March 31, 2011

Tangled date


While shopping at Walmart, I saw that the movie Tangled was finally out and wanted to do a fun date with Carl. I had seen this post on The Dating Divas and thought it would be really fun to base a date around the movie... now, I knew we didn't have time to do all the activities the post suggested, so I picked one that I knew we could do and have time for.....

Sooo... when Carl came home from school, he found me waiting in the garage with a little snack and a place to put up his feet. I thought that he might need a little break/ winding down time before we jumped into the date. We sat outside talking about our day and just having fun for about 45 minutes... it was so nice!

Carl showing off what he got to come home to :)


I decorated with some yellow lanterns (and if you've seen the movie, you'll remember the floating lanterns).


and I made this poster from a printoff the dating divas posted and a pic of Carl I took at
Disneyland.... he was giving me his best Indiana Jones look :)


And we painted while watching the movie. When we got started, I don't think either of us knew what we were going to paint, but we ended up painting the same part of the movie- the floating lanterns (one of the best parts of the movie.... although the movie is so cute and is full of LOTS of 'best parts' LOL)

My painting


Carl's painting


We both had a really good time... we watched a movie, painted, ate some leftovers, and just enjoyed being with each other.

Garage Sale

Last weekend we had a garage sale and got rid of a bunch of stuff that was filling up our house and garage. Since I am pregnant, I have had the "get rid of it" attitude... normally I like to keep things 'just in case' I might need them, but with all the stuff a baby comes with I just need more space. I cleaned out our WHOLE house.... our bedroom, closet, bathrooms, office, and finally the garage... I kept finding more and more things that I was willing to give up to make more space.

We got up at 6 am and had it all set out and ready by 7:15. The morning was slow, but eventually we got enough traffic that we made $100. The stuff that didn't sell we ended up donating. It turned out to be a great afternoon!

All of our stuff

Another pic of all the stuff


This was the doggie during the whole garage sale. She sat in the garage, on a chair (the most comfortable chair), under a blanket, in the sun. Can you say spoiled???
LOL.. if she wasn't outside with us, she was crying at the garage door begging to come and see what we were doing.

All in all, our garage sale was a success.... we made some money, BUT the most important thing is we made space in our home and we can now pull the car into the garage!!!!

Little Mover

The last few days Miles has been super active. I think he is finally getting big enough that I can feel all of his movements and he is active for LONG periods of time. Now he is awake for a few hours at a time and he is starting to behave more like a newborn (awake for a few hours, asleep for a few).

The latest development has been that when he moves, you can feel it A LOT on the outside. When he first wakes up and is really active, you can even see him moving around. I can't make out the parts that are moving yet, but he makes my belly look so weird when he moves.

Yesterday, I spent about 45 minutes playing with him... he would kick my side and I would push back. Then he would kick again and I would push where he kicked. It was so fun, sitting and watching my belly push up and just connecting with Miles.... I think he had fun (and if he didn't, I sure did!). Then I showed Carl last night.. he got to see when Miles moves and watch as our baby kicks (although, truthfully I am not sure they are kicks. I wonder what is a kick and what is a hand pushing). It is the coolest thing, to have your baby roll (which feels REALLY weird) and kick while you feel and see it happening.

I just kept thinking about what he will look like when he is born and what he will like to do. Babies don't change too much from how they act in utero... do they? I think he will be the same little mover he is now, even after he is born. I bet he is going to love laying on the floor just kicking away.... my little wiggle worm :)

March 24, 2011

Cooking adventures

For the last few nights I have not really felt inspired to cook. Poor Carl has had to do it all.... I just haven't wanted to make anything and nothing sounded good. BUUUUTTTT..... I finally decided to just make something and found myself (with a bunch of Carl's help) making a fab dinner that was really yummy!

First, I decided that we should do a cold spinach salad since we had the leaves in the fridge. I also wanted a meat (and we just happened to have thawed out chicken from the night before) and didn't want to eat any carbs because I wanted to make a dessert. So, this is what I came up with (with Carl helping A LOT!):


Spinach salad with cranberries and toasted almonds with sun dried tomato vinegrette. Carl was the one to think of the toasted almonds (and it was the best part of the salad!)


Parm chicken..... Chicken that we "breaded" with crackers (we didn't have any breadcrumbs) and 2 kinds of parm cheese. We grilled it on our george forman grill with no oil at all.... it tasted super good!


