I have a secret. I have a new little pumpkin.
This one is not orange and filled with seeds though (God, I hope not!). It is about the size of a seed.
I am five weeks pregnant.
My husband and I started trying in August (yes, of THIS year) and, miracle among miracles, I got pregnant within the first month.
If I’m being honest, I have mixed feelings about how quickly I got pregnant! On the one hand, we thought we had some time to get in the right mindset and prepare ourselves for the changes that were inevitable. On the other hand, I am so incredibly lucky I didn’t have to ride on the emotional roller coaster so many couples find themselves on.
It is all a little strange, and more often than not I can’t believe I’m pregnant. As my friend, Chrissy, says it’s going to be a while before it really hits me I think. I haven’t noticed too many symptoms (mild nausea, slightly heightened sense of smell, bigger…um…parts of me). If I’m lucky maybe I’ll skip over the nausea/vomiting stage of this fun little trip. My fingers are hypothetically crossed from now until my second trimester!
It’s so weird how everything changes when you get pregnant. I find myself thinking of my little pumpkin ALL. THE. TIME. Jeff does too. We’ll be driving along in the car, neither one of us talking, and I’ll realize we’ve been sitting in silence for ten minutes. I’ll ask him what he’s thinking about and he’ll say, “The baby.” How eerie. I was doing the same thing.
Every choice, every decision, every movement we make is based on what is best for Baby. I find myself unknowingly touching my belly. I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and stuff my mouth with saltines cause I know Baby is probably hungry. I stay in bed an extra few minutes in the morning to give Baby a little extra rest so he can keep growing. (Disclaimer: I will refer to Baby as he or she depending on my mood until I find out what he or she actually is. Don’t be alarmed. Or excited.)
So, the moral of the story is, everything is CA-RAZY! I was not at all prepared to be pregnant and, now that I am, I’m taking it day by day. Trying not to worry, get excited, or anything in between. Honestly, I won’t breathe easy until we are in the second trimester. Of course, then Baby will start making it harder for me to breathe, so it’s a lose/lose! 😉
If any moms out there have advice for me or want to share their story, please feel free! If you know of other bloggers chronicling their journey, let me know. I need all the help and support I can get. I hope you’ll stay with my on my own journey.
Until then…I’ll relax by whipping up a couple mini pumpkins to celebrate my mini pumpkin!
Mini Pumpkin Pies
(Adapted from Libby’s recipe on allrecipes.com)
For the crust*:
8 squares graham crackers, crushed (4 rectangles)
2 tbsp butter, melted
*I did not use these exact measurements. I just kept mixing crumbs and butter together until it formed the consistency I liked. You want crumbs that stick together, but that are still somewhat dry in appearance. Mine were a little too buttery, but there’s really nothing wrong with that either…
For the filling:
3/8 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 egg
1/2 can pumpkin puree
1/2 can evaporated milk
Preheat oven to 375*. Mix graham crackers and butter together until combined.
Spray mini ramekins with cooking spray and press crust into the bottom of each. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until slightly browned.
Remove ramekins and let cool while you make the pie filling. Raise temperature of the oven to 425*.
In a mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin, eggs, and the evaporated milk.
Wisk to combine. Add in the sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cloves. Mix well. Put the ramekins in a cake pan for easy transfer and fill with equal amounts of filling.
Bake at 425* for 35-40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cook and then serve plain or with whipped cream.
One Girl's Taste On Life 