Weekend Fun

This past weekend was SUPER busy. In a good way though because most of it was spent with people we love! And look, I took a lot of pictures!

Friday night we attended Eric's Surprise Birthday Party. And i'm pretty sure he was totally surprised. The food table was immaculate and I ate wayy too much but that's what happens when there's really good pizza, guacamole and buffalo chicken dip (and more). PLUS the cake was to-die-for. Strawberry swirl.. I could eat another piece right now!

iPhone Quality. Blowing out Candles. Jamming with Spotify. Baby Evander and Cake!!

Saturday, I took Alex to the farm and then went to the Outlets to visit Carters and then to Babies R Us to get gifts for a baby shower I went to on Sunday. Carters is pretty overwhelming with the amount of stuff they have. I didn't even know where to start! But i did get a cute outfit for baby Hix! I also have to say, shopping off of a registry is hard. I didn't realize it was so involved but I spent 45 minutes in aisle 6 of babies r us trying to find the things I wanted to get. It was worth it though! After I picked up Alex we went to Amelia's and got some discounted items. Then we went home and got ready for Nick & Laurel's Wine & Cheese party.. which was a BLAST! Here are the pictures from that. Look out, there's a lot!

A quick photography tutorial? I need me one of those!

The cutest wine glass charms ever made especially by Laurel! She could sell these I swear!

These were the most delicious truffles in the history of truffles (that night).

Photo compliments of J.Huntington.. she's a pro

Enjoying the food.. how could you not?

Sorry for the blur.. they're so cute though, right?

I sat in that chair right there. :)

The other side of the room, where all of the music selection took place.

A sampling of the fare.

The setup before we commenced with the tasting!

My glass and my favorite wine of the night, a Riesling!

Priceless face filled with Birthday Joy!

One of the food tables. The cheese on the left was my favorite! So buttery!

We had such a good great time, and Nick & Laurel did such a great job at keeping everything organized. They designed the sheets and the labels to go around the wine bottles. They're so creative! Plus the food was ah-mazingly delicious! Add in yummy wine (sips for me) and super awesome company.. I can't think of a better time!

Sunday morning I went to see my Dad sing in church. He did an awesome job singing "Long Black Train" by Josh Turner and don't worry, there were more people in the audience then the 3 that you can see in the picture. After church, I stopped at my grandparents to show them some baby pictures and then I stopped at Target. When I got home I had to wrap up some baby gifts and then it was off to Britt's shower!

Steph was nice enough to take a snap of us!

 The shower was lovely and it was nice to catch up with Stephanie and meet Alicia (another pregnant girl, 5 weeks ahead of me) And they had a delicious spread (what isn't yummy to me these days?) plus amazing cake and then a candy bar with all pink candies! Britt got a ton of stuff! It was all so cute! Baby Hix is set! Plus it was super helpful in doing my registry later that night, which I talked about in my 30 week baby bump post. So after the shower, I relaxed a little bit and then hit Target (again) to redo my registry. We spent the rest of the night relaxing after a yummy dinner of falafel and tabouli!

I'm repeating myself when I say this but I LOVE busy weekends.

Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative

For the winter, Alex and I decided to join the Farm Fresh Coop for seasonal organic veggies from local farms.

We've never done this before but have known about it for a while and the coop uses the Brubaker farm for some of it's produce year round which makes it pretty cool.

This week is the first week and they just sent a newsletter stating what we could be getting. Here it is, straight from the newsletter:

1 Bunch Red Tatsoi - Certified Organic - Riverview Organics

1 Bunch Collards - Certified Organic - Autumn Blend Organics

1 Head Napa Cabbage - Certified Organic - Bellview Organics

1 Leek - Certified Organic - Coyote Run Organics

1 Head Broccoli - Certified Organic - Pine Hill Organics

1 Bag Carrots - Certified Organic - Sunrise Ridge Organics

1 Bunch White Kohlrabi - Certified Organic - Sweetaire Farm

2 Heads Green Leaf Lettuce - Certified Organic - The Back 40 Ranch

1 Head White Cauliflower - Certified Organic - Green Valley Organics

1 Buttercup Squash - Certified Organic - Riverview Organics 

1 Bunch Chrysanthemum Greens - Certified Organic - Riverview Organics

Doesn't that sound delish? Pretty sure we're going to be living it up with some gourmet cooking this winter, which is appropriate to get as much in as we can before baby girl's arrival. This little one will be lucky though since we'll probably do the Summer Share as well and her first veggies will be from local organic farms.

Hopefully as we use the veggies I can post more about them and how we're preparing them. Above is a picture of what we got this week. YUM!

