A new way for pork

We grill pork tenderloin quite often. The go-to way is for Jason to season it, throw it on the grill and serve with a little BBQ sauce. This week I wanted something different so I asked for recipes on the What's Cooking board. I wanted something easy and something that didn't require a lot of ingredients that I don't already have. I went with the following recipe from Vintage Victuals thinking I only needed Dijonnaise. I was wrong, but it still turned out really good! This is actually something I'd make when we have company over. Not that it ever happens. I did take photos, but I'm having issues uploading them. I'll try again later.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Dijon Sauce adapted from Vintage Victuals

• 1/4 cup Dijonaise spread (this will be in the store with the mustard)
• 1 t dry mustard (I left this out)
• 1/4 t dried minced onion seasoning
• 1 t garlic, minced or grated
• 3 T olive oil
• 1 fresh pork tenderloin
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup half-n-half (I used a little milk instead)
• 2 T Dijonaise spread

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together the Dijonnaise, dry mustard, the onion, and the garlic. The mixture should be a bit thick. Set it aside. In a large dutch oven heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the pork loin with salt and pepper on all sides. Brown the pork in the olive oil until it is nice and caramelized on all sides. Spoon the dijon mixture over all sides of the pork loin and place the entire dish in the oven. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until the meat reaches 145 degrees internally (medium doneness). Remove the dish from the oven and allow the meat to rest on a platter for about 10 minutes to finish the cooking process. Return the dutch oven to the stove top. Add the half-n-half, deglazing the pan by scraping the caramelized drippings off of the bottom. Stir in the extra 2 tablespoons of Dijonnaise and warm the sauce to a simmer over low to medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Slice the rested tenderloin into thick slices and drizzle the dijon sauce over the pork before serving.

Oh boy...

Well, we found out. The weeks of waiting are over...aren't they? I guess now I get to wait for other stuff. Furniture arrival, baby showers, the actually baby. Hmm. Oh well, at least we know what we're having!!!

Tuesday Jason and I went to the doctor's office for my big ultrasound and 20 week appointment. We did all of the measurements first, so I went back alone and left Jason in the waiting room. Apparently we have a stubborn kid. The tech could not get a good look at all four heart chambers. First she jiggled the wand on my stomach begging the baby to move (like they can hear!). Then I rolled to the left side. Then back. Then I rolled to the right side. Finally she suggested I go to the bathroom hoping that getting up and moving around would cause the kid to move. I guess it worked because she was finally able to see everything. Based on my limited knowledge, I think this kid is going to be tall - the legs sure looked long!

So finally Jason got to join me for the fun part. And...we're having a boy! I was completely shocked. Almost everyone has been saying that we're having a girl, I think that by the time we got there I was convinced it was a girl also. Jason couldn't even wait until we were out of the room to text message his best friend and tell him that we'll be having another boy to add to the group. His best friend, Brian, has a little boy who was born in January. Brian's brother has 2 boys. If our kids get into half as much trouble as those guys did growing up...well, I don't want to think about it.

One thing I will say about the ultrasound lab is that they are generous with photos of your baby! Here are a few from Tuesday.

A cute profile

We got a few of the 4D photos - really neat! Apparently my kid is shy and likes to keep his face covered.

One of the long legs

Feet - obviously

I would show the photo of the goods...but that may be just a little too embarassing for my kiddo.

Afterthe fun part I went upstairs to see the doctor. It was really a quick visit! She said that everything looks great - a good healthy baby!! I'm actually measuring a full week ahead, but we didn't change our due day. (I told you I was going to have a big baby!) I told her that I'm still having issues with the acid reflux and I feel like it's getting worse...so we got a prescription for Nexium. I also managed to find a way to get it a little cheaper, so that helps. But honestly I'd pay whatever I had to.

The only concern for the day is that my placenta looks a little low. Not scary low, but enough that she wants me to do another ultrasound in 6 weeks to check on it. If it continues to move down, I'll end up with partial or full placenta previa. That can mean all sorts of things that send me into panic mode, so I'm not going to think about it until I have to. I wonder if standing on my head for a little while each day will help? :-)

The big day

First, we'll play a little catch up. I'm currently 19 weeks pregnant. I look pregnant. I was in denial for a while until a photo of me at a baby shower for a friend surfaced with the tag line "look at Delia's baby belly." And there is was - on the Internet for everyone to see. Yep, I was in denial.

