The Weeks Preceding the Birth

Before I post our birth story, I figured I would post the remaining pregnancy photos, just to give you an idea of just how large and uncomfortable I was getting in the those weeks before our baby came.

36 Weeks

37 Weeks

38 Weeks

39 Weeks

40 Weeks

My tummy is super huge and my face is super puffy! Keep in mind on this day the baby was actually 41 weeks (since they changed my due date), I was technically 1 week overdue!

Me and Glen, about to leave to the hospital!

Final Preparations

Life at the Ellsworth home has been busy! When we went to our appointment a couple of weeks ago the doctor told us she wouldn't be surprised if she saw us in the hospital the next day. That really got our adrenaline rushing! We went home, scrubbed down the house, packed our go-bags, and picked up all the last minute things we needed. And then of course, no baby came. And no baby has come yet. But he is due on Tuesday and we hope he doesn't take too much longer to make his grand entrance!

In the last couple of weeks we have had a lot of fun! I have done a lot of sewing, trying to finish some projects I have put on the back burner for a while in addition to some burp cloths, bibs, receiving blankets, and a quilt for my own baby. It's been nice to take my mind off waiting! Glen has finished 3 of 5 classes he has this semester so he has spent a great deal of time helping me with my sewing projects and cleaning the house. It's nice to spend so much time with him.

Here are some of the other things we've done.

We (meaning Glen) made a delicious key-lime pie from scratch:

We went on a picnic at our all-time favorite picnic spot where we enjoyed some delicious food, skipped some rocks, and even tested out the water! Okay, only Glen was brave enough to get in but it looked fun! Besides, someone had to snap the pics!

Glen set up my rocking chair:

And we had our best friends over for one last hurrah before the baby comes! These are seriously the best friends we could ever ask for! Especially these ladies, each one has really helped me so much during this pregnancy. They also threw me an amazing baby shower. I am so grateful for them and love them like sisters! I don't know what I would have done without them!

Not pictured: Baby Benson, Dan and Katie's cute little boy.

Anyway, that's pretty much all we've been up to! Also, stuffing our faces. I know this is the totally wrong way to think, but I decided that since I know myself and I know I am going to be focusing on losing weight after pregnancy, I know I will never truly enjoy food they way I've been able to during this pregnancy. So that means we've eaten to our heart's content! Chick-Fil-A, Chuy's Mexican Restaurant, Round Rock Donuts, Bess Bistro (restaurant owned by Sandra Bullock), Pluckers for wings, and breakfast at the Alamo Drafthouse (a movie theater that serves you food during the showing). Wow, now I REALLY feel like a fatty. But oh well! Anyway, we hope Baby Boy Ellsworth comes soon! We'll keep you all posted!

Full Term and Almost There

Hey all! So I thought I'd post some more pregnancy pics. Yesterday baby became full term! My baby is measuring a week ahead and they moved forward his due date so while I am technically only 36 weeks, baby is 37. Three weeks until he is due! The last pictures I posted went until week 30, so here are my pictures from the last 5 weeks.

31 weeks

32 Weeks

33 Weeks

34 Weeks

35 Weeks

My body is definitely hurting more and more! My hips are really sore, and it's much harder to sleep. I get up about every 2 hours in the night to empty my bladder, but I guess that is just good practice for when baby comes! Glen and I are still working on checking things off our things-we-want-to-do-before-baby-comes list. Last week we were able to spend the night at a nice hotel on the Riverwalk in San Antonio. The best part? The heated pool! I recently bought a maternity bathing suit, (which, by the way, is a pretty depressing activity. Bathing suit shopping already has the potential to be depressing, but bathing suit shopping when you are 9 months pregnant? Not exactly a self-esteem builder) so it was nice to put it to use and just float for a while! It was so great feeling so weightless in the water.

We also went on a boat ride, and walked along the river. Here are some shots from the boat:

The Baby!

Can't wait to meet him! Although I have a feeling he's going to come late, a trait he gets from both his parents:)

A Fabulous Weekend

Last weekend was pretty great. Glen and I drove down to San Antonio Friday night, and stopped halfway in a city named Gruene (pronounced "Green") to eat at our favorite restaurant, the Gristmill. When I hit 30 weeks Glen and I made a list of at least 10 things we wanted to do before we have the baby, and eating here was on the list.

Gruene is a cute little country town--the kind where everyone wears cowboy boots. There is always country dancing going on and lots of cute little shops. Anyway, the Gristmill is a delicious restaurant overlooking the Guadalupe river. And we LOVE the food. We have a lovely evening and then finished the trip to down to San Antonio.

Saturday morning Glen and I went to the San Antonio LDS Temple. It was EARLY for us but it was so nice getting to the temple bright and early, everything seemed so peaceful. A lot of people were surprised that I was there, being 34 weeks pregnant and all, but it really wasn't too bad. They always keep the San Antonio temple SUPER cold, so it was perfect for me. Plus, we knew we wouldn't be able to come back for a while after the baby comes. We had a great time.

Afterwards, we grabbed breakfast at a cute nearby cafe and then headed out to 4 different baby consignment stores.

I have a REALLY hard time paying full price for anything, and there were still several items on our list of things to get before baby comes. I had been checking craigslist like a crazy person for the past 3 months or so but never had any success. So we went to these 4 consignment stores and found just about everything we needed! It was such a rush--I seriously get a high when I save 50-75% on items I need. Anyway, it was a lot of fun, and we are a lot more prepared for baby to come. And he is due exactly 4 weeks from today!

Well that's about all I have to say for now, I'll update again soon!

Mango Salsa Recipe

Last week we had a Relief Society activity called "Favorite Things." It was so fun. Basically everyone came with 4 of one of their favorite things (book, craft item, jewelry piece), then 4 women got your favorite thing and you got 4 things from other women. As I was making lists of my favorite things I quickly realized most of those things were food items, surprise, surprise.

So after I decided I wanted to share a recipe and a food sample, it wasn't hard to decide what to do.

Salsa.

I love salsa so much, all different kinds. In fact, when Glen and I got married and had an open house in San Antonio, my mother-in-law arranged to have several different salsas served with different chips as the food. It was probably the greatest idea of all time.

Anyway, I ran to the store and bought mason jars to fill with two of my favorite salsas. I posted one of them on Instagram and Facebook and had a lot of requests for the recipe, so I decided I would post it here on my blog. The recipe actually comes from my awesome mother-in-law Cindy, and I'm not sure where she got it from. Regardless, it is amazing, tasty, and healthy. AND it's so easy to make. Our local farmer's market was having a sale on both mangoes and pineapples, so it worked out perfectly! So, here is the recipe:

Mango Pineapple Salsa
2 mangoes, peeled and chopped
1 pineapple, cored and chopped
1 large red bell pepper
1 red onion
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
¼ cup lime juice

Mix all together and serve with chips.

As with most recipes I make, I rarely add everything without looking at the portions and I adjust accordingly. For example, the red onion I bought was rather large, and I knew I wouldn't want a full red onion, so I didn't put the whole thing in. Same with the pineapple, I didn't use the whole thing. I just ate it instead :). And if you don't like a lot of spice, cut back on the jalapeno. But this is so delicious. Just try to look at these photos without your mouth watering!