So, I have merely a handful of days left in this pregnancy. The be all end all of pregnancies for this human body because after little Leah comes, there will be no more baby baking happening in this belly. No more. I know that some of you can do this a thousand times over, but not me. At a mere 35 years old, I have never felt older in my life… like my hips are going to seperate from my body at any moment and my feet are going to rupture from swolleness! Plus the thought of being a mom of four children freaks me out a bit. To me, four kids is like a herd of kids. We will be the type of family that will be out and about and others will assume automatically that we must be Catholic because we have a large brood. No, I know four isn’t a huge family, but for me, it is a bit overwhelming to think about all of the seats at our dinner table and in our car being filled by the people in our own, immediate family!
Since this is my last time to experience the wonderful miracle of pregnancy (and I do recognized that I am extremely blessed to experience it), I have really been reflecting on what I will miss and what I will not miss about being pregnant.
What I Will NOT Miss About Being Pregnant:
- Roughly 6 months of constant sickness.. the nausea, vomiting, dead to the world feeling… won’t miss it a bit.
- Still, with 6 months of feeling like total crap, gaining more weight than I should have. (I guess I should be thankful for the sickness or who knows how much I would be weighing now!
- Having to ask my 5 year old to put my socks on for me because I can’t bend down to reach my feet (Thank God for flip flop weather!) As an added bonus, my socks appear to have shrunk to toddler size because when I try to shove my over swollen feet into them, it just isn’t happening.
- All too frequent doctor’s appointments, where they choose to take you from the comfy lobby, put you in a boring room with your pants off and the smallest sheet ever and keep you there for an hour before the doctor comes in.
- Heartburn – seriously… I am so thankful this has been just pregnancy induced. What a pain for those of you who have to live with this constantly!
- Maternity clothes – can they be any more hideous?
What I WILL Miss About Being Pregnant:
- An excuse to wear comfy, stretchy pants evey single day of the week. I am thinking I may keep one pair of maternity jeans for those days where I need the extra room (aka Joey on Friends at Thanksgiving)
- The Tae Kwan Do movements happening in my belly. It gets a little annoying when I try to go to sleep at night and she is busy doing a jig, but it seriously is a pretty amazing thing to be able to feel the movements of a child in your own body.
- Having a libido – no need to go into details, but let’s just say I would like to package up whatever hormone is released during pregnancy and sell it on the street for those of us who are missing this normally!
- Getting a little bit of special attention from hubby without relating at all to reason #3… the foot rubs and back rubs and “just go take a nap” opportunities… love that!
- Epidural… need I say more? (And I’ll add, the 2 day hospital vacation… soooo looking forward to that!)
- Eating whatever you want, like half a tray of DeLynn’s cinnamon rolls, without having anyone look at you questionably. Again, refer to reason #2 of what I don’t like about being pregnant and you’ll see that it is a bit of a double edged sword.
My eating half a tray of cinnamon roll days are almost over, but I am going to have to take advantage of it while I can. Pregnant or not, my friend DeLynn’s cinnamon rolls will make you want to devour the whole pan anyway – they are that good!
(I halve the recipe and make the dough in my bread machine)
DeLynn’s Simply Sinful Cinnamon Rolls
SERVES 12 (2 rolls each)
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 packages dry yeast
- 1/2 cup water (110-115 degrees)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 6 cups flour, half all-purpose and half bread flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons salt
Filling
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
- 5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup butter
- Soften yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water, with 1 teaspoon sugar added; Set aside for five minutes.
- Put milk, sugar, salt, and about one cup flour in a large bowl,and beat well with a wooden spoon.
- Then add eggs and yeast mixture and a couple cups of flour and beat again.
- Add the soft butter and the rest of the flour,adding the rest of flour very slowly, until the dough is still too stiff to stir.
- Knead the dough until it is smooth and satiny, adding only enough to keep if from sticking.
- Add more of the flour, as needed.
- Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease all sides.
- Let rise in warm place until double, about an hour,covering bowl with a towel or plastic wrap; I use my oven with the light on and the oven itself turned on for 30 seconds; The optimum temperature is around 90 degrees.
- Punch down, kneading for about 30 seconds to remove bubbles; Cover and let rise again.
- Punch down dough again.
- Cut with a knife into four parts, and shape into balls; Roll each ball into a 8 X 14 inch rectangle.
- Spread the dough with about 3 tablespoons butter, leaving far edge unbuttered.
- Spread with one fourth the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Roll up; roll tightly; Pinch edges; Cut into slices.
- Place in greased pan and let rise until double in size, 45-60 minutes.
- Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.
- Frost with a powdered sugar glaze or light amount of canned vanilla frosting.
Those of you participating in Adopt a Blogger #3 should have connected with your matches by now. If you haven’t, please do. If you are having trouble getting a hold of your match, please let me know as soon as possible and I will try to help out!
