Surreal

It's a surreal thing to pull up to your house and see this:

That's what I saw when I got home from work yesterday....hard to believe it's actually happening!

14 Weeks-Baby #2

I haven't really gotten the chance to talk much about this pregnancy yet.

So I'll start by saying that we found out we are expecting on May 27th. It was a Friday and Gabe and I had plans to meet for lunch that day (Avery and I go to his work to have lunch with him occasionally). After Gabe left for work, I took a home test and it came out positive. I know with my OB that I have to go there to confirm my results so after Avery and I got ready, we ran to my OB's office. They confirmed that I was pregnant! So I quickly took Avery to the Carter's store and picked up this shirt for her. When I got to Gabe's work, I called to tell him we were there and he came down to my car to meet us. When he opened the door to get Avery, she held the shirt out to him! Needless to say, he was a bit surprised!

We waited a few weeks to tell our parents and when we told them, we just had Avery wear the shirt and had them figure it out on their own. And they all got it pretty quickly!

I will say that being pregnant and having a toddler is a totally different ballgame! You just don't get any "down" time at all and it really wears you out by the end of the day.

I was nauseous this time from the get go---in fact I was feeling a little "off" a few days before taking my pregnancy test, which is what made me take it. With Avery my nausea was an all day thing but would come and go so I would at least get some relief. This time I'm not as lucky. My nausea has been all day, every day. From the second I get up until I go to bed all I feel is sick to my stomach-it's terrible. If I feel good for 5min a DAY, that's good! And lucky me even vomitted this time around (in a real classy manner-out the car door while driving!). After a few weeks of it not improving and trying everything imaginable (sour candy, gum, preggie pops, ginger ale, ginger tea, sea bands), I asked my OB for some help at my appointment. She suggested taking vitamin B6 and if that didn't help on its own to add in 1/2 of a unisom pill (which is a sleeping pill that helps with nausea). The B6 didn't do anything for me so after a day I added in the unisom. I would have given the B6 more time, but it was the weekend of Avery's birthday party and I really couldn't afford to be feeling crappy that weekend. Anyways, the meds helped a LOT! I'm still taking them now and hope to stop in the next few weeks. With Avery I was nauseous until about 15/16 weeks so I'm giving it a few more weeks. I'm afraid to stop taking it in fear of feeling like shit all day long.

Of course the sleeping pill makes me groggy in the morning and I just feel tired a lot. I'm not sure if its the sleeping pill making me tired all of the time, or what but I really just feel drained a lot of the time these days. I'm hoping my energy picks up soon!

I'm not in maternity clothes yet, but I am showing for sure. I feel really huge compared to last time already!

I haven't had any really strong cravings or aversions yet. I will say this though-nothing sounds appealing to me when it's time to eat. I literally will open the cabinets and just stare at the food and nothing sounds good to me at all. And I'm normally a girl who could eat ice cream every day and I haven't wanted it at all lately. It's not that the thought of it makes me gag, but I just don't really care if I have it or not. Which for me, is odd! So yeah, I've been very not into eating I guess you can say-which is hard when you're starving every two hours! It makes it hard to decide what to eat-and mostly I've been going for saltier foods. I really think I'm dehydrated to a point and it's my body's way of getting me to drink something. That's another thing-nothing to drink sounds good either. I normally drink water all day and lately it doesn't appeal to me-I drink it, but I'm just "eh" about it along with everything else.

So, I think I'm caught up now!

Here's a pic of me today at 14 weeks (left) and a pic of me at 15 weeks with Avery (right):

Pan Fried Pasta and Ricotta

I had some ricotta cheese in the fridge that had to be used. Typically I'd make calzones or baked pasta/lasagna/stuffed shells with it, but with the heat we had last week, that wasn't happening. I really did not want to turn on the oven. So I turned to Google to see if I could find anything. And....I got a winner!

Pasta and Ricotta
Any pasta you want (I used a mix of ziti and penne-roughly 1lb)
3 tbsp butter
2 1/2 tbsp oil
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to box instructions. Before draining, reserve some of the pasta water.
2. While cooking pasta, heat oil and butter in a large skillet until melted.
3. Add ricotta and parmesan and heat until mixed well.
4. Add drained pasta and stir to coat. If sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water.

Notes-I also added in some spices to my oil/butter mixture. I threw in some garlic powder (my real garlic wasn't any good), pepper, and Italian spice blend. I also added in peas to ours to get some sort of vegetable in there, but anything you add would taste good!

I have to say that this turned out really good! I LOVE ricotta cheese in anything and I can say I've never thought to use it as a sauce. It was very yummy and we'll make it again for sure! The recipe is very easy too!

Girly Girl

I paint my toes in the summer, as I'm sure most women do.

