18 Weeks

I am so excited to do my first "weekly update"! :-) I love reading other people's as they do theirs!

How Far Along: 18 weeks 1 Day

Size of baby: Sweet little Emma Claire is 5.6 in long and weighs 6.7 oz. She's the size of a sweet potato! They were my favorite vegetable as a baby and I still love them!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I think I've gained about 5lbs. At my last doctors visit I had only gained 2...I'm sure it'll be up at my next visit! I've really gotten my appetite back lately. 

Maternity Clothes: I am in a terribly awkward stage now....normal clothes don't fit but maternity clothes are like tents, even the smalls :-( For now I just wear pants in a size up and wear looser fitting tops!

Gender: GIRL!

Movement: I felt her move for the first time about two weeks ago! It was just a slight twitchy feeling on my left side at first...then I slowly felt more and more movement! Now I can tell where her little feet and hands are, sometimes she will move from one side to the other! That is so neat to feel!

What I miss: Nothing really. I can tell that I won't be able to sleep on my stomach much longer though :-( Right now I sleep half on my tummy and half on my side with one leg pulled up to my chest...very weird sounding but I've always been a tummy sleeper!

Cravings: Lately I haven't had a ton of cravings or aversions. I still don't really want meat ever...I get pretty thirsty sometimes, but my belly gets full so quick I can't drink as much as i want! I have wanted a lot of pasta lately...not for every meal, just occasionally. With my "cravings" if I somehow work it into a meal it tends to go away! I haven't had any lingering cravings.

Symptoms: Even though I'm well into the second trimester I still get pretty tired if I have a big day. Going shopping or walking around a lot pretty much wears me out. I'm not much of a napper, I always feel much worse after waking up :-( so I just rest for a while in the afternoon and I feel much better!

Best Moment this week: There were so many great moments this week! First was finding out that we're having a little GIRL :-) It was so fun to have the Hubster, my mom and dad come to the sonogram. My dad was shocked at how far sonograms have come in 23 years! :-) I also LOVED getting to announce it to the "world" on facebook and the blog! If those aren't enough great moments...it was so fun to announce the gender to family and get to tell them her name!

What I'm looking forward to: Getting to see our little girl at my 20 week appointment! :-)

Baby Bump!

 

So here's my first attempt at a "bump" picture...as you can tell, there's not much of one right now. Towards the end of the day I do start to get more of a bump...and I have one after dinner for sure! I do wish that I looked more "pregnant" and not like I just had a big lunch! ha! And I've decided that most of my weight gain HAS to be up "top". The girls are HUGE....I really would like for them to stay this size and not get any bigger....

I just can't believe I'm almost half-way done! I'm not complaining about my slow growing bump by any means! I started taking weekly pictures at the beginning and then noticed that there was literally no change from week to week so I figured I'd just wait! From now on I will do one each week...the bump has to be coming soon!!! :-) Stay tuned for more Emma Claire updates!!!

Pink or Blue...It's Time To Tell You!

The Hubster and I are thrilled to announce that we are having a.....

Sweet Baby GIRL!!!

This baby is all little lady!

 No boy parts here!

We are BEYOND excited for this sweet little blessing! Tonight we got to share the exciting news with our family at our Memorial Day party! I had the two picture frames with sonogram pictures in them set up, and everyone got to write their name under their choice! Pretty much everyone thought it was a girl! :-) It was so fun getting to hear everyones reasoning as to why they made their choice! Once everyone voted the Hubster and I showed the sonogram video! It was fun to watch everyone's reactions as they watched and realized it was a GIRL!!! :-)

We will be naming this sweet little girl....

Isn't she just so CUTE! hehe I know it's hard to see much in this 3D image but it is so cool to see her whole little body! :-) I love how her her hands are in front of her sweet little face, it's almost like she's praying! I just love that!

"I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him." 1 Samuel 1:27

Pregnancy Update!

Since we just announced that we're expecting...I thought I would take some time and fill everyone in on my pregnancy so far!!! :-) I also want to write all of these fun little facts down because I know I won't remember them forever!

How did you find out you were pregnant?

This is a fun story! I was a few days late and just did not think I was pregnant. The Hubster was convinced that I was, he kept saying, "I just know you're pregnant...I can tell". Well I was obviously skeptical of his ability to "just know" I was pregnant! ha! One night he came home after work and said he had a surprise...a pregnancy test! I agreed to take the test, knowing that I wasn't pregnant! Shows what good mommy intuition I have! After I took the test we watched the "pregnant" strip turn bright blue even before the "test" strip. I think we both instantly thought, "I hope it's not twins!"

When is the little munchkin making his/her big arrival?

Our little one is due on October 31st, 2011! Isn't that a fun due date?! We've got a little pumpkin!

Anne Geddes: Source

What were your early pregnancy symptoms?

