27 week Pregnancy Reflection

How far along?:  Today, I'm 27 weeks & 3 days along in my first pregnancy... 12 weeks & 4 days to go!

That's me, with the big ole' belly!  Hello third trimester!

Size of the baby:  Baby is the size of a HEAD OF CAULIFLOWER!  Can you believe it?!  Seems like only yesterday we were in Mexico with our family calling the baby "Oliver" because it was the size of an olive!

16 inches and 2.5 lbs!

Gender:  A baby girl!  :)

Movement:  She is moving several times throughout the day --especially right before I drift off to sleep every night.  She's gotten a LOT stronger, too, and when she kicks you can see my belly move from the outside.

Cravings/Aversions:  Still turning my nose up to shrimp, although, cocktail shrimp has actually started to sound really delicious!!!  Craving bananas, clementines, and oddly enough... milk!

I am feeling:  Pretty spectacular!!!! Honestly, no complaints!  I've been feeling great and have had enough energy to get things done around the house as well as working out a few times a week again (although I started to get crampy on the elliptical yesterday which made me nervous so I stopped halfway through).

Best moment of the week:  Definitely the Thanksgiving celebrations - SOO much good food - in addition to seeing Breaking Dawn last Tuesday.  

What I'm most looking forward to:  I'm actually looking forward to my glucose test on the 5th!  I feel so relieved that I don't have to fast beforehand because I work that morning and my appointment isn't until 1:15... I would be SO cranky if I had to fast until after the hour-long test.  I'm also looking forward to my big sister coming to visit on the 16th!!!!  I know that's still a little bit of time off --but it doesn't change the fact that we're getting ready and I'm getting more & more excited!  She'll be our first guest at our new rental house.



Goals for this week:  1) Get the crib up, 2) rearrange furniture in nursery, 3) rearrange furniture in living room, 4) get curtains up in master bedroom, 5) put the Christmas tree up & Christmas lights in the windows, 6) get blinds for the window on the door in the kitchen (Menards), 7) get new light bulbs for the Ikea floor lamp (Menards)...

feeling ambitious,

Thanksgiving post.

10 Things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving:
inspired by fellow-blogger, Hannah. :)
check her out at Hannah's Happenings.

My husband.  It's still weird for me to refer to him as that.  He was my friend for the first two years of getting to know each other, my boyfriend for pretty much the next six years, my fiance for a short year and a half, and now he's been my husband for six months.  It feels right that he is my husband, but it still sounds funny coming out of my mouth.  I love that we are newlyweds and that it is all so fresh, but I honestly do look forward to the day when it's hard for me to remember it being any different. 

Tony & HIS belly at 25 weeks into our pregnancy... :)

My family.  I can't imagine what holidays would be like without having family to share it with.  Even though we all get sick of our family from time to time, it is nice to have a day to reflect on how lucky you are to have these weirdos in your life!  I've got a mom who is fabulous and even though we bump heads more often than not, I am so glad to have her in my daily life; two sisters who I couldn't imagine life without; and the rest of my incredible extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and all those dorks.  What's not to be thankful for?  

Our new rental house.  We've been here for just a few months but it is such an improvement to our daily lives.  I think it's a definite step in the right direction and I so look forward to the day when we move into our first home of our own.  Knowing we won't need to move again right away will be such a peaceful feeling!!!  

My car, which is a freaking tank!  Oh my goodness.  I drive a 1992 Toyota Corolla given to me by my amazing Grandma Myers in 2006 and it has been such a blessing.  I have driven it in the snow and from Memphis to Moline a number of times and it is still doing just as great as it was five years ago.  

My car on one of the many trips from Memphis to Moline!

My in-laws.  Ahh, they make me SO very happy.  Their love and support through everything has made it so clear to me that we are a family.  I have the BEST mother-in-law; Selena is such a special person to me and I would not change our relationship for anything.  I can not wait to see them at Christmas time --things will feel so complete when we're all together.  

 My best friends.  :)  As much as I love my friends and as fortunate as I am to have them, I absolutely hate that we're all so spread out.  Except for the fact that my best friend, Betsy, has FINALLY moved back home!  We were inseparable towards the end of senior year & our first year of college, but soon after we lived away from one another and it's great having her back in my life - something I take for granted.  I am also so incredibly thankful to have Becca in my life.  I do not know what I'd do without her.  I wish I could have all my friends in one place again like our wedding weekend.  

Thankful for each of them, everyday.