Here's a picture of what we made for dinner last night with our fresh harvest! It's a basic stirfry that Alex whipped up in a flash and then added some home-cured bacon bits to. It was yummy and I can't wait to see what else we can make with this bounty of organicness.

10 weeks remaining!

Thanks for the snap, Mike!

Yesterday marked Week 30! The big 3-0! Baby girl has made a position change and is now dancing on my bladder. So much so that I feel like I have to pee but then find out I actually don't. So that's fun! I hope the position change means she's more head down, as of last week at the ultrasound she was transverse (sideways) and I'd really prefer for her to get to head down and then stay there for the next 10 weeks.

This week she's about 15 inches and 3 pounds. Pretty exciting! Anyway, as I just mentioned, we had an ultrasound last week. It was our second at womb with a view since we didn't get the best look at her the first time. Well.. despite my best efforts to try to juice her up ahead of time, she enjoys sleeping on the pillow that is my placenta. Her face was in it half the time. Here are a couple of snaps though so you can see her again.

Mouth open.. she likes to sleep like that. During the Ultrasound we saw her drinking the OJ flavored fluid!

My little piglet! Her nose is pressed up against the placenta here.  She isn't a Penelope.

There's her little arm. Her face looks really shadowy though.

This might be close to what I posted last time. It was from the first session.

Anyway. things are still going well. Other than the bladder dancing. I've noticed that I don't waddle around on the weekends, mainly just at work. Not sure why? I made a nice list of things I probably want to take to the hospital and also went over my final project list for the nursery. I got a set of two really cute crib sheets from pottery barn on Saturday, so I won't have to sew any (or if I do, it will only be one). I couldn't pass up $8/sheet plus a 10% off discount! Alex is going away this weekend with friends which should give me lots of time to complete nursery projects!

So for my registry, I originally just went on Target.com to do it. Then after talking to someone about it (I forget who, sorry!) I went through to see how much of the stuff I chose was only available online. Answer? Most of it. So I printed it out and then deleted everything from it and went to the closest Target Sunday night and got a scanner and scanned away for an hour and forty five minutes. It was actually nice to see everything in front of my face. They didn't have everything, so when I got home I went on and added the things that I had on before that I couldn't find. Just in case. But at the store, I also added things I didn't think about or see online. So all in all it was worth it. And for those wondering, I'm not registered at Babies R Us because I like Target better. I like the clothes they have better and their prices are generally better. Nothing against BRU, I just chose Target.

At our class last night we went on a tour of Women's and Babies. I had higher expectations for some reason because the rooms felt cold. Obviously they aren't going to be super luxurious. They looked nice overall though and obviously Women's and Babies is a nice facility. It does however make me want to stay at home as long as possible while in labor before going in. Positive? 

Tomorrow we have an appointment at the doctor (or should I say, midwives since I have yet to see a doctor). It'll be nice to get confirmation of exactly what position she is in! I need to start thinking of some questions to ask.

It really seems like 10 is such a small number (compared to 40) but when I think about the time in terms of months, it seems longer. January 23rd still feels pretty far away, even though Thanksgiving is next week! Next week we'll be in the single digits! So excited to meet her!

{Guest Post} From a Father's Perspective

{I finally got Alex to do a guest post! I think you will all enjoy hearing a man's perspective on the upcoming arrival of a first child. It basically made me cry because it was so sweet! (that's right, i'm not a robot) Anyway, enjoy! And if we get a good turnout from this posting, that'll help me convince him to do more in the future!}

I am honored to be the first “guest” poster on my wife’s blog. While it took a little time and convincing for me to commit to it, I am excited to embrace the digital media platform and share my thoughts, experiences and feelings about the pregnancy and upcoming parenthood. Forgive me if this is long winded but I have over six months to cover.

To be honest, I know that Michelle and I have been extremely fortunate during the pregnancy. The only bumps in the road were some minor back irritation that has gotten better and she had a cold for two weeks.  She acts the same as her pre-pregnancy self.  On a more important note, there have been no health complications with mother or child. I cannot wrap my head around the stress, anxiety or emotions associated with health complications.  Up to this point in the pregnancy, worries and anxiety have been the last things on my mind. I hope the next eleven weeks will be just as smooth.  

While anxiety and worries have not consumed me, excitement, joy, amazement and love have been growing since I found out Michelle was pregnant. The most amazing experience to date was when I first saw her at 19 weeks. Seeing our child for the first time is something I will never forget. That experience filled me with emotions I have never felt before.  I instantly fell in love.  Another highlight is when I felt her kick for the first time. Another absolutely incredible experience!!! 

Another part of the reason for the overwhelmingly positive experience is the fact that I have always wanted children and had confidence in my ability to be a parent.  I have always loved being around children and playing with children.  Was this something I learned or something I was born with?  All I know is that it has been something in me since I can remember.  My belief in my ability to parent hasn’t waived, and this has made the experience very positive.  

