Thankful for 34 weeks!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Let me tell you about the most amazing thing at our Thanksgiving meal: crockpot mashed potatoes. Wowzers!! Seriously, I ate 2 servings at dinner then 1 serving before dessert. Oh. My. Gosh. 


So, after sharing about my 3 helpings of potatoes, you will probably find my next statement as comical as I did.... I lost 2 pounds since my appointment 2 weeks ago ( if only I had reigned my potato cravings in, I might have been down 5 pounds!!). I laughed while I was standing on the scale in the doctor's office. The best news: our little pumpkin gained 15 oz in those 2 weeks. After Doc did all his usual measuring, he said, "Yep, she looks just about average. Totally average, actually". I said, "Normally we do things ABOVE average in our house" to which he responded that I will be thankful she is "average" when I deliver. Haha. He's always got good comebacks to my sarcastic comments!

To Do List

• Register at the hospital
• Make "C" craft
• Paint/decorate frame
• Order furniture
• Finish registering
• Order bedding
• Touch up paint in our bathroom
• Finish curtain ribbon
• Make closet dividers
• Wash and hang Chloe's clothes

Added 2 things and got to cross of 2. Hopefully by the end of today I will be able to cross a couple more off but... no promises.

In other exciting news, I saw my belly button popping out ever-so-slightly this morning so I thought I'd share. Look hard, possibly you will need your magnifying glass but it's the small things that make me happy sometimes! 

New Recipes this week:

I had leftover pumpkin in the fridge from making the cheesecake so I made Iced Pumpkin Cookies for Bryce & Deb except I added some maple flavoring to the glaze. Don't be fooled though, I ate 3 for breakfast before I took them over to share  :)

For dinner I'm back to the tough decision on whether to be lazy and eat junk while Luke is at work or actually make food for myself (and he can have the leftovers the next day before work). I've decided to try a couple new, re-heatable recipes this week:

Sante Fe Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Broccoli & Sausage Egg Muffins

Slow Cooker Spinach & Tortellini Soup

If you follow me on Pinterest, I try to rate all my recipes that I've tried by (__*/5).

Final thoughts before I start on my list for the day:
It's been a tough week in our house. More growing pains, both physically and relationally. I think this week has probably been my hardest this far in my pregnancy with aches, breathing, digesting, sleeping, etc. In addition, with the adjustment to Luke's new job, things haven't been smooth between the two of us. I knew my list to get done today was getting longer but it was pouring down rain when I left the house to start my errands. I even complained to my mom on the phone about it. As I left my second stop, I had a nice reminder from God:

Not one but TWO rainbows. Thank you Lord. And I've gotta say, I had a little attitude adjustment while sitting in the Home Depot parking lot and I expect this coming week to be much better. Now time to apologize to my hubby for my crappy mood...

33 weeks!

THIRTY THREE WEEKS!!

Please note how lopsided my belly is. Chloe has taken her claim on my right side.... well, my right side when looking down at my feet!

My 3 day weekend has officially begun! Due to the fact that I work at a retail store, holidays are our busiest time. So, usually I don't get much of a break for holidays. To my greatest joy, my days off fell right next to Thanksgiving so I have 3 complete days off without having to do a status check or schedule a delivery. Ahhhh! I'm not going to even know what to do with myself. OH but wait, I have a large to-do list that I am hoping to partially tackle.

To Do List

• Register at the hospital
• Make "C" craft
• Paint frame
• Order furniture
• Finish registering
• Order bedding
• Touch up paint in our bathroom
• Finish curtain ribbon

Here's my updates for the week:

*My belly button is contemplating taking the leap to an outie. I've been watching it flirt with the idea for quite some time but when I came home from work the last couple days, it's been ever so slightly considering making the change. I've gotta say, I think it's cute when that happens so I don't mind!

*This little girl inside me has shifted significantly. In my 20's weeks,  everyone guessed that I was having a girl. I'd go to the store or shopping or even while walking to the bathroom at work and people would always ask how far along I was and say "it's a girl, right?" However, times have changed and I've been asked 3 times THIS WEEK if I'm having a boy. Crazy, huh? Just an interesting observation.

*Yesterday I was hardly able to get off the sofa. Not sure what has caused all the pain, but my right hip felt locked in one position. My afternoon was pretty much wasted sitting on my bum but I did get caught up on some computer work, folding laundry, crossing a couple things off my list, and wasted some quality time on Pinterest! The day was, oh so relaxing. Best part of the day, Jill brought me over a yummy dinner so I didn't have to prepare anything for myself!! Thanks again, Jill  :)

*Today I've been scurrying around like a mad, crazy woman! I love the holidays. However, none of the busyness has anything to do with beginning my Christmas shopping which means I will be waddling through the mall while 9 months pregnant....

New Recipe:

Rustic Tuscan Sausage Soup

No picture this week because we ate it too fast  :) Uh-freakin-mazing!!! Makes TONS of soup so make sure you have friends to share it with.

Tonight, Kaelee and I are making breakfast for dinner and I'm bringing Cinnamon Pull Apart Muffins and Glazed Fruit Medley.

