Menu Plan Monday 2/27

Still here... 40 weeks and 2 days... meaning 2 days overdue.  I went to the doctor today for a non-stress test to see if the baby is still doing OK in there, because sometimes when one is past their due date, conditions start to deteriorate and the baby stops thriving.  In my case, both the little guy and I are doing great.  So great that my doctor couldn't write me a note to stop working because she had no medical reason to do so.  So PRAISE GOD for our health.  However, if this test was for the mama's stress, I might have failed it after hearing I needed to return to work tomorrow.  I am generally up from 3am-5am, which is not cool when you get up at 5 for work, and I've been having back pain from standing all day.  But my blood pressure looks good and I feel pretty good, so back to work I go... until I have NST #2 on Thursday! 

I do have an induction scheduled for Sunday evening/Monday morning, but I'm really praying he comes before that.  Would you please pray for that? Merci :-) 

I'm doing all I can to make him come out on his own.  I am not really a fan of this whole "nesting" business.  I am not a cleaner in general, so I wondered if I would ever have the urge... and the answer: not yet.  I like to organize though... and cook... so I figure since I spent a good 6 or so weeks working like crazy at school organizing and planning to be gone for maternity leave, that may have been my way of nesting.  I honestly don't care if my kitchen floors are clean.  My husband is the one who does a lot of the cleaning, so perhaps that is why?  I however, have been very concerned about making sure we have enough food and household products to last us for awhile... because you know, we live oh so far from the store?? (hah.)

Perhaps I nested today by cooking?  I made chicken salad for lunches tomorrow, a casserole for dinner tonight and then I used the rest of the cake mix from my funfetti rice krispie treats to make these cookies: 

"ghetto" Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies

(used yellow cake mix & added sprinkles to the batter... et voila, "funfetti"). 

Oh, and we got a new camera... I don't really know how to work it yet, but I still think the pics came out ok! 

 I made my own icing though, using the Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Buttercream frosting recipe.  I cut it way down, using 1/4 cup butter, 1 1/2 cups or so of powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp of vanilla and about 4 Tbsp milk.    

Here's what we are tentatively eating this week (hoping the little guy will show up!)

 It's a fiesta at our house... lots of SPICY Mexican food to try to get this little man to come out!

Sunday: Tacos & Mexican Rice, chips & salsa

Monday: Green Chile Chicken Casserole, salad

Tuesday: leftover tacos

Wednesday: leftover casserole

Thursday: more leftovers or omelettes (mine will be with salsa to make it spicy)

Friday:  Ravioli, Salad & Garlic bread

Saturday: frozen pizza

39 weeks and waiting :-)

I love a good three-day weekend. While I wouldn't have been upset if baby Miller decided to come super early, it has been SO nice having these past two weekends to hang out, just the two of us.  We had a great weekend of dates, spending more money than normal since we know we will be in our house for at least the next few months.

Friday night, we had dinner at Lola's, a little hole in the wall Italian restaurant Grant's coworkers recommended.  It good- but I think I still like Mezzo at Creekside and they are comparable in price.  We then went and saw Gahanna Community Theatre's production of Mame, which was ok.  Not my favorite show ever, but we love supporting GCT and the local arts :-)

Saturday, we slept in (ok, more like I woke up at 6:45 and chose to stay in bed for an hour). Grant made me banana pancakes for breakfast, and then we headed out to have a coffee date (used a gift card). I got a half caf latte, which is my current pregnancy guilty pleasure.  

During our coffee date, I was reading Isaiah, and I come across this verse: "Woe to those... who say 'Let God hurry, let him hasten his work so we may see it...'" (Isaiah 5:19a)  Ouch.  Definitely not the verse you want to read when you are 39 weeks pregnant, wanting to meet your little one!! Anyways, it was a good perspective changer, so I am going to continue to pray for patience and just trust that as always, God's timing is perfect.  Even if I go a week past my due date :-)  Five different people have told me I have dropped based on the picture Grant put on facebook... and I definitely feel like he is verrry low... but it could still be awhile.  

again, I'm a whale.  or "large and in charge," as I say at school.

We followed our coffee date by a lunch date... and then saw "The Iron Lady," the movie about Margaret Thatcher (thanks Laura for the AMC gift card!).  It was definitely a good film (though I don't need to see it again) but was also sad as it showed her struggle with dementia.  I cried at one point (darn pregnancy emotions) because I felt sorry for her husband and kids because she was so busy working all of the time.  I admire her though, as a woman in politics, and think a lot of what she said was ahead of her time... my favorite quote was: "It used to be about trying to do something. Now it's about trying to be someone."... so true about politics today.  We walked around Easton afterwards & then came home for frozen pizza and caught up on The Office and Modern Family...and ate some ice cream.   I did have contractions every 10 minutes for a few hours, but they weren't painful and they were only in my stomach... but then they stopped.  And clearly, I'm still pregnant.  

