16 Weeks

Since I tend to do these late, I should probably start writing down the exact dates of my weeks. This is more for my memory than anyone else's! 

16 Weeks

August 7, 2013- August 13, 2013

Before I launch into my update, I need you to understand my level of crazy.

I have been sick most of this week. On top of my normal pregnancy nausea and vomiting, I've come down with some kind of summer cold that has knocked me flat. Because of this, I didn't get a weekly picture in my "spot" because I've been looking rough every time I've thought of it. 

Anyway, this goes against every neurotic tendency I have and has caused me great panic because this picture that I happened to snap for my best friend is the only pregnancy picture I had from the week. I had a mild panic attack last night because it's not like the others, but then I realized, stupid problem. I also was worried because I feel like my hair looks like Hurley's from Lost, but whatever. 

So, in short, I am crazy normally but pregnancy makes me bat crazy. The end. And also, I used to make our bed pretty regularly before I got pregnant, but not anymore. The end again. 

How Far Along: 16 weeks (Still a week behind)

Size of Baby: Baby H2 is about 5 inches long from head to bottom, 5 oz, and is approximately the size of a turnip.

Total Weight Gain: I've gained 6 pounds. YAY. Just kidding, I honestly don't care. 

Maternity Clothes: Not yet, but I did pick up a few new things at GAP this week. I forgot how much I love maternity clothes. They're like stylish pajamas! 

Gender: Unknown. We will find out right around 20 weeks! I can't wait! 

Movement: A few times this week, as I was laying in bed, I felt this tickle below my belly button. However, Griffin felt like popcorn when he started moving, so I'm not super confident that it was the baby. But I did feel it more than once on more than one occasion! 

Sleep: I've been sleeping terribly this week thanks to certain toddler who lives in my house who has started to adopt the sleeping habits of a newborn. Maybe he's just getting me ready for January? 

What I Miss: Nothing much at the moment! Hmm, actually, maybe I miss being able to take any kind of medicine for this cold, but I can deal. I know it won't hang on for much longer. 

Cravings: Still Dr. Pepper and lots of savory foods like cheese, crackers, and pickled jalapeños. Yum! 

Symptoms: I still have periods of nausea every day and I'm still throwing up every few days. I'm also having a horrible time with acne. I normally have pretty clear skin, but it looks like I have poison ivy on my face. I've been advised not to use products with salicylic acid (which was all that was working). Anyone have any natural suggestions for me? 

Best Moment This Week: Tyler and I went out on Saturday night for my birthday. We went to dinner at a new (to us) restaurant that we loved and then headed to Barnes and Noble where we relaxed and read for awhile. Then we grabbed a movie from Redbox and headed home. It really was a wonderful night; we needed a date so badly! It had been awhile. Below, you will see that Tyler had a BLT and I had a shrimp po' boy. He ate half of his and I ate all of mine. Eating for two, right? 

Five on Friday :: Favorite Kitchen Items

I'm linking up with Darci, Natasha, and the girls today for Five on Friday!

I thought it would be fun this week to share my top five favorite kitchen items! 

If you read this blog, you know it's not a secret that I really love to cook and bake. That is, I love it when I'm not pregnant. I'm not the most creative or exciting cook while I'm pregnant, but I know that will pass. Supper time is just not a good time of the day for mama here. 

However, I do have some things in my kitchen that make my life a lot easier, pregnant or not. I'm going to go backwards this week and count down to my favorite item. 

Hold onto your hats... it's about to get wild in here.

5. Pampered Chef Large Stoneware Bar Pan

My friend had a Pampered Chef party this past winter and I became convinced that I needed one of these when her mom pulled hers out that she'd had for years. When it was delivered, I had a little bit of buyers remorse. I mean, really, what could this pan do for me that my other pans didn't? 

I now know how wrong I was. After a few uses, this pan becomes virtually nonstick. I bake virtually everything on this... cookies, roasted veggies, bacon, chicken breasts, etc. It washes very easily (but not with soap! Think "the cast iron skillet concept") and cooks evenly. I really do love this pan and I don't have a shred of buyers remorse anymore. 

4. KitchenAid Stand Mixer

My mama gave me my stand mixer as a wedding shower gift over six years ago and it's still one of my happiest spots in the kitchen. Yes, my mixer is a pale pink and no, I don't have any regrets about choosing a pink mixer. Tyler made me register for a cover when we were registering before our wedding, but I went home and removed it without his knowledge. 

Yes, it is a wonder that we have made it six years. And by that I mean that my poor husband is a saint.

Anyway, I love this mixer. I use it a lot for baking, obviously. My favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe wouldn't be easy if not for my mixer. I also use it for cooking! I love shredding chicken breasts for the freezer with my paddle attachment. I've been saying for years that I want to get some different attachments for my mixer... maybe this will be my year!

