Pregnancy & Other Random Updates

Thanks to my friend, Kara, I will have some sort of recollection of the weeks that go by. :)


How far along? 22 weeks
Total weight gain: Not sure exactly, but at least 2-3
Maternity clothes? mixed Just started wearing maternity bottoms, still get to wear normal shirts
Sleep: I wake up about 1-2 times a night usually. Hasn't been too bad.
Miss Anything? Eating and not getting nauseous. :)
Movement: Quite a bit! I actually see my stomach move! It's crazy. She kicked my computer that was on my belly the other day; it actually moved the computer!
Food cravings: I haven't really had food cravings in general. A couple weeks back, vinegar sounded wonderful. I ate some pickles. Meat would be another thing that just ALWAYS sounds good to me, particularly beef.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Can't pinpoint it. If I wait too long and then go into the kitchen to grab something to eat, I usually can't.
Gender: Girl 
Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy
Looking forward to: nothing really. The belly is getting there, and I finally feel pregnant instead of just sick. I have been feeling better, so no looking forward there! 

We went out to eat last month to Chic-fil-A to celebrate having a job that covered our expenses! We were just so excited about it!

 His favorite part (I think) were the ketchup packets. Can't blame them-built to dip fries or squeeze onto a burger (well..... chicken patty burger...)

 Two of my favorite things!!!

 I L-O-V-E their milkshakes. 

And unfortunately for me, so did Steven! Good thing I paid attention in Kindergarten; I can share!

Steven has had chic-fil-a before but he fell in love with it all over again. Just like I do, every single time. Delish.

We have also celebrated Pi die by eating cobbler, had a "kid" date, and some other random stuff:

 Can't you tell I just got home from student teaching working hard on those lesson plans! Feeling sick as ever! haha (you can tell because I'm still wearing my top from s.t. and wearing pj pants. One guess what I do when I walk through the door)

 Steven's been wonderful to cook for us. (P.S. We don't always eat on the couches :D)

 Setting up our movie for our date night under the "tent"

 After chaperoning MORP (dance) "Escape to the Tropics"

Our yummy cobbler! Ta da!

The End.

But gotta love it, right?!

I'm sorry if I am obsessed with this whole baby and pregnancy thing, but I carry her with me everywhere I go! She's basically all I think about (besides finishing student teaching). There's some research that indicates that she can hear me now. I have tried talking to her while I'm home alone, but I haven't gotten used to the idea. My compromise: I added Pandora stations such as "Baby Einstein," "B-I-N-G-O," and "Itsy, Bitsy Spider." I figure this way she can hear me while I sing along and I get to refresh myself on (along with learn) children's songs! Best part, I don't feel so awkward.

What I think I look like:

Find pic here

What I probably look like:

Find pic here

What I think my baby is doing:

Find pic here

What she's probably doing:

Find pic here

I am so excited for this baby. Steven and I have gone through more than I wish for anyone when trying to get pregnant. A trip to the library to get children's books will probably be on the date list this month! :D

I am excited to check out some Dr. Seuss books but want to find some good new ones. These are some of my favorites:

Find pic here

Find pic here

As I try to pick out my other favorites, all too many come to mind. I LOVE children's books. I could read them all day... and I plan on doing pretty close some days. Soon, I'll have a reason for checking them out! :) 

Did I mention I only have 2 more Fridays student teaching? AHHHHHHHH! Almost here!

Sleeping Beauty

I've been thinking of Sleeping Beauty for quite sometime now! "Why?" you may wonder. Well, she has a dilemma that she has no control over--whether her dress is pink or blue. Now, some may consider people in my state in the same predicament besides one minor detail--she could care less because she has her prince charming; I revolve around this uncontrollable factor.



If you haven't started getting suspicious, let's just say that I also relate to her because she's referred to as "Sleeping Beauty. But, let's face it: when you're pregnant, I don't know how beautiful you feel, but you sure like sleeping!


Here are some posts that I've written previously but haven't posted because we hadn't announced it, yet. :)
These are probably more like journal entries but feel free to read. :)
Oh, Happy Day! written: 11/22

Today, Tuesday November 22, we found out we are pregnant! I woke up around 6 and couldn't go back to sleep, so I decided to go take a test and was so PLEASANTLY surprised! What a blessing! We couldn't be more excited for this baby!
Steven was telling me this morning how excited he was that he doesn't have to question if it's his. Isn't that a great blessing?? Yes, yes it is! And then he proceeded to tell me how the test detects hCG--which is produced by the FETUS. "Thanks baby, for sharing!" I said. haha Did I mention we are so excited?! We are planning on announcing it on Christmas. Kind of cheesy--especially in Steven's family (it's been done twice).