Avery was very quick to notice them when I painted them weeks ago. She would point and say "Mommy pink toes!" So I asked if she wanted hers to be pink as well and she would always tell me "No." One time she said yes, so I grabbed my polish only for her to freak out when I got near her.

So pretty much everyday I would just hear her say "Mommy pink toes" over and over.

On Friday she started saying it, but then she followed it with "Avery pink toes." So I asked if she wanted hers pink too. She just kept saying "Mommy pink toes, Avery pink toes." We went to the library for our usual story time and throughout the morning she kept bringing it up. So I said to her, "Ya know, Mommy can paint your toes pink later if you want." After she brought it up a few more times I asked again if she wanted them painted....and she replied "Yes!"

So while she ate lunch I grabbed my polish. She immediately put her foot up on the table (while eating) and I started to paint. As soon as she saw one of them pink she said "OOooohh!" and was all excited. So she let me finish all of them! After I finished she said "pink toes again!" I think she wanted me to keep painting!

And look how stinkin' cute these little pink toes are!
So now both Mommy and Avery have pink toes for the summer!

Spray Park = FAIL!

We've had quite a stretch of heat around here lately!

Wednesday was in the low 90s, yesterday we broke a record and got up to 98, and today we're in the low 90s again! It's pretty toasty out there!

On Wednesday, I decided to take Avery to a spray park to try do to something outside that would be "cool". I found one very close to us and figured we'd try it. So, I got her in her bathing suit, packed up a bag and off we went.

It was a decent sized spray park (although I'm told it's small) and maybe 10 kids at most were there....at least half of them were Avery's age or younger.

Here's a pic of some of it: And with more fountains going:

And what did my daughter want to do??

This:

Yep, she sat in the swing for a half an hour and wouldn't go near the darn water. After pushing her for 15mins, I was drenched in sweat (did I mention it was in the 90s??). I picked her up, took her to the water and ran through part of a sprinkler with her. Well, you would have thought the world ended! This child had a complete meltdown! So....back to the swing we went for another 15min before I decided it was time to go home and cool off.

The thing I don't get? At daycare they claim she runs through the sprinkler/plays in water daily. Yet at home, she won't get within 10ft of a sprinkler or go near her pool. It makes no sense. Maybe the peer pressure makes her go in?! Who knows!

Three Years

I remember....


barely sleeping the night before. friends showing up at my Mom's to get their hair done. eating pastries. having my hair done. rushing to get my makeup just right. flowers arriving and I didn't get to really look at them. going to the bathroom before getting dressed and taking a deep breath and looking at myself in the mirror. my Dad showing up and I wasn't in my dress just yet. having my dress zipped up and feeling like a princess. pictures at my Mom's. taking a ride in the limo on the way to church so we could actually have some time in it! parking outside church and seeing people walking in. just my maid of honor and I sitting in the limo and waiting. getting the ok to come out and that the procession had started. waiting outside the church doors nervous and excited. standing with my dad at the end of the aisle. walking down the aisle looking for Gabe and when I finally saw him, I lost it. trying not to do the ugly cry. seeing him beaming and waiting for me. the mass-the readings, music we chose. saying our vows and exchaging rings. the kiss. seeing everyone at the receiving line. getting in the limo with everyone this time. pictures at the park and having it rain shortly after arriving and cutting our shoot short. seeing the reception hall all set up for us-beautiful. cocktail hour-too busy to eat. waiting to be announced and hearing our music play-got us so pumped up and excited. eating dinner and stopping to see all of the wonderful people that were there just for us. cutting the cake. first dance. dancing all night even though my dress was hurting me. having him by my side all night. never wanting the night to end.

Yeah, I remember it like it was yesterday. Three years....it feels like yesterday, it feels like an eternity ago (how is that possible?).

Best night of my life.


Happy Anniversary Gabe! To many, many more years together!

And my wonderful husband sent me these beautiful flowers at work:

and my Mom sent us these strawberries-so huge and SOOOO good!

We Have Windows!

Yesterday we all went for a ride to take a look at the new house! We now have windows and doors...and the start of a roof!

Our garage door is in as well-Gabe tried lowering it, but there was a ladder in the way so he couldn't get it all the way shut.

Side view of the garage:

Back of the house:

The kitchen/morning room:

Family room with windows in!

Our jacuzzi tub is in as well!

The framing of our walk-in shower:

And the tub surround in the 2nd bath upstairs:

Lots of progress being made!

Date Night

Last night, Gabe and I went out for a date night to celebrate our 3rd anniversary!

We started out with dinner at Pier 45 which was really nice. It was a beautiful night out so we got to sit outside right near the water. It was so relaxing watching the boats go by! And the food was really good too!


