23 Weeks

 How far along?: 22 weeks 5 days Weight gain/loss: about 10 lbs total even after all of the food we consumed on our cruise! haha Maternity clothes: Yes, I have loved wearing sundresses the last few weeks as well as yoga pants when I'm around the house. I recently got a few cute maternity tshirts which accent the bump nicely and are really comfy. Stretch marks? :( Got my first few stretch marks sometime over the last few weeks Sleep? My sleep schedule is so off every since we went out of town. It was off before since I was getting up every few hours to use the bathroom but now it's even worse! Best moment this week? I was resting my hand on my tummy as I was falling asleep last night and I felt a really strong kick! Too bad Israel wasn't awake to feel it. Food cravings: I have been on a huge cereal kick lately as well as fresh fruit. Gender: My intuition was right, we are having a boy! Belly button in or out? Still in. Movement? All the time, this little guy is so active! What I miss? I really miss my skinny jeans. I haven't found a pair of maternity skinny jeans yet that I like. What I'm looking forward to: Hearing the heartbeat at the next appointment and receiving the crib bedding I just ordered!

What a pain!

This post is long overdue...
Blogger and I actually broke up for a while because it wasn't working properly on my ipad!

Anyway, here is a little update of what's been going on...
Back in July we traveled to Las Vegas for see our friends tie the knot! It was just a whirlwind trip, we flew out early morning on July 21 and flew home on July 22. I underestimated how exhausting it is to travel while pregnant. Despite the extra precautions I took to stay hydrated and have a few snacks in my purse this little trip still did a number on my body :(
The flights were extremely full both ways, so much so, that I wasn't sure we would even get on. We got lucky though and made it by the skin of our teeth! Once we landed we took a shuttle to the rental car center and picked up a car for the day. (it was probably the smoothest process of renting a car that I have ever been through!) It was HOT HOT HOT in Vegas that weekend. With some time to kill and knowing we couldn't be spending time walking around outside we decided to head to lunch at Border Grill YUMMY! After a very delicious lunch and a walk around The Mandalay Bay we decided to head to our hotel for a nap before the evenings events. We woke from our nap refreshed and were ready to enjoy an evening celebrating our friends Heather & Cody on their very special day. It was such a fun wedding :)
We crashed that night after eating, dancing, running around and eating shave ice for hours! I could definitely tell the next morning that I had overdone it and my body was not happy, I wouldn't realize just how much I had over done it until later that day...
    We ate breakfast and then headed to the airport where we nervously waited at the gate to see if we would be on the flight. We waited as the entire terminal cleared out until we were the last 2 standing there. I motioned to the gate agent to see if she would give me a signal that the flight was full so we could work on other arrangements and just then we were called to the counter where they had 2 seats with our names on them! WAHOO! We were so happy! We didn't get to sit together but that's ok, we were just happy to be on the plane.

