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.

23 week Pregnancy Reflection!

How far along?:  Twenty-three weeks & two days along in my first pregnancy!  (About 17 weeks to go)

Me & Tony dressing up for Halloween as characters from the movie Juno!  Me @ 23 weeks!

Size of baby:  Baby Duggan is the size of an EAR OF CORN! :)

8.5 inches & 1.5 pounds!  (making me hungry!)

Gender:  She's a GIRL and we've decided on her name:  Presley Rose! 
Presley - because it's a beautiful name we both love and mostly got the idea from Elvis Presley -- my dad was a huge fan and since he's no longer with us I've often wanted to name one of my kids in honor of him... perfect!
Rose - it's my Gramma Elinor's middle name... she is such a wonderful, incredibly strong, intelligent, passionate, and peaceful person that I think the world of.  I'm going to make sure Presley knows who she was named after and why.  Not to mention, she has a BEAUTIFUL middle name that I am going to be happy to carry on.

Movement:  Presley has been consistently kicking for the past few weeks now.  They're getting a lot stronger and to the point where they make me laugh!  Tony FINALLY felt a big, strong kick this past week after so many weeks of thinking he might have felt a kick.  I was so happy and so was he!  He definitely thinks this journey is a really cool one.

Cravings/Aversions:  Oh my word, have I ever had a severe craving this week:  CARROTS and ranch!  Of course, milk nog, like always.  And I've also been eating a lot of peanut butter crackers!  Not very many aversions at this point, though.


I am feeling:  I've been feeling so ready for this baby to get here!  I can't wait to see her and meet her and hold her and get to dress her up.  I know we've got so so so many things to do in the time before she arrives, but just hearing about fellow-blogger, Sharon's, BEAUTIFUL baby girl getting here... it definitely makes me anxious to meet our little one. 

What I miss most:  The usual -- being able to lay flat on my back.  I miss not having to worry about what I am doing, what I'm capable of, what I put in my mouth, etc.  I miss being able to do all things and definitely dislike when people tell me I "can't" do something.... HUMPH!

Best moment of the week:  I had a blast hanging out with everybody at the Halloween party last night.  The best costume was BY FAR Elisabeth & Jeff who dressed up as Chaz Bono & Lacey Schwimmer from DWTS!  It was fun to see what everyone decided to dress up and neat to see the effort everyone put into their costumes.

Here I am with "Chaz" :)  So hilarious and awesome

What I'm looking forward to this week:  I help coach a middle school cheer-leading squad and their first game is this week - so that will be a fun time!  Tony and I are also going to get our Christmas pictures taken this Thursday and I am really looking forward to that.  Also, looking forward to NOVEMBER being upon us;  Thanksgiving, my birthday, Breaking Dawn, beautiful weather, one month closer to the holidays & visiting family, etc.  I'm also looking forward to revisiting our baby registries and adding things to them in preparation for our first shower in December down south with Tony's family!  


Alright... everybody have a great week!  Just five more days until the weekend, right?

Bits & pieces!

I am still shocked at how fast time has flown by.... it really seems like only yesterday that we found out we were expecting when in reality, we are now over halfway through our first pregnancy!  Equally shocking?  Seeing pictures of myself these days (especially in comparison to my pre-bump self)....

Today we took the first step (of many...) into transforming our guest bedroom into a nursery and it honestly felt great to get the ball rolling.  This involved moving our full bed into storage and trading that in for a daybed with a trundle bed underneath and adding a little white baby dresser!  My aunt and uncle were great enough to help us out with the bed and dresser that weren't getting use in their house.  Next step?  Adding the perfect crib to the ensemble!  So far, out of all the cribs we've looked at in all the various stores, this crib from Target.com is our favorite:

It was $10 off last week, so I'm hoping it goes on sale again sometime soon.  I think that it'll go well with the white dresser we now have - plus it is beautiful and simple.  I thought we would offset the white with black in the room but then we got this bed that is a pretty brown wood and the drapes in the room are a light brown... so it's looking like we'll stick with tan and pull that into the room as well.  This will work out nicely because last year I found a brown comforter at Target on sale for just under $7 that will fit on the bed and will hopefully go well with everything else.

Brown comforter to the right of the picture!

And then, of course, we're gonna throw some pink in the mix for the nursery as well.  I'm starting to get pretty excited now that things are just kinda falling into place and even more excited to really turn it into a nursery!

