~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
Every Thursday, here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
{pretty}
The Quack and I have done some rearranging recently to prepare for our little one's arrival, turning the guest room/my office/craft room into a guest room/nursery.
{happy}
My (also pregnant) friend recently brought out some zatar for a snack, reminding me of the existence of this heavenly concoction.
I had to make my own, stat.
Just a blend of sumac, thyme, sesame seeds, and salt. Can be used in all sorts of cooking, or just put some in a small bowl, add a bunch of olive oil, grab some bread, and dig in.
Sumac has the loveliest tangy taste. It's definitely been helping curb my cravings for acidic food without throwing me into the depths of refluxy despair.
{funny}
I leveled up in my crunchy-mama status at my glucose tolerance test this morning.
I convince my midwife to let me drink 8 ounces of apple juice and eat half a banana instead of drinking the orange stuff. Actually, it was even worse/better than pictured, because I had to measure out 8 ounces of the juice, and all I had to do that was a mason jar. So I sat in the middle of a lab drinking out of a jar.
The ladies at the lab had the funniest reactions–I was expecting some pushback or at least skepticism, but instead I got, “Wow, that's odd! Well, it's a lot better than drinking that nasty drink!”
“So it's because you go to a midwife?” [Well, actually it's mostly because I'm contrary. My midwife merely enabled me after being pestered.] “Hmm, yeah, I think they think outside the box a little more.”
“Are you feeling sick, sweetheart? Yeah, it's a lot of sugar. But at least you didn't have to do the drink! That'd be even worse!”
Anyway, when it was all done, I realized that I'd forgotten a snack. I wasn't going to last much longer without eating some protein, and there was a McDonald's next door… so I got myself some McNuggets.
Consistency in my principles is what I'm all about.
(Now I just hope I passed!)
{real}
I've just made it to the third trimester. I'm feeling overwhelmed by belly, and by the knowledge that I've got (God willing!) three more months to get bigger.
But also…our baby is coming!! For real!
[inlinkz_linkup id=385207 mode=1]
Mary says
Suki you look awesome!! I love the curtains in the nursery/guest room. Fabulous colors. I see a train on the ledge…does that mean your having a boy or it is just a lovely toy for a toddler one day? Curious as always!! Three more months until there is a little Quack!! Love it!!
Sally O'Neil says
I love the curtains in the baby’s room, but be sure to have the curtain/blind pull well out of the baby’s reach. Little children can easily get dangerously tangled in the long cord.
I’m betting on a boy, too, with the cute frog curtains and the train.
Sally O'Neil says
Oops, maybe the curtain is decorated with birds, not frogs. 🙂
Amy says
You look awesome. The quilt is perfect and the curtains are cute. You did a wonderful job of mixing guest and baby together in one room.
Margo, Thrift at Home says
love the story about the glucose test and I had no idea there was an alternative to their awful drink! Go you!
Also, any info on the curtain fabric? It’s so pretty!
Suki says
Same as all LMLD curtains…they were on sale at World Market! They’re actually shower curtains.
Whitney says
I’m really glad to hear the nursery is doubling as a guest room. Our nursery will also be doubling as where the rabbit hutch goes and I often feel judged by not having an entire large room with custom linens for the baby.
Marcia says
Congratulations for standing your ground against that unpleasant drink! May blessings and graces abound in the homestretch of your pregnancy 🙂
Ashlee says
Ugh, that drink was awful! I’m so glad you got to skip it. You look great!
Claire Michelle says
Great post, Suki! I’m cracking up about your glucose tolerance test story. Midwives are great about listening and letting us do things that are important to us. And then the Mc Nuggets! Those birdy curtains in your baby’s room are the cutest. Where did you get them? Try to enjoy the glory of your third trimester shape. And I hope you passed!
Suki says
Thanks, Claire! The curtains are from World Market.
Laura Jeanne says
You look beautiful, Suki! What a wonderful, happy time.
Lindsey says
Lovely job in the nursery! Cute bird curtains.
Jenny says
You look lovely! So glad you got to skip that drink. It is so so terrible.
When my oldest was born, her “nursery” was also the office. We never had room for the grand nursery with all the furniture. It works just as well without all that stuff.
