34 Weeks!!!

We're getting closer!!!  Third trimester fatigue has hit me like a ton of bricks.  I used to be at least semi-productive when I came home from work, but I'm back to pretty much putting my feet up as soon as I get home.  I have one more week of 10-11 hours shifts, then I go to more 8-9 hour days.  I have one more 24 hour call scheduled while pregnant, unless I get pulled for back up one day.  My 28 hour PICU call last weekend took all energy out of me.  I truly slept all day the next day.

I'm starting to get a little bit of swelling.  I've had to retire my wedding set, which makes me feel like I'm forgetting something.  I have another ring on my wedding finger that's bigger than my wedding set, but it's not the same.

I'm still indulging in too many desserts.  Hubby says to enjoy it now and then we can lose the weight together once the baby comes.  Yeah, I'd rather not gain too much.  My goal was 30 pounds, but I'm only one pound away from that, so I'm afraid it'll be closer to 40, eek!  When I get the urge for chocolate, I'm partaking, but I'm trying to do so in moderation.

Our shower was two weeks ago and we are so blessed!  Now that we pretty much have everything we'd need, I more and more excited to meet our little one.  We only have a couple more weeks....yay!

R2D2's Crib Skirt

 I like to make things. I also like things to be one of a kind. I decided I want to make R2D2's bedding myself and for some reason thought I'd save money making my own bedding. In the big scheme, I probably did, but while making the skirt and quilt and I realized I have a POS sewing machine and ending up using my savings to buy a MUCH better one. I can tell such a difference and I look forward to using it for the decades to come to make even more things for the house and our little ones. I digress.

Unfortunately I don't know the name of the fabric, but I bought it from JoAnn's in the Calico Prints section.

God love the internet. With a little searching a found the perfect tutorial for a ruffled crib skirt. I think I also looked at some other sites and put it all together, but I mostly used the sew for home one.

Transplant - Bittersweet

I was on call last night and I had the wonderful opportunity of telling a family that an organ was available for their child and the child would be getting a transplant in a couple of hours. For this particular child, like most who are on the transplant list, it is going to be life-saving. The child has been on medicine to help control the illness, but the child could not go home with these medicines. Basically the family was spending all of their time in the hospital waiting for this transplant. I cannot explain the joy I saw on the family's face as I told them the good news.

At the same time, I can't help but also think about and grieve for the family who lost a loved one. The organ for this transplant came from a deceased person. I do not know the age or anything, but likely a child since the recipient was a child (although that is not always the case). While my family was celebrating, another family was grieving. Please think of these two families as they both go through emotions I can't even imagine.

And yes, as a plug, if you are not an organ donor, please think about it. While someone lost a life, another family is going to have years or decades with their child now.

Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

For those of you tired of baby or pregnancy posts, here's a recipe for you! I'm way behind on posting recipes, so I figured I'd start with the most recent. I can't believe I baked and posted a recipe in the same week! That turn around time is unheard of for me. I've been meaning to try this recipe for ages and finally got around it. It's so easy! The worst part is cleaning up the two bowls. I also like that I can place left overs in the fridge and use for breakfasts during the week. I rarely do brunch with friends, but if I do, this will definitely have to be on the menu.

I used blueberries since that's the fruit I had on hand, but you can definitely use almost any fruit. I also used steel cut oats instead of the full old fashioned oats. I like the texture of steel cut oats so next time I'll probably do half and half.

Ingredients:
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats - I used 3/4 cup old fashioned and 1/4 cup steel cut 
¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans, lightly toasted, divided - omitted 
½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
¼ cup maple syrup
1 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
½-inch thick - omitted, didn't have any ripe enough
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen), divided (I probably used close to two cups since I didn't use the bananas)

 Directions: Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine the rolled oats, half of the nuts, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir with a fork to combine. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the maple syrup, milk, egg, butter, and vanilla. Spread the sliced bananas in a single layer over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with half of the berries. Sprinkle the dry oat mixture over the fruit in an even layer. Pour the liquid ingredients evenly over the oats. Sprinkle the remaining nuts and berries over the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is browned and the oats have set. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.