3. Pampered Chef Cut-N-Seal

This was another item that I snagged at my friend's party! I love, love, love this little gadget. It's basically just a little sandwich press! It makes preparation so easy and Griffin loves holding his little sandwich. Most of the time, it disappears quickly when he has his little pocket! You just make your sandwich and put the circle on top and press down firmly. It seals the sandwich tightly and gives you a perfect little circle.

I know that Smucker's sells the little frozen Uncrustable sandwiches (and who am I kidding, those things are darn good), but I think making a homemade uncrustable is so much better and a little easier on the budget. This is just one of those little gadgets that's fun and makes life a little easier when you have a little one to feed. 

2. Vintage Pyrex Refrigerator Dishes 

One of my dearest friends introduced me to the beauty of Pyrex refrigerator dishes last summer. She is the Pyrex queen and has so many beautiful vintage Pyrex dishes. I went to a flea market with her and found this exact set below from three different venders. Luckily, I had Le with me to guide me and tell me what to get! The yellow dish was discounted heavily because of a chip on the lid that you can't even notice (mostly because Le's husband sanded it down for me). 

I love these dishes so much and I'm always using them to store food in my fridge. They're so bright and colorful... plus they're easy to wash and you can throw them right into the microwave! If you ever see these at a flea market or even a yard sale, grab them! I bet you'll love them. 

1. Crock Pot

Yes, you are reading that right. My #1 kitchen item is my crock pot, but all I can say is don't knock it until you've really tried it. I love using this thing in every season and for all sorts of different things! I baked potatoes in it all day earlier this week and they were amazing! My only complaint is that mine cooks a little hot, but I've learned to deal with it over the years.

Truly, what I want is one of those old school crock pots like what my mom had. You know what I'm talking about! They were tall and a perfect circle instead of the popular oval shape that's sold now. I don't think they cooked as hot, but that's my personal opinion. You didn't know you were going to get my traumatic story about crock pots today, now did you? 

In conclusion, I really love my crock pot. It does nothing but make my life easier. If you're looking for a good CP resource, I would highly recommend A Year of Slow Cooking. It's a fantastic blog with nothing but crock pot recipes. I've never made anything from her site that we haven't loved. Our very favorites are her Chicken Enchilada Chili and Gumbo. I also have an entire board on Pinterest devoted to my crock pot. See? I wasn't kidding. It's love. And to prove it, I took a picture of my beloved crock pot to show you.

What are your favorite kitchen items? I'd love to know!

Have a wonderful weekend! 

As a quick note, my friend Sarah sells Pampered Chef! Here is her website if you're interested in ordering anything. I've always loved everything I've purchased from Pampered Chef and I bet you will too!  

15 Weeks

It's that time again!

Time for weekly pregnancy updates! Woo! I know you're thrilled.

When I told Tyler that he got to start taking these pictures again, you would've thought I told him that he was going to have to deliver this baby in January.

"WHAT?? NO!! Take mirror pictures! (Those would be selfies; he's not up on his social media lingo.) I can't do this again. Last time, you made me take about 50 pictures every time. It was HORRIBLE. It's been three years and I still haven't forgotten!"

Now to his credit, he's partially right. I did make him take a ton of pictures every week and usually, it was before I went to work in the morning and I was usually running late so I was a little more snippy than usual. But again, I feel like since I've done/am doing the hardest part of this baby thing, he can deal and take a few pictures every week. Am I right?

I did fear for our marriage a few times when I was pregnant with Griffin and 99% of that was due to these pictures. I would say I broke down in tears after about half of those photography "sessions". I was nothing if not a rational flower while pregnant the first time. So, pray for us. Hopefully this time around will be different and if not, we are taking donations for some good marriage counseling. I'm kidding, I'm kidding.

So, with that, here we go!

How Far Along: 15 weeks (I'm a week behind on my updates)

Size of Baby: Baby H2 is about 4 inches long, 2.5 oz, and is approximately the size of an apple.

Total Weight Gain: At my last appointment, I'd gained 4 ounces. I'm quite sure the scale will have increased quite a bit at my appointment today. At least my pants and pictures tell me so. I was so much smaller last time; it's actually astonishing how much bigger I am. 

Maternity Clothes: Not yet. I'm hoping to get through the rest of the summer without having to buy any maternity shorts and I think I'll be good with dresses and maxi skirts and a few select pairs of shorts.

Gender: Unknown. We will find out right around 20 weeks! I can't wait! 

Movement: I think I felt something as I was lying in bed on August 2, but it was only once, so I can't be sure. 

