Oh Hey Third Trimester!

That's right people! A few months left and I'll be a mom. Talk about reality setting in. I officially stopped working and am now a housewife. Maybe I should call Bravo and see if they are thinking of filming in Austin. Who am I kidding I'm too awesome for that show. It feels pretty weird not waking up and going to work everyday. It also feels pretty amazing. I have so much time to get all of the housework done before I can't bend over anymore. Oh and I should probably finish that thing called a nursery before this kid makes his appearance.

28 weeks

I have a new obsession. It's called The Doctors. I'm sure you have heard of this show and for some reason I can't get enough. This week I learned you can be born without a vaginal canal and cannot have sex or babies, there is a rapping vegan and a lady that got super glued to a toilet and had to call 911. I mean if that's not quality t.v. then I don't know what is. 

I had my glucose test this week and well I failed. Actually, I didn't fail but I didn't pass with flying colors. My levels were boarder line so I have to do the wonderful three hour test. All I can say is FML....I have a hard time with getting my blood drawn due to my tiny baby veins. Now I have to have my blood drawn four times within three hours. So yeah FML. Oh and did I mention I can't eat after midnight or breakfast the next day.  That's like torture to a pregnant lady. Wish me luck! I better pass or else!

On a side note I'm watching Parks and Rec. Let me just say I see a little bit of myself in pregnant Anne. It's pretty comical to see her doing everything I do or have done. Rob finds it hilarious. He just looks at me and laughs. 

While putting away baby clothes I found the cutest outfit ever. I thought I would leave you with this little gem. I can thank my stylish sister for this one. 

Indiana, Sickness and Baby Showers.

So guess who's home sick again? If you guessed me, you guessed correctly. I feel like it's the story of my life. I'd like to thank my visit to Indiana for this wonderful sinus/upper respiratory infection. It never fails. Anytime I go back during the winter season I get sick. So I've decided no more winter visits! My immune system can't handle it. The last two days I have gone through two boxes of tissues. I think that might be a new record.

Though I hate going back to Indiana I always enjoy seeing my family and friends. This trip was even better because my sister also came home from NYC. So I got to see everyone.

Reunited and it feels so good

 While I was home I decided to have my baby shower since I don't plan on going back before the baby is born. My moms put on an awesome baby shower. Unfortunately the day of the baby shower was the day I started feeling sick. I already dislike being social and being sick made it worse. I survived and actually had fun. We had amazing food and the cutest cake ever. I got a ton of cute baby stuff and gift cards. I want to send a special thank you to all who came! My moms did such a great job and deserve an extra special thank you! They are the best!

The Cake!

So I guess it's time to start getting ready for this little guy. I'm almost 6 months which is crazy! I feel like it's flying by now and he will be here sooner than I think. I only have about two weeks left of work before I become a housewife and soon to be stay at home mom. It's getting serious now. 

22 weeks. Only belly shot I have right now

I guess I will now go cough up a lung and maybe take a shower. Oh and a new thing I learned while being sick and pregnant. If I have a coughing fit or a sneeze attack I pee my pants. Talk about a not so fun surprise. 
 

OMG is that a........?!

Once again I am home sick. I can tell you that being sick always sucks especially for me, but being pregnant and sick sucks so bad. Of course I got my usual upper respiratory infection so that's fun. Anyways since I am confined to the couch I figured what better thing to do than write a post. 

 So we had a doctors appointment last week to check on the baby. All is healthy which is always a good thing. We are finally at a point where we had the option to find out the sex. Of course I had to know. I mean I need to know what colors to use in the nursery. Oh and I was getting tired of calling my baby it. So we did the ultrasound and the very first thing we saw was a.....PENIS! That's right we are having a boy and he was not shy about hiding it at all. I still remain the only girl in the house. Which I'm ok with. I always wanted a boy first so that there was a big brother figure. Though a girl would of been cute too. My sister said he will be the cute older brother and also a hipster. Both in which I am ok with. 

Legs in the air showing off his manhood

Anyways we are both very excited! I also like to think the boys are excited. They are very protective of the belly. I like to think they know what's going on. With the bump getting better Cosmo seems to be more and more protective of me and the belly. 

16 weeks

Now I am going to go take my Z-pak and get some sleep. Maybe I'll be adventurous and take a shower. 

Hello Second Trimester!

I made it to the second trimester! It's a big accomplishment for pregnant ladies everywhere. According to the blogs I read morning sickness should be going away. I should have more energy than ever. Oh and my boobs shouldn't hurt anymore. Well let me tell you the morning sickness has started to give up though I still have my bad days. My boobs don't hurt as bad but they are still a little tender. As long as I have a bra on I'm good. The tiredness on the other hand is still very present. On my days off of work I could take 1-2 naps a day and still feel tired. I still can't stay up past 10 and could sleep in until 9 or 9:30. Which if you know me you know that's late. 

According to the fruit chart baby is the size of a lemon. Even though if you looked at me it looks more like the size of cantaloupe. My wardrobe is now down to yoga pants and basketball shorts. Oh a dresses! They are my new best friend. I think it may be time to go shopping though. With the colder weather coming along I should by leggings or something. I'm sure Rob doesn't care but for date night I'd like to wear something other than yoga pants and an oversized t-shirt. 

