Pregnancy Update: Week 32

Tuesday marked 32 weeks for this pregnancy!  I am SO excited to be this close to meeting Noah!  I know that our weeks will soon be jam-packed with holiday festivities and that will make these final weeks zoom by faster than any of the previous weeks!  Thanksgiving is just a week away! And Michael will get to enjoy the Thanksgiving foods with us this year! And on Sunday, December 1st, it is Christmas Decorating Day at the Petersen home!  I look forward to watching Christmas movies and doing fun festive holiday things with Michael like looking at Christmas lights, sharing a Christmas cookie, decorating the tree, and playing outside (weather permitting).  I am excited to see how Michael reacts to Christmas decorations this year.  Last year whenever we turned on the Christmas tree lights, he would cry.  I'm hoping for a happier reaction this year!  Whenever I'm in a department store with him, I push the cart through the Christmas section so he can see the twinkly lights.  Last year, in Target, he picked out his own stocking (and by that I mean that Aaron held a brightly colored, very jingle-bell bedazzled stocking in front of him and shook it to make sound and Michael's face lit up-- so that was the stocking we bought for him.)  It's so fun to have holiday traditions to look forward to and new ones to create this year as we have a busy toddler in the mix of it all!  :) 

I know these remaining 7 weeks and 5 days (yes, I'm counting) will go by faster than I think they will.  I've started to think about random things I'd like to clean and places in the house I'd like to organize and I sometimes stop and think "wait a second, it's not time to Nest yet!" and then I remember how far along I am and think "Oh yeah, I have less than 10 weeks to go-- I suppose I could be nesting."  I've made some strides towards achieving the things on my to-do list.  One of the things I'd like to do is organize Michael's hand-me-downs for Noah.  I bought an under-the-bed storage bin from Target for a great price and I'll be able to organize the clothes according to size and see where I might need to purchase extra pieces (like more hats or long-sleeves since Noah is a winter baby).  After I'm through organizing the clothes, I can push the bin under the bed in Michael's room and have it be out of sight until I'm ready to use it.  This way, it will be readily accessible as I change out clothes for Noah as he grows. 

I will have a doctor appointment next week.  I go every two weeks now and those two weeks sure go by quickly!  I can't believe we are this far along!  Noah is still quite active and hiccups are a daily occurence.  He has grown from the size of a rutabaga (week 27) to an eggplant (week 28) to an acorn squash (week 29) to a cucumber (week 30) to a pineapple (week 31) to a regular squash-- similar to a pumpkin (week 32).  :)  He's a growing boy and reminds me daily that he'll be quite active when he gets here! 


Here is a picture of my belly.  This picture was taken yesterday. 

Michael is showing how happy he is to try new supper items like beef stew!  I mushed up the carrots and potatoes and shredded the beef into bite-size pieces and put it on his tray.  He was in hog-heaven and felt so much like a big boy!  He rarely wants to be spoon fed anymore.  He'd rather have the food put directly on his tray so he can feed himself.  This is such a help to me! 

This picture was taken on Monday about 10 minutes after he woke up from his "evening nap."  It was so nice to have him wake up so happy!

***

Recipe for Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies:
(adapted from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/flourless-peanut-butter-cookies-recipe/index.html)
Yield: 18 cookies  (when you mix up the batter, it won't look like it'll make 18 cookies, but it really ddoes if you keep the cookie size to about a tablespoon like the directions state.  These make for small cookies, but the smaller the cookie the lower the carbs).

Ingredients:

• 1 cup peanut butter  (I used Jif Creamy Peanut Butter)
• 1 cup sugar substitute (I used Splenda)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the racks in the upper and lower third of the oven.
In a medium bowl, mix the peanut butter, sugar, vanilla and egg until well combined. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the mixture about 1 inch apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Flatten the mounds with the tines of a fork, making a crosshatch pattern on the cookies. Sprinkle coarse salt on top of the cookies.
Bake until golden around the edges, about 10 minutes, switching the position of the sheets halfway through baking. Transfer to racks to cool.

Since the cookies are flourless, they're very tender, so let them cool awhile on the pan before moving them.

***

I hope your upcoming week is full of family time and fun traditions.  I look forward to posting a recap on how our Thanksgiving holiday goes!  Much love, Reba