After dinner, we went to see Transformers in 3D! It was our first time seeing a 3D movie and it was good! We're not sure it's worth the extra money to see it in 3D, but it was a neat experience nonetheless. It still amazes me that they're able to do that with films!


Avery went with my in-laws for the evening. They took her to the Italian festival nearby. I guess she had a lot of fun and was good for them. They brought her back here and gave her a bath then put her to bed. Apparently she was a good girl overall!

Deals!

I have to say I love a good deal!

Gabe always laughs when I come home with some story about saving money on something, but I can't help it!

Today I got some good deals....

Avery and I went to Target (*love*) this morning and I swear I can never leave that place without spending under $50....and today was no exception. But I did get some great deals! They had a lot of kids summer clothes on clearance so I bought Avery a tank top for $2 (normally $5) and a skirt for $2 (normally $5) for next year. I also bought her a pair of bootcut jeans with an adjustable waist (score!) for $4 (normally $8). They had packs of baby wipes on sale for $2 and I had a $1 off coupon. They had Garnier shampoo (the HUGE size) on sale for $4.50 and I had 2 coupons (1 target, 1mfg) each for $1 off. I also had $6 in diaper coupons that I used to stock up on her diapers, which is always nice too! I think for my whole shopping trip I had like $13 in coupons which for me is really good!

Then yesterday I got a Lands End catalog with their huge summer clearance in it as well. So I went online today and ordered myself some tank tops for $5 each (normally $15) and I got Avery 2 summer shirts for next year for $5 each (normally $15). And the best? Free shipping (code BACKPACKHQ2 and pin 9425....good until 7/19). And FYI they also have an extra 30% off swimwear/sandals with codes they have on their site as well!

There are some good summer deals out there right now but it's sad to see the summer stuff go! I wasn't too happy that Target was filled with Back to School stuff already----ugh! Summer vacation just started!

Beatin' The Heat

It was a scorcher out there today and tomorrow it's supposed to be just as hot!!

Yesterday Avery wasn't feeling very well-she had a fever most of the day-so we didn't really do too much. I took her to the market in the morning with my in-laws and that was a big mistake. About halfway through she burst into tears and I had to carry her the rest of the way. She didn't want to go home ("stay market Mommy") so we stopped at our usual coffee spot. She actually fell asleep on my shoulder for a good half hour, which she never does. So I knew she wasn't feeling well. When we got home, she took a 3 hour nap and we had to wake her up because it was getting so late!!

Today we had planned on going to Buffalo but I wasn't sure how it would pan out with her not feeling well. Luckily, she woke up in the morning and was feeling fine! So, Avery and I went to Buffalo to visit (my Grandfather goes back to Vegas tomorrow and we really haven't seen him) and Gabe stayed home to get some painting done.

We went to my Mom's for about an hour, then we went to my Uncle Joe's house for a cookout. Like I mentioned, it was close to 90 out so it was a bit toasty! My Mom brought along a big bowl and some toys for Avery so we filled it up with water and let her go to town with it! For a girl who won't get in a pool or sprinkler, she sure will get herself wet with a bowl of water!

We had a nice time-it was nice having a chance to visit with everyone and to see my Grandpa before he heads home. We went back to my Mom's after for about an hour and a half, then we headed home. Another hot day forecasted for tomorrow! Keep cool!

House Update

Tuesday night, Gabe and I went out to the new house while my Mom stayed home with Avery. It was the first time I've been there in 2 weeks! Gabe goes pretty much every day but I haven't made the trek out there in awhile.

And I was surprised to pull up to almost a completely framed house!! (that's the builder's van in the driveway) I guess they're supposed to be done framing on Friday, which is also the day the windows are going in. And supposedly the roof starts going on next week!

The builder was still there when we arrived so we did a lot of talking with him before taking a walk around. He had us lay out where our recessed lights are going to go in both the family room and kitchen and we got that all measured out.

Then we took a walk around!

In this pic I'm standing in the foyer looking towards the office and stairs:

In the foyer looking towards the dining room:

Standing in the kitchen area looking at the family room (fireplace in the center of the wall):

In the family room looking at the kitchen (the island is laid out on the floor):

Master bedroom (Gabe and the builder in the walk-in closet):

Master Bath:

2nd bath upstairs:

Bedroom #2:

Bedroom #3:

Bedroom #4:

It's amazing how quickly things change, that's for sure!

Fruit Pizza

For our 4th of July get together yesterday, I volunteered to make a dessert. I've seen this done before and found numerous recipes online that were all so different for it. I ended up just doing what I felt like with it and I think it turned out quite yummy!

