Quick Update!

Christmas festivities were not the only reason to why this post is coming so late. With our new move in process (and no, we are still without a home to move into), our Internet is shut off. I type away using free San Diego Brewing Company WiFi. Woo-hoo!

Christmas week/month went by as fast as I could imagine. I finished up my Christmas cookies (Irish cream truffles, Goat Cheese and Chocolate Truffle, Macaroons, PB Kiss cookies and homemade Dog Treats) and shopping on Monday, had dinner and gift exchange with Mom and Steve on Tuesday, busy work night and gift exchange with Dad and the kids on Wednesday, errand running and Christmas Eve at Aunt Rachel's on Thursday, and a RELAXING Christmas Day on Friday...and then work on Saturday and Sunday. Christmas Day was the best considering Tyson and I spent most of the day napping and eating. Just how we like to spend it!

We received many thoughtful gifts from everyone.....wine glasses, holiday plate, Target gift cards, gift cards to our favorite restaurants, baby gifts, scarves, cookware, cologne, etc. We know that next year will be filled with much more Christmas celebration so we were glad that we made a small fuss over the holidays than a huge deal. And now to celebrate the New Year!

As far as baby news.....We had an appointment on Tuesday to check the growth of my belly, listen to the heartbeat and discuss any questions I may have. My midwife praised my weight (only gained 7lbs!!) and informed me that I have to take the dreaded glucose test in two weeks. This is one thing (besides labor) that I am not looking forward to. This is a test to determine if I have too much sugar in my body and if the baby is at risk for gestational diabetes. Basically, I am to take a gross shot of some sugary drink, wait an hour, and get my blood drawn. If I have too much sugar in my blood, then I have to go back for a THREE HOUR TEST! This includes a 12 hour fast (AAAHHHH!!!) and drinking the gross poop drink, wait an hour, draw blood, continue two more times. Some women puke through this entire process, faint....no fun. So this is what I have to look forward to in two weeks. Please pray to the glucose god's for me!!! Other than that, lil' Blake is growing tremendously. Tyson and the lil' guy were "talking" to each other the other night. Tyson would talk and tap my tummy and the baby would kick back. They did this for some time before lil' Blake got tired and drifted to sleep. He already loves the sound of Tyson's voice and gets really excited when he can hear him. I cannot believe how fast he has grown and he is not even out of my belly! With weighing a pound and almost 11 inches long, he can hear quite a lot (which is why Tyson insists I tape the IPOD onto my belly as I crochet. The baby has some Norah Jones, Jason Mraz, and Gipsy Kings to go to sleep to). This (almost) 6 months have flown by and I cannot believe I have only 3 more to go! SO MUCH TO DO!

Biggie and Tyson cuddling on Christmas morning in Tyson's new scarf that I made for him

Beet, Swiss Chard, Walnut and Goat Cheese Tart (using all Farmers Market ingredients) for Christmas Eve

Lil' Blake's first Christmas gift from Grandpa. Go Chargers!

Grandma Candy admiring her wine opener

Tyson SUPER excited for his new Cast Iron Skillet

Sonny getting into the holiday spirit....we think

Decorating the house

The things they never mentioned.....

Christmas is just around the corner and I am proud to say that my endless "to-do" list (no joke, WAS 2 pages long, front and back) is now only a short sticky note. Christmas cards were sent out, lights are strung, presents arrived from Santa (Amazon.com), Christmas tree is decorated and we have Christmas music playing in the background every time we sit for dinner. Next week is full of family time, the exchange of presents, and food. I tried to play Christmas down this year because I know next year will be such a bigger ordeal than any other year prior, but it seems like I cannot help myself in getting into the exciting Christmas spirit.



Having the holidays come and go, as well as moving in a month, has had my 21 weeks of pregnancy fly by faster than I can ever imagine. Every time I put on my T-shirt and jeans, my belly is poking out just a little bit bigger. Tyson and I realized last night just how much I am growing. The kicks are becoming regular and stronger (6am, 10am, 1pm, and then because of work I don't feel him again until 11pm or so). And I am experiencing things that I was not aware I would feel. While I have looked up all of my crazy symptoms up in the pregnancy bible "What to Expect When You're Expecting", I have had some comfort in knowing that everything is quite normal. I just have yet to hear them as forewarnings from friends and family...and trust me, I get an earful at work of endless of advice. From what I should be slathering on myself for stretch marks, how horrible childrearing will be on our marriage, how I will gain 100lbs, morning sickness, and how I should breastfeed until he is 3. And for anyone that knows me, you know my common response to ALL of this is by rolling my eyes and muttering "ya, right." What they didn't share, however, is what I believe are THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTS!