Anyways, thanks GLM for a wonderful weekend of dates!! ILY :) 

38.5 weeks!!

Well, I fully intended to write an update a few weeks ago... but then weeks 28-35 went really fast and like I wrote in my previous post, I have been at school ALL the time and we have had super busy weekends.  However... I am FINALLY ready for my maternity sub to take over at school.  Lesson plans are done/typed/posted to my website from now until spring break, all materials are in their appropriate binders... I have created a ridiculously organized binder of helpful materials for her... so come on baby boy!!!!

freaking huge... this was also taken later on in the day, whereas most of our weekly pics are in the morning... and I "grow" throughout the day.  I'm hungry, ok?!?

How far along? 38 weeks and 4 days... he could come at any time!!

Total weight gain/loss: right where I "should be," in the 25 lb range, based on my pre-pregnancy weight.  I will say that I have definitely been enjoying my desserts since I passed that glucose test.  But I am still going to jazzercise, so hopefully that is balancing it out. 
Maternity clothes? You know it.  Same outfits all the time.  I wish someone would have warned me this winter would be ridiculously warm, because I have pretty much been teaching in the same short-sleeved shirts throughout most of it.  (With the exception of yesterday, which was actually cold.)

Stretch marks? On my belly, sigh :-(

Sleep: Waking up every night between 2:30 and 3:45... sometimes a few other times.  Sometimes I fall back asleep, and sometimes, well... let's just say more of you need to post stuff on facebook and pinterest in the middle of the night!  

Best moment(s) this week: Grant getting me a pint of Haagen Daas Caramel Cone ice cream (one of my favorites), going to meet the pediatrician and finding out they are moving 2 miles closer to our house in June, and finishing my lesson plans from now until the week after spring break!  Oh... and our Valentine's Day date! 

Movement: He's still very active... it's a little freaky because you can see random limbs poke out of my stomach

Food cravings: Three weeks ago, the baby wanted cinnamon gumdrop hearts... the past two weeks- fruits and vegetables.  Also... last week, I wanted ice cream on Sunday and Banana Muffins on Thursday.   

Gender: Boy.

Labor Signs: I told the doctor today I have been having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions...she informed me since I'm past 37 weeks, these are actually contractions.  Awesome.  

Belly Button in or out? Still in.  It does poke out a little, but it has not turned out.

Wedding rings on or off? On

What I miss: Wine... and fully caffeinated drinks from Starbucks!

What I am looking forward to: meeting him!!!!!

Weekly Wisdom: The long hours I put in at school the past month were TOTALLY worth it.  It feels amazing to know I can leave my job in the hands of another awesome, capable French teacher who is still in need of a job. 

Milestones: Hospital bags are packed, car seat installed, nursery is ready, met the pediatrician... but other than the contractions, no signs of labor yet.

Menu Plan 1/30-2/10 & Banana Oat Muffin Recipe

The game plan for the past two weeks (and probably the next two-three as well): plan meals that do not "have" to be made... in other words, meals using ingredients that will be good for a few days or can be frozen.  Also... meals that can easily be prepared by my wonderful husband, since I have been working late, going to the doctor every week and also trying to go to my 4:30-5:30 jazzercise class a few days a week, which puts me home at 6pm.  

So we've been eating...

the "easy stuff": 

- French toast & fruit

- Grilled cheese (with the addition of some raspberry preserves on the top... thank you to Grant's coworker Tom for sharing a delicious family tradition!) and tomato soup

- Chicken sandwiches & mac & cheese

- Linguine and meatballs

- Black bean veggie burgers

- whole wheat penne with some evoo and the artichoke tapenade from TJs

- pizza & carrots

the "more" complicated stuff: 

- our favorite potato & ham soup (minus the celery)

- tacos and mexican rice with homemade tortillas, because I intended to have tacos as taco salad but we didn't have enough lettuce :-/.  You MUST try making homemade tortillas.  If you have kids, it could be a fun/easy cooking project b/c the ingredients are simple and you have to roll them out super thin... and they still taste good even if they are not perfect circles.  I wanted to use whole wheat flour... but a certain man of the house (not the one growing inside me) said he'd prefer white flour.  Seriously though, these are sooooo soft, chewy and amazingly warm... I might decide never to buy them again.  How cheap is flour+water+salt+olive oil?!?

- Banana Oat Muffins (see recipe below)... as I was driving home from jazzercise, I had the thought "I want a banana muffin NOW." So of course, after we had dinner, I made these.  I LOVE nuts, but my husband is pickier about them... well, turns out he likes them on banana muffins, so I threw some on the tops.  Délicieux. Thursday night has to be the best night ever to bake something... I took one to school Friday morning and enjoyed it with my coffee before I started my first period class, got to enjoy one this morning with my cup of coffee.. and I'll have another one tomorrow morning before church. Yum. 

