Week 28

This is the traditional side view I've been taking. I'm really starting to feel pregnant now. Not quite as nimble as I once was..haha. The floor just seems so FAR away these days! If I look relaxed, it's because I am. I got the best pregnancy massage yesterday. It wasn't just a pamper session, I actually therapeutically needed a massage due to some aches and pains that are creeping up. This lady specializes in all things women, mainly pregnancy, infertility, things like that. She's got all sorts of training in holistic stuff and I almost felt like I was in a counseling session. We had a consultation for about 30 minutes before my appointment to discuss how things have gone so far, my anxieties/fears, etc. She had great advice and then whipped up some aromatherapy oils based on all the information I provided. The best part of it all is that her table has holes cut out for boobs and the bump. It felt so great to lay in that orientation after weeks of side sleeping. I'm normally a stomach sleeper anyways, so that in itself was worth my time. In fact, I would pay just to lay on her table for an hour, face down. Well, maybe I might want the massage thrown in, too. Little baby loved it too. When I got settled on my stomach, he started moving like crazy!

This is more of an angled view. I'm trying to get a shot of what Edgar and I have nicknamed my upper abdomen-The Torpedo. The bottom of my torso is nice and rounded like a ball, and then my upper torso does this weird pointy thing. Can't really make it out in this picture, so you'll just have to trust me. Maybe one day I will get brave enough to post a picture of my bare stomach. You could probably make it out with some strategic shadowing. Meanwhile, I think I'll just keep my shirt on.

My next appointment is Tuesday. After that, I start going in every 2 weeks. Is it already time for the every other week appointments??? Holy crap!

Julie and Julia

I forgot to post about the movie Julie and Julia, which we watched a few weekends ago. Edgar owed me 2 chick flicks for making me sit through The Hurt Locker. It's not that I didn't like THL because it was a somewhat violent war flick, I just didn't think it was a very good movie. Even Edgar agreed that it equalled 2 chick flicks.

So, #1 was Julie and Julia. It was a great movie! Edgar liked it, too. Julie decides to cook her way through all of Julia Child's recipes in her classic cookbook and then blog about it. She had one year to complete over 500 recipes. Meanwhile, a separate storyline traces Julia Child's life as she arrives in France all the way through to the completion of her cookbook. If you get a chance, I recommend you go and see it. Thanks to Lilly for telling me about it.

Week 27

WOW! I had to look at the previous week's belly posting, because I can't believe it's already 27 weeks!

The "Nursery Advice" Session

Saturday was the "nursery advice" appointment at John Lewis on Oxford Street. I almost cancelled it because I didn't think we needed enough things to warrant an entire person walking around the store with us for 2 hours. Most people spend their 2 hours discussing all the different strollers or car seats, but since we don't need that, I was curious as to what exactly would wind up on our "list". Come to find out, we had a nice little selection of basic things we needed. It was worth our time just to have someone right there with us to answer any questions we had about bottles, diapers, creams, and all those little things. Some of the brands over here are different and I don't know what are considered the "it" brands. She very nicely and patiently answered all of our questions, and an hour later, we took our free coffee voucher to the little store cafe and had a snack while she printed up our list. I can't tell you how many people were wondering around that baby section with perplexed looks on their faces. The best ones were the men...they didn't have a clue (and that is something Edgar pointed out, so I'm not just being mean). We already ordered everything off the list we decided we would actually need, and it should arrive on our doorstep in the next few weeks...easy, easy!

Week 26

I'm still feeling great, despite getting tired very easily. My back has been hurting quite a bit, but the yoga classes seem to help. I always sleep really good on yoga nights. I also started having some random Braxton-Hicks contractions...mainly in the evening, but they go away when I sit down. Little baby is still kicking like crazy, always as soon as I lay down for bed. It's fun to feel where he is rolling and know that he is safe and warm just playing around in there. I am getting nervous about the day he gets big enough to kick my ribs...I still have a few more inches to go. Tomorrow is a big day for Edgar and I. We are going to a store called John Lewis, where we have a 2-hour appointment with a "nursery advisor" to help us get all set up with the basics we will need while over here. Who knows what we'll come home with. The good news is that you pick it all out on one day and then you tell them when you want them to deliver it to your house (for free). This means we don't have to store and walk around it for at least a few more months.
Remember, you can see my belly getting progressively bigger by clicking on the link to the left.

A Cool Little Coincidence

Yesterday was 09/09/09 and there were 99 days until my due date. I knew this child was special.

Another Near Tragedy in the Kitchen

I only wish it would have involved leftovers. I try not to pay attention to old wive's pregnancy tales and when I receive advice, I politely nod my head, smile and either file it away or let it blow away in the breeze. So far, the best (and I say that loosely) advice I have received was from some well meaning and wonderful people in Cyprus. They kept offering me beer for my morning sickness and also said it would make my milk strong. My doctor said, "Really, like a pint?" Also, the doorman at our hotel there went on a very long tangent about how I should give my baby a teaspoon of starch (as in the starch you use to stiffen your clothes) every day in his bottle. This is because it makes the stomach very strong. His mother did it for him and he is now 60 years old and has never been sick. Everyone in Cyprus appeared to be normal, happy, and strong, so maybe there is something to their advice....