Flights out of Vegas are rough... I swear the entire plane reeked of stale alcohol that was seeping out of everyone's pores from the night(s) before! YUCK. Maybe I just noticed it more because a) I hadn't been drinking and b) my senses are in overdrive haha. Either way, it was not pleasant. I put on a scented lotion to distract my sensitive nose and tried to sleep. I swear as soon as I closed my eyes I got this shooting pain in my side. My first thought was, "Oh no, my kidneys" since it was very similar pain to kidney stones or the kidney infection that I've had in the past. The pain started radiating to the front and made it extremely uncomfortable to sit. As soon as we got home I put my feet up and took a nap, hoping the pain would fade away with some rest. Unfortunately, when I woke from my nap the pain was worse :( It continued through the night making it impossible for me to sleep more than a few minutes on each side since it would send shooting pains every time I would turn over. It was a long night.
        I called my OB first thing the next morning and was instructed to go to the ER right away since my symptoms sounded very much like appendicitis. Luckily, we got there early enough in the day on a weekday and they didn't have a waiting room full of people yet so they got me right in... the unlucky part was that since I'm pregnant they don't rush into any form of testing or anything until all options are discussed. I got a round of pain meds which took the edge off and also made me very sleepy. I was unable to sleep though, since they whisked me away for an ultrasound to make sure baby was ok. That was definitely the best part of the entire day was getting a peak at our little peanut bouncing around in there! Israel was not allowed to go in for the ultrasound :( He was really disappointed. It was a nice long ultrasound since they were being very cautious, and I had a new tech so she was also very thorough and then her work was double checked by a more experienced U/S tech. After making sure baby looked fine, they checked my ovaries for cysts which were clear thank goodness. Unfortunately, they could not see my appendix on the ultrasound machine which meant they would have to try to get a look another way. I was given two options: A CT scan which would expose my peanut to more radiation than I was comfortable with, given that I was barely out of the first trimester... or an MRI which had little to no risk to myself or the peanut. We went with option 2 but it took forever for me to be taken back for the MRI because they wanted me to meet with the surgeon first. I was told the surgeon had just gotten called into surgery and would be down in about 45 minutes to talk to me. A few minutes later he stopped by to say hi and to reassure me he would be back in the 45 minute time frame I was given. About an hour or so later he came in shaking his head and said, "I"m so sorry, but I just got called into another surgery!" I was told to hang tight and that he would be back in an hour or so.. (hang tight, like I have anywhere to go in a hospital gown with an IV sticking out of my arm!) About an hour and a half later he showed up and the second he stepped foot in my room his cell phone rang NO JOKE. Seriously, I was running out of patience. I had barely slept in going on 2 days and wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything so I was dehydrated and starving too! Not a happy combination. The surgeon disappeared for almost 2 hours and in that time I was taken for the MRI. The MRI was one of the most awkward procedures I've ever had done. I was forced to lie on my back which was the most uncomfortable position with the side pain which had returned full force by this time. You're put inside a tube basically and this thing spins around and around with lots of banging and clicking sounds. I was given headphones so I could listen to music throughout most of it, when the nurse wasn't giving me instructions on when to breathe or when to hold my breathe etc.) Thank goodness for those headphones though, otherwise I think I would have had a panic attack being in such an enclosed place for 30 minutes or so was very strange and uncomfortable. A while later the surgeon came in to give me the results of the MRI which was basically inconclusive. The good news was he didn't see any inflammation to indicate an immediate need for surgery, the bad news was it didn't completely rule out appendicitis. UGH! By this time it was 11pm and I had been in the ER since 11am! My nurse even said he had never had a patient that was there for his entire shift. LUCKY ME! Glad I could help you cross that off your list of "firsts." BAH!
Anyway, the surgeon told me I should go home and wait it out and if the pain got worse than I should come back. All I could think was, "I waited 12 hours starving, freezing, thirsty and tired out of my mind to hear that??" It was better than the alternative though which was to be admitted and be under watch, which basically meant having my blood pressure monitored every 15 minutes and then having the same tests repeated the next day. Instead I got my IV removed and was able to go home and eat something and then I promptly fell asleep and slept for 14 hours straight! I had a huge bruise on my arm from having the IV in all day and being dehyrated and it took me 3 days after to get rehydrated enough and start feeling decent. The pain slowly faded away and I'm hoping that if it is my appendix that it stays put until after this baby is born! I really don't want to repeat any part of what I went through that day. I am so grateful for my hubby who was by my side for the whole ordeal as unpleasant as it was. I know neither one of us planned on spending our day off at the hospital. He even got me Wendys on the way home and tucked me in bed before I passed out!

16 weeks

I've seen updates like this on the blogs of others and I like the idea of writing a few things down to remember and also sharing with all of you! How far along?: 16 weeks 3 days Weight gain/loss: None, still exactly the same weight as I was on my first appointment. Maternity clothes: Not really, I have quite a few things but they are too big still. Almost all of my shirts are still fitting but I have been wearing a pair of maternity capris which are big but comfy since my jeans are getting uncomfortable and my belly band is starting to annoy me lol. I mostly wear yoga pants or leggings at home though. Stretch marks? Nope Sleep? All I want to do is sleep, all.the.time. I feel like I slept away the first trimester. Best moment this week? I've had lots a few good moments this week, first the nice long ultrasound they did in the hospital on Monday where our little one was bouncing around! Second, finding out I didn't have to go in for an appendectomy after all. Third, hearing the heartbeat at my appointment on Friday. Food cravings: I have craved so many random things; cake, blueberry poptarts, skittles, potato salad and fried chicken. Gender: Don't know yet, but we are both thinking boy! Belly button in or out? Still in. Movement? None yet :( What I miss? Diet Coke and being heartburn free What I'm looking forward to: Feeling the first flutters

Pregnancy

We found out that we were expecting on May 5. This is how it happened:

I really wanted Mexican food for dinner to be a little festive for Cinco de Mayo, so I asked Israel to stop and pick up some take out on his way home from work.
While he was gone I decided to take the last single pregnancy test I had in the house. I had been feeling "off" for several days and just wanted to see...I prepared myself for a big fat negative since I didn't really think it could have happened that month.

