Mexican Lasagna

This stuff is the bomb. We had it a few weeks ago and I've been meaning to blog about it. I've been craving it like crazy so maybe we'll have it for dinner tonight. Seriously...sooo freaking good!

Once again, I got this from the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen website.

1/2 large green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
corn tortillas--at least 12
3 cups (28 ounces) fatfree refried beans
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 tsp. chili powder, divided
1/2 tsp. cumin, divided
3 cups black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup salsa
1 can enchilada sauce (or 1 1/2 cups homemade)
sliced black olives

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a non-stick pan with a little water (1 tbsp.), sauté the peppers, garlic, and onion for about 3 minutes, or until softened. Set aside.

Spray a 9 X 13-inch baking pan with non-stick spray. Line the bottom with a layer of tortillas (you may cut some of them to fit). Make sure you cover the entire bottom of the pan.

Stir the refried beans and spread half of them evenly over the tortillas. Cover the refried beans with half of the pepper-onion mixture and half of the tomatoes; sprinkle with half of the seasonings and half of the black beans.

Add another layer of tortillas and repeat the layers of the other ingredients. Spread the cup of salsa over the final layer of black beans. Cover with a final layer of tortillas, pour the enchilada sauce over the top, and sprinkle with black olives. Cover and bake for about 30 minutes or until hot throughout. It will be easier to cut if you allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Note: Fresh corn is a great addition to this. I use about 2 cups of uncooked (or frozen) corn and add it as one more layer. You may need a deeper pan, though.

Crazy Dreams

I've been having such crazy dreams lately(not abnormal for me). The night before last could have been a sci-fi book!
Well last night I had a vivid dream that I was pregnant again. I was about to give birth and decided to go to the hospital and have an epidural. Josh was upset with me and trying to talk me out of it and I had a lot of guilt about making that decision.
I was telling him that I could not go through the pain of natural child birth again. I felt so afraid in my dream. So odd since I've had two home births and I'm all for them!

And Just Like That...It's All Over

For some reason I don't feel ready for Christmas to be over. It seemed to come and go so quickly! We did have a lovely Christmas though! Christmas Eve we spent time with family...it's my favorite part of the holiday! We spent Christmas day in our PJ's all day long. It was wonderful! The kids loved their gifts. Kieran was so surprised that Santa brought him a trampoline! As much as I tried to cut back on the amount of money spent on gifts...I think I may have failed a little. I think we still spent less than usual, but not like I'd planned. I tend to get carried away with the fun of the shopping for them. I get so excited thinking of all the things they will love. Now I just need to pack up a bunch of Kieran's toys that he never plays with and save them for when Chloe gets a little older.
I didn't get what I asked santa for( digital rebel camera), but that's okay. There is always my birthday, or next year. We really need to put money into fixing up the house more. I did however get some pretty awesome gifts! I got a new Mother's bracelet with each of the kid's birthstones. They have such pretty birthstones! I just love it. I also got a CD from the show Glee. We were all totally spoiled by my Dad. We made him a calender with the kids pictures on each page of the month. Josh got one from the kids too, but his is a desk calender for work.
Our tree is wilting so we need to get that down. Boohoo!! I'll miss it so! I just love the lights and seeing the kids handmade ornaments on the tree everyday. I'll miss it! I am looking forward to having more room in the living room though!
I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas!!

Christmas Tree Ornament

I got this idea from my friend Shannon. She had one like it hanging on her tree.
Kieran and I had so much fun making this together! If you're going to attempt this you'll need some good scissors to cut the Popsicle sticks. ;)

Supplies:
Popsicle sticks(we used one larger tongue depressor type for the trunk).
Pipe cleaners
Green paint
Glue

That's it! Super simple. I already had all of these things in our craft box so it was great.
Of course you can do this a number of ways...you don't have to go by the way we did.