Our awesome church.  When Tony was in the process of being Catholic, we got to know so many (wonderful!) people in our parish.  Then there was the process of getting married in which I felt like we grew closer to our (fabulous!) priest.  And now, we are learning more about baptism and preparing to baptize our soon-to-be-here baby at Christ the King.  I feel like we are on this huge journey that we didn't even realize we were embarking on and we are surrounded by all the love from our amazing church family.  It is SUCH a wonderful, overwhelming feeling.  

Food.  Enough said.  This year we had two delicious Thanksgiving family feasts --thinking about all my favorite dishes just makes my mouth water!  Also, very lucky to have such gracious hosts to have included us in the various turkey day feasts.  

Our jobs.  Tony & I are lucky to work with some fantastic people every day and some of the lucky people to have consistent pay checks coming in each month.  We are able to pay our bills and  have money left over for entertainment.  Again, we are lucky.  

Baby Presley.  Last, but certainly not least in my mind is the growing baby in my belly (well, uterus, but you know what I mean).  I can already tell she is growing so fast and I pray she is healthy, happy, and protected in there.  Tony gets to feel her kicking and moving around nearly every day now and last night she was totally showing off for us --we could see her kicking and moving around on the outside of my belly and it was SO cool.  (Of course, as soon as Tony started recording on his phone, she calmed down and started hiding... what a stinker!)  To think we only have three months until we see her precious face gives me goosebumps and brings a few hormonal tears to my eyes.  :)

I know it is a bit overdue, but things have been crazy this past week/end.  On top of being here, there, and everywhere for Thanksgiving, we are in the middle of doing some rearranging in our house and I couldn't be more excited!  This includes getting things set up in the nursery... YAY!!!!!  I think we Tony will be able to put together the crib this week and I will definitely take a picture of it once we get it up and running.  I can't believe how much things are coming together here lately.  A few weeks ago I felt like SO many things were up in the air and I couldn't have imagined what it would be like today.  After reflecting over the things I am most thankful for tonight it really has left me just glowing with love.  Such a wonderful feeling.  Truly, this time of year is the most wonderful!  And to think all the celebrating we have left to do in 2011....

Cannot wait for Christmas,

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Nursery ideas & good deals!

Oh my goodness!  So, I just made a fabulous purchase from Toys/Babies 'R' Us... something that is just a bit overdue but better late than never.  I finally got some kind of tummy/back support!  I just tried it on, put it all together (which was super easy), and walked around for a bit in it and it felt WONDERFUL.  It's kinda like those lazy days at home, if you go all night and part of the afternoon without wearing a bra and then finally get dressed for the day and put on a bra and you feel some sort of immediate relief... definitely like that for your lower back and the ligaments in your tummy if you've been feeling a pull there with your growing belly!  Although I am pretty forgetful these days, I feel like this is one of the best buys I've made since being pregnant.  (But like I said, I easily forget.)  This is the exact one I got from Babies 'R' Us (regular price:  $30.99) for a little over $17 thanks to a $5 coupon & $10 merchandise credit!

I got the medium size which is on the big size with the piece
that goes underneath your belly, but I wanted to err on the side of caution!

Another great buy we recently made was part of a Pre-Black Friday sale going on at Menards in Davenport, Iowa and that would be our baby's CRIB!  Wahoo!!!!!  And let me tell you, it feels VERY good to finally have a crib;  it feels like we can finally bring a child home here and not be completely screwed!  Although I feel like we settled on a style and color that we wouldn't have picked out otherwise and weren't planning on going with, I am still so happy with it because the crib is beautiful and was a great price for us.  We got the Delta Glenwood Crib and it converts into a toddler bed for sometime down the road and it was regularly $139.99 at Menards and after the Black Friday discount it was $69.99!

This is our crib -- but instead of the "cinnamon" color, it is "espresso" aka, a dark wood!

My friend Betsy tipped us off on the good deal thanks to one of her friends who just bought it.  I got Betsy's text about the crib sometime between 7:00 and 7:30 on a Sunday night and flew over the bridge and to Menards with Tony and made it in and back out with our crib before they closed at 8!  (One way to majorly motivate me is to put a good deal under my nose!!!)  They also sell the crib at Target, Kmart, and Sears (and possibly Walmart?)  so I started to look up reviews and according to what parents are saying on Target's website, it is sturdy and a good buy.  I can't wait to put it all together and will feel even better once we find bedding that we like!

