Saturday, December 17, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
10 Things :: Link Up :: Volume 2
I might just have to make this link up thing a regular gig. I mean, why not?
In no certain order:
1 :: An apology (to myself and anyone who reads)
I'm sorry that I have been slacking in the blogging area as of late. These past two weeks have been uber busy and I haven't had much lunch time free at work to write a post or two. I will do my best to write more. Pinky promise.
2 :: Finally, a pediatrician
We have chosen one and it feels so good to have that out of the way. Interesting tid bit though, they don't require you to have any paperwork or anything done prior to your child's birth. All I have to do is tell the hospital "Lancaster Pediatrics is my pediatrician" and they send someone over and then I'm guessing that's when you schedule the next appointment and fill out paperwork. To be honest (and we might be bad parents for this) we didn't go and meet them prior to deciding. We're pretty laid back people and we had lots of good ped doc recommendations that we figured if someone else likes them so will we. Also, we can change ped doc's if this one doesn't pan out.
3 :: Holiday Dinners // Parties
This week is filled with holiday dinners with friends and family. Boy do I love going out to eat, and well, just eating, so sharing these activities with people we love is just icing on the cake.
Monday we dined at Iron Hill with the Hix's and Herr's. We're all pregnant (or we were all pregnant until last night, one of us is no longer pregnant, congrats Matt and Britt! I know you're reading this even though you just had a baby, haha yeah right!) Anyway, dinner was filled with chit chat about pregnancy/baby stuff with a little bit of guy cabin talk splashed in. Those men are crazy. We also effectively shut down their effort to go next door for a crappy beer, only to leave us at the table with the checks. Silly husbands.
Last night, Thursday, we had the Van Wyen clan over for dinner as well as the rest of Alex's family. We cooked our free turkey that I got with my bonus points from Giant (thanks, mom! -we're on the same bonus plan so her points are my points and vice versa). It was a Shady Brook and it was already in a brine in the bag. This is the way to go, people! No work in brining what-so-ever! It might've been the juiciest turk-a-lurk we've ever had. No gravy necessary (but of course we had some). It was so nice to catch up with them, and Matt and Marci who have been in Oregon studying it up in graduate school. There were tons of laughs all around and it was a close to perfect evening!
Tonight we're heading up to the Davis' house to have dinner with them and the Snyders and see baby Addilyn! We're so excited about this. She was looking totally adorbs at my baby shower and I just want to squeeze her (gently).
Saturday we're headed to the McHenry's (now) Annual Christmas party. Sure to be a blast. I can already taste the delicious food that I will be eating there. Plus, I found the perfect swap gift that better arrive in the mail today!
4 :: Baby Shower Goods
So now that i've had the opportunity to go through the things we received at the baby shower, we have a small pile of exchangables that I have been waiting to make a trip to good ol' Target with. With the busy-ness of this week, no such luck. I'm struggling a little bit with where to put things/store things/how to organize things. This might wait until the week I have off after Christmas so that I have more time to figure it out.
5 :: Baby Shiz
I've decided that I'm going to be making my own baby sling, like this one. For more than one reason.. A. way too expensive to buy for a piece of fabric and two rings.. even on Etsy. and B. it looks convenient and I found some nice jersey stretchy fabric to use in a lovely purple color. I've also decided that I won't be purchasing one of those hooter hider things that you put around your neck when you're breastfeeding. I'm going with something more like this. I mean, it's really just a piece of fabric with a hole for your head to go through. And I couldn't pass up the flannel-ish pink hounds tooth fabric I found for it. I will post about these when they're completed.. which will have to be the week after Christmas.
6 :: Daycare
This morning actually, we had an appointment to tour a day care facility that was pretty close to our house. Now it's my hope that I can work out my schedule with my place of work so that I can move to part time for a while and maybe even work from home a bit so that we don't have to go full on full time day care. The center was nice. Honestly, a little messy and it smelled like onions and diapers. The ladies in the infant room seemed caring though so that was nice but it kind of broke my heart. Please don't judge me because I know that day care is the only option for some people and it's really one of our only options but the thought of dropping my child off to other people, that are currently strangers, for more than a 15 minute time period was just too much to handle. Therefore, when we left, I cried. Looking back on it now, we definitely need to look at some other places because I think maybe the atmosphere there (or something) was just off-putting. The people were very nice and it's also totally possible that I completely underestimated how emotional looking at day cares would make me. Oh, and i'm pregnant by the way (obv) so maybe my hormones are a little wack? There's a first time for everything, right? So the plan is to look at some other ones too and get a better idea of what we're looking for / what we're comfortable with.
7 :: Christmas
Let's get back to focusing on what's really important right now. Christmas. (i'm so funny). Anyway, I get a kick out of tracking the packages that I've ordered every morning. I'm tired of things coming from California via USPS though. Takes for-ev-er. Next week will consist of wrapping gifts and cleaning the house for visitors. Also, something exciting (for me anyway) is that I'll be eating a Christmas Ham two days in a row. Real ham, people. Not water packed ham. Real -straight from the piggy- ham. I'll probably even get to have it two different ways. This is a christmas miracle in my book. The gift of real ham, two days in a row is all I could ever ask for. I will take a picture with each ham to mark the occasion.
