pain. I got this pregnancy back support thing that you wear around and it seems to help a bit. I think I just need to take it easy and be careful of my posture now that I have what looks like a soccer ball strapped to my belly. 

I stupidly decided to paint in the nursery right when my back was feeling better and managed to take my recovery back a couple days. Oh well. 

I painted birch trees in the corner of the nursery where the crib will eventually be. I’m going for a Woodland Theme as I think I mentioned in my last post. Here are some before and after pics :)

Nursery Before ~ ElephantEats.com

Nursery “Before” (Excuse the mess of stuff- the nursery was a dumping ground while unpacking)

Nursery Progress ~ ElephantEats.com

Nursery “Progress” – Still need furniture, obviously

You can’t see it in this pic since I added it later, but I “carved” the baby’s initials into one of the trees. Nate thought I should add a little heart with his and my initials in another tree, which I think would be super cute!

I’d seen a bunch of other blogs doing this little pregnancy update and although it’s not quite as fun since I haven’t been doing it all along and so can’t compare now to then, I stil thought it would be nice to look back on later: 

How far along:  30 weeks

30 week Pregnancy Pic ~ ElephantEats.com

Gender:  Baby boy!

What Fruit are you? He’s the size of a large cabbage now- about 15.7 inches long now and weighs almost 3 pounds

Due date:  September 8, 2014 – At 12 weeks they told me I was measuring a week ahead and he seems to be measuring consistently according to that now. At the last appointment his head was measuring large (thanks a lot, Nate!) but his body was right on track.

Total weight gain/loss:  At my 29 wk appt, I was up 20 pounds according to my scale at home, but my doc is claiming 23. They told me this is right on track and I should be gaining about 1 lb per week now. 

Exercise: I walk about 40 min a day with my commute, so that’s good. The last two weeks when I was out of commission from my back I basically did nothing. I did meet Nate at the train a couple days (20 min walk total) and he also suggested taking a walk with me a few days. 

Stretch marks: None so far (fingers crossed)

Swelling: None

Belly button: It’s still an inny…seems it will prob stay that way.

Sleep: I’ve been feeling really tired lately. I seem to fall asleep easily but then wake up throughout the night to shift positions (very difficult now!) or pee. I also haven’t been sleeping deeply and so have been remembering some weird and vivid dreams. 

Food cravings:  I’m back to craving what I did in my first trimester- anything juicy, specifically watermelon, nectarines, grapes, etc. Also craving meat whenever I smell someone bbq-ing. 

Symptoms:  Major back pain (I somehow threw my back out), feeling generally large and heavy. I don’t enjoy having to bend down to pick things up. Pretty good otherwise!

What I miss:  Stomach and back sleeping :(

What I’m loving: Baby kicks :)

What I’m looking forward to:  Feeling better prepared for the baby- we’re getting some baby things now but keeping them in a closet til the baby comes home. I finished painting the trees on the nursery wall as you can see evidenced in my belly pic from this week.

We’re also taking a birthing class and that’s making me feel a little more ready. 

Latest Concern: I have a different complaint every week. The doctor told me she’s never had anyone with such odd maladies…but we already knew I was a hypochondriac :) 

Also the birthing class taught us about epidurals and c-sections last class, and I’ve decided I really hope I don’t have to get either. They’re scary!

And just for fun, here’s a collage of my pregnancy thus far…

Pregnancy Collage thru week 30 ~ ElephantEats.com

 Caprese Pasta Salad ~ ElephantEats.com

We’re down at my mother-in-law’s for the long holiday weekend, and her big, bright kitchen inspired me to finally do some cooking.

Making Caprese Pasta Salad ~ ElephantEats.com

I hope that I’m getting this to you with enough notice that you can make it for your big Memorial Day spread tomorrow!