This was dessert. Apple turnovers. YUM! I made them by cooking our apples we bought at cost co (That were really close to going bad) with some cinnamon, 2 TBSP of butter, 1/3 cup sugar, and a bit of water and cornstarch. Then you take that filling and scoop it into thawed out phyllo dough. Bake on 375 for about 10 min, cover with powdered sugar, and it is all done! Not fried and hardly any butter in it at all- super easy and not too bad for you (just be careful not to eat too many at one time).

It was such a great dinner! We even made extra dessert and froze it... then I can just thaw it out, bake, and get apple turnovers whenever I want! It was so easy and super yummy!


On another note, about a week ago I made these:




They are cinnamon roll things that are like the monkey bread
(which I haven't ever tried due to the amount of trans fat it has in it). I found the recipe in a 'family fun' mag that i get. They are really good and taste super indulgent!
.

That's all the cooking I have been up to.... now if only I knew what to make for dinner tonight.

March 17, 2011

(Hopefully) Final Ultrasound


We got scheduled for another ultrasound on March 16th because at our last ultrasound the tech found a little white spot on baby's heart. Carl had looked into it and we had decided that this was not a big deal and that at the very least, at least we will get to look at our baby one more time before he comes out.

When we got to the appointment, we had to speak to a genetic counselor. What a waste of time! She was nice, but we had already read about studies and what this spot could mean. We knew what we were going into and she didn't tell us anything we hadn't already considered...

The spot most likely means nothing. He has no other signs for any condition. This is merely a precautionary thing that the doctors have to do (in other words, they do this to cover their butts just in case we are one of the .001% of people whose babies are really sick).

We spent about 25 minutes in her office, with her telling us things we already knew.... but then were whisked off to an ultrasound room. We were lucky enough that my mom was able to join us and see little Miles too!

We had another tech come in and do the first "screen" where they check his leg length, head size, heart, stomach, kidneys, ect. She was really nice and gave us a few pictures.... BUT Miles was being a punk for her and wouldn't turn and show us his profile. He wanted to look at us instead :)

Soooooo... here are a few pics that she gave us (sorry for the poor quality, but that's what you get with a cell phone pic)
Here is his face... he was laying with both hands right under and in front of his head. Isn't he cute?! Ok, ok... it might just be that I am his mom and that's why he's cute. I can still understand if you think he looks a little creepy, just get past looking at the bones and imagine his sweet face, curled up with his hands, taking a little nap. See... sweet, right? You can even see his little fingers in this picture :)


And yes, he is still a boy... confirmed by 2 more doctors :)


This is his leg. Carl is so amazed by the fact that he has a well defined calf muscle. He is going to be a runner!! LOL (even the tech commented on his legs, how good they look, and that he is a mover!)

After the ultrasound tech finished, the actual doctor came in and took a VERY quick look at Miles. He checked a few of the measurements the tech took, told us he was still a boy, and looked at his heart. While looking, he commented, "I don't see anything here.... what did they see? Hmmmm... well, I think this is a good sign." He kept looking and told us that the spot was tiny, barely noticeable and that Miles should be fine. He couldn't promise 100% that everything was ok because he can't see inside, but he said not to worry and that it should be ok.

Knowing that his advice was the best you really can get from a doctor, I am not worried... I never really was worried about his heart, but it is nice to know that the doctor agrees.

March 11, 2011

snack time!

I have found the perfect pregnancy snack (or not pregnant snack) . It has 15 grams of protein, tastes great, and pairs really well with most fruit. It is sweet, creamy, and tart. YUM!!


GREEK YOGURT!!





Now I normally hate eating yogurt. It is too creamy. For some reason I really don't like the way it feels when I eat it.... maybe I ate it too much when I was younger, but the only yogurt I enjoy is the yoplait chocolate whips (because they taste like chocolate mousse) and greek yogurt!

I have tried almost every kind of greek yogurt and love them all.... I really liked the blueberry and strawberry but I think my favorite is the vanilla, honey, or plain because then I can add my own fruit on the side (I sweeten the plain with some honey so it's not so tart).

If you are not a big yogurt fan, you should give this a try! It surprised me and now I love to eat one as a nice afternoon snack :)

Baby gear!!

I got 2 baby packages from my mom today!!! I am getting more and more excited about meeting little Miles in another 4 months but will just have to be satisfied with all the cool "stuff" he gets :)

The first package was my new stroller/car seat! I am totally in love with it! It is the perfect size and color and style and I can't say enough about how much I can't wait to put my actual baby in it


The second was all the stuff I needed to start using cloth diapers. I decided that since I am going to be a stay at home mom, I wanted to try cloth diapers (don't judge). They are a great way to save money and I think it is something that I can make work... if not, then oh well.