How sad is it that i'm really excited about ham?? wait, don't answer that because if you say it's sad, i'll just assume that you're jealous!
Oh and Christmas is only 9 days away. Did I just rock your world? Each day, I think about this and each day, my own world is rocked... hard.
8 :: Baby Update
The little darling is just living it up, breech style. Most people who know me personally know that I don't really get stressed out very much. I don't worry about things that I cannot control, it's a waste of time and energy. Having said that.. this is stressing me out! If she could just turn and stay there I wouldn't want anything else for christmas (except ham, obviously). However, I do know that if she flips/turns.. it's totally possible that she could just flip/turn back to breech at any time. I am also aware that we have tons of time (so they say). I'm only 34 weeks and 4 days. My next appointment where thye'll do the ultrasound is on the 27th. That's 12 days away. Then i'll only be 36 weeks and a day. Still another couple weeks for her to turn around and face the ideal direction. I would've been much better off assuming that the thing I was feeling was a baby booty and not her head. Why did they have to tell me?? What's the point of this paragraph? Oh yeah, to stop stressing and give a baby update! She's doing good! She moves a lot.. she does bladder dances.. she hiccups, normal baby stuff.
9 :: Breastfeeding
If you don't want to read about babies eating from boobs, skip this paragraph. I had a BF class on Tuesday evening that was super informative. How is there so much to know about breastfeeding? Luckily they gave us a booklet that had all the information discussed for when I promptly forget it. All I know is, the whole nip goes into the mouth basically, like eating a big hamburger from Red Robin that you don't think will fit into your mouth, but you make it fit. I wish I could insert the animation they showed in the class. Interesting stuff, I tell ya. This is where I'll stop talking about it.. I don't want to bore/gross anyone out. Oh wait, I probably already did.
10 :: Congrats!
I can't believe you made it the whole way to number 10! Through all of my rambling and almost zero pictures! Good for you! Also, i'll share this congrats paragraph with new baby girl, Harper Hix. I hope we get to go see her today or tomorrow. I still have a hard time believing that I'm growing a baby but this is proof that there really was a baby in there! We're so excited for Matt and Britt and just know they're going to be kick butt parents!
In no certain order:
1 :: An apology (to myself and anyone who reads)
I'm sorry that I have been slacking in the blogging area as of late. These past two weeks have been uber busy and I haven't had much lunch time free at work to write a post or two. I will do my best to write more. Pinky promise.
2 :: Finally, a pediatrician
We have chosen one and it feels so good to have that out of the way. Interesting tid bit though, they don't require you to have any paperwork or anything done prior to your child's birth. All I have to do is tell the hospital "Lancaster Pediatrics is my pediatrician" and they send someone over and then I'm guessing that's when you schedule the next appointment and fill out paperwork. To be honest (and we might be bad parents for this) we didn't go and meet them prior to deciding. We're pretty laid back people and we had lots of good ped doc recommendations that we figured if someone else likes them so will we. Also, we can change ped doc's if this one doesn't pan out.
3 :: Holiday Dinners // Parties
This week is filled with holiday dinners with friends and family. Boy do I love going out to eat, and well, just eating, so sharing these activities with people we love is just icing on the cake.
Monday we dined at Iron Hill with the Hix's and Herr's. We're all pregnant (or we were all pregnant until last night, one of us is no longer pregnant, congrats Matt and Britt! I know you're reading this even though you just had a baby, haha yeah right!) Anyway, dinner was filled with chit chat about pregnancy/baby stuff with a little bit of guy cabin talk splashed in. Those men are crazy. We also effectively shut down their effort to go next door for a crappy beer, only to leave us at the table with the checks. Silly husbands.
Last night, Thursday, we had the Van Wyen clan over for dinner as well as the rest of Alex's family. We cooked our free turkey that I got with my bonus points from Giant (thanks, mom! -we're on the same bonus plan so her points are my points and vice versa). It was a Shady Brook and it was already in a brine in the bag. This is the way to go, people! No work in brining what-so-ever! It might've been the juiciest turk-a-lurk we've ever had. No gravy necessary (but of course we had some). It was so nice to catch up with them, and Matt and Marci who have been in Oregon studying it up in graduate school. There were tons of laughs all around and it was a close to perfect evening!
Tonight we're heading up to the Davis' house to have dinner with them and the Snyders and see baby Addilyn! We're so excited about this. She was looking totally adorbs at my baby shower and I just want to squeeze her (gently).
Saturday we're headed to the McHenry's (now) Annual Christmas party. Sure to be a blast. I can already taste the delicious food that I will be eating there. Plus, I found the perfect swap gift that better arrive in the mail today!
4 :: Baby Shower Goods
So now that i've had the opportunity to go through the things we received at the baby shower, we have a small pile of exchangables that I have been waiting to make a trip to good ol' Target with. With the busy-ness of this week, no such luck. I'm struggling a little bit with where to put things/store things/how to organize things. This might wait until the week I have off after Christmas so that I have more time to figure it out.
