Exactly 1 Week Till My Due Date

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Well here I am. 7 days away from my "estimated due date" for this baby. Sunday I started to get that, I feel awful feeling that many momma's get at the end of their pregnancy. (maybe I was excited about the prospect of yummy Mexican food) But Monday I felt like I had a good kick of energy for most of the day. I got a lot more organized and cleaned up in my house which feels amazing to get things progressing to cleaning up the clutter. I even organized the garage a little better. (don't really want to fall down from all the clutter in the garage when carrying baby.) Here are some things that I have done to get ready for baby:

Food prep:
I have been cooking like a mad woman building up our stock pile of frozen meals so that I won't have to "cook" after baby for awhile. It's a lot of food and I am basically making one meal a day at this point.

In the last week I have made: 
16 breakfast burritos (1 batch makes 10 burritos)
4 pans of chicken enchiladas (one batch makes 4 8x8 pans)
2 pans of chicken tetrazzini (one batch makes 2 8x8 pans)
Large pot of taco soup (makes about 12 servings).
1 frozen loaf of bread (we ate the other loaf for last week) I just need to stock pile them now

I still have to make:
Red sauce enchiladas (2 8x8 pans)
pasta fagoli soup (12 servings)
spaghetti casserole (4 8x8 pans)
quiche (2 pie pans)
chicken pot pie (2 pie pans)
Pot of chili soup (12 servings)
6 loaves of bread

All this food is for some while guests are here and we are hoping to have some even after the family leaves so that I still don't have to cook while I am adjusting to being a mom of 2. That is the plan let's see if it actually works.

Organizing/Cleaning:

I am cleaning and organizing all the rooms of the house it feels like. I believe this is called nesting. I have some boxes that have to be moved down to the basement to get them out of the main part of the house or hidden in closets. It just feels good to finally get things moving and cleaned up even more so.

Also I am scheduled to have Molly maids come out Monday to put the spick and span touch on my house for me. I just don't have the energy to vacuum and mop all in one day the whole house, plus they will deep clean the bathrooms and dust the whole house and just make my house sparkle before our guests arrive. My goal is though to clean the carpet in the main level living room since that has the most stains thanks to Mason and not wanting to keep his food in the kitchen area.

Still need to finish up with the baby clothing too. All of this has to be done by Saturday the 10! I refuse to clean on mother's day and the cleaning ladies will be here early Monday.

Happy Easter!

I just wanted to send a little bit of love out there today and wish you all a happy Easter! I love holidays because it is an excuse for me to over cook and have fun and do my most favorite thing, family time! I miss not having my extended family near where we live but it allows Matt and me to build our own traditions.

Tonight will be a fun filled dinner of Chicken Scampi, recipe from Karrie at her Blog, Happy Money Saver (who has amazing freezer recipes and lots of other great stuff, check her out!).

And for dessert, well I will let the pictures speak for themselves! Made from scratch Chocolate cupcakes filled with homemade caramel sauce, topped with buttercream frosting, toasted coconut, peanut M&M's, and a licorice handle. I will let you soak that in for a bit...

I had a little bit of fun this morning in the kitchen with an almost 3 year old running everywhere throwing his new bouncy balls everywhere that were in his easter basket. My house might look like a mess right now, with candy wrappers and his fuzzy balls all over the floor but my desserts look like a million bucks!

Happy Easter!

Poor Mason

~Mason icing his finger like the big boy he is!~

Mason and Daddy went on a healthy little walk last night. Mason took a spill and injured his pinky finger. (ripped off his fingernail) Daddy fixed it all better, even with dealing with a screaming fit throwing toddler! I was at symphony rehearsal last night so Daddy took care of Mason all by himself. GO DADDY!

Today the finger is swollen, and Mason is not using that hand at all, or as little as he can. So I am currently waiting for Mason's doc office to call back to let us know if they want us to come in to get him checked out or not. So is the day of a mommy!