Nevin's 12th Birthday

Nevin turned 12 on Dec.4th. My little boy is twelve! It really does seem like yesterday that he was five. Every time I think about it I want to cry! It also makes me feel pretty old :P. I'm so proud of him. He really is a good kid with a kind heart. He'll always be my baby...hehe!
He had the choice to either have a big party or get a big gift. He chose the big gift. He wanted Drum lesson's so we signed him up! He starts next Thursday right after his guitar lessons. I'm excited for him!
We had a fun day. We took him to see A Christmas Carol and on our way home picked out our Christmas tree. For dinner he chose Pizza(with vegan rice cheese). We had cake the next day.
It was also Chloe's 1st time at the movies. She didn't make a peep during the whole thing. She was either nursing or sleeping.:)

and I can't leave out sweet Kieran!

Chili Mac

Tonight we had Chili Mac for dinner. It was pretty darn tasty! I added a lot of salt to my bowl, but that's only because I'm a salt addict...ha! The hubs said it was good, Nevin liked the noodles :P and Kieran wasn't in the mood to try it...so I'm not sure what he thinks. If I can get him to have some I'll let ya know!
We will for sure be making this again.

I got the recipe from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.

Chili Mac

2 cups elbow macaroni
1 onion, chopped
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water
4 teaspoons mild chili powder*
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
10 ounces frozen corn kernels
1 16-ounce can pinto or kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 to 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
5 cups thinly-sliced kale (thick stems removed before slicing) or other greens**
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling water until tender. Drain. Sauté onion in a large non-stick pot until translucent. Add remaining ingredients, as well as cooked pasta. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot.

*This is chili powder, not pepper, a mixture of mild chili peppers and cumin that adds no heat to the dish. If you want it spicy, add cayenne or additional
chipotle chili powder.
**If you use a faster-cooking green such as spinach, add it during the last 3 minutes of cooking.

Feeds about 6.

Meal Planning

So it's come to my attention just how much we've been spending on groceries. I won't say, but just know it's a ridiculous amount! With Christmas coming up we really need to cut down on the spending. So no more $5 peanut butter...no matter how good it is! I've also decided to meal plan and stick to it. I'm hoping that by buying things we know we need instead of willy nilly buying and then going back for the things we need...it will save some moolah.
So here is what I have as far as meals so far. Let me just say that this would have been easier if I weren't avoiding soy products!

-Spaghetti w/ garlic bread and salad
-White bean and kale soup w/ french bread
-Veggie Chili w/ french bread
-Barbecue Seitan w/ fries and corn
-Chili Mac /w some sort of side
-Cauliflower Mushroom Marranca
-Veggie cabbage rolls w/ side of green beans
-Mexican Lasagna w/ rice
-Veg French bread pizza w/ side of asparagus
-Veg Tacos w/ mexican rice
-Veg "Field roast" with mashes potatoes and corn

So that's what I've got so far!

Whoa Buddy

I cannot wait until our vegan Thanksgiving!! Yum yum yum. Putting together the recipe list made my mouth water.

On another note. My brother is in town from CT! Hoping to see him soon!

Vegan Celebrities

I came across this list of vegan celebrities and wanted to share. It's so neat to see just how many there are out there! I'm sure there are even more that are missing.

Vegan Actors, Actresses, Comedians, and Producers


•Alicia Silverstone
•Alyssa Milano
•Carrie Anne Moss
•Casey Affleck
•Casey Kasem
•Daryl Hannah
•Demi Moore
•Daniel Negreanu (professional poker player)
•Elijah Wood
•Ellen DeGeneres
•Emily Deschanel
•Gillian Anderson
•Ginnifer Goodwin
•Heather Mills
•Jennifer Connelly
•Joaquin Phoenix
•Keenan Ivory Wayens
•Kevin Nealon
•Mutt Lange
•Natalie Portman
•Pamela Anderson
•Portia de Rossi
•River Phoenix
•Sandra Oh
•Tea Leoni
•The Artist, formerly known as Prince
•Toby Maguire
•Vanessa A. Williams
•Weird Al Yankovic
•Woody Harrelson
•Zooey Deschanel