I was SO LUCKY to not have terrible morning sickness! I cannot tell you how relieved I was! I didn't feel great when I would get up in the morning, so each day for a while started with some ginger ale and crackers. I now HATE ginger ale! I was also fortunate to just have some nausea and never actually threw up! One morning my sweet little Gracie decided to potty in the house and I did get sick after cleaning it up...but I blame that on the fact that it's nasty whether you're pregnant or not! :-)

Did you have any cravings early on?

One of the first things that I remember about "craving" food was before I even knew I was pregnant. I had gone to the store to do the weekly grocery shopping and while I was there I just HAD to have Oreo's...something I never ever eat!

When I got home I ate two and then didn't touch them again! ha! Early on I also craved really cold drinks for some reason, I always wanted an icee or ice water! Another big craving was fruit! At the store one night the Hubster and I bought kiwi, watermelon, blueberries, strawberries and grapefruit I didn't ever want pickles and ice cream..although one night I made pancakes and ate pickles right after I finished the pancakes!

When was the baby's first picture?

At my first prenatal appointment we had a sonogram before the actual appointment. I was so excited to finally SEE our little one!

The sonogram showed our sweet little baby...although at the time I thought it looked more like a gummy bear! :-)

What has been your favorite part about being pregnant so far?

I think one of the best moments of my pregnancy was getting to have a sonogram done in Georgia where the Hubster's Mom used to have her practice. I was about 13 weeks and it was the second time we saw our baby...and it was SO MUCH bigger than the first time!!!

"Hi Everyone!" This baby is already social!!!

Such a sweet little body!!! :-)

Are you seeing pink or blue?

We actually already know the gender of the baby! We went to have our own gender screen done to find out what the baby is before the Hubster leaves for his job training in June! Our doctor anatomy sonogram isn't until June 13th!

We're telling friends and family today at a party so I'm keeping my lips sealed until then...

What do you guys think, Boy or Girl?

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." Elizabeth Stone

Oh Baby!

Hi y'all, I have some exciting news to share with you!!! The Hubster and I are happy to announce that....

We're going to have a BABY!!! :-)

We are beyond excited and I'm so glad to finally share the news!!! :-) I have been waiting to blog about this for a while and am so ready to start doing weekly updates!

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:13-14

Easy Peasey Peach Trifle

 I realized I've done a lot of posts lately about food...but with Kelly, over at Kelly's Korner, doing her "Show Us Your Life Fridays" about food lately...I just can't help it! And everyone loves getting new recipes, right?! Today Kelly is hosting SUYL: Desserts! YUM!

This peach trifle is one of my all time favorite desserts! :-) I love any kind of trifle, but this one tops them all! I am going to apologize in advance because I have NO idea on exact measurements for anything...because it's a trifle I just layer the ingredients until the trifle dish is full! Also...if you can get your hands on some true south Georgia peaches it absolutely makes the dessert!!! Granny's version of this trifle is always twenty times better than mine...but since she's all the way in Georgia I have to try my best to imitate hers!

Ingredients

Fresh Peaches (peeled and cubed)

Vanilla Pudding

Angel Food Cake

Cool Whip

Directions

1. Peel all skin off peaches and cut up.

2. Cut up angle food cake into cubes.

3. Make vanilla pudding according to box directions :-)

4. Layer ingredients into trifle dish. I usually put angle food cake on the bottom, then peaches, then pudding, then cool whip...and repeat until dish is full!

This dessert is easy peasey and fun to make! :-) It also is so pretty when you get it in the trifle dish!

Enjoy!

Chicken Spaghetti

This is one of my all time favorite meals :-)

We had it last night for dinner and I just have to share it with y'all!

Ingredients

1/2 Yellow Onion

1 Clove Garlic

1lb Chicken

1 Can Diced Tomatoes

1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce

Pasta

Directions

1. Brown chicken in a pan with olive oil, salt, pepper, and basil.

2. Boil water and add pasta to cook! For this recipe I use elbow maccaroni, but you can use whatever you want! :-) As for the amount of pasta...I think I cooked a cup? You can have more/less depending on how many people you're feeding!

3. Dice onion and garlic, add to skillet to sautee with a pat of butter. Cook until onions are tender.

 4. Add diced tomato's to onions and garlic

Allow this mixture to cook until onions are clear. (About 5 minutes)

 5. Add cooked chicken.

6. Add in 1 can of spaghetti sauce. My favorite is Wal-Mart's "Great Value"...I know, it's the cheapest one....but I just love it! I've tried so many other kinds, but I keep coming back to this one!

Here's a little trick that I use when making this recipe...

Add a little bit of water to the jar to get all of the sauce out!

***At this point you can just combine the pasta and sauce and enjoy! I however like to put everything in a casserole dish and top with cheese and bake at 350* for about 10 minutes! This works perfectly if you have bread to warm!***

This also makes it easy to store...just cover with foil, place in the fridge and enjoy the next day! The Hubster actually claims that he likes it even better the next day!!!

Who's it going to be?