In other pregnancy-related news, I tried out a prenatal Pilates DVD and I really liked it!  It's called "10 Minute Solution:  Prenatal Pilates" and I started out with the standing Pilates routine and I felt like it had great balance in it -- challenging yet not too difficult for not having worked out for a LONG time.  Now, the REAL challenge will be getting myself to do it for a second time.... I am so lazy these days.  I'm definitely looking for motivation... even though all I have to do is look down at my ever-growing thighs to make me want to get up and be active!  :)

Alright, that's enough for now bloggies!!!  Hope you have a great weekend & FUN Halloweekend!

22 week Pregnancy Reflection!

How far along?:  22 weeks and 2 days along in my first pregnancy! 
(About 18 weeks to go!!)

First picture bare-belly!

Size of the baby:  Baby Duggan is the size of a papaya this week!

About 8in. & 1.2 lbs!

Total weight +/-:  So far, I'm +15 pounds.


Gender:  It's a girl!  Hopefully by the next update we will have picked a name... we're getting close!

Movement:  She likes to kick me repeatedly -- especially if I'm sitting at the computer for any length of time!  Last night Tony & I went to a friend's and someone was telling a hilarious story about Eddie Murphy and the entire time the baby was nonstop kicking me!!!

Cravings:  Anderson-Erickson's Milk Nog (which is part milk, part egg nog)!  We have gone through a LOT of egg nog so far... and the season just began!  Other than that, still craving meat -- burgers, steak, ribs, etc!  Making up for lost time as my major aversion during the first trimester was meat!!!

I am feeling:  Pretty great, especially today!  I love weekends at home with Tony... they really seem to re-energize me for the week and I hope the weekends have the same affect on him.  The Cowboys won today and I won in fantasy football plus we spent the game watching NFL games... so it was a perfect Sunday!

What I miss most:  Still, being able to sleep on my back.  I also (still) miss Zumba.  I miss being able to do things with no restrictions and am getting tired of people being overprotective because I'm pregnant.  I understand everyone is just looking out for the best, but it starts to get old.  I miss having more energy.

Best moment of the week:  Probably the best moment of the week was getting 6 bags of baby girl clothing from one of my favorite mom's from work!  Sarah is the one who gave me the maternity jacket for the winter and she is so gracious.  She's had three girls of her own and I am beyond blessed to know and love this family.  All of the outfits are SO PRECIOUS and I am so excited to see them on our little girl.  Another pretty great moment this week was getting a rocking chair at a yard sale for $30!  I've been wanting a rocker/glider and have been worried about the prices of new ones.  A friend told me about the yard sale going on so we stopped by and I'm so glad we did.  It's a really nice chair -- wooden & worn but it's wonderful.

What I'm looking forward to this week:  I'm looking forward to dressing up for Halloween this weekend -- first time Tony and I are dressing up in a couples costume!  (Checking that off my bucket list will be sweet!)  Also looking forward to having dinner this week with some friends from high school!

Hoping for a fun and exciting week -- wishing the same for everyone as well!!!  Later, bloggies!

Encouragement in all the right places.

 You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.

                                            ---Christopher Robin

Last night while talking to Tony before he fell asleep, I started to feel very anxious for the first time in a long time.  Just thinking about how much the guest bedroom will need to transform in the next few months was making me a little uneasy.  On top of that, just thinking about bringing a baby -- OUR BABY -- home and into the room that we were currently laying in was enough to make my heart beat out of my chest.  Then I started to get nervous about parenting... and soon... I worked myself into a ball of worries.  Thank goodness Tony is so logical and even tempered.  (Note to self:  Next time I start to see these traits as something negative, remember this!!!)  He really calmed me down by not just listening to me, but thinking things out with me and reminding me that neither one of us are in this alone.  We've got lots of support around us up here with our friends and family and ALL of our support system is just a phone call away.  It made me feel especially secure when he pointed out that we're a team and if either one of us is feeling frazzled then the other person can always take over for a bit.  It's a great feeling to realize my partner is confident in himself and in me, too.  I have been nothing but excited lately and I suppose I was overdue for a healthy dose of "oh-my-gosh-what-are-we-doing!"  :)


In other news, baby Duggan (we have got to get this girl a name!) has been kicking me ALL DAY!!!  It's great to know she's there and active... but it's also getting on my nerves a bit, too - in a good way!  You know when your muscle or eyelid (or any random part of your body) will repetitively twitch throughout the day and it's so annoying??  That's kinda how it's been today - same kick over and over in the same spot all day long.  I will take it though since that is my main way of knowing if she's doing well in there.

Not much else to really say tonight... just really grateful for Tony being there for me.  I'm hoping to be able to talk him into writing an entry in here one of these days about his thoughts on everything!  I would love to hear things from his perspective and just take a peak inside his thoughts... I think it'd be fun.  We'll see if I can talk him into it... in the meantime, you'll just have to put up with me!  Night bloggies.

