24 weeks

How far along are you?  24 weeks and 1 day. Can't believe I'm almost out of the 2nd trimester

Prayer requests?  Prayer for rest. Tobin has been chilling on my hips, and it makes it really hard to get comfortable and sleep.

Medical Stuff?  My carpal tunnel is back in both arms. Ick. I saw my midwife yesterday and everything looks good! I do have to do another glucose test at my next appointment, but it should be negative.  I've even gained 2 pounds since the last time I was there, So that's pretty sweet!

Cravings?  Chocolate...which only happens when I'm pregnant, watermelon chip ice cream from Baskin Robbins, donuts, jalepeno poppers. Pretty much everything bad to eat. haha

Gender?  It's a boy!!!

What I miss.... being able to dye my hair. I get bored with my hair color easily. haha. I get bored with lots of things easily. Oy.

What I'm looking forward to....  Being able to meet my sweet boy. It'll be interesting to see who he looks like( our daughter looks a lot like my husband) and it'll be interesting to see how his personality develops.

Discussion Question:I'm pretty sure we are done having kids. We want more kids but my husband hates me being pregnant, because it adds a whole bunch of extra responsibility on him. (The joys of HG) We are thinking about fostering kids in the future. I feel called to it, but we need more space first.

Crockpot applesauce

We found out that our daughter (10 months) has issues with gluten, so to help save money and for the fun of it, I have been making home made baby food. Her favorite food is applesauce. She'll eat just about anything if it's mixed with applesauce. We were using Gerber baby food before, and for 2 containers of applesauce, it was $1.10 on sale. I made enough applesauce to fill 15 containers for $3.28. That is 21 cents per container. Big time savings! It is SUPER simple to make. =)

Step one: Pick out your apples. You will want the sweeter apples, like Red or Golden Delicious, Gala, or Braeburn. It means you will have to add less sugar in the end.

I used Gala this time since they were on sale

Step two: Peel your apples. Simple but time consuming. Linnea (my daughter) and I watched The Lion King while I was peeling. Maybe I am just a slow peeler.

I only peeled 7 apples because that is all my crockpot can fit.

Step three: Core and slice up your apples. It is okay if they have bruises. You won't be able to tell when they are done cooking. You want to cut out rust spots and worm holes. Those will affect the taste of your applesauce. It doesn't matter what size you cut the pieces into, as long as all the pieces are close in size. This will help with uniform cooking.

My pieces were about quarter size

Step four: Place the apple pieces into your crock pot and turn it on low.

Step five: Add about a cup of water or apple juice to the crockpot. This will help the apples retain moisture, so they soften, not dry out.

I used apple juice so I could use less sugar later on as this is for baby food.

Step six: Let it cook for at 6+ hours, or until the apples are brown and mushy. You'll be able to tell the difference between a raw and a cooked apple. There will probably be some water or juice left in the bottom. This is okay and normal.

It's a little hard to see but the apples are brown.

Step seven: Mash the apples up. A potato masher works great. A food processor also works just fine. I lost my masher when we moved, so I used my food processor. You will want to mix the left over water or juice into whatever you're mashing. It'll help give the applesauce a smoother texture.

We like our applesauce a little chunky.

Step eight: Add cinnamon and sugar(or juice) to taste. You will want to do this while it is still warm, as the sugar will absorb better.

Step nine: Chill and enjoy. (Or if you are impatient like me, enjoy now)

23 weeks

Oy. Where has this week gone? I woke up this morning, realized it was Thursday, and that I had not done my post for this week. Linnea got really really sick on Sunday, so I skipped church and took her to the doctor. She got tested for Whooping Cough. The test was inconclusive since her nose is so stubby, the nurse couldn't get the swab as far back as she needed. So she got put on the medication for it, and 4 days later, she's acting and feeling a lot better.I am also thankful she has had all of her DTaP shots.  I got sick with whatever she has on Tuesday. The antibiotics for it are definitely helping, but I'm not 100% better yet. I'm very thankful my husband has not gotten sick. I'm praying he doesn't get sick.

Anyway...
I am 23 weeks as of Tuesday. I have gained a pound!!!!!!!! I cannot tell you how excited by this I am. I'm hoping to continue to gain weight. I'm praying that I actually get to wear maternity clothes and look pregnant this time around. Tobin is still healthy despite my sickness! PRAISE THE LORD! Having a fever and having a hard time eating makes this mama worry about her jelly bean. I haven't had any nausea this past week at all. Which is pretty awesome. I think not being able to smell anything has really helped with that. haha. Tobin's head has been firmly lodged in my ribs, and he has been kicking my hips. I'm praying that he moves head down soon. I know that he still has time, but Linnea was head down and engaged from 18 weeks on, so this is a new occurrence for me.