37 Weeks

The past week has been way too crazy! I have been really busy at work with planning an all day conference, hosted book club last Thursday, and planned a birthday party for over 25 people. Needless to say, I am exhausted and so ready for the upcoming weekend where I have absolutely nothing planned. I was able to conquer a few things around the house this past weekend and check off a few items on my to do list. Each day we get closer to my due date, I am feeling more and more ready for our baby girl's arrival. Here are my pregnancy updates and a belly pic for this week:

How far along? 37 weeks

Total Weight Gain? 22 pounds

Maternity Clothes? Yep! Wearing lots of leggings and maternity dresses and anything comfy in the evenings and on the weekends.

Stretch Marks? No, but my belly has been really itchy this week :(

Sleep? Still not great, but I did sleep in both days this weekend which felt heavenly! I have been building a pillow palace in our bed each night to help me get comfortable and support my growing belly. At times I wish I could sleep till 10am each morning, but as long as I get to bed at a decent time I am usually somewhat rested come morning.

Best Moment this Week? Being told I should model for maternity clothes! There is not a pregnant woman in this world that wouldn't want to hear a compliment like that! And I loved seeing all of our family and friends at the birthday party and sharing the last few weeks of this pregnancy with the people we love.

Miss Anything? Wine! Each time we have book club or a birthday party, I miss having a wonderful chilled glass of Moscato or Riesling Wine. I might have to splurge at the holidays on just one glass :)

Movement? Lots of it and often in my ribs. This little girl just loves to tuck her little feet under my ribs and kick. She is active most of the day and nice and quiet at nighttime. Let's hope that her movement continues like that after she is born. :) I will miss feeling the movement in my belly and will always remember that feeling as the best part of pregnancy.

Food Cravings? Still the same... cereal, cheese, frozen yogurt, and my recent favorite... anything pumpkin flavored!

Anything Making you Queasy? Nope. Just the crazy heartburn that can cause you to feel like you are going to lose your dinner... not fun at all.

Gender? Girl! I found this adorable shop on Etsy that sells the cutest felt flower headbands. I have already picked out a few that I will be ordering for baby girl!

Labor Signs? Not really. Sometimes I have Braxton Hicks contractions but they have been pretty mild the last few days. I have a feeling this baby is not coming until November (even though her parents would love to see her sooner!)

Belly Button In or Out? Still half and half. I am amazed how much that part of your skin stretches and the top part is still poking out a bit.

Wedding Rings On or Off? Off :( I had to take my rings off a few days ago after I almost couldn't get them off. My finger started to throb and turn a slight twinge of blue as I tried to squeeze my finger out of the rings. I will miss wearing them...
General Mood? Pretty good. Anxious at times for her arrival and completely relaxed at other times. I am just taking everything one day at a time until she decides to enter this world! 
Symptoms? Back pain almost all the time and exhausted. These last few weeks could start to feel really long...

Looking Forward To? I am planning on having a few casual maternity photos taken this week and still need to finish packing the hospital bag. I have a few blog posts coming up with details on the nursery, the hospital bag, and the remaining items on our baby prep to do list.

New Book Club Selection - The Dog Stars

Last night was a blast with the book club ladies and we had a great time chatting and enjoying the sweet treats and hot apple cider. The pumpkin muffins and fruit salsa from the sweets menu were a huge hit but the apple pie bites were a bit hard to eat and kinda dry. The muffins will definitely be a repeat recipe in our house! Most of the ladies finished the book and we all enjoyed it. We all agreed that the type of hiking adventure described in Wild is not a challenge we would want to take on!

The next selection for our book club is The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. This book was suggested by one of my good friend's that works for our local library. Each year the library chooses a book for the county to read and this book is this year's selection. The last few years we have read the book from the library's annual selection and enjoyed the idea of reading the same book with thousands of people in our community. The author, Peter Heller, will be making a trip to our local library in a few months to host a forum and question/answer session about the book. I look forward to reading the book and possibly meeting the author. Here is a short summary about the book:

• A riveting, powerful novel about a pilot living in a world filled with loss—and what he is willing to risk to rediscover, against all odds, connection, love, and grace.

I look forward to downloading this book to my iPad in the coming weeks and reading another (hopefully) great book!