Banana Oat Muffins (modified from all recipes)

•  3/4 cup all-purpose flour
•  3/4 cup wheat flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 mashed bananas
• walnuts (optional)

Mix dry ingredients (flours, oats, sugar, baking powder & soda & salt) in a large bowl.  In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients (egg, milk, oil, vanilla, bananas).  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine thoroughly.  Spoon batter into 12 lined muffin cups.  Sprinkle walnuts on top if desired. Bake at 400 degrees for 17-20 minutes.  

School: Maternity leave & ridiculousness

Having a blog through google is interesting... I can see how many "hits" it gets... but with only four of you being committed "followers," I know there are only 4 of you who get a notification when you log on to blogger that this page has been updated.  Other than you four, and my friends who tell me they read my blog, I really have no clue who the people are that read this.  Nice to meet you though :-) Anyways, I have not forgotten about this blog.  So for the three of you that told me to update this, here you go:

I have been MIA for the past two weeks on blog-world because well, I have been working 11 hour days at school and then usually another 2-3 hours at home.  Leaving the house at 6AM, getting home at 6pm.  Sound like fun? Not so much.  I miss my husband, I miss cooking delicious meals and I don't remember what it's like not to be working on school stuff. (Remember, we go to bed at 9, so when you finish dinner after 7, that doesn't leave much time before it's time to get ready for the next day.)

Anyways, I am FINALLY done with 6 weeks of lesson plans!!! Praise God.  I worked until 6pm last night (so glad my school neighbor Kim was there to keep me company!) and though there are some finishing touches, I am pretty much ready for my maternity-leave sub. 

This process has been so difficult because I usually plan ahead by a week or two, not two months ahead. I truly believe it is important to cater the pace of my lessons to the progress of the students... but when you are going to be gone for 6-8 weeks, you need something... So needless to say, it has been a struggle planning for all four of my "preps."  We have a brand new curriculum in French 1 this year so I have to make everything from scratch, which is a lot of work... and in a language class, you typically do at least 4-5 different "activities" each day (which could include presentation of content and practice)... but you also need to try to hit all four "areas"- reading, writing, speaking and listening... 

Why do I have to change activities so often? Oh, that's because teaching high school these days is actually like teaching elementary school.  Seriously.  The average attention span (especially of freshmen) is probably about 3-5 minutes long.


Let me just share a few moments of my week, all from French 1 (which is mostly freshmen): 


student: "How do you say __inappropriate word__ in French?" me: "I will not tell you that.  See if it's in the dictionary."  student: "It's in here!!!!!!" It says "taboo!" You are a "taboo!" me: "Ummm no.  Taboo means it is not socially acceptable to use that word... that is just the dictionary telling you that... the real definition would be the word after the word taboo." student: "Oh... hmmm... what?" 

me: Sit down. Keep your hands and feet to yourself." 

me: "Yes, that answer is correct, however you did not need to add the English word 'butt hole' underneath your answer..."

me: "___, put away the ipod." "____, stop texting." "____, put away the cell phone." "____, put away the ipad." "___, take out the ear bud." (latest trend: leaving one ear bud in apparently makes you super cool.)

student: "___ is taking a video on his ipad." me: walks over to student, says nothing, pushes buttons to stop recording, open video and put video in trash.  Student's mouth drops open. me: "what, think I don't know how to use an ipad?" student: "what if I wanted that video?" me: "for what?" student: "ummm for my funeral, so I could remember what high school was like?" me: "seriously?"  

student: "Can I touch your belly real quick?"

me: "Where is your packet for this unit?" student: "Oh, I'm just writing everything down on the one from the last unit." Because that makes sense... 

Comments from my upperclassmen:

"Do you want me to fill up your water bottle?"

"Let me get that marker you dropped on the floor."

"Can I help you pass out papers?"

"How are you feeling? How is the baby?"

"Seriously, I want to babysit for you."

"Are you so excited to have a baby?" 

Hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into the life of a high school teacher :-)

Maternity Photo Shoot

I LOVE outdoor pics, and Grant and I still are slightly sad we didn't get to take any on our wedding day because it was pouring.  (But we are still very happily married, and that's what matters.)  So when I found out this little man was coming in February, one of my thoughts was how ugly it would be outside with all of the bare trees and brown grass, so I wasn't sure about the whole maternity pictures idea.  Well, a few weeks ago, I spotted a cute pic online taken outside in the snow, so I decided if it snowed, I'd take some pics.  My good friend (and neighbor) Katie Laird is a photographer and was super flexible with me and emailed Saturday after we FINALLY got a few inches of snow and said "hey let's take some," so after my baby shower, we had a little photo shoot. Thank you God for the snow... and Katie for the pictures!! You are awesome :-)

Christmas 2011

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Grant only gets 10 vacation days a year, and usually by this point in the year he has used them all up. (I am a firm believer in using them since his do not accumulate year to year!) He took last Thursday and Friday off, which was nice because we were able to finish up some shopping, do some cleaning and of course pack for Christmas in Akron.