Here are some things I think that future pregnant mommies should be aware of:

-You will find yourself doing motherly/grandmother type of activities. Tea time and crochet will be your favorite activity, ecspecially if the friend is bribing you with Swedish treats and good gossip.

-Yes farting is a problem and some women say that they outdo their husbands. Not the case for me. No one can outdo Tyson....and yet he still blames me

-Documenting everything during your pregnancy is a sick disease. I do not know why I want to save empty bottles of Ranch for my child, or even take pictures of it. Is it because I want him to see that I can go through an entire bottle in a week and put it on everything? I have to step back and breathe and then place it in the recycle bin.

-Your hair and face will NOT be amazing. I look worse now then I did at 12. At least at that age, everyone has acne and rarely showers. My breakouts are unbearable and my hair is unmanageable. BOO on the hormones.

-Some women DO NOT have cravings like pickles and ice cream. If I had a nickel for every time I was asked that, I would be a millionaire. I have never been healthier in how I eat. Granted, I can eat an entire farm out of their fruit and eggs.....

-Nesting happens the entire time you are pregnant..well at least for me. We have never been more organized and clean.

-Yes, your sense of smell is incredible. But working in a restaurant seriously messes with one's mind. At any given time, I can smell nachos, burning pizza, someones cologne, the bathrooms, a putrid BO smell from the pervert at the bar, and lemon drop shots. And this is all combined into one inhalation. YUCK!

-Most women are hot and sweaty throughout their pregnancy. I am the complete opposite. I am freezing. My fingers and toes are ALWAYS cold. I know it is winter and the chill comes with the season, but let's be real. This is San Diego and the coldest day is high 60's. Regardless, I am just as cold as I would be if I were in 20-degree weather. BURRRRRR.....

-And lastly, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE being pregnant. Now this is all said BEFORE labor and delivery, but I can do this again. I love experiencing all of the pregnancy woes, good and bad, and I especially love being with my baby all of the time. This is the only time I can have him as mine, and only mine. The bonding is already beginning and I cannot wait to continue it on with Tyson. Being parents is such an amazing feeling and we cannot wait to love our little guy from outside the womb.

Muffins and Tamales

What a better way to spend a Sunday than with cooking, family, friends, football and EATING! After running around with going to the gym, getting a pleasant Santa Lucia greeting from our dear friend Vanessa and picking up some fruit at the North Park Farmers Market, I headed over to my mom's house for some good ol' Mexican tamale making. Starting a new family tradition is always fun and adventurous, as we have little clue on how to perfect the tamale, but with many hands in slathering the masa, scooping meat and folding the husks, we knew that we were creating memories. It wasn't as difficult as we assumed it would be and we definitely over estimated how much masa we were going to need. In the background, we watched the Chargers defeat the Cowboys triumphfully. Tyson and I left my mom's house with 9 dozen tamales to eat for Christmas and the year to come! .....and no we will not share!

Alex scooping, Mom monitoring her folding

A whopping 18 dozen!!!!!

Slapping the masa on the corn husks

Erika and I busy at work!

I also found another favorite muffin recipe for the left over pumpkin puree that I have been hoarding in my fridge. With chocolate chips and some spice, these muffins are irresistible. They go perfect with a hot cup of decaf (with soy, of course!) in the morning. Cannot wait until tomorrow morning for some more muffin indulgence!

Friends, Presents and FOOD!

My amazing husband came home early from a guys night on Monday to smother me in kisses and insist that I eat some food, since a bowl of cereal was not a substantial dinner for his little growing boy and wife. While I sat in bed crocheting away, Tyson prepared lasagna and topped it with my favorite craving, a fried egg. Along side he remembered to bring me my prentatl vitamin and soda water and brought all of this to our bed. I couldn't help but to take a picture of his thoughtful, sincere gesture. I am so grateful to have my best friend by my side. Tyson also surprised me with our diaper bag (another thing crossed off our endless "to-do" list). It is exactly what I wanted. Nothing too baby-ish, lots of room for baby things and my stuff, and easy to clean. A day after we ordered it, it arrived! I LOVE IT!

