Week Recap

I am proud to say that last week, Adam and I only ate out twice. My definition of eating out:

• does not include lunch (I have not figured out portions so there is never enough for leftovers)
• we do not have to pay for a meal (one night we had dinner at a neighbors and one night we had a wedding to attend)
  

It doesn't mean I make everything from scratch. For example, we purchased chicken ravioli and meatballs from Costco and had those as meals. Typically I dont like to buy packaged meals, but I checked the ingredients and I knew what 98% of the ingredients were. Dinner the other nights included grilled fish, mexican "flatbread" pizza and tofu steaks. Did you know that frozen fish can sometimes be the same quality, possibly better, as the fish they sell at the counters? Most of the time fish at the counters has been frozen at some point too. The tofu steaks came out okay, but I am going to improve on them this week. I used the wrong pan and I dont think I had the tofu dry enough so the crispy skin got stuck on the pan. This weeks dinners are going to be retrials of last weeks. Hopefully they will be picture worthy dinners this time!

Quick note on a wedding we went to this past weekend:

• we had to wait an hour and a half after the ceremony ended to eat dinner because they were taking pictures....a little long if you ask me
  
• during their cocktail hour which included cheese and crackers (i do not eat cheese) and a tiny piece of pork on a pancake about the size of a quarter, they did not have water! i politely asked the server if they had water and his snappy reply was "Not right now!" so I went an hour and a half with nothing to drink

I also had to work this past weekend. Boo!

Adam totally went out of his way this week for my cravings. Up until now, I havent really had any cravings except for pizza, fruit and ice cream when we had that crazy snow storm and couldnt leave the house. This week for some crazy reason, I started to crave Pinkberry and Chic-Fil-A. It couldnt be any type of frozen yogurt, it had to be Pinkberry. The closest Pinkberry is about 20 mins from our house. Luckily, he had appointments in that area was able to bring home Pinkberry two nights last week. Mango and lychee with mangos, strawberries and shaved chocolate. They pack it with ice so it doesn't melt. Pinkberry is the best because their flavors are a perfect blend of creamy and tart. Lucky for me, he has an appointment in that area again tomorrow and has promised to bring home Pinkberry! Also, I had to work on Sat. and was craving Chic-Fil-A fries. The closest one is about 15 mins from work. He was kind of in the area on Sat. so he brought some up to work. I dont know what I would have done if he had said no because they are closed on Sundays. I probably would have spent all day Sunday obsessing about their fries. He may not be the one having to endure pregnancy pains, but he's been so sweet to put up with my crazy cravings.

My sweet little dachshund had to have two teeth removed this morning. Poor little girl. I hate to see her in pain.

Random thoughts this post. Check back later this week for more!

25 weeks

Baby is now the size of an eggplant! Hard to imagine an eggplant in my belly. He is moving around quite a bit. The little kicks are fun, but what really freaks me out is when he moves. It's like a wave in your stomach. Weird.

I finally figured out a solution to my back problem. For a couple of weeks now, I would wake up with the worst back pain that would last 2-3 hours. It hurt to even breathe. For the last three nights, I've been sleeping with two pillows which seems to have solved the problem.

Everything else is pretty much the same. Since there is not much to update, a friend suggested I write about how we told our families and friends so here goes....

I still remember finding out I was pregnant like it was yesterday. We had just finalized the sale of the yogurt store for which I am so grateful. Timing was perfect. I missed by period by a couple of days which was unusual since I always get it like clockwork even off birth control. I took a pregnancy test and it confirmed it. I didn't even have to wait for the time it stated on the box. The two lines appeared instantly. Since I don't have a lot of confidence in those tests, I took two more! I needed to make sure before I called the doctor's office. I told Adam and our reaction to the news was pretty much the same. We were happy but didn't want to get our hopes up. When I called the doctor's office, I was shocked to find out that they don't schedule appointments until 9 weeks. I had to walk around for about 5 weeks with this secret that I wanted to shout out to everyone! It was especially hard to keep from my parents whom I saw everyday at work. I had to hide my fatigue and this new found hunger. Dec 1, 2010 was the date of our first doctor's appointment. We got to hear the heartbeat and see the little bean:


We decided we could tell my parents after the doctor's appointment, but wanted to wait to take them out to dinner on the weekend. I wrapped up the little picture and gave them their present over dinner at Grand Lux. I told them this was their only Christmas present because thats all we could afford this year. My mom got a little teary eyed and my dad just stared at the picture in awe. They were both really excited for us. I had told my sister when I found out I was pregnant because she had just gotten engaged and started planning her wedding! I had to make sure she wasn't going to pick a date I would have to miss.