Prepping For Labor: Leaving The Hospital

 ~Daddy and Mason the morning after we arrived home. We were all exhausted!~

*If you are new to the blog, WELCOME! Please click on the Pregnancy tab at the top of the page to see other posts on pregnancy!*

Fast forward to after labor and some recovery, as most of your recovery will be at home. It's your last day at the hospital and eating yummy hospital food. (my hospital food wasn't too bad last time I was there. They were very accommodating to my melon allergy and brought me red meat). Generally release time is from the hospital is like check out of a hospital. Around 11 or 12. There could possibly be an orientation for new parents along with a breakfast /brunch. Make sure you check with the hospital on their checkout procedures when you are doing your hospital tour. I didn't go to the brunch provided by my hospital as we opted to only be in the hospital until Mason was 24 hours old. I wanted to get home and have a little extra time with daddy at home before he left for Iraq. We checked out of the hospital at midnight. I felt very blessed to get a whole extra day at home with daddy.

The Day After: During the day following your birth, or shortly after, (if you deliver during the middle of the night) There will be staff workers coming in to have you and dad fill out the social security paperwork for your new baby. The official paperwork for the birth certificate. They will also hand you a folder with brochures and of course your cute little foot print that they made of your new baby just after they are born. In the folder will have the address as to where you send the paperwork for the birth certificate and social security card. Put this in your file you have and put it in your bag right away. You don't want to have to be looking for it later and it is very important.

~Mason at 3 days old at the airport to say bye-bye to daddy. Daddy left for Iraq with the Army for 11 months~

Rooming In: Rooming in is having the baby be with you at all times. Following a non-complication delivery and birth, the baby will be put in a bassinet and wheeled with you to your recovery room. The bassinet will be fully stocked with diapers, wipes, ointment, the nose bulb thing along with other things you could possibly need. If you need to rest away from the baby for a time you have the option to send the baby to the nursery. Before you let them cart off the baby to the nursery make sure you pack daddy's bag with the diapers and whips, and when baby comes back the bassinet will be fully stocked again. I delivered Mason at 8:50pm. We got in my recovery room by 11pm. I was exhausted. My high from the hormones was gone and I just wanted to sleep. Mason was nursing but my nipples were already hurting. I remember he was crying and I started crying cause I just wanted to sleep. I put on my birth plan rooming in at my discretion but in nursery no pacifier, sugar water or formula. Breast milk only.

Matt was already out cold on the cot next to mine. I called the nurse and asked for Mason to be taken to the nursery for 2-3 hours and to return him for nursing. The nurse took him and I passed out and woke up about 3 hours later. Freaking out cause I hadn't been woken up for him to be fed. I called the nurse and they brought him back and he nursed like a champ. Nurse said he was great and slept the whole time. No crying or fussing. The nurse also helped me learn how to hold him how he liked to be held. Of course after he nursed he started crying again and I couldn't fix him so I called the nurse but that is what they are there for.

So the rule for rooming in, if you send the baby to the nursery, take the diapers and wipes from the bassinet. They are for you to have. To help you during this new experience. And it is ok to send the baby to the nursery. You are not a bad mom for doing so if you had planned on not doing it originally. We all need some sleep, and the baby will be back in about 3 hours or when they are hungry anyhow.

Stay Neat And Tidy: Make sure you keep dad's bag packed with all the stuff you get from the hospital. Just try to keep your room as clutter free as possible so that you are trying to figure out what to do with everything. Friends are going to stop by, you might have some stuffed animals, throw them in the bag. We had a little trolly thing that we pushed our stuff out on so that helped. I just couldn't believe that we had as much stuff as we did for only about 36 hours total. Also during the day before you leave or earlier before you leave have dad take stuff out to the car so you don't have as much stuff. He has to go out and get the car seat anyhow.

Actually leaving the hospital: You will want to change your baby in the going home outfit you planned and picked out for them. It will feel weird dressing them and their outfit will be hanging on them because they really are small. You will be required to put your baby in the car seat and have it inspected by the nurses before you will be allowed to leave the hospital. Then you will more than likely have to walk to you the front entrance. This was shocking to me. I always saw women being wheeled out to the doors after having a baby, but nope. You will generally walk. It is good for you anyhow but it is hard. I felt like I had ran 5 miles just getting from our room to the front doors to where Matt picked me and Mace up. It was the hardest and slowest and most uncomfortable walk I have ever done. Just be prepared for the idea that you might actually have to walk a good distance to leave the hospital. Even after a c-section. Have your significant other put the car seat in the base so you don't have to lift the baby, and enjoy the ride home sitting next to your baby watching them so intently as you go over bumps and around turns. And notice how well your SO will drive, how safe they are and how much they are driving under the speed limit!

