Faucet Upgrade

Monday, May 31, 2010

I can't tell you why it has taken us so long to do this! We've always hated the faucet in our kitchen, but what do you know... nearly five years later, it was still there. Until today.

Michael tried to get a start on it this morning, but we quickly discovered that our hot water shut-off valve beneath the sink was faulty, as we'd turn on the faucet and the water would still come pouring out. Not good! Can things like this EVER be easy?

This afternoon, I took a few pictures of what we were dealing with under the sink, and we took a ride to Home Depot to track down a plumbing expert and ask some questions. Thankfully, we were lucky in that we had some extra pipe length at the valve, so we were able to simply cut off the old valve, and replace it with a new one that didn't even require soldering--it just needed to be pushed onto the pipe. Awesome.

Once that was done, the biggest challenge was for Michael to get the old faucet out. The bolts are not the easiest things to access, but thankfully he had borrowed a special wrench from his dad that made the job just a bit easier. I'm not as limber as usual (the belly gets in the way!) so I wasn't able to do too much to help under the sink. But once the old faucet was out, the new one went in after no time at all; it was actually a really simple project. I guess that's why I can't believe it took us this long to get around to tackling it!

OK, OK... now onto the before and after photos. :)

BEFORE:


Old, nasty faucet. It's even begun leaking as of recently (which you can actually see in the photo). I'm pretty sure this is original to the house. It had seen better days, for sure.

AFTER:

TA-DA! Shiny new faucet! It has the pull-out sprayer, right from the faucet, and we replaced our old sprayer with the soap dispenser (which means we were able to get rid of our old one that took up space). I love it!

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24 Weeks: Viability

Sunday, May 30, 2010

I took my weekly photo a day early this week, as I was dressed nicely today. There's very little chance that I'll be out of gym shorts tomorrow. :)

So, we've made it to week 24! It's a bit milestone in all of the pregnancy books because it's considered the week of viability. In other words, if baby was (GOD FORBID) born now, he or she would at least have a chance at survival. Obviously, we want our little one to stay in there and continue to grow for many more weeks, but 24 weeks still feels nice to reach.
This weekend has been a weekend of preparing for baby. Yesterday morning, we went to Babies 'R' Us to get a shower gift for my cousin, but while we were there, we also found a glider/ottoman set that we liked so we ordered it. We hadn't planned on doing that yet, but once we decided on it, we figured, why not? We're trying to knock off the big baby purchases early! Then, we rode over to Buy Buy Baby to order the baby's car seat. It's actually a gift from my mom, but since we were going to be out there, she asked if we would mind stopping by the store to order it ourselves. So that'll be arriving at our house soon, too.

When we got home, we cleaned out our big walk-in closet in our bedroom. We sorted out old clothes, reorganized everything we're keeping, and then sifted through all of the other things we store in there to make as much room as possible to move things in from the den closet. (The den will become the nursery.)

Today, we cleaned out the den closet, and got rid of a bunch more things. We also went through these two big storage bins we have underneath our bed to clear more space in those, too. We're in pretty good shape! We're hoping to get new carpet installed throughout our house sometime within the next several weeks, so we're waiting to officially clear out the den until we're preparing for the new carpet. After that, we'll officially start the nursery!

We have our 24 week appointment on Thursday this week. We are starting to feel the crunch about signing up for classes, finding a pediatrician, etc. so we plan to buckle down and figure out all of that stuff with our doctor during this appointment. The baby's due date still seems so far off in so many ways, but on the other hand, we know it'll be here in the blink of an eye.

Baby is about the length of an ear of corn now, and weighs over a pound. This week is apparently pretty big in terms of lung development (I'm guessing that is part of the whole "viability" milestone), his or her brain is growing at a rapid rate, and taste buds continue to form.

I've been feeling lots of movement this week. I don't think it will ever get old--I continue to be amazed by the kicks and the way my belly moves right along with him/her. I've also been getting the kicks to the bladder the last couple of weeks. The only reason I know he/she is kicking my bladder is because I'll suddenly get this OHMYGODIHAVETOPEE feeling, but it's only for a split second. Thanks, baby! I love lying in bed with Michael at night and just feeling the baby do its thing in there. Michael's been able to feel it pretty frequently these days, too. *LOVE*

At work last week, a random coworker (whom I had not told I'm pregnant) asked me when I'm due when I ran into her in the mailroom. I wasn't sure whether to count that as my first stranger comment or not--it's possible she got wind of my pregnancy through the grapevine. For that reason, I'm not REALLY counting it. I'm still waiting for the day I get a comment at the grocery store or something! What the heck, people must just think I'm loading up on the ice cream these days. C'MON, STRANGERS! Get with the program. :)

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Strawberry Lemon Sorbet

Saturday, May 29, 2010

With the warm weather and the holiday weekend, I figured it was about time we break out the ice cream maker for the season. At first, I planned to make a strawberry sorbet I made last year and loved. But since we're going to my in-laws' for a BBQ tomorrow, and they love lemon, I decided to give a strawberry lemon sorbet a try. I've had this recipe marked since last summer, so it was about time!

The flavor is a striking balance between sweet and tart, and it's really refreshing. My only (minor) complaint about it is the consistency--because you puree an ENTIRE lemon as one of the ingredients, the resulting sorbet is a teensy bit pulpy. As someone who cannot stand pulp in orange juice, it's a little off-putting for me. Still, it's not enough to keep me from eating it! I would just prefer a smoother consistency.

Strawberries are in season and on sale these days, so it's a perfect time to buy a ton of strawberries! We've been going through at least a couple of pounds a week. I love summer fruit!

Strawberry Lemon Sorbet
(Source: The Way the Cookie Crumbles)

Ingredients:
- 1 lemon, seeded and roughly chopped
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 pounds strawberries, hulled
- Juice of 1 to 2 lemons
- 2 tsp. rum or vodka (to prevent it from freezing too solid!)

Directions:
1. Place the chopped lemon and sugar in a food processor, and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Puree the strawberries in a food processor, and add to the lemon mixture, along with the juice of 1 lemon. Taste and add more juice as desired. The lemon flavor should be intense but should not overpower the strawberries. Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn until frozen.