I think we are going to try to do somewhat of a animal theme in the nursery as long as I can make it work.  I found a really subtle, gorgeous framed picture of Noah's Ark at Goodwill a while back that I envisioned using in the nursery.  The frame is a really pretty, thick wood and I love everything about it.  My sister, Amanda, also found two framed Disney animal pictures at Goodwill and thought of me and I absolutely love them (minus the matting on the Tarzan picture) -- I've just got to find a way to pull them all together. 

Pictures for the nursery!

I'm thinking about covering the wooden frames from the Disney pictures with different colored/patterned fabric (idea from Pintrest, thanks Jess!) which seems like it'd be a fun and easy project that would make the frames stand out better.

Example from Pintrest!

The colors for the fabric I'm thinking about pulling from all three pictures pictures are green, a brown/red color, tan or off-white, and yellow... so I am hoping to find bedding that will go right along with the theme and color!  Behind the Noah's Ark picture you can see part of our drapes in the nursery which are a tan/gold-ish color... so throw that into the mix too!!!  :)  But I am not worried about finding what we want whatsoever -- actually very excited about it!  We've still got to get a mattress and mattress pad as well, on the practical side of things. 

I suppose that is enough babble about the plans for the nursery!  If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them.  I better get some sleep because we are heading out of town for the day tomorrow to visit some family we don't get to see too often to celebrate Thanksgiving some more and I am so excited!!!  :)  This is shaping up to be the best week I've had in a while.  I hope it's been the same for all you guys.

Very blessed and beyond grateful, 

26 week Pregnancy Reflection

How far along?:  I am 26 weeks & 3 days along in my first pregnancy!  (13 weeks & 4 days to go.)

6.5 months along!

Weight +/-:  Well, I went to my appointment today and found out I'm +26 lbs.  My doctor told me my weight gain so far has been "wonderful" and that I'm doing fine.  I'm currently having trouble with it because first, that is a lot of weight to gain since May.  And second, I went from gaining little to nothing to gaining a whole lot.  I made sure my doctor realized all this and she laughed and continued to reassure me.  So, really, I just need to remember to eat healthy and stay active to silence my worries!

Size of the baby:  This week the baby is the size of a CUCUMBER!

15 inches & 2.2 lbs!

Gender:  Still a girl as far as we know!  :)  One of the moms at work SWEARS I'm carrying a boy since my belly is a round basketball.

Movement:  Always moving!  I just got paperwork from my doctor that told me to start noticing  her movements.  She should be moving around 10+ times a day and if that doesn't happen, that should be a red flag.  I also found out today that the baby is laying in my belly from side to side which is cool because my doctor said that once the baby decides to move head or feet down that it will put more pressure on my lower body.  The less pressure, the better and as long as the baby is safe and sound I am happy!


Cravings/Aversions:  Goodness... craving lots and lots of SPICE!  My mom keeps saying that it's one of my dad's traits -- he loved spicy food.  The past few days I have eaten an entire big bag of clementines... they are so delicious and so sweet so I am thinking the sweetness craving is still lingering.  Aversions... definitely still not enjoying the sight, smell, or taste of shrimp.  Yuck! 

I am feeling:  Pretty good.  I have more energy throughout the day but at the same time, I am still pretty tired throughout the day.  I think that's because I get up so many times to pee in the middle of the night -- it's crazy!  I need to stop drinking fluid at night but I just love drinking water before bedtime.

Best moment of the week:  Getting back to the gym a couple times this past week felt really good.  I also had a really fun time this past week on a date with Tony at Cracker Barrel -- YUM!  And last night was a ton of fun, our church had a chili cook off and pie bake off.  I participated in the chili cook off by bringing a batch of chili and participated in the pie bake off by eating some delicious pie! ;)  There was a great turn out and we all had SO much fun... such a great way to get people together.  I can't wait for the next one!!!

Made about 6 qts. of chili and didn't have any leftovers!

What I'm most looking forward to this week:  First of all, I am looking forward to seeing BREAKING DAWN tomorrow.... finally!!!!  Also can't wait for Thanksgiving on Thursday!  Also excited to spend a long weekend with Tony... yay!!!  So much to look forward to this week.


Alright, I am not feeling very motivated to write anything on here... I feel like I am running out of things to really talk about and have no idea what the people who read this really want to hear in addition to what they're sick of hearing about!  So for now, I am going to take a nice, relaxing, warm shower and enjoy the rest of the evening before bedtime!!!  Goodnight bloggies.