Patty says
Sweet. I get to have another kid along a similar timeline to one of you lovely LMLD types. I had one near to Pippo. (And another 21 mos later.) And now I’m getting about to where you are. I think at my next appt I do the glucose thingy. I’ve heard you can also eat a certain number of jelly beans. No more healthy, but certainly more fun, no?
Suki says
Absolutely more fun–that’s what I figured about the McNuggets, too. 🙂
lisa says
I once had to stop at Chick-fil-A and get chicken strips after a glucose test, for the same reason. They never tasted so good!
So excited for you with this new baby coming…..what a happy time! There’s just nothing like your first baby! (And, you look great! 🙂 )
Habou says
Suki, you look fabulous. Hope to see you soon. And can’t wait to see Dino. He’s going to enjoy that room with the, oh so pretty, curtains. xxxooo
Suki says
Thank you, Habou! Love you!
Leane says
Hi Suki, God bless you on your last stretch! My daughter is due in April and feeling all belly too! I hope all goes well. 🙂
Valerie says
You look beautiful! Period.
Dusa says
Pssssst: I shower with those birdies. Love World Market.
Suki says
They are the best! And I go crazy for their shower curtains in particular.
Charlotte says
Between you and Rosie I am now obsessed with curtains! Love your birdies.
Rachel says
Congratulations on the third trimester!
Caitlin says
Suki it seems that I am due shortly before you are. I had to do my glucose test a few weeks ago and it was awful (worse this time than with my first pregnancy, I don’t know why!), and I REALLY wish I had been as creative as you are!
What a lovely nursery! I have to get mine set up, and I will have a similar nursery/guest room. With the third trimester I must have had a major hormone shift, because my thinking went from, “oh I have so much time, this is taking forever” to “HELP THIS BABY IS COMING TOMORROW” freakout. Needless to say, my house is getting the most thorough spring cleaning it has probably ever had! 🙂
In any case, you look beautiful! Enjoy these last months of pregnancy!
Suki says
To be honest, I didn’t even think I WAS in the third trimester yet until I looked it up yesterday. So yup…freaking out! Get everything done! Clearly my baby cannot come into a home where my shoes are not organized properly!
I’m sorry that the glucose test was awful–if it’s any comfort, the apple juice still made me feel quite sick. It’s just a ridiculous amount of sugar either way!
Rebecca says
Just love that quilt and birdie curtains. Where did you find such cool bird fabric? I remember walking in and looking at the sparse baby room and fingering the blanket I had set out and the single toy I had (It was a stuffed bear) and feeling such joy and excitement. The “nursery” is so tidy…until the baby comes! Then, there are spit up rags and diapers and a million different carters onepieces. It’s all beautiful- but in a different way. An anticipating, expectant way. That was four children ago and I still remember it.
Virginia says
I have a similar happy memory : ) You look beautiful! Drink water and stay off your feet, as my mama says! All the best.
Debbie says
Oh, Suki, you think *that’s* big? Just wait until three months from now, when the baby doesn’t even have room to kick anymore…
Maurisa says
That herb concoction looks delicious. I love the bird curtains and quilt! You look adorable! I look like I might deliver any day from 20 weeks on!
bymags says
Oh man, I forgot about zatar. Yum! Also, you look great! Also, where did you get that hutch?!?!
Suki says
Thanks, Maggie! I found the hutch on craigslist.
emily b says
oh my goodness the nasty-orange-drink refusal made me laugh out loud. that is really hilarious. i think you should whip out the “my husband’s a doctor” (or in med school or whatever stage) defense also. at times like those, i always wished i had a bona fide medical background to fall back on. you should use it!
Elena @ barefoot and sometimes pregnant says
Good luck with the pregnancy! I am almost 27 weeks!
Kate says
That glucose test alternitive is brilliant! That stuff is so nasty, I was always amazed I didn’t vomit right there in the lab. You look wonderful and I hope you enjoy the rest of your time preparing for your little one.
Jenny says
Once time I did vomit right there in the lab which meant I had to come back another day to start all over.
Amy Z says
You look beautiful Suki. Hang in there. Where did you get your curtains? Wow, had I known I could do apple juice and banana for my glucose test I would’ve been all over it. I felt so horrible after it. Now I know.
