Baby Update: Still Pregnant

Here's me at 40 weeks.

It's official. I'm going to be pregnant forever.

Okay, I know that isn't possible, but it sure feels like it. I'm 40 weeks and 3 days pregnant, and the last few days have felt like an eternity.

So what's the plan? The plan is just to wait. I'll have a few tests done on Monday, an ultrasound and a non-stress test, to check on Baby J and make sure he or she is okay to hang out for a little longer. If everything is good to go we'll just wait some more. If Baby J still hasn't come by January 28 we will induce. They don't let you go past 42 weeks, which is fine with me. I really don't want to be pregnant for 10 more days! Yikes.

Now for some stats. Only 5% of women deliver on their due date. About 50% deliver after their due date. And, the average for first time moms with a healthy, normal pregnancy to deliver is 40 weeks and 3 days. That's today for me and the day is still young. :-)

I'm fully confident that I'll go into labor on my own any time now....hopefully. In the mean time we're enjoying these last few moments as a family of 2 (plus Libby). But really Baby J, we're ready to meet you so hurry up please!

Make Ahead Favorites

To help us get through the first couple weeks of Baby J's life, whenever it is that he or she will make his or her appearance, and all the adjustment that comes along with that I've been busy stocking our freezer with some of my favorite make ahead meals in perfectly portioned packets so we can just heat and eat with no effort or thought.

Here are a few recipes that are easy to make and freeze beautifully:

White Chicken Chili

Apple-Butternut Squash Soup

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

Buon appetito!

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

I love soup. I eat soup for lunch probably 3 times a week, at least. What I don't like are salty canned soups that are full of preservatives. Homemade soups are so easy to make, freeze really well, and are much cheaper than the canned variety.

Here's my recipe for chicken & wild rice soup:

1 roasted chicken (you can buy a rotisserie chicken, but I like to roast my own. It's super easy and has way less sodium that way. Just rub it with a little butter and pop it in a 375 F oven for 1.5 hours.)

1 onion, diced

1 cup carrots, sliced

1 cup celery, sliced

1 cup wild rice

3 cloves garlic, peeled and whole

1 tsp. herbs de provence

2 T olive oil

64 oz. chicken stock

While the chicken is roasting, set Crock Pot to high. Add olive oil, onions, carrots, celery, and herbs de provence. Cover and let cook for one hour, stirring occasionally. Add wild rice and chicken stock. 

Once the chicken is done roasting and has cooled enough to handle, pick into bite size pieces. Add to the Crock Pot.

Continue cooking on high for 4 hours, until wild rice has "popped."

This soup is great to keep in the freezer. I portion it into quart size bags and freeze on a flat surface, like a sheet pan. Once frozen you can easily stack the portions in the freezer for space saving storage. If you are going to freeze some of the soup, do it immediately. Don't let it hang out in the fridge for a few days, then freeze. And, don't forget to write the date on it. As a general rule of thumb I like to eat frozen meals within 6 months. (Though this never sticks around that long).

Apple-Butternut Squash Soup

This tasty concoction is the perfect winter soup. It's thick, it's hearty, it's healthy, and it's soup-er easy to make.

Here's how you make it:

1 onion, diced

4 apples (I like gala), peeled and diced

2 butternut squash, peeled and diced

2 T curry powder (mild)

2 bouillon cubes (I use the Not Chick'n brand)

2 T olive oil

2 cups water

In a dutch oven, lightly sauté onions until translucent. Add curry powder and cook for 3 more minutes.

Add butternut squash, apples, water, and bouillon cubes. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for about 45 minutes or until squash is very soft.

Transfer to a blender and puree. It might help to do this part in 2 batches. Be careful, hot ingredients in a blender can be explosive. 

If the soup is too thick for your liking add a little extra water. 

This soup is great to keep in the freezer. I portion it into quart size bags and freeze on a flat surface, like a sheet pan. Once frozen you can easily stack the portions in the freezer for space saving storage. If you are going to freeze some of the soup, do it immediately. Don't let it hang out in the fridge for a few days, then freeze. And, don't forget to write the date on it. As a general rule of thumb I like to eat frozen meals within 6 months. (Though this never sticks around that long).

White Chicken Chili

My mother-in-law made this tasty white chicken chili a few months ago when we were having a family chili night on a busy game day weekend. Since I'm deathly allergic to tomatoes, chili is a dish that is really never on my radar. When I tasted this [tomato-free] chili it was love at first bite.

Here's my adaptation of her recipe:

1 roasted chicken (you can buy a rotisserie chicken, but I like to roast my own. It's super easy and has way less sodium that way. Just rub it with a little butter and pop it in a 375 F oven for 1.5 hours.)
1 onion, diced
2 small cans of diced green chilies
3 cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
64 oz. of chicken stock or 2 bouillon cubes with 8 cups water
2 T ground cumin
1 T dried oregano
2 T olive oil

Pick the chicken, both white and dark meat, into bite size pieces. Set aside.

Dice onion and lightly sauté in olive oil until translucent. Transfer to a large Crock Pot. Add diced chilies (don't drain), cannellini beans (drained and rinsed), garlic (peeled and whole), chicken stock or bouillon and water, cumin, and oregano.

Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

This soup is great to keep in the freezer. I portion it into quart size bags and freeze on a flat surface, like a sheet pan. Once frozen you can easily stack the portions in the freezer for space saving storage. If you are going to freeze some of the soup, do it immediately. Don't let it hang out in the fridge for a few days, then freeze. And, don't forget to write the date on it. As a general rule of thumb I like to eat frozen meals within 6 months. (Though this never sticks around that long).

The Waiting Game

I'm 39 weeks along now and have only one week until Baby J's due date on January 15, but really Baby J could come any time.

I'm feeling all kinds of emotions. Mostly excitement, but there is definitely a little fear of the unknown creeping in.

On a positive note, I'm quite enjoying my last few weeks of pregnancy. The baby has dropped so much that I don't have those little feet in my ribs any more, and my horrible heartburn has all but disappeared. I am slowing waaaay down though and I think I've got the pregnancy waddle down pat.

So until this baby decides to come it's just business as usual. I'm still working and just trying to keep checking as much off my never ending to-do list while I can.

Hopefully the next blog I write includes our new arrival! :-)

The Nursery - Take Two

What's better than designing a nursery once? Designing it again, of course! :-)

Here's the final product. Now, all we need is a baby! (Plus a few extra pictures on the walls, but those will have to wait until after Baby J makes his or her big debut.)

The dresser/changing table, plus Libby. She loves hanging out in the nursery. 

The crib and the giraffe. We'll add some of Baby J's newborn photos to the
wall once he or she arrives.

I picked up these little prints in Ireland on Baby J's first international trip.