15 Weeks and a Day!

How far along? 15 weeks and a day

Total weight gain/loss: Gained 3 lbs this week, so in all +2 lbs since pre-pregnancy.

Maternity clothes? I wear mostly dresses now a days.

Stretch marks? Nope, none yet!

Sleep: Definitely haven't gotten much sleep lately!

Best moment this week: Nothing yet but the week isn't over yet.

Have you told family and friends: Yep, a long time ago!

Miss Anything? So many things... but I miss waking up and not feeling sick!

Movement: Nothing serious yet but I keep feeling little bubbles and like bugs in my stomach. Nathan swears he can still hear it and feel it a little:)

Food cravings: Still craving orange juice and ginger ale.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just about everything other than ginger ale.

Have you started to show yet: Only a little bump so far.. still gets much bigger at the end of the day!

Gender Prediction: Everyone in my family is thinking girl, but we find out VERY soon!!

Labor Signs: Nope, I am dreading the day I do... I'm terrified to be in labor!

Symptoms: I still have really bad stomach cramping, but everyone claims it's normal so I am hoping for the best.

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? Currently on and I'm praying that I will be able to wear them the whole time.

Happy or Moody most of the time: A little bit of both, I am happy during the day but morning and nights I feel so moody and miserable.

Looking forward to: Finding out the baby's gender at hopefully my next appointment, August 17th!

Milestones: Finally making it to the second trimester!

Also did I mention that we ordered the babies Car seat/Stroller (Travel System), and also the Pack n Play we wanted. Yes, they match!! Target was having this huge sale last week and Monday was their day for baby stuff and low and behold they had those few things we wanted on sale. We were able to get the Travel System for only $95.00 (originally $180.00) and the Pack n Play for only $120.00 (originally $160.00). We were so excited when we noticed they were on sale so we were able to save a ton of money by buying them on sale instead of original pricing. 

 This is the Travel System we got and we are so in love with it. It looks even better in person than it does in photo. We were able to this at almost half the price than it originally is offered for. Paid only $95.00, when originally $180.00.

This is the Pack n Play we got at a great deal and we actually already opened it and put it together at my mothers house to see how it would be. I must say that it was so easy to put together and to take apart. It also come with a nice bag to store everything in while traveling or moving. I am in love with it and I think this will be perfect to baby naps during the day while I am trying to get things done once the baby gets here. 

14 Weeks and a Little Bit of Stress!

How far along? 14 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Lost 2 more lb this week, so in all -1 lb since pre pregnancy.

Maternity clothes? I can still wear the majority of my normal clothes and I have been living in dresses.

Stretch marks? Nope!

Sleep: What's sleep?!

Best moment this week: Finding out the baby is ok and being able to hear and see our bundle of joy again.

Have you told family and friends: Yes!

Miss Anything? So many things... I miss being able to eat whatever I want without feeling sick.

Movement: Nothing serious yet but I keep feeling little bubbles and like bugs in my stomach. Nathan swears he can hear it:)

Food cravings: Orange juice and italian ice!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just about everything, I feel like I should be put into a bubble so I can escape everything. 

Have you started to show yet: A little bump so far.. still gets much bigger at the end of the day!

Gender Prediction: Still thinking girl but only a few more weeks and we will find out for sure!

Labor Signs: Nope, I am dreading the day I do... I'm terrified!

Symptoms: I still have really bad stomach cramping, but everyone claims it's normal so I am hoping for the best.

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On and hopefully my hands won't swell to where I have to take them off.

Happy or Moody most of the time: A little bit of both, I am happy during the day but morning and nights I feel so moody and miserable.

Looking forward to: Finding out the baby's gender at hopefully my next appointment!

Milestones: Goodbye 1st trimester, hello Babymoon!

Dr. Update:

Thursday morning I woke up with a little bit of spotting/bleeding. Of course since this is our first child I was a little worried that it could possibly be something a little serious. I called my OB Dr and he suggested that I come in and get it checked out. It could be something serious but then again it could be nothing to worry about. My husband got off work early to take me to my appointment and to our relief, everything was perfectly fine with the baby. We were also able to get an ultrasound while we were there, just so we knew for sure that everything was fine. Within one month, the baby has changed so much... It went from being just a little peanut or kidney to an actual baby! The heart beat is still really fast so we all keep thinking it is going to be a girl, even the ultrasound tech said she thinks it will be a girl. We are all praying we can find out the gender before we leave to move to VA next month. Our last appointment in NC is August 17th and we are really hoping we can find out then. We have a bunch of new ultrasound pictures and I will be sure to post them soon!