Last week I started feeling movement. At first, it kind of freaked me out. I told Jason it feels like being thumped from the inside out. The first few days it gave me that feeling that you get when something scares you or the roller coaster goes over the edge - that empty stomach feeling. And I did not like it. Now...it's sort of annoyingly mesmerizing. I find myself stopping what I'm doing to wait for the next thump. But boy was this kid excited about Harry Potter! We saw the new movie Friday and for the first hour or so it was going crazy. Since I was trying to concentrate on the movie, it did get a little annoying. I guess that's just a glimpse of things to come...

This weekend my acid reflux reached the "miserable" point. Before when it happened I would have a gross revisit of my last meal via a burp. Sunday I tasted what can only be described as vomit. Gross, I know, sorry. It continued Monday morning. Fantastic! I'm going to ask the doctor tomorrow what else we can do and hopefully we'll get something. I still have 21 weeks to go.

AND the best thing about this post is that tomorrow is The Big Day. Big Ultrasound! I'm so excited I can hardly concentrate. I decided to post some Old Wives Tales for fun.

• Heartbeat - if the heartbeat is over 140 it's a girl, under means a boy: we've been about 160 at each check up, so that indicates a girl.
• Cravings - sweets means a girl, sour/salt foods indicate a boy: this could go either way! Friday I wanted the salt from Jason's margarita, but Sunday I stopped for an ice cream cone on the way home...I tend to pass up sweets more than salty foods, so I'd say boy.
• More Cravings - fruit indicates a girl, meat & potatoes has boy written all over it: fruit all the way!! I honestly cannot get enough fruit...so girl.
• Morning Sickness - if you have it then it's a girl, if not you're in for a boy: I felt fine, so boy.
• Headaches - if you have them it's a sign of a boy: boy do I have them!
• And the funniest one yet...Toddlers - if a toddler boy shows interest in the pregnant woman, it's a girl. If not, it's a boy: Jett will say hi to the baby in my belly but that's about it. He would NOT come close to it touch it. I'm going with boy.

On another note...my feet are swelling. It seems really early for that to be happening. But it is an average of 100 degrees here daily in Houston, so that may have something to do with it. I'm drinking a lot of water but I'm not sure it's helping. They were swollen when I woke up this morning! Bummer...

Trying something new

I've been posting on the Nest about this recipe I intended to make for, oh, weeks. Finally I made it last week and Jason and I both loved it! But I have NO idea what happened to the photos. And it even looked good! I'm sure they're on the desktop and Jason must have deleted them from the camera without telling me.

Either way, this was a good dinner. And a pretty easy Rachel Ray recipe. I've made some before where I thought it was SO not worth it after...when I'm cleaning up the kitchen.

Pork Chops with Balsamic Strawberry Salad & Pine Nut Orzo from Rachael Ray

• 1/2 pound orzo pasta
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 pint strawberries, quartered
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, torn
• 1 cup baby spinach leaves
• 4 slices prosciutto, sliced into 1/2" strips (I used regular bacon because...well, prosciutto is expensive)
• four 1" thick pork chops
• pepper
• 3 T butter
• 1 pinch cinnamon
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain.

In a saucepan, boil the balsamic vinegar until reduced to 2-3 T, about 5 minutes. Toss the vinegar in a bowl with the strawberries, basil & spinach.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat some olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the prosciutto (or bacon) and cook until crispy, remove and set on a paper towel to drain. Add a little more olive oil. Salt & pepper the pork chops and cook, turning once, for about 8 minutes or until done.

In the large pot (used to cook orzo), melt the butter over medium heat. Add the pasta, cinnamon & nutmeg. Toss and season with salt; stir in the pine nuts.

RR suggest serving the salad on top of the pork chops, but I did it on the side. I'm picky like that.

Here's a photo from her website - mine looked almost as good. :-)

Our first official purchase

My mom reminded me yesterday about our first trip shopping for wedding dresses. I put the first dress on, freaked out, and made my aunt help me take it off. The words "this is too real" came out of my mouth. I obviously got over it (rather quickly), but I think I'm reliving the whole thing with the baby shopping. I must be the only pregnant person on the planet who hasn't bought anything. I just can't get used to the idea of having a baby. Not that I don't want it, it just doesn't seem real yet. I hear that will change 100% when I feel something - I keep finding myself sitting at my desk concentrating on my stomach to finally feel those "flutters." I guess that makes it real...? I can't wait for that excitement!