Vegan Athletes

•Brendan Brazier (ironman triathlete)
•Carl Lewis (Olympic Track Star)
•Ed Templeton (pro skateboarder)
•George Laraque (NHL)
•Jack LaLaine (fitness guru)
•John Salley (former NBA player)
•Lucy Stephens (triathlete)
•Mac Danzig (Ultimate fighting)
•Martina Navratilova (tennis)
•Pat Neshek (Minnesota Twins pitcher)
•Ronda Rousey (judo)
•Sally Eastall (marathoner)
•Scott Jurek (marathoner) •Tony Gonzalez (American football)



Vegan Leaders

•Benjamin Spock, M.D.
•Coretta Scott King (Martin L.K., Jr's wife)
•Dennis Kucinich (US Congressman)
•Ingrid Newkirk
•Leonardo Da Vinci
•Mohandas Ghandi




Vegan Musicians


•Alanis Morissette
•Andy Hurley
•Anoushka Shankar
•Anthony Kiedis
•Barry White
•Brandy
•Brian Bell
•Bryan Adams
•Erykah Badu
•Fiona Apple
•Jason Mraz <--- love this guy.
•Joan Jett
•K.D. Lang
•Michael Franti
•Moby
•Morrissey
•Phil Collins
•Shania Twain
•Sinead O'Connor

Woohoo!

I can fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans. Awesome!! I had been dreading and putting off trying them on. Whew. Of course they are a little snugger than they were, but I'll take it. I gained much more with Kieran and I don't think I did anything differently this time around. So weird.

Chloe is here!!

Chloe was born on Oct.11th at 12:07am weighing 6lbs and 18 3/4" long. She is beautiful and perfect! I'll write up my birth story when I have more time and not typing one handed ;). For now...here are some pictures!
Kieran helping(??) me through a contraction..hehe.

Belly Painting

I thought it would be fun for Kieran to paint my belly today! I picked Halloween colors and let him go to town finger painting. He got really into it and eventually all those colors turned into one big grey..haha! I think Chloe really enjoyed it too. She started moving a whole lot. What a beautiful way for us all to connect. Maybe when Nevin is feeling better(he's sick) he'll be interested in partaking in belly painting. I won't hold my breath though :P. What am I saying....I have 12(more like 11 now) days until my EDD!!! I never make it to my due date so we'll see. We might not even have time to do this again. Anyway, Kieran had quite a lot of fun and we made a big mess.:) While in the bath and after cleaning my belly off he said "Lets do that again!".
Here are some pictures. I think my belly looks bigger in these than it actually is. I had to hold the camera out myself and got some weird angles.



Please ignore the boob grab. I was holding up my shirt and wasn't thinking...ha!

The Stages Of Grief

I was just reading about the 5 stages of grief...


Denial and Isolation:
At first, we tend to deny the loss has taken place, and may withdraw from our usual social contacts. This stage may last a few moments, or longer.

Anger:
The grieving person may then be furious at the person who inflicted the hurt (even if she's dead), or at the world, for letting it happen. He may be angry with himself for letting the event take place, even if, realistically, nothing could have stopped it.

Bargaining:
Now the grieving person may make bargains with God, asking, "If I do this, will you take away the loss?"

Depression:
The person feels numb, although anger and sadness may remain underneath.

Acceptance:
This is when the anger, sadness and mourning have tapered off. The person simply accepts the reality of the loss.

I seem to be stuck. It's been 4 years since my Mom died and I'm still mostly angry with her, though I also get very sad and depressed. So I guess I'm going back and forth between Stage 2 and 4. When will number 5...the acceptance kick in? How can I learn to accept what has happened?

Full Heart

Wow. I'm just amazed at the generosity of others. My heart is so full today!

I just got a package in the mail from a fellow blogger. Someone I've never met before. She made a baby wrap and mailed one to me! How awesome! Thank you so very much, Misha Lee. You are one wonderfully generous Woman. :) I cannot wait to put my lil' babe in it! I'm so grateful!