I hope this helps you prepare for leaving the hospital. This is great for me to remember. I have been asking my friends who have had babies recently seeing if I missed anything but I guess my memory was coming back at this point.

Summer Activities For Mom's and Babies

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We are so lucky, momma's! Because we are having our babies at the beginning of the summer, meaning we aren't pregnant during the hottest part of the year. Be thankful. Been there done that. Sucks! We aren't having our babies in winter either which means we aren't stuck in the house for months at a time. We have the beautiful heat of the summer to enjoy. So here are a couple of ideas to help us get out of the house with baby
and have fun.

~Early morning walks. Before the heat of the day picks up, and you will probably be up anyways, go take you new little one for a little walk in the stroller. It is good for you, helps with weightless. Good for baby because it gets them some Vitamin D, (don't forget sunblock and a hat for baby) And it gets you out of the house! It doesn't have to be a 5 mile stretch. But a 30 minute walk will do you and baby some good. Also you burn extra calories when you are pushing the stroller. Don't forget to take you 4 legged buddy with you as they probably need the fresh air too. (Make sure that your pet is properly trained and never, ever attach the leash to the stroller for safety reason!)

~Go to the park. You have a 6 week old and you are at the park sitting on the bench? Huh? Yes it is ok to go to the park and just sit there. Again, fresh air for you and baby, and out of the house. It gets you used to how to leave the house too without taking everything in the house with you. But it is a great place to meet other mother's. And who knows there might be another new mom with a little one there too.

Also if you have other kids, they need to get out. Trust me. They don't like being cooped up as much as you don't. So let them run wild at the park. Take a carrier or sling for new baby and go have some fun.

~Find a pool or splash park. Again sun is good, sunblock and hat for baby! But get your baby used to water. Check the pools rules on age of child and check with your baby's doc to see if it is ok or not. But if you have an older child they will love the pool and splash park. I plan on visiting the splash park a ton with Mason and sitting on the side with new baby.

~Reading classes at the library. Babies can read? Get an early start on loving to read. Your local public library more than likely has child reading classes, that are free! It teaches your baby how to act when someone else is taking. It engages them in reading, and gets them used other children around them.

~Play dates. With all the new mom's you are meeting what a great chance to start setting up play dates. Where the kids will play or be held by you and you and the other moms can swap stories of birth, and crazy nights you have had, share advice and just be someone who you can talk to and have listen to you. You need to get out of the house, you need adult contact, you need friends and we are all learning together how to be moms.

Prepping For Labor: Recovery

*Please note that this is a descriptive post, if you don't want to know what happens after having a baby stop reading. Also if you are new to the blog click on the Pregnancy tab at the top of the page to see other posts on pregnancy!*

So this is the part I was not well informed on prior to experiencing it. At all! My birthing class I was in was discussing this topic 3 days after I had my son so yeah didn't do me any good at all. At least my doula had a great birth story to share with my classmates. So to say I was questioning everything is an understatement. I had no idea. I later told my doula about my recovery woes and she forgot that we hadn't discussed it at all. So these are the things that I remember just after I had Mason. And some things from books and other resources.

~Mommy, Daddy and Mason, first family photo~

Just After Baby: Once the baby comes out the doc will probably stitch you up pretty quickly, if you tore, and then the 3rd stage of labor happens. The placenta is birthed. Yes birthed. You will need to do slight pushing to get that thing out but it is not like having to push the baby out. My doula snapped a pix of me mid push of the placenta and I looked like I was still in labor, ( I was) but I just wasn't expecting it to be how it was. I had to push after I just pushed my baby out. It was weird.

I was shaking uncontrollably. My whole body. I thought only women who got an epidural would shake afterwards, cause that is what I had seen on TV and most other people I knew at the time had done medicated births. I was surprised and asked the nurse, "Are you sure I should be shaking this much?" It lasted for about 45 minutes. During this time the nurse will probably push on your tummy to check that it is shrinking down well enough. I told her that mine was doing fine and she didn't believe me and when she checked she said that I was right.

