29 Weeks!

Baby is doing great this week. She's growing well and is very active. It's so fun to see and feel her moving. As she's getting bigger, it's easier to feel arms, legs and her little tush :)  Dan has this game where he'll put his hands on my belly and when she kicks, he pushes back. She'll kick or move in response. It's cute.

As for me, I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but it wasn't a great week. I'm just experiencing the normal aches and pains associated with the third trimester, but it seems to have hit all at once. I'm struggling with the reality that I can't do the same things I did even a week ago. Walking a couple of miles used to be no big deal, but now it causes a lot of ligament pain. I know I need to slow down, but it's hard. I don't know what I'd do without Dan's love and support.

How far along? 29 weeks

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? I don't think so, but I can't see all of my belly anymore...ha!

Sleep? I wish I could stop tossing and turning. It's so much harder to turn now.

Best moment of the week: Seeing Dan earn the finisher's medal at his half-marathon

Miss anything? Nope

Movement: Lots. She's making the most of all the room she still has

Food cravings:  Sweets

Anything making you queasy or sick: My ligaments stretching are causing a lot of discomfort

Have you started to show yet? Yes

Gender: Girl!!
Belly Button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time? In between, I guess. I'm happy, but not feeling well

Looking forward to: Can I say "feeling better next week" again?

Well That Didn't Last Long

Remember just a couple of days ago how I said I was completely in love with the Body Shop's Hemp Hand Protector? Yeah, that didn't last long. It turns out that I am totally allergic to it! The cream itself is great and eliminates dryness in my hands. The problem is that anywhere my hands touch I break out into a big, ugly rash. My belly and arms are covered in hives! Thankfully my midwife prescribed some hydrocortisone cream and I'm almost back to normal. So, with hesitation, I have to withdraw my endorsement of this lotion. Looks like I'm back to the drawing board. Any suggestions for hand creams you love?

Great cream, if you can deal with hives

My Husband Rocks!

My husband is amazing! This weekend he completed a 13.1 mile race to become a half-marathoner! I'm so proud of him!

Dan's been training for months, posting status updates like these on Facebook:

Adorable, right? Yesterday he finally got to post this one:

The race was in Blackpool, a fun/tacky seaside town in North England. We drove up on Saturday afternoon with our friends Rachel and Chris. Chris, and another of Dan's co-workers Adam, were also running the race. Unfortunately, we were too busy stuffing our faces carbo-loading to take any pictures on Saturday night.

Chris and Adam on race day; photo courtesy Melanie

The boys got really lucky with the weather. It was in the 40s and slightly overcast--not too hot, not too cold--great running conditions. It was a little cold for spectators, but it wasn't anything that some hot chocolate and an eclair couldn't solve.

Spectating is hard photo courtesy of Melanie

Dan did so well! I can't believe how happy he looked all through the race. I guess the training really paid off.

Mile 3.5

Mile 13

Almost done!

I can't wait to tell baby Levin all about how awesome and inspiring her dad is. Way to go Dan! And congrats to Adam and Chris too!

Photo courtesy of Rachel

Passover Musings

Passover 2013 is in the books, and it was a huge success. As you may have gathered, I really love this holiday, and thankfully this year was no exception. It was lovely having my family here for the seders. It's hard to believe this is our last year with just the five of us. Next year Baby Levin will have to brush up on her rendition of the Four Questions :)

Second seder with the family and the Kings

Some people have the misconception that Passover requires sacrifice when it comes to food. On the contrary, I eat way better/worse-for-me than I do any other time of year. There's just so much to eat! I had all my usual favorites, plus I tried some new recipes. Here's what worked and what didn't:

Old Favorites:

• Dad's Brisket: Easily one of my all-time favorite foods. He did an outstanding job this year making the meat melt-in-your-mouth tender. LOVE!
• Noodle Kugel: This is my mom's only signature dish. It was different this year because we couldn't get wide egg noodles like I normally use (we had to use shells), but I think it turned out pretty well. Dan said it was his favorite food this year.
• Chicken Soup: Again, one of my dad's classics. It was absolutely perfect. Dan made more matzah balls during the week and those were amazing. So soft and flavorful. I could eat this every day.
• Matzah Pizza: So simple; so tasty. We broke Passover with real pizza, and I have to say I actually prefer the matzah pizza! Ha!
• Matzah Brei: Served with a drizzle of honey, this makes the perfect breakfast.
• Chocolate Mousse: Even though I'm pregnant and am not supposed to eat raw eggs, I can't resist a couple of spoonfuls of this. It might be one of my favorite desserts ever.