13 Weeks

How far along? 13 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Lost 2 lbs this week, so in all +1 lb since pre pregnancy.

Maternity clothes? I can still wear the majority of my normal clothes and I have been living in dresses.

Stretch marks? Nope!

Sleep: I miss sleep

Best moment this week: Finally heading into the 2nd trimester

Have you told family and friends: Yes!

Miss Anything? So many things... I miss being able to eat whatever I want without feeling sick.

Movement: None yet, I can't wait to start feeling the baby move!

Food cravings: Orange juice!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just about everything, I feel like a blood hound with how strong everything smells now!

Have you started to show yet: A little bump so far.. gets much bigger at the end of the day!

Gender Prediction: Still thinking girl but we find out hopefully SOON!

Labor Signs: Nope, I am dreading the day I do... I'm so nervous!

Symptoms: I have really bad stomach cramping lately, the doctor says it's from everything stretching for the baby.

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: A little bit of both, I feel awful for the way I treat my husband sometimes:(

Looking forward to: My appointment this Friday!

Milestones: Goodbye 1st trimester, hello Babymoon!

I promise to post an update and hopefully some new pictures after my appointment this Friday!

All Things Baby!!

Before Nathan and I even got married we had discussed the idea of baby names. By the time we were married we had already decided on what names we would be naming our little bundles of joy once they got here. We had discussed a ton of names but at the moment I can't even remember what they were. We had decided on several different names but we finally fell in love with just two!

BABY GIRL

Carolina Dawn

BABY BOY

Christiansen Kyle

We wanted to keep our middle names and bring them over to our children's names. We thought that would add a little extra touch. My middle name is "Dawn" so we thought that would be adorable after "Carolina". Nathan's middle name is "Kyle" so we wanted to bring that over to our son's name as well. We had decided on "Christian" but I thought that sounded a bit too religious so we decided to add on the "Sen" and it just sounded PERFECT!! 

Baby furniture was the next thing I think we talked about and we both knew that we did not want white due to being able to see everything wrong with it. We have been looking online and even in stores, such as "Target, Babies R Us, etc...". We decided to want to go with dark brown on whatever crib and dresser set we decided to get. We found a few and we both absolutely love them but we just can't decide on which ones yet. 

I am in love with this crib but I am not a big fan of the changing table that they suggest with this set. I prefer using a double dresser as a changing table instead. I am still looking at different sets and will post some more soon once I figure out which ones we like more. 

We also started looking at bedding but we are still not sure what the gender is so we are so iffy about buying anything. 

BABY GIRL NURSERY

I love the green and tan stripes on the way to add character to the room.

I am in love with this nursery because of all of the pastel colors. They are simple yet elegant. 

I love this nursery and I am even starting to think about white as a crib, well maybe...

I really like the curtains hanging over the crib.

I love the all cream / white, it adds elegance to the room.

The pink is grey is really cute together and then when we have our second child we wont have to change much but maybe curtains and crib bedding. I also love the metal crib. 

I love this nursery but I think their might be too much pink for my husband to handle. 

I really like this nursery but I would most likely only do one wall in blue and the rest in maybe a cream or tan color to add a little oomph.

I am in love with this but not as a newborn crib, maybe as a toddler bed it would be adorable!!

GENDER NEUTRAL NURSERY

I love this changing table / chair. This would be really cute in the nursery since it is so modern looking. 

I am OBSESSED with the colors Yellow, Gray and White for a nursery. I am also in LOVE with the Chevron idea with painting the walls. 

BABY BOY NURSERY

The black and white stripped walls are cute, and I love how the walls are straight, they are high ceilings. 

This citrus look is really cute. 

The brown and green walls with interchangeable dots is really cute but I think the brown is a bit dark. I think a light blue and pale green would be cuter.

Love the stripped ceilings instead of painting the walls. The single colored wall is nice as well. 

This is really cute and simple. 

This is really cute with the brown, blue, green and tan. I also think this might go gender neutral, possibly...

Can you tell it was a lot easier for us to find girl bedding and such for a nursery that we liked then for us to find boy bedding.

 I also started looking online at a few of the smaller things and came across this travel system that I fell in love with from "Target". We are wanting to go with a travel system because they are easier and more manageable, the car seat sits on the stroller on the tray and is easier to put in the car since they fold down to fit into smaller spaces. The car seat also has a stand that you set up in the car and leave it so all you do is just snap the car seat into the stand and you are ready to go. I think it could go both for a girl or a boy and I would like to stay neutral on this kind of stuff for when / if  we do have a second child later on down the road.

