Wordless Wednesday:

39 Weeks:

Today I am officially 39 weeks. Baby A is still in, and no sign of her coming any time soon. She will definitely be our surprise baby. The belly is super low, and she is definitely in my hips. I had my doctor's appointment yesterday, and they did a cervix check and said I was only dilated 1cm. I was a bit surprised with that because I had went through false labor 3 times within the last week. The contractions kept me up all night, and they were definitely there. They were not necessarily painful, but they were definitely there. Each night, they lasted 3 to 5 hours long. I would have went to the doctor, but I just felt like it was not it. Mr. Man kept wanting to send me to the hospital, but I was against it because they were not intensing. Mr. Man is so anxious, so every little move or puff of breath, he asks me if I want to go to the hospital. It's too cute. It just makes me laugh. He's so funny. Other than that, there really is not much going on. I am still in school and will continue for the next few weeks. I'm pretty sure I will not take a break until the summer. I will only if Mr. Man does not end up getting deployed. My Mom and brother will be arriving here on Friday, and we have every intention on being able to go pick them up. I have my next doctor's appointment on Monday, so I will keep everyone updated.

As always, I'm sorry for slacking. We are just so busy with everything going on that we lose track of all the other things around us.

I can not wait until the day where I upload a beautiful picture of our beautiful baby and share our experience with all of you!

Updated Pictures of the Pouch:

This will be full of pictures from Week 35 to now, which is 38!

 Week 35

 Week 36

 Week 37

Week 38

Isn't it pathetic that ALL of my pictures are of me in sweats or pajama pants and a tee-shirt. I majorly failed at doing some casual everyday shots. 

Otherwise, we only have a couple of more weeks until we meet our little girl!

38 Weeks:

I am officially 38 weeks and can not believe how fast time is flying. I would not have it any other way though. With things being so busy, this pregnancy has blown passed me!

Last week was a busy week as Mr. Man had to go to 12s. He ended up having to work through the weekend, which through me for a loop. Thankfully, things have already calmed down again, so I hope I can get back to a normal schedule within the next two weeks.

I had my doctor's appointment yesterday, and it was a quick in and out appointment. The midwife asked me if I was interested in getting my membranes ruptured, but I declined. Since I declined, they did not bother to check to see if I was dilated any. I am glad that they gave me the choice because I just want it to happen when it is meant to happen, and 38 weeks (in my opinion) is too early to give up and just letting it happen. She asked me lots of questions and mentioned that it "sounded" like I had dilated some. She basically made sure I was prepared with hospital bags and so was Mr. Man. She of course measured the baby and said she thought the baby was about 6lbs. I did not gain any weight, but the baby did grow. I have currently gained 30lbs this pregnancy. I have another appointment next week, and they will for sure check my cervix. Other than that all is great.

Excitement!! My Mom and brother are coming up in 9 days. Just 9 days away from them being here. I am so stinking excited! I can't wait to see them and spend time with them. I know we are going to have a house full, but I really miss them. I really miss hanging out with my brother. Even Mr. Man is excited to see my little brother and hang out with him while Mom and I do our girly thing. I hope Mr. Man and my brother are able to get out and do some boy things like they normally do. They will be staying for about 2.5 weeks! We should have fun, even if we do sit in the house all day everyday.

I will update on the pictures sometime this week. I took my 38 weeks today, but I have not uploaded it to the computer. Once I do that, I will post them so you all can see where I am at.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and are having a good start to this week.

A to Z: O-U

This week I forgot to post our menu, so I am going to do a quick update on what we did.

For the week of O-U, this is what we made.

O- Orange Glazed Carrots
P- Pork Roast and Sauerkraut (in Crockpot)
Q- Quinoa Stuffed Mushrooms
R- Roasted Butternut Squash and Shallots
S- Shrimp with Feta Cheese
T- Tilapia with Jasmine Rice
U- Upside Down Chili Pie

I combined the vegetable dishes with main dishes and added a few quick meals to the menu for just in case. The two other dishes I added included Sausage Jambalya and Creamy Chicken Pasta. Today is Saturday and we had other meals carry over due to the hour change of Mr. Man's work schedule.