5 :: Baby Shiz
I've decided that I'm going to be making my own baby sling, like this one. For more than one reason.. A. way too expensive to buy for a piece of fabric and two rings.. even on Etsy. and B. it looks convenient and I found some nice jersey stretchy fabric to use in a lovely purple color. I've also decided that I won't be purchasing one of those hooter hider things that you put around your neck when you're breastfeeding. I'm going with something more like this. I mean, it's really just a piece of fabric with a hole for your head to go through. And I couldn't pass up the flannel-ish pink hounds tooth fabric I found for it. I will post about these when they're completed.. which will have to be the week after Christmas.
6 :: Daycare
This morning actually, we had an appointment to tour a day care facility that was pretty close to our house. Now it's my hope that I can work out my schedule with my place of work so that I can move to part time for a while and maybe even work from home a bit so that we don't have to go full on full time day care. The center was nice. Honestly, a little messy and it smelled like onions and diapers. The ladies in the infant room seemed caring though so that was nice but it kind of broke my heart. Please don't judge me because I know that day care is the only option for some people and it's really one of our only options but the thought of dropping my child off to other people, that are currently strangers, for more than a 15 minute time period was just too much to handle. Therefore, when we left, I cried. Looking back on it now, we definitely need to look at some other places because I think maybe the atmosphere there (or something) was just off-putting. The people were very nice and it's also totally possible that I completely underestimated how emotional looking at day cares would make me. Oh, and i'm pregnant by the way (obv) so maybe my hormones are a little wack? There's a first time for everything, right? So the plan is to look at some other ones too and get a better idea of what we're looking for / what we're comfortable with.
7 :: Christmas
Let's get back to focusing on what's really important right now. Christmas. (i'm so funny). Anyway, I get a kick out of tracking the packages that I've ordered every morning. I'm tired of things coming from California via USPS though. Takes for-ev-er. Next week will consist of wrapping gifts and cleaning the house for visitors. Also, something exciting (for me anyway) is that I'll be eating a Christmas Ham two days in a row. Real ham, people. Not water packed ham. Real -straight from the piggy- ham. I'll probably even get to have it two different ways. This is a christmas miracle in my book. The gift of real ham, two days in a row is all I could ever ask for. I will take a picture with each ham to mark the occasion.
How sad is it that i'm really excited about ham?? wait, don't answer that because if you say it's sad, i'll just assume that you're jealous!
Oh and Christmas is only 9 days away. Did I just rock your world? Each day, I think about this and each day, my own world is rocked... hard.
8 :: Baby Update
The little darling is just living it up, breech style. Most people who know me personally know that I don't really get stressed out very much. I don't worry about things that I cannot control, it's a waste of time and energy. Having said that.. this is stressing me out! If she could just turn and stay there I wouldn't want anything else for christmas (except ham, obviously). However, I do know that if she flips/turns.. it's totally possible that she could just flip/turn back to breech at any time. I am also aware that we have tons of time (so they say). I'm only 34 weeks and 4 days. My next appointment where thye'll do the ultrasound is on the 27th. That's 12 days away. Then i'll only be 36 weeks and a day. Still another couple weeks for her to turn around and face the ideal direction. I would've been much better off assuming that the thing I was feeling was a baby booty and not her head. Why did they have to tell me?? What's the point of this paragraph? Oh yeah, to stop stressing and give a baby update! She's doing good! She moves a lot.. she does bladder dances.. she hiccups, normal baby stuff.
9 :: Breastfeeding
If you don't want to read about babies eating from boobs, skip this paragraph. I had a BF class on Tuesday evening that was super informative. How is there so much to know about breastfeeding? Luckily they gave us a booklet that had all the information discussed for when I promptly forget it. All I know is, the whole nip goes into the mouth basically, like eating a big hamburger from Red Robin that you don't think will fit into your mouth, but you make it fit. I wish I could insert the animation they showed in the class. Interesting stuff, I tell ya. This is where I'll stop talking about it.. I don't want to bore/gross anyone out. Oh wait, I probably already did.
10 :: Congrats!
I can't believe you made it the whole way to number 10! Through all of my rambling and almost zero pictures! Good for you! Also, i'll share this congrats paragraph with new baby girl, Harper Hix. I hope we get to go see her today or tomorrow. I still have a hard time believing that I'm growing a baby but this is proof that there really was a baby in there! We're so excited for Matt and Britt and just know they're going to be kick butt parents!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
It's Christmas Time!
I absolutely cannot believe that Christmas is in 11 days. These last couple weeks at work have been so busy that it makes the days fly even faster than normal.
We put up our Christmas tree this past Saturday and I don't have any formal (as in not iphone) photos of it yet but here are a couple of the tree and ornaments that we made at craft night last Friday night!
Alex and I have a little more shopping to do for the holiday but we're almost finished! Then I need to get to wrapping! I can't wait until next year when we have a little one to share Christmas with. Then Santa will officially start coming to our house and I'll probably have to be way more organized. Things will definitely be different next year (in a good way!)
We put up our Christmas tree this past Saturday and I don't have any formal (as in not iphone) photos of it yet but here are a couple of the tree and ornaments that we made at craft night last Friday night!
