Tips on how to interact with a pregnant woman

Today I am 40 weeks pregnant and I have learned some solid life lessons the past year or so

1) Don't ask someone when they are going to have a baby, if they are pregnant, when they are going to be etc. 

If they were pregnant they would either tell you or they still won't tell you even if they are because its early, not ready to share etc. If they are trying to get pregnant - its not helpful for you to remind them that they still aren't yet.

2) Don't touch a woman's belly - pregnant or not - would you want people coming up to you and touching your belly? This is especially true in the first trimester - you don't even have a baby bump and people are just rubbing your regular stomach - weird and i didn't like it. Now that I have a legit baby belly - its still weird, if people are around that i know want to feel the baby then I will let them know if there is kicking or let them feel the hard spot which is the bum or foot. but its still weird and if you want to touch me, I would prefer a foot massage.....

3) Don't tell me horror stories about how you / a friend / friend of a friend of yours had a 12lb baby naturally, or how awful the delivery was or just general horror birth stories - there is no need for one-uping these types of stories, not to mention I am not interested in hearing about them. I am sorry for who ever these events happened to but I am not interested in comparing these to the upcoming events in my life.

4) Don't ask a person if they have had the baby yet. People have been asking me for about 2 weeks now, and when asked multiple times a day - it gets old fast. I understand that people are excited for a new baby but when my mom asks......."oh i must have forgot to mention it but now that you ask.......".  Feel free to ask how i am doing but my life is still going on as I wait for this baby.

-Lauren

July 5th - Update: 41 Weeks.
http://haveyouhadthatbabyyet.com/

Cooking With What's in Season

These days I am trying more and more to cook with what's in season and seeing that local asparagus is still available, here's what I'm making for dinner tonight.

This is honestly a no-fail recipe and my family loves it.  I've made it with both asparagus and broccoli, but our preference is asparagus.  Try it out if you are looking for a new recipe.  I always serve it with rice.

Classy Chicken

This is really easy – definitely a family favourite!

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts, skinned & boned

1/4 tsp. pepper

3 Tbsp. oil

1 – 10 oz. (280 g) pkg. frozen asparagus or broccoli

Fresh is even better

1 – 10 oz. (284 ml) can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup light mayonnaise

1 tsp. curry powder

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 – 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle with pepper. Saute quickly in oil over medium heat just until opaque (don’t overcook – the chicken will get tough! Drain. Cook asparagus or broccoli until crunchy. Drain and arrange in bottom of buttered casserole. Place chicken on top. Mix together soup, mayonnaise, curry and lemon juice and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bake, uncovered, at 350F (180C) for 30-35 minutes. Serves 6

Book Reference – The Best of the Best – Vol. 1 (Page: 215), Winners (Page: 85)

~Carrie

p.s.  thanks to my friend, Tracey who originally shared this recipe with me : )