Observations...

• When you want life to speed up, it crawls by; likewise, when you'd appreciate life to slow down for a bit, it flies by.  Anybody else feeling this?  This is especially true around this time of year when there is so much to celebrate and look forward to:  Thanksgiving, family, food, Christmas, presents, joy, Jesus, New Years, friends, etc... This is made even more true when there are big life events looming.  Last year around this time, it was our impending wedding in May.  This year, it is a baby this February.  It is just crazy how quickly life and your priorities can change....
• I feel like we are behind on a zillion things and find myself constantly thinking, "Well... better late than never, right?"  Do you find that statement to be true?  I sure hope so.  It reminds me to be more forgiving when things involving other people's schedules don't always go along on the schedule of my choosing.
• At the mall tonight, I swear, store employees were giving me the stink eye tonight because it seriously looked like I was smuggling goods out of the store underneath my hoodie.  My stomach is starting to look so funny with how much it's sticking out!  I look back to pictures when I was 12 and 15 weeks along when I started to show and I thought how crazy it looked and compare it to now and can't help but laugh.  I can't imagine what I will look and feel like at 35 weeks pregnant!
• Football season is just fabulous -- such a great time of year if you are a fan.  Even better?  Taking part in fantasy football.  Now I can finally understand (to a point) in Tony's interest in the many football teams out there throughout the season.  It's so great to have similar interests with your spouse to take part in; definitely a bonding experience.
• Best Pandora radio stations:  Hootie & the Blowfish radio,  Dave Matthews Band radio, & "Mary Jane's Last Dance" by Tom Petty radio.  DMB is my current obsession -- that radio station is so mellow with the intermittent rock song to jam out to.  Fabulous.
• I love planning trips!  Currently, we are planning a quick trip to Chicago (it's been just about two-and-a-half years since Tony and I were there together) while Amanda is here visiting mid-December... can't wait for her to be here.  Then, we're planning a trip to Nashville, Chattanooga, and Memphis for the end of December.  I like picking out specific details beforehand as well as leaving other decisions to make while we're in the middle of the trip.  It gives you a balance of spontaneity in addition to feeling secure in making the most of your time away!  
• Speaking of trips.... I'm contemplating planning a weekend getaway (aka "babymoon") sometime before my due date.  For those of you who are parents or soon-to-be parents, did you take a babymoon or do you see the practicality in it?  Would you suggest taking one last trip "just the two of us?"
• If you have not tried Famous Dave's spicy pickles and have them at your local grocery store, I completely recommend trying them.  They are DELICIOUS.  (Thanks Aunt Jill for getting Tony & I hooked!!!)

That's all the brain-emptying I will do tonight!

 Good weather & blessings,

25 week Pregnancy Reflection

How far along?:  I am already 25 weeks & 3 days along in my first pregnancy.  (On my way to being six an a half months pregnant.)

14 weeks & 4 days to go!
Time to get a new shirt...

Size of the baby:  Our baby is still the size of an eggplant this week -- just a little bit bigger, though!

9.2 inches and 2 pounds so far!

Gender:  We are expecting a sweet baby girl:  Presley Rose.  And even though Tony was hoping for a boy, I think he is more excited to welcome a girl to our family than I am, at times!  :)

Movement:  As usual, just a little moving machine in different parts of the day.  When I lay down at night and she decides to kick, you can outwardly see my belly jump!  It's pretty cool to see how strong she's getting.  She's kicking me right now right where my pants hits my hips... she loves to kick on the belt line as if she's asking for more room or something!  She just kicks over and over and over until I change into my comfy pants!!!  (Now that I'm in my sweatpants, there is far less kicking-- that's my girl!)

Cravings/Aversions:  Hmm... all things sugary-sweet!  For really the first time in my pregnancy, Tony has started to (slowly) put his foot down about what I consume.  He's very worried at the possibility of gestational diabetes so he's started to give me a hard time if I have one too many cookies.  I've been loving sugar cookies, ice cream, cakes, etc.  I'm also craving yummy coffee's from Starbucks these days.  I can't wait to enjoy these things without having to worry about harming someone else!  As far as aversions go, shrimp is definitely high on my list.