I wish I would remember to take pictures to share with all of you, but sadly I ALWAYS forget! Maybe next time?

Freeman Facial Mask!

Ok, so I am officially obsessed with this new facial mask that I bought a few weeks ago. I can not stop using it because it feels absolutely yummy on my skin.

This product is the Freeman Facial Clay Mask with Avocado and Oatmeal. Seriously, this mask is amazing. It beats even my top of the line masks that I have purchased before. I paid about $3 for this at the BX if anyone is wondering. Totally worth every single cent. I'm actually afraid that they are going to stop selling it, so I am thinking about going and buying another.

Anyway... how I found this product randomly. I was browsing the BX one day for a facial wash, a simple one to use on my skin to remove my makeup before I actually do my skin care routine. As most of you know, my face broke out really bad whenever I first found out and I was pregnant. It got so ridiculously bad, and never settled down until my 3rd trimester. It is now doing a lot better thanks to Proactiv, which was my last resort. I do still have lots and lots of scarring that I will work on getting rid of, but I really don't want to use anything harsh on my skin until after I have baby. So anyway, I was searching for a facial cleanser to use to remove my everyday makeup. As I was searching through the section and reading different ingredients on each of the bottles, a avocado caught my eye. Weird, I know. When I noticed it was a mask, I was interested because I did need to buy another bottle of my current mask. However, this was really intriguing with the avocado. I really have never seen a mask with avocado. Never. Anyway, I bought it of course and tried it the very first night I had it home with me.

The consistency and texture is absolutely amazing. Seriously, more amazing than ever. It's creamy instead of being so dry. And it goes on so smooth. It makes your face feel even smoother. I was simply amazed.  And as it was sitting on my face and drying up, I could feel a sensation. Hard to explain, so I won't even try, but it was absolutely amazing. To top it off, when I wipe it off, it comes right off. Now hard scrubbing or frustrating for the chalkiness of others to release from my skin. Simply Amazing.

There really is no point to this blog other than that I am simply obsessed. I had never heard of the brand before, so I thought I would just write a small experience with the product in case others were interested. I googled the brand and found their website, too. They have a huge variety of stuff. And the masks come in different scents and such.

And of course I bought this product with my own money and am getting absolutely nothing out of this blog post. I'm not into that sort of thing, but I really did think it was worth writing a small review on since I had never heard of it before. Maybe I am behind the time or something, but either way... totally worth it!

My Husband is The Sweetest:

Originally, I was going to blog about all the upcoming events that we are about to endure on this little journey we call life; however, last night Mr. Man tackled my heart.

We were laying in bed, and I could not sleep. Thanks to the Pouch being ever so large and Baby A constantly working her way down between my hips, I loose lots of sleep due to the exhaustion and pain. I was laying up on my pillows - basically sitting up - while Mr. Man laid in his spot and watched some TV. He kept asking how I was feeling, and I would tell him, "I'm fine." Well, I dosed off for about 5 minutes and when I woke up the TV was still on. The TV always wakes me up and makes me hot from the lights shining off of it (I know, weird). I politely asked Mr. Man if we could turn it off. To my surprise, he was sleeping! I felt so bad because I did not realize he was sleeping. But he did not get upset at me for waking him up. Instead he grabbed the remote, turned off the television, and snuggled up to my belly that was basically at his head and told me about how he was dreaming about us having the baby. This story is so sweet and makes me all happy inside, but the truth behind is....

This has been going on for a week now! Every morning I get to hear a new labor and delivery story, a new play date between Baby A, Daddy, and Mr. Buttons (and yes, sometimes me). Or I get to listen to visions that he sees in his dreams of her being older. It amazes me at how ready Mr. Man is for me to have this baby. I thought I would be the one that was impatient, anxious, nervous, etc. But in fact it is the complete opposite.

