Weekly Eats 4/22/12

Sunday - Lightened up Broccoli Cheese Soup 
                We had a freezer meal swap again and I made this soup so I made an extra batch for Corey & I on this chilly night!

Monday - Salmon Salad w/ Boursin Cheese, Artichokes, & Roasted Tomatoes

Tuesday - BBQ Chicken Sandwhiches
         I tried to re-make the bbq chicken sandwhiches in the crockpot that Jess made us for one of the freezer meals, but it didn't go so well.  We still ate them, but they were definitely overcooked...stay tuned I'll be trying again soon before I post them!

Wednesday -leftovers

Thursday - leftovers

Friday - Mexican Chicken Rice Bake
           This was SO good!  Jess made it for us as part of the freezer meal swap and Corey & I might have polished off close to 3/4 of the 9x13 inch pan in one night!  Don't worry I'll be making this one soon too!

Saturday - Out

Weekly Eats 4/15/12

Sunday - Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Mushrooms

Monday - Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup
           I started getting sick so Corey fixed me some comfort foods

Tuesday - didn't really feel like eating much of anything so Corey fixed me a PBJ

Wednesday - same as Tuesday, Corey fixed us something out of the freezer

Thursday - Barbacoa Beef Tacos

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - Out to a friends' house

24 Weeks

April 23-29

I had my 24 week appointment yesterday and it went great!  Everything looked normal and I am measuring right at 24 weeks.  The baby's heartbeat was 150 and total I've gained 11 pounds (only 1 up from last appointment, but I think that was due to me being so sick last week and not having much appetite).  The doctor told me I either need to start monitoring my calcium intake or taking a calcium supplement.  My glucose screen is next appointment so that will be interesting, and hopefully I'll pass! 

I can't believe how fast its all going.  This is my last 4 week gap until my next appointment at 28 weeks, then I start going every 2 weeks, which is crazy.  I am getting so excited!  Now I really understand why people told me how the first half of pregnancy seems so slow compared to the second half...its flying by!

We booked our little "babymoon" to Florida finally!  We are going when I'll be 31 weeks, so hopefully I won't be too uncomfortable on the flight!  I can't wait!  Me and Corey always have so much fun on vacation together and it will just be really nice to get away just the two of us and enjoy each other's company. 

Life is starting to feel very busy and I think its due to the summer beginning.  I know it is going to fly by, but I hope I continue to really enjoy the rest of pregnancy and soak it all up.  I know life is about to change very soon.  I love feeling this little baby moving so much in my belly lately.  I think it keeps her on my mind constantly.  I feel like I've got a little mini me along every where I go.  I guess its a tiny bit of prep for the real thing.

23 Weeks

24 Weeks

24 Weeks

24 Weeks

23 Weeks

Written 4/23 about the week of April 16 - 22

I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to feel like I look like a real pregnant lady, haha!  I see myself in the mirror or in certain outfits and there is no hidding that belly.  I was sick mainly Monday - Thursday last week with a flu bug.  I had a fever and was really achey, it was horrible.  I finally took a tylenol Tuesday night to get my fever down and called the doctor Wednesday morning and she told me it was best to take the tylenol if I had a fever like that.

The greatest thing that happened last week was the increase in movement!  I am feeling her so much now and its the coolest thing ever.  I notice the difference between her just moving around and her kicks and feel like I can tell a little bit about where she is in my belly or how she's laying.  I started to feel her moving from the outside now so my hand is basically glued to my belly.  Corey was finally able to feel her this past weekend which was pretty amazing.  I just wanted him to have a little part of feeling what I get to feel all day long!

We went to look at a dresser that a family friend is wanting to get rid of this weekend and are going to buy that from her next week.  Corey is going to refinish it and paint it white to match the crib and we will use it as a changing table/dresser combo.  We also went back to look at a rocker we liked at a local store this weekend, but were still unhappy with the price, so we are still on the hunt for that.  I think the chair has been the hardest thing to find so far for the nursery!  I've been looking at fabrics for the crib sheets as well and am on the fench right now if it would be cheaper to just buy verses make.  Luckily we still have plenty of time to decide those types of things!

22 weeks



23 weeks



23 weeks



23 weeks

Weekly Eats 4/1/12

Sunday - Steaks, Red skinned Mashed Potatoes, & side spinach salads
              Random craving by Corey (I think since the steak fajitas last week).  We had fun grilling out together and relaxing on the patio though!  I didn't take a picture though and I can't believe I haven't posted a recipe for my mashed potatoes yet!  Will do soon :)

Monday - Greek Chicken Wraps

Tuesday - Spinach & Feta Friatta / leftovers
              I made this crustless quiche & we both had one slice each + leftovers from the fridge.  We save the rest so we could each have 2 slices for breakfast the next morning since it didn't really feel like a dinner type thing.