Mary says
Good for you for refusing to drink that nasty stuff! Such a silly way to test for GD. There are lots of alternatives if you look but until lots of women start asking and researching, it won’t change. You look absolutely beautiful! And yes. Curtain love.
Elizabeth says
Oooohhh, I was hoping so much for an update from you ever since you announced the pregnancy :). You look wonderful! I am waiting anxiously to get pregnant, but I’ve got a 2y7m old, which makes waiting a lot more bearable. I am a mum, and a very grateful one for that matter :).
And so will you be, in 3 short months! Well, probably not short for you, but soon enough there will be a baby to snuggle. God Bless you in those last 3 months!
Mary says
Your sweet room reminds me of our mixed guest room/baby room from a few apartments ago. In truth, I was usually the “guest” in that room, to save myself the trip from my own bed for nursing. 🙂 It’s my first time linking up here for a p/f/h/r; so happy to join the fun.
Lindsey says
I wonder if a massive slice of cheesecake would have the same effect? Mmmm…..
Christy says
Oh Suki — how beautiful you are! Am I the only one who’s never had zatar? It looks and sounds amazing! What part of the sumac plant are you eating? We make wild sumac tea here in TN, but maybe you’re talking about a spice? Not living near a large city anymore, where would I find something this “exotic”?
Suki says
Wild sumac tea sounds like something I want to try! This is ground sumac seeds, I suppose from the same plant. If you have any sort of Middle Eastern store you could find it there, or order online–I got a whole bunch of spices from penzeys.com.
shyla says
suki, i’m not sure what is more beautiful…quilt on crib, curtains, or you and your baby belly! truly! and the whole nuggets after your crunchy mama glucose tests is hysterical. prayers!
cirelo says
Love the “consistency”, a woman after my own heart. My mid-wife always has me eat french toast and orange juice before testing me. It’s a nice way to go.
elizabethe says
Zatar on fried potatoes or oven roasted french fries is fabulous. Penzey’s has a good blend in case you can’t find sumac.
Rayna says
You are the cutest pregnant lady! Congratulations!
Woman of the House says
You look wonderful and so does the nursery/guest room! Love that quilt and those curtains!
Lorna says
Way to go, coming up with an alternative for the gross glucose drink! I absolutely hate that test mostly because of all the needles involved, but also because the drink gives me sugar shock. Not quite nausea, but queesiness, lightheadedness, and the shakes.
Not being as creative you, but plenty stubborn, I managed to talk my way out of it for my last two pregnancies. Something like this:
“I don’t want to do that horrible glucose test. How about we skip it, assume I failed, and you tell me what I have to do now?” …
“What kind of things do I have to eat on this special diet?” …
“That sounds very doable, that’s pretty much how I eat anyway. Now, if I hadn’t actually failed the horrible glucose test, would this special diet do any harm to the baby or me?” …
“Good! So how about you put down on my chart that I failed the test, and give me the diet sheet, and we don’t bother to actually do horrible test at all? …
“Thank you!”
Luckily the doctor had enough of a sense of humor and laid-back attitude to go along with it.
But you never know what asking will get you. When I had my first, hospital stays were limited to 24 hours. When they came to discharge me, there was still a lot of bleeding, and I really didn’t want all that mess and staining on my bedsheets at home, so I said, “I am not ready to go home.” in my best Queen Victoria tone of voice. And you know, they all ran around very concerned, and they called the insurance company, and I got to stay another day. And nobody even asked why, so I didn’t mention it.
Mary says
Awesome! I have a friend who used gummy bears, I think. I actually got out of it altogether because my husband and I try to eat mainly low carb/paleo. They just did a finger prick 2 hours after a normal meal! I also see midwives at a birth center.
Amanda @ Planning On It says
I love that beautiful quilt! I have serious quilt envy, you guys are worse for me than Pinterest 🙂 The curtains are wonderful too, very whimsical and sweet.
I also absolutely must have protein after I do those silly glucose tests, they make me feel all woozy. But at least I’ve always passed. Well, I passed the two times I did it…this last time I didn’t bother, just skipped it altogether.