After we told my parents, we didn't tell anybody else for a couple of weeks. It was so hard to keep this a secret, but I read somewhere that it was better to wait till 11-12 weeks because it was harder to have to "untell" people. We were going to wait until after my next appt. in Jan. to start telling people. Luckily, or unluckily, I had to make an unexpected visit to the doctor right before Christmas because I was experiencing some pain and I got to hear the heartbeat again. We decided then that it would be okay to tell people. We either told friends through email, phone calls or in person. We finally got around to telling everyone maybe around the 5 months mark? Since a lot of people were not expecting the news from us, some of the best reactions we got when were when we just casually threw it into the conversation like it was no big deal. One couple that we just told last month, asked us when we planned on having kids and we said "oh probably in 5 months". They both just stopped and stared at each other in confusion.

Back tracking now to how we told Adam's family. We drove down to Austin after Christmas to celebrate Christmas with his family. Adam had been dying to try Uchiko since we both had been a fan of Uchi. So we headed there with his brother and wife. While trying to decide on how much sushi to order, Adam told them we should probably lay off some of the raw fish and order a few cooked dishes because I was pregnant. They were super excited for us! The next night we all went out to Maggiano's and that is when Adam broke the news to his parents. They were really excited as well.

Whew that was a lot. Sorry if that was a bore, but I can still remember all the details and excitement of telling people and hearing their responses.

A few other things I wanted to share this week. Since Sunday, we've had dinner every night at home. Three days may not seem like a lot of cooking, but if you've seen how much eating out I've done the last couple of months, three days is a phenomenon. Sunday night, we had grilled tilapia with broccoli and shrimp skewers. The tilapia was just slightly seasoned with salt and pepper. So delicious! I think we're going to start doing that more often. Monday night we had meatball sandwiches and salads. Last night, we had Mexican flatbread pizza.
Got the recipe off the Pioneer Woman cooks. Real simple. The only time consuming thing was rolling out the biscuits to use as flatbread. Tonight we're going vegetarian with tofu steaks. Not sure how well its going to turn out, but its worth a try. I leave you with the sweetest picture. Here is Adam practicing for the baby by holding a 60lb lab:
Those are couch covers. We're still not 100% sure Chloe won't jump on the couch.

March, where have you gone?

Are we really halfway through March? Here is 24 weeks:


I feel like the belly popped out a little more this past weekend. Friday's doctor's appointment went as expected. I didnt even look at the scale when we checked my weight. I dont think I will from here on out. The nurse did nicely mention that I should probably go to the gym more, but they didnt seem too concerned. My blood pressure was pretty high at my last appointment, but it did drop this time so lets hope it continues to stay that way. Glucose test next appointment.

Little baby boy decides he wants to be most active when I am trying to fall asleep. Last night while I was laying down watching tv, I saw my belly pop out! Sometimes I still cant believe there is a tiny little human being growing inside my belly!

I didnt get much sleep this weekend. Everyone was out of town-Adam, my sister, my mom and my dad. These two kept me busy all weekend long:


Chloe is almost a year old lab who has 50lbs of constant energy. Shing is a calm 12lb daschund who is going to be 8 this year. These two do not play well together. On top of that, little Shing was sick all weekend. If it wasnt one dog barking in the middle of the night, then it was the other one scratching at the door. So glad everyone is finally back home. Took the little one to the vet yesterday and we're okay with a little antibiotics. But she also needs to have a tooth removed in two weeks. Poor Shing. It's makes me sad to think she's getting old.

Even though this isnt the best picture, I still love it! I think this was the closest they got when they were calm.


I must have kicked Adam's pillow to the floor while sleeping one night and I woke up to this:


Because I think she's so stinkin' cute:

23 weeks

Only 17 weeks left if everything goes as planned. Not much has changed except for my weight. I have a feeling the nurse might be pointing her finger and shaking her head. In the last two weeks since I've stepped on the scale, I've eaten less and I've even made it to the gym a few times! Here I am at 23 weeks:


Why does the front view look bigger?