Finally, this is also my week for the Pumpkins Spice & White Chocolate Cheesecake which is currently in the oven.

Here's to another week of Chloe growing and lots of yummy food. Going in for an appt next Tuesday to see my little girl again!!

-Baby Mama-

EiGhT mOnThS!!

Thirty Two Weeks!!

Got to see our little girl this week. The downside of having an ultrasound at each appointment is that they don't spend as much time on looking at her "cuteness" factor. The doctor spends most of the time measuring her head and femur, counting the heartbeats, and making sure I have enough fluid in there for her to be healthy. But regardless of that, it's fun to see her. We even had a laugh because her bladder was FULL just like mine usually is these days! She is up to 3lbs 14oz and has turned so she is no longer breech. All good news as I progress through month 8!!

The best news at our house is that Luke was offered a full time position at the Excell Center this week. He will be working Monday through Fridays 2-10pm and doing a lot of the same thing as he did at juvenile hall except that he'll be in a townhouse in the middle of Turlock just hanging out with neighbors and unlocked doors. It will be an adjustment but we are excited to see what is in store! The limo company will be put on the back burner but we are blessed that its still an option for morning funerals and weekend jobs.

On my "Saturday morning" (which was actually Tuesday), I threw the dishes in the dishwasher, started a couple loads of laundry, then dove in to my craft projects while basking in the sun. It was so great!

Finished 2 of my 4 projects FINALLY and can't wait to start on #3... No previews yet!!

Check out what my hubby surprised me with this week. Pretty sweet, huh?

Baby Daddy chilling while Chloe and I began our Christmas shopping. 2 gifts down, lots to go!!

New Recipe for the Week:

Creamy Chicken Pockets were yummy and easy. I did add some extra seasonings but, nothing new there! I'd suggest them for a quick lunch. I also used precooked, pre-shredded chicken (thank you mama for all my frozen bags!!) so it was whipped up in a jiffy.

(prebaked)

Recipe for next week:

Pumpkin Spice & White Chocolate Cheesecake

I'm sure mine won't look this wonderful but I can't wait!!!!!!

Midnight Mama Ramblings

It's actually not midnight. It's now 5:18 am and I've been laying awake for almost 2 hours. Usually I get mad at myself for not sleeping, wondering why I'm awake and what's wrong that I can't just sleep. This morning however, I've spent most of my time in prayer for our little girl and our growing family.

My hubby and I have been married for 5 years and for about 4.5 of them, I've said I'm ready for a +1. He, however, gently reminds me that he married me and wanted a little more time just the two of us. That time is quickly drawing to a close and I spent a good portion of my prayer time, praying for my marriage. It hasn't been an easy path together and I know this new addition will make our twosome tough at times, but I prayed that we will be a "bob & weave" kind of couple... prayed that we will fight on the same team instead of fighting each other... prayed that when we are both tired, we will acknowledge that fact as opposed to starting to knit pick one another.... and prayed that this new chapter of our lives will be something we can reflect on when the kids are all moved out and wonder what we were so nervous for!

I prayed that our little girl takes after her daddy. He is kind and gentle, patient and understanding. He is compassionate and overflows with sympathy. Her daddy gives the best hugs and will completely envelope you just when you need it most. He is the best listener (as long as the TV is off!) and remembers what I say. He takes my moods with a grain of salt and is so quick to forgive when I realize that I'm being a bit... cranky! When he knows I'm about to be upset, he flashes the cutest smile that he tries to use to get out of "the dog house". He's always willing to help when I ask, even if that means picking up or folding all my laundry. He would do anything for those he loves. However, as he has begun snoring while I'm writing this post, I'd have to say I'd really prefer just one freight train in the house, Chloe!

I prayed for patience. For those of you who know me best, I'm sure you have a smile on your face (and a few of you are probably even praying that for me too!!). I hate how impatient I am. As my daughter cries in the night, I want to be able to thank the Lord that He gave her to me instead of getting upset that I can't get my beauty (or should I say necessary?!) sleep. I want to respond in love when I feel like my hubby is handling her differently than I would. I want to be understanding when she starts to question "why" to everything instead of just sending her to her dad to answer the question. I want to be patient when I'm teaching discipline and I've repeated myself 27 times by 10am. Oh Lord, I need patience in the years ahead!

Finally, I prayed for our walk with Him. Luke & I met on an amazing mission trip through Israel where we got to see where Jesus walked, taught His disciples, performed miracles, and ultimately where He paid the price for our sins. I want our daughter to grow up in a Christian home where we can teach her about God's love and forgiveness, grace and eternal life. I want our daughter to know, she is a child of God.

As I see 6:00 quickly approaching, I'm going to lay back down and try to catch a couple hours of shut-eye before my alarm goes off. And as far as patience goes, I'm sure it will be put to the test today since I'll be low on sleep.... Lord, give me patience today in preparation for the years ahead!!

Thirty One Weeks

This coming Wednesday, I will have my LAST monthly appointment for Miss Chloe... Then I'm on the official crazy countdown. Whoa! I think I still look 1/2 asleep in the photo (which may be true) but I want to stay up on the weekly photos so you get them all, even the sleepy ones.