Last night was my Mother Blessing. It was wonderful. Great friends, great food. laughter, blessings, beads...just fantastic. It was great being surrounded by so many wonderful woman. I got to snuggle some babies too, which was great!

I am feeling very blessed. Now I might cry..haha.

Cute!

I want this cute lil' dipe so bad!
http://hyenacart.com/prod_details.php?id=36687&vid=2948

Sleep

Sleep would be nice.


Maybe in another 3 years.

Kieran

He is the cutest stinkin' kid ever! I don't think I'm just biased, but it could be...hehe!

He has a little table that he stands on and calls his stage. He likes to put on performances for me. He is so funny! Great imagination, says the cutest things and is just so full of life. 3 has been quite fun and adventurous so far.

He had been begging to go to preschool for months and he really seemed to know what he was talking about. He told me he wanted to play with friends and make me things.
He'd see a school bus and say "yay! Now I can go to preschool!". He brought it up every day, several times a day. I started to feel bad that he wanted something so bad so I decided to look into preschools, still unsure. I made arrangements for a visit and off we went. When we got there they were getting ready for Circle Time...he went right up, sat down and joined in. He sang along with songs and everything. They sang a names song. They went around the circle and had each child take a turn standing in the middle of the circle while they sang a song about his/her name. When it cam Kieran's turn he went into the middle and started dancing along to them singing....so adorable! He just had a blast while he was there.
He did have an accident and the teacher handled it so well. It really set my mind at ease knowing how she handles situation. She was very caring and discreet.
So if all goes as planned he starts on Tuesday!! I'm going to cry, I know it. He's only 3 and I preschool had never even crossed my mind. It's only 2 hours a day, twice a week...so he won't be gone for long. It's also a co-op, so if I can manage to make it work...I'll be volunteering every so often. I'm so excited for him!

Contractions

Since yesterday I've been having contractions...not the usual braxton hicks. I haven't really been timing them or anything, but they seem to be within 5-10 mins? They around my lower abdomen and in my back. They aren't super painful, but definitely don't feel good. I wonder if these are going to do anything, well I know they are doing something, but are they leading anywhere soon? Will I have Chloe soon or will I be having these contrax for another 3 to 4 weeks? I'm getting nervous. Deep breaths. I'll be 36 weeks on Saturday!!!

Baby Stuff

I've decided to make a list and separate things we need from things we want for baby
Chloe.

Needs:
Car seat
Birth supplies

Wants:
Swing
Bouncer
More Cloth Diapers
Moby Wrap


Okay, my brain must be fried from the day because I had a big list in my head and now can't think of anything! Ha!
Someone feel free to help me out. :P

I'm sure I'll be adding more as I think of them.

Mad World - Tears for Fears

Love the dancing in this...haha. I can totally see someone doing this dance at City Club(a club I use to frequent back in the day).

Getting so close!

Tomorrow I will be 34 weeks along. It's crazy how quickly this pregnancy has gone bye! I had a bit of a panic 2 days ago when I realized how soon Chloe could be here(Kieran was 2 weeks early). I've been having contractions like crazy. It's not the real deal, but they are getting more than uncomfortable, slightly painful lol, but no real pattern to them. I'm feeling lots of pressure so I'm wondering if she has dropped...or maybe it's just that she's gotten so big! She is running out of room! I've also been having what feels like menstrual cramps. I'll be sitting there and for a split second I'll get the thought that maybe I'm about to start, then quickly remember that I'm pregnant and that can't happen..hehe.
So my panic set in because we are not prepared yet, so very many things need to be done around here and we can't seem to get any of it done...not to mention everything keeps going wrong in the process and adding more stress. It's one after the other...could timing be any worse?