I spent Thursday and Friday planning some baking projects... I made homemade hot chocolate mix to give to some friends and family members and also homemade peppermint bark. Both were awesome :-) The hot chocolate mix said to use 1/3 cup but that was waaay too rich, so I changed the serving amount to 3 Tbsp, assuming that people know they should just add more if they want it to be richer. 

peppermint bark

hot cocoa mix

Friday, we had Grant's coworkers Tom and Sarah over for dinner. I am so thankful he has great people like them to keep him sane at his job. We had Baked Cream Cheese (a Clark family favorite) as an appetizer, followed by Pasta Carbonara, bread & salad for dinner. I also made mint brownies for dessert. I used 1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract instead of the creme de methe... and instead of making the homemade brownies, I used a box... it was a good decision. They were délicieux! 

Saturday, we woke up bright and early and headed to Akron. I had brunch at First Watch with 9 others girls with whom I was in youth group when I was in high school. It was so good to see them and catch up. We hung out at my parents' house for awhile that afternoon and then got dressed for dinner at Ken Stewart's Lodge. It was fun to be back there because that is where we held our rehearsal dinner before our wedding in 2007. It was beautifully decorated for Christmas. We went to the Christmas Eve service at church and then hung out with some family friends until MIDNIGHT. Oh my goodness... I cannot stay up that late any more, especially if I continue not to sleep well each night. 

The Clark Family :-) We take a pic at church each year.  It's pretty much our only family picture of the year most years.

 We slept in til NINE on Christmas morning (well, laid in bed at least... I figured this might be the last time I get to do that with our little guy on the way) and then had brunch and opened presents. We are so blessed to have wonderful families, now with each sibling in our families having their own iPAD we can facetime all the time to stay in touch. Hopefully that will make our little man's grandparents feel more connected to him since they do not live here in Columbus. Christmas continued later that day with dinner at my Aunt & Uncle's, followed by a rousing game of the Harry Potter edition of Clue. Linds... we need to play next time we are together, seriously. 

Christmas morning brunch & presents in our pjs

Emmers in front of the tree

 Monday we celebrated with lunch with Grant's parents and then they headed to Florida for the winter. It was so sweet to have Christmas with them before they left... but we really missed having our family in Denver here in Ohio. After they left we spent a few hours hanging out with the Becks, who were in town for Christmas. Christina is one of my sweet sorority sisters and is 10 weeks behind me in her pregnancy... so fun :-)

Baby Girl Beck coming in May and Baby Boy Miller in February!

 Joyeux Noel!!

A baby chang(es)ed everything...

It truly is weird, a few days before Christmas, being pregnant with a baby boy.  As my friend Emily explains, "I really found Christmas to be especially moving when I was pregnant with a boy like Mary was :) I cried thinking about her traveling on a donkey! haha and of course wondering about all my own baby would be, and I didn't even have a baby Savior in me like Mary!"  So true... I feel the same way. Emily, I hope you don't mind I quoted your comment :-) It really is crazy though, to think how different my situation is from Mary's.  I am married and we wanted this child.  It is "socially acceptable" for me to be pregnant.  

Mary on the other hand, was a teenager.  Not yet married.  A virgin.  Yet God chose her to make his appearance on this earth in human form.  Crazy.  But God knew what he was doing.  In fact, hundreds of years before Jesus' birth, the prophet Isaiah explained, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14  Immanuel means "God with us."  Which is exactly who Jesus was on this earth and is today.  

I took a pregnancy test (ok a lot of them) to find out I was pregnant... Mary, on the other hand, heard from angels.  "The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.'  Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.' You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus." Luke 1:28-32.  Favor with God- awesome.  But hearing from an angel you are going to get pregnant and the name for your child is already chosen- definitely a little freaky.  Mary of course, responds, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" Luke 1:15... Isaiah's prophesy is being fulfilled!  

Nevertheless, this was life changing for Mary... just as having a baby boy in a few months is going to be life-changing for Grant and I.  Except, as I explained before, our pregnancy is a source of excitement among our families and friends, whereas Mary's pregnancy was scandalous and reputation-changing. 

In his [great] book The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey states, "Nine months of awkward explanations, the lingering scent of scandal- it seems that God arranged the most humiliating circumstances possible for his entrance, as if to avoid any charge of favoritism.  I am impressed that when the Son of God became a human being he played by the rules, harsh rules: small towns do not treat kindly young boys who grow up with questionable paternity (p.32)."

Here's Faith Hill singing about how this baby boy changed Mary's life.. and ours... 

Poor Mary... but to think that through the physical and emotional pain she endured, our Savior was born.  God needed Mary to have that baby because he needed to come back to this earth he created and make things right again.  So Jesus came and because of his birth, death and resurrection, we have been forgiven for all of our sins, past, present and future and can look forward to eternal life with him in Heaven.  