Hmm…I’m not pregnant but I would still devour these!
mariss last blog post..Chocolate Ganache & A Sweet Giveaway
Oh, c’mon! I understand the official record for kids for a food blogger is Nine. Don’t ya want to go for the record?
(jk)
RON
Ron Merlins last blog post..Whoopie Pies
Good luck with the last bits! These look like great cinnamon rolls—yum!
maggie (p&c)s last blog post..Eating Well In Season: Asparagus Soup
Hi I just saw your tweet, I thought you had had the baby already! My sister just had hers and the day prior she was saying the exact same things you were! The rolls look so good, and I think decreasing to a quarter of a tray would be fine 🙂
Heidi from Savory Tvs last blog post..Delizioso! Italian Salmon Carpaccio
Recipe sounds divine.
Embrace your herd o’ 4 !!!
Take CARE of yourself!!!
Yes yes and yes! I miss the naps the most. I’d make 4 trays of these cinnamon rolls as a trade for an uninterrupted nap.
These really look incredible and I will eat these in honor of you!!!
Cathy – wheresmydamnanswers last blog post..Lensley makes me want to have a party
These Cinnamon Rolls look very tempting!
Cheers,
Rosa
Add to WILL MISS (for me):
-Under the hospital “vacation” the unlimited room service delivery of food…no matter what or how much I wanted!!!
I ate better those 3 days in the hospital than I did in the 2 weeks after I got home with baby.
We will both have herds! Although mine are way more spread out than yours! This was a fabulous post, with belly laughing honesty! Yup, 4 was enough for me, too… made sure of that permanently!
Gonna try these- they look SO good!
Janets last blog post..C’mon in. Sit. Have some coffee…
Such a cute post! Thanks for the fun read, and well wishes in the days ahead!
Alisa – Frugal Foodies last blog post..Don’t Forget Mom!
i want cinnamon rolls now 🙂 Best wishes in the final days before the bundle of joy arrives!
Uh, Krissy . . . we’ve heard the no more baby baking thing from you before . . . and you Are Catholic . . . 🙂 . . . you make such amazing kids, and raise them so wonderfully, I’m glad you’ve done it again!
At 53, it’s unlikely I will be able to pull off your excuse for eating so many of these yummy looking things. At at 53, all you have to do is hold one an inch from your mouth and you start to gain weight. All the best in these last couple days!
Donalyns last blog post..The winding down of a spring day
Mmmmm, cinnamon rolls… One of my favorite things, ever! I hope everything goes smoothly for you and baby Leah (what a great name!) both in and out of the hospital. 🙂
Side note, I hated the time I spent in the hospital! Way too long for me. I missed my family, I missed my bed and I missed my coffee!! Oh and 3 kids, no epidural, just saying. 😉
LyBs last blog post..TWD – Chocolate Ice Cream
We’re at totally different stages of pregnancy right now – you’re about to be done and I just started – but I know what you mean about all that! I’m in the middle of the morning sickness stage, and it’s definitely one I could do without!
Those cinnamon rolls do look delicious! I haven’t done any baking except the belly kind for a while, but once I start, I’ll have to give those a try. I love a good cinnamon roll (or a good half pan of cinnamon rolls…). 🙂
Stephanies last blog post..Another Old-Fashioned Pudding
You are in the home stretch now, literally! We love cinnamon rolls in our house. What’s not to like about a sweet, goey breakfast treat that’s more like dessert. Good luck in your final days!
Katies last blog post..Mother’s Day Giveaway – Contest Rules
Oh, these cinnamon rolls look so addictive;I’ve gained weight just gazing at the picture!
It’s been 21 years since my last pregnancy, but I remember vividly all of those reasons why she was our last! I was 35 when our blessing was born.
Lyndas last blog post..Shredded Beef Enchiladas
These look great! I loved reading your reasons to love/hate pregnancy…hope I get to come up with my own lists one day, though I have this feeling that I’m going to be one of those who has horrible morning sickness!
Claires last blog post..Wwwwwwhat’s Up Doc!?
Your list is funny…a little scary for us who have no idea what being pregnant is like though. Eating many cinnamon rolls would indeed be fun!
The Duo Dishess last blog post..Minor Changes to a Classic
An adorable post! Before a friend had her baby girl, I invited her over for brunch, which included cinnamon rolls. She was so grateful! I wish you much happiness in the days ahead! Yay!!
Jens last blog post..foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: kale soup competition
My father was Irish Catholic and there were 11 kids in his family. My mom had 6 kids, don’t ask me how she survived it! When my dad died , and mom remarried my stepfather had 2 kids…eight kids. I would have begged for the men in white to come and get me!! I don’t even wanna think of the laundry she did ((shudder))! I’m in cinnamon roll heaven here, they look terrific!!!