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Recent Read: Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Thursday, May 27, 2010

First things first--Which of you do I have to blame for recommending this book to a pregnant woman? BAD NEWS, my friends. I read this book on our trip to Florida, and spent the majority of our flight home choking back sobs and trying to hide my steadily falling tears. I guess I should be grateful I was in the window seat! So yeah, whoever you are (I know there were a few of you)... THANKS A LOT! ;)

Firefly Lane is the story of lifelong friendship. Two young girls--Kate, an introverted outcast at school, and Tully, a beautiful, social butterfly--cross paths when Tully moves in across the street from Kate in 1974. Both girls (who are 14 years old) have something missing in their lives that they are looking to fill--and they find something special in each other.

The book spans a 30-year time period, during which we witness the ebbs and flows of Kate and Tully's relationship. Their friendship is far from perfect--Tully takes and takes and takes, rather selfishly, and as a reader, it can be frustrating at times. I sometimes found myself wondering why Kate put up with any of it, as she was a much better friend to Tully than Tully ever was to her. However, I came to realize that this is true of so many real-life relationships. As outsiders, we often look at relationships and can't understand how they work... but somehow, they do.

Tully's goal in life is to be rich, successful, and famous, and she is tremendously driven when it comes to her career. In contrast, Kate graduates college without the same fire in her belly--what Kate longs for is to find true love, get married, and raise a family. Through the turns of the pages, we follow Tully through her professional victories and Kate through her journey to love. And their friendship withstands it all. Eventually, however, their relationship is put to the test. Will it survive?

The book is long, but engaging. I had no problem starting and finishing this book on our vacation, and I really looked forward to getting out to the pool to read it every day. Although I have many close friends in my life, I don't have a "BFF" (besides my mom!) like Tully and Kate are to each other. As someone who doesn't have a relationship like that, I found it fascinating and touching to read about one. I think a lot of us long for that kind of a deep connection with a friend.

All in all, this is a beautifully written novel and I highly recommend it as an addition to your summer reading lists!

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Spilling the Baby Beans... at Work

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

When you ask questions, I really try my best to answer them. Someone mentioned they were interested in knowing when and how I told my boss about my pregnancy, and well, here we go!

Of course, my situation is a little different than most, as I switched jobs at the end of my first trimester. So I didn't just have the privilege of breaking the news to one boss, I had to do it twice.

When we first got the positive pregnancy test, our plan was to tell people at work when we told everyone else--at 12-13 weeks, when the first trimester was safely behind us. However, when I was seven weeks pregnant, I went to the bathroom one morning at work and found that I was bleeding pretty significantly. I went back to my desk, messaged Michael, and proceeded to start completely freaking out. I closed my office door to call the doctor's office, shaking with terror, and I could no longer hold back the tears. After talking to the nurse and having her tell me to come in for an ultrasound, I could not calm down--plus, I was going to need to leave in the middle of the morning for the appointment--so I knew then that I would not be able to hide my pregnancy anymore... at least not from my boss.

I ended up going into her office, sobbing, and closed the door behind me. I sat down and told her I had something to tell her, and broke the news that I'm pregnant--followed by the news that I was bleeding and wasn't sure if I was losing my baby. It was a lot for the poor woman to handle, but she congratulated me on the pregnancy and wished me the best for the ultrasound. After we saw the beautiful heartbeat and were somewhat reassured that things were going to be OK, I was advised to lie with my feet up for the rest of the afternoon.

When I returned to work the next morning, I was able to sit down with my boss again, calmly and with a smile, and give her the update. It was a much more lighthearted talk, that's for sure! I asked her to please keep the pregnancy under wraps from my other coworkers until after the first trimester, and she was understanding. So even though things didn't go according to plan, and I was essentially forced into telling my boss earlier than I had wanted, things worked out. And it was actually nice having her know, because on the days when I felt like crap and was extra tired, it was good to have someone at work who understood why.

Fast-forward a few weeks and I got the offer for the new job. I was about nine weeks pregnant, and again, hadn't planned on telling anyone else. I knew that I wasn't required to say anything to anybody, and that by law, they couldn't discriminate against me for my pregnancy. Still, I was nervous about saying something, but felt it was wrong to hold out on my new boss, too. I didn't want to go into the new job with a secret. Since my potential start date was right around the beginning of my second trimester, I felt that I would have to tell within a few weeks of starting the job, and I just did not want to start off on the wrong foot.

When I went in for my final meeting/interview, I was offered the job on the spot. I wasn't prepared to tell him about my pregnancy at that moment, so I bought myself a little time by saying I wanted to talk to my husband before formally accepting the offer. The next day, after I felt like I had some time to properly prepare myself, I decided that when I called to accept the job, I'd also spill the beans. In order to protect myself, I waited until after the official offer letter had come in, then called to talk to my new boss.

I started off by telling him that I was extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with them and that I was really looking forward to it. Then I dropped the bomb, "...but I have something I need to tell you first." I think he probably imagined all of these horrible things, because when I said, "I'm pregnant," he immediately responded, "Oh, but that's good news!" He proceeded to ask when the baby was due, and the only thing he wanted to be reassured about was whether I was actually planning on coming back to work. When I told him it wasn't an option for me NOT to work, he was completely supportive of everything. He told me that maternity leave wouldn't be an issue and we small-talked about his children. He even told me that I should try to hold out to go a few days late so I'd have a Libra baby. :)

Needless to say, my situation has not been typical. But I've definitely been lucky in that BOTH bosses were great about it and have been genuinely happy for me.

If there is anything to be taken away from my experience, I think the "lesson" is that you need to do what is right for you and your situation. If things had been uneventful and gone as planned, I really think I would've held out until 12+ weeks. But the way things worked out was fine, too. If you're sick as a dog during your first trimester, it may not be feasible to wait to tell, as you'll need the understanding and support from your boss to get you through. On the other hand, I've heard of women who have their own reasons not to tell until they really start to show, which in some cases, is 20 weeks or more.

