Hello, my name is Bethany, and I am...

40 weeks and 5 days pregnant. Yes, my due date was 5 days ago. I am at the point where I need an intervention and a meeting similar to AA, I'm going that crazy. I currently own 2 articles of clothing that fit me; a pink dress, and a black dress. I alternate between them daily, and get really nervous if I spill anything on one or the other- because I know how bad I need it to be clean! I only own one pair of shoes that fit me, black flip flops. My 424 other pair of flip flops no longer slide over my swollen feet. I haven't worn my wedding rings in 2 months now, because they won't even make it over my (now non- existent) knuckles. When someone in public asks me "When are you due," I give them an evil stare.. and say, "I WAS due." I'm probably a little hard to live with right now, considering every other sentence out of my mouth is one of these options: "Are we ever going to meet her?" "When can I start this whole maternity leave thing?" or "Ben, can you google how to break your own water?" Ben must be getting a little annoyed, but he hasn't told me that yet.  Probably because he is thinking the same thing. We spend at least an hour a day talking about what our  first night home as a family will be like, all three of us home together. And how the bathing, feeding, and sleeping patterns are a new challenge that we are ready to conquer. Tomorrow I go to the Dr's for my weekly appointment (which is at Mercy Hospital) and I plan on going there with my bags packed and refusing to leave. I'll see if it works! Disclaimer: I know 5 days overdue isn't rare at all, and in the grand scheme of life- its nothing to complain about. But if  you wanted to meet someone as bad as I want to meet Mackenna- you'd feel the same way. So shhh, I don't want to hear it. Anyhow, here is what I've been up to this weekend to keep my mind off of having this baby... 


Saturday I went to my friend/ co-worker Hollie's Baby Shower. Ben, worried about me going into labor anytime, dropped me off and picked me up. While I was at the shower, he went down to his friend Joey's camp on the lake in Windham where they were having a fraternity benefit for their friend that lost his battle with cancer last year. This year all of the guys donated money towards a camp on Sebago Lake that is for children with cancer. It's a great cause that they have done for now two years in a row, and I'm glad Ben was able to go and be apart of it, even if it was only an hour or so. (And I'm secretly glad that I got to miss out on the 1 am pickup and hangover the next day.) Jen- you remember last year! "Are we in the tree of trust?" Gary '2E' Nealey's obituary here: http://obituaries.bangordailynews.com/obituaries/bangordailynews/obituary.aspx?n=gary-a-nealey-e&pid=143202013&fhid=6222

Back to Hollie's beautiful shower. She is due with a daughter, Madisyn, October 4th. Her and Mike are going to be amazing parents, and I can't wait for many play dates with Mackenna and Madisyn. They are sure to be BFF's (after all- they both share the same initials) and I'm especially looking forward to sharing maternity leave with her! Her shower was at the Royal River Grillhouse in Yarmouth, which was a beautiful spot right on the marina. The food and view was picture perfect. I will definitely be going back for dinner (and drinks) this fall . At Hollie's shower, her mom Terry mentioned that she loved my blog. I love going places and having people I meet tell me that they have seen my blog and enjoy it. I love doing it! 

Hollie & I

 32 weeks... 34 weeks.. and 40 weeks pregnant! 

Delicious red velvet cupcakes with pacifiers on top! 

After Hollie's shower, Ben and I spent the day in Freeport and Portland- walking as much as possible, and doing as many flights of stairs as I can. I hear that helps to induce labor? We walked all over Freeport, did a little (okay a lot) of retail therapy to keep my mind off of having this baby, and enjoyed a great dinner outside at the Porthole in Portland to wrap up the day. The waterfront was busy last night with mariners and fisherman taking their boats in off the water before Hurricane Irene. 

In Freeport we got to watch the Dock Dog competition, which was set up on the lawn outside of LL Bean. It was the neatest thing to watch, and if you've ever seen our girl Bailey leap off the dock- you can bet we will take her next year! If you look closely in these photos, you can see the dogs mid- air. I only had my iPhone with me, so the quality isn't that great.

Here's a video of one of my favorites, a dog who was a nervous to jump:

And here's a dog that wasn't nervous at all!

In Freeport we also made a stop at Maine Distilleries, which I've been wanting to go to for some time now.  Admittedly, someone this pregnant touring a vodka-making-plant was a little ironic. Maine Distilleries produces Cold River Vodka. Currently they have three types of alcohol: Cold River Vodka, Cold River Blueberry Vodka, and Cold River Gin. They offer tours of their distillery in Freeport, and you can sample and purchase their products right there as well. I love buying locally, and this vodka is as local as local gets! It is potato vodka, made from potato farms right in Fryburg Maine. Cold River is known for being the only "ground to glass" distillery in the nation. Even the blueberries come from Wymans Wild Maine Blueberries. The bottles alone are a work of art, with Maine Scenery etched into the glass. Well worth the money and great to be supporting a local business. 

Ben sampled all three of their varieties, and picked out the Blueberry Vodka for us to take home. I can't wait to try it! Don't these recipes sound delish? 

You can find out more about Cold River's products, and story, here: http://www.mainedistilleries.com/welcome.html

Hope you all survive Hurricane Irene! 

Chocolate Chip Wheat Zucchini Bread

This is the second summer that Ben & I have done a farm- share program, and this year we have TONS of zucchini.  We can't go through it fast enough. I was inspired when I saw The Wescott's blog post where they made zucchini bread! 

I found a few "sweet" variations of this bread online, and altered the recipes to create my own. It is delicious. As Ben called it, this is my "nesting bread." I imagine he googled "Why would my wife be making 4 loaves of bread at 9:00 pm when she is 39 weeks pregnant?" The Google search result must have been "She is nesting."

Chocolate Chip Wheat Zuchinni Bread

6 eggs

4 cups sugar

2 cups oil

4 -5 cups shredded zucchini

6 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 cups of chopped walnuts

1 (12 ounce) package miniature chocolate chips

Warning: This recipe makes 4 loaves. I DID make four loaves, since we were having company over the following night and I wanted to give our guests bread to take home. For two 9 x 5 loaves, just cut the recipe in half. 

 The food processor worked WONDERS in grating the zucchini in seconds.

Mackenna's Baby Shower

On July 31st we had Mackenna's baby shower and it was an absolutely perfect day. Judy (My Mother- in- Law) hosted the shower at our camp in Bridgton. Everything was perfect, from the weather to the table settings. I loved having a Jack & Jill baby shower, and Ben enjoyed being there as well. A big thank you to Judy for coordinating this wonderful day, and all who helped set up, make food, and came out to Bridgton to celebrate. It couldn't have been any better!

Some photos of the setup:

Stroller cake from Cakes Extraordinaire:

 We got LOTS of wonderful gifts for her:

 And since I couldn't decide between which photos to share, here are LOTS of photos! 

 Even though we are having a girl, it wouldn't be Ben's shower without some camo/hunting- related gifts. LOVE the camo girl doll from The Wescotts, and these John Deere camo boots from Abby & Jared. 

When we got home from the shower, Bailey was not so impressed to see all the toys and gifts... that weren't for her.

And the following week, my work threw a baby shower for both myself & my friend/ co- worker, Hollie. She is also due with a little girl, Madisyn, in October. 

Mackenna & Madisyn got some of the cutest outfits and accessories!

Less than 2 weeks until we get to meet Mackenna!
Or hopefully sooner...