Every single night, he goes in her room and messes with her clothes, sits in the rocking chair and stairs at her bed. Every single night, he asks me if I'm ready. Every single night (and morning) he snuggles up to my belly and talks to her. Every single day as the days go on, he amazes me.

Not only that, but he is so supportive. Recently I have began having contractions and now with being so exhausted and achy, he has become so in-tune to me. He tells me to sleep when he realizes I am so tired. He temporarily puts me on bedrest (lol), too. He tells me if I go anywhere to ALWAYS have my phone with me and never to hesitate to call him at work. He's amazing. He does and says more than I have ever imagined.

He's going to be such a great Dad, such an amazing, supportive, gentle, loving father.

Ahhhh, he makes me smile....

Winners: (English Giveaway)

Hi guys,

I'm back to announce the winner of the English Giveaway! Seriously, this was so hard to make a decision on because I had 4 people enter it - 4 amazing people should I say. Whenever I read each of the comments, I knew that you guys were readers because you all always comment. I made a decision on how I would do things. Ready?

You are all WINNERS! You read that right! I have decided that I will put together 4 little packages to each of you with my favorite English things.

The names of who all entered:

Sierra
Jenn
Mrs. S.
Rebekah

In order to claim this, each of you will need to send me a private email to CajunBombshell1@yahoo.com with your mailing address. I am not sure when these will go out, but my plan is to finishing shopping this weekend and mail them out by the beginning of next week.

Thank you guys so much for being so supportive, and I hope you enjoy your little gift of sweetness!

Reminder:

I just wanted to give one last reminder about the English Giveaway. Sunday will be the last day to enter, and I will announce the winner on Monday. You can enter here!

Today, Mr. Man and I will be going to eat some yummy ribs and go to the movies. Movie of choice (thanks to Mr. Man) is Hall Pass. Have you seen it? Do you want to see it?

I will be back around on Monday! Hope you guys are having a fabulous weekend!

Labor and Delivery Class

Yesterday we had our Labor and Delivery class. Mr. Man and I went together. It was in the evening from 6pm and 8pm, which meant that Mr. Man had to take some time away from work to get it done. I went back and forth on whether or not we should take the class, but then I found out that they actually tour you around the hospital so the Dads know where to send the Moms when they go in to labor and where all the facilities are. In the end, we decided to go because Mr. Man informed me (by accident) that he did not know where Labor and Delivery was in the hospital.

I thought instead of explaining it to him or showing him one day while we were up there that he should see for himself. The lady that "taught" the class is an amazing doctor up at hospital. I have been very unfortunate that I have not been able to see her, but this class made me want her to delivery our baby. It won't be my choice, unless I have to be induced, but it was still a thought in my mind.

We began the class by watching a labor video. I seriously had no desire to see it, but I guess people should see one. This whole pregnancy I have had no desire to watch a birth. The closest I have come is to what the movies portray, and I am OK with that. Now, I have educated myself to the best of my ability, and I know that not everyone has the same experiences so I am ready in my own way.

At the beginning of the class, the Dads had to massage our hands. The goal was to find out how soft or rough we like to be massaged. Mr. Man is horrible at this. He is such a rough massager. We were giggling the whole time because he was tickling more than anything. Then she was explaining how to do certain types of massages and my husband would be like, "Like this?!" and squeeze or pinch the living daylights out of me. Good thing I have a great sense of humor, too.