Within 2 hours after baby:  You will be encouraged to nurse your baby. Use this time to have your doula or the nurse help you. You will need help. Trust me. It is not some magical thing that just happens like it should. Nursing takes practice. And the wrong latch at first will hurt and you will have cracked nipples by the morning.

Pictures. The nurses will clean up all evidence of birth super quick, like scary quick and they will put a nice clean sheet over you. Invite family in that are waiting in the lobby, if you want to have the picture taken and meet the new baby. You will look like crap or possibly a little out of it and your smile will be funny and lopsided, unless you had full hair and makeup done prior. We call this the Kardashian look. Don't let them stay too long. You are on a little bit of a schedule. The hospital wants you out of your birthing/delivery room in about 2 hours.

Be ready to do something you never thought you would do! Another blogger calls this their moment of shame is lost! (-10 birth surprises first days delivery- there is strong language in this post) You will have to go to the bathroom and pee in front of your nurse. You have to go into the bathroom and go pee or at least push out some more "stuff". The nurse will squat in front of you and will use the oh so wonderful squirt bottle to clean you off. You can't wipe down there and you get to use warm water for awhile. I really like the bottle. It feels so nice. Anyhew. Just know that you will have to get over this fact and that you are going to get to know your nurse really, really, really well. Then the nurse is going to hand you some mesh undies and a pad. Put the pad in the mesh undies. They will catch the overflow from the pad. And go waddle in your diaper back to your bed and get ready to have to walk, yes walk, to your new room on the other side of the maternity wing!

~One proud Daddy!~

After 2 hours: You will walk to your new room. Past the nursery where your little one could be getting some vitals taken and them doing the foot stick and everything. Or they could be right in front of you being wheeled by the nurse. I think Mason was with us when we moved. (a little foggy on that one) I do remember getting to the room and had to nurse him though, or at least try it again. My nipples were already killing me and I was super tired.

~Mason at about 12 hours old.~

I will say the nurse will ask you if you want any pain meds or ibuprofen. I opted for the IB and she then handed me a frozen glove. She said to put it on top of the pad to help the swelling of my bits. Second favorite thing to the squirt bottle was this frozen glove. No joke! As I nursed Mason I used one. When I called the nurse to take him I asked for another. 3 hours later I asked for another and in the morning I asked for another but the nurse said, "normally we only give 1 or 2." I said it felt really nice and I just wanted 1 more. So I got it. BEST THING EVER! After that I was given this cold spray stuff for my hemorrhoids I got from pushing the kid out, and tucks pads that you line the pad with to help with the swelling.

The next morning, my nurse looked at my bits again to check that the hemorrhoids were going down and that the swelling was looking good, and my stitch. But at least she didn't push on my belly. That's really about all at this point. After that I just stayed in bed, nursed rested and then went home that night to get extra time with daddy at home.

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Coconut Oil For Moms and Babies

With this super long winter I have been having super dry skin. My friend recommended using coconut oil on my hands to help alleviate the dry patchy skin. It got me thinking about other uses that I have used coconut oil for. Make sure you get a good quality brand. I get Spectrum at Whole Foods or you can find it at Amazon.

Here is some info I found on Coconut oil:
Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, a rare medium-chain fatty acid that is also present in breast milk. Lauric acid is ant viral, anti fungal, and antibacterial. Increasing your coconut oil consumption during pregnancy might help support both your and your developing baby's immune systems.

A lot of the sites I looked at suggested that you actually consume, like take a teaspoon and eat it straight up. I can't do that but there are plenty of other uses I found that it works for. (I will use it in cooking though in place of regular oils.)

Uses of Coconut Oil for Moms: 

During Pregnancy:

~While pregnant you can use coconut oil on your ever growing belly to help prevent itchiness. It can even help reduce the amount of stretch marks or reduce the stretch marks you already have with regular use. (it's cause of that fatty acid chain)

~Use it to help with dryness, if you have any, you know, down there or to help aid in perineal massage when approaching your due date.

