Really, A Watermelon?

Your full-term (yay!) baby is gaining about 1/2 ounce a day and getting his first sticky poop (called meconium) ready. He's also brushing up on skills for the outside world: blinking, sucking, inhaling, exhaling, and gripping (it's getting strong!).

Today I'm officially considered full term at 37 weeks! Wow, has it been a journey to get to this point. I remember back when I was 20 weeks and I would sit and dream about the day I was this far along. Now that I am, all I do is sit and dream about the day I get to meet our 3rd son. I can feel his strong body rolling around (sometimes in places that make me yelp!) and his little feet pushing on my body and all I want to do is hug him and squeeze those toes and stare into his beautiful, new face.

I haven't had any labor signs yet to speak of, although today at work I thought I was having a big contraction. It never developed into anything, but it sure got me thinking about how I'd better wash his clothes and pack the hospital bags.

The truth is, though, that I don't mind one bit if he waits a couple of more weeks. I'm really cherishing this pregnancy and I find a real comfort in having him right there with me every minute of the day. I know I'll miss it. It's the only time in my life I'll be able to bring him to work with me and know that he's safe.

I'm also getting into Christmas mode now. I received my new camera this week and can't wait to start posting recipes again. It's been far too long, but hopefully I can make up for it with some real goodies. We're going to attempt a shopping trip this weekend. If you see a very pregnant woman moaning down the aisles at Target, that'd be me.

Until then, please blow some labor dust and prayers my way....

4 Ways To Prepare a Thanksgiving Turkey

Every year many of stress over how we are going to prepare that perfect turkey for our Thanksgiving meal. It needs to be moist, delicious, flavorful and most of all done just right. It is, after all, the main highlight of the meal and you want it to be GOOD! The cool part is that there are different ways to prepare your turkey and none of them are as complicated as they may seem:

Roasting

marthastewart.com
I think that the majority of people go with the traditional method of roasting the turkey in the oven. Sometimes this can result in an over-cooked, dry turkey. That's the last thing you want! Here's a method from Martha Stewart that is detailed enough to make it easy to do. I've never tried a recipe from her that didn't work: Martha's Roast Turkey



Smoking

Smoking is the only way Rich and I prepare our turkeys now. Honestly, it makes the most juicy, succulent bite of turkey you can imagine. We use the smoker year round for all different meats. If you want to wow the family, give this a try. It's so easy: Smoked Turkey Goodness



Deep-Frying

tipdeck.com
I have to be honest and say that deep-frying a turkey scares me! I either think of a an oily fire breaking out in the driveway, or a burnt on the outside, undercooked on the inside hunt of oily bird. However, I've heard from people who were successful at it and they say it's the best turkey ever! Here's a tutorial from Butterball that shows how to do it the right way: Butterball Fried Turkey


Grilled

foodnetwork.com
The best part of grilling a turkey is that you might even be able to get your husband to do it. I know that at our house, Rich is the king of the grill. In fact, I've never in my life used it. He likes to do as do many men. Therefore, he can do the turkey and you can work on the sides. Here's a step-by-step guide to grilling a turkey from ehow.com: Grilling a Turkey

Once you have that deliciously prepared turkey ready to serve, now it's time to garnish the bird (on your prettiest platter of course) with fresh herbs, fruits, vegetables, nuts..use your imagination! A nice presentation makes your guests feel like they are special and important to you because they know that you put the extra time to do it for them. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you..I know I have so much to be thankful for this year!

Shower of Love

My wonderful stepmom, Diane, threw me the nicest baby shower last weekend. She worked hard to make is a special day for me and I was so grateful. There were so many people there and a ton of gifts to open! I felt so loved. The pictures didn't turn out so great..they are dark because we had it in our church basement. You can also see how being 8-1/2 months pregnant is taking it's toll on me. I was sick the entire week leading up to the shower with some virus. I still wasn't 100% at the shower, unfortunately:


And this was only SOME of the gifts!


A "boppy". They have so many cool inventions that I never had when Colin and Sam were babies.


We received a ton of cute boy outfits. Once I get his closet organized I'll have to show you his extensive wardrobe.


Oh, I love big gifts!!


This picture is just funny looking. What a dorky look on my face! I was seriously happy everytime I saw a package of diapers! I took one out...it is so so tiny. Aaahh


Look at that belly. It's my favorite accessory these days. I'm going to miss it!


And of course the food. It was all delicious. My family all brought their favorite dishes. Yum!

How has life gone by so fast? I've been so crazy tired and worn down lately that I've had no time for baking or doing anything creative. I'm sure my 2nd wind will kick in soon. I've been going through my Christmas cookie recipes and I can't wait to get started on that! I'm going to try many new recipes this year too. I have slowly started my shopping but haven't gotten very far with that either. Can someone loan me some energy PLEASE???