Baby bump - 25 weeks

Not a lot of change this week. My doctor's office called again with an update on my Vitamin D levels - looks like they have improved quite a bit since this summer. I was previously very low and consequently was put on 1000 IU daily. Now I can go off the supplement but am thinking I may stay on since winter is coming and the sun will shine less and less everyday. It's pretty common that Alaskans have a Vitamin D deficiency.

Talked with one of the nurses at work and she thinks I may have sciatica caused by the pregnancy. Looked up the symptoms and thought, yup! Still having trouble sleeping but most of the time I get caught up on the weekends.

Looking forward to D coming home tonight. I miss him more and more during the week as the months go on. But he's lucky to be working during the winter so we will deal with this inconvenient schedule! Risha is currently back in San Jose for a quick visit but will be back on Monday, so Drift and the 4 cats (my 2 plus Risha's 2) are having a quiet week for the most part. I had dinner with friends on Tuesday and Thursday so it was nice to get out of the house. Have a great weekend everyone!

Chili recipe

I've been making this "Big Game Chili" recipe for at least a year now, maybe two. It came from the backside of a can of Bush's Chili Beans. After making a big pot the other day I came to the realization that "Big Game" does not in fact refer to bear, moose or caribou like I thought, but game as in football or basketball. Shows you where my frame of reference is! Depending on what we have in the freezer, I have used either caribou or bear - last week's pot included bear and it was delicious.

Bush's BIG GAME CHILI recipe: found here 

(I made a couple tweaks...)

• Prep: 10 Minutes
• Cook: 25 Minutes
• Total: 35 Minutes

• 1 pound lean ground beef (or any big game meat, haha!)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2 (16 ounce) cans BUSH'S^® Chili Beans
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup beer or more, to taste

• Garnish:
• Chopped green onion
• Sour cream
• Shredded cheese

1. In large pan, cook beef, onion, and green pepper until meat is browned. Drain excess grease. Stir in remaining ingredients, except green onion and sour cream. Bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Garnish with green onion, shredded cheese and dollop of sour cream.

Test results

My blood work came back and everything looks good! Iron level is 11.6 and the glucose level is 101, well under the cutoff limit of 130. Phew - I was really worried about having to possibly take the glucose tolerance test. Not fun when you are hypoglycemic and cannot fast without passing out!

24 week appointment

Short prenatal appointment today, but a long wait. They had me do the usual pee in a cup and blood pressure (131/76) and then drink a very sugary orange concoction within 5 minutes. Then it was about an hour wait before taking my blood. Hopefully everything looks normal with no sign of gestational diabetes! Baby's heartbeat was good at 146.

My belly measurement is 27-28 cm (slightly bigger than average). I'm bummed because I have also added a few more pounds than I expected - currently at a 22 lb weight gain. The whole weight thing has been really difficult for me. I love this baby and everything that goes along with helping him grow, but seeing my body morph and change (and SPREAD) is still a big adjustment. Exercise is harder now because of pain in my lower back and hips, so I'm hoping prenatal yoga will help readjust me. If this continues I'm thinking about seeing a chiropractor.

My 28 week appointment will be Tuesday, November 22nd at 1 pm. We'll have another ultrasound that day - yay!