Baby Pool!

With approximately 4 weeks left, I thought it would be fun to set up a baby pool!  If you want to play, enter your guess HERE!

36 Weeks - 9 Months Pregnant!

How far along: 36 weeks
Weight gain: 26 lbs
How big is baby: Almost 6 pounds and more than 18/5 inches long.  Apparently he is putting on about 1 ounce a day at this point.

Maternity clothes: Same. 
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: Sleep is still good, once I'm asleep.  Ben has been beating me up most nights as I am trying to get to sleep, so that has been fun.  This week he had been most violent active when I'm at my desk at work and then right before bed.
Best moment this week: We had such a great time in Victoria.  I loved the fact that our cell phones were off the entire time.  We probably talked more on this trip than we have in the past couple weeks combined.  Might need to enforce a "no technology" rule at home once in awhile.  We also did our hospital tour and got our car seat installed/checked, leaving me feeling much more prepared than I was last week.
Movement: Too much.
Food Cravings: Beets and sweet breads/cookies (not at the same time).  We brought home a box of maple cream cookies from Canada that were absolutely delicious. 
Labor Signs: No.  I've felt less exhaustion this week as I was experiencing last week, but still not even close to the energy levels I'm used to.
Belly button in or out: Out. 

What I miss: I miss the feeling of not having a human being inside me.  I can't wait to carry him around on the outside.  I've been daydreaming about what my first yoga practice will be like post-pregnancy.  Greg bought a Groupon to one of my studios, so it will be fun to take some classes together.  Friends - counting on you to step in and watch Ben for 2 hours :)
What I'm looking forward to: Our amazing friends Dan and Jeannette are throwing us a baby shower this weekend, and I'm REALLY looking forward to it! 

Inappropriate?

Is it time to retire my favorite/most comfortable T-shirt?  :(

More maternity yoga photos

Okay, I promise that these will be the LAST batch of photos starring yours truly.  (I'm feeling a little vain).  Future photo shoots will involve baby Ben :)  I received the rest of my yoga photos today though, and had to share them:

More maternity photos

I received a disk of photos from my amazing friend Kate!  It was so fun to look through some of the pictures from our day down in Seattle.  Thank you, Kate, for capturing such a special time in our lives :)

Craving of the week: Beets

Is it just me, or are beets making a comeback lately?  I have been into beets for the past two years or so.  It all started when our friends Charisse and Brad had us over for a gourmet dinner (cooked by Brad) with a beet salad as one of the courses.  Ever since then, I have ordered them every chance I get when dining out.  

Yesterday, I FINALLY took the time to figure out how to cook them myself!  Below is a recipe for the super simple, yet delicious (IMHO) salad I threw together.

Spinach, Goat Cheese and Beet Salad

1.  Wash and peel (like a potato) your desired number of beets. 

2.  Toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and then wrap them individually and tightly in foil.

3.  Bake them for 50-60 minutes at 375 degrees.

4.  Slice the beets into bite sized pieces

5.  Toss with baby spinach leaves, crumbled goat cheese, and potentially crushed and/or toasted almonds or walnuts.

6.  Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette and olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Voila!

Victoria

This past weekend, Greg and I took a 2 day trip to Victoria.  It was exactly what we needed before entering the last month of pregnancy, (aka "crunch time").

We got up bright and early on Saturday morning and caught the 7:30 am Victoria Clipper down in Seattle.  We were a few of the last people to board, and the boat was sold out.  After roaming around looking for seats, we found 2 empty ones which ended up being next to one of the nicest families ever!  It was a mom, 2 sisters (our age) and one of their daughters heading up to Victoria to for a girls weekend.  As we got to talking we learned that we are practically neighbors, even having a few mutual acquaintances.  Such a small world! 

Once arriving in Victoria, Greg and I checked into our hotel, dropped off our bags and headed out for a walk and some lunch.  Lunch was followed by a nap, then more walking, window shopping, dinner, dessert, and then finally returning to our room.  I think I got more "exercise" on this trip than I have in weeks! 

A dragonboat festival was going on the entire weekend we were there in the inner harbor, which made for a fun event to watch while taking breaks between all of the other activities we did.

On Sunday, we ventured out for more window shopping, a pub crawl (for Greg), checked out a movie at the Imax and then returned to the boat for our trip home.  Our new friends saved us a seat, and even brought us a little baby gift for Ben!  How sweet is that? 

Throughout the weekend, I kept thinking about how different our trips like this will be in the future.  Will we be able to enjoy ourselves as much knowing that our little guy is waiting for us at home?  Or will we enjoy them even more than we do now, realizing that one-on-one time is going to be harder to come by?

Either way, I think we are ready for what happens next.  The final countdown is on. 

1. More. Month.

Below are a few pictures I remembered to take throughout the weekend:

Gift from the hotel - so nice!

View from our hotel room

The babymooners

This band was playing "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga.  Awesome.

View of the harbor - Dragonboat races!

(Our favorite team name of them all - the Thunder Strokers).