Two Months!

Addie is already two months old. It's hard to believe that just two months ago, we welcomed our beautiful baby girl into the world. So much has changed in that short time. My insecurities of being a mother have slowly started to disappear as I feel more confident as each day passes. Addie is now not only smiling nonstop, but she has started to laugh, too! Most days she is still nursing wonderfully, but the past few days have been difficult.

One Month!

The first month of Addie's life has already passed! It went by incredibly fast. It's so fun to see her personality emerge, and she just started smiling this week. Addie's one month coincided with her Daddy's birthday (November 28). The entire family was here during her photo shoot. We're using this bunny as a prop to show how big she gets each month. A lot of people have wondered where we got her adorable onesies from. Guess what!? Those are just stickers found here on Etsy for about $10! Stick them on a plain onesie and this is what you get!

Hi 3rd Tri!!

Yay!! I'm starting the home stretch in my pregnancy because today is the beginning of my third trimester. That means 3 months. 13 weeks. 91 days. Take your pick. I'm so excited to meet Addie. It's so fun to feel her kicking, punching, and somersaulting in there. I learned that this is the most she'll move during the pregnancy because she still has room to flop around. Of course, I will FEEL her moving more in the upcoming weeks, but that will be because she's running out of room and trying to jab her way out. I don't blame her.

How far along?: 27 weeks exactly

Total weight gain: 11 whopping pounds! People still say I'm tiny. I love my little liars. ;)

How big is baby?: Miss Addison is the size of a cucumber, or about 15 inches long and 2.2 lbs.

Maternity clothes?: Oh yes. I have two pairs of jeans and two capris that I wear. Otherwise, I'm wearing normal clothes like skirts, dresses, and long tanks. I had a mini meltdown last weekend because my size 6 shorts that I wore from about the time I starting showing until recently would not fit. At all. Upside? More shopping!!

Stretch marks?: Still none but I had quite the scare the other night when I thought I had three! Thankfully, they were just marks from how I was sitting. Whew!!

Sleep?: Some nights are better than others, but overall it's not bad! Occasionally I get a bad case of acid reflux but after two Tums I can usually deal with it. I'm still sleeping on both sides, my back, and my stomach comfortably.

Best moment this week?: Today my sister treated me with a manicure and pedicure because I'm stressed out and sore.

Movement?: Kicks and punches sometimes so hard that we can see them on the outside of my stomach! They usually only happen after breakfast, in the early afternoon, and before I go to bed.

Food cravings?: Still no cravings. Love my salads, fruit, and peanut butter. I'm not going to lie... I enjoy my homemade Starbucks iced coffee every morning!!

Labor signs?: Hopefully not for a few more months

Belly button in or out?: It's definitely getting shallower. I don't know which is scarier, an outtie or stretch marks!

What I miss: My J. Crew wardrobe. And tanning.

What I'm looking forward to: Our baby shower in August. I ordered a fabulous hostess gift today and I can't wait to give it to my hostess!!

Milestone: I believe hitting the 3rd tri is a milestone in itself!

Pottery Barn Kaley Bloom Rug

PWe FINALLY decided on a rug for the living room. Please excuse the awful red throw pillows; they will be gone tomorrow! The black leather couches will not be staying forever, but right now, the baby is our first priority so the mocha sectional will have to wait. The Kaley Bloom 8x10 100% wool rug was a steal at Pottery Barn today. We were told it was originally $699 (please correct me if this info is wrong!) and got it for $239. For both Zac and I to equally love something is rare, so we knew we had to jump on this rug when we saw it! I spotted it and said, "Ooh I REALLY like this one!" He looks at me and says, "Seriously?" I instantly thought, 'Oh no, he hates it. I guess we'll keep looking' but he loved it, too! Our quest for the perfect rug has finally come to an end after eight long months of searching.

*Note: The furniture placement still looks off to me. Any suggestions on how/where to place the couches? It's a complete head-scratcher for me. Thanks!!

Grilled Chicken Pesto Wrap

For lunch today, I made a grilled chicken pesto wrap and I must say this is one of my favorite meals I have ever prepared. It was simple and I was eating in 20 minutes.