^"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,  while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good" Titus 2:11-14. 

Here's a video of "Hallelujah (Light Has Come)," a great song by Barlow Girl and one of my favorites: 

Enjoy :-) So while Mary & I both experienced a Christmas season being pregnant with a baby boy, hers was entirely different from mine... but I am SO thankful & blessed for what she endured to bring Jesus to this earth.  I hope you have a VERY Merry Christmas and experience the joy & peace He offers this season! 

feeling blessed

My 3 hour (which is actually 4 hours) glucose tolerance test is over.  It was definitely a difficult morning, but it ended up going a lot better, thanks to the love & support from family & friends.  I know I should not be a baby when I'm about to give birth to a baby, but seriously, 4 blood draws in four hours? Not a good time.  Especially when you have to fast 12 hours beforehand and you are pregnant.  I did not sleep well last night, for the third night in a row, which is why I'm indulging right now with a cup of caffeinated chai tea :-).  I woke up this morning around 3:45 and laid in bed until 7am... I figured the more I moved, the hungrier I would feel... and today is my first day of Christmas Break (one perk of teaching), so it was a treat.  

Armed with books from Elyse & Melissa, two of my teaching friends, I walked into the doctor's office at 8:20 after Grant dropped me off.  They drew my blood at 8:30 (I had been fasting since 8:30 last night) and then had me drink another nasty drink... this one was BAD.  Twice as much sugar... it tasted like straight up orange cough medicine.  She warned me to drink it slowly as those who rush through it have had it come up just as quickly... awesome.  The little guy started moving like crazy and I went out to the parking garage to get some air.  I felt lightheaded, so I figured beating the crowds to do Christmas shopping was probably not a good idea.

I walked a bit and then sat down... and tried to read.  I actually did get through about half of The Help, but there are definitely some pages I do not remember reading. I had blood draws at 9:50, 10:50 and 11:50.  During that time, I felt nauseous and lightheaded and hot after pretty much each one, but by 30 min after the blood draw I was better.  My friend Emily from small group & her son Drew surprised me with a visit between the 2nd and the 3rd, and by 11:40, my friend Karen who lives in NC was there to take me to lunch right after, so the time went much faster than anticipated.  I really do not like needles or blood, so having friends give up part of their day meant SO much to me.  I am also feeling super loved by the text messages from family & friends who live far away :) I hope I am/can be the kind of friend who does these little things, because they truly mean so much... so a huge THANK YOU to all of you :-)

I won't know the results for a few more days... but I have been blessed with a good pregnancy thus far, so I will CHOOSE to be joyful & thankful even if I fail and have to follow a super strict diet for the rest of this pregnancy.  After all, this little man will be totally worth it. 

Menu Plan Monday 12/19

Wow... this weekend was SO busy for once, it was almost a relief when Sunday night rolled around. 

We took our all-day labor and childbirth class on Saturday... The highlights were the fact there was a Tim Hortons/Coldstone combo directly across the hall(ironic they put that by the pregnant women... we did not go there though), the massage I got from Grant (part of the class!), lunch from Panera (ok, we had to leave to get that) and well, ummm that's it.  Parts of it were super cheesy, parts of it were old news, but I feel like overall I do have a better understanding of what will happen.  I keep getting the question, "So do you feel more nervous or more comfortable about it now?" The answer... YES. To both.  It was great to see the setting in which our little guy will come into this world... it was great to hear about all of the options available... but still, this is all new territory to us, so I think I will continue to be nervous and hope I get to the point where I am so uncomfortable I am just ready for the baby to come out.  

The class did make me think more about what I want the experience to be like (and obviously so much of it can change)... I am not anti-pain meds, nor am I pro-pain meds... I'm right in the middle.  I don't want them unless I absolutely need them... but I also am not trying to prove anything, so if I get the epidural, so what.  In general, I don't take meds unless I have to, which is kind of the stance I'm taking on childbirth.  We shall see how long I last.  Again, this is all unknown.  I am innocently hoping for one of those labors that is so short you get to the hospital at the last second and you just have the baby right then and there.  If that doesn't work out (which most likely, it won't- I'm not that naive), I am hoping to get one of the suites with a bathtub and a nice view of umm Broad Street? Ha.  I hit the 30 week mark on Saturday... meaning I have somewhere between 7-12 weeks to go... crazy.  

Tomorrow is my last day of school before Christmas Break.  I had my students journal last week about what they were going to do over Christmas/Winter Break, allowing them to pick what they call it... and you know what? Most of them picked Christmas Break :-)  We have a student vs staff volleyball game and pep rally in the morning... followed by the rest of the day which will be chaotic.  My goal is survival.  I have a lot of work to do afterwards, so I'm hoping to get that done and head to jazzercise since starting tomorrow night, I'll have to fast for my glucose test Wednesday morning. 

