2012 Christmas card outtakes.

with john working 6 days a week, mondays being his only day off, i was pressed for time to take some photos for a christmas card this year.  i usually don't send holiday cards out, but since we are "expecting" i thought it would be a nice way to let our family and friends in on the great news.

i still have all my christmas decorations in a box in the garage.  i am hoping to whip them out soon, but with work, and all the things on my to-do list for december i'm not holding my breath for a very festive house this year.  BUT (and that's a capital B-U-T), i ran over to michael's today and bought some stencils, twine, and red ribbons and conjured up my very own homemade merry christmas sign to use as our backdrop for our christmas card.  my brother's gf graciously obliged to be our photographer.  let's just say, taking pictures with our fur babies was an "experience".  here are some outtakes.  enjoy!

 

Hello third trimester! 28 week baby bump.

shall we recap?

24 week baby bump.

26 week baby bump.

28 week baby bump.

i saw my ob this morning.  there was some good news and some so-so news.  good news: i passed my OGTT!  no gestational diabetes for me.  my weight is good...16 lbs gained so far, and my blood pressure is within normal limits (116/48).  the heart rate of baby gabriella is strong and right where it should be.  so-so news: then, she measured my fundal height and it's a little higher than she expected it would be for 28 weeks.  she then said that i should get another ultrasound just to make sure everything was ok.  being a pediatric nurse and having google at my finger tips, my thoughts began to race from having a huge baby to having polyhydramnios.  my thoughts have calmed down now, and i've decided to stay positive and not to think about it too much.  my ultrasound appointment is next thursday.  i'll keep you posted on the results.  i was planning on writing a reflection, but as you can imagine, i'm not in the right mood to write one. till next time friends.

The diaper/undiaper bag conundrum.

i registered for the diaper dude messenger bag for john and i.  i figured it would be better to get a "masculine" bag for both of us rather than a cute, feminine one that he'd feel uncomfortable carrying around.  plus it got pretty good reviews on amazon and from the various blogs i read.  here is a pic of it...

however, i really wanted to register for the skip hop versa diaper bag too.  again, the great reviews and appealing looks of the bag drew me to it.  you can see for yourself here...

but then i got to thinking about what makes a bag a diaper bag.  2 overarching characteristics that i have come up with are that diaper bags are bags that are (A) large and (B) have a lot of pockets or sections.  can i add that diaper bags aren't cheap.  the diaper dude bag is $59.99 at babies r us.  and the skip hop versa diaper bag is $69.99.  i know, crazy right?!  the bags aren't even leather.  as any human being  would be, i was  on pinterest gathering ideas and inspirations for my life in general and came across this...

kf baby diaper bag organizer
it is only $14.88 on amazon.

but then i stumbled upon this "pin".

via

bingo!  i kinda had an "aha" moment...i mean, not really...but you get how excited i was.  i have been wanting another longchamp le pilage large shoulder bag for awhile now since bubba, chewed up my black one and broke the zipper.  can i say how sturdy this bag is?  i still use it everyday for work.  and when i went back to school i used it then too.  this bag carried my laptop, books, papers, and food.  i have spilled a ton of drinks and food in it as well, and all i have to do is wipe it clean.  it still looks good after all the wear and tear.  and considering how bubba can tear things up if he thinks there is food in something, the zipper was only minusculy broken.  after my experience with this bag, don't you think it would make an excellent diaper bag?  the only thing is, is that it lacks pockets.  but, if i buy cheap, clear pouches or even the kf diaper organizer, i think i can make it work.  can i introduce you to my 

diaper bag of choice?  ta-da!

in bilberry since i already have the black one.
it is the perfect shade of dark purple, almost black.

i just received it in the mail.  thanks to 2 bloomingdale's gift cards, a 20% friends and family sale, and free shipping and handeling, i got this new bag for less than $30.  what a steal wouldn't you say?

you know i'm going to ask...what kind of diaper bag did you end up using?