The other thing to consider is the relationship with your boss. I've been fortunate in that I've always had good relationships with bosses--in every job that I've ever had, going back to when I worked at McDonald's when I was 15 years old. If your boss is any kind of a friend, I'd imagine you'd feel comfortable telling sooner rather than later. If your boss is an asshole, well, maybe you're one of the women who wait as long as possible to tell.

Oh, and as for coworkers--at my old job, I worked in a pretty small department, but I still waited until I was really close to the 12-week mark before I told anybody besides my boss. At my new job, all of my immediate coworkers (the ones I work with directly) were told right away, but there are still a lot of them who are just now discovering my pregnancy, or some who still don't know. It's not that it's a secret; it's just that, unless it comes up in conversation, it's sort of an awkward thing to tell someone you don't know very well. I figure that sooner or later (probably sooner, now that I'm really starting to show!), everyone who doesn't know will certainly figure it out!

P.S. One year ago today, I witnessed my nephew's entrance into the world. It continues to be one of my most treasured moments in life, and I will hold onto it forever. I love you, Hunter, and Happy Birthday! xoxo

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23 Weeks: Grow, Baby, Grow

Monday, May 24, 2010

I swear to the good lord... every day I wake up, I feel like I am bigger than the day before. I wonder if I'll be feeling like this for the rest of the pregnancy. I'm almost getting to the point where I'm afraid to weigh myself from week to week. HA!

This past weekend, at Hunter's birthday party, I saw a lot of family members that I haven't seen since I found out I'm pregnant, so that was pretty funny. Of course, everyone always tells you that you look great. What else are they going to say, though? They could be lying liars. ;)


23 Weeks Pregnant

We're experiencing a bit of a heatwave this week, and I'm interested to see if I experience swelling. I think whatever happens this week could be indicative of how I handle the rest of the summer, so I'm hoping it's without incident! Although, the past few days, I've noticed that when we go on our long walks, my wedding rings are REALLY difficult to get off when we get back. Ouch! But they seem to continue to fit fine the rest of the time, so I'm not worried about them yet. I might just have to get in the habit of taking them off when I exercise!

Yesterday, we went and picked up the crib at JCPenney. Michael and I attempted to pick everything up about a week or so ago, but when we got there, we realized that the crib box was exceptionally large, and there was no way it was going to fit into our small SUV. At the time, we took the dresser and the convertible rails, but had to leave the crib.

So, this morning, my lovely, super-awesome "little" brother met us there to get the crib with his truck. The problem was that we showed up at 10:20 to find out that the store didn't open until 11:00. WHOOPS. Thankfully, my lovely, super-awesome "little" brother was very cool about it and we were able to kill a little bit of time at a nearby store, then go back to JCPenney to get in right when it opened. Crisis averted; mission accomplished.

Now, I'm dying to get the room cleared out and painted so we can move the furniture in and, you know, actually take it out of the box. It's killing me to not have even had a chance to look at it yet! Soon enough, though.

Completely switching gears... you know what's fun? Trying to order a bridesmaid dress to wear when you're going to be approximately 3-4 weeks post-partum. Yeeaaah. My due date it 9/19, and my brother is getting married on 10/16. I can't imagine NOT being in the wedding, so... I'm in the wedding. And I'm really not worried about anything, but the ordering a dress thing? It's been a huge pain in the ass. Reason being that I have absolutely no idea what size I'm going to be at that time.

Today, we went to the bridal shop to "get sized" (which is kind of a joke for me at this point), and check out the options for my sizing. We put a measuring tape around me to get an idea for where I'm at right now, and well--fellow pregnant ladies, I DO NOT RECOMMEND. Actually, hips were the same and my waist really isn't that bad, but ohmygod, MY BOOBS. People, my boobs are already up four inches. FOUR INCHES! To accommodate my chest, which is surely only going to get bigger thanks to breastfeeding, I'm going to need to order a dress that is 4-5 sizes bigger than what I normally wear. FOUR TO FIVE SIZES BIGGER, I said. JUST FOR MY BOOBS. *sigh* Alterations should be loads of fun. As should trying to find a strapless bra that doesn't make me want to kill myself.

Adventures. These things... they're adventures. :)

In baby news... baby now weighs over a pound (yay!) and is approximately the size of a mango. One of my week-by-week e-mails told me that baby is pretty much fully formed at this point, it just needs to gain weight. But, it also said that baby has one very important thing to do this week, and that's to sprout a pair of nipples. Yes, nipples.

So, in a lot of ways, I suppose this week has been the week of BOOBS.

You're welcome.

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Hunter's 1st Birthday Party

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Hunter's party was planned at a pavilion at a local park, so we watched the weather all week, hoping it wouldn't rain. Sure enough, the end of last week was beautiful, but they were calling for rain on Saturday. Still, we woke up to a gorgeous morning, so we were hopeful that perhaps the rain would pass us by. As it turned out, it did... no rain in sight, and the temperature was actually really comfortable, too. We couldn't have asked for a better day!

We had planned to arrive at the park early to help set up and bring the cake, but because of the beautiful morning, we opted to take Tessa for a long walk prior to getting ready. Whoops, it set us back about an hour, but it was worth it! We ended up rolling up to the party right on time, which worked out fine.


I made this poster for Hunter, highlighting a bunch of the photos I took of him in his first year. It was so amazing to see them all side by side and see how much he has grown!

The cake I made, on display at the party. This was a lot of work, but worth it. (Looking for more information on the cake? See my post here.) What was funny--I was unsure about whether to switch up the colors of the dinosaur, but I thought the green and orange was a nice combination. It turned out that all of the plates/balloons/decorations that Kara had ordered were green and orange, too! The cake coordinated perfectly with the rest of the party. :)

The birthday boy showed up to the party sleeping. Little guy was apparently a beast when Kara was getting him ready, so it was decided that everyone should let him sleep for a bit. His temperament was pretty good throughout the rest of the party, so this was probably a good decision.

