Baby Bump: 35 weeks

5 weeks to go!!!  Serious braxton hicks are in full swing.  Baby is now head down - no more scheduling for this momma.  I'm probably one of the only people that was disappointed by this... but if you know me, you know I love my calendar.  Feeling really tired and I'm lucky if I sleep for 3 to 4 hours at a time.  Current strategy is to sleep for 3-4 hours when I get home from work and then try again in the middle of the night when the exhaustion sets back in. 

For those of you that are WLS pre or post op and are interested in my weight (I was when looking at people's blogs before surgery) I'm at 35 weeks and at 186 pounds (my high before surgery was 347 - at least that's the highest I saw on the scale... I know it was higher at one point).  I was 182 when we conceived.  My lowest in the pregnancy was 173 during the end of the first trimester.  I was told at the beginning of all of this - if I gained around 20-25 pounds, that'd be what they would expect from a healthy pregnancy (that came from my surgeon's office).  My OB's office is ecstatic that I've put on a total of 4 from when we conceived, but 13 from my low during the pregnancy.  I'm starting to feel the extra weight now for the first time.  My goal all along was to stay under 200 during the pregnancy.  Don't want to jinx it... but with 5 weeks left to go and not a lot of "room" in my tummy for extra food... I think I'll be able to do it!  I've stayed strong on not eating sugar throughout the pregnancy.  I feel strongly that once I cross that threshold - there will be no turning back (can I please mention that as I write this I'm about to fold!!!  Ryan is having cinnamon sticks as a well deserved end of the week treat right now and I'm about to jump out of my chair and take him out for a bite of one of those... must stay strong, must stay strong!).  I have full blown/legit hunger now and some serious cravings.  I just try hard to find something to satisfy them that I can have and if not... then I sleep or cut coupons!

Iowa Baby Shower

We have pictures!!!  Thanks to my sister for getting these uploaded : )  Our camera got smashed on the flight back to Iowa for the baby shower and mom and dad were running around so much during the shower that we've all been waiting on pics from Erin's camera.  They are finally here!  There are so many of them that there is no way to post them all to the blog.  So I've selected just a few and below is a link to my face book photo album that has the full 54 pics included. 

The theme of the shower was owls.  Erin knew how much I loved the owl baby stuff that is out there right now - but so much of it is not for little boys... it's just for little girls.  So she worked her magic and made an amazing event - all owl themed.  This girl (and my mom too) are seriously talented!  They made/did everything themselves except the cake.  That they ordered - but of course had very specific design requests : )

We had a great (quick) weekend at home.  Can't believe it's been 4 weeks since we were there.  One more way I'm realizing how close we are - 5 weeks and counting!  I'll post 35 week pics next : )  Thanks to my family for an amazing weekend/event.  It's one for the record books for sure!

Bottom left - acorn muffins in pumpkin flavor, top left - owl cake pops (yes, handmade), front center - owl sandwiches, back center - owl cake on a REAL tree stump thanks to Erin's use of a chain saw..., Front right - leaf and acorn sugar cookies handmade and frosted by mom and Erin, back right - homemade chocolates in the shape of squirrels and acorns that Erin made, back of the table - Erin's beautiful flower arrangements.  She made about 20 of these and they were found throughout the house.

My side of the family... waiting on #6 to join us!  From the left - Dad, Mom, Ryan, me (31 weeks pregnant here) and Erin.

Ryan's side of the family.  From the top left: Ryan's dad, our niece, Ryan, me (baby at 31 weeks), Ryan's mom, Ryan's sister holding our great niece. 

Close up of the owl pops... did I mention they made each of these by hand?!?  Carrot cake ball - then the stick is inserted.  Dipped individually in a fondue pot of chocolate - spun until dry.  Chocolate chips for ears, small chocolate candies for arms, flower sprinkles for feet and candy eyes and noses - all secured with extra fondue chocolate using a toothpick to apply.  They made 50 of them and probably spent at least 8-10 hours doing it!

The "check-in" table.  Every single detail was thought of.  I loved that Erin did the owl theme for everything, but nothing was overly cutesy or baby... just my style : ) 

Happy Happy Fitz Girls : )  Can't wait for Auntie Erin to meet her nephew!  (okay, I'll just keep focusing on the end result and do my best to ignore how we get to that point!)  She flies in Dec. 3rd - and she's predicting he'll be late.  If he takes after her, he will be late.  If he takes after Mommy and Daddy (us) - he'll be right on time or early ; )

And here is the link to all of the pictures from the shower - enjoy!

