Baby Bump-ness: Week 19

How Far Along:  19 weeks!

Size of baby:  According to BabyCenter.com, our little one is the size of an heirloom tomato (or a medium cucumber if your local grocer doesn’t have those in stock – haha), about 6 inches long.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: We don’t own a scale, so I’m still going off my last visit…4 pounds gained so far. I have a feeling this might have changed.

Maternity Clothes: Still fitting into all my normal tops, and some of my normal pants. My mom and I hemmed a few maternity work pants for me this week, so I’m glad to be able to wear pants again to work. 

Gender: We’ve had 5 people guess so far that it’s a boy, and no “girl” guesses. Some days I feel like it’s a boy, and some days I think it could be a girl – whatever the case, we’re just praying for a happy, healthy baby!  

Movement:  I’ve been referring to him/her as our little “wiggler” lately. Instead of strong kicks, they feel more like little squirms and wiggles…almost like baby is stretching. They are definitely getting more frequent (baby wiggles happily whenever I eat!).   

Sleep:  Sleep is still wonderful. The crazy weird dreams I’ve been having? Notsomuch. 

What I miss: Unfortunately (fortunately??) I haven’t had much of sweet tooth, so I haven’t been eating chocolate, cookies, cakes, cupcakes, etc. However, Valentine’s is coming up and I really wish baby would let me appreciate the goodness that is Dove Dark Chocolate. This year, I’ll probably ask Nathan to bring home a pineapple.  

What I’m looking forward to: Our next appointment – Feb 13 can’t get here fast enough! Of course we’re excited to find out the gender, but we’re also super pumped to finally see our little one again. It’s hard to believe last time, he/she was millimeters long!

Cravings:  Red grapes, strawberries (did you know they’re good dipped in maple syrup?? Try it some time!), Mexican food (no surprise there), and raw veggies.

Aversions: Still just the eggs. 

Symptoms: Weird dreams! The other night I had a dream that I was eating pizza and it had chicken feathers in it (gag!). It was so realistic that I woke up feeling like I had something in my mouth.

Belly Button In or Out: Still getting flatter. 

Best Moment This Week:  These are really more memorable, but I want to jot them down so I don’t forget. This weekend, we went grocery shopping, and with tape measure in hand, Nathan went around the produce section measuring out a 6” veggie or fruit for my weekly photo. Finally we found the cucumber and I said, “Oh this is perfect…I’ll eat it right after we take the photo!” :)  

Sunday night I had to drive home in a bad snow storm, and I was rather nervous. The roads hadn’t been plowed and it was coming down so fast that I couldn’t see anything. My pregnancy bladder was also rather full and was in need of relieving itself. I was convinced I would end up in a ditch somewhere, having pee’d my pants. Mind you, I wasn’t worried about the ditch or wrecking my car…just the humiliation of possibly peeing my pants.

Weekly Wisdom: Note to self: a high waisted pencil skirt while 19 weeks pregnant is not a good idea, unless it has an elastic waistband or unless you’re comfortable letting it remain unzipped during the work day. Phew! I learned my lesson the hard way.

Milestones: Finally being able to tell the difference between a stomach gurgle and a baby wiggle.

Marriage Disciplines

Back in December, I mentioned two new marriage disciplines that Nathan and I have adopted to help strengthen our marriage – “The Love Jar” discipline and the “$2/offense” discipline. Several of you messaged me and were curious about these, so I thought I’d share them today!

Nathan and I have been married for almost 3 years, and even though that’s not an entirely long time, it is time enough for a marriage to get into a slump if you’re not careful. We noticed that ours had gotten into one and decided to implement some new strategies to help.

Our "slump" was that we both are very stubborn people when we argue. We hardly ever argue over really big things…it’s just those small things, and boy can those small things seem and get big when we’re both really passionate about our opinions!

We had gotten into the habit of arguing poorly, and as much as I hate to admit it, there were times when there was shouting, name calling, and slamming of doors. Looking back, I see how completely and utterly childish these negative behaviors are, but when we were arguing and the other person wasn’t listening or conforming to our side, it seemed like the most “rational” way to get their attention.

One random week in conversation, we realized our arguing had gotten worse and that no matter what “cool down” techniques we tried to implement, they just weren’t working. That’s when Nathan came up with the “$2/offense” discipline.

$2/offense discipline:

Ever since we’ve been married, each month, we allot ourselves $25 of “fun money” – this can be spent on Goodwill shopping trips, CD’s, books, a new pair of shoes, etc. It’s not a lot of money, but it’s what we decided works for us and our budget.

