Plus One

Well.
All you baby-crazy people out there that have been waiting for a new baby to smell, hold, and talk nonsense to, rejoice!

We are expecting!
Well, I am expecting. I supposed Jordi is also expecting, but I am the one expecting the baby to come out of my womb. He is expecting me to do all the baby-making. And he's around for moral support. So I'm told.

The Facts:

• How Far Gone: 16 weeks 5 days along (as of today).
• Due Date: September 24, 2013.
• Nickname: Bean. 
• Gender: Unknown. Hoping to find out at our next appointment. Jordi is hoping for a boy. I am hoping for a baby (I like to go in with low expectations and be pleasantly surprised).
• Names: We've discussed names we like, but we aren't set on anything. I like names that are either super old-school or just plain weird, so Jordi hasn't been very accepting of my name submissions.
• Barf Bag:  Nope. I'm good. I've been fortunate and only had one day of tummy troubles, and that was not baby's fault.
• Cravings: It depends on the day. Some examples: rainbow chip cupcake batter, pickled beets, garlic-jalapeno stuffed green olives (but who wouldn't love those on any day!), cucumbers, smoothies, bagels & cream cheese (spicy jalapeno cream cheese, does that not sound amazing?!).
• Can't Stand: ...Well, Jordi made me oatmeal once and I gagged pretty good, but then I ate it anyways.
• Body Issues: I was super tired for a while, but lately I'm finding more energy. I pee a lot (Go figure). I've also had more break-outs than normal, but hey, if that's the worst that I get, I consider myself very lucky.

Did I miss anything? I have no idea what people want to hear from a pregnant lady. Weird, right?

We are way excited, way nervous, but still way excited...and did I mention nervous?

Here's me and the belly earlier this week. It's recently begun showcase itself in public, despite my efforts, hence me (finally) telling the world that I'm making a baby, not just eating Big Macs every day all day...Although I would probably do that if I could afford it.

Sorry it's not a great shot, I made Jordi photograph me in our bathroom so I didn't look yellow and the background wasn't something weird.

Oh. This is also my new Spring Haircut! I had it chopped on Easter Weekend. It's still pretty long, but I miss my longer hair. Oh well, it grows back. I needed a change.

More to come as things progress. If there's something you need to know, tell me and I'll include it along the way.

Hooray for a terrifying new adventure!

Facebook Status Posing as a Blog Post

Fighting A Cold = Suck.
Trying To Clean The Apartment [when you really rather watch shows on Hulu] = Suck.

Trying To Do Both Simultaneously [minus the sweet Hulu-watching] = Super Suck.
Doing It Anyway = Epic Victory.

{Suck it, housework!}

Silence Is(n't Always) Golden

Tonight we had two of my neighbors' kids over for a bit while their mom tended to a family issue.
After a few minutes of small-talk with the kids, Ammbri, who is a sassy little gal full of spunk, pipes up and says: "Oh, so that's what Jordi sounds like."
...Apparently my husband is a bit on the quiet side...

To be fair, Ammbri is a pretty chatty girl, so I don't know how many opportunities Jordi has to get a few words in around her.

Bennett's Second

Happy Birthday, Bennett!

He wanted the camera.

Today is B's 2nd Birthday.

Can you believe it?

He. Is. TWO. (as in years. two. years. old.)

And lucky for everyone, he isn't terrible (yet).

We had the privilege of spending Sunday with my favourite family to celebrate the occasion.

It was a blast.

But I won't lie, it was hard to focus on the last session of Conference when I was in such excellent company and with cute kids everywhere.

After Conference the family began to pour in, ready to share in all the fun and games. The kids were noisy and crazy (as it should be) and everyone had a great time. 

Amy made an epic Farm Cake for Bennett, seriously, that woman has more talent than she will openly admit.

Bennett received some stellar gifts, including a bike that has no pedals! It helps kids learn to push themselves along with their legs, then they can learn to coast with their legs up, thus learning balance, and eventually when their little legs get long enough they will be able to pedal a normal bike. This thing is awesome.

Enjoying A Cupcake

As for Bennett, I don't mean to brag, but this kid is pretty impressive.

• He is quite shy around people he doesn't know, it took him a while to warm up to Jordi & me...and I am pretty sure he still isn't sold on Jordi's beard.
• Once he warms up, he is quite the talker. He can repeat almost anything, can form complete sentences, and can even count to 19 (he does get a little confused in the teens, but really, who doesn't).
• He walks, runs, and jumps around with impressive balance and coordination, rarely biting the dust.
• He will try almost any food at least once, but isn't a huge fan of carbs (he didn't get that from me!).
• I am told he does have his moments, but for the most part is a really happy and healthy little guy!

I couldn't be more proud!

Bennett, you are one of the very best things that has ever happened to me. 

Thank you.

My heart speaks to yours.

