14 Weeks!

Ignore the lack of makeup...we didn't do much of anything yesterday and I was really lazy!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 14 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Hamm is the size of a lemon - 

the baby weighs about an ounce right now!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +7 lbs - I haven't gained any weight in about 3 weeks!

Maternity Clothes: Maternity pants daily, shirts are half and half.  

Gender: Unknown....my gut says it's another boy right now though.  Jarrod still says girl.  

Gavin changes his mind daily.

Movement: Not yet, but I should be able to feel is starting soon.

Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty good but getting up once or twice to pee is getting old already.  

What I miss:  Nothing really right now.  I do love being pregnant!

Cravings: Spicy foods, bbq potato chips, french fries.

Symptoms:  Heartburn is really the only thing bugging me these days.

Best Moment this week: Hearing Hamm's heartbeat on the doppler this week, and learning about another friend's pregnancy.  I love having friends to go through this with!

I met Dr. Schmitz this week and liked him.  I think I'll really like this practice.  I just wish the hospital offered a sibling class for Gavin to take as we get closer to the baby's arrival.  I did get pic uploaded from Gavin's pregnancy, so here is a comparison.  

Recipes - Soup and Dessert

I mentioned last week that we were making French Onion soup in the crockpot, but I hadn't posted the recipe yet.  This recipe came with lots of great reviews from friends, so I was looking forward to it, but it didn't do much for me.  The soup itself wasn't great, but not awful...the croutons to put on top turned out really gross and I ended up scraping them out of my soup.  I don't think we'll make it again, but if anyone wants to take my friends' advice and try it, you may like it!  Here's the link:  French Onion Soup

On Saturday, I made some 'Light' Lemon Bars I'd seen in Fitness Magazine.  They were pretty simple to put together and really yummy!  Jarrod and I ate the whole pan by Sunday afternoon.  I'll definitely be making them again.  Here's the link for them:  Light Lemon Bars

This week's new recipe - Chicken Tortilla Soup!  

The clock

So, we broke down and bought this clock for Gavin:

He was so excited about using it, and it has worked pretty well.  Most mornings he is still awake early, like 5, because he has to go to the bathroom, but he will usually go back to sleep.  Three days during the last week he actually slept til 6:30!  Wonderful!  One morning he woke up ten minutes before 6 (the clock was set for 6) and Jarrod went in to get him up, but Gavin refused to get up because the light wasn't green yet.  Most mornings we hear from his room, "It turned green, guys!  Woohoo!"  The last two nights he has slept awful.  I'm not sure why...just up a lot. This morning, we'd set the clock forward to 6:20 to see what happened.  It obviously wasn't happening today.  He woke up at 5:45 to go potty, then sat on his bed for like 30 minutes, yelling, "Mom!  Mom!  Mommy!  Mom!  Mommy!  Jen!  Jen!  Jen!"  At one point he started growling my name, more like he was a monster, and we heard, "Mom!  Come back in here!"  It was cute, but we were tired...so I eventually came in to lay on his bed until it turned green so Jarrod could sleep in, since he let me sleep in yesterday.  Overall, I'm happy with the clock...I think it will keep getting better.  I'm glad we decided to get it!

Thirteen Thursday

13 reasons I blog and love reading blogs...in no particular order.

1. It's a place where I document our lives and capture all the memories I want to cherish forever.
2. Blogging about my daily life will allow me to always remember my days as a stay-at-home-mom.
3. This blog keeps our family 'in the loop' since we don't live close.
4. Keeping my blog and reading my friends' lets me stay connected with all the friends I miss so much - I just wish more of them would blog.  :)
5. I can express myself - I've always been a writer.  Journals, letters, etc.  This is my journal.
6. It lets me share my experiences with other moms and get input about things we're going through.
7. It gives me a place to share some info about my Tastefully Simple business with others.
8. I like to swap recipe ideas with friends, family, and other bloggers.
9. I've learned so much about parenting, activities to do with Gavin, and photography from other blogs I follow.
10. I love leaving comments on other people's blogs and reading what comments are left on mine.
11. It's my 'me time' most days.  I love starting the morning off checking my favorite blogs and updating mine if I have time.
12. It's a lot quicker and less expensive than my previous scrapbooking obsession.  I still miss scrapbooking some days, but at least with my blog I can stay current.
13. It's my little home on the internet.  :)