** I don't know why the pic is upside down and I can't seem to fix it on my iPad.

Imagine my surprise when the digital test came back with that result! I was so excited I was shaking! I wanted to text Israel right away to tell him the news but decided it deserved to be more special than just a text so I wrapped the test up in a box and left it on his nightstand to discover that evening. The look on his face was priceless and I am so glad I got to see his reaction instead of just sending a picture to his phone :)

Big news!!!!

We couldn't be more excited! We shared the news with the world a few weeks ago on Facebook with the following announcement

"Our home is expanding by two feet!"

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

It was quite a task but I finally got the tree up... last year this darned tree only lit up on the top and the very bottom. I was ambitious and restrung the entire tree! Imagine my surprise when I pulled it out of the box this year and only part of it lit up- AGAIN. ugh. I was so angry I could have burst. 

Instead I just used a spare strand of lights and filled in the unlit section. I think it turned out mighty fine considering the mishap. (Next year I'm either getting a new tree or taking off all the lights and just putting them on every year to avoid this happening again.) I even tried to find the dud bulb in the strand- to no avail might I add. PFFT. 

Anyway...here ya go!

2 new Crock Pot recipes you must try!

I've been trying to use my crock pot more since it's difficult to get dinner ready at a normal hour with my current schedule. Besides it saves oodles of time! 

I came across this recipe and was so curious I just had to try it out.. I know it sounds odd making Lasagna in a crock pot but it turned out wonderful! It was so moist and the noodles were perfect. 

Crock Pot Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (12 ounce) package lasagna noodles
• 12 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Spray interior of slow cooker with non-stick vegetable spray. 
   
2. In a large skillet over medium heat cook the ground beef, onion, and garlic until brown. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt, and oregano and stir until well incorporated. Cook until heated through. (I cheated on this step and used a jar of sauce that I had on hand, I doctored it up a bit using a can of diced tomatoes and some Italian Seasoning and Garlic Powder in place of the Oregano the recipe calls for.)
3. In a large bowl mix together the ricotta cheese, 1 slightly beaten egg, Parmesan cheese
4. Spoon a layer of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the slow cooker. Add a double layer of the uncooked lasagna noodles. Break to fit noodles into slow cooker. Top noodles with a portion of the cheese mixture. Repeat the layering of sauce, noodles, and cheese until all the ingredients are used.
5. Cover, and cook on LOW setting for 4 to 6 hours. (I cooked on HIGH for 2 1/2 hours and it turned out PERFECT!!) Add the shredded Mozzarella during the last 30 minutes of cooking, cover and let it melt.

Add a side salad and french bread and you have a super easy and super tasty dinner!  ENJOY!!! 

Chicken Enchilada Soup

• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes (I used the kind with sweet onion in it, I've also used a can of Rotel but beware it was VERY spicy combined with a can of Medium enchilada sauce..)
• 1 10-ounce package frozen whole kernel corn (I used 1 can Whole Kernel Corn instead)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce (I used Medium. I suggest Mild, if you don't do spicy)
• 1 10.75-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup shredded Pepper jack cheese (4 ounces) (Any shredded cheese is fine)
• 2 chicken breasts

Directions

1. In a 3 1/2 to 5 quart slow cooker, combine drained beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, and bell pepper. 
2. Place 2 chicken breasts on top of mixture.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together enchilada sauce and soup. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Pour sauce mixture over ingredients in cooker. 
4. Cover; cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. 
5. Remove chicken and cut or shred into bite sized pieces. Add chicken back into soup. 

Top with pepper jack cheese and serve. Can also be topped with
avocado, sour cream, or crushed tortilla chips. Note: if the soup is too
thick for you, just add a little more milk after it’s all cooked.