Lets get real

I am 36 weeks pregnant.  Today I am feeling like crud.  This past weekend I came down with a small cold, and the effects are still lingering around.  Stuffy/runny nose, head feeling woozy, congestion, and Saturday night I even ran a small fever.  I have heard an old wives tale and read stories of so many women coming down with cold like symptoms before they went into labor... hmmm..  I'm going to test that theory out.  You'll have to wait around to see if it comes true.  I had Dexter 1 1/2 weeks from now.  He was born at 38 weeks.

The closer it gets the more nervous I am getting.  I had to be induced with Dexter for medical reasons so I don't know what it is like to go into labor on my own besides my pre-term labor with him that had to be stopped.  I keep wondering if I will go into labor on my own and if so when will that happen.  Will I go past my due date and have to be induced.  Will my water break at home before labor actually starts (usually this doesn't happen).  I keep wondering if my labor this time will be painful.  I have been having braxton hicks contractions for a while now and they are painful.  We are talking take my breath away and lets stop talking at the moment painful.  I had them with Dexter, but they were never really bad like that. I'm also nervous because I know that I will want an epidural and my last one caused me to have a spinal headache afterwards.  I don't want to feel that pain again.  If I remember anything being horrible after the birth of Dexter it was that.  I can't begin to describe the pain I went through and also the emotional pain of not being able to take care of my little one for the first couple of days afterwards.  At least with this one I will know to take the blood patch right away.  I'm still scared.

Status update with this pregnancy is that things have gone a lot better than they did with Dexter.  Besides a few hiccups along the way it has been a great pregnancy.  I also realized last night that so far I have gained 20 pounds or so less so far with this pregnancy than I did with Dexter.  I know that has a lot to do with the swelling.  I swelled so bad with Dexter.  I gained a total of 47 pounds with Dexter and he was born a week and a few days from where I am now.  With this pregnancy I have only gained 22 pounds so far, but I still have 3 1/2 weeks to go.  The thing that shocks me is that with this baby all I have wanted is sweets and sour stuff(candy) throughout the pregnancy. My main meals have always been on the healthy side.  However, with Dexter my snacks were always strawberries and grapes.  I ate much better with him and gained a heck of a lot more weight too.  This pregnancy has definitely showed how different each pregnancy can be.

No, we do not have a name chosen yet.  We have a few we're tossing around.  We may not even make a decision until after baby is born.  Who knows.

Last night I made another one of my favorite recipes.  I was craving pasta with an alfredo sauce.  I made the mistake of making homemade chicken alfredo one time and now whenever I go to wanting some the alfredo in the jar just doesn't do it justice. Since I was craving it I decided to make some last night. Find the recipe Here .

I do not make this recipe exactly like it says.  Instead of using dried tomatoes I use cherry or grape tomatoes and just saute them a little before I saute the mushrooms.  I also do not use artichoke hearts.  If those things appeal to you then go ahead and make it like it is.  It still tastes amazing either way!
  

Enjoy!