I found boots... that ZIP!!!!

Mommy got her boots ; )

 Well hello October... 

This month has been absolutely crazy at work and we've been busy busy busy at home getting everything ready for the baby.  We celebrated our 3rd anniversary two weeks ago, went back to Iowa the first weekend in October for a wonderful baby shower (that post is coming... just waiting on the pictures from my sister!) and then we had homecoming weekend at the college last weekend.  This weekend is the first time we've gotten to do our normal weekend routine of running errands, laundry, dishes, etc.  I wish I had more ready to post, but that is an unrealistic expectation of myself right now and I'm doing my best to not dwell on any of those : )

Anyway... here's the reason for this post.  It gets back to why I started this blog in the first place.  Before I had surgery, I had a list of goals....  When I lose weight, I will be able to.... (fill in the blank).  There was a list of at least 20 things, but  some of them were to sit in a theater seat for a Broadway show and be able to actually fit (done!), be able to shop in a store other than lane bryant (done!), have a baby... (almost done ;) and other things.  One of them was to find a pair of boots that zipped up my leg.  This somewhat superficial quest has been going since I was a sophomore in college.  Ryan knows that he's be along for the ride for numerous shopping trips in the last 5 1/2 years that ended in tears, cursing or just plain disappointment.  I would have paid any amount - and I mean ANY amount if a pair would have zipped.  Part of it was def. due to my weight, the other part is I was blessed/cursed with my dad's HUGE calf muscles ... and when you carry around 300+ pounds for over 10 years, well - those muscles are pretty big and not meant for boots.

Yesterday Dixon and I went shopping.  We were at a store and I thought I'd try on their "extended calf boot" to see if it'd fit.  I thought surely it would considering I've lost 170 pounds... but nope!  Now I know I'm 5 weeks away from giving birth - but I have adorable maternity sweater dresses that are just dying to be worn people!  And what better way to rock that maternity sweater dress than with a pair of boots?  So as she was in the dressing room trying something on, I used my phone to google search extended calf boots (the spark for the search was back).  I got the usual suggestions for Dillards/Macy's/Bloomingdales/etc. for the $200+ boots.  But I've tried all of those and know they don't work.  Had they, they'd be in my closet right now... again, I don't care about the price - just that they zip!  Payless shoes also came up in my search... Yep - payless.  Did I have a coupon? No.  Do I care?  NO!  Again, I would have paid anything... but I only had to pay $29.99!!! 

I literally was squealing in the store with excitement.  Now picture this... maternity yoga pants pulled up above my knee, belly popping out like no other thanks to my little guy and adidas track jacket.  But when those babies zipped all the way up... I popped off that bench and started walking around the store in sheer joy!  (Special thanks to Dixon for not ditching me and my ridiculous self at that moment).  She obviously got how important the moment was because she snapped a picture of me buying my first pair of zip up boots... This one will for sure make it into the pregnancy book of pictures.  Our little guy will someday hear the story of how mommy ended her almost 10 year quest for boots with 5 weeks left to go of this pregnancy.

My only complaint... they don't come in brown!  (Seriously Payless... lets get on that!)  They do make them in brown in the regular sizes, but us extended calf girls will just have to rock our black ones!  Bring on the new outfits!!!  Here's a link if you're interested : )

PA Baby Shower

Our little guy is really active tonight - kicking up a storm!  I guess he's telling mom it's time to be active too and get some things done off the check list!  (Apparently, he doesn't consider the last 4-5 days of grading "active" : )  I'll have to get that nap in some other time!

This past weekend we had our PA baby shower.  Our good friend Dixon hosted it for us and we had a wonderful time.  Almost everyone there was from where I work with a few friends from out of town that were able to join us.  We feel so lucky to have met so many great people out here in PA!  Our day was truly special, non-stressful and a happy occasion.  Nothing more a new mom could ask for.  I realized when I came back to work on Monday I was describing the shower to people that couldn't make it as "It just felt like everyone was truly happy for us and wanted to be there.  Nothing was forced or overdone, it was just really nice".  So there you have it - this momma was one happy and very appreciative camper!

And now for the pictures!  These are a few shower pics - far too many to post blog style - but I think you'll see how happy we were.

Us with the Dixie Chick : )  AKA - Party Planner Superstar!

The adorable cake that was made to match the napkins, plates and theme. (And no WLS peeps - I did not have any or even try a bite.  I heard from everyone though that it was wonderful!)

Everything was customized - including this banner!  It's so adorable!  We have 2 huge monkey balloons in our house right now - maybe the monkeys well start to drop when little baby starts to drop.  I think 10 weeks should just about do it!