Fruit Pizza
1 pkg refrigerated cookie dough (I used Pillsbury)
8oz cream cheese, softened (I used fat free)
8oz cool whip (I used fat free)
1/4 cup sugar (give or take)
fruit for garnish (I used strawberries and blueberries to be patriotic but anything would work)

1. Spread cookie dough out on 12" round pan. Bake as directed. Let cool.
2. In a bowl, beat cream cheese, cool whip and sugar until smooth. Spread over cooled cookie dough.
3. Garnish with fruit and chill until served.

Notes: I baked mine longer than the package said. I think my oven cooks slower than a typical oven, but I honestly don't remember how long I baked it for. I just kept an eye on it and took it out when I thought it was done. Next time I might grease the pan before spreading out the dough as it was a bit hard to remove from the pan. The cream cheese mixture was great-I'm not a huge cream cheese fan which is why I added in some sugar. I tasted some without and it was too tart for me, but some people might like it that way.

Overall this was very good and a refreshing dessert for a hot summer day. I'll definitely make it again!

Independence Weekend

We had a very nice long weekend!

First of all, the weather was gorgeous all weekend so there was nothing to complain about that!

On Saturday, we went to a family reunion out in Auburn for the day. It was for Gabe's Mom's side of the family. They had it at a cousin's house on Owasco lake. It was a beautiful day and we had a really great time! Avery spent a lot of time in the water, which was surprising to us. Of course there was a ton of food and lots of people there. I didn't bring my camera at all so I didn't take any pictures.

Sunday we didn't do too much. We took Avery to get her 2yr photos done at Penney's in the morning and that was about it. The rest of the day we just hung around the house and played with Avery a lot. Just a relaxing day for us.

Today was a pretty busy day for us. In the morning we went to Chase Farm Market to do some strawberry picking. We had to take a tractor out to the picking field. Avery started to cry because she was afraid of it, but once she got on, she loved it.

Here she is with Gabe on the tractor:

Some pics of the picking fields:

Once we got to the field, we were assigned a picking spot. I really thought Avery would have a blast, but I was wrong. The entire time she was whining/talking about the dumb tractor and had to have Gabe hold her! So I did most of the berry picking. The only thing we could get her to do was eat some strawberries.

Here she is showing off a funky one Gabe found:

This was our designated spot:

I think we picked for maybe 25mins or so...maybe not even that long. Here was our container when we decided to call it quits:

Once done, we had to walk quite a ways to get to where they weigh them up and you pay for them. I really wanted to pick some raspberries too, but with Avery not being that "into" it, we decided we were done. So we waited for the tractor to come and get us and again Avery cried and didn't want to go on. Once on, she didn't want to get off....silly girl!

Avery and Gabe walked around a bit looking at the goats and horses they had, then we all sat down for a yummy treat. Avery had ice cream and Gabe and I shared a strawberry shortcake-which was out of this world!

After Avery's nap, we went over his parents' house for a cookout. His parents have a purple raspberry bush in the yard so they had a container of them out. You would have thought they were candy the way Avery was shoveling them in her mouth:

Look at that face!

The kids had fun playing in the water. Avery kept filling this thing with water and then dumping it out:

Owen wearing his "hat" (I think it was a rolled up piece of sandpaper!):

No fireworks for us this year-too late for Avery and who knows if she would have even liked them. Maybe next year!

Happy Independence Day!

Proud Mama!

Yesterday Avery had her 2yr checkup at the doctors.

I thought I was going to be in for it when we pulled into the parking lot and she started to cry.

From the car to the office I had to carry her and even when we got inside she would not let me put her down.

We got into the room and she got weighed (on the big girl scale this time!) and her length measured (which she HATED). She's now 34.75" tall (75th percentile) and 23lb 5oz (10th percentile). Still tall and skinny!

Gabe showed up while we waited for the doctor, which was longer than normal.

I was pleasantly surprised that when the doctor came in, she was totally fine. He did his entire exam and she didn't fuss once! I asked him about Avery's whacky sleep and he didn't seem concerned at all. He said as long as I'm giving her an opportunity to nap, that's good. Whether she naps or not is up to her so the days she needs it, she'll sleep and the days she doesn't, she goes to bed earlier. He basically said there's not much we can really do other than give her the chance to sleep.

After he left, the nurse came in to do a lead test (finger prick). She really played it up telling Avery "I have to take a look at your finger and get out a nice bandaid for you". First they washed hands, then Avery stuck out her finger proudly to show it to her! She stuck her finger and Avery didn't even flinch! Then Avery looked at the nurse and said "bandaid?" She was more excited about the bandaid than anything-it was too funny!

She did get one shot because we were off schedule somehow. She did shed a few tears for that, but it was very minimal.

Gabe and I were both very surprised at how well she was-we were so proud of her!! I even treated her to McDonald's on the way home for a special treat!!