What We're Doing. And Eating.

Y'all. What a week. Apparently, over the course of the last seven days, my body has realized it is pregnant. And now all of the sudden I am dealing with calf cramps, shortness of breath, heartburn like I have never even dreamed of (seriously, body, heartburn from drinking water?), and, most notably, an intense urge to cry over everything. little. thing. that doesn't go right. Let's just say, we are all glad this week is almost over.

Fortunately, the good is still outweighing the bad and, really, I have nothing to complain about. Baby girl is kicking away morning, noon, and night, which thrills me to no end. I am obsessed with her. And, no surprise to us, she's a little rockstar in there; last ultrasound said she looked perfect. And huge. Like sixty-seventh percentile for growth huge. Really, it's kind of expected, given that Hugh and I were quite large ourselves, weighing in at 10lbs even and 9lbs 4oz, respectively. Grow, baby, grow.

So, other than being a little bit of a hot mess, here's what we've been up to as of late:

• A few nursery projects. I am so in love with this room I don't even know what to do with myself. So, I just hang out in there and get more and more excited for her arrival. Fun fact, it used to be our guest room and the place where I folded laundry. When Hugh and I were waiting (for one thousand) years to get pregnant, I would stand in that room, folding laundry and daydreaming about what it would be like to have a crib in the room instead of a bed. And now, there's a crib right where the bed used to be. And my heart is happy. I'm saving the big reveal until it's all finished, hopefully by the end of February, but in the interim, just know that Fletcher is a huge help:

 

• My children are cute best friends:

• And one of them has decided denial is his coping method for the fact that my lap real estate is quickly decreasing:

• Loving this article.
• Taking my glucose screen early (see: 67th percentile). It was no big deal. People freak out about that test, don't they? I say, if you can't drink 4oz of some overly sweet and flat-tasting orange liquid quickly, well, you probably didn't go college, did you? Also, I rewarded myself with a Chick-fil-a breakfast, so there's that.  
• Oh, did I mention Hugh declared his intended specialty? No big deal.

We've also been eating some delicious food, per the usual. Check it:

• Chicken and Black Bean-Stuffed Burritos - A weeknight go-to at the White Hot house:

• Last Minute Sesame Noodles - One of our favorite lunches. This recipe makes enough to feed us both lunch for three days:

• Lasagna and a really good salad - This was a solid basic lasagna recipe. A little heavy on the ricotta for my taste, but if that's your jam, then you would love this one:

• Dessert. Lots and lots of dessert - Seriously, who am I? Last night Hugh took me on a little dinner date. And I suggested we order two types of homemade ice cream at the end of our meal. Then, as I was inhaling them both, spoon alternating back and forth from bowl to bowl at rapid-fire speed, Hugh acted like his sweet-tooth had been satisfied so I didn't have to share. Such a gentleman. Pregnancy, you are marvelous. And strange. 

• Falafel - I am working on perfecting my own little recipe to share with you, frinternets, but I'm not quite there yet. In the meantime, this one is pretty darn tasty. Also, I was going to take a picture of this pretty little dish for, but by the time I remembered, this is what my plate looked like:

• Slow-cooker Barbecue Pork with Coleslaw - A great weeknight dinner. 

• Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins - These are a great, healthy make-ahead breakfast. We've been eating them all week. I do not know what the recipe specifies that they are for 12 - 18 month olds, but we 28-year-olds enjoyed them just fine:

• Hugh's Magic Muscle Milk - Because everyone is on the green smoothie bandwagon these days, aren't they? Must be January. I added a scoop of peanut butter this time. See: grow, baby, grow.

• Redemption Salad - Last but certainly not least, this was the star of the food that came from our kitchen this week. It's like a New Year's resolution in a bowl - light and fresh and veggie-packed - but it's also totally delicious. And pretty, to boot:

For the dressing, we subbed 1/4 cup soy sauce for the salt, quadrupled the lime juice, and used canola oil in place of the grapeseed oil. I also added a thinly sliced red bell pepper to the salad, as I had one languishing in the crisper.

With that, I'm off to pack my bag for a weekend away with these favorites. And then, I get to spend the whole day on Monday with the dreamiest husband there ever was.

Hope your long weekend is the peachiest. See you Tuesday.