Then we had to pull out our "to-go" bags and find one thing in it that we felt was extremely important or something we thought no one else would have. I did not bring my bag because I was the one that decided I was not going to make multiple trips to the car in order to bring in what I needed. Mr. Man and I were driving from 2 different directions, and he was going to be "right on time." I already had to carry up the food that I made, our pillows, drinks, and my purse. I couldn't imagine trying to carry in another 2 bags. Needless to say, I had my notebook that had my list in it, and I used that. There was a lot of interesting things that people decided to bring and showed. There were some that wanted to show off certain items that they had. Others were simple (like me). I did give Mr. Man the right away to tell them about my Wonder Woman undies, but he shyed away from it really fast. *Thank goodness!*

After that, we toured the Labor and Delivery section of the hospital. We discovered that the baby stays in the room even in a situation of an emergency, which I thought was interesting. We were able to view the rooms and see what was available to us. I was pointing things out to Mr. Man and he was surprised to see some of the things in there.

While we were in there, the lady wanted 3 Dad volunteers to demonstrate a labor. Of course, she turns to look for Mr. Man because he had been being such a jokster the whole time. She found me in the crowd of people, but couldn't find my partner. That was funny. But I pointed in his direction and she quickly said, "You! I want you to lie on this bed." Mr. Man was like, "Ummm. Ok!" She pulled another guy and told him to strap him up with the monitors and things. It was the funniest thing ever. I really wish I had my video camera. She left the room, then came back in and asked Mr. Man if he was comfortable. Of course, Mr. Man just stated that he guessed because he had no idea what he was about to do. She stood as his bottom and told him to open for the baby to come out. Mr. Man just gently opened his legs a little, and she said, "I'm not sure how big you think your baby is going to be but she will not fit through there." So Mr. Man threw his legs in the air wide open. *I am giggling as I type this!!* She made the other two guys hold Mr. Man's legs and he had to pretend to have contractions and push. I am telling you, this was beyond hilarious! She made him rotate into different birthing positions, too. She even pulled out the stirrups and sat up the bed. Like I said, I really wish I had a camera. Greatest memory thus far of our pregnancy!

That was basically the end of our tour. She showed the guys were to find things that we needed in the room and what chairs did what in the rooms because there was about 3 different kinds. She explained that they had a DVD/VCR in every room and on and on.

At the beginning of the class the woman asked how many of us where passed 36 weeks. It was only me and another woman, which happens to be Mr. Man and I's mutual friends. She said that almost always one person has to go be seen in Labor and Delivery or goes in to labor during the tour. I knew it wasn't going to be, but I do have to say I can see why. We walked everywhere we went and we had to go to multiple stories, and we climbed the stairs. Did not take the elevator! Many of the Moms were huffing and puffing and wanting to sit all the time. I was excited to get some exercise in because I am trying to stay as active as possible to help progress things along. By the end of the class, Mr. Man went back to work and I came home.

This morning when we woke up, Guess what news we received?! Our friends that were there with us had went into labor last night after they had gotten home and been home for a couple of hours and had their baby girl bright and early this morning! It was amazing to think about, but at the same time guess who's next?! Yikes!  Anyway, they never could find out what they were having because the baby always had its legs crossed or closed during the ultrasounds. They had decided just to wait it out and let it be a mystery baby. They already had a boy and really wanted a girl as this was their last baby. They did have a little girl this morning. Her name is Ava Claire! Pretty amazing to think about.

The Labor and Delivery Class was fun and very educational. But now it's on to the real thing for us. When I had my appointment on Monday, the midwife told us that she thought I would go by 38 weeks. She said the baby was "very low and ready to go." She said I was all baby and could see me getting tired all the time and having lots of pain due to it. I guess the ticker has beyond on when I will actually deliver. People are placing bets on dates at Mr. Man's job. For me, I don't feel like it will be very soon. Although I do know I have been having contractions, but none that intensify or become closer together. We sha'll see what happens in the next few weeks.

Recipe: Garlic Lemon Chicken

 Garlic Lemon Chicken (in a Crockpot)

Ingredients:

·         1 (3 lb) broiler-fryer chickens (whole or pieces)

·         1 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano

·         1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary

·         3 garlic cloves, minced

·         2 tablespoons butter

·         1/4 cup sherry wine or 1/4 cup chicken broth (I used chicken broth)

·         1/4 cup lemon juice

·         salt and pepper

Directions

1.    1 Wash chicken; pat dry; season chicken generously with salt and pepper; sprinkle half of oregano, rosemary and garlic inside cavity of chicken; melt butter in frying pan and brown chicken; transfer to slow cooker or crock pot; sprinkle with remaining oregano, rosemary and garlic; add sherry to frying pan and stir to loosen brown bits; pour into slow cooker.