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| Wow, blurry! We got a canaan tree and it looks so good that it looks fake. I will try to replace this with a real photo soon! |
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| There's so much you can do with empty glass ornaments! |
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| I love this one! |
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| Santa! |
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| How pretty are these babies? I hope they last all month! |
Alex and I have a little more shopping to do for the holiday but we're almost finished! Then I need to get to wrapping! I can't wait until next year when we have a little one to share Christmas with. Then Santa will officially start coming to our house and I'll probably have to be way more organized. Things will definitely be different next year (in a good way!)
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
6 weeks to go!
Yesterday was officially 34 weeks!
I'm feeling good and my throat burn has subsided a bit since Friday, which is a relief. I think baby girl has changed positions though and the doctor should be able to tell me in a little bit at my appointment. I will update this afterward.
UPDATE: I was right. Baby girl is currently breech. The midwife gave me some positions to get her to move around and in two weeks when I go back they'll do an ultrasound to see where she is. This of course negates the need to ask why, again (mentioned in the paragraph below). I'm not currently going to worry about her being breech and i'll save that for two weeks from now if she still is. All I can do is encourage her to turn and remember that there is plenty of time for this to happen :) I really liked the midwife I saw today, Claire. She was very nice and informative and personable. Send good baby turning vibes my way over the next two weeks! We want this little one to be head down!
From what the websites say, she's about 4 3/4 pounds and about 18 inches long. I didn't ask last time why they don't do a final ultrasound but I think I might attempt that again today. Just to know about the umbilical cord and where it's located. That's really the only thing that I'm worried about (unless of course she becomes breech in the next 6 weeks).
The bump is getting bigger but doesn't feel overly huge yet. Sleeping is a bit of a pain and I'm getting bored sleeping on my sides. I've experienced some of the leg cramps (mostly in my calf muscles.... even though i'm positive there aren't any actual muscles there) that have woken me up in the middle of the night or early morning and forced me to stand up to correct/relax them. Other issues are bending over to put on socks and shoes (even while sitting it's difficult) and climbing into my car is tricky at times.
This past Sunday we had our baby shower thrown by my mother. She is amazing. She made all of the food (which was a lot) and has done so much for us throughout this process. I hope I can be half the mother she is! My sisters helped as well which was nice too. They're the best!
Alex did not accompany me but he felt the blessings when I returned home with a car packed with baby goods. I had such a nice time seeing everyone. I wish I would've had more time to go around and chat with people though. Everything moved so quickly. I have decided that I really enjoy organizing and throwing such parties but I don't really enjoy being the focal point of them. It was a lot to have everyone (or almost everyone) looking at me while opening a million gifts. I do thank everyone for coming though, it was very special to have everyone there and I just know that baby brubaker will be loved by so many people!
Here are some pictures of shower related stuff. Sorry for the poor iphone quality. I haven't gotten the other pictures from my dad's camera or my aunt's (but I know they took some good pics!) so I'll have to update this when I have those as well. For now, this is just stuff that I helped to make for the shower because I couldn't help myself. :)
Anyway, that's all for now. It's doctor appointment time!
I'm feeling good and my throat burn has subsided a bit since Friday, which is a relief. I think baby girl has changed positions though and the doctor should be able to tell me in a little bit at my appointment. I will update this afterward.
UPDATE: I was right. Baby girl is currently breech. The midwife gave me some positions to get her to move around and in two weeks when I go back they'll do an ultrasound to see where she is. This of course negates the need to ask why, again (mentioned in the paragraph below). I'm not currently going to worry about her being breech and i'll save that for two weeks from now if she still is. All I can do is encourage her to turn and remember that there is plenty of time for this to happen :) I really liked the midwife I saw today, Claire. She was very nice and informative and personable. Send good baby turning vibes my way over the next two weeks! We want this little one to be head down!
From what the websites say, she's about 4 3/4 pounds and about 18 inches long. I didn't ask last time why they don't do a final ultrasound but I think I might attempt that again today. Just to know about the umbilical cord and where it's located. That's really the only thing that I'm worried about (unless of course she becomes breech in the next 6 weeks).
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| Looks like I have a watermelon in there! |
This past Sunday we had our baby shower thrown by my mother. She is amazing. She made all of the food (which was a lot) and has done so much for us throughout this process. I hope I can be half the mother she is! My sisters helped as well which was nice too. They're the best!
Alex did not accompany me but he felt the blessings when I returned home with a car packed with baby goods. I had such a nice time seeing everyone. I wish I would've had more time to go around and chat with people though. Everything moved so quickly. I have decided that I really enjoy organizing and throwing such parties but I don't really enjoy being the focal point of them. It was a lot to have everyone (or almost everyone) looking at me while opening a million gifts. I do thank everyone for coming though, it was very special to have everyone there and I just know that baby brubaker will be loved by so many people!
Here are some pictures of shower related stuff. Sorry for the poor iphone quality. I haven't gotten the other pictures from my dad's camera or my aunt's (but I know they took some good pics!) so I'll have to update this when I have those as well. For now, this is just stuff that I helped to make for the shower because I couldn't help myself. :)
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| A couple of cookie in a jar prizes! |
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| Hot Chocolate on a Stick from Pinterest and this website |
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| Alex was so nice to help me wrap these up! |
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| A baby bomb went off in my living room :) Please excuse the ill placed couch. |
Friday, December 9, 2011
10 Things :: Link Up
I thought I would give this a go, mostly because I haven't posted since.. Monday (oopsie!) and lots has been going on this week that I can tell you about, mostly. I'll go in order from most exciting to probably least.