Wordless Wednesday

Recipes - Pork Chops with Soy-Orange Sauce

This week, we're actually trying two new things.  I had planned to try French Onion soup in the crockpot, which we will today.  Last night, we had pork chops on the menu and were planning to just do them the same old way - with Tastefully Simple's delicious Bayou Bourbon sauce, of course!  But last week I read somewhere about using orange juice when cooking them, and it got me intrigued.  So, I did some research yesterday, and found this recipe here:  Pork Chops with Soy-Orange Sauce  I ended up not having soy sauce like I thought, so I used teriyaki sauce, and instead of the safflower oil, I just used olive oil, and they were delicious!  Jarrod was literally eating the leftover sauce with a spoon!  He mentioned that it would make a great sauce for chicken wings, too.  Definitely one more new recipe to add to our list of favorites! 


The homemade French Onion soup will be going in the crockpot in just a little while, so I'll be sure to update it a little later this week to let you know how it was.  :)


If you try any of these new recipes I'm posting about, I'd love to know what you thought of them!

13 Weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 13 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Hamm is the size of a peach- 

his/her face is looking more humanlike - eyes and ears are moving more toward their correct place.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +7 lbs - same as last week so I'm happy about that!

Maternity Clothes: Maternity pants daily, shirts are half and half.  

Gender: Unknown....my gut says it's another boy right now though.  Jarrod still says girl.

Movement: Not yet, but I should be able to feel is starting soon.

Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty good but getting up once or twice to pee is getting old already.  

What I miss:  Nothing really right now.  I do love being pregnant!

Cravings: Spicy foods all of a sudden are very appealing to me.  I've been putting banana peppers on a lot of things.

Symptoms:  Heartburn and headaches are common these days.

Best Moment this week: Having dinner with my friend, Amy, and getting to compare our pregnancies.  I loved having so many friends I was pregnant with last time around and it's nice to have a local friend to experience this with.  It will be so nice since Lucas and Gavin play so well together, and now the new babies will be friends, too!

My goal this week is to get my belly pics from Gavin transferred to this computer so I can post side by side comparisons each week, too.  Hopefully that will happen!

ANNIVERSARY SALE!!!

Happy Anniversary to ME!  I still can't believe it's been two years since I started my fabulous journey with Tastefully Simple.  I started out simply because I wanted the discount and an excuse to get out of the house and spend time with friends.  Now, two years later, I'm so thankful I started this journey!  It's given me extra money, new friends, a business, a team.  

So, we're celebrating with a sale just for you!  To take advantage of this 2 day sale, you have to call or email me your orders.  Orders placed online will not be eligible for this sale.  I thank you all for being such fantastic clients, hosts, and friends. I appreciate you all!

So, for 2 DAYS ONLY - here's what you can take advantage of!

Buy any 2 seasonings and dip mixes, get 1 FREE!

{Seasonings and dip mixes included are: Garlic Garlic, Bacon Bacon, Onion Onion, Spinach and Herb Dip Mix, Smoked Paprika and Garlic Dip, Everyday Grillin' Seasoning, Seasoned Salt, Flavors of India Seasoned Salt, Sensational Caesar Dip Mix, Italian Garlic Bread Seasoning, Cheesy Chive Warm Dip, Artichoke and Spinach Warm Dip, Wahoo Chili Seasoning, Fiesta Party Dip Mix}

Buy any 2 soups, get 1 FREE!

{Soups included are: Perfectly Potato Cheddar Soup (1pack or 2pack), Homestyle Beef and Noodle Soup, Creamy Wild Rice Soup, and Hearty Chicken and Dumpling Soup}

Buy any 2 drinks, get 1 FREE!

{Drinks included are: Oh My! Chai, Butterscotch Kisses Cocoa, Samba Sangria Slush, Citrus Celebration (while supplies last)}

Buy any  2 dessert items, get 1 FREE!

