Mmmm...Chicken Tortilla Soup

Well, nothing exciting and noteworthy on the baby front these days...nor has there been much excitement in these parts. My next doctor appointment isn't until Halloween, so until then I'm just biding my time, watching my ever-expanding belly get a teeny bit bigger each day.

The highlight of the last week or so may be the excellent and super-easy chicken tortilla soup I made tonight! It's not really terribly authentic, but it's pretty darn yummy and really easy. Chris was a big fan! So, without further ado, here's the recipe...and a rather uninspired picture of the results at the end.

Super-Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 regular-sized cans diced tomatoes

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast (boneless/skinless)

1 package Mahatma Red Beans and Rice (found in the Rice aisle at most grocery stores)

3 cups chicken broth

2 tsp chili powder

Tortilla chips

Shredded cheese

Cook the red beans and rice as described on the package. Meanwhile, cook the chicken breasts in whatever manner you like. (I just fried them in a tiny bit of oil on the stove.) When the rice is finished, add the remaining ingredients (diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and chili powder) and bring the mixture to a boil. Cut up the cooked chicken breasts into small pieces, and add to the boiling cauldron o' soup. Reduce heat and simmer for seven minutes. Top with crushed tortilla chips and shredded cheese to taste. Enjoy!

Our hyper fetus!

So, we had appointment #2 at Kaiser this morning—just a general checkup with a nurse practitioner. But we got to hear the heartbeat, which was VERY cool! Apparently a heartbeat of 120 beats per minute to 160 beats per minute is considered normal, and our little Pigwidgeon was at 157 beats per minute. I, of course, started crying the minute I heard it (I cry at everything these days), and Chris looked a little choked up, too. Just such a neat experience to hear our little one in there, heart pounding away!

I'm wondering: Does this fast heartbeat and the fact that Pigwidgeon was waving his little limbs around during the first ultrasound mean that he'll be a hyper little thing?? Hmmm, maybe so...if he takes after his mama, it's a distinct possibility. (Or if he takes after his big sister, Luna. Be afraid—be very afraid!)

My next ultrasound is scheduled for November 27th. That's when we'll find out if we were right about our gut feeling that Pigwidgeon is a boy, or whether we'll have to switch over and start using "she" and "her" as our pronouns. We've both had dreams in which he was a boy, but this ridiculously unscientific Chinese calendar gender predictor that I found on the web says it's a girl. Who knows? I just hope Pigwidgeon cooperates on 11/27 so we will know with reasonable certainty what to call the little one!

And, last but not least, bring on the maternity clothes! Buttoning pants is just no fun anymore, so I've surrendered to maternity pants. Pic is below....

Bring on the comfort food!

Okay, why not another food post?? I made a blog-worthy meal this evening: Chicken and dumplings! It's my aunt's recipe, and I have to say that it's my all-time favorite chicken and dumplings recipe. The dumplings are moist and chewy, instead of dry and floury, as many dumplings are. And it's easy--major bonus! Here's a pic, for your viewing pleasure:

And, I also have to mention that tomorrow is Pigwidgeon's 12-week fetal birthday! Which is notable because it means he is about to enter the second trimester--a safe and happy time for a little fetus! Miscarriages can still happen after the first trimester ends, but they're far less common. So yay for Pigwidgeon for making it to another major milestone! (In case anyone is interested, he is apparently the size of a large plum now. Maybe we should call him "Plumwidgeon" instead!)