As silly as it is...I LOVE American Idol! The Hubster and I have both gotten really into this season! I think we had the most fun watching on the nights when we were up in Dallas and got to watch with my parents. I'm sad that we won't be watching the finale with them tonight :-(

So...who's it going to be?! Lauren Alaina or Scotty McCreery?! I love them both...but I think I love Scotty just a little bit more! Maybe it's the 13 year old girl inside me, but isn't he just adorable?!

Who do you think will win?!

Tuesday Thrifting

Today the Hubster was such a trooper and went to several thrifty stores with me, sadly I didn't find one thing. Let me tell you...this is VERY rare! I was going with the intent of finding something that I could fix up, because I'm in need of something crafty to do. Does this ever happen to you? When you're looking for something, you never find it...yet when you're not in need of a project, one always seems to find you!

 It looks like I'm off to shop the house and see what I already have that I can fix up :-) Sometimes this can be just as fun!

I have the best husband :-)

This is a picture of us from our friends engagement party that we went to this weekend! I know...this has nothing to do with thrifting, but I just had to take a moment and post a picture of me with my cute hubby!

I hope everyone has a terrific Tuesday! :-)

"Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another" John 13:34

Armed Forces Day Party

This weekend my Grandparents had a party to honor all service men and women that have served or are currently serving the United States. We have three family members that are active military right now, of those three two are currently deployed. Everyone at the party had a great time, there was great food, a wonderful band, and even some dancing! I have the best family in the world and it was so fun to get together and see everyone to celebrate all of our service men and women.

The wonderful hostess and host! Aren't they too cute?! :-)

My Aunt brought this beautiful tomato and mozzarella appetizer. The basil and pansies came from her garden. Just a few more months and I know if she made this again she would be able to use tomato's from her garden. (They're always wonderful!)

The band was awesome! :-) The sign hanging behind them is usually on display in my Aunt's front yard. Two of her son-in-law's are currently deployed and her daughter is a nurse. She is one proud mama!

There was even a margarita machine!

My parents :-) Aren't they adorable!

The hubs and I....it was EXTREMELY humid and hot...so please excuse the messed up hair/glistening face :-)

My Aunt and Grandpa dancing

My cousin and her hubby dancing, they're precious!

The party really got started when my Grandpa decided to jump IN the pool! It was great! So glad I had my camera out!!! :-)

The hubster and my dad :-) Having a good time at the party!

We all had a wonderful time, it was a great party! Thanks for having us Mimi and Poppy!!!

 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise up against me, in this I will be confident.” Psalm 27:1-3

So Sorry!

Hi y'all! :-) To anyone visiting from Kelly's Korner...I'm so sorry my original link didn't work for my recipe! I have no clue why it won't show the correct page. Thank you so much for taking the time to visit despite the technical glitches! :-)

Favorite Main Course Recipe

Kelly, over at Kelly's Korner, is hosting Show Us Your Life Fridays: Favorite Main Course Recipe. I'm also linked up at Funky Junk Interior's Saturday Night Special!!! Today I'm sharing my rice casserole, it's the Hubsters all time favorite meal that I make. It's SUPER simple, quick, and easy. Who doesn't love that! :-) I would love to take credit for this whole recipe, but I actually found it on the back of a Campbell's Soup can a couple of years ago. That recipe has since disappeared and I've adapted it to my own special recipe! I really think that y'all should try this, it's so easy to add/take away ingredients and really make it your own!

Ingredients:

1/2 Yellow Onion

1 Tablespoon Butter

Bag of Frozen Mixed Vegies

1 Can of Diced Chicken (Swanson White Chicken Breast)

1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup

1/2 Cup Milk

Uncle Ben's Long Grain Wild Rice (Fast Cook is Best!)

Cheddar Cheese (to your liking!)

French's French Fried Onions

Directions:

1. Pre-Heat Oven to 350 degrees.

2. Dice onions and cook on medium heat with butter until clear.
3. Add bag of frozen Veggies.
4. Cook for about 5 minutes
5. Add in Can of Chicken and stir.
6. Stir in 1 can of cream of chicken soup.

7. Add in 1/2 cup milk.
8. Cook rice. Once cooked add in with chicken/veggie mixture.

9. Pour mixture into a casserole dish. I usually use a 13x9in pan!

10. Sprinkle cheese on top.

11. Add French's Fried Onions to the top as well. Add as little or as few as you want. This is the Hubster's favorite part :-)

12. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 Minutes.

Enjoy!

Green Thumb

I would LOVE it if all of these beautiful flowers were in my backyard....but they aren't! These beauties are the product of my Mom's hard work. She has always had beautiful flowers and a wonderful garden, and this year isn't any different! Hopefully I inherented her green thumb and will be able to grow pretty flowers when I have a backyard of my own.

She has pink AND blue hydrangas...I just love them!

She bought this cute little garden table at a garage sale for dirt cheap, pun intended! It was just a plain light wood color and she painted it this cute garden green! :-)

What you decide on will be done, and light will shine on your ways.  Job 22:28 NIV