Nathan decided that one way to help us stop arguing poorly would be to have a monetary consequence. The rules were simple: If we lose our cool, name call, slam a door, raise our voice, use a sharp tone etc. then we get penalized for our negative behavior and have to take $2 out of our fun money and give it to the other person. We agreed on the discipline, and every month since then we’ve taken out $25 in one dollar bills to help make it easier.

I will admit, it took some getting used to at first. It was a lot of "You owe me $2" as the other person rolled their eyes, let out a big sigh and regretfully handed over their fun money. But then after a while, we both realized that when the other person asked $2 from us, it was probably well deserved. And we also started noticing on our own when we each needed to pay up. There were times when I would use a sharp tone, and immediately say to Nathan, “I’m sorry. I owe you $2.” We slowly noticed that we were giving less and less money to each other, and that’s when we realized the discipline was working.

I know this discipline might not work for everyone, but it definitely does for us. I love my $25 fun money so much…it allows me date nights out with girlfriends, shopping trips with mama, and other fun splurges, so it breaks my heart to give it to Nathan over something I’ve done. :)

The Love Jar Discipline: 

This other discipline is relatively new for us, but has been a fun and wonderful way for us to express love for each other. It’s called the “Love Jar” and I adapted it from Lysa TerKerust’s blog. 

Basically, you each get a jar (we use small pint sized Ball jars for this), and you cut up slips of paper (we chose to do 4 pieces in each jar – 1 piece for each week of the month). Each partner writes on their slips of paper things that the other person could do to show them love. Then, you switch jars so that your spouse has your love jar and you have theirs. Every week, you draw a new piece of paper out of the jar and you do what’s on the piece of paper that week.

For example, some of ours have read:

Rachel: On one of your night’s off, cook dinner for us

Nathan: Make steak burritos for me

Rachel: Draw a bath for me, and light some candles

Nathan: Give me a 20 minute back massage

Now that we’ve implemented these two simple disciplines in our marriage, we’ve already noticed big differences – we think about what we say/do in an argument before just acting out, and we look forward to the fun and exciting challenges in the love jars.

So how do you and your spouse keep your marriage out of the slumps? Any techniques, disciplines or methods you have? I’d love to hear!

Menu Plan Monday - Week of Jan. 30

Last week, we did really well sticking to our menu plan until about…Thursday. I had planned that Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake that we love, but by Wednesday night the block of cheese I had reserved for that dinner had already been devoured.

And no, the pregnant person did not eat the entire thing by herself in one sitting. I only had 85% of it, so I had a little help from the man. And it was over the course of 3 days, not just 1. Thankyouverymuch.

It actually worked out perfectly because it forced me to be creative on Thursday night when dinnertime rolled around. I had no idea what to make, and our freezer and pantry were in definite need of refilling. I did, however, have some buttermilk that needed to be used, some bananas that were pretty ripe, and all the other ingredients to make these. Breakfast for dinner!

And did I mention Nathan wasn’t too hungry that night, so I got to enjoy all the deliciousness myself? Yep. I’m not joshin’ you – these things are gooood. Make a big batch and freeze the leftovers, because they’re even good reheated. Trust me.

Monday: Nathan's cooking dinner! (his specialty - Italian chicken w/ rice)

Tuesday: BBQ Chicken and Cheddar Sandwiches

Wednesday: {Meat Free} Tomato Soup & Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwiches 

Thursday: {Meat Free} Baked Ziti & Salad

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Chicken Spinach Soup

This post is linked to: I'm an Organizing Junkie, Menu Plan Monday

Friday Favorite Finds

It's Friday! Which means I'm linking up with SnoWhite for Friday Favorite Finds. I found so many yummy things this week that I cannot wait to try!

These look so yummy for a Game Day appetizer, or really any kind of appetizer. Or just a snack if you're hungry. You get the idea. :)

French Dip Crescents from Mama Loves Food

Source: mamalovesfood.com via Rachel on Pinterest

I also have to show you this appetizer. Does anyone else love all things Buffalo like I do? Combine that with cheese, chicken and salty chips and you've got yourself a crowd pleasing number!

Source: sugarcrafter.net via Rachel on Pinterest

Since we've covered appetizers, let's move on to the main course!

How about some Chicken Empanadas with lots (and lots) of jalapeno? :)

Source: shortstopblog.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Or maybe this Cajun Ranch Chicken Pasta is more your thing? Oh yeah.

Source: plainchicken.com via Rachel on Pinterest

And, of course, I have to show you the sweet stuff!

This recipe combines two of my favorite loves - fruit and cinnamon. 

Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls, y'all!!

