Pregnancy update

I am 17 weeks pregnant and feeling great. I still have occasional weepy bouts and prefer to eat baked potatoes but my energy has returned. On the one hand I can't believe how fast time is going by on the other December still feels like a long way from now. However, we are starting to prepare for the baby and it is starting to feel more real.

Yesterday was the first time a stranger commented on my pregnancy. I am starting to show and most of my pants only fit with the bellaband. It was actually really funny because she said, "what a cute belly, when are you due?" and for a second I forgot I was pregnant and thought she was calling me fat! It was just such a surprise to have a stranger notice. Here is a picture of the belly last night:

We still have a few more weeks until we find out if it's a boy or girl. However we are starting to work on the nursery. I posted a few inspiration pictures a few weeks ago but now I have a much firmer idea in my head for each one. Our first big nursery project is to refinish a dresser that my Mom found at a garage sale. This was a great find and I'm so excited about it. Although it isn't a great picture here is the before:

It's a solid mahogany dresser from the 1920's. It is a little scratched, there is a crack on one of the drawer fronts and the knobs are broken. We are working right now to sand it down so we can fill the crack and paint it white. Then we will find new nobs to put on and it will be as good as new. We have also decided on the Jennylind crib which we will be getting next month. But perhaps most exciting is this rocking chair that my Mom and Stepfather are letting us use.

It's been in Michael's family and was in their garage. It is so perfect. Not only is it gorgeous but it fits me perfectly!

I am also reading a lot of books! My favorites so far have been The Baby Talk Guide to the First Year and The Happiest Baby on the Block. However, I just got The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and Baby Wise and am looking forward to those as well.

I know time will pass quickly and this little one will be here before we know it!

Back to the grindstone

Well vacation is over. It was delightful. We had such a nice time with Chris' family in Tri-Cities. It was so beautiful up there. Then went to the cabin and the weather was glorious. It was warm and sunny. We went hiking a couple of times. Chris caught a fish. And we spent a lot of time lounging around reading in the hammock and cooking delicious food!

Now it's back to work and coming back after a week away is so painful. There is just so much to do to get caught up! Chris is back in Tri-Cities for the week for work though and I've been staying at my Mom's. It's so nice to be fed taken care of by someone else once in a while!

Vacation

Tomorrow at 4pm we are officially on vacation! I really looking forward to 9 days away from my office and some quality time with Chris. Originally we were planning to go to Montana for a week but due to some very severe flooding they are experiencing we decided to stay a little closer to home. This weekend we are heading to Tri-Cities and Walla Walla to attend a wedding and visit with Chris' family then Monday we are heading to my family's cabin for a few days to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary.

We will sit on the porch and read, take naps in the hammock, go on walks and hikes and relax.

We will also be cooking some yummy food together. Here is our cabin menu which is heavily influenced by our CSA box produce that we have been enjoying:

French Lentils and garden lettuce salad

Thai shrimp Curry with fresh cilantro

Bacon egg and tomato sandwiches with fresh spinach and bakery bread

Fresh fish with rosemary roasted potatoes and sauteed kale

Grilled Duck breast with roasted squash salad and maple pecan dressing

Baby Room

Before I found out I was pregnant I knew that our nursery would be turquoise. I think it is the perfect baby bedroom color. It is versatile, gender neutral and happy. I am still formulating details of our nursery in my head but ideas are coming together more everyday. I think our baby is a girl and if I'm right I pretty much have her nursery planned. If I'm wrong....well...let's just say I'll have a lot more planning to do. These pictures (which came from the bump.com) have provided some general inspiration.


This wall color is perfect and we will be trying to match it. This is also very close to the crib we want and I love the three picture above the crib.

This is would be fun for a boy. I like the colors and the cheerful prints.


This is a really neat idea. Probably one we don't really have room for but fun one the less.

This just feels so happy and relaxed. Another great idea for a boy.

Pregnancy Update: week 13

Thank you for all of the sweet comments about our exciting news!

I am 13 weeks and our baby is the size of a peach. So far my pregnancy is going really well. As I mentioned I've had some nausea but that seems to have passed. I am still really tired but I feel like my energy is starting to come back. Now that I am in the second trimester I am looking forward to having a lot more energy. The hardest part about the first trimester was the emotions. I would start crying over the smallest thing. Thankfully for both Chris and I that also seems to be getting better.

We had our first ultra sound at 10 weeks and were able to see the baby. He/she put on quite a show for us kicking, flipping around and squirming quite a bit. We could also see the heart beat which was pretty amazing. We go back to the doctor next week and should be able to hear the heart beat.

We will be finding out the sex of the baby. However we have to wait until our 20 week appointment the last week of July. However I think it's a girl:)

Memorial Day Menu

To celebrate the holiday Monday we invited my Mom and Step father over for a BBQ. We wanted to have them over for dinner in our new house to thank them for all their help during our move and the holiday was the perfect opportunity.

I wanted a menu that felt like summer so despite the rainy forecast we could at least pretend summer was around the bend. I was really happy with how everything turned out. Chris and I made the steak and potato salad and Mom brought the corn salad, corn bread and pie. The highlight for me was the potato salad. It was so easy and simple and so yummy! I highly recommend this menu for a casual get together.

Memorial Day Menu

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak

Potato Salad with sour cream and chives

Asparagus corn salad

corn bread

Strawberry Pie

pictures from Martha Stewart.com

Baby News

Chris and I are excited to announce we are expecting a baby this December!

It has been really hard to blog and not blog about that. Hence the limited content on my blog in recent months.

I'm 12 weeks along and doing really well. I had some nausea but it's getting a lot better. I have also been extremely tired and weepy. I think now that I'm moving into my second trimester my energy is starting to come back.

We are really excited or this next stage of our lives.