Book Recap - Wild by Cheryl Strayed

A few days ago I finished our current book club selection, Wild by Cheryl Strayed. This book was a story of adventure, heartache, challenge, and triumph as a brave woman hiked the Pacific Coast Trail for over 1000 miles. 

I enjoyed reading this book and imagining what this type of journey would be like. I was reminded how much of a wimp I am when it comes to nature, camping, and the unknown aspect of the wildness. The author had far more strength than I could imagine and hearing her physical and emotional growth on this journey was inspiring. I also enjoyed the added feature of reading this book on my iPad with the enhanced Oprah's Book Club version. There were several excerpts from the book that Oprah commented on and I enjoyed hearing the perspective of an avid reader and it explained why Oprah chose this book for her Book Club 2.0.

I look forward to getting together with the book club ladies tonight and enjoying a fantastic sweets menu and hot apple cider! We will choose our next book selection tonight and I will post an update tomorrow with the new book... happy reading!

Birthday Party Menu - Soup and Chili Bar

With the birthday party only a few days away, I have some cooking to plan for on Saturday morning. These two recipes for our soup and chili bar are tried and true favorites and have been requested to be made again by my husband. And since he is the birthday guy, I am happy to make him his favorites. I have made both of these recipes several times and love them both! And they are recipes that are fairly easy to throw together and only get better the longer they sit and the flavors meld together. The chili recipe I will be making is Cincinnati Skyline Chili and I adapt this recipe to just be the chili and leave out the pasta part. The flavors are great and this recipe is so hearty for the cool Fall weather that has arrived. 

Cincinnati Skyline Chili - originally found on the blog What's Cooking Chicago?

The other soup recipe that I will be making for the party is Chicken Tortilla Soup. This soup is flavorful and fun to dress up with all of the fixings. My favorite part about this soup is how much flavor the chicken has and topping my bowl with lots of crunchy corn tortilla strips and a big dollop of sour cream.

Chicken Tortilla Soup - from one of my favorite blogs, Pioneer Woman

These recipes are sure to be a hit at the birthday party and will feed a crowd! I look forward to celebrating two very special people in my life and enjoying the company of family and friends.

Book Club Menu

This Thursday is our monthly book club gathering and I am hosting all of the ladies at my house. This is probably the last time I will host for awhile, since I will have my hands full with a newborn in the coming months. I love when the ladies come over and we chill on our big comfy couch, eat lots of great food and snacks, discuss the current book selection and catch up on what's been happening in each others lives. I am planning on keeping the snacks and drinks simple this month and since I have been craving sweets, I am going with a sweet tooth theme for the menu. Here is what I will be serving to the ladies on Thursday night:

fruit salsa with cinnamon chips - from my Recipes Pinterest Board

apple pie bites - featured in a post from last month on my apple pie favorites

two ingredient pumpkin muffins - so easy to make and super moist

I plan on serving hot apple cider for our beverage since the evenings have cooled off quick and a hot beverage will feel nice and cozy and goes perfectly with the sweets menu. Can't wait to indulge on these treats and catch up with the ladies! :)

36 Weeks

Each week in October will either go by fast or painfully slow. This pregnancy has gone by so fast up until now. The first few days of this month seemed to take forever. I think I am just getting anxious and excited to meet our baby girl, so each day that I have to wait feels longer than it should. I have just about everything ready, except for a few things and can't wait till it is time to go to the hospital. We have 2 weeks left in our childbirth classes and then a tour at the hospital on the 24th. I look forward to making it through the next few weeks and then she can come whenever she is ready. I am hoping for an October baby but I know that she will enter this world when she is good and ready! :) Here are my pregnancy updates for this week:

How far along? 36 weeks

Total Weight Gain? 20 pounds

Maternity Clothes? Of course! I am getting lots of use out of my favorite maternity clothes and finding that anything that is comfortable is what I am choosing the wear. There is nothing worse than feeling huge and squeezing into clothes.

Stretch Marks? Nope ;)

Sleep? Not enough and not great. I am still waking up a few times each night and having a hard time getting up in the mornings. Napping is nice, but doesn't happen often enough throughout the week.

