It's hard to believe that we just finished our last weekend together as a family of three. Next weekend, we will be a family of four, which is just crazy to think!
Yesterday was a nice "me" day....I met a friend (and old coworker) of mine for breakfast. Then I went to the AT&T store to get a new phone. Long story short....I inherited Gabe's old iPhone and it started randomly shutting off on me and the only way I could get it back on was to plug it in. I took it to the Apple Store and they tried doing something to it and it didn't work. So I had to bite the bullet and buy a new one. After going to AT&T, I had an appointment to get my haircut. Gabe had Avery over at my In-Laws' house for most of the morning for a nice visit.
Once they got home, we played then went out to Moe's for dinner. We put Avery to bed and just relaxed.
This morning Avery and I went to one of her friend's house for a playdate. The kids had a great time! After coming home and getting lunch for Avery, I went grocery shopping. We spent the rest of the day just relaxing and playing with Avery.
Just gearing up for the week ahead-work and the arrival of the new baby on Friday (if not before)!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
T Minus 1 Week....
In one week from now, we will have another baby.
One week.
Yes, it could be earlier than that, but no matter what, in one week he/she will be here with us.
I can't wrap my head around it.
Today I took Avery to my doctor's appointment-the last one she'll be accompanying me to. In fact, my doctor told me I could cancel next week's appointment since I'm scheduled for the c-section on Friday. I haven't decided yet what I'm going to-if I should go or skip it. So, today might have been my last check up.
Then I took Avery to our last story time before baby.
And we're gearing up for our last weekend as a family of three.
It's weird having an end-day in sight. It's hard to explain, but it's just a weird feeling.
Physically we're ready-the room is as ready as it's going to get at this point. I want to put up shelves, but we don't even have any yet so I know that's not going to happen anytime soon. Baby's laundry is done and clothes are put away. My hospital bag is packed and pretty much ready to go. Bottles, etc have been cleaned and put away in the cupboards. My body is ready to be done-just not comfortable lately and ready to have this baby out.
Mentally I don't think we're ready. Can you ever be?!
It's a weird mix of emotions this time around. Of course we're excited to meet this baby (and know what it is!) and have it in our lives. I'm nervous about how Avery is going to do with the whole transition-with me not being home a few days, adjusting to the baby, etc. And part of me is sad that these are the last few days that my baby girl will be just that-my baby girl. Yes, she'll always be my baby, but she'll now be sharing the spotlight with another. She won't be getting 100% of the attention on her now which will be a change for everyone. And of course I already feel bad for #2 because he/she will never ever have 100% of the spotlight like Avery did. I also am nervous about the whole newborn stage again. It feels like forever ago that Avery was a newborn and honestly I don't remember it much (hello sleep deprivation?!). It'll be hard getting used to sleepless nights again and really not being able to nap this time around since Avery doesn't really nap anymore.
It's going to be an adjustment, that's for sure.
I have a week (at most) to prepare for it....
One week.
Yes, it could be earlier than that, but no matter what, in one week he/she will be here with us.
I can't wrap my head around it.
Today I took Avery to my doctor's appointment-the last one she'll be accompanying me to. In fact, my doctor told me I could cancel next week's appointment since I'm scheduled for the c-section on Friday. I haven't decided yet what I'm going to-if I should go or skip it. So, today might have been my last check up.
Then I took Avery to our last story time before baby.
And we're gearing up for our last weekend as a family of three.
It's weird having an end-day in sight. It's hard to explain, but it's just a weird feeling.
Physically we're ready-the room is as ready as it's going to get at this point. I want to put up shelves, but we don't even have any yet so I know that's not going to happen anytime soon. Baby's laundry is done and clothes are put away. My hospital bag is packed and pretty much ready to go. Bottles, etc have been cleaned and put away in the cupboards. My body is ready to be done-just not comfortable lately and ready to have this baby out.
Mentally I don't think we're ready. Can you ever be?!
It's a weird mix of emotions this time around. Of course we're excited to meet this baby (and know what it is!) and have it in our lives. I'm nervous about how Avery is going to do with the whole transition-with me not being home a few days, adjusting to the baby, etc. And part of me is sad that these are the last few days that my baby girl will be just that-my baby girl. Yes, she'll always be my baby, but she'll now be sharing the spotlight with another. She won't be getting 100% of the attention on her now which will be a change for everyone. And of course I already feel bad for #2 because he/she will never ever have 100% of the spotlight like Avery did. I also am nervous about the whole newborn stage again. It feels like forever ago that Avery was a newborn and honestly I don't remember it much (hello sleep deprivation?!). It'll be hard getting used to sleepless nights again and really not being able to nap this time around since Avery doesn't really nap anymore.
It's going to be an adjustment, that's for sure.
I have a week (at most) to prepare for it....
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Snow!
Around these parts, we're used to snow in the winter time. This year has been a very unusual winter thus far. Here it is mid-January and we've only seen snow maybe 3 times so far. And it hasn't been a lot of snow either-mostly a dusting here and there.
Over the weekend we actually got some measurable snow-maybe 6" at the most I'm guessing.