Family picture, once the little guy woke up from his nap.


I helped open cards and presents when it was time (otherwise, it would've taken FOREVER--he had so many gifts!) so I didn't get any photos of that stage. But when it came time for my dad to reveal the toy box he made--FROM SCRATCH--I knew I needed to get some photos of that!

It is so awesome. All of the designs on the sides are actually cut out of wood, and hand-painted. My dad is amazing. On the top, in vinyl lettering, it says "Hunter's Box." LOVE. We all told my dad that he better get started on the ones for his other (future) grandchildren, HA!

"C'monnnnn... where's the CAKE already??"

He was so cute with his cake. I love him. (And he was really good about not trying to touch the candle flame through the singing of "Happy Birthday to You.")

He was a little careful with it at first, but he worked his way into it.

He's been doing this thing lately where he won't pick up his food to eat it, he'll just put his face to the table and pick it up directly with his mouth. It's hilarious. As we thought he might, he ended up sticking his face directly into the cake to take a bite. Awesome.
He definitely seemed to enjoy it. Mommy tried to get in there with a fork to help him out a bit, but it was all for naught. Little guy was determined to do things right and get messy!
By the time all was said and done, he had it in his hair, in his eyes... he was a big, sticky mess. Just like all 1-year-olds should be on their birthdays.

I was so glad my dad was able to come up to be here for the party. He loves Hunter so much and I know that he hates that he can't see him more often.

While Hunter was smearing cake into every nook and cranny of his face, I was busy chopping up my masterpiece into little pieces for everyone to enjoy. Actually, I never mind cutting into my cakes. There's something that's pretty satisfying about it.

Soon enough, all that was left was a cake board. The cake ended up being the perfect amount for the people in attendance (thankyoulord). I could've cut the pieces a little smaller if I had to, but I was glad I was able to give people average-sized pieces.

After cake was served, people started to head out, and we were soon left with just a small crowd of our closest family and Trevor and Kara's closest friends.

The three kids with our dad...

...and then the three kids (plus Hunter!) with mom.

A perfect day in celebration of our favorite little boy.

Later last night, we all regrouped at my brother's house and spent time outside in the backyard with the dogs and a fire in the fire pit. I think this marks the official beginning of "summer," no? In other words, we've reached my absolute favorite time of year. *LOVE*

My dad took off early this morning to head back home. The next time we'll see him? When our baby is born. YIKES!

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3D Dinosaur Cake

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Several weeks ago, Kara told me that the theme for Hunter's 1st birthday party was going to be dinosaurs. She asked if I'd be willing to make invitations and the cake. I readily agreed.

When it came time to plan for the cake, I googled for ideas and came across the perfect cake--a 3D dinosaur cake! I was a little intimidated by all of the carving that was required, but it didn't seem too bad, so I decided to give it a try. The result?


The dinosaur is made with two 9-inch cakes, cut and pieced together to make up the dinosaur. The spikes are made of fondant, dyed orange, cut into diamond shapes, and dried until stiff. The dinosaurs eyes are yellow sprinkles that I had in my cupboard, and although you can't see them, he has toenails made of chocolate chips.

Frosted and decorated, it all makes for a pretty awesome looking cake. For instructions and additional photos, I'm going to send you right to my source. I followed their directions and studied their photos, and recreated their template in order to carve the cake.

Since I believe that all 1-year-olds should have their own smash cake, I also made an extra 6" round cake and then carved it into the shape of an egg. I decorated it to be a "dinosaur egg," and placed it on the cake board for display with the dinosaur. Some fondant water and some buttercream grass, and the look was complete. Very proud of this cake!

The party turned out great, and fun was had by all (especially the birthday boy). Pictures to come tomorrow...

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Dinner for Dad

Friday, May 21, 2010

We never get to celebrate my dad's birthday with him. But when we found out that he'd be driving up to visit for the weekend to be able to attend Hunter's first birthday party, it dawned on me that we'd be only a few weeks shy of his 60th birthday. And, if you ask me, 60 is well worth celebrating.

All of us kids always go out to dinner with my dad when he's here, so we told him that the plans were as normal, and I made reservations at a local restaurant for Friday night. What we didn't tell him, however, was that dinner would be in celebration of his birthday. It was really casual, but he was really surprised when I showed up with balloons and gifts and told them they were for him!

Despite some extremely bad service, we had a good time and enjoyed the food. Of course, Hunter came along as well--sporting a brand new "big boy" haircut!



Hunter's big party is tomorrow!

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Cake Smash

Thursday, May 20, 2010

I did one of these for a client last fall, but because it was a client, I didn't feel comfortable sharing it here. But I knew that when I did it then, I'd do it again for Hunter when he was about to turn 1.

Last weekend, when we took Hunter out for some 1-year portraits, we ended the day in front of a backdrop, in his diaper, with a small cake. Then, we just let him do his thing. I edited the resulting photos into a collage, which I got printed for display at his birthday party on Saturday. It turned out so cute!


Little man got some practice with cake, too. Win-win situation! :)

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22 Weeks: Gettin' Jiggy Wit' It

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Look at me, a day late! Oops. When I got home from work yesterday, I had so much to do that I immediately changed into pajama pants and got going. After a while I realized I had never taken my weekly photo, but there was no way I was going to do it looking like I did! HA!

And so this was taken today at 22 weeks, 2 days pregnant.


22 Weeks Pregnant

Now I'm feeling like I'm getting bigger every week. Mommies and fellow mommies-to-be... I assume this rate of growth is probably normal at this point?

I'm starting to tell more people at work that I'm pregnant, which is always funny. It shocks me that they haven't noticed my belly. After they act all surprised, I always feel like I have to point to the belly, laugh, and say, "Seriously? I don't normally look like this!" Since I've only been with the company for two months, a lot of people still don't know me THAT well, so to them I must just look normal. Anyway, I haven't been keeping the pregnancy secret from anyone at work, but I haven't been going around working my "condition" into every conversation, either. Pretty soon, I don't think there will be any doubt in anyone's mind, and I probably won't have to do very much more telling!