Gift opening : )  People really followed our brown and green nursery theme if they saw pictures on the blog!

And here is Daddy!  This man has not had a beer in well... forever.  So at dinner with Cory and Dixon - he went for the sampler.  Final review... GOOD CHOICE!  I love this pic of him ; )

Baby Bump: 29 weeks

These are my 29 week, 2day pics.  For those of you that are WLS people - some people have been curious about my weight gain.  I'm at 182 in this picture.  That's still 4 pounds less then when we conceived back at the end of Feb, but up from my first trimester low of 173.  The doctors seem good with my weight gain and seem to think its "healthy".  If I stay on track, I'll probably gain 1-2 pounds each week from here on out.  That's another 10-20 total.  I'm feeling fine with it - just a bit "giggly" : )  Now these leg cramps are a different story!!!! UGH!

WLS Friendly Sugar Free Blueberry Muffins

8 blueberry muffins - fresh out of the oven.

Ingredients used for muffins.

Putting the muffins in the oven - 22 minutes at 400 degrees and they are done : )

I got this original recipe off of Hungry Girl's website and modified it a bit for us.  We had a bunch of fresh blueberries from the baby shower this past weekend that I wanted to use up AND this will make a good breakfast for me to take to work the rest of the week.  I'm really looking forward to trying some other recipes I found on this site.  We used some ingredients I normally don't use (like soy milk and egg beaters for example) - but I'm all about trying to make things healthier.  So it's worth a shot! 

After having these, I have a few things I might do differently.  It seems like A LOT of blueberries for 6-8 muffins.  They are hard to eat because they are so messy with all the blueberries - however, they are good that way.  They don't taste "too sweet" which is good, but if you're someone that doesn't like the taste of whole wheat flour, my suggestion would be to go with full on regular flour.  I did mine using cupcake/muffin liners, but with all the blueberries they stuck to the liners.  I would next time use my silicon muffin pan and spray those with a little Pam to keep them from sticking.  I also read online that if you freeze fresh blueberries before using them in baking, they stay together better and make less "mess" when you bake with them.


All in all - a good recipe - worth trying again!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup regular flour
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup light vanilla soy milk
1/4 cup sugar-free pancake syrup
1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute - like original egg beaters
1/4 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
3 tbsp. splenda blend brown sugar (not packed)
2 tbsp. light margarine, room temperature
2 tbsp. no-sugar-added applesauce
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, Splenda, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. In a separate, mixing bowl, combine soy milk, syrup, egg substitute, butter, applesauce, and vanilla extract. Using a whisk, mix until thoroughly blended. (Don't worry if butter bits do not break up completely.) Add dry ingredients from the first mixing bowl to the mixture in the large one. Mix until completely blended. Then fold in the blueberries. Line a 12-cup pan with baking liners and/or spray with nonstick spray. Evenly distribute batter among the 6-8 cups. Place in the oven and bake for about 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Enjoy! MAKES 6-8 SERVINGS.

This nutrition is approximate and would be for 1 muffin when you make 8 out of the batter (that's how many it made for us):
Calories: 100 Fat:1.5 grams Fiber: 2 grams Sugars: 5 grams Protein: 3 grams

Chicken Sausage and Potatoes - Country Style

Easy ingredients to make this easy meal.  Not pictured is the water.

The sausage and garlic with 3 tsp. of oil in the skillet.  Browning first.

After sausage was browned, I added the sliced potatoes, tomatoes, salt and pepper.  Covered and cooked on medium low heat for 30 minutes (I used level 4 on our electric stove)

Finished dinner with green beans as the side.  1 Sausage link, 1/2 cup of green beans and 1/2 cup of potato/tomato mixture.

This mommy is back in the kitchen!!!  Class is over - grades submitted today.  That means I had a burst of energy at the end of the work day to come home and try this new recipe.  I found some Nature's Promise Mild Italian Chicken Sausage on sale last week at Giant.  It's been in the freezer waiting to be used - just needed to find a recipe.  We've never tried chicken sausage before, and it was actually really good.  Much healthier and not nearly as greasy (for nutrition information: click here).  I highly recommend it.  Also very glad we went with the mild - it had plenty of bite to it : )  So this was really easy and a relatively cheap meal to make.  We served it up with green beans and a slice of italian bread.  Should make great leftovers for tomorrow's lunch!