Nevin starts "school" on Sept. 8th! I'm pretty excited about this upcoming school year! I've gotten his homeschool shelf organized and have everything ready.
We have him signed up for a Homeschool gym class that he's excited about and we'll also be signing him up for a Mad Science class and swimming lessons(his fave)...he already takes guitar. I'll be doing some preschool work with Kieran, but we are pretty relaxed here and love the idea of natural learning so we'll be doing a lot of that.

We've got an exciting time ahead!!

An Interview With Mayim Bialik

Watch here.

She's awesome.

One of the Hardest Things

Last night while laying in bed Kieran asked me who my Mom is. I told him her name is Rebecca and that she is his Grandma. Then he asked me where she is, said he wanted to go see her and wanted her to come to our house. He's 3 so it was hard trying to explain why we couldn't do those things. I explained to the best of my ability that she isn't here anymore, that she had to go far far away and we can't see her. He kept asking questions so I told him that she died and it's sad...that it means we can't see her. He started getting upset and yelling saying she didn't die and we CAN go see her. Every time he said that I felt my heart break. He doesn't know what death is so he was just frustrated and over tired, but he does know what a Grandma is. He knows other people have Grandma's, knows all about Grandparents from watching Caillou(lol) and knows about Grandma Weber(who is his Great Grandma), but the poor boy doesn't have a Grandma and wants one.
He'll often ask about HIS Grandma while seeing or hearing about someone else's.
It saddens me most that he never met her, and she never even knew he would exist. I wish they could have at least known each other. Same for Chloe. Life can be so unfair. I'm glad Nevin knew her for as long as he did and has memories.

My Anger Go To Song

Makes me feel better..hehe.

Tired of my belly pics yet?

Tomorrow I will be 32 weeks! Wow...I can't get over how fast this pregnancy is going by!

Belly and Party

Man, I don't know what it is about me being pregnant and not blogging. I just can't seem to find the will to do it! I will think about something I want to blog about, but then never do it. I'm going to try to do better.

So...I'll start with my most recent belly pic. Here I am at 29 weeks(I'm 30 weeks as of Sat).

I can't imagine getting much bigger, but I will!
Chloe is a strong little baby. She even hurts me from time to time while jumping around in there...hehe! I really can't wait to meet her, but 2 months seems so soon. I'm not ready for this pregnancy to be over, then again...ask me again in a month and a half...ha!
Things are going really well. My only complaints are major acid reflux and back pain. Actually, my back hasn't been hurting quite as much as it was before...I hope it stays this way.

Last Saturday(the 8th) was my little boys 3rd birthday!! 3! Can you believe it? My baby is 3. We had his party outside at a park and it was pouring rain and thundering, but eventually stopped raining and the kids were able to play. I'm so thankful that my awesome friends and family didn't cancel due to weather..not one of them! :) Fun was had by all! I was so proud of our cake. Josh baked it(with some help) and I decorated it. This was my 1st attempt and decorating a cake in this fashion. I really like how it turned out! We used the vanilla cupcake recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and just made it into a whole cake. It was so yummy!
Here are some pictures from the party.

24 Week Belly

And a super cute picture of my boys...just because. :)

Yesterday we went to the carnival...had a great time, which I'll talk about in another entry, but I just want to talk about whats bothering me.
So I was sitting at a picnic table in the middle of everything. There was a pigeon that had been walking around eating food off of the ground. Not bugging anyone when these 3 teenage boys walk by and one of them says something smart and hits the bird with a bat!! The rest of the boys started laughing and saying mean things about the bird. Luckily the bird seemed okay. A man next to me kinda shooed it and it flew off. Now what kind of people do such a thing to a defenseless animal who was minding it's own business. Please, can somebody tell me what is so funny and amusing about abusing animals? I can't even begin to understand.
When I told Nevin about it he was so upset. He couldn't understand why someone would do that. Nevin is a pre-teen and has lots of compassion for animals. What do the parents of these boys teach them? That animals are beneath us, don't matter, or maybe even have no feelings and emotions? Of course parents may have nothing to do with this. It's just so upsetting to me.