This week, I've been feeling more baby movement than ever before. Last night at bedtime, baby was so busy in there that my stomach was literally dancing. I think the baby was doing a jig or something. The movements were so strong that they were actually keeping me awake. It was the first time I've ever really thought to myself, "Holy crap, my body has been taken over by an alien!" As far as location, I'm starting to feel kicks higher up in my belly. I think it's only a matter of time before I get the obligatory punches to the ribs. I'm feeling movement at all different times throughout the day, too, instead of primarily just at bedtime like I was a few weeks ago. It's fun to be sitting in a meeting at work and feeling the baby repeated kick/punch/head-butt me from the inside. It's like our own little secret--the meeting goes on as normal while my baby and I share some kind of interaction, and I smile on the inside.

On Saturday, we visited my sister-in-law and our nephews. Brendan, who is almost three, is at an awesome age in terms of getting to "experience" my pregnancy. Since I now have a belly that he can see, we were telling him that there is a baby in my belly, and he was completely and totally fascinated by it. We also asked him probably 7-8 times throughout the day whether he thought the baby was a boy or a girl, and he said GIRL--every single time we asked.

Later that afternoon, I was lying on the floor and I started to feel the baby kick so I asked Brendan if he wanted to feel it. He came and sat down on my legs and put his little hand on my belly, eyes wide in awe. Then he kept lifting up my shirt trying to actually look for the baby, telling me "I want to touch the baby!" I had to keep showing him that it was just my belly under my shirt, not a baby. He was confused, but it was adorable. He also told us that he really likes the name Lily. When my sister-in-law tried to suggest other names as possibilities (just random names since we're keeping our names a secret), he kept insisting on Lily. Alllllrighty then. :)

This week is crazy busy, but I'm starting to feel the pressure about making phone calls to try to officially decide on and set up a daycare provider. I made a few phone calls several weeks back, but haven't done anything since then and we need to get on it! Next week, for sure. It's just hard to get motivated to take care of something that we're not going to need until DECEMBER!

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Baby Blues

Sunday, May 16, 2010

We took Hunter out to a park this morning to take some official 1-year photos of him. It was tremendously difficult to work because it was super sunny out, and trying to keep this babe in the shade when he's constantly on the move? Not easy. But that's not his fault!

Kara and I looked (and sounded) like lunatics, trying to get him to sit, stand, stay, look at the camera, smile... all while trying to keep the newly-walking little guy from face-planting into the cement. During one particular shot, we both managed to step in the same pile of dog poop. (Thank you, sweet owners who do not clean up after their pups.)

It was exhausting. By the time we were done, I think we were all ready for a nap.

I haven't done much editing yet, so I only have one to share. I just couldn't resist posting it now instead of waiting until they're all done.


I so seriously *HEART* him. Him and his gorgeous blue eyes and his perfect little baby lips.

I cannot believe that his birthday is next week.

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New Bathroom

Saturday, May 15, 2010

This is a project we've been planning to take on for a while. The original plan was to re-tile the bathroom floor, and while we were at it, repaint and redecorate, just for something new.

After some evaluation and talking to our realtor about what we should and shouldn't do to prepare to sell our place next year, we decided not to tile (booooo), but did decide to go ahead and change things up.

Once the decisions were made and things were picked out, this was an easy project--started by taping and painting edges on Tuesday night, and painting was finished by Thursday night (had to do two coats). We put everything back together and put the finishing touches on everything last night.

Without further ado, the before and after...

BEFORE:




AFTER:


I love how it turned out. It's much "warmer" feeling in there now, and it's a neutral color which is great for when we go to sell. For those who are curious, the color is Potter's Clay by Martha Stewart (yes, Martha Stewart! It's available at Home Depot).

This is just the first on a list of projects that we want to have done before the baby is born. We'll see how we do with the rest!

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Mini Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownie Cupcakes

Friday, May 14, 2010

It only takes one look at the recipe to conclude that these are not exactly "light" in the dessert category. Using a total of four sticks of butter, these are just about the least diet-friendly treat you can make. The one thing they've got going for them? They're small, and since they're "cupcakes," you have built-in portion control.

Oh, and they're delicious. That should be obvious, right? Brownie + cookie dough is just about as good as it gets.


Bonus: After frosting all of the brownies, I had a decent amount of leftover egg-less cookie dough. And who would ever complain about having THAT in the fridge? A spoonful here, a spoonful there... awesome.

This recipe makes quite a few mini cupcakes. And mine were bigger than traditional "minis"--I bought the mini Reynolds foil liners that are much smaller than a cupcake, but don't fit in a mini-cupcake pan. For me, this made approximately 40 mini cupcakes. I'm bringing a bunch with me to my sister-in-law's tomorrow, then the rest are coming with me to work on Monday!

Mini Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownie Cupcakes
(Source: Beantown Baker)

Ingredients:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups cocoa
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-2 cups mini chocolate chips

Cookie Dough Frosting:
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups flour
- 1 1/3 cups mini chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place mini cupcake liners in pan.

2. In a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat briefly, just until it's hot, but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

3. Transfer the sugar mixture to a medium-sized mixing bowl, if you've heated it in a saucepan. Stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla.

4. Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth.

5. Add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth.

6. Spoon the batter into mini cupcake pan.

7. Bake the brownies for about 8-10 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked.

8. Remove them from the oven and cool completely on a rack.

For cookie dough frosting:
Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in milk. With mixer on low, add flour and mix until well combined. Stir in mini chocolate chips.

To assemble:
Pipe or spread the cookie dough frosting onto the cooled mini cupcakes. Chill the brownies until the cookie dough is firm. Serve at room temperature.

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Housekeeping

Thursday, May 13, 2010

For those of you who may have been getting frustrated with me--I want to point out that I have officially updated the Recipe Index! I can't believe how behind I was; I had to go back and add every recipe I've made since the end of January. Oops.

Also, I know a few of you pointed out that it had been a while since I had updated my 101 in 1001 as well, so I went in and did some of that, too. Although I think I'll have a few more items to cross off very, very soon!