2.    2 Cover, cook on LOW (200 degrees) for 7 hours; add lemon juice and cook 1 more hour (total of 8); transfer chicken to cutting board; skim fat from juices and serve over chicken.

For this recipe, I used chicken pieces instead of a whole chicken. Since I did that, I cooked it for 6 hours instead of 8. Just remember to check it, and always with chicken make sure it's fully cooked. 

Yahoo! News Article on 10 Year Cancer Patient

Wish comes true for cancer-stricken 10-year-old inducted into Army

By Zachary Roth

Most kids might hope to get an Xbox or an iPod Touch for their 10th birthday. Brennan Daigle got a reception from a formation of soldiers, a ride in a camouflaged National Guard Humvee--and induction as an honorary member of the Army.

Since October 2009, Brennan, from Sulphur, Louisiana, has been battling embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma--a rare form of cancer in which muscular tumors attach themselves to bones, reports the Fort Polk Guardian. Last month, doctors told his family there was nothing more they could do, and gave Brennan just weeks to live.

Brennan has always loved the Army.  His mother had created a Facebook page--Brennan's Brigade--to keep family and friends informed of his condition. People from around the world, including soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, have left comments of encouragement and support. One group of soldiers in Afghanistan posted a picture of themselves holding an American flag, and told Brennan: "We're flying this flag in honor of you; we're here to back you. Stay Army strong."

Becky Prejean, who runs a charity for sick kids called Dreams Come True of Louisiana, heard about Brennan's illness, and got in touch with his mother, Kristy Daigle. Brennan's greatest wish, Daigle told Prejean, was to meet some soldiers in person, before his illness worsened. So the two women contacted the Fort Polk Community Relations Office, which put out a call for a few soldiers to attend Brennan's tenth birthday on Feb. 26.

Forty showed up.

Brennan had been told he was going fishing with his father. But when he got out of his dad's truck, he was greeted by a formation of 1st MEB soldiers, standing at attention in front of a National Guard Humvee. After a moment, they all shouted "Happy Birthday, Brennan!," and broke into applause.

Brennan was speechless, according to his mother. "All he could do was giggle," she said.

Brennan and his best friend Kaleb were invited to check out the Humvee, and Brennan sat behind the wheel. Then soldiers took the two boys out for a spin. Afterward, Brennan and Kaleb put their heads out the hatch on the vehicle's roof, while the crowd snapped pictures.

But it wasn't over. Brennan got out of the Humvee and was led to the front of the formation, where he shook hands with each soldier. He was inducted into the Army as an honorary member, then given a coin symbolizing merit and excellence, as well as a military jacket with his name on the pocket, and other Army-themed gifts.

"Brennan, you exemplify what personal courage means," Pfc. Kamesha Starkey, 1st MEB, told him.

Finally, the mayor of Sulphur, La., gave Brennan a key to the city, and the title of Honorary Mayor of the Day.

"Words can never express what I felt seeing all those soldiers there, knowing some of them had just come back from Iraq and still took time out for just one little boy," Kristy Daigle said. "Just to know that they care enough to give their all, to give their love and support to a little boy is phenomenal. It says so much about our men and women who serve our country in the armed forces."

Some of the soldiers said the event helped put things in perspective for them. "It was good to be able to give back," Pfc. Kyle Frederick said. "It opened my eyes to a lot of things: How I take my kids for granted, how lucky we are, how we complain on a day-to-day basis and we really have it good compared to others."

As for Brennan, it took a while for his new honor to sink in. The next day, he asked his mother, "Am I really in the Army?"