Father's Day

Today was a pretty busy, stressful, but fun day!

It started out by going to lunch at Sizzling Sticks Cafe. Kinda like BD's Mongolian BBQ. It was yummy! Then since everything was closed downtown, we decided to go to the book store. We got a Mad Libs for Nevin, a sticker and a Hands Are Not For Hitting book for Kieran(much needed and hoping it helps lol), a pregnancy journal and baby names book. On our way back from the book store Kieran fell asleep so Josh dropped me off at Target while he read a book and eventually fell asleep too(hehe).
Thank goodness, since I hadn't had the chance to get him a Father's Day gift(don't have a car and rarely have money on hand), It worked out great and I think surprised him! I got him a fancy coffee thermos and a little book for him to read to Kieran and Chloe called Daddy Loves Me(we already have a Mommy Loves Me and I've never been able to find the Daddy one!) It's so cute. And of course a card. So there I was in the bathroom stall of Target assembling his gift..hehe.
The boys each made him homemade cards. Very sweet!

On a side note....whats up with Target never having my size in maternity clothes? Jeesh!

Now we are home and having Taco Bell for dinner, though the smell is making me nauseous. Might not be able to eat it!

Cute Little Dress

I bought this over the weekend. I couldn't help myself. It's the cutest little dress, sweater and shoes ever! I can't tell you how happy this makes me!

Universalist Unitarian Church

What a great day we had. We went to a non-denominational church today, though I don't think I'll be calling it church. We met some great people and had a really nice time. It seems like somewhere we'll fit in and will be great for the kids! I'm agnostic as is Josh so it's nice to find a place like this. It's all thanks to my friend Michelle :). After the meeting the kids played on the playground. Later an awesome singer named Joe Reilly put on a family concert. Talk about FUN! This guy is a great performer and really knows how to get kids(and parents) really into it. The kids were so cute dancing and having a great time. Not to mention the guy is not too bad on the eyes ;).
It's really earthy music too. I love that.

Panic Attack

Tonight I had a panic attack like I've never had before. I've always dealt with anxiety and panic attacks, but never ever to this severity. I was at a Blessing way for my friend(had a fabulous time by the way!), but when it came time to read our blessings and it was MY turn I suddenly freaked. I had a poem that was sort of long.
Suddenly I was shaking, sweating, my skin felt like it was on fire, I couldn't catch my breath and felt as if I couldn't breath. I was trying not to cry and my voice was shaky. There was nothing I could to to control it. Three times while reading it I felt the urge to just stop and leave the room. I didn't think I'd make it through. I stopped a few times to take a deep breath and I'm not sure how much people noticed, but it was quite embarrassing. I've always gotten nervous while reading or on the spot in front of large groups. I knew I'd be nervous, but I never imagined this would happen.

Can I Just Run Away?

Sometimes on days like this I'd like to jump in my car, drive to a hotel and stay there for 2 days lol. All by myself. It's just been one of those days. *Deep breath*.

Update

I'm sorry. I've been the worst blogger!

Well, I had my ultrasound on Monday and everything looks good. Based on the u/s my due date is Oct. 16th...I had said Oct. 17th. We decided to find out the sex of the baby and....it's a GIRL!!!!. We are over the moon! I was really hoping for a girl since this is going to be our last baby. I'm so excited1 I can't wait to start shopping ;).

I had my appointment with my midwife last night. I mentioned how ridiculously tired I've been. Way more than even my 1st trimester. It hits me everyday around 3 or 4 like a ton of bricks. I get to where I feel like I'm just going to pass out, dizzy, nauseous it's not fun. Well, she took my blood pressure and thought it was way too low, so she tried the other arm and it was low too. Which is weird because I've never had problems with my BP. So we talked a bit about what might be causing it and it turns out I'm not getting enough fluids. I knew I wasn't getting enough. I have a weak bladder and with being pregnant it's even worse, so I avoid drinking a lot. So this explains the tiredness and all as well as my braxton hicks(which I forgot to mention to her). So I need to up my fluid intake and just deal with the many potty breaks. I'm so you all wanted to know about my weak bladder..haha!

