23 Weeks!!!!

Dear Reader,


Mommy needs to turn on the radio and sway to the music. With my sense of movement well developed by now, I can feel her dance. And now that I'm more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), mommy may be able to see me squirm underneath her clothes. Blood vessels in my lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that my increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing me for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as the dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze me when I hear them outside the womb.


Alec Grayson Brogdon

22 Weeks!!

Dear Reader,

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, I'm starting to look like a miniature newborn. My lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and I'm even developing tiny tooth buds beneath my gums. My eyes have formed, but my irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If my mommy could see inside her womb, she'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers my body and the deep wrinkles on my skin, which I'll sport until I add a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside my belly, my pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily. My mommy is beginning to wonder what exactly is going on inside of her because there's SO much going on now. I'm constantly moving and exploring my surroundings!!


Baby Alec

21 weeks!!!!

Dear Reader, 


I now weigh about three-quarters of a pound and am approximately 10 1/2 inches long —the length of a carrot. My mommy may soon feel like I'm practicing martial arts as my initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. My mommy may also discover a pattern to my activity as she gets to know me better. In other developments,  my eyebrows and lids are present now!!! My mommy and daddy are slowly getting closer and closer to my arrive and are becoming very anxious now!!!

More next week!!

Inside-Out Ravioli

Ok so last night I tried out this new recipe that I got off the November birth board and EVERYONE loved it!! Well all except my hubby cause he doesn't like ground beef. But I'll be more than happy to share it with you guys and even tell you a few tricks that I did to alter the recipe for my picky eaters!!!


Original Recipe:
1-2 lbs hamburger
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Jar spaghetti sauce (I make my own)
3 oz can of tomato paste
1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (reserve liquid)
10 oz cooked shell macaroni
4 oz Velveeta, shredded
1/2 c mozarella cheese, shredded
1/2 c bread crumbs
1/4 c veggie oil
1 egg

Brown burger, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Add enough water to spinach liquid to make one cup - add to burger with tomato paste and spaghetti sauce. Simmer 10 minutes.
In a seperate bowl, mix noodles, spinach, bread crumbs, cheese, oil and egg. Spread in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Top with meat mixture.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.



My tricks:
Brown the hamburger meat first then strain and wash it to get the extra grease off. While straining meat, cook your onions so that they are clear and mushy. Also rather than putting the spinach in with the shells and other ingredients, puree it and put in it the spaghetti sauce that you'll put in with your meat!!! It doesn't change the taste of it at ALL, it just adds the extra protein that you need!!

20 weeks!!

Dear Reader,


I weigh about 10 1/2 ounces now. I'm also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when my legs are curled up against my torso and hard to measure,measurements are taken from the top of my head to my wee little bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, I'm measured from head to toe.)

I'm swallowing more these days, which is good practice for my digestive system. I'm also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in my bowels, and you'll see it in my first soiled diaper, mommy and daddy hopes that the nurses change all my stinky diapers.


Sincerely,
Baby Alec

19 weeks!!

Dear Reader,


My sensory development is exploding! My brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that I may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to my, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

I weigh about 8 1/2 ounces and measure 6 inches, head to bottom —about the size of a large heirloom tomato. My arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of my body now. My kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on my scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on my skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid. Wouldn't want me coming out and looking like an old man!!


Sincerely,
Alec Grayson

18 weeks!!

Ok so I'm going to play a little catch up right now since I've been MIA for a little bit and I'm going to catch up on my posts from baby Alec!!


Dear Reader,


Head to rump, I'm about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and  I weigh almost 7 ounces. I'm busy flexing my arms and legs — movements that my mommy will start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. My blood vessels are visible through my thin skin, and my ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from my head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around my nerves, a process that will continue for a year after I'm born. My genitals are noticeable now, but I hide them from mommy and daddy during ultrasounds.


Sincerely,
Alec

Yummy treat!!!

Ok so I've not been eating so well lately and have been eating a TON of candies so while snooping around on the board I'm on I ran across the recipe for these bars, now I have altered the recipe from its original form to my likings but I hope you guys enjoy it!! 


Protein bars!!!
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup shredded coconut (not sugared, you'll find this is the frozen section) or 1 full bag
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup dried blueberries
1 cup dried apples
1 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 milled fax seed

Throw all ingredients in a large bowl, mix together thoroughly. Then on the stove warm up a 1 1/2 bottles of honey. Once the honey is extremely liquidy pour into the bowl and mix until combined well. Grease a 9x13" pan and pour in mixture. Bake at 250 degrees for about 50-55 minutes. Let cool about 15 mins and then cute into bars. Once cooled completely wrap bars individually and store in container!!

Note: you can use brown rice syrup or sweetened condensed milk rather than honey.