Sleep: I had a terrible time sleeping during my first trimester. I was so tired during the day and then I was wide awake at night. It's been a bit better lately. I find that if I do a lot during the day and don't lie down at all, I sleep better. ROCKET SCIENCE, I tell you. I never, ever sleep through the night, but I haven't slept through the night in years, so that's nothing new. 

What I Miss: Honestly, nothing at the moment. I'm so, so grateful to be pregnant that I haven't actively missed anything at this point. God has truly made beauty out of ashes for us with this pregnancy! 

Cravings: Dr. Pepper. I wake up thinking about it in the morning and I savor each sip. SO GOOD. I didn't drink caffeine during my first 13 weeks, but on the way home from my 13 week appointment, I made Tyler stop at McDonald's and pick up a DP. It was heavenly. 

Symptoms: I'm still throwing up. Usually, it's because I haven't eaten in a few hours, but sometimes, it just is because I have all day sickness when I'm pregnant. I know it won't be forever, so I really don't mind. I know I'm hungry if I'm nauseous. I haven't been as sick this pregnancy, but I've been sicker longer. 

Best Moment This Week: Every time we ask Griffin what we should name the baby, he responds with Baby Dr. Hofmann. Dr. Hofmann is one of my doctors and although we love him, I don't think we'll be naming the baby after him. 

That's it for this week. We're off to the doctor today and I'm so excited to hear that sweet little heartbeat again! 

Five on Friday!

Today I'm linking up today with Darci, Natasha, and the girls for Five on Friday!

1. Thank you!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your sweet comments, tweets, texts, etc. about our new addition coming in January! We are over the moon excited! After a long journey, it still feels very surreal to be pregnant. I have never been so thankful to be nauseous every single day. I plan to write a post next week about this pregnancy and I am going to do weekly pregnancy updates... I just have to get my rear in gear! But again, thank you for all of your kind words. It was so fun for me to share this joy with everyone after 13 weeks of silence! This is the only bump picture I've taken so far. I was almost 14 weeks. Whoa, baby.

2. Sweet Tea

I really, really love sweet tea. I happen to think McDonald's is the best "fast food" sweet tea and I love getting a large $1 tea and sipping on it all day. Recently, I saw a recipe on Pinterest for it that I intended to try. A few days later, I was texting with my friends Hillary and Ashley and if you must know, we were texting each other pictures of the insides of our refrigerators. Ashley had a pitcher of tea which reminded me of my pin. I shared it with her, she made it, and said that it was perfect. I made a pitcher the next day and she was right! This is SUCH an easy "recipe" and it has a secret ingredient that makes the tea so smooth and not at all bitter. Tyler and I have been loving having a big pitcher of it in the fridge! It makes a full gallon, so be sure you have an appropriately sized pitcher. And of course, sweet tea is always best served in a mason jar.

3. Birthday Weekend

Today kicks off my birthday weekend! On Sunday, I will turn the big 2-8. It makes my chest constrict to think that I'm two years of from thirty, but we won't talk about that. We really don't have any big plans for the weekend (we're going out next weekend for a birthday date), but I'm looking forward to some low key fun with my guys. I'm hoping for donuts, a family swim, maybe a trip to the bookstore, a steak dinner, and lunch at Chuy's on Sunday. 

A little known blog fact about me is that our 6th anniversary is on Sunday as well! Yes, we got married on my 22nd birthday. It was, quite literally, the only day that worked that summer. We recently decided that we're going to start celebrating our anniversary a month later so we can have separate celebrations and I am just fine with that! Tyler knows that anniversary + birthday does not equal one gift, unless it's something fabulous like a car or a vacation. Am I right? ;) 

And just for fun, here are a few little birthday pretties that I'm hoping for this year... 

Custom Calligraphy Stamp by Heavens to Betsy

Mrs. Fancy Pants mug by Ashley Brooke Designs

Porcelain Elephant Jewelry Bowl

i heart Michigan necklace

4. Fresh Prince 

Please tell me you've seen this. If you haven't, stop what you're doing and watch. It's Will Smith with his son, Jazzy Jeff, and a special appearance by Carlton! It will make your day, I promise! I watch it a lot and it always puts a huge smile on my face and makes me laugh out loud. I love Will Smith a strange amount. I want to shrink him down and put him in my pocket. This video is PURE GOLD.

5. Keep Some Room

I saw this on Pinterest recently and it really resonated with me. Sometimes life is hard and sometimes it seems like things will never turn out the way you hope. I'm living proof of that, but I'm also living proof of the fact that God's plans are so much better than mine, even when there's pain along the way. God can do way more than we ever imagine or dream and I think this little saying goes right along with that. I need to find a place in my home to keep this quote... just so I don't forget in the good and bad moments. 