Grilled Chicken Pesto Wrap Recipe:
Grilled chicken breast (marinated in 1 tbsp. thyme, 3 cloves minced garlic, 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1/2 tbsp. black pepper, 1/2 squeezed lemon, grilled for 5 minutes on each side)
1 whole wheat wrap
2 tsp pesto (I bought Bertolli prepared pesto, because I never like the pesto that I make from scratch)
6 grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup shredded fat-free mozzarella
*courtesy of SELF

Summer Wreath

A friend of mine stopped by yesterday and poked fun at me for still having my lovely Easter egg wreath still on my front door. Okay, technically it's still spring so I think it's fine but, she had a point. I needed a summer wreath. Unfortunately, I couldn't find one that I loved. What's a girl to do but make her own wreath.

My mom and I went to Hobby Lobby today and I knew I wanted a modernish wreath that was inexpensive and somewhat matched my yard. For $24 and about an hour of my time, behold my new summer wreath!

Summer wreath in the making

Summer wreath is complete!

Wordle of Fun!

After reading a fellow Nestie's blog, I came across a website called Wordle where you can type random words into an editor and it comes up with a personalized blurb for you. I used words that were significant to describing our baby girl. It literally took five minutes, and most of that time was spent choosing the right colors for the nursery! I'm thinking about printing this off and either buying a canvas and attempting to recreate the wordle on my own, or taking it to a printing place to do for me. I'd love to have this to hang in the nursery!

P.S. Click on the pic to make it bigger!

Meal Planning: Day One, Meal One

Spinach and Smoked Gouda Egg Sandwich

*Saute 1 cup fresh spinach with olive oil cooking spray until wilted. Add pepper and garlic powder to taste; set spinach aside. In same pan, fry 1 egg plus 1 egg white in cooking spray until no longer runny. Top eggs with 2 tbsp grated smoked gouda. Toast English muffin and layer egg, spinach, and cheese inside. Eat with a banana on the side.

I give this recipe 4/5 stars. It was delicious but I kept thinking it was missing something. Maybe a tomato slice to complete it? Avocado slice? Either way, I will definitely be making this again!

Summertime & Meal Planning

It's officially summer!!! I turned in my key today at 7:45 AM and I'm ready to stay at home for the next two months. ::happysigh::

My summer plans consist of the following: cooking, cleaning, organizing, decorating, working out, and scrapbooking. I think that just about covers my inner Martha Stewart. Did I miss anything?

For my first task, I have a week's worth of healthy, low-fat meals compliments of March 2010 Self magazine. My shopping trip to Randall's today took almost two hours because I had no idea where anything was! Ricotta? Still didn't find it, but I decided since I was buying FIVE other types of cheese, I could leave that one off the list.

Quinoa?? That sounds like Jacob Black's tribe's name. I have no clue what that is, even AFTER googling it! Left off the list. I can compromise.

Bulgur wheat? Welllll.... I know what wheat is, but I still didn't know where I could find it! I just happened to be near the bulk self-serve area packaging up sliced almonds when I came across the elusive bulgur wheat. Score!!

Wasa crispbreads? Whaa? Skip.

Here is my shopping list from today:

Produce:
2 large apples
1 bunch asparagus
1 package baby carrots
1 bag baby spinach
1 medium banana
1 head broccoli
1 head cauliflower
2 cucumbers
1 head garlic
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 lemon
1 orange
1 pear
2 portobello mushrooms sliced
1 red bell pepper
1 red onion
1 large zucchini

Condiments & Spices:
Black pepper
Chinese five-spice powder (skipped... looked EVERYWHERE!)
Cinnamon
Garlic powder
Ground Ginger
Honey
Olive oil
Olive oil cooking spray
Rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
Salt
Sesame oil and seeds
Low sodium soy sauce

Bakery:
Whole wheat bread
Wasa crispbreads
Whole wheat english muffins
Whole wheat tortillas

Frozen Foods:
Whole-grain waffles
Frozen cherries

Meat, Fish, Poultry, Dairy, Eggs:
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Lowfat cottage cheese (Cheese #1)
Eggs
Feta crumbles (Cheese #2)
Hummus
Skim milk
Shredded skim mozzarella (Cheese #3)
Grated Parmesan (Cheese #4)
Pork tenderloin
Part-skim ricotta (Cheese #5)
Smoked Gouda (Cheese #6)
Salmon (wild)
Roasted turkey breast
Nonfat plain yogurt