Well, without further ado...pictures of our beautiful girl!!!





Her cute little legs!

Cute Sayings Of A Two Year Old

I'm sure I won't remember everything, but I just wanted to jot down some cute things before I forget.

We've recently discovered that Kieran calls lines(as in standing in line) "Lions"...No Mama, I don't want to stand in a Lion!"...hehe. It's adorable.

This morning before our walk, I asked him if he wanted to take his toast with us and he said "No, I don't want a picnic!".

Later on I asked him if he would throw something away for me and he looked at me through the corner of his eye and said "Whatever" and walked away. A smart mouth already? Hehe.

He also calls me "Sweetie" from time to time...got that from Josh.

There are just soooo any funny things that he says on a daily basis. I need to start writing them all down. I think most of it you'd have to hear for yourself as it's got a lot to do with the tone of his voice and expressions.

I just remembered another one. He likes to talk to the cats and asks them questions. Today he was asking Willy if he wanted to come with us. While waiting for an answer I explained that Willy doesn't talk like we do. So he said "Yes he does. Willy meows to talk...he talks with meows". Hehe! He's right. What a smart boy!

I've Been A Bad Blogger

Sorry I've been MIA. With being sleepy and dealing with morning sickness I haven't felt much like blogging. Plus I usually blogged while Kieran took a nap or after everyone was sleeping, but I have been napping with Kieran and not able to stay awake at night and just fall asleep while putting Kieran down. I'll try to be better! There are so many things I've wanted to blog about and pictures I've wanted to post over the last few weeks, but I'll just start fresh.

1st of all I am now 16 weeks pregnant! Time sure is flying.
Here is a recent belly pic that my hubby took on Saturday.


It's kinda funny, but I think I looked bigger at 11 weeks! What do you think?

My friend Shannon came over today with her little girl and we had a great day. The weather was beautiful and we ended up going for a walk to the park. I also got to hear my babes heartbeat, since Shannon brought her doppler over. I love hearing it. It really puts my mind at ease. :)

Banana Baby Food...Hey, It Worked!

So everyone knows that I have morning sickness. Well, sometimes I just can't figure out what to eat because everything makes my stomach do flips. Last night while wracking my brain, I finally settled on a veggie burger and sweet potato fries, so Josh went and got me take out. When he gave me the food I suddenly started to gag at the thought of eating it. I couldn't even bring myself to take one bite. I felt bad that he had gone and gotten me take out and then I didn't even eat it. He was happy to eat it for me, though. :) So...still thinking of what to eat(I was starving) we came to the conclusion that a veggie stir fry might work. Smells and all that don't sit well with me at the moment so my loving husband made me a stir fry. When I tried to eat it I knew right away that it wasn't going to work out, but tried to eat it anyway, since he made it for me. Well, after 2 bites I just couldn't eat any more of it. Do you know what I finally ended up eating? A jar of banana baby food! Something so simple and easy..hehe!

11 Weeks and Already Big

I think I'm looking more like 20 weeks than 11 ..haha. I love it, though. I seem to be smaller in the morning than in the evening...this was taken in the evening.

Photo courtesy of Nevin. :)

Flowers Are Blooming

Today we saw our fist tulip of the season in our front yard. I was so happy! Then Kieran swiftly picked it... just after I said "Kieran, don't pick that flower...we want it to grow strong". Well, it was pretty while it lasted. Ugh. I guess this is what I have to look forward to? Hopefully I can convince him to leave them alone. Haha.

Easter Bunny Rap

I thought was so cute and funny! The kids love it too. Hehe!

We Have A Heartbeat!!

We got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the 1st time last night! It was nice and strong. Music to my ears! It really set my worried mind at ease and it seems so much more "real" now.

I am now in my 3rd month. 10 weeks and 2days to be exact. My belly is already starting to pop!

