Category: pregnancy

the only banana bread recipe you will ever need

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Last night , I was awakened several times by the dreaded pregnancy leg cramps. I was laying there sound asleep and suddenly a deep, shooting pain pierced my calf muscle and I shot straight up out of bed. After flexing my heel a few times, the cramps quickly went away. While that is a great trick to get rid of the cramps when in the moment, I am far more interested in preventing the pain from ever happening. I read in my pregnancy books that often those cramps come from decreased potassium and eating bananas (high in potassium) is a great way to prevent the dreaded cramps.

So in the middle of the night, after waking up for the third time, I vowed to eat a banana for breakfast. However, as much as I love the taste of bananas, the thought of eating a raw banana sounded like the last thing I wanted to eat this morning. So I went with the next best thing: banana bread or in my case banana bread muffins.

Okay, well maybe there is not as much potassium in a banana bread muffin, but we are getting somewhere. Lately, I have been using this recipe from the blog, Not Without Salt. It the best banana bread recipe I have ever tried and I have tried a lot of different recipes in my life. This was probably my fifth time making them this year and I make absolutely no changes. There is simply no need. The recipe is simple and the result is utter perfection.

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I like to make mine into muffins because they make a perfect portable little snack…preferably with a dab of melted butter. Next time you have some ripe bananas sitting around, make this recipe. Now I think I am off to eat another….you know, just to keep those leg cramps away. 😉

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Almost 24 weeks!

xo

love & kicks

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I don’t know about you but I had a long to-do list today and hardly anything was checked off. Oops. The day was not a total loss though. I ended up re-organizing our whole bedroom, cleaning the rest of the house, and finishing 3 loads of laundry. Nesting much?

Honestly, I was so focused that I couldn’t really stop myself. Then all of a sudden I felt a really hard kick from the baby like “hey, can you settle down for a minute Mom?” I had to stop and smile. Those moments are the truly amazing part of pregnancy. You are moving along with your day and then all of a sudden that little person in there keeps you in check, reminding you to take care of yourself and them. Of course, he is always on my mind and I would never do anything that is potentially harmful but I think today I was just busier than usual. Feeling that movement in your belly is so reassuring. Nothing beats it, truly. I love our little boy so much already. ❤

Here are some other things that I am loving lately…





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My husband laughed at me for buying these when we lived in Long Beach because rain is not an often occurence. Now that we live in the Bay Area, though, I have been wearing them almost every day due to the constant rain. Who is laughing now, my love? 😉



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These Old Navy maternity tanks are so soft (and long!) that I imagine I will wear them even after the baby is born. Love them!


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Speaking of comfort, these Gap Maternity leggings are pretty much rocking my world. My mom bought them for me right when I found out I was pregnant but they did not quite fit. Now that I am rocking a larger baby bump, I appreciate them so much more.


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I love how this Korres lip butter has the perfect balance of moisturizer and color. I am particularly fond of the sheer red shade–subtle but a great way to add a little extra punch to my usually boring daily make up routine.


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Finally…stretchmarks. So scary but so common in pregnant women. Everyone tells me that getting them is more about genes than lotions but I have been using this oil on my belly and hips and so far, so good. Even if it doesn’t work, at least it smells great and helps with the itchiness that comes with a growing belly.

xo

Nursery Love

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From the moment I found out that I was pregnant, I have been dreaming about the nursery. Sure, a baby does not really need his/her own room but I really enjoy interior design and I knew this would be a project that would make my pregnancy even more fun. I am no where near an expert, but I am very excited about the progress we have made so far.

Once we found out the sex, the design process really took off. However, I am definitely not a fan of theme nurseries. I do not have themes to other rooms in my house so it just does not make sense to do so in his room. Our current apartment is pretty small and we cannot paint so I am trying to add pops of yellow, blue, and green accented with gray to really make it special. For the overall look, I envision something modern and playful with touches of vintage charm but nothing too babyish.

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Oeuf Sparrow Crib in White

This is the first piece of furniture we purchased. We really wanted to buy it immediately but the price tag was a bit scary.

Luckily, our local Giggle store had a floor sample in great condition marked down and we scored an amazing deal!





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Crib Bedding made by etsy seller fingersandtoes!

We skipped the bumper and will just be using a flat crib skirt and fun, printed sheets for a clean look.


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Ikea Hemnes Dresser in White

This will also serve as the changing table. I am currently looking at some knobs to make

it a bit more special and add some more pops of color.



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This was actually the first thing I purchased for the baby.
I remember having one of these when I was a kid and I loved it! I hope he does too.

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Some other things I am loving:

The Best Thing I Have Ever Made

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So I know that I have not blogged for quite some time. In fact, I thought I was done blogging altogether. A lot has happened in the last 6 months and I just did not have the energy to even think about writing. A couple weeks after my last blog post, I was informed that my husband was being transferred for work and we were moving to Northern California. After some careful thinking, I resigned from my teaching position, and then, within a couple weeks of moving discovered that I was PREGNANT. I was a bit overwhelmed to say the least. Mostly, I was overjoyed. A baby is something my husband and I have wanted for a long time. And now we are expecting a little boy to arrive around July 14th, which happens to be the day before my birthday. Best. Present. Ever.

I was pretty sick for the first 16 weeks of my pregnancy and then spent the next 4 weeks overwhelmed by the profound changes my body was experiencing. During that time I was upset with the fact that we do not have any friends living up here and pregnancy is not exactly the best friendship maker in your 20’s. Again, I was not really feeling going to back to blogging. Then suddenly something changed in me. I started feeling comfortable and beautiful in my new shape (gotta love that second trimester). I am proud of my new round belly–and nothing beats the feeling of those first baby kicks. I knew that the experience of being pregnant with my first child was something I wanted to share with my family and friends who now live far away. I wish I had started earlier but better late than never I suppose. So here I am, at 22 weeks ready to write again. I am really excited because I really do love blogging but I think that until now I had not found the right focus. After all, I think the best blogs are the ones where the writers are truly passionate and excited about their subject. I am thrilled to have finally found mine.

So going forward there will be some changes. As much as I love reading food blogs, I have decided that blogging exclusively about food is not something I want to pursue. I will continue to write about food and my jewelry but they will no longer be the sole focus. This blog will now become a place to simply share all the things I love, including all things baby.


xo,


Jenna