I did ask my doctor about the ridiculous diet they gave me to do before the glucose tolerance test... and she said "If that's not what you normally eat, don't do it."  Good.  Because this is what I would have had to eat every day for three days before my test: 

8 servings of starches
4 servings of fruit
4 one-cup servings of milk or plain yogurt
2 servings of vegetables
1 can of regular pop
1 cup of ice cream
1 tbsp of sugar


Ridiculous.  I don't drink pop... nor do I eat ice cream that often... I don't like milk... and I eat snacks that are protein-based... like greek yogurt & nuts... So I am super thankful I am not doing this.  I'm still upset about failing the first test... but I'd rather know if I have gestational diabetes or not based on what I normally eat, which is what my doctor agreed with.  She also assured me that if I have it, it is simply an issue with the placenta, and not something I did wrong.  Hallelujah.  I ate pretty well and I exercise, so this has been a huge slap in the face.  I am not looking forward to having my blood drawn four times in four hours, so please pray for me if you think of me. 


Here's what we are eating this week: 
Sunday: whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce, broccoli, garlic bread
Monday: chicken sandwiches, baked potato, green beans
Tuesday: Modenese Pork Chops, rice, peas
Wednesday: I don't know how I'll feel after the test, so I'm not going to plan everything. 
Thursday: date night with Grant
Friday: dinner with Tom & Sarah unless I strike out with the recipes they have been trying.  Btw... I should probably add a disclaimer that I don't like to follow recipes exactly... so sometimes what I make tastes/looks different. 
Saturday: CHRISTMAS EVE DINNER at Ken Stewart's Lodge.  We had our rehearsal dinner there 4 years ago and are super excited to go back!

Menu Plan Monday 12/12

Happy Monday everyone... Some weeks I feel like I am fine with the week at work ahead... but this week is totally one where I am counting down the days til the weekend already.  Not good.  At least a donation toward gifts for needy families in our district is permitting me to wear jeans until Christmas break! 

So the bad news is that I failed the glucose screening test by a few points... so now I have to do this three-hour (well, it's actually 4 hours) glucose tolerance test to see if I have gestational diabetes.  I will be on this high carb and sugar diet for three solid days before, then I will fast, and then they will draw my blood four times. I am trying to be positive about this but it is difficult.  A HUGE thanks to my friends out there who have had gestational diabetes and offered me much advice and support last week.  The nurse at school also offered to test my blood as often as I want, which was super nice of her.  We are literally SO busy this upcoming weekend Christmas events and an all-day childbirth class on Saturday that I don't even know if I will be able to go to the grocery store, so I spent a good chunk of time this past Saturday working on my menu for my diet.  I'll share it in another post.  It's ridiculous.   I'm 29 weeks along now... and as far as I know, baby boy is still doing well.  I go to the doctor again Thursday, and then next Wednesday, the 21st is my glucose tolerance test. 

 

Anyways, here's what we are eating this week: 

Sunday: Italian Sausage & Tortellini Soup (lunch... I didn't really follow a recipe but this one is similar.  I used spinach instead of kale and added carrots), Miller Family Christmas (dinner)

Monday: egg in a frame/toad in a hole, bacon, fruit

Tuesday: Chicken & spinach crepes, fruit

Wednesday: veggie burgers, noodles & green beans

Thursday: Honey Garlic Pork chops, pierogies & broccoli

Friday: frozen pizza

Saturday: Christmas party with some of my coworkers :-) 

for more menu planning ideas go to www.orgjunkie.com

Baby Bump round 2

How far along? 27 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: let's just say I officially weigh the most I have in my entire life.  Fortunately, most of it is in my stomach... and hopefully it will stay that way.
Maternity clothes? Oh yes. Every day. I can still wear my normal pants if they have an elastic waist... which restricts me to PJs, workout pants and sweatpants... As much as I'm loving the elastic waistbands now, it is NOT ok for someone my age to wear jeans with an elastic waistband. Hopefully I will feel like I have a whole new wardrobe after I return to my old size. (Trying to be optimistic here...)

Stretch marks? not from being preggo!
Sleep: Sometimes getting up for the bathroom (just depends how much water I'm drinking), surrounding myself with pillows... and having issues falling asleep because he decides to move like crazy EVERY time I lay down. 
Best moment this week: being with my family for Thanksgiving and going to my first baby shower, thrown by my Mom!
Movement: Tons. After I eat, drink and before I go to bed.  Usually I feel it more when I'm sitting or laying down. Some of the moves have made me gasp... not super painful but a little bit weird. 
Food cravings: well, besides food in general, I'm craving fresh fruit again.  Especially fresh pineapple.
Gender: Boy.
Labor Signs: not yet. (However, I did read up on what these are so that I'm in the know!)
Belly Button in or out? In... but getting tighter- yikes!
Wedding rings on or off? On
What I miss: wine and fully caffeinated drinks from Starbucks! (same as before) I did forget to say "decaf" with one of my first drinks in a red cup... and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but didn't finish every sip. 
What I am looking forward to: is it too early to say Christmas Break??
Weekly Wisdom: So thankful to have other women in my life who are also pregnant at the same time... and right now, I'm especially thankful for the ones who are due before me... if they can do this, so can I!
Milestones: almost to the THIRD trimester!!!