I am feeling:  I am feeling frustrated that I can't do all the things I could do before becoming pregnant and I'm also frustrated at my lack of motivation and energy most days.  I am feeling extremely thankful for a husband who has picked up SO much more slack than he has to.  And despite my frustrations, I am really feeling hopeful as I am constantly getting more energy and motivation to stay busy and be active.  And after our baptism preparation class tonight, I am so thrilled to have our baby baptized at the church we love so much in the not-so-distant future!

What I miss most:  As usual, I miss being able to lay on my back -- I never realized how much I liked to do that until I am now unable to do it.  I miss being able to drink coffee, although it's probably better that I don't anyways.  I'm starting to miss being to bend over comfortably as well as sleep comfortably -- my hips have started to hurt from laying on them constantly. 

Best moment of the week:  My birthday was so awesome this past week.  Tony made me an awesome chocolate birthday cake with mickey mouse on it (because I love all things Disney) which was so thoughtful.  I got some really sweet birthday gifts from friends & family that I can't wait to enjoy.  I also had a blast at my birthday dinner at Red Robin with some people I love that made me feel SO special.  I really couldn't have asked for a better birthday.

Me with my delicious cake at Red Robin!

What I'm most looking forward to this week:  I am REALLY looking forward to seeing Breaking Dawn once it comes out.  I also can't wait for my next appointment which is in exactly one week.  I love seeing the progress being made every month.  And even though Thanksgiving isn't for another week and a half, I honestly cannot wait!!!!  Hopefully I can successfully talk Tony into helping me rearrange/redecorate our bedrooms this week and possibly start to put up holiday decorations!!!


And as I am nearing the end of the second trimester, it is really starting to hit home that our life is going to make some huge changes pretty soon.  I am comforted by the many families I know who have made these changes and by the women I know who truly seem like their lives are much richer after the addition of their little ones.  I am both excited and fearful and still very much in awe of all God has already bestowed upon us. 

Hoping everybody's week is filled with blessings,

Super shopper!

Okay, my belly looks so huge here. The lady at the register today asked me if I was due soon...
nope-- four more months to go!

So, as you can see above, I went SHOPPING today and had such a great time!  Let me just tell you that shopping stresses me out these days for a few reasons: 

1) Everything (especially maternity clothes) is so DANG expensive!
2) I never know what size to buy!
3) I don't feel very sexy which makes it hard to shop!                     

But today, the stars aligned, and I enjoyed a shopping trip to Kohl's so so so much.  It really helped that I had my supportive hubby with me to reassure me that I needed some maternity clothes, that I was pretty, and that it was okay to spend some money... not to mention, I just love hanging out with him because he is honestly the best friend and person to hang out with!  Anyways, back to the shopping trip....

I decided to go to Kohl's because I had a $10 off any purchase that they sent out in the mail, so off we went!  Once we got there I was having trouble even finding the maternity section -- it's pretty small at our location -- but with some help we got pointed in the right direction.  Everything was on sale, but even on sale most of the sweaters and tops were still $30 which is just way too much for me!  Tony wandered over and found a strictly maternity clearance section and I went to town finding tons of items under $8!!!  The potential downside was that all these clearance items were summer clothes but thankfully I realized you can just add layers (sweaters, scarves, etc.) for the fall/winter.  To make a long story short, I ended up spending $20 on 7 name brand maternity items and saved $267.40!!!!  I thought I would share my findings and to remind all you ladies that right now is the BEST time to score some really amazing deals on clothes that are going out of season!

The very cute maxi dress I got. It's also got a string to tie around the waist
so that you will have some definition in your waist!
Orig: $60 Paid: $6

I just love the top!  (Might wear this to one of my showers with a flowy, white sweater I have!)

Very summery dress but BEAUTIFUL navy blue.
Orig: $48 Paid: $4.80

(Probably my favorite buy of the trip!) This picture does the dress no justice!
The top of it is gorgeous!
Orig: $48 Paid: $4.80

Such a cute shirt - it has pockets on the front at the bottom on each side.
(too bad you can't see the pockets!)
Orig: $40 Paid: $4

Very simple but SO perfect on.
Orig: $26 Paid: $2.60

Another top that's definitely cuter on!
Orig: $32 Paid: $3.20

I like wearing pink while expecting a girl :) So fun.
Orig: $32 Paid: $3.20

So, needless to say, I feel like a freaking rockstar after that shopping excursion today.  To continue our day of good deals, we used a coupon tonight at Papa John's for a $4.99 large one-topping carry out pizza.  Not the healthiest supper, but damn, I LOVE GOOD DEALS!