And, for readers interested in all things baby, I've added a "Pregnancy" tab at the top of the blog for easy access. I'm thinking about compiling all of my weekly belly pics into one post for comparison purposes, too, but we'll see. I might even share some of the early ones (from 5-12 weeks!) just so you can see how much I've truly grown. Only problem with those pics is that I look like garbage because 1) I took the pics early in the mornings, and 2) It was first tri, and well, expectant mommies just look (and feel) like garbage during first tri. But maybe I'll get brave enough to share with you. So look for that, probably coming soon. :)

If there's anything else you've noticed that is "broken," outdated, or if there's something you'd like to see added to make things more functional around here, definitely let me know. As always, there is a handy-dandy search bar (under the heading "The Directory" in the right sidebar) that allows you to search for anything on this blog.

That's all for now, folks!

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Beep-Beep

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

No, not the Roadrunner. It's the registry scanner gun!


We tackled most of our registry last weekend, but we went again tonight to add/change a few things. It's hard to stop researching baby products and reviews, and a lot of times, it's hard to choose among brands because everyone's experiences seem to be different depending on their individual babies. It's pretty frustrating! Also, since we picked out the fabric for the bedding on Sunday, we needed to go back and add coordinating crib sheets, changing pad covers, etc. Fun, fun!

My baby shower invitations are being mailed this week (shower isn't until end of June, but with it being such a busy time of year, my hosts figured better sooner than later!), so I suppose we just have to sit back and see what happens now!

I still can't believe that we actually need this stuff, because I still can't believe we're actually having a baby. Whoa.

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21 Weeks: Buddha Belly

Monday, May 10, 2010

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there's any denying that I look pregnant now.


21 Weeks Pregnant

Perhaps baby is going through a growth spurt; perhaps it's just time I caught up with all of the other ladies in their second trimester. Because HELLO, belly; it's nice to meet you. I feel like it has really popped out within just the past two weeks. I know I have wayyyy more growing to do, but it's already kind of amazing to see the changes that have taken place in such a short time. I mean, look at me at 18 weeks (which was really almost 19). And then look at me again now. Whoa, baby!

I had my 20 week appointment on Friday, which went well. I don't really have anything new to report, as it was completely routine. I've gained between 7-8 lbs. so far. I'm thinking that if the growth of my belly is any indication, that number might start increasing more steadily now. Craziness.

Baby is getting bigger, and according to my weekly e-mails, is working on closing in on 1 lb. A few more weeks and I'm sure he/she will be there. Right now, I'm looking forward to 24 weeks, when we've reached the point of viability. Obviously we want baby to stay in there for much, much longer, but it'd be nice to reach 24 weeks and know that baby would at least have a chance outside of the womb.

Last week, I had one evening of pretty bad back pain, that seemed to be coupled with some round ligament pain in the front. It scared me a little bit, but I relaxed in bed for a while and it seemed to subside. Other than that, I really can't complain about my pregnancy so far at all! I've been really lucky.

The only other thing going on is that I've acquired a pesky cold. I'm feeling very congested and my sinuses hurt. Ouch! I blame Michael, as he picked up a cold while we were in Florida. Clearly, he has passed it to me now. Thanks, Honey! ;) Even though I can't turn to my trusty Nyquil and Dayquil remedies, I found out this morning that I can take Sudafed (for you pregnant ladies--only allowed after 14 weeks!), so at least it's something. Here's hoping this goes away soon!

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DIY Crib Bedding - A Sneak Peek

Sunday, May 9, 2010

We had a pretty good Mother's Day in these parts. Even though I'm not officially a mother yet, I still received a lot of well wishes from others, and my mom even got me a little gift (a nice cardigan for summer).

Oh, and for all of the mothers out there... HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

We treated my mom to lunch, then took a drive to a large Joann Fabrics store together. I've been wanting to go shop for fabric for the baby's bedding, but haven't yet, since I've been needing my mom's help! She's the sewing expert in the family, and also has an eye for this stuff. I'd like to think I have an eye for it, too, but I can also be indecisive, so I needed a second opinion. Michael was a good sport and came along, and it was nice to have him weigh in as well. Too boy, too girl... we needed to strike a balance.

As a team, we picked out a bunch of different fabrics that we thought might work, then laid them out and put together several combinations until we came up with "the one." It's hard to make decisions like this, because I've had so many different ideas floating around in my head for so long that it feels a little strange to finally pick just one. We actually ended up with something a little different than I was originally picturing, but I love it!


Here are the fabrics we'll be using for the bumper (don't worry, we're not going to use it for the first several months, since we're well aware it's an increased SIDS risk) and the crib skirt. For the crib sheets, we'll be picking out coordinating solid colors from Babies 'R' Us. As previously discussed, we plan to paint the walls a shade of aqua blue. It's funny, because after originally trying to stay away from green and yellow, we came back to green and yellow. But we came back to it in a way that I think is different than what is traditional, bringing in the aqua blue as well.

Also, the nursery furniture is in already! Holy crap, JCPenney is FAST! Now the only problem is that I'm super excited to get started on everything, but we're not ready to give up our den yet. :( So, I'll have to hold back until at least Memorial Day weekend before I set myself loose. We figure it's probably a good idea to put together the crib and double-check the measurements before making the bedding, even though we have a pattern we can use. I don't want to spend all of that time only to find out our crib is a little different, you know?

My mom and I are going to schedule a day to get together to crank out the bedding. I'll make sure to take a bunch of pictures of the process and eventually post about it, but I'm not sure I'll do it until after the big, finished nursery reveal. Until then... this sneak peek may be all that you get! :)

P.S. After two weeks of being behind and trying to catch up on my blog, I am FINALLY caught up!

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Ruh-Roh

Saturday, May 8, 2010


We had to leave Tessa at home for several hours today while we attended a funeral about an hour away from here. We weren't gone for an abnormally long time--it was actually shorter than a typical work day.

The Little Girl managed to get herself into a little bit of trouble, though! Although she's four years old, we still crate her when she's home alone, since she still can't be trusted not to get into things she shouldn't.