~If your face is super dry you can use it as a moisturizer at night. I have been doing this for about 2 weeks now. I tend to break out while pregnant and I have noticed that all my zits are gone.

Post-Partum for Moms:

~I use coconut oil as a nipple cream. It is safe for babies to consume, and doesn't taste too badly but because of the anti-viral, anti-viral, and antibacterial properties it will help to safely keep your nipples happy and healthy. Cracked nipples, it will help them heal faster and stay healed. And it is not sticky like lanolin. In January a friend of mine just had her new baby and within 2 days had sore cracked nipples. She started using coconut oil and within a few days they were healing and by a week they were complely healed. Apply a small amount with breast milk all over nipples  after every feeding and allow to soak in through "air drying".

~Again use it on your now shrinking belly to help reduce itching.

Uses of Coconut Oil For Babies: 

~Does your baby have cradle cap? It is one of the most common things that babies develop. It looks like a yellowish dandruff. And it is ok. Coconut oil is great to treat this, instead of buying the expensive cradle cap ointment at the store which can be full of things we really don't want to put on the baby. Coconut oil might be in a solid form when you buy it but it melts very quickly from our body heat. Easy to apply to a sensitive newborns head that has already been traumatized from birth. Rub some coconut oil on the babies head and allow to soak for 20 minutes. Gently rinse the oil out and using a soft brush, brush the flakes off. It can take a few treatments for all the flakes to go away but you will notice a difference.

~Diaper cream is expensive. If you already have a good quality coconut oil on hand you can use it on your babies sensitive bum. If you apply a small amount just after birth it can help reduce the stickiness of the meconium (the tar like poop on the diapers for the first few days of birth) on the babies behind. Making changes faster and a little easier.

~Also it can help reduce and heal diaper rash as it is a lubricant and helps heal owies.

~Last thing for babies, great as a lotion and as a massage oil for your baby. Babies love being touched and it help to grow your bond with each other. It will soak into their sensitive skin easily and keep it moisturized just like it does for you!

Getting Back To Normal Life…NOT

It is so hard returning from a vacation. You get out of the habits of everyday life. And with a very regular 2 year old. It has been a trying one for me here at the house. Poor kid had his toys taken away because he refused to clean them back up. A whole week we spent without toys and the responsibility of him having to clean up after himself and he forgets, or just doesn't want to. (I am not a mean mom, but the rule in this house is to clean up the toys before he comes up from the basement. If he doesn't then toys go bye-bye for a day.) Usually after taking 1 or 2 toys away he cleans but the other day, nope. Half of his toys were locked in the storage room.

At least his sleeping and napping schedule isn't too far off. Now we are adjusting to to my hub's new work schedule he was assigned yesterday. Let's just say, these are going to be long, long, long days with the kid and I before I get relieved of my duties!

Positive note, started going through some pictures from the trip, not race related. These are definitely my fav! It was Mason's first meet and greet. He patiently waited, in his stroller for his turn, to meet his favorite character, Captain America! There were lots of Awe's from everyone watching as Mason gave him a hug, and CPT seemed to really enjoy it and was very good with Mason. Probably going to print these off and hang them in Mason's room!

Disney On A Budget

2 weeks from today we will be leaving on our little "trip". Little HA! This is a big trip for us and with that has come a lot, TONS, of pre-planning to make sure that it goes nice and smoothly.

As you know vacations can become pretty pricy. And trips to Disney, well they are pricey! We are attempting Disney on a budget this time around. So here are some ideas that we have come up with to help save some pennies on this trip.

~Since we live on the east coast we decided to drive and take what we wanted with us. We figured that driving would be about as much as flying since Mason now requires a ticket to fly so we would be paying for 3 people to fly. We are splitting up the driving between 2 days though to make it easier on this momma to be and a 2.5 year old. I am so excited to be stopping in cities that I have never visited before!  Since we are driving we can take Mason's mattress with us since he has never slept in a twin sized bed yet plus his toys and some of his plates and cups. Plus toys and other things that he likes. I feel like we are going to pack up the whole house just for this kid! (so thankful for my van! It can haul a ton of stuff!)