Best Moment this Week? Feeling the support, love, and reassurance from my husband. He has been great about reminding me that I can do this and that we are going to be great parents. I don't know what I would do without him by my side. And he has been wonderful with nightly back rubs for me :)

Miss Anything? Lots of coffee! I have to limit my intake to one cup a day and there are so many times I wish I could drink an entire pot of coffee in the morning... oh how I miss my caffeine!

Movement? Lots of it and often more on my right side. I can feel her little feet push into my sides and sometimes can feel an elbow or knee graze the inside of my belly. She is a very wiggly baby and I wonder if this will continue outside of the womb.

Food Cravings? About the same... cheese, cereal, frozen yogurt... not much else.

Anything Making you Queasy? Not really, just lots of heartburn at night.

Gender? Girl! And I love pinning adorable baby clothes on Pinterest, be sure to check out my Baby Clothes Board... so stinking cute!

Labor Signs? Not really, just having Braxton Hicks contractions a few times a day. Sometimes they can be a bit painful and other times they just tighten up my belly and cause some pressure.

Belly Button In or Out? Not much change from last week, the top part is still poking out a bit and you can see it through my clothes.

Wedding Rings On or Off? Still on but sometimes difficult to take off. I don't wear them at night and might only be able to wear them for another week or so before my fingers are just too swollen to fit the rings on. 
General Mood? It depends how tired I am. I am finding that when I am tired, I am very emotional and easily overwhelmed. The hardest part for me right now is not knowing if she will arrive tomorrow or in a month. I am such a planner, so not knowing when she will be born has been a tough adjustment for me. I am trying to focus on one day at a time, which can sometimes be frustrating for me.  
Symptoms? Lots of back pain, tired feet, and heartburn at night... oh the joys of the third trimester! :(

Looking Forward To? I am looking forward to this coming weekend and celebrating my husband's birthday a bit early. I really look forward to the weekends these days because it allows me to sleep in, relax, take naps, and just chill out. The weeks feel long when the day starts before 7am and usually doesn't wrap up until close to 9pm. Can you tell I am tired?!!

Grilled Chicken Caprese Pasta

This weekend my Dad visited from Salt Lake and we spent time together running errands, relaxing and watching football, and cooking a great dinner together. My Dad spent time putting together the glider that he gave us for rocking our baby girl to sleep and came with a huge box of gifts full of Huskers, San Francisco Giants and 49ers gear for our little girl. I can't wait to post pictures in the future of her wearing her game day gear!

And for dinner last night, we made this delicious recipe of Grilled Chicken Caprese Pasta.

I had pinned this recipe on my Recipes Pinterest Board a few weeks ago and the recipe is from the blog Cooking Classy. This pasta dish was easy to make, loaded with lots of cheese, and made a huge batch of food which means plenty of leftovers for this week's lunches and dinners. I always know when a recipe is a hit when my husband mentions at least a dozen times that dinner was so good! I will definitely make this pasta dish again in the future and will be enjoying the delicious leftovers this week.

It was great to have my Dad here and relax with him this weekend. When I said goodbye today, I had a moment of realizing that the next time he will visit us, he will be a Grandpa! I can't wait for our little girl to enjoy time with her Grandpa and create lots of memories together.

Birthday Party Planning

My husband's 30th birthday is coming up on October 24th and we will be celebrating early with a combined birthday party to honor Michael and his mom (her birthday is on October 16th). With extended family far away and everyone's schedule so busy these days, a combined party for the October birthdays is a great way to get everyone together and celebrate these two very special people. I am also relieved that we are celebrating in early October to avoid any possible early delivery surprises towards the end of the month.

With any party, my planning and creative mind goes into overdrive and I start thinking of fabulous ways to craft, create, cook, and bake for a special occasion. All parties should start with a fantastic invite, which I designed using TinyPrints.com. Here it is:

We are going with a soup and chili bar for the menu including four different varieties including all of the fixings, bread bowls, cornbread, veggie trays, and fruit salad. I will be posting the chili and soup recipes next week that I will be making for the party... both are delish!

We are having my best friend Laura's famous cake pops in red velvet and chocolate flavors with matching blue and green icing to coordinate with the party invite colors. These cake pops are sure to be a huge hit with everyone and they are so much easier to serve than trying to slice cake and serving ice cream. And with any party, I hope for leftover cake pops for the hostess to take home :) 

I am looking forward to a great party for my husband and mother in law and lots of great food, plenty of laughs, and spending time with the people we love!