1 :: The Nursery Wall
I don't know when I got this idea (weeks ago) exactly. But I sketched it on the wall a couple of Sundays ago and this past week I got around to painting. It must've been Monday that I did the bottom half and I finished it up last night. Oh.. I didn't tell you what I'm doing (yes i did) but here are the deets which are vague so that I can surprise you all at the end with my masterpiece (bahaha). Basically, I found a wall stencil on pinterest that would go perfectly in the nursery. No i will not link to it and ruin the surprise. I decided that instead of spending $128 of money I do not have to spend on a wall stencil/decal.. I'm actually not sure which it is.. I would just do it myself with a pencil and then my own homemade stencils and of course, paint. Things are going swimmingly. The part that I finished was the tree and next up are the flowers, followed by some birds (maybe, undecided).
2 :: Nesting
So I guess I'm ready to admit that I have been nesting a little. Last week, we cleaned to our little hearts content (I still haven't posted that post.. I don't know if I will.. it just screams boring!) This week, I have been making favors for the baby shower my awesome mother is throwing me (and letting me be a part of in terms of planning and making things. I had to make things from pinterest, had to!) I will definitely show you what I did after the guests have their favors. I'm also going to be making 2 of the game prizes later today! Anyway.. back to the nesting. I baked cookies this week as well. Choc. Chip and Oatmeal Craisin. That was Wednesday night. Luckily, Alex has been making dinner lately so I don't even have to think about doing that. I just have a bunch of energy and I need to expend it. I also cannot get enough water sometimes.. soo thirsty!
3 :: Revenge
Since getting rid of DirecTV and switching to just streaming Netflix and Hulu. Our time in front of the boob tube has dramatically declined. I call this "Winning" .. and really with all the stuff I have to do, I don't have time for TV anyway! BUT.. a show called Revenge started up this year and I wanted to check it out but couldn't really fit it into my existing TV lineup (which no longer exists). But when we got Hulu, the whole season so far is on there, ready for us to watch. So we started it on Wednesday and then watched two episodes yesterday. We are hooked. I love gossip girl and everything but this is just more mature.. and twisty and unpredictable. Check it out if you haven't yet. This is an official recommendation. In Alex news, he now watches Sons of Anarchy while I go about my nesting activities. UGH i'm not going to call it nesting anymore, i'm not a bird!
4 :: Baby Shower
I probably know way more about my shower than the average guest of honor at her baby shower but I'm nosy and my mom is gracious. Regardless, I'm super pumped about it. We have already gotten a few gifts from family members who cannot attend and they've been so generous. We got the Sony Bloggie HD video camera which is so freaking awesome and a Temporal Artery Thermometer, which is basically the same that they use at doctor's offices instead of a rectal or ear thermometer. Both things are so needed and we're so thankful to have received them. I'm already preparing myself to be overwhelmed by the love we receive from the shower. Baby girl is super lucky to have friends and family like she does!
5 :: Christmas Wish List
I almost did a post on this the other day but did not have time to do it properly, so I will just tell you a little bit about my wish list and what's on it.
Hair Dryer- This is so needed. Plus I read through researching that I don't need to get a $300 one to make my hair look nice.
Cookie Sheets- I need to update mine and the ones I want are from Williams-Sonoma. Love that place.
Workout Clothes- I want some legit workout clothes. I have shorts and t-shirts but I want to get serious about it so that after this baby is born I can focus on getting my body back (in a normal amount of time) while looking super cute!
Robe- This is needed mostly for labor/delivery plus waddling around the house afterward while not wanting to actually get dressed. What could be better?
BellyBandit- Don't judge me but I'm going to be wearing this little sucker under everything I own, day and night for 6-8 weeks after baby girl is born. I will give a testimonial at the end of that time period on whether it worked or not.
Living Room Rug- We desperately need one of these. Recently we moved the coffee table back into the living room but we'll probably move it out again shortly. I want to put a rug between the couches that fits properly and is comfortable for a baby to crawl around on.
Rain Jacket- I don't have one currently, especially because my winter coat that's waterproof doesn't currently zipper because of my growing tummy. I don't want freezing rain hitting my scalp, ok?
Bracelet- It's just so cute! And i could probably make it.
As you might be able to tell, this is more of a NEED list than a wishlist. But I just don't spend as much time lately browsing the internet for things I cannot afford. I barely even look at normal people clothing (how sad!)
6 :: Maternity Pictures
I'm still working with these. I know I need to share some more, so here is one for your viewing pleasure. I will post more on here, I promise. I'll be honest too, I stole almost all of the poses that we did from pinterest. I won't apologize for free inspiration!
7 :: Tums
They're currently my BFF, need i say more??
8 :: Twitter
I'm trying to get more into twitter but I constantly forget about it. I'm also not the best at documenting daily life things with my iphone so I don't have too many pictures to include in my tweets. If you want to follow me, it's @miss_michelle6 .. I say a lot of random stuff. It is twitter though.. and the best tweets are random ones.
