The Good With The Bad

It seems it’s never only one. We must take both.


The bad:
I have one of those “fun” pregnancy side effects. A UTI. I didn’t have any symptoms until yesterday, but it seems it had been hanging around for a while before that, because my doctor described it as “very bad”. He asked if I had felt fatigue, back pain and discomfort, and I said daily for about 14 weeks… (duh!) I have two prescriptions (both of which were ok’d with my OB) and am drinking cranberry juice like it’s manna from heaven.

The good:
I’m taking a day to stay home and rest and ride out the more painful part. So – I’m home! I have a few work things I hope to accomplish, but I also have a few relaxing/fun personal things I hope to knock out.

The bad:
After two trips to the pharmacy, both of which included waits, and a couple of errands, I couldn’t seem to get home until late last night. So I was exhausted, as well as disgusted by the number of public restrooms I had frequented in the past couple of hours.

The good:
Too tired to cook, and having no interest in our leftovers, I decided to pick up Chinese food, and discovered a new fun find! Delicious! I love Chinese takeout boxes.

The bad:
My bella band days are over. I can wear it, but by the end of the day I’m ill from being squished. So I have to stop wearing my unbuttoned regular dress pants and move on to maternity.

The good:
I have been given lots of maternity clothes! I just haven’t had time to go through them. I’m going to take part of the afternoon to sort through those clothes and take inventory on what I have. I believe my belly will be grateful!

The great:
I am now sure I feel the baby from time to time. It’s faint, and it’s infrequent…but I have felt movement over the last few days! So far this morning it feels like the baby has been dancing in there! I think the baby loves when we stay home as well. ;-)

Apple Bacon Pizza

It has taken me a while to post this, so my memory of the recipe is sketchy at best.  But I wanted to post an experiment I conducted a few weeks ago in an effort to recreate the awesome Apple Bacon Pizza we enjoyed at Grey Goose in Lexington.

Ingredients:
Refrigerated pizza dough
Oil
Garlic (two cloves, pressed)
Green apple (sliced)
Crispy precooked bacon
Cinnamon
Spices (I used paprika and apple pie spice)
Honey
Cheeses (I used mozzarella and feta)

Directions:
Preheat the oven according to the crust directions. 
Sprinkle the pan with cinnamon
Spread the pizza crust out in the pan
Coat the crust with garlic infused oil
Bake the crust for 5 minutes.  (This helps make sure the crust gets crispy underneath the toppings)
Top the partially baked crust with:
 - 1 Cup of mozzarella cheese
 - Green apple Slices
 - Crispy, crumbled bacon
 - Drizzled honey
 - Sprinkled spices
 - Top with additional cup of mozzarella cheese and feta cheese to taste

Bake for an additional 12-15 minutes, or until cheese is melty and apple slices are softened.

We really liked it!  Next time I'll be more generous with the sweet spices, and might throw some brown sugar in.  I might even use brown sugar, sweet spices, and butter to make a crumble for the top.  So - this recipe is by no means complete - but if this sounds yummy to you - then give it a try, and edit to your own tastes.

Here are some pics!

3 * 7 = 48?

Warning - this is a brief rant:

I am not thrilled about taking medication while I'm pregnant, but since I have developed a UTI, I need antibiotics to help me knock it.  I checked with my OB before going to the clinic.  Reminded the doctor that I was pregnant at least 4 times.  Confirmed that the medication was appropriate for pregos.  I waited and filled the prescription back at my home pharmacy so I could keep it on file along with the prenatal vitamins.  Not sure what else I should have done.

I am to take one pill, three times a day for seven days.  So my question to you - does this look like 21 pills?

Photo Removed

It shouldn't.  It should look like more.  I received 48.  That's right, MORE THAN DOUBLE what I was supposed to receive.  Luckily, I knew something looked off so I counted.  I called the pharmacy to complain and asked them to describe how the pill should look just to make sure I had the right prescription.  The rule on antibiotics is to take the full prescription, until the pills are gone.  What if I hadn't been paying attention?   I could take taken more than twice the medication needed - when I'm not thrilled about having to take meds right now at all!  What if someone (me or anyone) had taken more than double of a serious med, not just an antibiotic?

My point is - check your scrips.  Both to ensure they are the right pill, and the right quantity.   You may be the only one paying attention!

"18 Weeks Already?"

That’s a quote from my doctor. I’m likely just a name on a page to him, but I like to pretend he not only knows me, he is caught off guard by how quickly this pregnancy is passing by. I like to think he is just as excited and enthusiastic about meeting Baby Rinker as I am! But then again – I sometimes have the mindset that I’m the first pregnant gal to have ever walked the Earth! And that the entire Universe is anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little miracle! ;-)

Yesterday’s appointment went well! He was running way behind, so we were an hour and a half late getting in. Everyone else in the waiting room was grumbling about this – but I was excited! That meant Justin had time to make it over after his meeting after all!

My blood work all came back good, and my heart rate and blood pressure were right on track.  The baby’s heart rate was 144. It’s still special to get to hear it. I could listen to it for hours I believe…

:: ponders staying home and just laying around with a doppler for the next 22 weeks ::

We had a Q&A and then it was over! The fun part – we set up our appointment for the ultrasound. On September 30th at 3:30 we’ll be in the waiting room excitedly debating blue or pink. Once we know the answer to that question, we plan to head straight to Baby Depot! We hope to make a fun purchase of some sort, and pick out a special outfit for the baby.

It seems the majority of you believe we’re having a baby girl! I no longer have any gut feeling whatsoever. I originally thought girl, but I think that’s because we’ve spent so much more time trying to name her and figure out her nursery. I’ve known for nearly two years our first boy would be Karson Douglas, and his nursery would be some form of trains, planes, or automobiles. So having a girl on the brain more skewed my opinion. Now that we’re “settled” for both, I’m clueless.