One thing you always read is that you get clumsy in pregnancy. I thought maybe I would bump into things since my body is changing shape and I'm not used to carrying around this particular weight. When the stomach expands several inches, that couch is a little closer than it used to be. But I'm beginning to think the clumsy thing is actually true. Last night as I began to prepare the Jamie Oliver Mexican cornbread and tortilla soup, I sliced open the tip of my left thumb. I thought I might need stitches it was so bad. It appears to have sealed a bit overnight and now it's just really sore and I have absolutely no feeling in it. Then, a little while later, I dropped said knife onto the floor only inches away from my bare feet. During clean up, I took the knife out of the drainer, whipped it around to put it in the drawer and actually scraped Edgar's arm with the tip of it (don't worry, no blood and he's OK). This is a serious knife, too...not a little paring knife, but a Santuko chef's knife. I NEVER do things like this. I think for every one's safety, I should just stay out of the kitchen.

Tragedy in the Kitchen

I awoke this morning to tragedy in the kitchen. Edgar and I both forgot to put the gumbo in the fridge last night. So, we had a big pot of delicious leftover gumbo laughing at us all the way to the trash can. I tried to tease myself into thinking that it was pretty cool last night, so perhaps the natural temperature of the kitchen would have preserved it. But, since my pregnancy journal has been focused for the past 5 days on how to prevent food born illnesses, my better judgement took over the sentimental feelings, and common sense got the best of me. I called Edgar as soon as I discovered it. He said he found it this morning, but decided not to tell me as he gently kissed my forehead goodbye. Sleep has been an enigma for me lately and I was just too peacefully snoozing for him to wake me with such earth shattering news. It was a sad morning. We grieved for the hard work, the chopping, the stirring, the laughs we shared as we mutually prepared this feast for dinner less than 12 hours prior. We also moved on. The pot is now clean, safely drying in the open air. Tonight's dinner is already accounted for, and tomorrow, when we make our planned Jamie Oliver inspired tortilla soup, we will not forget to put it in the fridge. Especially since I'm planning on making double the recipe to fill my freezer for many delicious lunches to come. That would be a double tragedy.

Gumbo!!!

Jamie Oliver, a.k.a. The Naked Chef, spent many months driving across America in search of what makes true American cuisine. He spent time with and studied the creations of everyone from the Navajo in the Wild West to the soul food cooks in Georgia. All this work culminated in a series on TV and a cookbook to match. We enjoy watching anything American over here, so we tuned into the first episode this past Tuesday and really enjoyed what we saw. Edgar was so inspired that he bought the cookbook! Tonight, we made Jamie's gumbo recipe derived from his time in Louisiana. I have to say that it turned out very, very good! We filled it with the typical veggies like okra and tomatoes, and added the suggested chorizo sausage and shrimp. We wanted to add crab meat, but the grocery store was fresh out. Just to make it complete, I brewed sweet iced tea and our dinner was complete. The best part is that we have leftovers for tomorrow!

Saturday in Richmond

First, a stroll throught the Saturday Richmond Market.

Then, a little spectating at the 2009 Great River Race. You might remember I did it in 2007.

Just a picture of me.

Lastly, beer and bratwurst at Stein's on the river.

Week 25

Hard to believe I am already this far along! I had my 24 week appointment on Tuesday. Everything looks really good...weight in the appropriate range, tummy is the right size, blood pressure good, my pulse was a little high but it's usually because I am still recovering from the walk to the office and I always get a little anxious. Last night I started prenatal yoga. I've tried yoga before and I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan. I just always thought I should be briskly walking or kickboxing or something else instead. But yoga while pregnant is completely different for me. I loved it. It felt so good to stretch my back and relax my racing mind. I think I'm really going to look forward to my weekly classes. In a couple more weeks, I'm going to start prenatal Pilates. Now Pilates I love. I did Pilates for several years before pregnancy. I've done matwork and the Reformer machine and loved each one. I'm hopeful that the Pilates will help me build some strength for the task to come in the next few months. I'm going to throw in a few aquafit classes during the week and I think that should keep my energy up and counteract the ice cream I'm eating!

Ranch AND Sweet Iced Tea

Edgar and I have been to the Texas Embassy several times since moving to London. We can get a slight TexMex fix if we really need to. The food was always OK, but nothing to write home about. I went there when my parents came to visit and discovered that they had revamped the menu. They condensed the menu and focused on fewer things, but made them better. Edgar and I went there a few weekends ago because we really just needed some chips and salsa. Obviously, I'm not drinking margaritas right now, but I still wanted a fun drink, or at least something besides water. So I asked for an iced tea...that's what they call the Lipton premade lemon flavored bottled tea you get over here. It's usually the closest you can come to the tea we are used to. To my surprise, we discovered that they now serve REAL ICED TEA!!!! And the lady asked if I wanted it sweet or unsweet! It's not on the menu...I guess they got tired of too many homesick Texans telling them it can't be a Texas restaurant without real iced tea. They now have pretty good chicken flautas as well. And can you believe that they serve them with a big container of RANCH!!!! I was so in heaven that day.

My chicken flautas with RANCH!!!

Chips and salsa, and REAL ICED TEA!!!