When we got home and I went to let her out, I noticed she was all wrapped up her blankets. This isn't unusual, especially when it's cold (and boy, is it cold!). But as she tried to come out, I realized she was struggling a little bit. It took me just a few seconds to realize that she had chewed/ripped a big hole in her blanket, then at some point, tried to fit through said hole. She managed to get her head, neck, chest, and one of her front legs through, but then got stuck. She was pitiful! I had to struggle to get it back up over her head to get it off of her. It was funny, though, because she had clearly given up on trying to get herself out and just laid down to relax. Who knows how long she was wrapped up like that!

It actually scares us a little, because now we worry she could hurt herself. But we can't very well remove the blankets, either, as she loves to be able to burrow and snuggle up with them. Since she's had four years of crate time without issue, we're going to chalk this one up to a freak accident, but I'm going to be monitoring the holes in her blankets a lot more closely now!

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Snickers Pie

Friday, May 7, 2010

For all of you who curse me on a regular basis because of all of the yummy and (sometimes) not-so-healthy recipes I post... this one is for you.

Because y'all, I have good news. Snickers Pie?... is a Weight Watchers recipe.

Awwww yeeaaah.


I came across this gem way back in 2006, during my Weight Watchers days. I made it a few times and it was always well-received because it's pretty scrumptious for being relatively "good" for you. A few years back, I whipped it up for Mother's Day, when we hosted both of our mothers over at our house for dinner.

Well, my mother-in-law hasn't stopped talking about it since. :) Unfortunately for her, I don't repeat recipes very often (especially not dessert ones!) because there are always so many that I want to try, and have limited opportunities to do so. But when we made plans to go to my in-laws' for dinner tomorrow night to celebrate Mother's Day, I knew I just HAD to finally give into her requests to make this again. She's going to be sooo happy.

This is amazingly easy to whip up. It can be made in advance, but you can always throw it together last minute should you need a dessert in a pinch.

Somehow, frozen yogurt + pudding mix + cool whip + peanut butter + Grape Nuts cereal, of all things = something that tastes strikingly similar to a frozen Snickers bar. Don't ask me how or why... just call it a foodie miracle. Then go and make some for yourself.

Snickers Pie
(Source: Hungry Girl)

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups vanilla frozen yogurt, softened
- 1 cup fat-free whipped topping (like Cool Whip)
- 1 small box fat-free, sugar-free instant chocolate pudding mix
- 1/4 cup reduced fat peanut butter (chunky)
- 3 oz. Grape Nuts cereal
- Hershey's Lite Chocolate Syrup, for drizzling

Directions:
1. Microwave peanut butter for 20-30 seconds to soften it enough to stir easily.

2. Combine all ingredients (except chocolate syrup), and mix together well. Pour into 8" dish. Freeze for 20-30 minutes.

3. Drizzle with chocolate syrup. Jazz it up with a few extra dollops of whipped topping, and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips, sprinkles, etc.

4. Freeze until ready to serve. Remove from freezer 5-10 minutes before serving.

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Creamy Taco Mac

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Last minute, we invited my sister-in-law over for dinner tonight. She just returned home from college today (can't believe she is already done with her freshman year!), so we were looking forward to seeing her. However, the last-minute nature of the plans required coming up with an alternative meal plan, as what we were originally planning doesn't really make enough food for three.

I turned to my starred recipes to see if there was anything new to try. I wanted something pretty easy for a weeknight, and something that required minimal ingredients to pick up at the store. When I saw Annie's recent post about Creamy Taco Mac, I knew it was the one. And hey, it was timely, too--perfect for Cinco de Mayo! :) (I know it is completely unauthentic, but at least the flavors are Mexican inspired!)


I suppose Annie is correct in describing this as a homemade version of Hamburger Helper, but I don't remember any Hamburger Helper tasting this good! Annie used ground turkey in her version, but we stuck with ground beef. We also adjusted ingredients to use a whole box of pasta instead of half, since we had to feed a guest and also like to have leftovers. I've included these adjustments in the recipe below.

If you're short on time, and looking for a meal that requires very little effort but doesn't come from a box, this is your recipe. And if you have kids, they're sure to love it, too.

Creamy Taco Mac
(Source: Adapted from Annie's Eats)

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
- 1 box dry pasta shapes (approx. 13-16 oz.)
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1-2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, drained (If you're not big on tomatoes, use 1 can. Use 2 if you want more!)
- 5-6 tbsp. homemade taco seasoning
- 4 oz. cream cheese (light)
- 3/4 cup sour cream (light)
- Salt and pepper
- Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet or sauté pan, cook the ground meat over medium-high heat until no longer pink. A few minutes before the meat is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet. Once the meat is cooked through, mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Mix in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

4. Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit. Remove from the heat and serve. Top with shredded cheddar cheese, if desired.

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Nursery Furniture - Check!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

We ordered our nursery furniture tonight!

We weren't planning to order until June, but when I just so happened to go onto the JCPenney website to take another look at things (I've been researching this stuff for two months!), I saw that not only was the furniture on sale, but I could get free shipping, too. Considering free shipping saves us another $150+, it was a good deal.

We thought we were pretty settled on the Grayson Collection, but I kept having my doubts. There was something that just didn't seem quite "right" to me, but it was still really beautiful, so I thought we were good to go. Then, upon seeing the measurements, it occurred to me to grab the tape measure and check things. As it turned out, the Grayson dresser is only 31" high--which is SUPER short when you're planning to use the thing as a changing table, too! That right there pretty much eliminated Grayson from the running.

So, back to the drawing board on the JCPenney site, I began to explore other options. There are so many pretty cribs that it's hard to choose! But in some cases, we didn't like the style of the dressers, so that helped narrow things down.

Finally, I came upon the Hartford Collection. I had admired it previously, and found myself coming back to it with interest. But then, a different debate began--the Hartford crib comes in both straight back and curved styles. Decisions, decisions.