Wednesday - BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwhiches & Sweet Potato fries
                  Last one of our freezer meals (from Jess) and oh man this was good!  So tender and flavorful!  Definitely getting the recipe for this one too!


Thursday - Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Tortellini Soup

Friday - Green Chili Burgers w/ Carmelized Onions, Pepperjack, & Avocado on homemade Pretzel Rolls

Saturday - leftovers

22 Weeks

I am so behind...I was sick with the flu this week and am actually 23 weeks & 4 days today but here goes!

Written April 9-15

Oh my gosh lately I can't stop craving beverages, two in particular:  La Croix & decaf Cafe Lattes at Starbucks.  The La Croix's are sparkling waters in multiple flavors.  They just taste so refreshing and have 2 ingredients carbonated water and natural flavors...sounds good to me!  No caffeine, sweetener, sodium, or even calories.  I think I'm just getting tired of drinking water All. The. Time.  And the coffee, oh I have missed it, and now that I've had it again I can't quit thinking about it!!! 

This past weekend two of my friends, Jess & Heather, took me to register.  I am so so thankful for their help and advice and giving up their Saturday afternoon!  I didn't realize how many things there are in that store (even though I've walked through a few times) and what you actually need and don't need.  What things you want to buy higher quality and what things you can buy cheap (I don't think I realized how many of these things only get used for a few months)!  When we got home I showed Corey the list and he said "holy cow there are so many things over $100 on there!!!"  I see some craigslist scouring in our future!  I am also going to register either at Amazon.com or MyRegistry.com.  (MyRegistry.com lets you link up from anywhere on the web so you can link from Target, Amazon, Walmart, Etsy, etc. etc. etc.).

We went to visit one of our friends this week who had her baby Monday on Thursday night so he was only 3 days old and absolutely tiny!  Just seeing his sweet little cuddly baby self made me so excited!  I'm glad we still have plenty of time to prepare though, and plenty of time to enjoy just the two of us, before life changes forever! 

We celebrated my birthday this week which was great!  We went to dinner one night with my family.  I got to celebrate with my biblestudy girlfriends another night.  And tonight (Friday) Corey and I are going to dinner.  This birthday feels really special knowing we have so much to look forward to this year.

21 Weeks

22 Weeks (don't mind my unbuttoned pants!)

22 Weeks

22 Weeks

21 Weeks

April 2 - 8

We went crib and glider shopping this weekend which was very exciting!  I had heard from a friend that they had to order theirs from BuyBuyBaby and were quoted 8-12 weeks, however it ended up being more like 14.  So I was anxious to get on the search!  Doing the math in my head I knew if we found one and ordered it this weekend I would be almost 21 weeks by then and had a chance of it not being here until 35 weeks if it took 14 - no room to spare!  Luckily the crib we found was in stock so we got to take it home that day!  

We bought this Bonavita Peyton Lifestyle crib in Classic White from BuyBuyBaby.  We wanted something that was good quality, but not top of the line in the price range.  Another requirement was that it was a convertible crib that can transform from a crib, to a toddler bed with a rail, to a day bed, to a full size bed.  We felt like it was worth the investment since we will hopefully not need to purchase her another bed!  We also saved huge with a 20% coupon they mailed us.  (I would highly suggest signing up for those if you plan on having children soon or just will be buying baby gifts for showers.  They are owned by the same company as Bed Bath & Beyond and constantly send out 20% off, etc. coupons.)

I notice myself keep walking in that room to check out the pretty crib and each time just thinking how unbelievable it is that there will be a baby in there soon.  I think this weekend it really set in that I will be a mom in more or less 5 months.  I am so excited, but still enjoying each and every step of this pregnancy!  We have so much more to do in those 5 months, and I know they are going to fly by!  I will be posting a pregnancy to-do list soon inspired by a new blog I found of all the things I want to get done before baby arrives!  Its so exciting to finally be working on the nursery and planning my registry, etc. in preparation for her arrival!!!

I forgot to say last week but I saw somewhere baby was a cantaloupe, this week she is a carrot.  I have no idea where they get these comparisons, whether its weight or length but its pretty funny to read them.  I did read that baby is almost half the length she will be at birth which is amazing because she's still so tiny, less than a pound.  I guess they really plump up before delivery day!  With my expanding baby bump I have noticed a feeling of "pressure" as I described it to Corey.  I mainly notice it when I get up from sitting, in my lower abdomen area.  Its like my skin is feeling the new weight or heaviness of the baby & uterus in there.  Pretty much what I expected having a pregnant belly would feel like, and never painful.