Pumpkin Patch Photos

We just got back from visiting the local pumpkin patch with our friends Laura and Jordan and their adorable kiddos. It was the perfect weather for roaming around the farm and seeing the hundreds of pumpkins and plenty of farm animals. We wandered around and chatted and I took some great pictures of the pumpkins using Instagram on my iPhone.

I have been obsessed with Instagram lately and recently found another great app, called Diptic. This app only costs $0.99 and offers so many great options on creating collages with your photos. The best part about this app is how easy it is to create photo collages, save them to either your photo file or Instagram, and then upload them to your email or blog. It is so fun to use and easy easy easy! I took all of the pictures tonight using Instagram with the Toaster filter and then added them into a few different collage layouts in Diptic. I love how Diptic allows you to change the size of photos, use either a black or white border, and round the edges of the pictures. I just love how these collages turned out!

35 Weeks

With just over a month until our due date, the anticipation for our baby's arrival is building by the day. We are getting so excited to meet her and ready for all the joys and blessings that parenthood will bring us. The last few weeks have been really busy getting things ready for baby girl and I am sure the next few weeks will be just a crazy with last minute preparations and attempting to patiently wait for when she decides to arrive. Here are my pregnancy updates and a belly picture for the week:

How far along? 35 weeks

Total Weight Gain? 18 pounds

Maternity Clothes? Yes and trying to get creative with my current wardrobe options and the changing weather. I am hesitant to buy anymore clothes with just about a month to go, but I do find that with the chilly weather I have to get creative about layering tops and wearing leggings or pants on most days.

Stretch Marks? No and really hoping and wishing that it stays that way!

Sleep? Horrible. I can't seem to get enough of it and my mind is too busy at night to fall asleep quickly. I am going to try taking a few short naps throughout the week when I can and really making the commitment to be in bed by 9:30pm and sleeping till at least 6:30am. I keep telling myself that this horrible sleep is just a prep course in the months to come with a newborn...

Best Moment this Week? Putting together the car seat and stroller and thinking about bringing her home from the hospital. And I can't wait for all of the walks around the neighborhood in her sweet pink stroller :)

Miss Anything? Sleep, sleep, and restful sleep... can't say enough about missing my restful slumbers.

Movement? Oh yes... she loves to kick and move and is active the majority of the day. She loves to kick on my right side and up into my ribs. I do appreciate that she is pretty quiet at night and let's her mommy sleep :) I love being able to feel her little feet push and kick into my side... kind of a crazy feeling, but I still love it!

Food Cravings? I am still obsessed with provolone cheese and love eating Rice Krispies cereal. I am curious to see if my cravings will ever have an effect on what our baby girl likes or dislikes to eat in the future.

Anything Making you Queasy? No, but I have developed the nose of hound. I can smell just about anything from quite a distance these days.

Gender? Girl! And she has quite the closet started... way more clothes than her mommy and daddy combined!

Labor Signs? No, not yet. We have been learning lots in our childbirth classes and have started talking about how to manage my labor (whenever that time comes...)

Belly Button In or Out? The top part is poking out a little bit more than it was last week.

Wedding Rings On or Off? Still on but getting snug. I have been taking them off at night to give my ring finger a chance to rest. I hope I can wear my rings till the end of the pregnancy, but we will just have to see if my fingers continue to swell or not.
General Mood? It depends on the day... I have moments of loving being pregnant and having the energy for things to then drastically changing to a sleepy and cranky pregnant lady. I am trying to enjoy the good moods and minimize the bad moods (as best as I can). 
Symptoms? I have had some killer heartburn late at night and pretty intense back pain almost everyday. I have been trying to rest and my husband has been great about rubbing my back, but each day the pain and discomfort seems to come back. I will not miss that part of the pregnancy at all!

Looking Forward To? I will be so relieved once I am able to put away all of her clothes and baby gear in her closet/room and put the finishing touches on the nursery. I also have a few more weekends of spending time with my family visiting from Salt Lake and I always look forward to seeing them and spending time with them.