{Dessert items include: Cinnamon Muffin Melt Mix, Oats and Cranberry Bar Mix, Nana's Apple Cake, Absolutely Almond Pound Cake, Dreamy Irish Frozen Dessert Mix, Creamy Caramel Sauce, Twisty Grahams, Cranberry Apple Cobbler, Truffle Fudge Brownies, Carrot Cake Crunch Cheese Ball, Key Lime Cheese Ball, For the Love of Cookies}

Alright...those are some AWESOME deals!  So, let's pretend you take advantage of all the specials.  I've made up a pretend order.  Let's say you order a Seasoned Salt, Garlic Garlic, Wahoo Chili Seasoning, Creamy Wild Rice Soup, Perfectly Potato Cheddar Soup, Hearty Beef and Noodle Soup, Oh My! Chai, Butterscotch Kisses Cocoa, Citrus Celebration Drink Bucket, Truffle Fudge Brownie Mix, Nana's Apple Cake, and Absolutely Almond Pound Cake.  That's A LOT of food!  The subtotal pre-sale would be $101.28, but take advantage off all the specials listed above and get all 12 items for $69.32!  To put that into perspective, that's pretty much like buying it with my discount!  

This sale is only being offered for 2 days, so act fast!  Give me a call or email me your order before Tuesday night at 8pm.  If I don't answer, please leave me a voicemail and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.  mrspate22@yahoo.com :) 

An Ice Cold Experiment

To go along with the winter season and the weather we've been having, I decided to do a little science experiment with Gavin.  I actually was inspired by a post on Facebook, but I don't remember now who posted it or have a site to link back to.  We filled an ice cube tray with some small toys and other goodies like buttons, beads, and cut pieces of straws, then added water.  Gavin watched me put them in the freezer and we talked about how the freezer was so cold it as going to turn the water into ice cubes.  Of course, he asked about every 10 minutes if his ice cubes were ready so we kept checking the progress until finally, after nap, they were ready to play with.  We spent the rest of the afternoon using his Little People tools to try to chip away at the ice, sat the bowl in the sunlight to watch them melt, and just experienced the coldness of the ice!  He loved the experiment, but next time we'll do it in the summer.  ;-)

Officially a snow day!

We've had quite the snow storm here in Arkansas!  You know...about 3 or 4 inches!  That's quite the storm around here.  It shut everything down for the last couple of days.  We had a great time getting out to play.  Gavin loves it!

We went out yesterday morning and played some soccer.

 Then, Daddy came home from work a little early to enjoy the weather with us so him and Daddy did lots of shoveling out front.  Gavin was digging for treasure!

Gavin learns way too much from books and TV.  I was so excited to show him how to make a snow angel.  I asked him if he wanted to learn and he laid right down and started doing it on his own!  I didn't even have to teach him.  He's such a big boy now. 

 Admiring (or trying to find) his snow angel

Throwing snow at Daddy

Family snow pictures....thanks to the trusty self timer! :)

Thirteen Thursday

I'm starting to get the calls and emails...what do I want for my birthday?  Hmm...  I've had to spend some time thinking about it, but thought I'd just try to make a list for everyone here. 

1. Money which will help us buy Gavin's new bedroom furniture
2. Gift cards for Walmart, Target, or Sam's Club.
3. Restaurant gift cards - Chick Fil A, Outback, Red Lobster...trying to think of places that are both here and in Ohio...we may be able to add Chipotle to that list!  Rumor has it one is coming to Fayetteville!
4. Taylor Swift's new CD
5. Amazon gift cards to go toward my new camera lens
6. New gloves - the kind that are fingerless gloves with the mitten that go over top - kinda like these: http://www.amazon.com/Ladies-Thinsulate-Glomitt-Fingerless-Gloves/dp/B004B1F4TQ/ref=sr_1_25?ie=UTF8&qid=1295530183&sr=8-25
7. Subscription to All You magazine
8. Sonoline B doppler to listen to the baby's heartbeat (but I've only seen them on ebay.)
9. Wii Fit
10. Wheel of Fortune or other game shows for Wii
11. Gift card for Blog2Print to turn my blog into a book (available at www.blog2print.com)
12. To be debt free
13. A promotion to Team Leader, which means I just need one more team member.  :) Who wants to join me?

Wordless Wednesday

Recipe - Dripping Roast Beef Sandwiches

Our new recipe for this week was an easy one.  I saw a picture of these sandwiches in a magazine and had to try them.  Dripping Roast Beef Sandwiches  They were very good, but I wasn't a fan of how soggy they made the bottom bun.  We'll likely make them again but I'm thinking of changing things up a little.  I wonder if we just toasted the bun without the meat on it if it would get so soggy so quickly.  Or, maybe they'd be better served open face on a thick piece of Texas Toast.  I also thought this would be good if the roast beef was cut up into small pieces and served over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.  Maybe add an extra can of soup to make it a little runnier, or mix a can of soup with some beef gravy.  Lots of possibilities!  Despite the soggy bun, just writing about this is making me want the leftovers for lunch.  Yum!

