This Lunch Brought to You by Our Local CSA Goodness

The other day I made this:

 

It tasted even better than it looks.

Blueberries, raw almonds, mushrooms, red peppers, red leaf lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers.  Delicious :) 

No CSA pic from last week due to the craziness of the weekend, but I'll be back up to date this coming week.   

Pregnancy Update - With More Details Than You Might Want

I've got some cool posts in the works but in the meantime, I'll share what's been keeping me erm... busy.

Two days ago, after running around the house with the girls, playing, cleaning, and doing whatever I could to appease the massive nesting urges I was experiencing, I sat down for a minute only to be met with some of the worst back pain I've experienced thus far. 

And contractions.

Fantastic. 

I went into panic mode/lay on the couch and whimper mode.   I got some water and let the kids climb all over me until nap time.  By the time I talked to Shaun when he was on his way home, I was having trouble forming sentences without groaning and the contractions weren't helping.  The pain in my back was a constant and only got worse when a contraction would come along.

The contractions were sporadic and in and of themselves, not necessarily painful as much as they were uncomfortable. 

That night, the pain was bad enough that I was having trouble sleeping.  Add to that an extreme case of "I'm SO NOT READY FOR THIS!" and I had a bit of a panic attack and spent a good 30 minutes in tears, trying to decide if we should head to the hospital or not.  Thankfully, things settled down enough for me to fall asleep and I decided to reevaluate in the morning.

I woke up in the middle of the night downright miserable and found that a shower and some medicine were the only things that helped.  Managed to get back to sleep and the next morning I woke with much less back pain.  However, I would have a contraction every time I stood up for more than a minute or two. 

Off to the docs. 

Two hours there gave me some time on the fetal monitor, confirmation of frequent contractions, verification of no dilation, speculation of another UTI or kidney infection, a prescription for antibiotics, and instructions to sit/lay on my butt and rest while drinking tons of fluids.  Can do.

Last night I had three of the worst contractions I can remember within the course of 30 minutes before they finally abated and I was able to sleep. 

This morning, no more major contractions, little to no back pain, but the classic symptoms of a UTI/kidney infection.

Cue drugs and rest. 

So that's been the last two days around here.  Exciting, no?

So I'm packing a hospital bag and shaving my legs to ensure that he won't come within the next few days.  Because we all know what happens when we prepare.  NOTHING!  :)

Stay tuned for some cool posts.  (That's to say if Little Man decides to stay in there :)

A Preggo Pic - 34 Weeks

For my adoring fans:

 

OK!  Ok, I KNOW that's sort of cheating.  Black is just so delightfully slimming.

Here's the side view.  And no, I did not swallow a 3 year old, though it may look like it.  

 

There, people.  Happy? 

Summer Rule #1

Life is ever so much more fun if you're outside barefoot and (almost) naked.

If you ask her, I think she'd agree.

 
Hey, she can get away with it.  I, however much I might like to, can't.  So we do what we can.

(Pictured in a Rumparooz one-size diaper in the "Lil' Monster" print... we're pretty in love with these)

I Apparently Live in a Variety Show

The other day, I was sitting on the couch watching the girls fight play and had my feet tucked up beside me.  C was getting a little whiny, but typical "Mom-Magic" wasn't cutting it and she came over to whine directly into my face instead of from across the room.  Bean has already climbed up onto the couch and was trying to perfect the ideal belly flop onto my legs.  All at once, I felt sharp little teeth gently close over my big toe. 

I yelped, C grinned, (with my toe in her mouth, yes), and Bean cracked up.  So of course C repeated the process.  After a second or two, we were all cracking up. 

Until she stopped being gentle and bit the nonesense out of my big toe. 

I yelped again and hid my feet under a pillow. 

C was not happy at all.  Apparently, she liked that teething item.  I, however, did not.  

Bean, being sweet, said, "Mommy!  C can nibble on my finger!" 

Before I could dive over to prevent a dramatic reenactment of "Charlie Bit Me," Bean's finger was firmly between C's strong jaws.  C was amused.  Bean was most certainly not.    Poor kid.  I don't think she'll be eager to let C bite anything anymore. 

Well, at least she won't put herself in that position again.  5 minutes later, I overheard her whispering to C, "Go bite Mommy's toe!  Go get her!" 

I think I need to get some steel toed boots. 

CSA - Week 3

I've got a ton of fun things to post this week!  (And I WILL). But for today, I'll give you the weekly status update on our CSA yields:

Red leaf lettuce, blueberries, summer squash, eggs, a gorgeous head of some sort of lettuce that was almost too pretty to eat, mushrooms, red potatoes, beets, peas, green beans, bread (not pictured) and that thing on the bottom left, which is felted soap.  (We actually bought the soap). 

I love the colors this week.  We're planning to make some pink mashed potatoes for our oldest using some of the potatoes and a few beets.  I think she'll be tickled... well, pink.  Hehe.  We've all been enjoying raw peas from the pod.  Bean loves to shell them and eat them, and of course, C wants to eat everything Bean does, so it works out quite nicely.  Shaun's already made some green beans cooked with carrots, garlic, salt, and pepper.  I ate a bowl the size of my head. 

But the day this stuff came home?  I pulled out this gorgeous head of some sort of lettuce that was possibly the prettiest vegetable I'd ever seen.  I tried to capture it on camera but couldn't quite get the lighting right.  And I got really hungry.  Like I said, it was almost too pretty to eat.  Almost.

I put the entire head in a bowl with mushrooms, tomatoes, and blueberries and topped it with a honey mustard dressing.  It was delicious. (As if I expected anything else :)

Pregnancy Update

I haven't written a lot about this pregnancy, in part because I run around most days like I'm a chicken on crack and the full effects of pregnancy don't really hit me until I sit down.  And that happens, oh, at about 8:30 or 9 every night. 

The other reason for my relative silence has been how this pregnancy has been SO vastly different and so much more difficult than my first two.  I can't figure out whether it's been harder simply because I've had a 3 year old and a baby to take care of while going through the throes of all pregnancy stages or simply because this pregnancy was always destined to be a bit rougher around the edges. 

But despite the unpleasant parts of this pregnancy, the little guy inside of me is growing and moving and stretching like a champ.  And that's the important part. 

So far, at 33.5 weeks, I've gained 14 pounds which is greater by far than what I gained with C and from what I remember, on par with what I gained with Bean.  Some days this makes me feel ridiculously self-concious.  Some days I'm quite happy with that. 

I'm perpetually battling back pain on the lower right side, pretty extreme rib pain on the upper right side, and puffy feet on both sides.  My stomach is plenty big enough to provide a nice little shelf for C to ride around on, as she prefers to do. 

OK, ok, big is not the right word.  I look like I've been sucking on a helium tank and might float away at any moment. 

(And yes, yes, I will post a picture.  Soon).

But through all my discomfort, I still love most of all to sit still in the evening and rest my hands on my stomach and feel the acrobatics begin.  And despite the fact that every time I count down the number of days until he's supposed to arrive and begin to panic, I can't wait to meet this little guy. 

And that's what matters, most of all.