I also thought that when Miles gets home, I plan on using regular diapers for a few weeks to make it easier on everyone (I think it would just be too hard to getting to know Miles AND trying to use a new diaper system). BUT... my mom sent the things we would need for when we start using them. Here are the REALLY cute cloth diapers we chose:


These are the outer covers... SO CUTE!!! The little 'g' goes on his bum

These are the little cloth parts that you wash... I am going to need a bunch of these, but my mom started us out with 12.


This is what the inside looks like. It has a waterproof liner in it as well that helps to keep the outer cover clean :)

Well, today has already been a GREAT day and I am so excited to see my little cute Miles again on Wednesday for our last ultrasound!

March 10, 2011

a not quite finished but clean nursery

I am not quite done with my nursery and hope to find myself getting some things for the crib and room at my baby shower in May, but I figured that I could post pics of how it is coming along.



The changing table/dresser


The guest bed (I figure that when we have company, the baby can sleep in our room in a pac-n-play.)


Our book shelf/ toy holder (it is bolted to the wall so baby can't pull it over)


The crib! We have decided on a green, blue, and yellow theme for the room along with animals.
I think it all looks good, but we are still missing the crib bedding and a few other things.



March 9, 2011

walking

We have been going on walks the last few days, and today while we took our doggie out, Carl snapped a few pics of me on my phone.



I love our walks and I'm really glad Carl has the time to do them with me... I can't wait until we can go on walks with Miles too!


March 8, 2011

A dinner out


Carl and I got some really good news last week. He got his USMLE test scores back from his step 1 test and did FANTASTIC! We both were really excited and decided to celebrate with a yummy dinner out. We went to a winery and bistro called St. Clair. This is a winery that is located in New Mexico and offers wine flavors you have never tried elsewhere- plum loco, green chile wine, margarita wine, ect. (and no I didn't have any wine.. I AM pregnant, but Carl did have a glass.)

Here are some pics from that evening:



We decided to eat on the patio due to nice weather and this is what awaited us!
We were the only people out there!
It was really nice to sit outside in the sun and be able to talk and laugh (and if you know me, my laugh can get a bit loud) and not have to worry about people listening or judging.
It was SO great to have the whole patio to ourselves :)



Carl waiting for our dinner order and eating some yummy, warm, fresh bread.


This is what Carl ordered... don't let the messy appearance fool you (this was after he had eaten some and mixed it all around)... he ordered a pesto pasta and it was REALLY good! It had a spicy red sauce under the pesto and that is what you see here.



This is what I ordered- pasta danielle. SO good... it was a bit spicy but had a great flavor!



Then we decided to splurge and get dessert too- we hardly ever do this... normally we are just too full, but we saved half of our pasta for leftovers and decided to try a good dessert.
We ordered a bread pudding. It was so good! yum- it tasted kind of like really sweet french toast.


As we were leaving (and my tummy was SO full) Carl decided it would be nice to take a few pics of me... especially since I had dressed up a bit.

So here we are- me and Miles, 5 months pregnant, healthy, and with a big growing (full) belly!




March 4, 2011

Oatmeal

So I am in the camp of, "I ate too much oatmeal one summer and now hate the feeling of it in my mouth so I never eat it." LOL... I normally don't like oatmeal- the taste, the feeling of the slimy oats... you get the idea BUT I have finally found a way that I actually like it.

I know, I know.... can't i just make up my mind already? Well, for those of you, like me, who hate or at least strongly dislike oatmeal, try this tip:

eat it with berries!

Make it and sweeten it and then add berries on top of it. The tart berries make the sweet oatmeal taste perfect and the crispness of the berries makes it to where you can't taste the sticky stuff.

It is so good and when I am out of blackberries, I use frozen (but thawed out) raspberries. SOOOOOOO, if you normally don't like oatmeal, give this a try :)

March 1, 2011

Tonights dinner

I made the most incredible meal tonight! It was so easy and SO good! Carl and I loved it and it is pretty healthy. I made black bean tacos and Brazilian Lemonade.

Here are some pics of the finished product:

These are Carl's tacos... he cut up all the stuff we put on the tacos while I cooked




Here are my tacos- covered in lettuce, avocado, cilantro, and lime juice



Here are the AMAZING drinks along with the food

It was all so easy to make and VERY yummy... if you want to try them, here are the recipes:
Brazilian Lemonade:

Black beans: