Baby Boy #3 Week 27 Pregnancy Update

My 26 week belly! It doesn't look as big in the laying down position- hehe :)

13 weeks and counting until baby boy's due date! It seems like just yesterday I was celebrating 13 weeks of pregnancy, and now I'm rejoicing at 13 weeks left! Each stage has had it's challenges, but overall it's been a pleasant journey this go round.

I guess I should mention that baby boy does have a name. A couple of months ago we decided on the name Ezra Paul. We had bounced around several names, but Ezra is the one that stuck. It seemed to go well with the names Silas and Liam, and we loved the meaning: "helper." Although I do hope that Ezra becomes a great helper as he grows and matures, I feel like the name fits this pregnancy in that God has been my helper along this journey.

Symptoms: I can still say that I've only thrown up twice this pregnancy! And both were much earlier on in the pregnancy. There has been no nausea to speak of lately, and since starting Nexium I've avoided heartburn. Other things I've noticed: my appetite has gone down some, I get winded really fast, and my feet are beginning to swell. Also, last week I was extremely hormonal. I had a few random unreasonable crying episodes, which my husband very patiently endured. Things are much better this week, thank God!

Movement: Aaahh, movement. I love feeling Ezra move around inside of me. I feel like it's a gift I get to open every day. When we were considering whether or not to have another child, the one thing that I couldn't bear to think about was never feeling a baby move inside of me again. When I found out I was pregnant I told myself to enjoy every kick and every movement, even the ones at 2am and even the ones that cause my bladder to run at inopportune times!

I should mention here that at 20 weeks Ezra was breech, and we (my doctor and I) have good reason to believe that he still is at this point. As you can imagine, the breech position makes for some very interesting and often uncomfortable aches and pains for mom. I'm praying that he figures things out soon!

Also in movement news, Silas felt Ezra move about a week ago! It was the sweetest moment! Silas' eyes got really wide when he felt the kick, and immediately a huge smile lit up his face. Hearing Silas retell the story makes me laugh. Liam hasn't yet been patient enough to feel Ezra move, but I'm sure in the coming weeks he'll be able to feel him without having to wait so long.

Maternity Clothes: All of my pants/shorts are maternity, but I'm still able to get away with wearing some of my bigger t-shirts and Kevin's t-shirts. If I need to dress a little less casual, I wear my maternity shirts. Also, since the day I found out I was pregnant I've been wearing non-maternity maxi dresses to church every Sunday. I had a couple, and I bought a couple that I rotate every week. This past week I noticed that the maxi dress I had on was a tad bit tighter around my belly, so I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to pull that trick off. I may need to trade in my maxi's for maternity dress pants soon.

Cravings: Nothing really.

Aversions: I can eat cheese crackers again! Haha :) There's really nothing I'm averse to eating. I think I just have an aversion to cooking in general right now! I try to have cooking marathons every now and then so I don't have to be in the kitchen every evening. I'll make 2 or 3 meals at a time to fill the fridge and freezer for the week.

Sleep: My sleep has been pretty good so far. I'm usually really tired by the end of the day, which helps. Nightly bathroom trips have stayed to a minimum, and Ezra's movement doesn't seem to keep me up once I've fallen asleep. I have found that I need the room to be a little cooler than usual lately, and just last night I needed an extra pillow to help ease the aches in my hips. I know sleep will become less and less as I near the end, but so far nothing to complain about!

Nesting: I finally moved all of the office furniture out of the office in order to make room for Ezra's crib and changing table. I still need a small dresser for his room, which I hope to find used. I snatched a used rock 'n play sleeper a couple of weeks ago, which I've heard great things about. Other things I've purchased recently are: a sling, reusable nursing pads, nursing tanks, and a diaper bag. I feel pretty good about the progress I've made so far, but we still have several things to check off the list.  My next order of business is tackling the clothes!



Looking forward to: Delivery! haha :) But in the meantime, I'm REALLY looking forward to the birth of my first nephew!! He's due at the beginning of October. I can't wait to meet him and experience the joy I know he will bring to our family!

Smothered Pork Chops & Cabbage

Once a meal is served regularly in our home and enjoyed by at least three family members, I deem it blog-worthy. This dish of smothered pork chops and cabbage definitely makes the cut. And even though I have a non-cabbage lover in the family, the non-cabbage lover still tolerates the pork chop minus the cabbage plus a little fruit on the side :) The rest of us enjoy the chops and cabbage over rice, but the rice can easily be omitted for a low-carb option. I hope you give this a try and enjoy it as much as we do!

Smothered Pork Chops & Cabbage

 Ingredients:  
2 lbs. Pork Loin Chops
1 medium onion
1 medium head of cabbage
2 Tablespoons parsley

15 ounces beef broth
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
6 cups hot cooked rice
salt
Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning

Instructions:

Chop cabbage and onion and set aside. Coat a large pot with non-stick spray and set to medium heat. Season pork chops on both sides with salt and Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning (or your regular seasoning of choice). Place a single layer of pork chops into the pot and brown on one side, waiting to flip until pork chops stick slightly to the pot. Flip chops and brown the other side the same way. Remove chops and place into a bowl with a lid to keep warm. Repeat browning process with additional pork chops. Once all the pork chops are removed from the pot, pour beef broth and apple cider vinegar into the pot and scrape the bottom to pick up all the flavor from the pork chops. Add chopped cabbage, chopped onion, and parsley to pot. Layer all pork chops on top of  the cabbage mixture. Cover the pot and let the pork chops and cabbage smother over medium low heat for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even cooking. When the cabbage is wilted and the pork chops are cooked through and tender, turn off the heat. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve pork chop with cabbage on top or serve pork chop and cabbage over rice. Enjoy!