Last night, Tyson and I met up with our dear friends Adam and Danielle. We snacked at Sea Rocket and grubbed burgers at Toronado. It was a farewell night out as the Millers are setting off to North Carolina for new adventures and a peaceful lifestyle. We will miss them so very much and wish them the best. It was nice to be out with good friends and at our old stomping grounds. With saving money and no drinky for me, we haven't been out too much, which we miss. Since it has been chilly and raining lately, we are more comfortable snuggling on the couch , watching movies and cooking, than going out. It was a nice change for us and especially great seeing friends.

Other than that, our week is going by fast. We are beginning our search for our new home and hopefully buying a couch tomorrow. We are also anticipating our tamale-making Sunday with my mom. Can't wait for some yummy tamales! The little guy woke me up in the middle of the night last night for the first time, kicking away. I could feel him kicking in the center of my belly, then creep over to the right side and kick away again. I truly love being woken up like this.

Lasagna with a fried egg, garnished with sriracha and fresh basil, served in bed :)

Our DIAPER BAG!

Cute blue with lots of room

Lovely and beautiful Danielle

My Favorites

Month 5

Baby Blake is measuring about 10 1/2 ounces and about 6 1/2 inches. He is swallowing more now and produces meconium, but we won't see this goo until he is born. He is getting to be more active and throws a little kick and punch every now and then, but Tyson has yet to feel him. While Tyson tries to yell into my stomach for lil' Blake to wake, like his mother, he is stubborn. I cannot wait to see Tyson's face when he feels him for the first time.

We still cannot believe that this week marks the halfway point. Time has flown by and this makes me even more nervous. Only a few weeks until Christmas (still have MUCH to do), a few months to move (TONS to do), a few months until shower (LOTS to do) and the BABY! While I would LOVE to have the baby as soon as possible, I somewhat want another year to plan, prepare and organize. Welcome to parenthood, right?

These are a few of my favorite things...... (to the tune of Julie Andrews' "Sound of Music")
Pregtastic Podcast on ITUNES to make me feel normal about farts, burps and nipples
Myfavortieeverything.com (BLOG) for great ideas
Mommy Meet Ups at meetup.com for social normalness
Shoes for Crews shoes for my poor feet and back
Yoga Janda for stretching and relieving pain
Massage Lotions for the (almost) daily massages from Tyson
Cocoa butter lotion for making me smell like milk chocolate (and for no stretch marks so far!)
Homemade tea using my garden herbs
Baby Wise book for Tyson's "aha!" moments
My Nikon Camera for keeping up with our fun life
Maternity Pants
Being Pregnant for the holidays (I know I have said this before, but I am so grateful for it EVERYDAY)

Feeling the woes....

After a incredible dinner of homemade enchiladas and pumpkin spiced flan with our dearest friends Jenn and Matt (and lil' Vanessa), I sit here typing along feeling uncomfortable...for the first time in my pregnancy. Believe it or not, this is the first time I haven't felt the best and it have nothing to do with my back, legs, tummy or anything else of that nature. My problem? My sensitive gums, canker sore on my tongue and a pounding headache. All of these pains make me so frustrated because I haven't had these combo of issues since I had braces! I looked up my problems and found them a typical symptom of pregnancy, but that does not make me feel any more comfortable. It hurts to swallow, talk and eat. And Lord knows I love to talk and eat (no dirty jokes on the third!). I am hoping that these pains disappear within the next few days because I do not know how much longer I can possibly take.

Another frustration is my issues with my crochet. I know, I know. Not a big deal and I am crying and whining about nothing, but I fell in love with this hobby after my mom showed me last Friday. It is not as difficult as knitting and goes by quickly. I am stuck at the end of one row and I am completly lost at what to do next. And what's worst is that I WANNA CROCHET RIGHT NOW! Hopefully I can figure it out tomorrow.

On a positive note, I have a busy week ahead with Mommy Meet-ups, work, Christmas events and lunch with friends. I also have most of my Christmas to-do's done and most of my new home shopping completed as well. This makes me one happy and less stressed gal. With one more week until month 5, I cannot believe how fast the pregnancy, let alone year, has gone. It is December 1 and I still do not know where the year has gone. I guess time flies when you're having fun!

My cravings so far:
Dim Sum (duh!)
Fried Eggs
Spinach
Cereal with Soy Milk
Tacos
Chipotle (burrito bowl)


Apples (or any fruit!)
Water (my thirst is constant)
Oatmeal with bananas