baby update #4 : 18 weeks

Prego Highlights

How far along : 18 weeks and 4 days

Size of baby : a sweet potato or green pepper (whichever you choose!)

What's developing this week : Bambino is yawning, hiccuping, twisting and turning - still haven't been able to feel it, or at least know that I'm feeling it (maybe?).  It's also got bones and fingerprints!

Wedding ring on or off? : On (and still fitting loosely)

Belly button in or out? : In

Maternity clothes? : Still in my normal clothes, although I am down to only a few pairs of jeans, and some of my shirts are getting a bit snug.  I bought my first maternity shirt yesterday and can't wait to wear it!

Cravings / Aversions :  Still same as before - no burgers, teriyaki stuff, etc. - but I also don't want to risk it because I love them so!  Also, I've found that anything with garlic is not a friend to me...makes me feel sick!

Saltiness is still good for me. Yum!  I'm still having a hard time with just plain cooked/grilled chicken...blah.  Although, I have been big on just plain breaded chicken sandwiches with lots of mayo...weird I know.  Maybe it's the saltiness of it??  But boy, oh boy is it yummy!!  Also, I finally opened my jar of pickles the other day! Pretty sure I ate all of them...not in one sitting though! But my favorite thing right now is a pickle wrapped in a piece of cheese...haha

Symptoms : My nausea is pretty much gone.  YAY!!  There are only a few late, late nights where it's present, and if I've eaten something that just doesn't sit right.  But I am SO happy this phase is finally over.  That is the one part of being pregnant that I have not liked.

I've also been experiencing some crazy heartburn that kills!  I haven't figured out what foods give it to me yet, but man it's not fun.  I need to have some Tum's on hand!

Another thing...my sciatic nerve...holy cow!!  It feels like I have a HUGE knot in my left butt cheek.  Sorry if that's TMI, but I've learned that with pregnancy there's nothing that's TMI.  But I'll spare you the other things that probably are :)

Prego Funnies :  I'm starting to waddle...!  Not all the time, but when I'm really full, or I have to pee, or my sciatic nerve is acting up, I waddle.  Chris thinks it's pretty entertaining!

Special Moments : I want to say I'm pretty sure I felt the baby elbow me the other day.  It was a sharp "pain", but it didn't hurt at all.  I don't want to bank on knowing that was it, but it was a different feeling somewhat in the middle of where baby is...so I'm thinking there was a pretty good chance that that's what I felt!  I can't wait for the day when Bambio is moving non stop (or at least enough for me to definitely feel)!

We get to find out in about a week if we are having a

BOY or a GIRL 

Cast your votes now!!

salt lake fun

We had some fun in salt lake today with Maren.  Stay tuned for more later!

birthday weekend celebrations!

This past Saturday was filled with birthday celebrations for us!  First off my wonderful Mom was celebrating her 29th ;) birthday (again), and so I was able to talk to her for a bit on the phone and wish her a happy birthday.  It's hard to be away from my family when they have birthday's.

Then our good friend Jessie was celebrating her birthday and asked us to celebrate with her!  So we had her and her husband Talmage, and our other friends Brad and Julie over for some grilled chicken and steak skewers, which we POLISHED because they were so good!

After that we indulged in some Minute to Win it games, as well as some good old Mario Kart on the Game Cube.  We all couldn't get enough of that game.  It was so fun!

our yummy spread!!

Brad playing one of the Minute to Win it games.

Later on that night, Chris and I joined Jessie and Talmage out to dinner at Teppanyaki for a delicious feast!  I'm surprised we were even hungry enough to share our plates of food. Haha!  It was very good though.  After that we went and saw Star Trek (again), and were blown away (again) at how good it is!

Overall it was a great day, and we are so grateful that Jessie asked us to celebrate with her!

harry potter butter beer recipe

I know this is WAY over due, and I have had some people beg me to put this recipe on my blog.  So sorry it's taken this long, but alas here it is....!

Many of you who follow me on instagram will know that about a month ago, or so, we had Chris's little brother, Drew, over for a Harry Potter sleepover night.  It was so fun to have him with us, and to watch something we all love, aka Harry Potter.

While looking forward to this epic night, I searched and searched for the closest recipe to the butter beer that's found in Harry Potter World at Universal Studios in Orlando.  Chris and I could NOT get enough of that delicious frozen butter beer, and I knew I had to find a way to remake it.

I finally was able to find something that was practically identical to the real thing.  Here it is:

Harry Potter's Frozen Butter Beer

2  2 Liters of Cream Soda (any brand will work)

1 small carton of Heavy Whipping Cream

 1 jar of Butterscotch topping

1. Take one of the cream soda liters and pour into a large tupperware container that will fit into your freezer. Place in your freezer uncovered.  Stir the cream soda every 30 minutes to break up any chunks.  You want to make sure that it's slushy, and not frozen solid :)  You will want to do this for about 2 hours, or until the cream soda has reached the frozen consistency that you desire.
2.  When your cream soda is close to being done, pour your heavy whipping cream into a chilled metal bowl and mix until it becomes light.  As it's stirring, add as much Butterscotch topping as you want.  I tasted it until  I could taste butterscotch, which was about half of the jar.
3.  When the cream soda is ready, pour into a glass, and use the second cream soda liter to add some more to your glass (if wanted).  Then top with your Butterscotch whipped cream, and drizzle some more Butterscotch on top for added flavor.  Enjoy!

