I can’t really say TGIF right now because every day feels SO WEIRD. This waiting game is a strange place to be mentally. While I feel pretty not stressed about being a few days late, I almost feel like I’m letting people down that he isn’t here yet. I know that’s crazy. I don’t think I’ll really start thinking about it until I pass the 41 week mark and inch closer that weekend induction. (Which is now Saturday night instead of Friday…yay for one more day.)
Oh and so many of you commented on my 40 week recap not to do the castor oil. Don’t worry, definitely NOT in the plans! 😛 Although I did receive an email from a reader who told me that 31 years ago she ate 3/4 pound of chocolate covered raisins and her water broke 3 hours later. She said she passed it on to five other women who were past their due dates…and that four of them went into labor within 24 hours of eating the raisins.
I do love chocolate covered raisins so maybe that’s worth a try even if it’s just an excuse to eat them! 😉 (My grandmother used to buy me these huge tubs of chocolate covered raisins at Sam’s!)
Obviously, I don’t really have any plans for the weekend. So crazy to wonder if I’ll be a mom for Mother’s Day!? I’ve been up since 3:56 a.m. today so I’m in for a long day. I was super productive when I got up but I’m thinking some relaxing on the couch is in order for me later. I also teach yoga at 4:30 p.m. Maybe I’ll try to go out for dinner and I would also like to squeeze in a pedicure and maybe a blowout over the weekend.
A few things I’ve been eating this week…
BREAKFAST
I baked my dad’s homemade granola recipe on one of those early mornings when I couldn’t sleep. I’ve enjoyed yogurt bowls for breakfast two mornings this week.
Smoothie bowls as always. Lately I’ve been loving adding frozen spinach and frozen cauliflower to them for a little more veggie goodness. You can’t taste either!
This morning I was eating a bagel at 5:30 a.m.
Followed by a smoothie a few hours later. (Baby was in a weird position this morning!)
LUNCH
This salad combo was my fave this week! I ate it three days in a row. Arugula, quinoa, kalamata olives, pistachios, tomatoes, avocado, feta and hummus. I tossed the arugula in some olive oil, lemon juice and sea salt and then topped the whole bowl off with another drizzle of olive oil and paprika.
Turkey and brie sandwich with avocado and arugula.
On Thursday I baked two loaves of sourdough bread and made a sandwich with fresh out of the oven bread. YUM!
Here is the bread and here is my homemade sourdough tutorial if this is giving you a little nudge to try baking it. I promise that it’s not as intimidating as it seems in the beginning and the whole process becomes very familiar, very quickly.
DINNER
Last time I was at Trader Joe’s I bought a package of their pre-marinated chicken thighs. It was a shawarma and so easy! You just popped the chicken thighs out of the bag and into a baking dish and baked on 400 for about 20-25 minutes. I served it over couscous with roasted brussels sprouts and baby portobello mushrooms.
The following night I had zero motivation to cook so a frozen pizza it was. This was an organic margherita pizza from ALDI that I spiced up with extra cheese and pepperoni. I almost always find that frozen pizzas need a little more cheese! 😉
Next up was wild Alaskan salmon baked with pesto served over the leftover couscous with roasted broccoli. I have been loving this simple preparation of salmon lately. I just season the salmon with salt and Trader Joe’s lemon pepper grinder and then top it with a layer of jarred pesto and bake at 350 or 400 (depending on what else is in the oven) until it’s done!
And finally, last night I made my homemade pad thai and served it with sauteed baby bok choy to get some greens in on the side. I added a hefty dose of sriracha and a chopped jalepeno to the pad thai to spice it up…but baby didn’t seem to care. Haha.
Alright…I’ve been sitting at my desk for 5 hours now so I think it’s time to take the girls for a walk and get some steps in.
Have a great rest of your Friday and enjoy the weekend.
What do you have planned for the weekend?
Favorite salmon recipe? Always looking for ways to switch it up!
Hawthorns pizza here in Charlotte has a pizza they call ‘the inducer’ because so many moms went into labor after eating it. You’ll have to try it!! They post pics all the time of new moms and their babies who it worked for!
I can attest to the inducer pizza at Hawthorne’s working. My second was an inducer baby! I had the pizza at 40 weeks, 3 days at 6pm. I went into labor at 10:30pm that night, and my son was born at 5:30am the next day — so a good, quick labor. The pizza is tasty too! Enjoy these last baby free days.
This is amazing Erica! And whether it works for me or not, I’ll take any excuse to eat a delicious pizza!
I’ve heard of that. And any excuse to eat a delicious pizza sounds good to me!!! 🙂
Jen, you are NOT letting anyone down by not having your baby yet. Relax and know we’re behind you all the way ?
Thank you so much Michelle! xx
Of course you will be a mom for Mother’s Day because you’re already a mom 🙂
I delivered at 41+4, so I know the weird limbo feeling you’re in. Just try to enjoy these final days because your life will never be the same once baby boy is here. It will change in the best way possible, but you’ll still have to let go of a “you” that will never be again. Motherhood is crazy, fulfilling, magical, maddening, selfless, empowering, and heart-opening like that. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Aw, thank you Monica! <3
I’ve heard that 41+1 or 8 days over is a very common occurrence so keeping my fingers crossed for that. 🙂
I am totally trying to embrace these final days and thank you for your beautiful and honest words.
I can imagine it would feel weird to be playing this waiting game! (My sons were born pre-term, so no firsthand experience.) Wouldn’t it be neat if your baby arrives on Mother’s Day? 🙂
My weekend plans include working most of Saturday, cleaning out my garage on Sunday (long overdue), and having dinner out with my family and parents-in-law on Sunday. So pretty much a typical weekend, haha.
Well, he didn’t come on Mother’s Day! Come on baby!
I hope that cleaning out the garage was relatively painless and that your dinner out made up for it!
Oh, the waiting is so hard! Remember with my first I had to go out on leave a week before my due date (for weird maternity leave policy reasons at my employer), and while it was nice to have the downtime, it was also super strange to just wait around to meet him, LOL. I definitely remember my belly taking on that pointed shape a lot towards the end as he rolled around in there. 🙂 Almost 5 years later (#wheredidthetimego) and he still never stops moving! Enjoy the last few hours/days, good luck, and Happy Mother’s Day to you! I think mamas-to-be count in that equation. 🙂
It is so weird to wait around. Every day I’m like, “maybe today?” Then nothing changes. Ahhhhhh! Thank you for the Mother’s Day wishes!
Thanks for keeping us posted ? every time I see a post I am secretly hoping a baby pic will be in it! Thinking of you
I know! I’m sorry to keep everyone waiting. Haha!
So I have not had a baby yet( working on that, not easy…) anyway, I have heard eggplant helps brings babies into the world so maybe make Eggplant Parmesan or something similar over the weekend to coax him out! Happy early Mother’s Day!
I can totally relate to the baby making not being easy sentiment. Hang in there. Sending you love.
I love eggplant parm so that might be a good thing to add to the dinner menu this week!
I remember the waiting game so well- for all three of my babes! One took me by surprise a week early, one was right on time, and my third was a week late! I was going bonkers and tried just about everything! It’s easy for us moms to say relax, enjoy your “free” time, etc, but it is such a weird feeling knowing any moment your baby could arrive! I’m so excited for you and can’t wait to follow along on your journey!
It is such a strange feeling. Everyday I’m like, “today?” But then I don’t really feel different so then I think, “maybe never?” Haha!