Caprese Pasta Salad 2 ~ ElephantEats.com

Not sure if it’s pregnancy or the weather but I’ve been craving a tangy pasta salad, specifically one with all the flavors of summer. I combined my love of Caprese Salad with pasta into this tasty dish. It’s super easy and quick and can sit out for a decent amount of time, so it’s great for when you have a buffet at your bbq.

Caprese Pasta Salad 3 ~ ElephantEats.com

Also, figured I’d throw in my 23 week pic, although I’m at 25 weeks now ;) Getting bigger every day…

23 weeks ~ ElephantEats.com

23 wks front ~ ElephantEats.com

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

Caprese Pasta Salad
Serves 6
A quick and easy pasta salad, full of the flavors of summer!
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Ingredients
  1. 1 lb farfalle pasta, dried (or any shape you prefer)
  2. 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  3. 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  4. 3-4 cloves garlic, minced plus 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
  5. 5-6 medium tomatoes (this really depends how much tomato you like), diced with half of the juives removed
  6. 2 handfuls fresh basil, chopped
  7. 16 oz. fresh mozzarella, diced
  8. 1 tsp salt (plus more to taste) and pepper
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta according to directions until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water, then put in large bowl. Put empty pot back on stove top.
  2. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and oil plus salt and pepper.
  3. In the empty pot, add a couple Tablespoons of olive oil and add garlic. Saute a min until fragrant and lightly brown. Remove immediately and add to olive oil mixture.
  4. Add chopped tomatoes, basil and mozzarella to bowl of pasta.
  5. Add in oil/vinegar mixture and toss well.
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06. May 2014 · 126 comments · Categories: house, life, pregnancy · Tags:

I know I know, you guys haven’t heard from me in weeks and now you’re expecting a recipe- soon I promise. These last few weeks have been a bit crazy to say the least. 

House News

We moved into our house on April 16th and my parents came up to help. I don’t have many pics but I can share some instagram ones of LC enjoying the new place.

 

Lc in the sink ~ ElephantEats.com

LC finally finding peace in the sink after a rough first day

My parents stayed most of the weekend and then Nate’s mom came into town for Easter. My parents both managed to get sick on their return home…and since pregnant women have weakened immune systems, guess who they got sick? 

Lunch ~ ElephantEats.com

Enjoying a unpacking break in our new living room

I had a really bad cold that kept me home from work the week after our move. It was bearable but I was just paranoid it was going to turn into something that would require medication, which I really hate to take while preggo. I did take some Robitussin DM and tylenol, both of which the doc said was safe. Thankfully after 4-5 days I was feeling much better. 

LC's window ~ ElephantEats.com

LC’s favorite lookout spot- our new mantle!

Nate’s mom and brother came to visit the next weekend, so we still haven’t had time to unpack our house! I will take pics as soon as it’s slightly cleaned up. Or I suppose I could have some “progress” pics before it’s really decorated. 

LC boxes ~ ElephantEats.com

Exploring new heights…

Our kitchen island still hasn’t arrived (hopefully it will get installed next weekend!!!) but I did manage to FINALLY cook a meal on Wednesday. I used our new oven’s convection mode to roast two trays of veggies at once and it worked great :)

Baby News

In other news, the ultrasound doctor at the hospital told me that I’m measuring a week ahead…so i’ve skipped to 22 weeks now! Aaaaaand…

It's a boy! ~ ElephantEats.com

It’s a boy!!!

I think knowing the gender has totally made this more real. Also, I’ve felt some definite kicking, and even Nate felt it the other day! I’ve been wearing more belly-hugging clothing and still find myself surprised that I’m pregnant when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. It’s just very strange. I think my belly just expanded overnight. 

22weeks ~ ElephantEats.com

Sorry about the quality of this photo. I finally remembered to take a pic at dusk so the light stunk. From here on out I’m going to try to take weekly pics tho…and I’ll try to get them in daylight!

I apologize for not being around much but hopefully I’ll get back in the groove soon. Hope you’re all enjoying your spring!