"You most certainly are," she answered. "They don't swear in just anyone."

"That's awesome," said Brennan.

(Photo: Capt. Gabriel Araujo swears in Brennan Daigle at Fort Polk, Louisiana. www.thefortpolkguardian.com)

This article is from a town very close to my hometown, so I found it that much more touching. It reminds us of the blessings that we have and what we should be thankful for. Enjoy!

*Article taken from Yahoo! News @ http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110308/ts_yblog_thelookout/wish-comes-true-for-cancer-stricken-10-year-old-inducted-into-army

A to Z: H-N:

H- Herb Roasted Potatoes
I- Indoor S'mores
J-Jalepeno Cornbread
K- Korean Spiced Kidney Beans (over Rice)
L- Lime and Ginger Grilled Salmon
M- Mexican-Style Pasta with Chicken and Peppers
N-Nutty Cheeseball

For this week menu plan, I am doing a roast with the potatoes. Beef rice and gravy with the S'mores. Chili with the Cornbread. And Shrimp and Veggie Skewers as the 7th dish.

Last week, I did end up making ALL of what was on the A-G list. I made my very first cheesecake, and it came out amazing. The Burritos were kick booty. My husband compared them to Chiptole's, which is pretty awesome! It was my first attempt with Crab Cakes, and I thought they came out "O.K." I definitely think I could improve them, for sure.  The Garlic Lemon Chicken was super good, too. I don't think I had made that good of Garlic Lemon Chicken in a long time. It was so juicy and fresh.

*Please excuse me for my crappy blogging skills. I am super exhausted and nonfunctional. 


Don't forget about this! It ends March 13, and the winner will be announced March 14.

May I?

May I be exhausted and enjoy these last couple of weeks of being pregnant without blogging? Will you readers please allow that?

Today, I had my 36 week appointment. Baby A is fully engaged and ready to rock 'n roll. Now the waiting game.

Other than that, I am exactly what I said above - exhausted! Feeling like I just want to sleep all day everyday. However, this little body with this big baby makes that a little hard to do.

Don't forget to enter the English Giveaway! Right now there are only a couple of people that have entered, so if it stays that way, then they both will get a box of goodies!

Recipe: Crab Cakes

Crab Cakes:

Ingredients:

1 to 1 ¼ cups Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs, divided
1 egg, well beaten
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
¾ to 1 pound white lump crab meat (I used 2 of the 6oz. cans of the white lump crab meat)
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs, 1 beaten egg, 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground red pepper. Mix until completely combined. 

Fold in (2) 12-oz. cans white lump crab meat (or ¾ pound fresh white lump crab meat). Shape crab mixture into 6 equally-sized patties. Dredge each pattie in the remaining Italian breadcrumbs that have been placed in a shallow bowl.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook crab cakes about 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. 

Remove from skillet and drain on paper toweling. 

This would be amazing served with Coleslaw and Roasted Corn on the Cob. If only Mr. Man liked Corn on the Cob...... :) 

Hope you enjoy! 

Contractions: AHHHH!

I guess I actually have something exciting with this pregnancy to do an update, so I thought I would take advantage and do it.

When my pregnancy begin, it seemed that everything happened so fast. The changes in my body. However, I never experienced the typical pregnancy hormones. You know the ones that everyone just hates, but it seems to last forever. I never experienced those. So as each week went on, I felt like my weekly updates were boring so I kept the videos for ourselves (Mr. Man and I) and rarely updated on what was going on. Fixing up the nursery and traveling was much more exciting than what was going on with the pregnancy. I stopped doing updates on my blog because I did not want the pregnancy to take over the blog, but I also wanted everyone to know what was going on. Needless to say, there were some weeks were pregnancy posts did take over the blogs and others where I felt like I had absolutely nothing to blog about. This week is a different story and another week!