Source: beantownbaker.com via Rachel on Pinterest

And doesn't this look like a healthy filling treat? Peanut Butter, granola, jam, banana and strawberries all wrapped in a wheat Flatout Flatbread. Yum!

Source: flatoutbread.com via Rachel on Pinterest

PS - All photos above were embedded using Pinterest. To see the full recipes, click the "source" link below each photo.

Baby Bump-ness: Week 18

How Far Along:  18 weeks!

Size of baby:  According to BabyCenter.com, our little one is the size of a Bell Pepper, about 5 1/2 inches long.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: This comic perfectly sums up the weird stage my body is in right now...

Maternity Clothes: Still wearing my regular shirts and a few regular pants right now. I'm having to rock the unbuttoned pants look, which is getting kind of old, so I'm sure the maternity ones are right around the corner!

Gender: My guess is a boy…all the dreams I’ve been having about the baby have been of a baby boy. I did dream last week we had a girl and named her Bernadette (???). She was a toddler and had curly dark hair and was running around in the kitchen. Weird.

Movement: Still feeling a few nudges and pokes every now and then, but only when I’m completely still.

Sleep: Sleep is SO good!!

What I miss: I’ve really been missing cold turkey deli meat. I could go for a giant 12” DiBella’s turkey sub sandwich, piled high with every vegetable you can think of. Yum.

What I’m looking forward to: Our 20-week appointment. Not only finding out the gender, but also seeing the baby move and wiggle and hearing how he/she is developing. 

Cravings: Red grapes, chicken salad, Chex Mix, and still loving all things spicy! 

Aversions: Eggs still make me gag…the new Macaroni Grill commercials with the egg yolk spilling out really send me over the edge. Yuck!

Symptoms: I’m feeling really good! I have lots of energy, I’ve been sleeping so well, and consistent exercise has been helping my ever-increasing tummy feel much less tight and bloated.

Belly Button In or Out: Still getting flatter.

Best Moment This Week: Getting a belly rub from Nathan. :) It feels so good when he rubs my tight, itchy belly! 

Weekly Wisdom: Last week at our youth retreat, the speaker gave his powerful testimony about how God led him and his wife to adopt 3 (three!!) special needs children from overseas. It broke my heart to hear his story. But I also realized I have been praying/worrying/thinking "what if our baby has a disability?", and here was this family who chose to adopt 3 children with disabilities. It made me realize that I should stop worrying about the flaws/imperfections that our child may/may not have. We prayed for this baby before it was even conceived, and God was faithful enough to answer our prayers. Because of that, we can rest assured knowing that this child being formed inside me is the child God chose for us to love with all our hearts, no matter what he/she may look like.

Milestones: Finally went through my closet and boxed up my pants that are too small. See you in the fall/winter, guys! You'll be missed.

Yummy Pasta Salad

One of the cravings I've been experiencing lately is pasta and/or chicken salads. Our growing little one must not know it's winter in Upstate NY, because he/she has also been making me want tons of fresh fruit and tomatoes. I've been paying an arm and a leg to satisfy these cravings! :)


I saw this recipe on Recipe Shoebox and knew I needed to make it, with a few editions. This is an easy to make pasta salad that packs lots of flavor and is chocked full of yummy veggies!

Pasta Salad - Adapted from Recipe Shoebox

For the dressing:

*I like my pasta salad a little more "dry" than wet, so I decreased the amounts of the dressing ingredients below. If you like yours more wet, then I'd double what's below.

• 1 envelope dry Italian dressing mix
• 3 TBSP white vinegar
• 2 1/2 TBSP water
• 1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

For the pasta salad:

• 1 lb. bowtie pasta, cooked and cooled
• 1 head broccoli, chopped small
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/3 onion, diced
• a handful of grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 can sliced black olives, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 c. shredded cheese
• 1/2 c. ranch dressing

1. Start by chopping all your veggies. Set aside.
2. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over veggies. Mix together.
3. Add ranch dressing and pasta, top with shredded cheese and toss to combine.
4. Refrigerate 1 hour before eating.

Menu Plan Monday - Week of Jan. 23

Last week, we enjoyed our new recipes on our menu plan SO much. Our favorites were definitely the Lime Chicken Tacos and the Italian Wedding Soup - in fact, Nathan requested I add both of them to our permanent recipe file. I know it's a good one when he does that! :)

Hopefully this week is just as successful! 

Monday - Chicken Salad Sandwiches w/ Fruit

Tuesday - Shrimp Po' Boys w/ French Fries

Wednesday - Leftovers

Thursday - Cheddar Chicken and Pasta Bake w/ Veggies

Friday - Homemade Wings w/ Veggies

This post is linked to: I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday. 

Have a blessed Monday, friends!