Baby Update

29 Weeks (Tomorrow!)

So, we are finally in the home stretch!  It's hard to believe it's only 11 weeks away!  (Or sooner!)

We went to the Doctors today and everything looks normal!  YAY!  No exciting news is good news.

Her heart rate was 147...and all measurements are normal.

My Blood Pressure was 124/80 which is still good and I gained 3 pounds.  (for a total of 4 lbs.)

Now onto Janelle's wedding this weekend...

It's a busy week!

This week is Janelle's wedding, so there is a lot going on!!  She and Matthew are moving there things into their new house, finish all the last minute details and trying to stay sane!!  

But, I haven't blogged for a while, so I thought I'd leave you with a recipe I recently used.  Tim and I really enjoyed it and have put it in our "Favorites" catagory!  

Enjoy!

Marinated Salmon Seared in a Pepper Crust

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (I used reduced Sodium Soy Sauce)
• 1 garlic clove, pressed in a garlic press or minced and mashed to a paste
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (I added a little extra lemon, because we like lemon on fish)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 pound center-cut salmon fillet, skinned and halved
• 4 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper (I cut the pepper in 1/2, but would like to try it with all 4 teaspoons)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

In a sealable plastic bag combine well the soy sauce, the garlic, the lemon juice, and the sugar, add the salmon, coating it well, and let it marinate, sealed and chilled, for 30 minutes. Remove the salmon from the bag, discarding the marinade, pat it dry, and press 2 teaspoons of the pepper onto each piece of salmon, coating it thoroughly. In a heavy skillet heat the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it saute the salmon for 2 minutes on each side, or until it just flakes.

Transfer the salmon with a slotted spatula to paper towels and let it drain for 30 seconds.

I served it with Rice and Green Beans.  We all loved it very much!!  Nora ate almost a WHOLE PIECE of Salmon!

PA Farm Show 2009

Last week was a BUSY week for us!!! :)

On Monday, we headed to the PA Farm Show with our dear friends Dan & Amy.  As always, we had so much fun! :)  We love being with them!

On Tuesday night, I headed off to the Ladies Meeting at Church and Tim stayed home with Nora.  Well, around 9:00 Nora started vomitting and before the night was over she had thrown up over 25 times!!!!  It was a MISERABLE night for all involved!!!

Wednesday night, Tim ended up in the bathroom all night.  He actually slept on the bathroom floor for most of it.  I felt so helpless for him!!!

Thursday, we were scheduled to head off to the Marriage and the Mercy of God conference (you can dowload the amazing messages for free)...

Thankfully, Tim was feeling a little bit better.  So, we headed to Lancaster to drop Nora off at my parents, then over to Hershey for the Conference.  Tim made it through the meeting, but barely!!

Thankfully, when we woke up the next morning, he was doing MUCH BETTER!  So, we headed off to Hershey for the 2nd session.

We heard amazing teaching on Mercy in our marriages...it was a very challenging day, but a good day.  We had lunch with Dan and Amy, which allowed us to share some of the areas that God was getting at in our hearts.

Friday night we were able to spend at Hershey Lodge...it made for a relaxing afternoon and night.  I LOVED the bed!!!!!  It made my pregnant body feel so comfortable...I slept great!

Saturday we ended the conference in the early afternoon, headed off to lunch with some friends and spent the rest of the day together (just the two of us).

On Sunday, after church we headed to my parents for the football games and to see our little girl!!!  

GO STEELERS!!!!!!

We ended up staying at my parents until yesterday evening.  It was great to spend time down there.  We always enjoy their hospitality!!

Here's a slideshow of the Farm Show!

An Elise Update

Yesterday we had another Ultrasound to see how big Elise is.

I was measuring larger than my dates indicate, so the Doctor wanted to make sure that Elise wasn't too big.

We haven't heard from the Dr. Office yet, but the technician said that she is measuring about 1/2 week larger than normal.  I doubt that is much to be concerned about.  

However, they will take her 20 week ultrasound and compare it to this 26 week ultrasound to determine her growth rate.  Then, they can see if she's growing or gaining weight too quickly.

Her heart rate was 146 bpm which is the slowest we've heard so far.  But, we think she'd been sleeping.

She weighs about 2 lb. 3 oz.  Which is hard to believe, because Nora was born at 3 lb. 9 oz. and we still have 13 weeks left!

Here's a few pics from yesterday.

Profile.  She was opening and closing her mouth when the tech was taking this picture.

Her Foot

Re-confirmation that it's definitely a girl!

Baby Update

25 Week & 5 days...

Today I had another OB appointment.  I had some concerns over the weekend, so the timing was perfect! :)

Here's what we found out...

...Elise's heartrate was 166 bpm

...I gained 1 lb. this past month, which brings my total weight gain to...1 Lb!

...I'm measuring larger than the dates indicate, so we are going in for an ultrasound on monday to confirm the size of Elise.  I've been feeling like she's bigger than Nora was, just from her movements and such.  She can REALLY sock a punch!!

...I started itching again on Sunday, so they are checking my liver again.  It will take about 10 days to find out those results.  They are expecting negative results again, but are double checking since the itching has come back.

...I'm 25% effaced, but the Dr. isn't concerned about it.  (I don't know if that's normal or not!!)

...On Thursday I have the normal Glucose test done...so I get to drink an AWEFUL sugar drink...yay.

The Dr. will see me in 3 weeks and then every 2 weeks after that!

If we get some more pictures on Monday, I'll post them as well as an update on her size. 

I think that's it!  

The Gingerbread House

Rachel and Abby made a gingerbread house with Nora this Christmas! Here's the pictures of the process! Nora loved it!