Jason and I have talked about baby purchases. First, I wanted a white crib for a girl and dark wood (cherry or darker) for a boy. Then I got to thinking about a little 4 year old with a red crayon and white furniture so I decided that it would be dark wood either way. And I started shopping. A few weeks ago I left the house and went to a local baby furniture store to kill time. Uh, can we say sticker shock? I had no idea furniture for something that would be so small would cost so much! But you want your baby to be safe, right? And cute - hello!! After some consultation with my group of girlfriends I found out that another local store would be having a 4th of July sale. (Thanks Kelly!)

So last week I drove over there on my lunch break and found what I wanted. Then Jason and I spent all week discussing what pieces we would get, what we needed, what we wanted and what would fit in the room (most important). We decided on a crib (that will convert to a toddler bed and full size bed) plus a 6 drawer dresser. I did my homework on quality and safety and took Jason to the store Friday to look in person. I'd been wavering between 2 different styles, leaning toward one more than the other. Of course, Jason liked my better choice and after getting the "discount" quote I drove back to the store Sunday to purchase the crib & dresser!! It should be here in about 6-8 weeks (good grief!).

We picked an Espresso color - it looks black in the photo but is really a dark brown. I really love it.

I also have to say a HUGE Thank You to my mom and step-dad. They actually bought the crib for The Kid. Again, thank you, thank you, thank you!! I will pay you guys back with lots of baby-sitting opportunities. (For those who don't know, they'll be benefiting way more than you think!!)

16 week appointment

Last week I had my 16 week appointment and boy was that a chore. My 11:10 appointment actually happened sometime around 1:15. I don't know what went on that morning, but by the time I got out of there I'd finished my book, eaten 2 granola bars and was about to go on a rampage because...guess what...I was still hungry.

That said, the appointment was quick and painless. First the nurse did her thing - weight, blood pressure, all that jazz. THEN I got to hear the heart beat on the Doppler. I was a little worried because The Kid seems to me way more active than I am. That sucker was moving all over the place and it took a while to find the heart beat, then every time she found it, it was gone. But, it's there and beating about 160 BPM. (according to the Old Wives Tale that indicates a girl)

When I did see the doctor the fun part began. See, I'm obsessive about things by nature. One of those things being my weight. The whole idea of gaining weight is scary. Especially when diet and exercise won't work as people have been saying for years (those liars!). Don't worry - I'm not dieting. So I ask how she felt about my weight gain. Here's where things went south. She told me she'd like me to keep the gain to about 25 pounds, 30 at the most. That didn't seem too daunting. BUT she also mentioned that she wants it around that point because anything more could mean a "really big baby." Well, knowing that my sister and I were both over 9lbs I voiced my concern/agreement with her. The response "well, your pelvis could handle a baby of that size."

Um...I don't want a 9 pound baby! I want a cute little average 7.5 pound baby!!! She suggested I get in a lot of exercise but I don't think she was too convinced that it will help. Maybe that's the fear talking. So, now I'm even more paranoid about my weight and having a large baby. Remember - I obsess about things. This is my new obsession. I have to get over it, though, because it's only going to cause me to lose sleep and fight with Jason. He (along with everyone else) thinks I'll gain what my body wants me to gain whether I fight it tooth and nail or not.

The next big excitement is finding out if this is a boy or girl. We find out in 2 weeks. I wanted to know yesterday. I wanted to know last month. Wait, I wanted to know the minute I found out I was pregnant. But, I've survived waiting this long. 2 more weeks won't kill me. But I am actually enjoying the guessing game. The Old Wives Tales are mixed - no morning sickness = boy, craving fruit = girl. I could go on and on.

Most people are guessing a girl. Even my hairdresser guessed (very confidently) girl. Rachel said girl the first day we told her. Two coworkers (who have girls) say boy. My cousin Bear requested a boy to balance out the family. If wishing alone could make the decision it would be a girl because I think that my sister wishes 4,000 times a day that it is a girl.

As for me...the jury is still out. I keep hearing that I should have these telling dreams, so every night before I go to sleep I think "this is it - I'll dream about it tonight" and then the next day...nothing. Oh well, there is still time and if not I'll know in 2 weeks.