Bunnys last blog post..Lemon Chicken with Tomato Parsley Rice and Lemon Garlic Green Beans with Brioche Sticky Buns for Dessert!!
I have recently come across your blog and see that you do something called adopt a blogger! What a great idea! I am new to the blogging world and I can’t seem to get enough of it! How do I get someone to adopt (and help) me out? I would be so honored to be apart of this!
Thanks,
Liesl
Yummy cinnamon rolls!
And ha ha, maternity clothes ARE hideous!! (or you have to pay an arm & a leg to buy cute, trendy ones – sigh) Almost over though. 🙂
the cinnamon looks enticing.
but I have to stay away from sweets or else I would be the one who is going to suffer from diabetes.
Palabuzzs last blog post..Charice Pempengco releases new album
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on pregnancy…positive and negative. I appreciate the insight.
Virginies last blog post..from Our Daily Bread
Yay for pregnancy pants, cinnamon rolls, almost being done, and a hospital vacation day!
We were just talking about making cinnamon rolls here last night. We’ll give this recipe a go. Thanks!
Laura Flowerss last blog post..Strawberry Shake It Up Oreo Brownies
Four is a fun number! I know, because I come from a family of four kids! Ofcourse, I wasn’t the mom and maybe my mom would tell you a different story, but I’m sure you’re gonna love it…:) Good luck with the last bits of your pregnancy!
Simone (junglefrog)s last blog post..Grilled chicken
This is such a sweet post. I forgot that there are things I liked about being pregnant. (Was not fortunate with the libido thing, by oh well.) Enjoy these last few moments and I will look forward to reading about your new sweet baby.
Danas last blog post..Nicoise Salad
Oh I feel ya honey! I totally agree with your lists. Good luck with the end! And the yummies look great too 🙂
Sara @ Our Best Bitess last blog post..Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
Yep..you hit the nail on the head with this post!! LOL
And yeah..whats up with the pregnancy sex drive? Cant the drug companies figure it out and make a pill for us women?? I am sure our husbands might even pay for it!!!
I will be thinkg ing of you in the next week. Try to get some rest in the hospital!
Oh I forgot, try to get some rest inbetween the nurses barging into your room every 2 hours to check your vitals!! LOL
leslies last blog post..A Hungry Housewife Interview
This was a cute post 🙂
Luckily for me, I’m the kind of person who might eat more than one cinnamon roll without the excuse of being pregnant. I can’t help it. Cinnamon rolls are my weakness. Yours look delicious!
Elissas last blog post..Under the Wing of Erin Cooks – plus Triple Berry Frozen Yogurt
you are like a superhero with a cape!!! i was just trying to convince myself to make homemade cinnamon buns (i chicken out when anything involves yeast LOL) but you have saved the day – i am making these today!
thanks for sharing and good luck with the birth 🙂
Danis last blog post..#59) Peanut Butter Cups
This post totally made my heart smile. Enjoy the last few days!
Joy the Bakers last blog post..Milk Chocolate Pudding with Cream and Raspberry Sauce
Children are such a blessing! What a beautiful post. Thanks for putting the Adopt a Blogger event together! It is a great idea.
Cheris last blog post..Kids Cooking Giveaway
If you breast feed, you can still eat a lot more than normal… just gotta watch out for the foods that cause gas.
Nates last blog post..Pavlova Recipe
I ate a half a tray of cinnamon rolls once… and I wasn’t even pregnant! Yeah, I got looks (from my husband)… Now that I AM pregnant though, my appetite for those types of things is GONE (fortunately or unfortunately, I’m not quite sure)!
Anyway, congrats on the baby… and your herd of children! 🙂
~Heather
PS – I’ve always wanted 4 children, but we’ll see what happens after my first is born in November. 😉
Heather @ The Striving Wifes last blog post..Lessons From a Baby Turtle
Ok, I just had to comment on the pregnancy talk! My little one is almost 4 months old. He’s my first, and I had him at 30. I totally know what you mean about the hips separating thing. It made the entire end of my pregnancy a living nightmare. I’m a teacher and worked right up until the end (11 hour day the day before I went into labor), and I could barely walk I was in so much pain.
Oh, and you don’t have to stop wearing comfy stretchy elastic waist pants just because the baby comes… I’m four months post partum but haven’t given ’em up yet! (but that’s because I gained 70 pounds and WILL NOT buy jeans in a size 18, 16, and now a 14). I’ve lost almost 40 pounds so far and am down to only one size larger than I started (12). Phfew!
Jodie R.s last blog post..Menu Planning, Making Do, and Making Stuff
Sweets is just one among any other privileges that a pregnant woman can’t have. It may be terrifying but it will be a little sacrifice for the sake of your little angel. This sweets food are really horrifying when it comes on sugar level. And it will make you fat and your baby as well.