I also found this pack n play from "Target" that matches the travel system. I am really thinking of getting a pack n play to keep in the living and we can also put it in our bedroom if need be so we wont need to get a bassinet as well. I really love how this one has the changing table to one side and then the little bassinet on the other side for the baby to nap in during the day or even at night in our room. It also has the little diaper rack on the side and a little lullaby / vibrator system on the side that is all detachable.

I also found this swing from "Target" that matches this set as well. This would be PERFECT to leave in the living room for the baby to lay in and even possibly sleep in for a little bit during the day. I love how this one swings (you can also turn the bassinet from side to side, to swing back and forth instead of side to side). It also plays music, and I think the mobile is detachable as well!

PLEASE give me your input on what products are must needs and brands to stay with or stay away from… We really like GRACO brands and have heard a lot of great input on them.

I am going to try to work on a post about our journey to parent hood but I am not going to promise anything... I will say that we have been looking forward to this moment for a very long time and this baby is going to be very loved. We can't wait to finally add this little bean to our family. 

12 Weeks

How far along? 12 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Gained 2 lbs this week so in all +3 lbs since pre pregnancy. 
Maternity clothes? I wear my maternity jeans occasionally but I usually just stick to dresses since it's so hot out.
Stretch marks? NONE and praying it stays that way
Sleep: I am finally starting to get a little sleep but I still exhausted 24/7

Best moment this week: Nothing so far but will update if something exciting happens! 
Movement: Maybe soon!
Food cravings: Still none because of this awful cold I can't seem to get rid of.
Gender: Everyone thinks we are having a girl, only a few more weeks until we find out.
Labor Signs: NONE
Belly button in or out? IN
What I miss: Besides sleep, I wish I felt better.
What I am looking forward to: My appointment coming up this month, I can't wait to see and hear the baby again. 
Milestones: Finally coming to the end of the first trimester. Here we come second trimester!

I will be sure to try and post some new pictures soon.

11 Weeks

How far along? 11 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: I have lost 1 more lb since my last update so in all I have only gained 1 lb since pre-pregnancy. I guess this morning sickness is keeping me from gaining any. 
Maternity clothes? I bought a pair of Maternity jeans but they don't quite fit right yet so I am using my BeBand for my normal jeans. 
Stretch marks? NONE and praying it stays that way
Sleep: WHAT SLEEP??? This has been awful... I mean no sleep at all, I'm really hoping it gets better.

Best moment this week: I have been sick with a cold all week so I am hoping it gets better. 
Movement: NONE, but from what I have read in my books he/she should be moving now. I hope I feel it soon. 
Food cravings: None since I have been dealing with this terrible cold, I can barely keep anything down. 
Gender: My entire family thinks we are having a girl.
Labor Signs: NONE
Belly button in or out? IN
What I miss: Besides sleep, feeling better before this cold jumped in. 
What I am looking forward to: My appointment coming up this month, I can't wait to see and hear the baby again. 
Milestones: Making it to 11 weeks, I can't wait to be out of this first trimester!

I will try and post some new pictures soon, things have been crazy in our house lately with my husband and I going through this terrible cold. 

Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad

Zesty lime juice and cilantro are the key ingredients to creating this light and refreshing salad, no heavy mayonnaise to weigh it down. Made with the freshest ingredients; jumbo shrimp, avocados, tomatoes, red onion, cilantro and chopped jalapeño tossed with some freshly squeezed lime juice and a touch of olive oil.

This will be a huge hit at your Cinco de Mayo fiesta or summer bash! Serve this as is for an appetizer, or over lettuce o tostadas for a lunch or light meal. You can easily adapt this to suit your taste by adding more or less cilantro, jalapeño etc. If you plan on making this ahead of time, you can combine all the ingredients except for the avocado and cilantro and keep this refrigerated, then add them right before serving. This easily doubles for a large crowd.

Shrimp is low in fat and calories, but tends to be naturally high in sodium so if you are on a restricted sodium diet, you may want to limit your shrimp intake. Moving forward, I will be posting the sodium info on new recipes without the salt as most foods contain sodium. If you use salt be sure to adjust the nutritional info.

Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes 
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 7/8 cup • Old Points: 4 pt • Points+: 5 pt
Calories: 210.4 • Fat: 9.2 g • Protein: 25.1 g • Carb: 7.8 g • Fiber: 3.6 g • Sugar: 0.6
Sodium without salt: 260.8 mg 

• 1 lb jumbo cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined, chopped*
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 hass avocado, diced
• 1 jalapeno, seeds removed, diced fine
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 2 limes, juice of
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
• salt and fresh pepper to taste

In a small bowl combine red onion, lime juice, olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper. Let them marinate at least 5 minutes to mellow the flavor of the onion.

In a large bowl combine chopped shrimp, avocado, tomato, jalapeño. Combine all the ingredients together, add cilantro and gently toss. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 3 1/2 cups.

Cheesy Bacon Casserole

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 6 strips bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoon ketchup

Directions

1. Cook the ground beef in a pan over medium heat, set it aside and drain the grease from the pan.
2. Cook the bacon in the pan until crispy, about 6-10 minutes, set aside and drain all but a tablespoon of the grease.
3. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
5. Mix the ground beef, bacon, onions and garlic, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, mozzarella, cheddar, worcestershire sauce and ketchup and pour it into a baking dish.
6. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the top starts turning a light golden brown and then sides are bubbling, about 20-30 minutes.

Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls

These little beauties are one of my favorite foods of all time. Crisp, bright, cool, clean and colorful.

Full of flavor, and a trace amount of fat (from a few boiled shrimp). Gluten free as well.

Some of these items may not be readily available in the supermarket. I used to have to stock up when we visited the big city or ordered online, no problems,  from here.  Amazon is also an option. Fortunately my supermarket, here is rural Colorado carries the wrappers and noodles, Yeaaah!

Shopping list

Bahn Trang (rice or tapioca wrappers)

A note about fresh springroll wrappers, Bahn Trang, they last forever unopened in their original package. Once exposed to air they become very brittle and crack easily. Store the package in a gallon ziplock bag and take out as many as you are preparing and quickly seal shut.

mung bean tread/cellophane noodles

Soak in a bowl of water for 15 minutes then strain. They are ready to use, no boiling necessary.

lettuce leaves 

(soft like bibb, or just the flexible green from romaine

any stiff parts, like the center rib of the romaine will tear the wrapper)

whole fresh mint leaves 

(from my garden, read about it here)

whole fresh cilantro leaves

carrot, julienned or matchsticks 

(if you don't have a mandolin or slicer, shave off some carrot with a peeler, it works equally well and is actually easier)

shrimp, cooked and de-veined

So I like to de-vein my shrimp then boil in some seasoned water, take the stems from the mint and cilantro and toss into the water. Bring to a boil a large pot of water. Add the cleaned shrimp shell on cook 2-3 minutes until pink but don't overcook. Strain shell and place in a bowl of ice, refrigerate until ready to use. OR use already peeled and cooked if you like a more simple version.

Dipping sauce - sweet chili sauce

(these are intended for fried spring rolls, but work excellent with these fresh rolls,

sweet and spicy - but not too spicy

not nearly as hot as Tabasco or even Srirachia)

Any version will work and many supermarkets have some. These are my favorites from an Asian market in the big city.

Take one of the wrappers and handle carefully. You don't want them to crack. Small cracks are OK but they can be difficult to handle and roll after they soften.

Fill a shallow dish with about 1" of water and place one wrapper in at a time or they will stick together.

Move it around gently to make sure it's getting wet on both sides. It takes just one minute or less. Remove it before it is completely saturated, yet flexible. Let it soak longer than a minute and it will be really floppy and hard to manage.

Place it on a cutting board and smooth it flat.

Now lets build the roll

Place 2 or 3 mint leaves in the center

then a piece of lettuce

some noodles

a bunch of carrot

a couple pieces of shrimp (you can use more, but I like to taste all the flavors, I find if you use more shrimp it over powers the other ingredients)

and a bunch of cilantro

Maybe  you can notice that the cutting board is wet, this keeps the wrapper slippery and easy to work with, don't bother wiping it dry

Now roll it up, similar to rolling a burrito.

This next little tuck squeeze and 1/2 roll is how the roll stays nice and uniform

They will seem wet at first. After sitting for about five minutes, any remaining water will absorb into the wrapper, it will no longer feel slippery and will have sealed itself.

Aren't they gorgeous?

Serve on a simple platter, as to not distract from their beauty. 

That wasn't so hard.

These keep for a day in the fridge and make EXCELLENT finger foods for any occasion. You can slice them on the diagonal to show off the goodness inside.

I guarantee everyone will be asking you how you made them and wanting more.