We have to do something!

It's no secret our child is an early bird.  Waking up at 5:30 to 6:00 isn't uncommon for him.  Of course, I'd love for him to sleep a little longer, but we can't really change his internal clock, right? Well, we're going to have to try.  This morning, I heard him crying at 4am and rolled over to check the monitor.  A lot of times if he's still laying down, I'll let him cry for a little bit and he falls back to sleep.  If he's sitting up, I usually go in because he usually has to pee.  Well, I flipped the monitor on just in time to see him climbing out of bed, something he's never done before!  I told Jarrod he was climbing out of bed, so Jarrod got up and met him in the hallway.  He's still crying and when Jarrod asked him what he was doing, he said he was ready to watch his show.  Um....no!  It's 4:00!  It's not time for TV.  I came out, carried him back to the bathroom, changed his pull-up, got him milk and laid on his bed with him for 10 minutes or so.  He cried most of the time but finally did lay back down.  Still, he woke up for the day by 6.  Needless to say, we're tired. 


So, I'm thinking about shelling out some money for something like this: Stoplight Clock  I don't like the bear on it at all, and they only have a girl in a car, but we need to try something!  They also have this one: My Tot Clock This one is more pricey, but it has other features, like a naptime setting and a time out setting, which I kind of like.  And lastly, they have this one: Good Nite Lite This one is more basic, and got mostly good reviews, but it seems like it might be a little on the small side.  


So now I need your help.  If you're reading this and you've used one of these lights or something similar, can you give me your input?  We need something!  I'm not expecting him to sleep until 9 or anything.  He's in bed around 7:30 each night, but if we can get something that will help him stay in bed until 6:30 or 7, especially before Baby Hamm gets here, I think that would be great!  Help me choose!  :)

12 Weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 12 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Hamm is the size of a plum- 

his/her fingers and toes have separated.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +7 lbs...up another 1.5lbs from last week.  Didn't walk much with being sick, so it's time to get back to working out.  

Maternity Clothes: Regular shirts, but I've been using my maternity pants more often.  They aren't needed everyday, but they're so comfy, so why not?

Gender: Unknown....my gut says it's another boy right now though.  Jarrod still says girl.

Movement: Not yet, but I should be able to feel is starting soon.

Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty good but getting up once or twice to pee is getting old already.  Naps are common these days.

What I miss:  Nothing really right now.  I do love being pregnant!

Cravings: Spicy foods all of a sudden are very appealing to me.

Symptoms:  The nausea came back late last week, but it seems to be going away now.  Heartburn is also starting already!

Best Moment this week: Watching Gavin jump up and down on the couch saying, "We're gonna have a baby!" over and over again.

Snow

Sorry - I've been slacking on the blog, which I know saddens my family as I got texts wondering why I wasn't updating.  Wednesday night, Gavin decided to wake up 4 times, so I was exhausted on Thursday.  Then, to make matters worse, he decided not to nap so we didn't even get a chance to catch up on some sleep.  Friday we were both feeling pretty awful with a cold.  Being pregnant and sick is no fun, but being pregnant and sick and having a sick toddler, too, is really not fun.  Luckily, Daddy came home from work to take care of his loves.  He let me lay down for a couple hours, but of course I wouldn't be able to get comfy and actually sleep.  Oh well.  We're on the mend now...I'm feeling better with the exception of a nagging cough, but Gavin's poor little nose just won't stop running.


Anyway - we did get out to enjoy the snow earlier this week so I wanted to post a few pics.  We were both super excited about all the snow we got...all 1 inch of it!  We went out on Monday and Tuesday to play in it and Gavin loved it.  He was throwing 'snowballs' at me and Shirley and wanted desperately to make a snowman.  Poor little guy.  I think he would have been in heaven if we were still in NY with all their snow!

I thought this was a funny one.  As he was chasing Shirley, he fell, and I caught it mid-fall.  

He wasn't hurt...no worries.