~Time share- We are going on this trip with a friend and her hubby and we are staying in a time share as opposed to staying on the Disney Resort. (The night before the race K and I will be staying on Resort while the men stay at the time share so that her and I can get some sleep before the very early wake- up call!) By doing this we are able to save money. Try to see if timeshares have transportation provided to the parks or not because then you have to pay for parking everyday or every time you leave and come back to the park. Which can get pricey.

~Bring your own food. With staying in a Time Share we are getting a full kitchen. Disney resorts do have some accommodations that have full kitchens in them so there are some options there. And if you fly it is hard to bring your own food but you can still shop at the store and make your own food and still save money. Food at the parks can get expensive!  Dinner- I am bringing 5 freezer meals for dinner with us. We are keeping them good in a chest with dry ice on the way down to make sure they stay frozen. Pack a lunch- We will be brining our lunches with us on most of the days. I am making all the bread needed for PB &J sandwiches and will have some snacks pre made for the days to keep the kid entertained. We are stopping at the store to get the basic essentials that we will need for the week, fruit, veggies, milk and eggs.

~Bring you own water bottles. There are drinking fountains all over the parks and water bottles get expensive if you have to buy one every time you get thirsty, and our kid, LOVES water! So this is a must for us, his cup and water bottles for us.

~There are different ways to get discounts on ticket prices. Military can go through their MWR to get military priced tickets. Travel agencies can possibly get you a discounted package price or AAA might have variation prices or purchase a package with lower prices. Most people want to spend 5 days at the parks but they might only have a 4 day and 4 night package. It might save you a ton of money to do that option instead of the 5 day option.

I still have a ton of things to do before we leave but I can't believe that this is so close now! I love Disney and am so excited to see Mason experience Disney for the first time!

Postnatal Yoga Article

Hey guys! Here is a great article written by my prenatal yoga instructor, Eliza, about Postnatal yoga and getting back in doing yoga after baby. Check it out!

(Eliza Whiteman)

Postnatal Yoga- How a yogi got her groove back

Couple things about Eliza. She is a mommy of 4! And she did all of her births without drugs. She is a rockstar with yoga and knows what she is talking about. For about 3 weeks I got one on one yoga instruction because I was the only one attending prenatal yoga and it was pretty awesome! Here is her website for you to check out and if you have any yoga questions shoot her an email! She is so amazing and nice!

MIA? Not Really

I know I have been MIA but this week has been a fun week for us in the Allen household. Monday was a federal holiday, which my hubs gets off, so family day for us. Then with the snow he had a half day Tuesday, yesterday and TODAY! CRAZY HUH! This central VA area just freaks out with snow and such, but the ice has been pretty bad too so I understand, and I kind of like the extra family we are getting so I haven't blogged because my schedule has been off and we have been having some fun together.

Monday Matt and I were able to go on a DATE! We try to go on one every month. We both need some time away from the kid. We went to one of our fav resurants here in town, Kabob Palace. It is an Afghan food restaurant. It is so yummy and clean tasting! And it is the only time my hubs will eat butternut squash and a salad! They have an appetizer that is called a Bolanee Kadu and it is a turnover filled with butter nut squash, onions and special seasonings served with a garlic yogurt dipping sauce. TO DIE FOR! If you have an Afghan style food restaurant look for this and try it! SO GOOD! Then they have such yummy kabobs and supper yummy brown rice and fresh from scratch made nan bread! I love that place!

Tuesday was the snow day. It finally started to come down around 10am. We didn't get too much but that night it iced completely over!

Wednesday, fun Wednesday we took Mace out to play in the snow. It was about 11 degrees out and felt like 4 per weather.com. Mason's gloves were too small so he went out without. (later my mom suggested putting socks on his hands, why didn't I think of that!) I got Mason all layered up even in his snow bibs we got at a consignment sale last fall. Mason had fun at first, following Matt around. Archer was the first to bail, his poor paws were cold. Mason liked to touch the white stuff and called it pretty but then his hands to cold. After about 10 minutes he freaked out and went to Daddy to go back inside. While inside it took about 15 minutes to calm him down from being scared not understanding what was happening to his hands and why they were so cold. Again Daddy to the rescue which is a first in this house! The rest of the day, we stayed nice and warm inside. I haven't been to the gym, due to schedules being off. And planned on going today, but as I was writing this out, Mason came upstairs to me and puked. LOVELY! Today is going to be an at home walking day it looks like. Did it yesterday too because I have to get my miles in this week. 9 miles to do on SAT!

