Still Pregnant.

Here I am at 40 weeks 4 days pregnant!

I deleted the name badge from the blog because it was mocking me. On Thanksgiving it said, "Ada Elizabeth is two days old!" Liar.

How far along? 10 months 4 days
Total weight gain: 34 lbs!
Stretch marks? Nope...hallelujah! 
Sleep: I am the pillow lady. Poor Matt gets barricaded away from me :(
Best moment this month: Being told I look small & beautiful...haha! Even though they were probably just being nice it was awesome because I feel HUGE!
Movement: Is still strong! You can see her feet on my right side, she grapevines up and down from my hips to ribs.
Food cravings: Lemonade, orange juice, apples, peanut butter, & Dr. Pepper.
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: Tons of contractions, nothing consistent though. Just waiting for them to become more painful and regular so that I can go to the hospital! 
Belly Button in or out? My belly button is weird. I guess it's out? 
What I miss: Being able to bend over and pick things up off the ground, tie my shoes, etc. without being uncomfortable.
What I am looking forward to: Meeting my DAUGHTER!
Monthly Wisdom: Try not to get mad at people who give you unsolicited advice. They really do mean well :)
Milestones: She could come out any second. NOW! Nope. NOW?! Nope...

Matt's 25th Birthday!

It's that wonderful time of year when my husband and I are the same age! He can't call me grandma until I turn 26 in April :)

Matt wanted chili for his birthday. The boy loves my chili. (It is SO easy and SO good!) My father-in-law, Marc, has been quoted as saying, "I think this is the best chili I've ever had." Matt is the same way, so sweet and complimentary no matter what I make!

He woke me up Friday morning before he left for work to make sure I was making chili for his birthday dinner that night. His co-worker told me it's all he talked about all day. He called and checked up on me just to see what I was doing, even stopped by the house once and smelled it cooking in the crock pot. He is so funny!

Here it is after simmering all day and making the whole neighborhood smell fabulous!

I was surprised at the reaction I got regarding the plastic liners I use when I uploaded these pics to facebook! They are a lifesaver. You don't have to lift your heavy ceramic part into the sink to soak or scrub off any stuck-on goodness! Just throw that plastic liner away. Heaven!

Here's the recipe:

2 lbs. ground beef

2 cups diced onions

2 (15 1/2 oz) cans pinto beans

1 (15 1/2 oz) can pink kidney beans

1 (15 1/4 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (14 1/2 oz) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes

1 (14 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 (14 1/2 oz) can tomatoes with chiles

2 (4 1/2 oz) cans diced green chiles

1 (4.6 oz) can sliced black olives, drained and rinsed (optional)

1 (1 1/4 oz) package taco seasoning mix

1 (1 oz) package ranch salad dressing mix

For Garnish:

Corn Chips

Sour Cream/Ranch Dressing

Grated Cheese

Green Onions (optional)

Brown ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain excess fat, then transfer browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker or a stockpot. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chilies, black olives, taco seasoning, & ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6-9 hours. Or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove. To serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with garnishes of choice and enjoy!

Here I am baking some cornbread muffins...with some honey and butter on top...YUM!

Matt got this picture of Sandy and it is my favorite. She has the best wrinkles!

Please note the candle in his muffin...it totally melted because the muffins had just come out of the oven. Oops!

My bowl, a la ranch

Matt's - a la sour cream

We watched the movie The Proposal after dinner and laughed so hard, it's a funny one! Makes us want to visit Alaska, too.

...

Sunday evening we had Matt's birthday celebration at Nana's! She made a delicious ham dinner with cheesy potatoes, green salad, broccoli, and her fabulous bread. She's the best!

Here's Matt getting ready to open his gifts!

He puts up with me shoving the camera in his face all the time. I think he's excited for Ada to get here so I have another subject to focus on :)

I made a chocolate peanut butter pie and Bobba made his famous apple pie!

The recipe is here. It's amazing! Seriously, you have to try it. I made it the night before and popped it in the freezer until we headed over to Nana's. It sat out while we had dinner and opened gifts and was perfect by the time we ate it. Chocolate and peanut butter...two of my favorite things together!

Matt thinks he looks creepy in this pic, but I think he looks adorable. A little excited for some yummy pie!

Happy Birthday Babe! You're the best and I love you more and more every year :)

38 Weeks Pregnant & Life Recently

Matt & Sandy tired from working in the Nursery. All of the touch-up paint is done! I'll post a separate entry later showcasing all of our hard work for Ada's room :)

Matt taste testing the minestrone soup. I made it and froze a bunch for when Ada arrives. It is SO YUMMY! Recipe via The Sisters' Cafe - I highly recommend this one! One thing my mom pointed out when I gave the recipe to her: you don't have to boil the pasta separately...just throw it in the soup! DUH...what would I do without my mom?!

Matt showing off the latest fashion for dads - their daughter's bath towels :)

Matt being ever-so-careful with the yummy Frrrrozen Hot Chocolate Diana gave us! YUM! He was so proud of the whipped cream and presentation...he's a pro!

Sandy and I hanging out in Ada's room. She is so funny with every new thing we bring into the house. She must sniff and inspect it before it is allowed to enter. It will be interesting to see her with a new baby! I have a feeling she is going to be very protective and go wherever Ada does :)

I love being this far along in pregnancy because I get to go see the midwives every week! It's exciting :) Everything still looks great. Her head has descended lower, her heart rate is strong, and movement still constant. My blood pressure is still low, weight gain right on, and I'm ready to have a baby! They said it could be tomorrow, or it could be in three weeks. So I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high in case she decides to come late :)

37 Weeks

Means FULL TERM! Woohoo!! :) If labor were to begin, they wouldn't try to stop it. Her lungs are fully developed and she wouldn't need steroids to help her breathing. Such a good feeling!

This is the best picture we got...we were both tired and it was really bright outside. Cute.

Your full-term (yay!) baby is gaining about 1/2 ounce a day and getting her first sticky poop (called meconium) ready. She's also brushing up on skills for the outside world: blinking, sucking, inhaling, exhaling, and gripping (it's getting strong!).

Ada gets the hiccups 2-4 times a day, so she's definitely practicing sucking and swallowing! She is active as ever and gets startled by loud noises. Trying out the massagers in Bed, Bath & Beyond was funny, the buzzing made her jolt in my belly.

Everything looks wonderful...her heartbeat is strong and in the 140s. My blood pressure is low and my weight gain is right on. I'm feeling great!