This past weekend, Adam and I finally started looking for baby things. We mainly looked at strollers and I think I've got one picked out. I've got a crib picked out too. Only big thing left is a glider....oh and I guess crib sheets would be good too. I've decided I'm not going to go crazy on the nursery because in reality, is Baby P really going to care whats painted on the walls? I dont think so, he might even grow to dislike it. I think every parking lot needs these:

I'm starting to consider natural birth. Well, at least being open to the idea of natural birth. I have no idea what's going to have once the day comes, but I dont want to completely shut out that idea. My plan is to go until I cant handle the pain anymore.

I wish I had more exciting news or pictures, but things are pretty calm around here. Thank goodness. Just enjoying the quiet for now. Oh and if anyone has name suggestions, I would love to hear them!

Oh, we're halfway there, ooooh oooh.....

......livin on a prayer, take my hand and we'll make it I swear, ooh oooh, livin on a prayer

Valentine's day marked the halfway point. 20 weeks! I cant believe how fast time is just flying by. I remember just taking one of those pee on the stick tests, being so nervous about calling the doctor to make my first appointment and having to wait 5 weeks to finally see the doctor! Now, we're halfway there! Here I am at 20 weeks:


I think I look about the same. My belly isn't get that much bigger, but I can promise you my butt is growing at a scary rate. I'm pretty sure I could compete with Kim Kardashian to see who has the bigger butt. At 20 weeks, the baby is the size of a cantaloupe and his taste buds actually work. So after reading that, I've decided no matter what I don't feel like eating, I am going to expose baby p to all different kinds of flavors so that he doesn't grow up to be a picky eater.

I'm starting to freak out a little. 20 weeks just doesn't seem like enough time for me to research and plan. Everyone keeps telling me that the motherly instinct will just naturally kick in, but I am doubtful. This weekend, I had a bittersweet moment realization. Adam and I were playing with Chloe Sat. morning and as we were "rough housing" it with her, I realized that in a few months, its not going to be just Adam and I ( and Chloe) anymore. I'm sooo super excited for baby p and I've known all along that once the baby is here, life won't be as carefree and we'll actually have to plan things, but in that moment, sitting on our bedroom floor, I got a little sad that it won't be just the two of us (plus a dog) anymore and a lot excited for the tiny new addition to our family. I'm not sure if that made any sense.

I cant decide if I want to paint the baby room. I have something picked out, but I'm not sure its going to be worth it. Does baby P really care what we do to his room? I don't think so. I think he'll be happy as long as he has a place to sleep, eat and poop.

It's a.........

Two post in one day to make up for last week. I didnt post last week because I started to freak out a little. I had a nightmare one night and then for the next four days, I was at home with nothing to do except to obsess about it. I swear my belly got smaller this last week and I know I was not losing my mind because my belly button looks normal again. Good thing my appointment was this morning.

We started todays appointment at my regular ob/gyn. Got to see my weight gain and I am beginning to think that the scale we have at home is off. That or my clothes weight an extra 3 lbs. The checkup took all of 10 mins and we got to hear the heartbeat again.

Our next appointment was for a sonogram. I was surprised at quickly the appointment went. We barely had a wait time before I was called back into the exam room. Very efficient! It is amazing what the nurse and doctor can see! Somewhere between the nurse describing where the 4 chambers of the heart and 2 kidneys were, I started to get teary eyed. Our little love bug is a kicker! The entire time the little feet were moving nonstop and we have it on dvd!

After the nurse was done, she asked if we wanted to know if it was a boy or girl. Of course! She immediately showed us that there was no doubt that it was 100% boy!!!!!!! The nurse mentioned that she was glad we wanted to know because he was flashing us the entire time! Could have fooled me cause I still dont see it! I've had a feeling all along that it was a boy. The doctor came in afterwards to go through everything again and assured us that baby boy looked great! That was a relief because we opted not to do any testing early on.


Here's out little baby boy waving hi (or sucking on his thumb!)

Serious case of cabin fever

What a crazy week! Last Monday night, I went by WholeFoods to pick up a pizza and saw crazy lines at every single register with people who had carts full of food. I should have taken a hint because we were basically on lock down for the next four days.

It started sleeting early Tuesday morning and temperatures never got above freezing so the roads (particularly the neighborhood and local roads) were all iced over. To top it off, we got about 6" of snow on Friday! The first two pictures above were taken Friday after the snow and the last picture is what happens when you run out of things to do! We tried venturing out a couple of times and my car got stuck three times! So grateful for friendly and helpful people and so grateful we made it home safe all three times.