This past week has been so incredibly crazy that I'm going to try to include it all:

Monday we had a couple from our Bible study over for the evening. We'd never really done much outside of Bible study with them but I've gotta say, we've been missing out big time! We played a get-to-know-you game and only got about 1/8 way done because we ended up talking too much!!

That evening, I even got to introduce them to the infamous Ratliff "Red Hot Jello Salad". Luke was talking about my family's unique form of salad so I whipped them up a batch to take home. Thanks Burnams for the wonderful evening  :)

Tuesday we spent around the house doing projects. I even got a little crafting help from Luke:

Wednesday was spent registering at Target for Chloe. It was very interesting how different all the products were from registering at Babies R Us. I was mostly expecting to go and re-register for most of the same items but it was very different. Luke's favorite: Gyro bowl. Apparently, it's impossible to spill anything out of the bowl. So, the answer is YES, we registered for one so he could try it out.... oops, I meant so Chloe could use it :)

Here's my favorite part of Wednesday... Luke's phone went off at 7:22a.m because someone forgot to turn it on silent. I asked him what he planned to do to make up for it and he offered to take me to a movie. I thought that was a decent trade - until I found out he wanted to go see Wreck It Ralph!! He did let me go the the 3-D version (which I'd never done before) so I spent most of the movie amazed by the technology of the movie.

Thursday evening I was made an amazing batch of homemade runzas from Kaelee. I must add, I was very impressed with her culinary skills!! Worst part, I broke her salad tongs so now she knows what she is getting for Christmas  :(

Friday evening, Charlotte came over while our husbands were hard at work and we DIY'ed for the nursery. At the end of the evening, we were once again quite disappointed in our amount of accomplished work because we worked for over 2 hours but once again, we talked tooooo much to expect a huge amount of work.

We bought a new mattress for our sleeper so that guests could actually sleep comfortably at our house when they come to stay. Prior to having a nursery, we had a nice mattress in our guest bedroom but now we have reverted to a sleeper sofa. Sooooo, Luke was trying out our new mattress. I was informed it is SLEEP APPROVED.

New recipe for the week:

For dinner: Pizza Grilled Cheese. Luke rated them 9/10 stars. Here's the best part, I had to pick a few moldy spots off the bread before he noticed and he still liked them. He will find out when he reads this blog in the next couple weeks and I'll be in trouble but it's too funny not to share!!!!

Also, Banana Oatmeal Muffins are currently in the oven for breakfast tomorrow.

What a fun week it's been. I'm feeling my size a little more and more each day. Breathing is getting slightly more complicated, sleep is growing more challenging and singing is almost out of the question. I do try but I sound like I'm in the middle of a marathon! All the joys of knowing my baby girl is growing and healthy.

Thanks for reading.

-Crystal-

Eeeeekkk! 30 weeks :)

30 seems so much further than 29. 30 seems so close. And I'm so excited :) Have I told you all that yet?

This week:

We celebrated Halloween with our Bible study group at the Mast's house. Luke wore a chef's hat with a "Bun Maker" shirt while I wore the very typical "Bun in the Oven" shirt. However, we didn't get pictures  :(

I've been working on my DIY nursery projects. Right now, I'm planning to make 4 things and I accomplished 1 so far this week. My hope is to have them done in the next week or so and get them all hung. We still haven't bought our crib or dresser so this is my best attempt to plan my room:

Although it's not the best tape job, it gives me a good indication how the room will be laid out. Chloe and I talked it out and she's pretty content with it so I think we will proceed like this. I don't plan on giving a nursery reveal until I'm done but I think I've spoiled the wall color by now  :)

I've been feeling my energy slip away. This pregnancy hasn't caused me to sleep much more than I used to but I must say that around 2:00, I start moving just a little.... bit.... slower... Our evenings mostly consist of sitting or lounging because I don't have much energy left. I've been working a little later because work has been so busy and Hubby has been great about picking up the slack in the kitchen. So far this week, I've scored meatloaf, chicken casserole, and Chinese takeout!!

Today I was walking to the bathroom (no surprise there!!) and this little girl said, "Daddy, look! That girl is pregnant." It was cute. And I didn't mind  :)

Luke said I must give full disclosure so here's my honest truth for the day: while writing this blog, I just sneezed and peed a little. After "it" happened, I looked at Luke and said, "I'm turning into an old person" with my best pouty lip. After he recovered from his laughter, he said I MUST put it in the blog. So, there's the ugly (and wet) truth :)

I can't tell you all the gifts we've been given so far for our baby girl. In addition to all the presents at the baby shower, people have slowly been giving us blessings for "no reason". Here's a couple of the things that I'd love to share:

Check out this crocheted octopus!

My first diapers donated from Cohen.

Bouncer from great grandma is assembled!

Cutest swim suit ever?!

Colorful quilted blanket!

Froggy ballerina outfit from Gma Jill

Looking forward to a great week ahead. Pizza with some of our friends on Monday, 2 days off with my hubby, then good ol' runzas & Greys Anatomy with Kaelee on Thursday. Can't wait!!!!