Sunday we took advantage of it and took Avery outside!
Here she is all geared up and ready to go!
Feeling the snow out a bit:
And walking in it:
She didn't last long-maybe 15 minutes outside then she wanted to come in. I wasn't going to complain because I was freezing as well! But at least she got out and had some fresh air. The funny thing is that today it's in the 40's and raining out....so once again the snow has melted! A very odd winter for us so far-but I'm not complaining!
Over the weekend we actually got some measurable snow-maybe 6" at the most I'm guessing.
Sunday we took advantage of it and took Avery outside!
Here she is all geared up and ready to go!
Feeling the snow out a bit:
Friday, January 13, 2012
Baked Mac-N-Cheese
I'll be honest, I LOVE macaroni and cheese....who doesn't?! But....I've never tried to make it myself. Not the homemade kind at least! I saw this recipe from our local grocery store, Wegman's, and decided to give it a try since it seemed pretty easy.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
1 lb elbow macaroni
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan
5 tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
3 1/2 cups milk
1 lb shredded cheddar cheese
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1. Cook pasta according to directions on box.
2. Mix bread crumbs and paremesan in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Heat butter in a large saucepan. When melted, add flour and stir until smooth. Cook 3-4mins or until golden brown.
4. Add milk 1 cup at a time and whisk until smooth. Once all milk is added, bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat for 10mins, whisking at times.
5. Add cheddar cheese and stir until melted and smooth. Add salt and nutmeg and mix well. Add pasta and stir until coated.
6. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Dump in pasta mixture and spread out. Top with bread crumb mixture.
7. Bake on 400 for 15-20min or until golden.
Notes: Instead of parmesan, I used pecorino romano cheese and I used skim milk instead of whole milk like they say. For the cheddar cheese, I used a mild cheddar although I'm sure sharp would be just as good. One other thing I might do differently next time is that it tells you to make the sauce in a large saucepan, then add the pasta to it. Well, it was so much stuff that it nearly overflowed my pan so next time I might use a bigger pot-like a stock pot or something for it. And my baking dish was a decent size (2.5 qt I think) and the pasta was right up to the rim of it! So maybe a bigger baking dish next time too! I also don't own a whisk so instead I just stirred the butter/flour/milk combination and it worked just fine.
This turned out very good! It's a very easy recipe too so I'll definitely make it again. And it makes a ton! All three of us had it for dinner and leftovers the next night and I still had enough to freeze for another meal! I love when that happens!
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
1 lb elbow macaroni
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan
5 tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
3 1/2 cups milk
1 lb shredded cheddar cheese
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1. Cook pasta according to directions on box.
2. Mix bread crumbs and paremesan in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Heat butter in a large saucepan. When melted, add flour and stir until smooth. Cook 3-4mins or until golden brown.
4. Add milk 1 cup at a time and whisk until smooth. Once all milk is added, bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat for 10mins, whisking at times.
5. Add cheddar cheese and stir until melted and smooth. Add salt and nutmeg and mix well. Add pasta and stir until coated.
6. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Dump in pasta mixture and spread out. Top with bread crumb mixture.
7. Bake on 400 for 15-20min or until golden.
Notes: Instead of parmesan, I used pecorino romano cheese and I used skim milk instead of whole milk like they say. For the cheddar cheese, I used a mild cheddar although I'm sure sharp would be just as good. One other thing I might do differently next time is that it tells you to make the sauce in a large saucepan, then add the pasta to it. Well, it was so much stuff that it nearly overflowed my pan so next time I might use a bigger pot-like a stock pot or something for it. And my baking dish was a decent size (2.5 qt I think) and the pasta was right up to the rim of it! So maybe a bigger baking dish next time too! I also don't own a whisk so instead I just stirred the butter/flour/milk combination and it worked just fine.
This turned out very good! It's a very easy recipe too so I'll definitely make it again. And it makes a ton! All three of us had it for dinner and leftovers the next night and I still had enough to freeze for another meal! I love when that happens!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
38 Weeks-Baby #2
Today I'm 38 weeks along-only 2 more weeks to go (2 weeks 2 days until the planned c-section)!
How I'm feeling/sleeping: I hope I'm not jinxing it, but I haven't itched in a few days now. I have no idea what changed because I'm not doing anything different, but it's wonderful! I think I woke up once in the past 4 nights to scratch and that's it! Of course I am up between 1-3 times to use the bathroom overnight. My feet have been swelling again by the end of the day. Overall I'm doing ok-sore here and there but overall hangin' in there.
Appointments/events: I've had two-one last Friday and one today. Last Friday they said I lost 7lbs (there goes the 7 I gained last time!). Total gained so far according to them is 18lbs. It was a very quick appointment-the usual bathroom sample, weight, blood pressure, heartbeat-that was it. In and out very quick.
Today they said I gained 4lbs (according to my scale I haven't gained anything in the past few weeks) so right now I'm up a total of 22lbs. I had my first pelvic exam and I'm currently 1.5cm dilated! I was totally shocked because I never dilated with Avery until after I was induced. Yes it gets my hopes up, but at the same time I know I can stay that way for weeks with nothing else taking place. Everything else was pretty normal and I go back again next Friday.
