It's baby shower time!

Two baby showers within the span of 8 days (the first one was yesterday)... sooner or later when people ask me the inevitable "Are you ready for this baby?" question, I guess I'm going to have to start saying yes.

After all, can I really have a baby until he has his very own handmade sock money?

This weekend, my mom, sister, and two aunts threw a family baby shower and invited all my female relatives. It was quite a bit more laid back than most showers I've been to, which was just fine by me. We had a great lunch and some delicious cake (I snuck a taste of the cake without any frosting), then my sister quizzed the rest of us with her baby knowledge quiz. (My grandmother declared that if babies REALLY weren't supposed to have cow's milk before 1 year, then her oldest son (out of 7 total) would have died. She may be prone to exaggeration, but she and my grandpa made their living as dairy farmers, so I guess it's a bit of a sensitive subject.)

After that, of course - the presents! My family royally spoiled us with both practical and adorable gits - we got lots of baby Mizzou gear and a few of the higher price-tag items I was hoping not to have to buy for myself, like a jogging stroller and a baby monitor.

Family Baby Shower
Originally uploaded by kerner

And I do mean crafty in both senses of the word!

Some people in my house are beginning to suspect the kitchen layout design was really just a ruse to acquire an extra-large space for basting quilts. I choose to exercise my right to remain silent when such accusations are made.

Regardless, I am making excellent progress on the quilt for baby Kerner. I've got the quilt top and back basted together by hand and I may even start quilting tonight. (That depends on how long I procrastinate taking the dog to get her nails trimmed. We shall see.)

How far along? 34 weeks.

Total weight gain/loss: I haven't had a dr's appointment since last time, so no weight update

Maternity clothes? Yep, I broke out the REALLY big ones this week. I shall call this shirt the "salmon gumball."

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: Still good, no change from last week.

Best moment this week: Matt finally getting to feel some good kicks! He could just be kicking away, and as soon as I tell Matt to put his hand on my belly, it completely stops. I've been telling him he's just really good at getting the baby to calm down - which we will be thankful for once the baby arrives!

Movement: Pretty active - I am feeling lots of kicks above my belly button. Sometimes I have to ask Matt to ask his child to remove his foot from mama's gall bladder - ouchie!

Food cravings: Nothing new - my current fav is hot chocolate made with skim milk and Ghiradelli chocolate mix. Yum!

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? Still half-in, half-out. When I was at the pool last weekend, a lady I know "mentioned" that my belly button was starting to pop out... but I think it's only noticeable in a wet swimsuit.

What I miss: Wearing normal clothes.

What I am looking forward to: (This is sort of the same as last time, oh well.) We're have the big meeting with our doula tonight after dinner - I am really looking forward to talking through our birth plans and hoping she can ease some fears for me.

As I am getting closer to the big Birth Day, I am starting to think about things I can do to make my life easier once the little one has arrived. One of those things is preparing some meals in advance that I can pull out of the freezer and bake.

Another sanity-saver (even without a baby around) is making meals in the crockpot. I actually love it so much I have them in two different sizes. Since I think things cook better in the crockpot when they're almost completely submerged in liquid, the small one is nice to keep the portion size relatively small (since at the moment I'm only cooking for two).

Without further adieu, here is my original recipe for Cheater's Pulled Pork. I call it this because it's so easy - it's loosely based on a recipe from my mom, but considerably scaled back in terms of ingredients.

In your crockpot, stir to combine:
- 1 bottle of beer (pretty much anything works, but you might want to avoid the fruity stuff like raspberry or apricot beer)
- 4 shakes of BBQ rub/seasoning (substitute taco seasoning if you must)
- 2 shakes of thyme
- 1 4 oz. can of diced green chiles

Add a 1-2 lb. pork loin, fat trimmed off (as best you can), cut into pieces so it will be submerged in the liquid as much as possible. (I cut mine into 4 long strips.  It really doesn't matter because you're going to shred it when it's done anyway.) (You could double the seasonings and liquid ingredients to make a larger quantity of pork.)