8 weeks: written 12/9
"I'll be 8 weeks tomorrow. Craziness. It makes me soooo happy. Yesterday, I found out we are set for Arizona! Hallelujah!!! Heavenly Father has such a hand in our lives. How can I even begin to express how grateful I am?! This pregnancy thing is a lot different than I expected. I already go to the bathroom like 10 times a day... probably more like 7 but still. I guess my blood volume is increasing causing more fluids to pass through my kidneys causing me to go to the bathroom a lot more, as well as my uterus growing. My baby is going to be the size of a kidney bean soon. Cute little, little baby. I am tired all the time! It's crazy. Some days, I can sleep for 10 hours and take 2 naps and I might feel rested."

Long time, no see

Well, short and sweet and to the point.
We moved to AZ a week ago--homeless until Friday (Thank you, again. You know who you are.) :)
I started student teaching Thursday--exhausting.
Steven is looking to be employed some place(s).

Christmas break was great. Now, I'm debating on whether or not to go to sleep at 8. I'm one tired girl!


Oh did I mention we celebrated graduating?

Chick Flick

I just watched "One Fine Day"... totally reminded me of my sisters and family. <3
I love a good chick flick. I just smiled all the way through it and giggled! haha I felt like a giddy teenager again, but it was soooo cute! I want to watch another one. I rented 5 movies from the library today. (remember my love?) Anywho. I also got "Persuasion"--another chick flick-Jane Austen style. "Paying it Forward" is also among them. The other two are for Steven. Since he doesn't read this, I'll tell you the surprise-"Prince of Persia" and "The Pirates of Penzance." The latter makes me nervous but Steven thinks it would be a funny musical to see because of some of the songs.

Anywho.... I now know/am reminded of the craze over this man:

http://content6.flixster.com/question/50/77/44/5077444_std.jpg

That's right George Clooney.... is it ok to notice when a man is attractive when your married? I sure hope so. But of course, this is my favorite man:

Isn't he cute?! The best. I know. :)

Go do yourself a favor and go watch a favorite family chick flick. It will make you smile inside. :)

Did you see it?

My new page of course! It's kind of hidden. You should check it our and let me know what you think!
Do you think I can do it?
What are some items on your list? I need some more ideas for my 30 by 30! :)
Are you going to try it out?

P.S. I moved the songs to the bottom of the page. Hope that's ok! :)

I'm back...

....in the kitchen. The past couple of months (sad, I know) have been really hard in the kitchen. I felt like I couldn't make a lot of the yummy recipes due to such a small food budget. After some discouraging searching, I decided just to go for it. I started off small:

 with apple chips! They actually burned because I cut them extremely thin like the lady on the blog said to, but I don't think she knew of my awesome cutting skills. ;)

Next: Something really easy premade caramel wrapped around washed apples: Caramel apples!!! Yum!

stickin' them in the oven...yum! They were a hit. Thanks to Melissa and Rachel for helping out.

Not only that, but while we were with family this past weekend, we had some amazingly yummy food. :) Thanks to Jennie for being willing to cook for so many!

Here is one of my proudest moments. Last night, I told Steven I would have dinner ready. So, I made up a casserole. I think casseroles are my favorite. They have a rap for being pieced together and nasty sometimes, but I think they're creative and can taste yummy if you know what you're doing! I didn't have milk, bread, or tortillas. My staples for cooking, so I used:

leftover noodles from lunch

1 can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Majority of a big can of tomato sauce

1 tsp of garlic, minced

Basil, Oregeno, and very little parsley

topped with some cheese. 

Bake for 20 minutes at 350*F. Tada! Anywho. I got compliments from the hubby. It smelled and tasted delicious! P.S. I would use more cheese next time. Probably with some other tweaks. Maybe like looking more appealing. :)

 Here is my project for today:

 Homemade re-fried beans. I used this recipe, but I didn't let the fact that I didn't have all the ingredients get me down. I replaced whole garlic cloves with that Chef brand of already-minced-garlic, chopped dried onions,  and left out the coriander. I have enough spices to use already, no need to go buy some more! Anywho, I'm pretty sure I'll be back for good now. I'm sure the hubby's tummy will thank me later. 

Lesson learned: don't get overwhelmed and improvise! :)