Pumpkin smoothie.

after OD-ing on all the carbs from thanksgiving, i made an attempt to eat a little healthier today.  half of my brain was determined to eat clean, but the other half was calling to eat the last piece of chocolate cream pie in my fridge.  luckily i had one can of pumpkin puree in my pantry and decided to make a pumpkin smoothie.  pumpkin smoothies have been popping up on pinterest ever since fall started and it always intrigued me.  so i whipped out my ipad and browsed pinterest until i found a healthy pumpkin smoothie recipe.  props to ms. martha stewart for coming up with the recipe.  i took her recipe and tweaked it just a bit.

here's what you'll need:

1.  1/2 cup of pumpkin puree..which is very low in calorie and fat btw

2. 1 cup of fat free greek yogurt.

3. 1/2 cup of almond milk

4.  cinnamon (i put a lot of cinnamon.  did you know 

cinnamon speeds up your metabolism?)

5.  stevia to taste

6.  ice cubes

directions:

just throw all your ingredients in your blender and enjoy!

this smoothie really hit the spot.  not only was it delicious, but it's the perfect low calorie, low fat, high in calcium and protein drink for a preggo mama-to-be.  try it!

PS

if you want to add an extra "oomf" to his drink, i think graham crackers would be the perfect addition.

PPS

i have filipino pork loin adobo (healthy version) cooking in my crock pot as i type this post.  stay tuned for the recipe ;-)

Thanksgiving on a saturday.

because i had to work on thanksgiving, my mom said she would cook her famous turkey and stuffing on saturday and that we could celebrate thanksgiving then.  gosh, i love having such a flexible family.  the dinner was just absolutely delicious.  the secret to her turkey is mustard.  she slathers the bird with mustard along with salt and pepper and throws it in the oven.  the turkey always comes out so juicy and flavorful and she doesn't even have to brine it.  and her stuffing is made with ritz crackers and chorizo sausage.  it is just divine.  having a mom that can cook is a blessing.

speaking of blessings, there are so many things that i have to be thankful for.  i am so thankful to have 2 sets of parents who love and support us through everything.  i feel so blessed that i have siblings, mine and john's, that are always there for us.  i have 2 goofy dogs that show me love everyday.  i have a husband who is a phenomenal man in every sense of the word, who loves me, listens to me, and is going to make an amazing father. and i am so thankful to be given an opportunity to be a mama to a little girl whom i can't wait to meet.  God is good.

A low carb, but not necessarily low fat chicken recipe.

just in case you wanted to eat something besides turkey, here's a super quick and easy recipe i whipped up for john and myself.  i'm always looking for chicken recipes.  this one calls for only 4 ingredients that are low carb, but not necessarily low fat.  i used mayo for goodness sake!  but, i think it was the mayo that kept the chicken breast juicy.  don't you just hate overcooked, dry chicken breast??  i do...

so without further adieu here it is:

what you'll need:

chicken breasts

mayo

lipton onion soup packet

parmesan cheese (optional)

mix the mayo and onion soup mix together until you have enough to 

coat all your chicken breasts.  then sprinkle with

parmesan cheese.  bake at 375 degrees for 30 min.

i ate mine with cooked spinach.  husband ate his with brown rice.

3...count them, 3  ingredients + chicken breasts!

prior to the parmesan cheese 

with the cheese.  you can omit this ingredient.
i just wanted finish what i had in the fridge.

golden brown and juicy chicken that packs a nice flavor
punch.

OGTT day.

OGTT stands for oral glucose tolerance test.  it's a test that pregnant woman have to do between 24-28 weeks to check if they have gestational diabetes.  today i had it done.  it was more annoying than anything.  i also didn't particularly like the idea of drinking 75...yes 75 GRAMS of SUGAR, but for baby gabriella, of course i'll do it ;-)

the whole test takes 3 hours because they take your fasting glucose, then you drink the orange drink with 75 GRAMS of SUGAR, wait an hour, take your blood glucose level again, wait an hour, then finally take your last blood glucose level.  you may be wondering (or not) what i did for those hours in between my blood draws...errands of course!  one of the hours i even rushed to costco.  big mistake.  costco the day before thanksgiving was a mad house.  i barely made it back to the lab within an hour.  i think that's why i was so exhausted and hungry.  i chowed down a caesar salad when i got home and took a 3 hour nap.  hopefully my results come back good.  i'll let you guys know next week when i see my doctor.

tomorrow is thanksgiving, and unfortunately i have to work.  but that won't stop me from counting my blessings sans turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.  till next time dear friends and happy thanksgiving in case i don't get to post tomorrow.