Nonperishables:
Sliced almonds
Apricot preserves (oops, forgot it!)
Reduced sodium black beans
Brown rice
Bulgur wheat
Coffee
1 can Amy's Organic Light in Sodium Lentil Soup (holy moly I found this gem!)
Mandarin oranges (ick, no thank you)
Reduced sodium marinara sauce
All-natural peanut butter
Pesto
Quinoa (see above)
Salsa
Whole wheat pasta (I got farfalle, aka bowtie)

Treats:
*There was an entire list but I figured since I have tons of food in my pantry already, I only bought two off the list. I'll go ahead and list everything!
BBQ potato chips (check!!)
Light beer (definitely not!!!)
French bread and butter (oooh check!)
Hot tamales (already at home!)
Kit Kat
Mini-marshmallows and mini chocolate chips
The Skinny Cow Caramel Truffle Bars
Smartfood White Cheddar Cheese Popcorn
Lowfat vanilla icecream and chocolate syrup
Vienna Fingers
Wine (sigh)
Yolato Frozen Yogurt Gelato Bars
York Peppermint Patties

*I bought chocolate pudding cups and I will top that with Lite whipped cream in a can. It's delish!*

Recipes:

Breakfast:
Portobello and Pesto Egg Scramble
Peanut Butter Waffle-wich
Cherry-Vanilla-Almond Smoothie
Spinach and Smoked Gouda Egg Sandwich
Apricot, Almond and Ricotta Toast

Lunch:
Turkey and Hummus Sandwich
Asian Pork Tenderloin Salad
Pesto Chicken Wrap
Lentil Soup With Cheese, Fruit, and Crackers
Quick Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Roasted Chicken

Dinner:
Spiced Salmon Over Brown Rice
Pesto-Portobello Napolean
Farfalle with Veggies in Creamy Marinara
Apricot-Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Black Bean, Zucchini, and Smoked Gouda Baked Burrito

Snacks:
Cottage Cheese with Cucumber
Cherry, Ricotta, and Cinnamon Sundae
Pear with Creamy Peanut Dip
Crudites and Hummus
Banana Roll

Pregnancy isn't too bad after all. =)

Since beginning my second trimester, I have been feeling FANTASTIC!!! As miserable as I was during my first trimester, I tried so hard not to complain. Being pregnant is a miracle that I am thankful for every single day. I'm such a worrywart, so I try to follow the mantra of, "I'm pregnant today and I love my baby." It puts my life in perspective. =)

Tomorrow Zac and I may or may not find out if we're having a baby boy or girl. I'm super excited! It's nice to finally not feel ridiculously nervous about an OB appointment. I'm three weeks away from being halfway through with this pregnancy. It's crazy how time flies.

Here's a quick update since it's been about three weeks:

How far along?: 16 weeks 5 days

Total weight gain: A pound more or less... same as last time. People keep commenting that I should have gained weight by now. Sorry?

How big is baby?: Baby A is a turnip. Hmm. That's kind of hard to visualize personally. Crown to rump (not including legs) is about five inches long, or the size of an open palm.

Maternity clothes?: At times. About a week ago we went to Motherhood Maternity (don't ever go there!! Their return policy should be criminal) and Macy's (mmm Macy's!) where I bought denim capris, camo capris, and "designer" jeans. I seriously LOVE my jeans because the back pockets are simply adorable. My normal jeans were fitting up until this past weekend, but today I had to do the rubberband trick.

Stretch marks?: None. *crossing fingers*

Sleep?: Is wonderful.

Best moment this week?: Tomorrow we might find out if it's a boy or a girl!

Movement?: Not yet, but I am hoping to feel flutters soon.

Food cravings?: Not really. I'm trying to eat healthier to make up for the first tri. I'm eating a ton of fresh fruits and salads.

Labor signs?: No!!!

Belly button in or out?: In

What I miss: Riding the motorcycle.

What I'm looking forward to: The next appointment so we can hopefully find out if we're having a boy or a girl! <--- still this!

Milestone: People have started to notice my teeny bump. =)

Uppababy Vista

On Saturday, I dragged Zac to Round Rock in a quest to find the beloved Baby Earth boutique. Of course, we had to stop at Taco Shack before we could even begin to think about shopping. Twenty minutes later, we were on our way.