9 :: Farm Fresh Coop & Beef
We're currently doing the full share. It's a lot of food. I'm wondering if maybe for the next season we should do a half share and see how we do with that. Visits to the grocery store are less frequent but we really need to stock up on protein, which brings us to Beef. We are buying a quarter of a cow from Alex's old coworker and he's picking it up on Sunday. The last time we bought beef was probably 2 years ago or more and that came from the Steer that Alex's father had purchased and grazed for a year or so. Delish. This beef we're about to get should last us at least a year. It's soo nice never having to purchase beef at the grocery store. Plus it's local.
10 :: Job Stuff
I recently found out that when I take my short term disability that I won't get 100% of my pay, like I would've had I had my little girl in 2011. They're changing things for 2012 and I have no idea how much I will get. This is disappointing. I'm sure it's because the company is trying to save money and I guess technically they don't have to pay me at all but the thought that it was 100% and now it's going to be (probably) significantly less is just (again) disappointing. Not to mention, they go by what your doctor says in terms of how long you need. If the doc only says you need 6 weeks, they only pay for your short term disability for 6. I might beg my doctor to recommend 8 weeks at least. I'm also stressing a little bit about when I do come back to work and what my schedule will be like. I haven't talked about this at all on here but I want to see if I can do a temporary part time gig until I can get used to the fact that I have a baby. I am crossing my fingers that they will be flexible. From what I've seen/heard so far, they will try to be. But company's can change their mind in a jiffy and end up screwing even their loyalest employees over. I hope this isn't the case.
This is my first link up and honestly, it was fun but I'm totally lacking pictures and totally over-doing it with words. I'm such a rambler!
Hope everyone enjoys their weekend! I know I will because I'm leaving work at 2pm today, score!!
Linking up with E Tells Tales
1 :: The Nursery Wall
I don't know when I got this idea (weeks ago) exactly. But I sketched it on the wall a couple of Sundays ago and this past week I got around to painting. It must've been Monday that I did the bottom half and I finished it up last night. Oh.. I didn't tell you what I'm doing (yes i did) but here are the deets which are vague so that I can surprise you all at the end with my masterpiece (bahaha). Basically, I found a wall stencil on pinterest that would go perfectly in the nursery. No i will not link to it and ruin the surprise. I decided that instead of spending $128 of money I do not have to spend on a wall stencil/decal.. I'm actually not sure which it is.. I would just do it myself with a pencil and then my own homemade stencils and of course, paint. Things are going swimmingly. The part that I finished was the tree and next up are the flowers, followed by some birds (maybe, undecided).
2 :: Nesting
So I guess I'm ready to admit that I have been nesting a little. Last week, we cleaned to our little hearts content (I still haven't posted that post.. I don't know if I will.. it just screams boring!) This week, I have been making favors for the baby shower my awesome mother is throwing me (and letting me be a part of in terms of planning and making things. I had to make things from pinterest, had to!) I will definitely show you what I did after the guests have their favors. I'm also going to be making 2 of the game prizes later today! Anyway.. back to the nesting. I baked cookies this week as well. Choc. Chip and Oatmeal Craisin. That was Wednesday night. Luckily, Alex has been making dinner lately so I don't even have to think about doing that. I just have a bunch of energy and I need to expend it. I also cannot get enough water sometimes.. soo thirsty!
3 :: Revenge
Since getting rid of DirecTV and switching to just streaming Netflix and Hulu. Our time in front of the boob tube has dramatically declined. I call this "Winning" .. and really with all the stuff I have to do, I don't have time for TV anyway! BUT.. a show called Revenge started up this year and I wanted to check it out but couldn't really fit it into my existing TV lineup (which no longer exists). But when we got Hulu, the whole season so far is on there, ready for us to watch. So we started it on Wednesday and then watched two episodes yesterday. We are hooked. I love gossip girl and everything but this is just more mature.. and twisty and unpredictable. Check it out if you haven't yet. This is an official recommendation. In Alex news, he now watches Sons of Anarchy while I go about my nesting activities. UGH i'm not going to call it nesting anymore, i'm not a bird!
4 :: Baby Shower
I probably know way more about my shower than the average guest of honor at her baby shower but I'm nosy and my mom is gracious. Regardless, I'm super pumped about it. We have already gotten a few gifts from family members who cannot attend and they've been so generous. We got the Sony Bloggie HD video camera which is so freaking awesome and a Temporal Artery Thermometer, which is basically the same that they use at doctor's offices instead of a rectal or ear thermometer. Both things are so needed and we're so thankful to have received them. I'm already preparing myself to be overwhelmed by the love we receive from the shower. Baby girl is super lucky to have friends and family like she does!
5 :: Christmas Wish List
I almost did a post on this the other day but did not have time to do it properly, so I will just tell you a little bit about my wish list and what's on it.
Hair Dryer- This is so needed. Plus I read through researching that I don't need to get a $300 one to make my hair look nice.
Cookie Sheets- I need to update mine and the ones I want are from Williams-Sonoma. Love that place.