After going back and forth, comparing them side by side, looking at my inspiration photos, and polling a bunch of people for their opinions, we came to the decision to go with the straight back crib. And tonight, we placed the order. It'll likely be here very soon!

It's just another one of those things that helps make this so much more real. We ordered nursery furniture. Oh my, we're having a baby!

The crib and dresser (we ordered both in the coffee color):


I'm so excited (yet so overwhelmed) to start on the nursery! A big project to start in June...

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20 Weeks: Half Baked

Monday, May 3, 2010

At 20 weeks, we are officially halfway through the pregnancy! Wow!

Each new week of my pregnancy begins over the weekend, so I'm going to try to start posting these updates on Mondays. At the beginning of pregnancy, I took pictures of myself every Monday, but I slacked a few weeks and kept falling behind a day here and a day there, until I wasn't taking weekly photos until Thursdays! Oops! Hopefully now, I'll be back on track...


20 Weeks Pregnant

Aside from the increased movement that I talked about in my last post (only a few days ago!), the only other development has been that I can actually see movement from the outside now. If I lie down and look at my stomach, I can see little pokes or ripples in my belly when the baby kicks or moves.

It is so strange to know that there is something in there. I know I should be used to the idea by now, but I don't know that I'll ever get over the miracle of it all. It is such a wondrous experience, and when you sit back and really think about it, it's actually hard to comprehend.

We have a doctor's appointment on Friday this week, which is always nice. I like the visits, even though they're quick and usually uneventful. It's nice to check in with the doctor and be assured that everything is going as it should. I'm sure she's going to tell us that we need to be looking into pediatricians! It seems early to do so, but I suppose it's really not.

We also need to take some next steps toward finding childcare for the baby for after I go back to work. It is insane to think about this little person being here at all, and we have to find daycare for him/her?? My lord.

We're planning to go start our baby registry this weekend. All I can say is: OVERWHELMING. I started to try to research the different product categories and it's amazing how many choices there are. Thankfully, I have Baby Bargains and some great mommy friends to guide the way!

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Delayed.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Throughout all of our travels together over the years, things have generally gone really smoothly. Sure, we've dealt with more car rental hassles than I would prefer, and I've had to whoop some ass a few times, but mostly, we haven't had anything to complain about.

We've been particularly lucky when it comes to our air travel. (Oh, except for when ATA Airlines went under and we had no idea how we were going to get to Hawaii. That sucked. But at least we were able to work it out in advance of our trip!)

Anyway, our luck ran out yesterday.

Things seemed to be going swimmingly. Although it was early, we made it to the Miami Airport on time, made our way to the gate, and seemed to board and take off in a timely manner. The three-hour flight went by pretty quickly (I finished my book!), and we were soon in Detroit, waiting for our second flight.

During the hour layover, we grabbed some lunch and waited impatiently at the gate. We were both really tired and admittedly very cranky. We just wanted to get home.

Thankfully, we soon boarded our flight and we thought we were well on our way.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

So wrong, thanks to Delta Airlines. Shortly after all of the passengers took their seats, the flight attendant came on over the P.A. and said something along the lines of, "Alright, folks, we're all set and ready to go, we just have to wait for the First Officer to get here. We can't fly without one! We're hoping he's on his way."

As soon as I heard the word "hoping," I had a bad feeling about all of this. And although I kept telling myself, "He'll be here any minute," the minutes turned into 15 minutes. Then 30 minutes. Then 45 minutes. Then an hour. I was getting extremely pissed off that we were just sitting on the damn plane! When the flight attendant finally came back on only to say that we'd be de-planing, I cried. Call me tired. Call me impatient. Call me emotional and pregnant. All of these were true.

At first, the airline employees tried to blame the problem on weather in Tennessee. They said that because of the severe storms there, a lot of the airports were "closing down," and perhaps our First Officer was stuck there. All any of the passengers wanted was answers, but no one seemed to have any.

A particularly determined passenger became the advocate for all of us, and she really pushed the airline employees to get on the phones and figure this shit out. Meanwhile, she looked up all of the Tennessee flights and found that all flights into and out of Tennessee were on time. So much for their severe weather theory keeping our co-pilot away, right? Damn liars.

Time continued to tick by. They kept stringing us along, saying we'd have an answer soon. People tried to make alternative flight arrangements, but we were all told that there was essentially no hope of getting us to Buffalo (or anywhere near Buffalo) anytime soon, as everything was booked. Oh man, I was a mess. We're talking about a freaking 42-minute flight. FORTY-TWO MINUTES. But we were stuck, and the airline employees did not seem optimistic that we'd be getting out of Detroit. There was talk of food vouchers and overnight stays at area hotels.

Still, we continued to wait for answers. They said they couldn't begin to make arrangements for any of us until the "final call" was made about our flight--meaning they needed to decide whether we were just going to be delayed, or if our flight needed to be cancelled.

Tick tock; tick tock; tick tock.

Finally, we got word that they were "pretty sure" they had located an alternate co-pilot, and that one of the airline employees was going to go greet him and guide him to the gate so we could all get the hell out of Detroit.

Lo and behold, the man arrived at the gate, boarded the plane with the rest of the crew, and we were able to board shortly thereafter. After waiting for what seemed like forever for them to pull away from the gate, and then waiting longer on the runway, we finally, FINALLY took off.

And you know what? We never did get any answers. We have no idea what happened to the First Officer that was scheduled to be on our flight, but it appears that perhaps there was a scheduling problem, or the guy simply did not show up for work. Either way, it seemed completely unacceptable and I am absolutely livid with Delta Airlines.

In the end, we were "only" delayed for three hours, but our biggest problem with the whole situation was that there was never a reason. We don't know why. It's easy enough to accept that you can't fly in a blizzard, or lightning storms. It's understandable when they discover you can't fly because there's a mechanical issue with the plane. But it makes absolutely ZERO sense to lose the co-pilot. And not only did they have no clue where he was, but they allowed us to board the plane as if everything were normal, and did not realize the problem until it was time to close the door and pull away from the gate.

What the hell, Delta? What the hell.

But we are home. HOME SWEET HOME.

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