Ingredients:

	1 pkg. Mild Chicken Italian sausage, 5 large links total
•	3 tsp olive oil
•	4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced very thin
•	14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes (undrained), Italian flavor
•	3 medium red potatoes, cut in thin slices
•	1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper
•	1 pkg. Mild Chicken Italian sausage, 5 large links total
•	1 cup of water

Directions:
In a microwave safe bowl, combine potatoes and 1 cup of water. Microwave of high for 5 minutes. Pierce the sausages in various places with a fork or toothpick. Put the sausages in a skillet with the oil and sliced garlic. Brown on medium heat. Add tomatoes, potatoes, salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender and sausage is cooked thoroughly. Internal temperature of sausage should be 170°F. Serve with green beans and Italian bread.

Best Day at Target EVER! Major Coupons Used!

Picture 1 of target deals

Picture 2 of target deals

Yes... 2 pictures because all of these deals could not fit in one "normal" kitchen table shot of deals : )

I stayed up late last night, way too late to even admit to, to organize my coupons for this run.  Target.com has recently released a ton of new store coupons.  These coupons from target's website can be "stacked" with manufacturer's coupons.  Stacking means you can use them at the same time on 1 product.  For example: 1 bottle of dish soap for $2.69.  Manufacturer's coupon for $1 off + Target Coupon for $1 off = .69 total for dish soap. 

I have never had this good of luck at target in 1 trip with getting stuff we will for sure use/need.  I feel like the store was especially stocked just for us : )  A lot of grocery items and some A-Mazing clearance deals on clothes.  Alright, here we go... this one is going to be quite the list!

What we bought with original prices and sale prices:
x4 Diet Pepsi 12 packs, originally $5.29 each.  On sale for $3 for 11, get the 4th one free
x4 Skittles bags of candy, originally $0.79 each
x3 T Bonz dog treats, originally $2.49 each
x2 Little Beggin Strips, originally $2.64 each
x1 Velveeta Cheesy Skillet, originally $2.54
x1 5ct. 24 hour Zyrtec allergy, originally $5.29
x3 Kashi TLC granola/snack bars, originally $3.99 each, on sale for $2.99 each
x4 Kashi crackers, originally $2.79 each
x2 Nivea Women's Body Wash Gel, originally $2.99 each
x2 Simply Lemonade individual drinks, originally $1.02, on sale for $0.73 each
x1 Simply Orange individual drink, originally $1.02, on sale for $0.73
x1 Seventh Generation Dish Soap, originally $2.69
x4 Campbell's chunky soup, originally $2.09 each, on sale for $1.50 each
x4 Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Brown Rice, originally $2.34 each
x2 Merona Cropped Capris, originally $21.99 each, on sale for $5.48 each
x1 Merona Denim Cropped Capris, originally $19.99, on sale for $9.98
x1 Merona jersey/cotton sun dress, originally $20.00, on sale for $10.00
x1 Merona silk sun dress, originally $39.99, on sale for $9.98

Manufacturer Coupons used (Printable, Newspaper inserts and some were found on packaging):
x2 $1 off of 2 bags of skittles bags of candy
x1 $4 off of 4 bags of T Bonz or Beggin Strips dog treats
x1 $1 off 1 bag of Beggin Strips
x1 $1 off of 1 Velveeta Cheesy Skillet
x1 Free 5ct. 24 hour Zyrtec allergy
x3 $1 off Kashi Crackers
x1 $1.50 off 1 Kashi Product 
x1 $1 off 3 Kashi granola/snack bars
x2 $2 off any Nivea product
x2 $1 off Simply Lemonade individual drinks
x1 $1 off Simply Orange individual drink
x1 $1 off Seventh Generation product
x1 $1.50 off 4 cans of Campbell's chunky soup
x2 $1 off 2 Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Brown Rice products



Target.com Coupons used (printed from their website, 2 prints per coupon per computer is allowed):
x3 $1 off Diet Pepsi 12 packs
x3 $1 off T Bonz dog treats
x2 $1 off Beggin Strips dog treats
x1 $1 off Velveeta Cheesy Skillet
x1 $1 off 3 Kashi TLC granola/snack bars
x2 $1 off 2 Kashi crackers
x2 $1 off Nivea Women's Body Wash
x1 $1 off Seventh Generation product
x4 $0.75 off purchase of Campbell's chunky soup and Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Brown Rice
x3 $5 off Merona pants/bottoms
x2 30% off 1 Merona item when you buy 2 (took $3 off x2)

Would have been: $221.44 retail
With target coupons, manufacturer's coupons and sales, Total OOP: $51.20
Total Savings: 77%    : )  Pretty A-Mazing!