Today I reach my 35 week mark. I believe I mentioned somewhere in all my blogs that they moved my due date a couple of times. It was frustrating because it was hard to tell where I was at. I was measuring 2 weeks below, but other signs showed I was farther along. Of course, they went with my measurements. Now, I am 35 weeks (by measurements).

At 32 weeks, Baby A began to move down. Since I am a First Time Mom, I thought this was really soon. But in the end, I knew it was different for everyone. I had the very few aches and pains in my low back and sides. They lasted a couple of days until my body got use to it. It did not slow me down, but it was differently noticeable, especially in my "Pouch Pictures". At almost 34 weeks, I noticed she began to move down even lower. Mr. Buttons began to act weird. (See this post!) It slightly creeped me out because I still felt like it was early. Most everything I read and heard from people stated that their babies did not begin to move down until 34-35 weeks. She had already moved down twice by 34 weeks. Once again, I just told myself everyone is different.

Here I am 35 weeks and things are different. No longer is it just the Braxton Hicks. I can tell the difference. 35 weeks today, and Baby A has decided to take the plunge and move down even lower. Along with it came the true pains and exhaustion of baby carrying. This morning (Tuesday) I woke up and immediately had to use the bathroom.... TMI, but not just tinkle. I just blew it over because I had not felt much pain at this point. Not until I started walking around and doing stuff for the day. As the day went on, I have had contractions on and off. I keep telling myself maybe they are not contractions, but at the same time, what is it? Yes, I know sometimes when baby is low and moves it can be uncomfortable and even painful. But this is full blown tightness, pressure, and not always only when baby moves. Mr. Man said that every time I flinched from the pain in my lower stomach and tightness, he could see my stomach tighten up really hard. I have never looked down and noticed, but I took his word for it. I told him maybe it was me tensing up because some of them are really strong and painful, but they last only a few seconds. I thought as the day went on that they would ease up... Wrong! However, they are not regular. I'm not timing them or anything. I'm just sucking it up and moving on. Yes, I think about how I am only 35 weeks and maybe I should call the doctor, but I did not want to waste my time either. Chances are they would monitor me and send me home. I did not really want to waste my time. (But if they do get worse or more consistent then I would go in.)

As I sit here and think about all of this, I begin to realize that in less than a month we are no longer going to be "Mr. Man and Mrs. Ma'am", we are going to be "Mommy and Daddy". As excited as we are and so ready for this, it's still hard to imagine what it will be like to have a child, to have a daughter. We are beyond excited. Mr. Man is so ready for her to come out. He keeps asking me when it is safe to do something to get her to come out, and I just laugh at him and tell him a few more weeks. As much as I can't wait to meet her and have her here, I know I'm going to miss my "Pouch". I know I'm going to miss feeling her wiggle around. I know I'm going to miss having the "cute belly bump." I know I'm going to miss all this. So for now, I am trying really hard to take it all in and enjoy it. Plus, I know she is measuring small and we want her to come out big, healthy, and strong!

Can you believe that in 3-4 more weeks we are going to be parents?! Boy how time flies by!

Just a reminder- Don't forget to enter the English Giveaway! It ends Sunday, March 13th.

A Day in the Life of Us: Pre-Parenthood

I decided to write a blog post on what it is like on a typical week day for us before Baby A arrives. Since we are starting to get very close to her arrival, I would love to document the way our lives are before she gets here. After she is here, I will do one of these every so often as she reaches milestones and our lives change.

I chose a typical day where we did not have much to do. I thought it would be fairest way to see how our weekdays are on average versus a really hectic day going nonstop.

The day chosen is: Monday, February 28th, 2011

The only difference about this day is the simple fact that Mr. Man had to work the weekend, which means it was not a Monday for us. More like a Tuesday.