Sorry for being MIA but loving the family time!

QOTD: How do you do exercise when the weather is freight full?

~After all the excitement in the snow we stayed inside. Learned my kid has one heck of a kicking ability!~

WE ARE HAVING A...

We are so excited to be welcoming another boy to our family. It will be easy right? I already have clothing thanks to Mace. I already have a ton of boy toys and things that we knew we would use for multiple babies, like the car seat, pack n play, crib, high chair, were all gender neutral so I was good at prepping for that.

Now, to paint Mason's new big boy room and get his new bed and bedding and that room all ready. Also to convert the toddler bed/crib back to a baby crib and put the cute bumper on and all the decorations. If I am feeling ambitious maybe I will paint the baby's room too. ( we still haven't painted anything in the house.) Go through clothing, sort. Go through all the baby gear. Get a swing, and an Ergo Baby carrier. Let the fun begin!

Oh, and a name, Yeah we have that too. His name will be Collin. We are so excited for him to join our family around 17 weeks and 1 day, give or take a few days, from now!

2013: A Year In Review

This past year has been an interesting one to say the least. My aunt says that the calendar should take a hint from hotels and omit the 13th year. It just doesn't always go right. At least my 2013 is ending on a high note!

My year began with the common, I MUST LOSE WEIGHT, mantra that all new years for most women contain. I worked with my doctor on a natural but very reduced caloric diet intake while taking medicine to help aid in the weight loss. I did lose the weight but SURPRISE, we got pregnant in March, found out April 1. Then all heck broke loose. Things weren't going well. Not even from the start. Matt was out of town the whole time I was pregnant. I had to go to the doc every couple of days for blood work and check-ups. Stress upon stress built! As did my waist line as I had many celebration and sympathy ice cream outings. All the weight I had lost at the beginning of the year was back, and it put me back at my weight from the 1st time I really lost a ton of weight back in 2010-2011.

May rolls around along with my miscarriage and the next day the arrival of Mother's Day and my husband who was hauling butt driving cross country to be with me, after his military training was done. I was in the dumps. I had low self confidence. My faith in Heavenly Father was altered. I thought for sure that it was our miracle. But nope miscarriage #2 in a row. And I had gained 15 lbs quickly and felt bad in that arena. I talked with some friends who told us about a great gym that provides day care, 2.5 hours worth a day. Membership was steeper than we like but the day care provided was the sweet note! So I enrolled in THE BIGGEST GYM I have ever been in. It has everything. Classes, track, weights, cardio, spa the works! I love it.

And I wanted/needed to get back into running. So I signed up for my first 5k. No more excuses. That was my new mantra! I put running races off for years. I thought I was too fat. Too slow. I don't have the running body type. But I have learned, it doesn't matter what you look like, or how slow you go. It is that you finish! Every time I cross that finish line, I cry because I am doing something I never thought I could do. And I don't care if I am the last one to cross. I am honored to cross that line!

I trained with amazing ladies for the women's 4 miler race! Made new friends, kept old ones from prior races. Fell in love with running again. Then BAM! SURPRISE, really, really surprise, cause we weren't "trying". PREGNANT AGAIN! But this time it sticks. My mantra, no excuses stuck in my mind. If the pregnancy is meant to be than I can still run. No excuse to stop running just cause I am pregnant. So run I did, and have! I have run in 5 races this year. 2 5k's, 1 4 miler, 1 10k, and 1 8k. I feel great about myself!

So now the end of the year, I am 20 weeks pregnant, almost 21 weeks. Still running. Still taking care of myself. And so happy with where this year has brought me. I am glad the year is over though, cause it was a rocky first half of the year but hey I survived. Now on to 2014 Where we will meet our new child, I will run more races and learn to run faster and better! I am so happy!