<3

Googling

I was writing an e-mail to a friend and I was lamenting about my struggle with the winter months and my apparent inability to function during that time. And me, being the hilarious person that I am, wanted to comment that I had "self-diagnosed mononucleosis" 
...Only problem was I couldn't think of the word mononucleosis. 
Oh well. No worries. Google will help me sound smart.

My Google Search:
"kissing disease that makes your really tired"

Perfect.

Google to the rescue!

What's Cooking

In case you didn't know, I love food. I love preparing it, cooking it, and of course, gorging on it. I don't even mind doing the dishes afterwards!

Since getting hitched I have full-reign of my kitchen and grocery shopping list, something that was on-hold for a while when I was completing school. It is exciting...and nerve-wracking. With a hard-working Hubs, there's definitely a standard that has to be met. This man needs meat and carbs and even vegetables (shout-out to Momma Pincock for always making her kids eat veggies!) So Ramen wasn't going to cut it, and the choice between chicken or ground beef every day got old fast.

So it was time to take a hard look at recipes and figure out what was feasible for me to do. Many times I will drool over recipes and then read what's in them and realize I don't know what half those things are, or that they are way out of my price-range. Time to get smart about cooking.

My two favorite food blogs are:

Skinny Taste    : offering healthy recipes that are still loaded with flavor. Her food always looks delicious, partially because she's a big fan of food photography (my skills in that area are pathetic). She also provides WW Point values for everything so that's a plus to those who keep track. 

Budget Bytes   : her slogan is "My stomach is full and my wallet is too." Great recipes that don't cost a fortune with excellent tips on how to cut costs with food. She notes the price of every recipe (and price per portion) and let's you know which ingredients cost what, all in a nifty little spreadsheet along with step-by-step photos and instructions.

So with these two blogs in my bag of tricks, I soon had stacks of recipes that I wanted to try out. I have tried to make a point of including at least a few recipes in my Monthly Menu, and it has been a lot of fun.

Tonight's Trial: Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups

I made a few changes:

• I cooked 16 lasagna noodles because the blog make 14, but I only managed to fill 11. It was still plenty for the two of us and leftovers, I managed to eat 2 roll-ups and Jordi stuffed himself with 3 (with Caesar salad). My dish would have only fit 12 anyway, so it worked out great!
• I put in 3 TBSP of stuffing per noodle, and that seemed to be a nice noodle-to-stuffing-ratio.
• Instead of using homemade marinara sauce, I bought a bottle of Prego Marinara from the store, it was a bit more than she used of her homemade stuff (23 oz bottle compared to 2.5 C), but it wasn't too saucy, so go for it!
• I also added a bit of garlic powder and some chopped-up mushrooms to the cheese mix, just because I like both of those things...and of course you can tweak that however you like!

Bon Appetit!

But it was super simple, super easy and really, really yummy. I dare you to try it. Double. Doggy. Dare. 

If you are a fan of lasagna but wish it was simpler, with less layers, this is for you!

Lock-Down

Approx 1:00 PM

Looking for the most pathetic/embarrassing story of the day?

I have it!

It’s about me!

Earlier this afternoon I discovered that I was locked inside my own apartment.

Yes. That’s right. I am locked inside and I can’t get out…not by the front door anyway.

We discovered this when my neighbour-friend came over to my apartment to chat about a few things. I then discovered I couldn’t open our steel/glass storm door. The handle just wouldn’t go anywhere. From the inside AND the outside.

So we just talked through the door for a bit and then I continued to battle the door.

Now. Just so we all know, I’m not a complete idiot. There is not a deadbolt that I can turn and simply unlock my door! There are keyholes on each side, and there is no other apparent way to unlock the door.

We have never had this happen before, nothing even remotely close to this. We didn’t even know the door could lock, so this is news to me.

The Outside.

The Inside.

Now, since we are apartment managers, I do have a junkload of keys lying around. I have tried every.single.key. we have around here, nothing worked.

I would also use a screwdriver and see what I could do about taking the entire door knob off, or jimmy the door off or something, but the small tool kit I usually keep in our home is currently hanging out in The Husband’s truck. He took them with him to work on his truck. So I am left with butter knives and hair accessories. Yes. I have tried both. No success.

And so, here I am, still in my apartment. Don’t worry; I have food to eat, laundry to fold, and Facebook posts to humiliate myself with.

So enjoy your dear, sweet freedom. There may come a day when you can’t leave your apartment. And on that day I will make fun of you. Just to be fair.

Obviously.

And to boot I wore a horizontal stripped shirt. It was as though my sub-conscious knew I was going to be locked up for the day.

How I Feel About Right Now.

2:45 PM

Prison Update:

I have been released!

My dear friend Jen & her hubby Tyler came by and we shimmied the door open. It wasn't the lock, it was the inner parts of the latch, the spring must have lost its sprung and therefore it didn't move the latch, LOCKING ME IN!

Jerk Door.

But hey, between Tyler, me, a butter knife and a screwdriver I attained sweet freedom.

Hooray for the rest of Tuesday, and the chance to go outside if I want to.

Enjoy.