New Recipes:

• Martha Stewart's Tzimmes: The flavors of this were delicious, but the cook times were so far off it's ridiculous. She recommended cooking for 30 minutes. I cooked it for almost 3 hours! It's not pretty to look at, but it sure is tasty.
• Leek and Pea Quiche: I loved this so much I plan on making it during the rest of the year too. I added in mushrooms and shallots since I was short on leeks. Good decision.
• Passover Gnocchi: I wouldn't call this a failure, but I wouldn't call it a success either. I think it could have been really good if I had the right equipment, but I don't have a potato masher for passover so my potatoes were lumpy. They tasted OK, and it was fun eating gnocchi on Passover, so maybe I'll buy a cheap masher and try again next year.

Mmm...I'm getting hungry just thinking about all this food. Is it too early to start the countdown for next year?

P.S. Let me know if you want any of these recipes. I'm happy to share!

28 Weeks!

This is the first week in my third trimester, and it already feels different than the previous two trimesters. I still don't have a lot to complain about, thankfully, but this week wasn't my favorite. My hands are super dry, to the point where I've been keeping lotion in every room. And, although I love it when baby Levin kicks, she is so active that it's hard for me to concentrate on anything else and is making me a little nauseated. Every week in my pregnancy has been different though, so I'm hopeful that next week will be better.

The good news is that I still have a lot of energy. I haven't gained any more weight, which seems weird to me, but I have no doubt that it's just around the corner.

How far along? 28 weeks (7 months!)

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? None yet

Sleep? Better, but I'm a little congested, which makes it hard to breathe

Best moment of the week: The Passover seders with my family

Miss anything? Wine

Movement: I don't want to say too much, but...

Food cravings:  Nothing

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just when baby is kicking non-stop for hours

Have you started to show yet? Yes

Gender: Girl!!
Belly Button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time? Back to normal! Yay!

Looking forward to: Feeling better next week

DIY Snack Bags

Perhaps this puts me on the wrong side of crazy, but I absolutely love my new homemade snack bags. It's OK if you want to make fun of me. My family is already giving me plenty of grief. I have to say though, this might be one of my favorite projects so far. They're just so cute and practical! I'm already planning to make a bunch more.

DIY snack bags

I first got the idea from Pinterest, of course. Dan and I go through a ridiculous amount of ziplock sandwich bags since we make our own lunches every day. We usually use around two or three each for things like cut veggies; cheese and crackers; and nuts and raisins. I was sick of all the waste and these bags from Owen's Olivia seemed like the perfect solution.

[source]

My first step to making my own bags was to pick out the fabric. I decided to stray a bit from the tutorial and use vinyl for the inside lining. That way I could put in messier items (like veggies) and not worry about staining or bleeding through. I am really happy with my choice, but it did make the bags a bit harder to make than if it were just fabric. I also used a fairly stiff linen for the outside. The combination of fabrics meant that I didn't need to use interfacing.

Linen and vinyl

I prewashed and ironed the linen fabric. Then, using a sandwich bag as a template, I cut one piece of the linen and one piece of vinyl, doubling the width of each (you'll fold them in half to create the bag).

I cut a piece of sew-in velcro to half the width of my fabric; since the bags will be folded in half, these pieces will join to seal the bag. Then I sewed one of each side (hooks and eyes) half an inch from the top of vinyl. I created a 1/4 hem on a long edge of the linen. When the sides are eventually joined, this will create a finished look for the top of the bag.

From here on out, it's pretty much just like making a regular bag (see my lined bag tutorial). Place the two fabrics right sides together, and sew across the edge with the velcro and hem.

Then I forgot to take any more pictures while making this bag, so we'll pick it up with the second set of bags I made. Everything's the same but the outer fabric is yellow instead of blue. Fold the fabric in half vertically and sew three edges, leaving the top of the vinyl open.

Flip the whole thing inside out so the right sides of the fabric are now showing. Then sew the vinyl edge closed.

This is where it gets a bit hard with the vinyl, but shove the vinyl lining inside the linen so the velcro part is now at the top of the bag.

These bags are totally customizable--make them in a variety of sizes to fit your needs. And, the best part is that they're machine washable! I throw them in a delicates bag and right into the wash. I've already washed them a few times and they're holding up great. They work just as well as ziplock bags and are way cuter :)

The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector

Although it is already April, winter is lingering here in Harrogate. The brutal wind combined with my crazy pregnancy dry skin left me desperately searching for some relief. I tried a ton of different lotions and potions, yet my hands were still raw and chapped. Even my beloved Vaseline didn't do the trick. Then I found this wonderful product from the Body Shop:

It's the Body Shop's heavy-duty hemp hand protector cream. It's wonderful! It's not greasy, but it does smell a bit funny. I don't care though since it's the only thing that's keeping my hands from cracking. And, I got it on sale for only £5.

What products are you loving?

**Update: Boo, turns out I'm allergic to this cream. Read more, here.