Good Eats: Chicken Noodle Soup

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I am in need of some comfort soup when I'm not feeling well and well, I am not feeling all too well today. Mace was a little sick on Sunday. Matt was sick for the last 2 days with some tummy issue and now I have it along with a killer headache and stuffed nose. Not feeling the love to get these sickness germs! I was hoping I could avoid it but looks like I can't. AND this is NOT the week I want to be sick on. It is concert week for me, late night rehearsals Wednesday-Friday and concert Saturday and Sunday. AND my studio Christmas recital on Saturday afternoon. NOT A GOOD WEEK TO GET SICK!

Well after some digging around on the internet I found a chicken noodle soup that actually looks really good, and it doesn't take 13 hours to make like Ina Garten recipe does. (Who has that much time to make soup when they feel like crap!)

Another food network chef I like is the Pioneer Women. I watch her when she is on at the gym and her recipes seem easy to follow and usually don't require too much to it. Her chicken noodle recipe is not brothy, it is thick and has chunks of chicken, carrots, and celery. And thickened up at the end like a rue. And she does use the bones to simmer in the broth for a little bit so you still get that "homemade broth" taste that Ina likes to do but without the time! So here it is. I am going to try it out, probably not today, since that involves leaving the house and such when I don't feel well, but I'm putting it on here for later!

Homemade Chicken and Noodles- Ree Drummond- The Pioneer Women

Prep Time:

 10 Minutes

 

Cook Time:

 1 Hour

 

Difficulty:

 Easy

 

Servings:

 6

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 whole Cut Up Fryer Chicken
• 2 whole Carrots, Diced
• 2 stalks Celery, Diced
• 1/2 whole Medium Onion, Diced (optional)
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon White Pepper (more To Taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Thyme
• 2 teaspoons Parsley Flakes
• 16 ounces, weight Frozen "homemade" Egg Noodles
• 3 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour

Preparation Instructions

Cover chicken in 4 quarts water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove chicken from pot with a slotted spoon. With two forks, remove as much meat from the bones as you can, slightly shredding meat in the process. Return bones to broth and simmer on low, covered, for 45 minutes.

Remove bones from broth with a slotted spoon, making sure to get any small bones that might have detached.

Add the carrots and celery (and onions, if using) to the pot, followed by the herbs and spices. Stir to combine and simmer for ten minutes to meld flavors.

Increase heat and add frozen egg noodles and chicken. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

Mix flour and a little water. Stir until smooth. Pour into soup, stir to combine, and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until broth thickens a bit. Test and adjust seasonings as needed.

Black Friday

How many hours have you been awake shopping on Black Friday??? I am like my mother and really don't like this day! I hate how crowded stores are but yes, I agree that there are some amazing sales. We might just go out for a couple of hours to get some kid stuff for Mace and baby #2.

Dinner vs Cookie?!?

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Oh what a dilemma we have in our house tonight! I made 14.5 dozen cookies today for a church activity tomorrow. 14.5 COOKIES! That is a ton. Needless to say we are on a bit of a cookie high right now!

Mason now knows how to move a chair to an area to climb up onto it and grab the something he wants. (Smart little cookie). Well, tonight was no different. He wanted a cookie. He only had 2 earlier today. (They are small cookies, and he doesn't eat a lot of sweets because I don't want him to be addicted to sweets like I am.) Anyhew. Dad ate a cookie while I was heating up left overs and Mason wanted one too. So I gave one to him, but I said he had to eat dinner. When dinner was ready to eat we took away said cookie, tears did ensue, and I told Mason, you may have your cookie back after dinner but you need to eat at least 5 bites. After oh, about 10 minutes of fighting, tears, and crying we walked away. While I started to write this he went back to the table all on his own and took his first bite. Then another, and another. He ended up eating 6 bites. Then he was done. I gave him his cookie and I asked, "What do you say?" He grabbed my head and gave me a long smooch right on the mouth! I would say that that was a thank you if I ever did get one!

So Mommy won the war tonight. Dad was super impressed. We worked on what is important, that dinner comes first over cookies, and worked on our counting! (I even did silly little songs to show what number we were at. He loved it, and it worked)

QOTD: How do you enforce healthy eating habits for your kids when there are little temptations in the house?