There you have it folks!  Hope you enjoy it.  It's best consumed while watching a Harry Potter movie of your choice :)

baby update #3 : 16 weeks

Prego Highlights

How far along : 16 weeks and 6 days

Size of baby : an avocado

What's developing this week : Bambino is finally able to hear my voice!  So exciting and scary at the same time that it can hear everything I'm saying. Haha.  But bambino is growing fingernails, it's heart is pumping about 25 quarts of blood a day, and it's growing hair, eye lashes, and eyebrows!

Cravings / Aversions :  Same as before - no burgers, teriyaki stuff, etc.

Saltiness = goodness for me (still true), but now I'm learning too much is a bad thing...

I'm still having a hard time with chicken...blah

Finally craving pickles!!  I bought a jar the other night, but I didn't open it until today.  Man they are GOOD!  I have also been loving my snack favorite of cottage cheese and pears - that might sound weird to some, but don't knock it til you try it!  I also love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with Sun Chips.  Yum!

Symptoms : My nausea has still been present...just a tiny bit, but it's still there from time to time.  Back aches, headaches like crazy, and lately I've felt as if I'm on the verge of getting charlie horse cramps in my legs and feet.  I take stretching very slowly these days!  Hair and nails are also growing like crazy.  One thing I've noticed is I've been bloating occasionally, but only in my stomach region.  So that picture from last week...not an accurate picture of my stomach.  It's a bit smaller this week, which makes me sad.  I was excited for it, but I know one day I will pop, and out of nowhere I'll have this belly.

Prego Funnies :  I've been having some crazy dreams as of late!  Some I remember, and some I don't.  One night I had like 3 different dreams which involved Chris and I being wizards in Harry Potter and fighting Voldemort from our house, and the second dream I remember being some kind of super hero and having Batman like shields thrown at me.  The third one I don't remember...Some mornings I just wake up and laugh at myself wondering where that dream came from!

Special Moments : I had my 16 week appointment this past Monday (so over a week ago) where we were able to hear the heartbeat again.  This time around my OB was able to pick it up right away, and it was loud and strong!!  She said everything sounded great, and that we could tell the baby was moving around because the heartbeat would get loud and then it would go a little softer.  It was cool to hear even though I couldn't feel the baby move.  Just an overall reassuring moment that I am still pregnant!  It's a hard stage to be in wondering if I'm still pregnant even though I'm not that sick, I can't feel the baby, and I don't really have a "belly".

Exciting thing is next appointment we will be able to find out if it's a 

BOY or a GIRL 

Less than a month...I am dying to find out, so that I can start planning the nursery and registering for baby stuff!

mother's day

Mother's Day was so fun this year!  I didn't even think that I would get to celebrate it, but I guess being pregnant automatically puts you in the ranks of being a mother.  I felt so honored to be considered a mom already!  It's crazy to think that I will be a legit mom in less than 6 months...am I ready!?!

To celebrate this wonderful weekend, we actually started a bit early...

Back story : We sold our truck back in March knowing that it wouldn't be a car that we could use with a baby, so we were in the market for a new car that I could use that was a lot safer and not 15 years old.  Betty Sue (my '98 Honda Civic) is a great car, but we don't know how much longer it will last, or how safe it really is to have a new baby in it.

So we started our long haul of car research....

For a good month we looked and what type of car we wanted, and the features that were important to us.  After searching high and low, we decided to look at possibly getting a new car.  We looked at our options and saw that the monthly payments were about $20 more than what they would be if we were to get a used car.  So we decided that that's what we were going to do.  It felt right, and we knew that it was something we would be able to afford even after baby comes and I stop/slow down on working.

Last Monday we were trying to decide between the Nissan Altima and the Honda Accord.  Both were exact same price, and came with pretty much the same features.  It was just up to me to decide which one I liked better.  I ultimate chose the Honda Accord because I just love Honda's :)

Chris and I discussed that it was going to be something that we wouldn't be getting for a few months, which I was totally fine with.  It was just nice to finally decide on what we knew was going to be best for our family.  

Later that night, Chris left for class, and I relaxed at home waiting for him to get back so that we could run to Target.  When he got home, we got ready to leave and he opened the door...to my surprise this was sitting in the driveway:

I was SO shocked I didn't even know how to react!  I don't think I gave him the reaction he was looking for, but I was so surprised I didn't know what to do!!  Throughout the night though I gave little squeals of excitement here and there, and I kept saying how I couldn't believe he got the car!  Needless to say, it's was quite the Mother's Day surprise, and we are LOVING it!!

Yesterday was a great Mother's Day though.  My sister, Maren, was in town, and we were able to Skype with our Mom for a bit to wish her a Happy Mother's Day.  It's always fun to be able to see her face and talk to her.  My Mom is a champion.  She has done so much for me, and I am so grateful for her example and love.  I only hope I can be at least half the mother she was, and is to me!

Chris and I were able to spend the night with his Mom, family, and Grandparents.  We had such a great time!  We grilled some yummy steaks, and had a great time visiting with everyone.  It's so fun for us to have people over to our house, and to be able to enjoy their company.  Thank you Kelly for all you've done for Chris and I!  You are a great mother :)

Overall I would say that it was a WONDERFUL Mother's Day week/weekend!

backyard project completed

We, ok Chris has been working so hard putting our backyard together over the past month, and today we, he, finally completed all of our projects!

When we bought our house there was a hot tub in the back yard that we knew we wanted to sell as soon as the weather got nice.  We didn't want to have to deal with setting it up, and paying the fees for it, and all that stuff.  So Chris and I had a great idea to turn it into a patio where we could sit and enjoy the summer nights.

It turned out so great and I am so proud of my handsome, smart, crafty husband who has transformed our backyard into a really great place to spend our nights.

Check out Chris's hard work!