Please continue prayers for me and the baby. We’ve been blessed so far with a healthy pregnancy and overall with a fairly pleasant experience. I’m praying that continues!

Lunch Time Confessions

I hear voices. And they are telling me to eat Cheetos! Lots and Lots of Cheetos! I suppose I can stop worrying about the mysterious two pounds I had lost. Guaranteed I’ve gained them back and plus some between yesterday and today…

:: munches on Cheetos::

We have an appointment this afternoon. I’m hoping to post good news soon! No, we do not expect to have an ultrasound today. Boooo! But I’m excited to get to hear the heartbeat again! He or she has been fairly quiet – so for now, hearing the heartbeat is the closest I can get to communicating with baby Rinker.

Justin was traveling earlier in the week, and because of his limited in-office schedule, he ended up with meetings this afternoon that will prevent him from being able to come to the appointment today. Boooo again! But I’m glad he returned safely, and we’ll get to spend time together this weekend.

Think of us around 4:00 today!

18 weeks!

How far along? 18 weeks today!

How big is baby? 5 1/2 inches long from crown to rump, and now weighing 7 ounces.

Weight gain? 10 pounds. Hovering in the “acceptable range”, even if I am at the top…

Stretch Marks? Too soon!

Maternity clothes? I received a LOT of clothes from a KY friend, who after 3 boys is DONE. :-) I haven’t had a chance to go through them all, but there are lots of jeans, dresses, and work shirts. Between that and what I received from my sister in law…I’m pretty set on maternity clothes!

Sleep? Eh…not a good day to ask. After a travel weekend in Kansas for a wedding…I’m feeling rather exhausted.

Cravings? I made chili last night and decided it was the best chili in the world. Either I really rose to the occasion while cooking it, or it was a craving that paid off. (Is it just me, or does Chili TASTE like fall? YUM!)

Nursery update? STILL awaiting gender news. Three more weeks…unless I can convince the doctor this Thursday…  We may go ahead and buy the crib soon to get one big $ purchase out of the way.

Movement? No. Boooo.

High point? Being visibly PREGNANT instead of possibly just chubby with bad posture. It may have been my dress choice, but I looked very pregnant this weekend! And I had lots of comments and congrats!

Low point? Having to roll out of bed this morning despite feeling like I'd been hit by a truck.

Other: We return to the doctor this Thursday. Hard to believe we’re nearly halfway done with the pregnancy!!

Here are some photos for the 18 week belly, and one of Justin and I from the wedding.  Excuse the "humidity hair" - it has a mind of its own!

Eat. Pray. Love. And Sing.

No, I’m not endorsing the latest Julia Roberts movie. I don’t even know the storyline and can’t recall hearing one review.

I’m simply stealing the title as I feel it is as good of a summary as any for the Cook family reunion.

We EAT. Boy do we eat. The weekend is kicked off with a breakfast at my parents’ house. You haven’t lived until you’ve tasted my dad’s tenderloin gravy. He’s not big on cooking for 4, but if you need a meal prepared for 84…he’s your guy. He and mom get help from Pam’s biscuits, Sharon’s casseroles, Shirley’s apples, Mary Ellen’s homemade donuts…all in all a fantastic meal. Seems enough to hold us over until dinner, right? Perhaps, but just to be safe, many of the ladies meet in town for a late lunch together. Dinner has transformed over the years from hot dogs over a fire, to a full blown meal. Dad cooks chili for an army in a huge pot. Everyone pitches in with meat for the grill, cookies, dips, chips, and we stuff ourselves once again. Sunday’s lunch is the big finale. It rivals any church pot luck I’ve ever seen. The list of delicious dishes is endless, but my favorites this year were Lora’s key lime cake, and a Mexican casserole whose preparer is yet unknown. As if that wasn’t enough, a few of the more local cousins remain in town for homemade ice cream and snacks on Sunday evening. So yes…we eat.

We PRAY. We pray before our meals. We pray for those who are traveling. We pray, giving thanks for the ancestors who have provided such strong examples of loving Christian families. Then on Sunday morning, we gather and pray at the gravesites of many of the parents, grandparents and great grandparents who helped make us who we are.

We LOVE. We love the new marriages and new babies. We love the young families, the new grandparents, and the elder generations who remind us all of our strong heritage. We love those who are “up” and we celebrate with them. But what I love about this family is we also love those who are down. We love those who are struggling. We love those who have gone on, and we love those aching families they have left behind. We love those who are hurting, those who are weak, and those who are in need. So we laugh, we cry, and we celebrate all of life’s ups and downs, because when all is said and done we know what matters most, so we love.

We SING. Literally, we just sing. Saturday’s breakfast is always followed up with a big box of hymnals being passed out. It doesn’t seem necessary because most of us know the words and the music by heart. We sing the same old songs that have brought joy and peace to our family for decades. You could call it a rehearsal I suppose, because the “main event” is when we cram 100+ people in to the tiny country church that raised our grandparents, and fill it with sounds of praise, worship and tradition until you’re sure the ceiling just might pop off. The ceiling never does pop off. But I’m pretty sure a few hearts are bursting with pride and joy. And I like to think that Papaw Cook and God are looking down together and agreeing that it sure sounds nice.

Are we a little corny? Absolutely. Do we have a few odd traditions that may be old fashioned? Sure. Will it be tough to keep up such traditions as the generations get further and further apart, both in miles and in relationships? I’m afraid so. But for now, we Eat, Pray, Love, and Sing, and we look forward to our next Glad Reunion Day.