Sleep While You Can

When you are pregnant, everyone feels the need to give you some piece of advice.  Here are a few:
- sleep while you still can (which isn't very much when you're 9 months pregnant, uncomfortable in almost any position, and have to pee every 10 minutes)
- you should get an epidural because.....
- you shouldn't get an epidural because....
- let the baby cry it out, that's what we did in my day
- just relax, the baby will come when he's ready (I know that, but if you know that, then why are you calling me every day to see if he's here yet?)

And the list goes on and on and on and on.

Here is my one piece of advice to pregnant women, try to enjoy some time alone and with your parter before the baby arrives.  Not that this won't be possible ever again, but things definitely change once a baby arrives.

Taking my own advice, I tried to make the most of this past weekend.

Friday was a girls day which including shopping at the mall, lunch at the Cheesecake Factor and mani-pedis.  Saturday was spent enjoying some time with family at a housewarming party.

And finally, today my husband and I spent a relaxing day at home alone.  We stayed in bed until after 11AM - something I know we won't be able to do very soon.  Ate leftovers from yesterdays party while we watched two movies cuddled on the couch in our PJs.  Took a walk outside with the puppy.  Played some board games.  And now we're ending our night cuddled back on the couch (still in our PJs) watching some crappy TV shows.

39 Weeks

Only 1 week until our little one is due to make his appearance!

However, based on the fact that I've had no contractions yet and that this is my first baby, the doctors are guessing that he'll be late.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Packing the Diaper Bag

When we decided on our pediatrician a few weeks ago, I learned that you bring the baby to their first appointment within 24 to 48 hours of being home.  With that first outing getting closer and closer, I decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to have the diaper bag packed before the baby arrives.

Since baby isn't here yet, this list of what I've packed is based purely on what I've read online and experiences of others.   I hope to revise it after I've had some experience of my own.

• Diapers - about 1 per hour that you'll be out of the house, plus a few extras.  These aren't something that you want to run out of.  
• Wipes - I've been picking up travel packs for free or cheap as deals have popped up and I plan to use these in the bag.  The come in packs of 20.  I've read that you never want less than 10 wipes in your bag, even for a short outing. 
• Diaper changing mat - my diaper bag (as most diaper bags) came with this.  I plan to use the one included and can get something else if I decide I don't like it.
• Diaper rash cream - again, I've been picking up travel tubes for cheap and will use those.
• 1 to 2 changes of clothing for baby - a tip that I've read is to put each extra outfit in its own ziploc bag.  Then when you need to change baby, you can take out the clean outfit and put the soiled outfit into the ziploc bag.
• Extra shirt for yourself - again, packed in a ziploc bag so that you can just switch out the dirty shirt for the clean one.  
• Burp cloths - I use these cloth diapers as burp cloths.  They're cheaper and hold up longer.  
• Diaper sacs - these are much cheaper when bought in bulk.  I just bought this box and put some in a ziploc baggie for the diaper bag
•  Hand-sanitizer
• Disinfectant wipes
• First aid "kit" - you can buy an actual kit, but I just put some band-aids and some anti-bacterial wipes into a snack sized ziploc bag
• Toys for baby
• Hat for baby  - to keep them warm in cold months or to keep sun out of their eyes in the summer
• Pacifier  - I will have these pacifier clips for mine 
• Nursing cover and nursing pads (obviously this is only if you're breastfeeding)
• Blanket - I love the Aden and Anais swaddle blankets
• Tissues
• Snacks and water for mom/dad

38 Weeks

Yesterday I hit the 38 week mark - that means only 13 days until our little bean is due to arrive.

37 Weeks - 20 Days Left to Go!

Yesterday I hit the 37 week mark.  That means 20 days left until our little one is due to make his grand entrance into the world!

Crockpot Dump Freezer Meals

With less than 4 weeks until baby arrives, I decided that this would be a good weekend to stock up the chest freezer with some pre-made meals.  I specifically make crockpot dump recipes - all of the ingredients for a meal in one bag ready to be dumped in the crock pot and left to cook for the day.  

I frequently make freezer meals and, in my opinion, it is significantly easier to go a lot of meals at once.   Here is the process I go through when I know I'll be meal-prepping.

1.  Gather all of the recipes I plan to make and decide how much I'm making (I usually pick a large variety of recipes and make 2 of each for some variety).

2.  Make a grocery shopping list and look at the weekly ads to decide where to shop.

3.  Take out one gallon freezer zip-loc bag per meal and label them.  My labels include the name of the recipe, the date I made it, and any necessary thawing, cooking, and serving directions.

4.  Clean and cut all fruit and vegetables and add them to the appropriate bags.  

5.  Add any liquids and seasonings to the bags.

6.  Add the meat last (that way when you dump it into the crockpot the meat will be on the bottom, closest to the heat source).  

7.  Remove all air from the bag and lay flat in the freezer until solid.  

Here are the recipes that I made this time.

• Chicken Philly Cheesesteak
• Chicken Tacos
• Cheesy Tortellini with Ground Beef
• Simple Sloppy Joes
• Beef Shepherd's Pie
• Hawaiian Chicken 
• Teriyaki Chicken
• Sweet BBQ Chicken
• Creamy Chicken Italian-O 
• Italian Sausage Peppers & Onions
• Chicken Fajitas
• French Dip Sandwiches
• Hearty Beef Stew (I use chuck steak instead of stew beef, I think it's less stringy)

I will also be making about 3 batches of these Freezer Burritos, which are one of my hubby's faves!

And finally, I'll make about 4 pounds worth of meatballs, which I cook ahead and freeze.  It's easy to pull out just enough for one meal.  And if you like subs, you can freeze rolls and some cheese ahead of time (we buy a 5 pound bag of cheese from Sam's club and portion and freeze it - it's much cheaper this way).  

36 Weeks

I've finally hit the 36 week mark.  That means only 4 weeks to go!!  It also means that I'll now begin having weekly doctors visits to ensure that things are going smoothly.

Just 28 days until our little bean is due to arrive!!!!