I must say, by the first step inside the store, I was hooked. I knew right then and there this was the place I want to register at. At Baby Earth, I won't get made fun of for cloth diapering, or making my own baby food, or NOT wanting a travel system! I can buy organic sheets for my baby and not worry about a matching quilt! For my bottle rack, I can get a plastic "sheet" of grass. Simply put, I'm in freaking heaven.

So, back to the meaning of my post. I had made the executive decision that a BOB jogging stroller was in our baby's best interest. However, I wasn't sure how to approach the price with Zac yet. It's then that I spotted the infamous Bugaboo and Uppababy strollers. I had a plan.

"Oh Zac... look at this stroller and tell me how much you think it would cost. There's the price on the handle, can you see it?" I'm grinning mischievously, thinking, "If he sees the price of THIS, he will totally see how reasonable a BOB is. I'm so smart it kills me."

Yeah... well, that backfired. Yes, his eyes widened upon seeing the price, but then he started playing with it. To make matters worse, the salesperson comes over and starts showing us even MORE incredible features. I can tell by the look in his eyes, my husband is S-O-L-D! He looked at me and said, "Can we take it today?"

My friends, it now looks like we will be cruising around the neighborhood and Target in style. We just have to find one with a price tag we can mutually agree with.

Best part: There's a woman in San Antonio selling her 2007 UBV for $275. IwantIwantIwantIwant!! Road trip! :::bats eyelashes toward Zac:::

It's a Baby!!!

I was getting a lot of comments from my "real life" followers wondering why I had not updated my blog in so long, especially after finding out the best news of our lives. So here it goes: Zac and I are having a baby!

He/she is due October 13 and so far, everything has been perfect according to our doctor and his nurses. We are so blessed to be having such a healthy pregnancy so far, but that doesn't stop me from constantly worrying about the little peanut.

Because I don't have anything extraordinary to blog about, here's a survey (that I totally stole from my friend Laura's blog taken waaaaay back when she first entered her second trimester)!

How far along?: 13 weeks 5 days

Total weight gain: A pound more or less

How big is baby?: Baby A is the size of a lemon... which is rather deceiving. I mean, is it a Costco lemon (HUGE!) or a puny Target lemon? Just sayin'...

Maternity clothes?: Nope. Most of my clothes still fit fine, but I did buy two maternity dresses at Target because they were too cute to pass up.

Stretch marks?: None. *crossing fingers*

Sleep?:I still sleep as much as usual, which yes, includes naps. I love my sleep!

Best moment this week?: On Tuesday we had the NT scan so we got to see our little one! It was amazing because it actually LOOKS like a baby now. Zac was definitely in love and couldn't stop "Wowing."

Movement?: Not yet.

Food cravings?: Nope. During the first trimester, the morning sickness was so bad that I had plenty of adversions, but lately I've felt much better.

Labor signs?: Oh goodness, no way!

Belly button in or out?: In

What I miss: An occasional glass of wine, especially now that it's grilling season.

What I'm looking forward to: The next appointment so we can hopefully find out if we're having a boy or a girl!

Milestone: No more morning sickness!! AND I started the 2nd trimester!

THE inspiration

(Photograph taken with flash, but it's as true to color as I'm willing to get at 11:30 on a school night!)

I really thought I had already posted about these paintings but I can't seem to find it...
A week before closing on our house Zac and I were downtown with friends when we stumbled upon two guys spray painting canvas and posterboard. It was amazing to watch them work! After being mesmerized for about fifteen minutes we decided to buy two prints for $40 total. They sat in a back room for two months before we figured out what we wanted to do with them. A framer at Michaels suggested doing a matting around the smaller print so that we could frame them in identical frames and tada... this is our end result!

*I forgot to mention WHY I posted these. I'm planning my living room completely on these two prints. Do I need a neutralish room with lots of jewel tone accessories?

I. have. no. idea.

Botanical Serenity

I know I'm new at this but if you had to choose would it be this room or the previous post, Hollywood Elegance? I can't decide on the chairs or the rugs, that's why there are two. Zac is no help, he'd be happy with either!

Hollywood Elegance

Who knew making an inspiration board could be so easy!? Thanks to Sproost I feel like a pro.

The above picture is one of my ideas for our living room. Currently the only piece we'll be keeping in the room is our tv!