(Usually I'm putting this together the night before so I stow the crock in my fridge)

Crucial next step once you're ready to cook: Take the crock out of the fridge and put it back in the crockpot. Don't forget to plug it in! (I find that leaving the cooking part of the crockpot sitting out on my counter is a good reminder... but I'm not going to lie and tell you I've never forgotten it before.)

Cook on low all day 6-9 hours. Remove meat from liquid, shred with 2 forks (it should pretty much just fall apart), and serve on toasted bread or buns with your favorite BBQ sauce.  (If you don't have a favorite, I recommend a sweet & spicy Kansas City-style sauce... not that I'm prejudiced or anything!)

Do you have any favorite freezer or crock-pot meals you'd like to share with a nesting mama-to-be?  Leave it in the comments!

Momma reports that one-month-old Olyvia likes her quilt.

I hope this photo is not a sign of things to come (as far as sticking out her tongue for pictures)!

How far along? 33 weeks.

Total weight gain/loss: 21 pounds

Maternity clothes? Of course! I'm really starting to get tired of wearing the same outfits over and over again, but not enough to actually go out and buy anything new.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: Pretty good still, although I've randomly started waking up in the middle of the night (about every 3-4 days) and have a bit of a hard time going back to sleep.

Best moment this week:  Eh, nothing new to report.  Birthing class was fairly horrifying this week, basically teaching us all the things that can go wrong with labor, and various medical interventions to deal with said problems.  I am all for being informed, but I basically felt like our teacher went through the material from the perspective of "WHEN this happens to you" not "in the unlikely event this happens" -- kind of setting us up to expect medical interventions as the norm.  (Sorry, I'm done ranting.)

Movement: About the same as last time - still pretty active, but not so much it keeps me from sleeping or anything.

Food cravings: Sweets, but I can't really eat too many of them. I've been drinking lots of hot chocolate and eating low-fat oatmeal cookies (chocolate chips replaced with raisins or craisins).

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? The top is starting to stick out a tiny bit. Stil weird looking.

What I miss: Being able to bend over or even slouch forward without feeling like I have a balloon stuffed inside my shirt.

What I am looking forward to: Meeting with my doula and doctor (separately) to start working out "birth options." (My doula prefers this to "birth plan" because there are so many different things that could happen - better to be prepared for the possibilities rather than getting set on a single plan.)

33 Weeks
Originally uploaded by kerner

Just a warning, you might want to think twice if I invite you to join our small group Bible study. Here we are, from right to left: 38 weeks, 33 weeks, 30 weeks, 24 weeks.

What a fun time we're going to have raising our babies together!

Why yes, I am carrying the baby in my double chin, why do you ask?

(Oh my, no baby update for 5 weeks... I'm bad.  Oh well, no time like the present!)

How far along? 31 weeks.

Total weight gain/loss: About 20 pounds

Maternity clothes? This question is just ridiculous at this point! A better question is what non-maternity clothes can I still wear!  I can still wear my normal winter coat and two of my handknit sweaters - Central Park Hoodie (doesn't close in front) and February Lady Sweater (only buttons at the top)

Stretch marks? None yet... although I think Baby is due for a growth spurt any time.

Sleep: Fine, just lots of trips to the bathroom during the night.  Luckily I have no problem falling right back asleep.

Best moment this week: A surprise baby shower my co-workers threw for me last Friday.  I had lots of hints, but I really was surprised!  They let me drive all the way home before my boss called me back for an after-hours work emergency - a "serious personnel matter" that couldn't wait over the 3-day holiday weekend.

Movement:  He seems pretty active all day long.  I can definitely tell that he turned head down in the past couple of weeks, because all the movement is at the top and the bottom of my belly now, instead of on the sides.

Food cravings: I don't know if I'd call it a craving, but I have been eating tons of dairy products lately.  I've been drinking a gallon of milk a week by myself!  Thank goodness yogurt and cottage cheese are available in low-fat varieties!

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? It's basically flat at this point.  It looks really bizarre.

What I miss: Eating a large meal without feeling like a stuffed sausage.

What I am looking forward to:  Another ultrasound in about 3 weeks, and the tour of the labor and delivery area of the hospital as part of our childbirth class next week.