Here are a few pics from the 2nd trimester... it's amazing how fast this little man is growing!!

17 weeks

25 weeks

27 weeks... last week of the 2nd trimester!

Menu Plan Monday 10/17

This school year is going by QUICKLY.  I feel like last week flew by, but then the weekend, sadly, was even shorter.  It was also super busy.  We started our baby registry. I wish I could say it was a fun experience planning for and dreaming about the life we will have with this little guy... BUT... it was honestly stressful and overwhelming. I'm pretty sure Grant's words as we were leaving the store three hours later (only about 1/5 of the way done) were "if the women in Africa can raise children without all this, why do we need it?" Of course, I agreed... but unfortunately, when you are living in suburbia and driving everywhere, there are definitely some basics you need... like a car seat/carrier (didn't find one yet), a stroller (didn't find one yet) and a method of providing food for your little one while you are working (yup, haven't figured that out yet either).  This being said, we have a LONG way to go.  At least we have a crib picked out(which he won't sleep in for awhile) and some bedding, right?

I slaved away in the kitchen on Sunday, making apple brownies for a snack for our small group (they were délicieux- I also decreased the cooking time by 5 min), white chicken chili in the crockpot and pumpkin patch stuffed shells so we would just have to throw them in the oven.  We decided that the shells are good, but needed a little "kick," so we added some crushed red pepper flakes and a little extra cheese for the leftover portions for our lunches.  I think this pumpkin pasta recipe is still my favorite pumpkin pasta.  We will make it SOMETIME this fall... it just takes awhile. 

Here's the official menu plan: 

 Sunday: White Chicken Chili (I throw everything in the crockpot- I use chicken breasts and leave out the milk & masa and just add a little sour cream on top of each bowl)

Monday: Pumpkin Patch Stuffed Shells, salad, bread

Tuesday: Caramel Apple Pork Chops, Pierogies, green beans (didn't make last week)

Wednesday: Apple & Cheddar quesadillas, Mexican Jicama-Pineapple salad, refried beans

Thursday: Chicken Sandwiches, TJs Harvest Grains Couscous, baked acorn squash

Friday: having a snack before Tom's bday party :-)

Saturday: our cul-de-sac's Halloween Party... I'm taking Baked Potato Skins

For more menu-planning ideas go to http://orgjunkie.com/2011/10/menu-plan-monday-oct-1711.html

Twenty Weeks... halfway there!

Last Saturday (October 8), we hit the halfway mark with this pregnancy.  I cannot believe it is halfway over already.  And to think we are about to hit the holiday season, which always flies by.. scary how fast this second half will go. 

As a first time mom-to-be with quite a few seasoned parents who read this, I hesitate to say this... but so far, it really hasn't been that bad.  I know I have been one of the lucky ones.  I am not naive- I KNOW I will get super uncomfortable, that I won't be able to breath as easily, that my feet might swell, that I will so be hungry but have not much room for the food, that labor is going to be ridiculously painful with or without drugs... So please do not think "ha that girl has no idea what she's in for." I know there are some things I do not know about, but fortunately (or maybe unfortunately), I feel like I have been surrounded by pregnant women at church and work who tell it how it is, so I feel semi-informed on what is to come. 

Anyways, I just want to share with whoever may be in my shoes that being pregnant does not necessarily mean you will be clinging to the toilet for 16 or even 40 weeks. No one told me that, so I thought something was super wrong until I had my first ultrasound at 9.5 weeks.  I have been exercising (going to jazzercise 3 days a week during the school year), still walk fast, and still eat fairly normally.  And I know that with the next kiddo, I could have an awful, miserable pregnancy.  But the baby is growing and overall, I'm feeling great.  Minus the fact my face looks like I'm going through puberty again.  

I have seen this survey on quite a few blogs... enjoy: 

 

How far along? 20 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: gain fo sho. Doesn't matter how much, according to my doctor, as long as the baby is healthy and I am healthy! Oh I how I love her and how she is so laid-back.
Maternity clothes? Some of my baggy shirts still fit (but they are getting shorter), my workout shorts & pants, tees & outwear still fit (thanks to the elastic waistbands),  but as far as school clothes go, I am having to either wear one of those bands or maternity pants... which I will need to get more of.  I can zip, but not button. And when you teach high school, you do not want to have some sort of awkward moment, so I will make sure I am fully covered. 