Workout Clothes- I want some legit workout clothes. I have shorts and t-shirts but I want to get serious about it so that after this baby is born I can focus on getting my body back (in a normal amount of time) while looking super cute!
Robe- This is needed mostly for labor/delivery plus waddling around the house afterward while not wanting to actually get dressed. What could be better?
BellyBandit- Don't judge me but I'm going to be wearing this little sucker under everything I own, day and night for 6-8 weeks after baby girl is born. I will give a testimonial at the end of that time period on whether it worked or not.
Living Room Rug- We desperately need one of these. Recently we moved the coffee table back into the living room but we'll probably move it out again shortly. I want to put a rug between the couches that fits properly and is comfortable for a baby to crawl around on.
Rain Jacket- I don't have one currently, especially because my winter coat that's waterproof doesn't currently zipper because of my growing tummy. I don't want freezing rain hitting my scalp, ok?
Bracelet- It's just so cute! And i could probably make it.
As you might be able to tell, this is more of a NEED list than a wishlist. But I just don't spend as much time lately browsing the internet for things I cannot afford. I barely even look at normal people clothing (how sad!)
6 :: Maternity Pictures
I'm still working with these. I know I need to share some more, so here is one for your viewing pleasure. I will post more on here, I promise. I'll be honest too, I stole almost all of the poses that we did from pinterest. I won't apologize for free inspiration!
7 :: Tums
They're currently my BFF, need i say more??
8 :: Twitter
I'm trying to get more into twitter but I constantly forget about it. I'm also not the best at documenting daily life things with my iphone so I don't have too many pictures to include in my tweets. If you want to follow me, it's @miss_michelle6 .. I say a lot of random stuff. It is twitter though.. and the best tweets are random ones.
9 :: Farm Fresh Coop & Beef
We're currently doing the full share. It's a lot of food. I'm wondering if maybe for the next season we should do a half share and see how we do with that. Visits to the grocery store are less frequent but we really need to stock up on protein, which brings us to Beef. We are buying a quarter of a cow from Alex's old coworker and he's picking it up on Sunday. The last time we bought beef was probably 2 years ago or more and that came from the Steer that Alex's father had purchased and grazed for a year or so. Delish. This beef we're about to get should last us at least a year. It's soo nice never having to purchase beef at the grocery store. Plus it's local.
10 :: Job Stuff
I recently found out that when I take my short term disability that I won't get 100% of my pay, like I would've had I had my little girl in 2011. They're changing things for 2012 and I have no idea how much I will get. This is disappointing. I'm sure it's because the company is trying to save money and I guess technically they don't have to pay me at all but the thought that it was 100% and now it's going to be (probably) significantly less is just (again) disappointing. Not to mention, they go by what your doctor says in terms of how long you need. If the doc only says you need 6 weeks, they only pay for your short term disability for 6. I might beg my doctor to recommend 8 weeks at least. I'm also stressing a little bit about when I do come back to work and what my schedule will be like. I haven't talked about this at all on here but I want to see if I can do a temporary part time gig until I can get used to the fact that I have a baby. I am crossing my fingers that they will be flexible. From what I've seen/heard so far, they will try to be. But company's can change their mind in a jiffy and end up screwing even their loyalest employees over. I hope this isn't the case.
This is my first link up and honestly, it was fun but I'm totally lacking pictures and totally over-doing it with words. I'm such a rambler!
Hope everyone enjoys their weekend! I know I will because I'm leaving work at 2pm today, score!!
Linking up with E Tells Tales
Monday, December 5, 2011
7 weeks remain!
Welcome to week 33!
This week, I do have a pregnancy complaint. It's called 'throat burn' .. which is basically heartburn but in my throat area. It's awesome. That's sarcasm.
Anyway, I'm moving slowly today after this past weekend of busy-ness. Well, let's say the full week of busy-ness. (I have a post coming about the week of cleaning, so exciting! again, sarcasm!) I'm hoping to feel back to preggo-normal soon however i'm wondering if this is pressure that is here to stay? TMI i totally feel like i constantly have to pee, even though i know that i don't. She's still tapping away at my bladder, or punching.. really.
No doctor's appointment this week but I'm pretty sure she's still head down. She's supposed to be about 4 lbs now and over 17 inches long. She'll be putting on weight for the next 7 weeks at about a half pound or so a week. Grow baby grow!
Our friends Mike and Jen were nice enough to take some photos of us yesterday. Mike is pretty genius behind the lens and Jen is so so good at direction. Ugh! They turned out sooo great! Here's one for your current viewing pleasure. I will post more soon!
This week, I do have a pregnancy complaint. It's called 'throat burn' .. which is basically heartburn but in my throat area. It's awesome. That's sarcasm.
Anyway, I'm moving slowly today after this past weekend of busy-ness. Well, let's say the full week of busy-ness. (I have a post coming about the week of cleaning, so exciting! again, sarcasm!) I'm hoping to feel back to preggo-normal soon however i'm wondering if this is pressure that is here to stay? TMI i totally feel like i constantly have to pee, even though i know that i don't. She's still tapping away at my bladder, or punching.. really.