I am excited to share my happiness and love with my daughter. I know it isn’t going to always be easy, but I know it is going to be the most amazing adventure. I can’t imagine sharing it with anyone else. Michelle has played a major part in how positive this whole experience has been. She has been absolutely amazing during the whole pregnancy.  Our daughter is going to have an amazing mother and raised in a house filled with love.

{isn't he the best?}

Sparkling Cranberries

Last week, I saw an awesome tree skirt on pinterest. The thing about pinterest is, most of the pins are actually from other people's blogs, which is pretty awesome because it's like a gateway to the world of the best bloggers. Obviously if you've made it onto pinterest, you've made it (light sarcasm but it's also for real!).

Anyway, from that tree skirt I started following The Johnston's mostly because she looks like a nice girl and she's also pregnant and I tend to follow nice girls, nice girls that are pregnant, or nice girls that are moms. I'll add a list of the sites I follow regularly on the side when I get a chance.

{Picture taken from The Johnson's Blog}

Anyway, while perusing her blog I saw these little babies. And I thought, those look delicious. AND easy!

So the next time I was at the grocery store, I picked up some cranberries since they're in the produce section right now. Alex was all "what are they for" and I was all "I'm going to sugar them up and we're going to eat them" and that's what we did. With some other friends joining in on the fun as well (of eating them, not making them).

They're insanely easy to make. Check out Ashley's blog for not only recipes but pregnancy updates and crafting and basic awesomeness.

Here's a link to her post on the Sparkling Cranberries. Seriously, try them you won't regret it.

Busy Week Kids

Feels like such a busy week already which is going to be flooding into a busy weekend. I enjoy it too, because that just means time is moving faster toward the holidays and then baby!

Let's start with Monday. We grocery shopped, Alex made tuna steak and brussel sprouts for dinner and then went to our Birthing Class where we learned about medicated childbirth. We watched another birthing video and then did the hee hee hooo relaxation breathing on the super hard floor. I did not enjoy this technique and I could not look at Alex while he was breathing with me. It made me laugh too hard. Imagine me laughing in a room full of other couples taking it seriously. I did a silent laugh but my body was shaking like crazy (it felt like)!

Tuesday, we didn't have to do anything that was scheduled. So we cleaned and relaxed and I printed out some envelopes for my baby shower. That was a pain in my rear end. The printer would NOT listen to what I actually wanted so it took over an hour! And Alex made yummy cabbage and beef for dinner.

Wednesday, we spent the early evening prepping for the Nowaks and McHenry's to come have dinner with us. Alex did all the cooking of the super delicious meal which consisted of stuffed pork tenderloin, roasted fingerling potatoes and sauteed broccoli. I helped with some of the prep, set the table and did dishes that he was done with. And finished my sparkling cranberries which I plan to share the recipe for tomorrow (yum!). So overall it was an amazing meal. And it was nice to catch up with the two couples and see baby Evander. He's growing up so fast already! He was super well behaved though and slept most of the time. He's such a little angel. Anyway, the girls watched Bad Teacher and the boys did.. boy things? Alex and I had a great time and hopefully everyone else did as well!

Thursday (today), after work we'll be doing more dinner prep. Then we'll head off with both sets of our parents to Womb with a View (again) to try and get some pictures and a better DVD. Baby girl is in a much better position currently and I'll definitely be drinking some OJ prior to going to the appointment. Then we'll have the parents back for a Chicken Fajita fiesta! Pumped!

Friday, we're celebrating 11/11/2011 with friends!

Saturday, Alex is working, then hopefully we can hit up Target real quick to register for our carseat and stroller since there's one so close by now in Lititz and then we're headed down to DE for Nick and Laurel's Wine and Cheese Party!!

Sunday, I have a baby shower to attend and some nursery projects I just have to finally finish!

I'll do my best to take pictures of all of these events (even if it's just a snap with the iPhone) so that these posts are a little less wordy! mmkay?

Look out for the Sparkling Cranberry recipe tomorrow. So delicious and seasonably appropriate!

Rug Fail

Welp, I talked about the new rug we got..

It's going back to the store. Despite the fact that the cats wouldn't stay away from it, it was actually shedding fibers all by itself. That's what I get for getting it from Home Goods I suppose but honestly, I'm not disappointed. I know we'll find a rug that I like better.

Anyone know a place to get cheap (but good quality) rugs? I like a modern style and won't do anything too floral or traditional. Thus begins an actual rug search. I'm thinking at least 8x10 feet now since we know the 6x8 or whatever that was didn't fit the room correctly.

We'll see if I can find one, rug shopping is tough, yo!