Vegetable Soup

It has been bitter cold here lately. Yesterday the schools had a 2-hour late start because of the windchills which were about -40! And our power went out in the night for a few hours. It was getting pretty chilly in here. Andy brought Lily into bed with us and we snuggled and tried to stay warm. Our noses were cold! :) Anyway, all this cold has made me crave soup. I've had some good soups at a few restaurants and I've also made a few soups at home. My friend Heather Jones shared a recipe for Pizza Soup on her blog which I tried. It's really good and you MUST have garlic bread with it! Yesterday I tried this recipe from Real Simple. It's yummy. I'll just say that half an onion was enough for me (onions aren't my favorite) and make sure the green beans get tender! Enjoy!

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped object
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 14.5-ounce cans low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/4 pound green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup chopped broccoli
Grated Parmesan (optional)
1 baguette, sliced and toasted (optional)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, 1 cup of water, the potatoes, thyme, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover partially, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes, green beans, and broccoli, return to a simmer, and cook until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with the Parmesan (if using), and serve with the baguette slices (if using).

Week 17

As your pregnancy progresses, your baby's first feces are starting to build up in her bowels. Called meconium, this sticky substance is made up of dead cells, digestive juices, and swallowed amniotic fluid. Meconium is usually not excreted until after birth, although occasionally Baby may release it into the amniotic fluid before delivery.
Baby is now almost five inches long and weighs about four or five ounces. She is firmly anchored via the umbilical cord to the placenta, which continues to grow with her. The placenta, which is now more than an inch thick, contains thousands of blood vessels that exchange nutrients and oxygen from your body to your baby.
Big happenings this week include:
* Layers of fat are beginning to develop under the skin to help keep Baby warm and protect her after birth.
* A rubbery skeleton continues to develop, although Baby's bones are still primarily cartilage, flexible enough to enable her to pass through the birth canal.
* A protective coating called myelin is slowly beginning to cover Baby's spinal cord. This coating will help protect the cord for the rest of Baby's life. (compliments of verybestbaby.com)

I had my check-up yesterday and everything seems to be going well. My blood pressure was 118/60 and the babies heart rate was in the 130s/140s. It's always so comforting to hear that heartbeat! Lily came to the appointment with me and she was a really good girl. She got a little nervous when I laid on the exam table to listen for the heartbeat but she got over it quickly. My ultrasound is scheduled for Wednesday, February 27 at 8 am. I can't wait!

CHRISTmas 2007

We celebrated Christmas with my parents on Sunday, December 23rd. Mandi and Bryan weren't able to be there because they got a huge blizzard in Stevens Point and were snowed in. We missed them a lot and it was a quiet and intimate little gathering without them. But it was such a nice relaxed day. Andy and Dad went to the Vikings game that night but unfortunately the Vikes lost. Here are a few snapsnots from our Christmas celebrations over the next couple days.

Andy, Lily, Dawn and Baby :)

Grandpa, Lily and Grandma

Lily and her new toaster

A Boz book. Can you tell she likes it?

Christmas Eve at our house. Opening gifts that morning.

A new Dora book! She's so delighted! :)

Andy and I gave her this basketball hoop and she really enjoys it. Look at her form!

Isn't she cute?

I love her little hands.

Christmas Day at the Beckers. The whole family was there. Eric had said he wouldn't be able to come but he was standing in the doorway when we got there! That was a fun surprise. Lily really enjoyed her cousins, especially Hally. They played pretty well together and followed each other around.

Playing with new toys

The Becker Family Four :)

Lily and her cousins

(l to r) Hally, Zach, Shelby, Lily, Max and Abby

Baking with Mommy

Lily and I made Gingersnaps several weeks ago and it was so much fun! This is one of the first times that she was actually really helpful and I think she really enjoyed it. She was really listening and following directions. She held the mixer and managed to keep it upright but it was so heavy for her and it didn't take long for her to say, "Mommy take it." She loved dumping in the ingredients and sitting on the counter is always fun for her. The cookies were a total success and Lily was a big helper. I'm definitely looking forward to more baking with her.

Warm and Cozy

It's been a long time since I posted. I have been feeling very yucky with this pregnancy and haven't spent a lot of time on the computer. I'm nearly 13 weeks so I'm hoping and praying that I'm on the tail end of this part and will start feeling better very soon. It's been a rough 6 weeks or so - nausea, throwing up and feeling really pooped. There are lots of projects around the house that I keep adding to my list because they'll have to wait until I have more energy. But I feel like a little "nesting" has already started because I keep thinking of things to sort through or throw away or move to a different place. :) I had my 12 week appointment on Wednesday, January 2nd and everything went well. I had actually lost a little weight which didn't surprise my doctor since I've been so nauseous. I got to hear the baby's heartbeat which was a HUGE encouragement to me! It might seem ridiculous to some, but it was reassuring to know that there IS a baby in there! I'm not just making all this up. A few tears rolled down my face. I'm glad that little peanut is doing okay so far. This better be a really wonderful kid for all I've been through the last month and a half!!! :) The past few days I've been really consumed with thoughts about when the baby is here and I feel excited about it! I honestly can't wait for him or her to be here. I know life will change again and I'll be sleep deprived but life with Lily has been so good and I can't wait to know what this little person will be like. Anyway, you can pray that I start feeling more normal very soon.

The week of Thanksgiving our friend Keith Nelson put a fireplace in our basement. It looks really nice and it makes our basement "warm and cozy" as Lily says. :) The first time we turned it on she said, "Mmmmm. It smells so good. " We laughed so hard because it doesn't have a smell, but she knew we were excited about the fireplace and she was just trying to participate in the conversation. :) She is so precious.

Do you love our decorating themes? We have some Christmas garland, two lonely candle holders and Vikings helmets. The basement is sort of Andy's domain so there's not much I can do. But the fireplace itself does look really nice. :)