Praising Christ's Love...

Today's point of praise:  "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  (Romans 8: 38-39)  Day #3

Sometimes that doesn't necessarily feel true for me.  There are so many times when I don't feel close to Christ and I know it isn't because he has moved away from me - but the other way around.  It's difficult to live a Christ-centered life when the biggest influences in my current life aren't focused on him and don't lead me closer to Him.  Again, not His fault, but mine.  I realize that the point of praise here is that no matter how far I stray or how weak my relationship with God is, He's gonna love me and be there for me anyways.  Instead of just blaming myself and feeling guilty over my lack of daily dedication to Christ, I've decided to come up with a list of ways to strengthen that relationship.  The list may seem like I move in a round-a-bout way... but hopefully that is good enough to lead me in the direction I'd like to head...

1. Start eating dinner at the dinner table.  Seems pretty silly, but for those of you who know Tony & I, we are the type of people who have a million movies and a bunch of favorite TV shows.  We also have a very nice set of TV trays from Granny that get TOO much use these days.  As a result, I honestly don't remember the last time we ate a meal at the dinner table together.  (I honestly think it was at least an entire year ago at a date night in at our old apartment.)  Once we start eating at the dinner table together, the goal is to start praying before meals together.  Also, for some reason, I just think the more structure we get in our home life, the better, and for some reason I think it'll make things better around here.  (Just bought some fancy new chair covers that will hopefully motivate us to use our table & chairs!  Something happened to the upholstery on these old chairs and they're very sticky, so we either had to get covers or new chairs.  I'll take before and after pictures once they come in!!!)
2. Make weekly mass a priority.  We've started to get better about this, but I don't feel like it's as much of a priority as I'd like it to be.  We're very much Saturday afternoon mass-goers or else we don't make it to mass for the weekend and that is one thing that needs to change.  I'd still like to shoot for Saturday mass because we do enjoy it so much - but if for some reason we don't make it I need to keep an open mind and make it to church Sunday.  There are so many churches in the area that offer a wide variety of mass times so there is really not much of an excuse in that department.
3. Find a way to take part at church.  This really scares me because I don't really like making commitments all the time - the really make me feel claustrophobic.  Not to mention, most of the ways to help out at church involve getting up in front of people which paralyzes me in fear!!!  I'm not sure where our church needs involvement and in what ways I can help but I've been wanting to take part somehow and now is a good time to change that.  I would love to find a way for Tony and I to both get involved together, as well.
4. Speaking of getting involved in a Christ-centered relationship as a couple, I'd like to start reading a couples devotional with Tony, as well.  Since we don't wake up together, I figure it's something we can take turns reading at night and talk about how we can apply it to our lives the next day?  Another way of getting the ball rolling between Tony and I is by going over the order of the mass with him and helping him learn the prayers that we say every week.  He reads them out of the book at mass when we go, but there's just something about praying from your memory that ignites your heart and head into it as well (or at least it is that way for me).

And that's the ideas I have for now.   I don't want to limit myself to this list, however, so I'm open and looking for any and all suggestions.  Any ideas out there you'd care to share with me?  Like I said before, my relationship with Christ is something I need to start taking ownership of myself and it's not a fad or a phase I'm looking forward to "going through" - it's a change of lifestyle that I'm looking to maintain forever.  I think a lot about bringing someone new into our family and into this world and God is something that I want to be present for my baby.  I want to give her the opportunities I had growing up and I want to go to church as a family as well as educate her along the way so that when she gets old enough, she can make an educated decision on whether or not Catholicism is for her.  I already think about getting her baptized and what that will mean for Tony and I as well as for our little girl and I can't help but get giddy about envisioning the moment with family and friends around. 

I still remember what it was like when I got to witness Tony getting baptized.  It was such a wonderful experience & a beautiful mass; it brought tears to my eyes and really caused me to think about the implications of his decision and made me so proud of him.  It was equally wonderful to be his sponsor through it all and sit with him along his entire journey.  If we could do R.C.I.A. (aka, the Right of Christian Initiation of Adults) all over again, I would love that.  I learned so much and I feel like meeting weekly and focusing on Christ in discussion with others every week not only strengthened my faith but Tony & I's relationship as well.  I really am so lucky to have gone through that with him.

Anyways, I am totally babbling and have so many things I need to get accomplished rather than reflecting on all these wonderful things.  Thanks for reading (if you made it this far!) and I'd love to hear your ideas on how to live a more Christ-centered life, bloggies.

There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still.  

       Corrie ten Boom