Stretch marks? not from being preggo!
Sleep: waking up a few times a night in fear of another awful leg cramp... and then getting up once for a bathroom break
Best moment this week: fall treats (apples, apple crisp, pumpkin spice latte) & finding out the gender
Movement: Yes... but not a "flutter" like everyone else said it would feel like. I feel a little pulse/nudge/bump
Food cravings: just my normal cravings from when I'm not preggo... cheese, popcorn, and desserts
Gender: that will be in the next post. We found out on Weds 10/12
Labor Signs: HAH not yet, and I hope not for quite some time.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
What I miss: wine and fully caffeinated drinks from Starbucks!
What I am looking forward to: finding out the gender
Weekly Wisdom: I have decided to reward myself with a scoop of regular coffee with the other decaf scoops on the weekend. It is delightful.
Milestones:1/2way there!

Baby Bump

I am now in my 19th week of pregnancy! Almost HALFWAY done. I have gotten numerous requests for a few photo updates... so here is a post of pics of my growing belly:

2 months (8 weeks)

almost 3 months (11 weeks)

2nd Trimester!! 3 months (13 weeks)

4 months (16 weeks)... finally a LITTLE something!

 

 

almost 5 months (19 weeks)

Menu Plan Monday 9/26

The last week of September, whaaaat? This is ridiculous.  We had yet another super busy weekend.  Friday night, we witnessed the football team of high school at which I teach lose by 3 points to their biggest rival... but the game was SO good and the team played SO well that I'm still very proud of them.  We spent the rest of the weekend with Grant's family- Brooke if you are reading this, we had a great time hanging out and surprising your Dad!! I'm also finally starting to look pregnant.  Which is good, because I'm now a few days over 18 weeks, and I did not want to hit the halfway point without a little bump! I'll upload some pics on here sometime, once I have work stuff more under control.  I am so relieved we have an open weekend so I can maybe hopefully relax with Grant and catch up on everything... like facebook, preggo books, blogs and sleep.  You know, the important things.   

Dinners are again fairly simple this week.  We had our first crock pot meal (as in I left it going all day, with Grant & I both praying the house would not burn down), so it officially feels like fall!

Sunday: Vegetable Barley Soup (I used beef broth, a chopped onion, frozen mixed veggies, herbes de provence, barley, garlic, onion, salt & pepper and dumped it into a pot... I am not good at following directions when I cook soup. But since there was no meat, it cooked quickly.)

Monday: Crock Pot Carnitas, mexican rice & salads

Tuesday: Whole wheat spaghetti & meatballs, salad

Wednesday: using the carnitas for some pulled pork sandwiches, mac & cheese, peas

Thursday: Broccoli & Cheese Quiche (using mozz and goat cheese this time), fruit

Friday: frozen pizza.  I can already tell it's going to be one of those weeks where I am going to crash on the couch.  And hopefully one night this weekend will involve a owl of popcorn and the movie "Bridesmaids," which I've been waiting to see for months.

Saturday: leftovers

First comes love, then comes marriage...

I wrote this post in late July so I could remember the details of the day I found out we were going to be parents.  Enjoy :-) Or stop reading now!!

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes... YES, a baby Miller!!

Two days before I left for Canada, I woke up feeling a bit off (and by off, I do not mean sick; just off). So naturally, I took a pregnancy test (isn't that what you do when you feel "off"?) The cheapo kind from the dollar store (literally, a $1 test.). I'd taken 2 a few weeks earlier and then both almost immediately showed up negative, but this one was taking awhile longer. All of the sudden, I see two lines appear. I literally could not believe my eyes.

Grant had always joked (but I think he was serious) that if I ever got pregnant, he wanted me to tell him in a special way, since he had to do so when we got engaged. I always hoped I would be able to keep it a secret from him, but when you are about to leave the country for 3 1/2 weeks in TWO DAYS, you are definitely emotional. And very short on time.

So he is lacing up his running shoes downstairs and I run down with the test in hand, and was like "Look at this." He responds, "What does that mean?" I showed him the explanation on the box and well, I still didn't believe it was true.

I was supposed to meet one of my best friends for coffee followed by lunch at 10, so I was heading to a 7am jazzercise class. I went to class and worked out as hard as ever. After class, I ran to Meijer and bought a more expensive test- the kind where the word "pregnant" shows up on the screen. Still in disbelief, I drove home. Took the test... and the word "pregnant" appeared. Took another one... the word "pregnant" appeared again.

I immediately called my family practitioner who let me come in at 10 to talk to the nurse practitioner... she says, "Congrats." And I go "ummm no I'm not pregnant. I do not feel pregnant." And she asks, "HOW many tests did you take?" I said 3. She said, "Yeah, you are pregnant, congrats mama!" Riiight.

I had a great coffee and lunch date with my friend Emily, and then on the way home, stopped at Target and bought a few things I still needed for my trip and yet another brand of test.

What do you know... the final test of the day also said pregnant...

Don't laugh.  I know I'm not the only one who took 3 different brands of tests...  And a total of 8 of them before I went to my first OBGYN appointment at 9 weeks :-)