Happy Friday, friends!

We are Filled with Joy!

I haven't written much on the blog this summer. I thought I might try to explain, but I figured Griffin could do a much better job.

"The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy."

Psalm 126:3

More details to come soon!

Pray for Will

Hi, friends. Meredith and Rachel here.

We know that many of you are very familiar with Lindsey's blog and the story of her miracle kids, Kate and Will.

In case you're not familiar with their story, we'd encourage you to take a moment to visit her blog to catch up.

In short, both of Lindsey and Alex's children have an extraordinarily rare genetic condition that requires them to have a bone marrow transplant shortly after their first birthday. Kate received her transplant in August of 2011 and has made a complete and miraculous recovery. She is a healthy, beautiful two year old and we know there isn't a day that goes by that her parents don't thank God for her life.

Their son, Will, was diagnosed while Lindsey was pregnant. They found a donor shortly after Will was born, but about a month ago, this donor backed out suddenly. But God is good and after many prayers, the registry found another donor for Will. He's now in the hospital where they are preparing his body for transplant.

Will is currently undergoing chemotherapy with a scheduled transplant date of June 12. Yesterday was his first day of Campath, an aggressive chemotherapy drug that is necessary. Sweet Will had an awful time yesterday, to put it lightly.

As we communicated with Lindsey and felt absolutely helpless to do anything but pray, we decided to put together a day of prayer for Will.

It is our goal to have someone praying for Will every moment of the day on June 12, the day of his transplant... effectively, the first day of his new life. 

We want to completely cover Will in prayer for at least 24 hours. We want Alex and Lindsey to know that their friends are carrying them through this difficult time through prayer when they feel like they can't take another step.

If you're interested in being a part of the day (or days) of prayer for Will, please send us a quick email to let us know you're in at prayforwillb AT gmail DOT com. Once we determine how many we have, we can know how long time slots will be and how many days we can pray.

After that, we will set up an Excel spreadsheet with time slots to pray and we will email that out. Upon receiving the email, we will have you contact us back with your top 4 times you'd be able to pray  and we will match you. Once we have everyone's information, we will email out the final copy of when you will be praying.

Final step? Pray for Will. We will also send out a list of specific requests from Lindsey so you can know exactly how to pray.

Please feel free to share this post or the email address with anyone you think might be interested in praying for Will. The more people to pray, the better!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for praying for Will. We know that Lindsey and Alex appreciate it so much.

We love you, Will!

Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins and and heals all your diseases. 

Psalm 103:2-3

Five for Friday

1. I've neglected the old blog for the last few weeks, but I'm back! I spent the last week in Michigan with Tyler, Griffin, and my family and it was glorious. We were able to be in town for one of my best friend's bridal shower and for part of my cousin's visit from Colorado. Uncle Gah (Jack) even came into town for a night! We had a great week, full of friends, family, park play dates, and an evening boat ride. I'm planning on blogging about our visit next week, but it was a perfect start to summer!

2. When we left Michigan yesterday, I just had to stop and grab some of my favorite pop. Yes, I'm from Michigan and I call it pop because that's what it is. Rock and Rye is my favorite pop of all time. It's a weird mix between cherry coke and Dr. Pepper, but it kind of has a creme soda quality to it. It's so hard to explain, but I don't know anyone from Michigan who doesn't like it. So, so good! If you're ever in Michigan, you've got to grab some! I can't wait to break open my new stash today.

3. I think I've found my favorite summer nail polish shade. I grabbed a bottle of Essie's Mint Candy Apple during a trip to Target recently, and I can't get enough. It looks great on my fingernails and on my toes. It's the prettiest shade of mint; it's really almost a pale, pale blue. I love nail polish and have quite the stash, so for me to declare a shade a possible favorite is a big deal. But it's so pretty, feminine, and summery! 

4. I've had this insulated mason jar tumbler from WalMart for a few months now and I love it! I use it all the time and I think it's so cute. I like that it doesn't have the little handle I've seen on so many, but I do wish I'd had some options for a cuter straw. I know, not a real problem Rachel. It's wonderful that it's insulated because I can tote it around the house with me and I don't have to worry about it leaving a ring when I set it down. I think this will be my go-to beverage holder while I lay by the pool this summer! As you can see, I've had to share it with a certain toddler. What I really need to do is go back and get him one of his own! 

5. I just finished a few books and need to do a blog post about what I've read lately. I always love seeing what other people are reading. My library has really added to their digital library and there are so many books available for checkout on e-readers! I love reading so much and find that I do more of it in the summer. These are a few of the titles I've finished in the last month or so. I would recommend all of them! 

I hope you all have a great weekend with your people!