That reminds me of something else I wanted to write down.  Corey asked me a few weeks ago if pregnancy so far was everything I had expected it to be or if it was completely different.  I told him it was a lot less eventful and a lot more natural than I thought it would be.  I say eventful because I sort of prepared myself for the worst with the morning sickness and moodiness and was lucky enough not to experience too much of those things at all.  I think at the point he asked me I didn't have much of a belly yet either which was not what I had expected at that point.  I remember early in my pregnancy realizing one of my friends was going to visit at 15 weeks and thinking oh how fun I'll have a cute little bump by then.  Wrong, it happened much slower than I thought.  I still wouldn't say my bump at 21 weeks is what I expected it would be at 15!  Also I told him its much more natural than I thought, probably because I felt so great most of the time and I progressed so slowly I guess.  Things have just really felt natural though.  I thought it would feel very foreign and strange, but its been nothing but wonderful.  I love just holding my belly knowing she's in there and feeling her move around as well.

Earlier this week I was feeling a little anxious to feel baby move.  It had been since Saturday and I knew everything was fine but I was just praying a lot for the reassurance that comes from feeling her move and just praying for me to be able to feel her movement more regularly.  Well today is Friday and I swear I felt her doing somersaults Wednesday & Thursday night in bed right before we went to sleep.  It just felt like a full belly movement like a big "whomp" a few times in a row I told Corey.  My doctor told me that it is completely normal to not feel her for days in a row or even a week at this point in my pregnancy.  I just need to trust that everything is fine in there.  My placenta is also in front of baby and I know that means it can be more difficult to feel her move.  I am looking forward to feeling regular movements from her!   

20 weeks

21 weeks

21 weeks

21 weeks

Weekly Eats 3/25/12

Sunday - Cookout with Bible Study
                 Emily & Aaron grilled out BBQ chicken, we also had potatoes, salad, fruit & s'mores bites

Monday - Chicken Pot Pie
                 courtesy of Heather & our freezer meals, so so so good!!!

Tuesday - Grilled Steak Fajitas

Wednesday - Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup
              this was the first time I've ever made it in the crock pot but I will definitely be doing it again soon!  It was so easy!  I threw all ingredients (including 3 chicken breasts straight from the freezer), except for the black beans in the crock pot in the morning and cooked it around 8 hours on low.  Then I added the beans when I got home (I didn't want them to get too mushy) and let them warm through...so good!

Thursday - Pizza & Cake
             I had my best girlfriends over to have a little "gender reveal"!  We ordered some Pizza Hut and I made a Lemon Cake w/ Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting & a Pink Center

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - Mexican Chicken Pasta Dinner

20 Weeks

March 26 - April 1

Its Tuesday morning and I'm about to go to my doctor's appointment today for my 20 week ultrasound.  I think I'm realizing how much this whole thing hasn't really set in.  Yes I feel this little baby's movements inside, but its still unreal to think there is a human being growing in there.  Its going to be pretty amazing to see it again and find out whether its a boy or girl.  Corey & I have thought girl this whole time until a few weeks ago when I had some doubts, but I still think the majority of me is expecting it to be a girl.  I could not be more honest when I say that neither of us could care a tiny bit what it is, as long as baby is healthy.  I will be so happy either way!  I thought I would be all excited and unable to sleep last night, but I think I'm still in shock that its here!  Hoping to have great news to share with you soon!!!

IT'S A GIRL!!! 

We are so happy to report that everything looked healthy with baby.  She didn't feel too much like cooperating at first that's for sure.  But luckily the ultrasound takes about 20 minutes as they measure all kinds of things including baby's brain, heart, kidneys, abdomen, etc. etc.  Our ultrasound tech continued to keep checking out things down there to see if she had uncrossed her legs yet.  I made sure to drink some OJ before hand to get baby going, however she seemed to want to sit cross-legged like that the entire time and just move her arms and upper body like crazy.  Then she started to drift to sleep toward the end and I was just thinking to myself 'this baby better cooperate!' The ultrasound tech poked around my belly with the wand and jostled baby back awake and was finally able to catch a glimpse of her lady parts!  She announced it was a girl and Corey immediately asked how sure she was, about 90%?  We were sort of unsure since it took so long and it was such a brief look.  But the tech told us she doesn't call it unless she's 100%, and that she thought she saw girl parts earlier in the ultrasound.  Corey & I both just sort of looked at each other and said well OK, that's what we thought she was!  You can tell pretty well with one of the pictures they gave us too, so hopefully the call is correct, but we'll know for sure on delivery day! 

We were so happy that everything was healthy that baby had a 4 chamber heart and looked to be developing right on schedule.  Its amazing how much they can see when the baby is only about 10 inches and 13 oz.  Baby measured 20w2d & per my due date we were 20w1d.  The doctor was very happy with everything!  A few other measurements...heart rate was 146, and I've gained 10 pounds so far!

Sometimes I just forget how incredibly lucky I am.  I don't believe there is a better match for me out there in a husband.  God must have known what he was doing!  Corey is truly the best I could ever ask for.  And I am so so thankful for him.  I can't wait to see him as a dad!

19 weeks

20 weeks

20 weeks

20 weeks