No doctor's appointment this week but I'm pretty sure she's still head down. She's supposed to be about 4 lbs now and over 17 inches long. She'll be putting on weight for the next 7 weeks at about a half pound or so a week. Grow baby grow!
Our friends Mike and Jen were nice enough to take some photos of us yesterday. Mike is pretty genius behind the lens and Jen is so so good at direction. Ugh! They turned out sooo great! Here's one for your current viewing pleasure. I will post more soon!
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Farm Fresh Coop :: Veggie Update & Recipe
Just a couple of photos of some of the veggie packs we've been getting recently and a couple recipes for the produce we received. Enjoy!
And here's a recipe from the previous week, sorry, no picture!
Squash & Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
1 butternut squash or acorn squash
1 large sweet potato (we used a super large one)
1 head garlic
3 or 4 shallots
3 tbsp butter or olive oil
3 cups chicken broth (this depends on the size of your squash and potato)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp dried oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
Turn on the oven to 375 degrees before you start prepping your veggies for roasting.
Cut your squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the strings and seeds. Cut your sweet potato in half or more depending on the size. Peel your shallots and add to your baking dish (we used our pampered chef large bar pan for this) and cut the top off of a head of garlic exposing all the cloves. Drizzle the cloves with olive oil, wrap it in a piece of aluminum foil and add it to your baking sheet/dish. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt on your squash and sweet potatoes and put it in the oven to roast for 20 minutes or until the squash and potato are cooked through.
Once cooked, remove from the oven. Get our your stock pot or in our case, our dutch oven and warm it up with the butter or olive oil. The original recipe I based this off of said to wait until your squash and potato cooled before scooping but I skipped that and just scooped them while they were hot. As I scooped I added them to the dutch oven that was set at about a 6 or 7 out of 9 (so medium high-ish). Once I had everything scooped, I threw the shallots into the pot and removed the roasted garlic cloves from the head (they should just squeeze right out) and threw them in too. I threw in the oregano and the bay leaves as well as some salt and pepper, then added the broth and let it simmer for about 15 minutes or so with the lid on.
When everything was cooked down enough to be blended, remove the bay leaves and transfer the soup in batches to the food processor for smoothing. You can also use a blender for this but our blender isn't the best. You can also use a stick blender for this but I feel like it takes longer even though the cleanup is much shorter.
Once the soup is all blended and smooth, add it back to the pot. Stir in the heavy cream until mixed thoroughly. Serve with chives or green onions as a garnish!
Adapted from: Full Fork Ahead
Baked Kale Chips
Ingredients
1 bunch of Kale
Olive Oil
Salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Rinse and then de-rib the kale and cut into chip sized pieces. Toss lightly with olive oil and arrange on a baking sheet (covered in parchment for less cleanup) and then sprinkle with salt.
Bake for 20 minutes.
You'll never look at Kale the same again!
Recipe Originator: Smitten Kitchen
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| Week 3 Produce! |
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| Check out the ginormo carrot! |
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| We made lettuce wraps! |
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| Delicious pork, okay turnips and yucky mustard greens! |
Squash & Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
1 butternut squash or acorn squash
1 large sweet potato (we used a super large one)
1 head garlic
3 or 4 shallots
3 tbsp butter or olive oil
3 cups chicken broth (this depends on the size of your squash and potato)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp dried oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
Turn on the oven to 375 degrees before you start prepping your veggies for roasting.
Cut your squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the strings and seeds. Cut your sweet potato in half or more depending on the size. Peel your shallots and add to your baking dish (we used our pampered chef large bar pan for this) and cut the top off of a head of garlic exposing all the cloves. Drizzle the cloves with olive oil, wrap it in a piece of aluminum foil and add it to your baking sheet/dish. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt on your squash and sweet potatoes and put it in the oven to roast for 20 minutes or until the squash and potato are cooked through.
Once cooked, remove from the oven. Get our your stock pot or in our case, our dutch oven and warm it up with the butter or olive oil. The original recipe I based this off of said to wait until your squash and potato cooled before scooping but I skipped that and just scooped them while they were hot. As I scooped I added them to the dutch oven that was set at about a 6 or 7 out of 9 (so medium high-ish). Once I had everything scooped, I threw the shallots into the pot and removed the roasted garlic cloves from the head (they should just squeeze right out) and threw them in too. I threw in the oregano and the bay leaves as well as some salt and pepper, then added the broth and let it simmer for about 15 minutes or so with the lid on.
When everything was cooked down enough to be blended, remove the bay leaves and transfer the soup in batches to the food processor for smoothing. You can also use a blender for this but our blender isn't the best. You can also use a stick blender for this but I feel like it takes longer even though the cleanup is much shorter.
Once the soup is all blended and smooth, add it back to the pot. Stir in the heavy cream until mixed thoroughly. Serve with chives or green onions as a garnish!
Adapted from: Full Fork Ahead
Baked Kale Chips
Ingredients
1 bunch of Kale
Olive Oil
Salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Rinse and then de-rib the kale and cut into chip sized pieces. Toss lightly with olive oil and arrange on a baking sheet (covered in parchment for less cleanup) and then sprinkle with salt.
Bake for 20 minutes.
You'll never look at Kale the same again!
Recipe Originator: Smitten Kitchen
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