Welcome to week 14

Oh and we purchased a mom mobile. Up until this weekend we've been carpooling to work. We never really had the need for a second car. I would drop Rob off at the train on my way to work and pick him up on my way home. Now we have a need for a second car and one with four doors. Our current car only has two. I'm not doing gymnastics to put the baby in the car. So insert my new car.

The new ride!

Pretty gansta for a mom. While at the dealership I overheard a teenager say that moms only drive vans and SUV's. Man did I prove her wrong! 

Big Trips and Bigger News

So the last few months have been busy and exciting! First off my little sister is officially a New Yorker. She's off doing what she loves. We moved her in last week. I'm so jealous of where she lives. It's a cute little apartment in Greenwich Village. I fell in love with New York and if I ever hit the lotto I will move there.  

       

Manhattan

Greenwich Village

                  
Oh and did I mention I'm going to be a mom in April? That's right people! I am almost into my fourth month. I'd love to say " Wow! I feel great!" but that would be a flat out lie. If I'm not nauseous I'm tired. Apparently in a few weeks I am supposed to feel like a new person but I'll keep you posted.  Also I have exploded into full on preggo belly. This last week it just popped out. While in New York my step mom asked if I was sure there was just one in there. I told her last time I checked there was. 

At 6 weeks

At 11 weeks (sorry for the quality)

The best thing about being pregnant is seeing the baby at the ultrasounds. We just went yesterday and saw he/she swimming around and flapping its legs and arms. Talk about the cutest thing ever! We are super excited. So spread the word! The coolest kid is going to be born around April fools day. 

Holy Paleo!

If you know me then you know I'm always down for a good food challenge. By challenge I mean "let's see how long I can do this without hating myself". That is how I became a vegetarian for close to a year, and vegan for a few months. I usually just go with the flow until I'm over it and go back to eating meat, sugar or whatever I was determined to give up. 

My newest challenge is the Paleo diet. If you have never heard of it, the diet is pretty much food that can be hunted, fished or be gathered. So meat, fish, eggs, berries, nuts, seeds, veggies and mushrooms. The best thing about it is I can still bake, eat meat and veggies. You're probably asking yourself "how did she come across this diet?" Well I've been wanting to try it for a while now. Then we went out with one of Rob's co-workers and his wife. Well his wife follows the paleo diet and even writes a blog about it. You can check out her blog at Sweet-Paleo. She has some pretty awesome recipes.  So it sparked my interest again. I thought to myself let's start a paleo challenge. So I started by making breakfast muffins that turned out pretty good. Then we had made plans to hang out with our new friends on the 4th of July. I decided to make paleo brownies and let the experts tell me how I'm doing. They were better than most brownies I've made in the past. Oh and our friends loved them! Now I can't stop myself. Last night I made paleo chocolate chip cookies that were AMAZING! Here's where I found the recipe Paleo Cookies.

Paleo Cookies

 So since I got the baking down I'm going to try making my meals paleo starting this week. I'm pretty excited but I always am at the beginning of a food challenge. So if you follow me on Pinterest I apologize now for the paleo overload you are about to experience. Oh and if you have any good recipes shoot them my way!

Birthdays and Andes Mint Cupcakes

As many of you know today is father's day but today is also a special birthday.  Today is Rob's 31st birthday. You read that right my husband is 31! He's really getting up there. It's about time to trade him in for a newer model. Not really though because it doesn't get much better than him.

Yesterday I took him out for a fancy meal at one of our favorite places called Wink. We decided to try a few new things including rabbit and sweetbreads. If you don't know what sweetbreads are Google it. They sound weird but are DELICIOUS! We of course got our favorite beef tartar. Which I thought it may be my last tartar for a while since you cannot eat raw meat when pregnant. No, I'm not pregnant yet but it could happen any day now. 

Today I decided to make his favorite dessert....cupcakes! Which are my favorite to make. I decided to make Andes Mint cupcakes since it's one of his favorite candy/mints to eat. I've been wanting to try this recipe for a while and finally had the chance. The recipe looks difficult but is actually pretty simple.

Andes Mint Cupcakes

Cake:
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
Devils food cake mix

Chocolate mint ganache:
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
3 Tablespoons Heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Mint Buttercream:
8 oz cream cheese
6 tablespoons butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons peppermint extract ( you can add more if you want a more minty flavor)
A few drops of green food coloring. 

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Wisk together sour cream, oil and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time. 
Add cake mix and liquids alternating between the two.
Fill cupcake liners a little over half full
Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

For the chocolate mint ganache melt chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream on the stove top.( I use the double boiler method) Stir in peppermint extract and powdered sugar. Place in squeeze bottle. When cupcakes come out of the oven use squeeze bottle to fill center of cupcakes.

Sorry for the mess

For mint buttercream Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream and peppermint extract. Finally add green food coloring. 

Rob loved his birthday cupcakes. Along with his birthday dinner I cooked for him. We are going to spend the rest of the evening watching movies and relaxing. Hope everyone had a great father's day!