Alright, that's about it for tonight!  Hope everyone's weekend has been as fabulous as mine has been so far.

24 week Pregnancy Reflection!

How far along?:  I'm 24 weeks & 3 days along in my first pregnancy!

 (About 15 weeks & 4 days to go...)

Size of the baby:  Little Miss Presley Rose is the size of an EGGPLANT this week!

Just about 9 inches & 1.7 pounds!

Gender:  We're expecting a little girl -- so excited for all things pink!

Movement:  She's been keeping pace with the movement of recent weeks - which means her kicks have gotten pretty strong and she can kick up a storm depending on the time of day.  Like last night, it never fails that this child will start kicking me as soon as I get comfortable and start to drift into sleep for the evening.  And since she's a strong kicker, it definitely keeps me up.  (I'm a pretty picky, light sleeper, though.)

Cravings/Aversions:  I don't really think I've had many of these lately.  The closest thing to a craving I've had lately took place today at Walgreens.  I stopped by to pick up a few things and happened to catch my eye on some Biscoff cookies - you know, the kind they serve on Airtran flights?  So, of course, I bought them because they are SO delicious and I have eaten many more of them than I planned!

I am feeling:  Pretty good lately.  I just have been feeling so lazy and it makes me so depressed, honestly.  I'm not sure if I don't have energy because I'm pregnant or because I really haven't been pushing myself to get to the gym and be active.  But I sit around a LOT of the day and since I'm not in school I just feel like much of my week consists of down time.  In this downtime I need to find the will, motivation, and energy to be productive because there is so much to do around the house -- but for some reason, I can't find a way to be more productive.  So, even though I've been feeling great lately, I just have been down on myself about that.

What I miss most:  Selfishly, I kinda miss the pipe dreams we'd have for the future... you know those thoughts where we could drop things for the weekend or whenever and go be spontaneous?  I mean, we didn't have a mortgage, a dog, or a kid to be considerate of in the past.  Don't get me wrong, Tony and I didn't do anything like that too often, but just having the possibility of it was nice.  Now, we might as well buy a house and get a dog because we have a baby on the way that will likely cramp our spontaneous style... haha!  This is NOT to say that if you have a dog and/or own a house that you lack spontaneity!!!  What I truly mean is these days I find myself missing the days where I felt less responsibility for anyone/anything else but myself.  Anybody else know what I mean?!

Best moment of the week:  I think the best bonding moment of the past week happened when I was driving.  It was mid-afternoon and I really couldn't remember the last time I felt Presley kick - or if I had felt her move around at all that day - so I got a tad bit worried and decided to poke my belly in the spot she's usually in (on my right side).  I poked hard enough to where I figured it would disrupt her and sure enough, she kicked me back seconds later!  It was so funny and sweet and probably the first time she's kicked me recently that I was over the moon about rather than mildly annoyed. :)

What I'm most looking forward to this week:  Well, of course, MY BIRTHDAY!  I turn 24 this Thursday and I'm so excited.  It's crazy to believe that this is my last birthday before having children of my own.  I'm not really one of those people who do anything extraordinary for my birthday every year, so I can totally see my birthday falling to the wayside once I have kids.  And ya know what, I think I'll be okay with that.  I just like feeling a little extra special one day a year and as long I'm married to Tony, I know he will make that much happen every year on November 10th. :)

Never a dull day!

So, the other day, I was having one of those "I need to eat healthier" moments... in particularly when it comes to snacks around the house.  I just feel like I've been eating more Halloween candy and chips more than anything else.  To make myself feel better, I searched for healthy pregnancy snacks and went shopping to fill the pantry with more than just junk food.  At the top of my list was this delicious recipe:


No-Bake Almond-Butter Granola Balls Recipe

• 1/3 c. honey
• 1/3 c. almond butter
• 1 c. rolled oats
• 1 c. rice cereal
• 1/2 c. raisins 

 Forgot the honey in this picture!

In a small saucepan, combine the honey & almond butter.  Cook over low heat until smooth.  Combine the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Pour the warm mixture over dry ingredients & stir.  Let it cool for 5 minutes then roll into bite size balls.

Well, let me just tell you, this recipe did not allow me to roll into bite size balls - so I decided to forgo those directions and put the mixture in a few small Tupperware bowls to take to work throughout the week.  And it really is easy and delicious!  Tony is taking some to work in the morning, so I really hope he likes it, too. 