Cravings/Aversions: Nada-still eating too much junk! Haha!
Movement: Yes, my stomach looks alien-like at times-this baby is all over the place!
Avery's thoughts: Still thinks it's a girl and has her named already-but I'm not sharing since she likes a name on our list!
Here are my photos for this week. The pink shirt is me at 39 weeks with Avery and the black shirt is me today at 38 weeks. Honestly, I don't think I look much bigger than at 36 weeks-so I guess that's good!
How I'm feeling/sleeping: I hope I'm not jinxing it, but I haven't itched in a few days now. I have no idea what changed because I'm not doing anything different, but it's wonderful! I think I woke up once in the past 4 nights to scratch and that's it! Of course I am up between 1-3 times to use the bathroom overnight. My feet have been swelling again by the end of the day. Overall I'm doing ok-sore here and there but overall hangin' in there.
Appointments/events: I've had two-one last Friday and one today. Last Friday they said I lost 7lbs (there goes the 7 I gained last time!). Total gained so far according to them is 18lbs. It was a very quick appointment-the usual bathroom sample, weight, blood pressure, heartbeat-that was it. In and out very quick.
Today they said I gained 4lbs (according to my scale I haven't gained anything in the past few weeks) so right now I'm up a total of 22lbs. I had my first pelvic exam and I'm currently 1.5cm dilated! I was totally shocked because I never dilated with Avery until after I was induced. Yes it gets my hopes up, but at the same time I know I can stay that way for weeks with nothing else taking place. Everything else was pretty normal and I go back again next Friday.
Cravings/Aversions: Nada-still eating too much junk! Haha!
Movement: Yes, my stomach looks alien-like at times-this baby is all over the place!
Avery's thoughts: Still thinks it's a girl and has her named already-but I'm not sharing since she likes a name on our list!
Here are my photos for this week. The pink shirt is me at 39 weeks with Avery and the black shirt is me today at 38 weeks. Honestly, I don't think I look much bigger than at 36 weeks-so I guess that's good!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Last Date Night
Last night, Gabe and I went on our last date night before the baby's arrival.
I had a gift card to use at the Melting Pot, so that is where we went.
Dinner was very good. I opted not to do the whole 4 course thing and instead just got the cheese fondue and chocolate fondue along with a salad. Gabe did order an entree, but said afterward that next time he probably won't-we were just too full at the end of the meal!
It was very nice and relaxing and we were in a very secluded table so it was like we were the only ones in the restaurant. It was nice getting a break and just enjoying each other's company. I know in just a few short weeks that we won't get much of that anymore!
And a special thank you to my Mom for coming out and babysitting for us! We appreciate it!
I had a gift card to use at the Melting Pot, so that is where we went.
Dinner was very good. I opted not to do the whole 4 course thing and instead just got the cheese fondue and chocolate fondue along with a salad. Gabe did order an entree, but said afterward that next time he probably won't-we were just too full at the end of the meal!
It was very nice and relaxing and we were in a very secluded table so it was like we were the only ones in the restaurant. It was nice getting a break and just enjoying each other's company. I know in just a few short weeks that we won't get much of that anymore!
And a special thank you to my Mom for coming out and babysitting for us! We appreciate it!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Names
So now that we're officially in the month and year of our baby's birth, we have to get crackin' and think of some names!
We're pretty set with a boys' name since when we had Avery we didn't know what we were having. Luckily the boy name we picked out then is still our top boy name so we don't have to think of that at all. Of course I'm not sharing just in case ;)
Girl names however, we're stumped.
Since we have an Avery, we want a name somewhat along the same lines-not too plain-Jane and not too "out there" weird. It's hard thinking of something that fits along those lines that flows well with our last name, etc.
And I think Gabe and I have different tastes when it comes to names. He tends to gravitate towards more traditional names where I tend to gravitate towards more uncommon names. I think I have a list of about ten names and I don't think he really cares for any of them! And I can say that some that he has suggested I haven't been to fond of either.
We do have a few girl names that we're tossing around, but are still unsure-definitely a work in progress! I think if it ends up being a girl, she might be nameless longer than Avery was!
We're pretty set with a boys' name since when we had Avery we didn't know what we were having. Luckily the boy name we picked out then is still our top boy name so we don't have to think of that at all. Of course I'm not sharing just in case ;)
Girl names however, we're stumped.
Since we have an Avery, we want a name somewhat along the same lines-not too plain-Jane and not too "out there" weird. It's hard thinking of something that fits along those lines that flows well with our last name, etc.
And I think Gabe and I have different tastes when it comes to names. He tends to gravitate towards more traditional names where I tend to gravitate towards more uncommon names. I think I have a list of about ten names and I don't think he really cares for any of them! And I can say that some that he has suggested I haven't been to fond of either.
We do have a few girl names that we're tossing around, but are still unsure-definitely a work in progress! I think if it ends up being a girl, she might be nameless longer than Avery was!
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