Pictures From Disney

We took so many pictures. I wish I could share them all!

Back From Disney

Well we are back! Ah...home sweet home.

We had a great time. There is so much to see and do there that we will for sure have to go back some day!

I think my favorite part was the eating at chef Mickey's. Nevin's favorite part was going on the Aerosmith ride and Kieran's favorite was probably getting soaked while playing on the splash pad in the Pooh play area...hehe! I'm not sure what part was Josh's fave..I'll have to ask. We also had a really nice time hanging out with the Murray family and meeting up with Rachel and her kiddo's!

My morning sickness wasn't TOO bad the 1st two days or so, but I did have a couple bad days. It was just hard with the limited food choices(boy am I glad to be back to our regularly scheduled diet)and walking so much, plus constantly chasing after a rambunctious 2 year old :P. I do think that we were so busy that it helped to keep my mind off of it.

I am glad to be home, though. Now I can get some rest. :)

I'll post pictures very soon.

On another note. I'm 9 weeks pregnant! My baby is looking like a real baby now! So cute! I get so excited looking up info on the baby each week.

An Update

Since I haven't been feeling well, I haven't felt much like blogging. Mostly because my blog would be filled with whining and complaining...lol. How fun is that?

So I figured I'd blog about everything that's been going on.

I met a wonderful midwife named Stacia. We talked about all my concerns with postpartum hemorrhage amongst many other things and she is very confident that she can handle it. We are going to be very prepared and take precautions. So I'll be having my 2nd water, home birth! So exciting and I'm much less worried.

Stacia wanted me to have my iron levels and progesterone checked(she thought that by me having such a long cycle that it might be low). So she called with the results and told me that my blood is awesome. She said that it's funny, but with all that she hears with people complaining that you can't have a healthy pregnancy while vegan, she said that the woman with the best blood have all been either vegetarian or vegan! How cool is that? I can't wait to tell my family members this when that start getting on my case about it..hehe! So then she went on to talk about my progesterone. She said its a little on the low side....kinda borderline on when she would worry. I guess normal progesterone for a pregnant woman is between 9 and 50 and mine is 11. She said best is anywhere above 15-20. So I guess I'll be getting some progesterone cream.

Morning(all day and night) sickness is still in full force. I have found some things I can tolerate, though. Blended ice with ginger ale poured over top, eaten with a spoon and baked pita chips or carrots dipped in hummus. Yay!
I feel bad for the kids, though. I can barely keep my eyes open and the only time I don't feel as miserable is when I'm laying down. I feel like a rotten Mom. Luckily Nevin has been so understanding and has helped out by playing with Kieran and occupying him.

I do have one main worry and that my friends is Disney. We leave for the magical world on March 8th. How am I ever going to get through a plane ride and then 8 days walking through amusement parks? At least I'll be puking in the happiest place on earth AND escaping this cold weather, but I still have concerns. I mean, I'm sure they don't have ginger ale slushies and baked pita chips and hummus available on demand...haha!

I'm sure it will all work out.

Well, that's all I can think of for now. I'm so happy to be sick for such a wonderful reason and still so ecstatic!

Anyone have any tips on what to do when drinking water is enough to send you to the porcelain goddess?

It's Officially Arrived

Morning sickness that is. I apologize in advance if from here on out I complain a lot about how I feel. :P I'm kind of a big baby that way. On the plus side...they say MS is a sign of a healthy pregnancy!!!

Happy Belated Valentines Day!

I hope everyone had a wonderful V-Day!

Ours started out with giving the boys little treat bags filled with goodies that I put together for them.

Then the boys handed out the Valentines they made!

Kieran made these:


Nevin made these:

Aren't they cute?

We finished our day by going to see Sesame Street Live!!

It was a lot of fun, but can I just say that $10 is a bit much for a balloon?? I was shocked lol. Kieran sat through the whole show, but tried to run up to the stage a few times. He really wanted to get to Elmo and the gang and didn't understand why he couldn't! Hehe.