We got holiday pictures taken this week and that went insanely well!  Portrait Innovations is the place we've gone for the past two years because of their $14.95 great deal.  Plus, we had a coupon, so the package was only $9.95 (get the coupon here!) and you get a ton of pictures.  The picture this year looked more like a maternity picture than it looked like a Christmas picture, but we're just so dang excited about little Miss Presley being on the way and so was the photographer.  Sooner or later I'll scan a copy of the picture onto here to show you... even though I'm sure that's all kinds of illegal.

That's about it for this entry, but before I go, I will share with you another picture of the ever-growing belly

24 weeks, already!

It's definitely getting there!  One of my co-workers loves to point out how big "I'M" getting (rather than my stomach), especially compared to another co-worker of ours who was the cutest and tiniest pregnant lady ever.  Although I know she means nothing by it - sometimes it gets to me.  I've also gotten the comment, "You sure it's not twins?" and stuff like that recently.  (No... it's not twins, but it COULD be the three ice cream sandwiches I ate earlier!)  Again, people don't realize how those kinda things can be hurtful, so I just need to let it roll off my shoulder and remember that my husband loves my tummy and that I am carrying a beautiful little girl in there!  I've really got to start thinking of witty comments to make back after rude comments... so if you have any good ideas, you just let me know!

Other than that, things are going well and I'm a happy girl.  So until next time, remember to be considerate of others and that your words are powerful!  Goodnight :)

23 weeks & 5 days; vita mutatur, non tollitur.

So, this morning, I woke up abruptly at 7:35 AM, exactly 30 minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off.  Not shocking since my body jolts me awake to pee every so often throughout the night, but this time, I woke up because I realized I was sleeping soundly... flat on my back.  I hate that because I have no way of knowing how long I'd been sleeping like that.  I quickly flipped over to my side and felt a little panicked and a lot guilty.  (Here's why... skip to the bottom of that page!)  As I lay there, Presley started kicking like CRAZY and consistently did that for the next 20 minutes - which has never happened before - or so as I tried my hardest to fall back asleep before my alarm went off.  I thought, okay, maybe she is spazzing out in there because I hurt her by lying flat on my back or maybe she was just letting me know not to do that anymore.  Or maybe she was just waking up as well.  I got up with my alarm, got ready, and went to work.  While at work she continued to give me a few kicks here and there -- but nothing major.  So I was comforted that 1) She's still there and 2) Seems to be doing just fine.  This whole first time mom thing is already working my nerves in ways I didn't quite expect....

In other events, I just tried a delicious banana smoothie recipe tonight for the first time and it was a success!  Here's the recipe if you'd like to try it:

Banana Smoothie

• 1 medium ripe banana
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup yogurt or buttermilk (I used strawberry mango yogurt I had on hand-- YUM.)
• 1 tsp. honey or sugar (I opted for the honey.)
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (yuummmm.)

Then, I blended it until everything was smooth.  SUPER easy - not expensive - very delicious and definitely sweet enough!  Next time I might add some frozen strawberries or something, just to add a bit more flavor to it.  

Other than that, just another glorious day.  Tony and I went grocery shopping today at a local grocery store (Jewel Osco) we usually tend to shy away from because their prices seem higher than the local competition (Hyvee) but I feel like we got a LOT of good deals tonight!  Ended up saving $6 in coupons & $12.35 in store promotions.  I also stumbled upon a good deal on a pair of winter boots tonight at the mall; $54 boots marked down to $21.99!  The funny thing is they are actually kids boots - I fit into the XL size and best part is they are black and hot pink so they match my new maternity jacket perfectly!!!!  And, for dinner, Tony and I went to a Chick-fil-A in town that has a deal on Tuesday nights when you buy a spicy chicken sandwich  you get fries & a drink for free!  So we ate a filling meal from there for a whopping $6.96 -- today was officially the day of good deals! :)  I'm very glad and very lucky to have someone like Tony who thinks those kinda deals are cool and a day like that fun!

Speaking of Tony... he felt Presley kick again today!  (I'm telling you, she is really kicking today.)  We were riding in the car and she was kicking me so hard that it would make me gasp almost so he put his hand where she was kicking and sure enough he felt her several times.  He told me that he loves it :)  I really love seeing his expression after he feels her kick and loving all these firsts.  It really makes me wonder how the second time around will go - if and when we have another - I hope it will all be this special with each pregnancy.

Alright, it's getting late so I better get winding down or I'll be up for hours.  Goodnight bloggies, love love love.