10:00am- Wake up.
10:15am- I start cooking breakfast and dinner. For breakfast, I made fried eggs, bacon, and biscuits for egg and bacon biscuits. For dinner, I made the Asparagus Chicken. When I first start this, Mr. Man generally takes Mr. Buttons out and lays on the couch for a bit. He watches a bit of TV until about 10:30am, then hits the kitchen with me.
10:30am- I am still cooking, and Mr. Man puts the dishes in the drain board away and unloads the dishwasher from the day before.
11:00/11:15am- We eat breakfast together while watching some TV. The food gets put on hold until after this. I normally work up to a stopping part. In this case, the dinner had to go into the oven for 30-45 minutes. That is when we ate breakfast.
12:00pm- I put the dishes in the kitchen and clean up the kitchen. Mr. Man turns on his UFC game on PS3 and plays one round. I also take out dinner at this point.
12:25pm- While dinner continues to cool, I sit and watch TV while eating a snack before the gym. Mr. Man begins packing his bag for the gym and work.
12:45pm- We both get ready for the gym.
1:00/1:110pm- We both leave (in separate cars) to go to the gym.
1:30pm- We work out.
2:30pm- Mr. Man is still working out, and I am due for lunch. I grab a panini or wrap with a side salad from the gym before heading out.
3:00pm- Mr. Man is finished in the gym and goes to the locker room to shower and get dressed for work. I leave and go run errands before heading home. I had to go to the post office.
3:30pm- I get home from base. Mr. Man leaves the gym for work.
4:00pm- Mr. Man begins his shift at work. He works until midnight. I work on school work until 7pm with snacks in between.
7:00pm- I take shower number 1 to get clean. 30 minute showers ROCK!
7:30pm- I sorted through some baby things that we received in the mail and finished putting up the clothes that were left from Sunday.
9:00pm- I take a bath to shave my legs. I take a long relaxing bath, too. GUILTY! An hour and a half!
10:30pm- I come back downstairs put away everything, take Mr. Buttons out one last time before bed, and turn off all the lights.
10:45/11:00pm- I go lay in bed and watch TV until I fall asleep.
Midnight- Mr. Man gets off of work.
12:30/12:45am- Mr. Man gets home from work. He eats again, takes a shower, plays a round on his video game, then meets me in bed.
2:00am- Bedtime for Mr. Man.

Only to do it all over again at 10:00am the following day!

I think as time goes on, it will be fun to look back and see how our lives and schedules have changed with a child. Hopefully, I can continue to do these just to show how things change and the milestones that we reach as a family. I hope you have enjoyed viewing our life for one day!

Also, Don't forget to enter the English Giveaway! It ends Sunday, March 13th.

A-Z: A-G

This week I thought I would include my menu plan along with my A-G plan for the week. Since some of the recipes in the A-Z recipes are not meals, I thought I would combine them both so you can see what we will be eating as well as what is on the menu to complete the A-Z to help countdown this last month of pregnancy.

Our recipes for this week include:
Asparagus Chicken
Buffalo Wings
Crab Cakes
Deluxe Burritos
Mardi Gras Shrimp Scampi
Sausage Jambalya
Garlic Lemon Chicken

This week was a fairly easy week because 5 out of the 7 that are within the A-Z recipe planning were actually meals. The other two were a dessert and a breakfast food.

The A-G recipes for this week:
A- Asparagus Chicken
B- Buffalo Wings
C- Crab Cakes
D- Deluxe Burritos
E- Easy Cheesecake
F- French Toast
G- Garlic Lemon Chicken in the Crockpot

Mr. Man and I do cook breakfast for us. Since he is on swings, I get up and cook our dinner for him and also breakfast for the both of us. We normally do this every other day or depending on how I am feeling or what we want to eat. I love to cook, so I sometimes have all 4 burners going at once bright and early in the morning . But I never look back because we love our food.

As I mentioned before, we may not do the A-Z through the weekends depending on what our weekend consist of. Sometimes Mr. Man gets called into work last minute, so we will grab something that may be quicker to cook as I tend to save the longer meals for the weekend.


Just a reminder- Don't forget to enter the English Giveaway! It ends Sunday, March 13th.