39 Weeks

39 Weeks – 1 Week to Go.

{1.30.11 around 5pm}

Size of baby: Docs say about 7lbs.
Gender: Boy
Weight Gain: No weight gain this week
How am I feeling: Had a TON of energy this week, so naturally I thought.. this must mean Im close?
I cooked so many meals, and desserts, ran errands, organized the nursery (again).. among other things/chores.
I’ve been having contractions.. seems like they start at the same time at night where I cant move for a good few minutes, then they go away… it still isn’t fun, but they never last so I know they aren’t the “big” ones..
Baby Movement: Still squirming and kicking..
Appointments/Events: 1.31.12. - Never made it to this one! ha!
Craving: Made Peanut Butter Cookies this weekend with SJ.. and they are almost gone…Water tastes really good lately..

{cannot beleive im posting this.. gross front shot of last day being pregnant}

Missing: My body.. my wardrobe.. being able to shave and put shoes and socks on…
Funny Things/Baby is Coming: By this point in the last pregnancy I had already had Samantha. So I’ve never been pregnant this long the last time… grrrrreeeeaaaatt… This little man has made a nice cozy home, and he doesn’t want to come out….

Or so I thought...

Our Last Weekend as a Trio?

Our last weekend as a family of 3??

One can never tell.

I am huge.. I am ready.. but baby..

he's sitting tight in there.. seems like he's pretty content!

Friday I was having some pains.. but it didnt stop me and Samantha from running a few errands. She loves the "race car" at our one grocery store.. so I knew she'd be a good girl if we did some shopping there...

Happy as a clam, and she loves using the anti-bacterial wipes to "clean up" the dirty cart! ha!

Friday night we went out as a family for some chinese food.

We discovered that SJ likes Soy Sauce now.

She loves Broccoli - probably could eat it every day if I left her.. But now to dip it in Soy! .. Oh she loved it.. and she ate a TON at dinner and was super well behaved. It was so crowded and our meal took a while to get to us..
When we got home I rewarded her with a Heart Shaped Cherry Cake Donut...

Very happy girl

Saturday it snowed.. She went out with Daddy and made snow angels and walked around and loved pushing her baby in the stroller, and had a great time.

Sunday we ran a few errands.. diapers, milk, OJ, the usual..

And I did some major nesting cooking..

Yup.. I made about 20 egg rolls...

We froze most of them, but ate a few with dinner,

Which was homemade chicken soup.. delish!

It was a really cozy weekend...

I was having some pains/contractions.. almost every day.. very short lived..

But I still get kind of excited..

At this point in my first pregnancy I had already been induced, and had her.

Now Im waiting.... and waiting.... and Im trying to do everything I can to make this labor come on naturally... We shall see... tomorrow is another Dr's appt..

Last Few Days...& Recipe {Burrito Bowls}

Its the final countdown.. and we're all wondering when this little man will make his entrance.

Thursday evening we went to the mall to do some mall walking and browsing, since I was feeling pretty good..

I brought my Raspberry Tea with me, and we all walked around for about an hour.

I picked up these adorable canvas shoes from Old Navy for $4.00.. I couldnt resist!

Samantha loved just walking and looking in the stores..
She just HAD to go into the T-Mobile store and sit in their PINK chairs.. there were two.. and she had to sit in both.. My girl loves pink.
Recipe!

I taped an episode of "Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa D'Arabian" the other night.

Its her Tex-Mex episode.

I made everything from this show for dinner the other night, and I will definately be making it again.

I included the links in case you want to try it!

She did Pork Carnitas.. and I did Chicken Carnitas.. same recipe, just used 3 chicken breasts

Burrito Bowls

I used Chicken breasts instead of Pork as used on her show.

It came out so good.. and the toppings..

Rice, Chicken, Black Beans, Pico de Gallo, Cheddar Cheese, Sour Cream,

Chocolate-Cinnamon Nachos..

Yup I made these too.. very very good.

Tortillas, Butter, Cinnamon-Sugar, Chocolate Syrup, and Whipped Cream

I burnt the first batch.. so watch em close!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwiches from Disneyland {Pinterest Recipe}

Pinterest Recipe!

This image alone made me want to try this recipe.

I've been to Disney.. but about 15 years ago, and never saw this thats for sure!

I found the image below and recipe link from Pinterest/The Picky Palate Blog.

*the picky palate used shortening and milk chocolate..I just used melting chocolate wafers from Michaels, because I had them on hand, and they were delicious*

Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwiches.{Joelle's Version}

The ingredients I had.. so I made 6 just to start.. What was I thinking.. I should have made 60!

Ingredients:

Peanut Butter

Graham Crackers

Melting Chocolates

First I layed out the grahams on wax paper.

Spreading them extra thick with Peter Pan {no doubt the BEST peanut butter ever.. no other brand comes close..}

Then pop these in the freezer on the wax paper.. until the PB is nice and firm

Then I just melted my chocolate in a bowl and took a spoon and smothered the squares as best I could to cover the entire square.

I put them in the fridge to harden

And then i had 2 about 20 minutes later with some milk...

Excellent...

Addicted...

Deliciousness...

They do kind of break apart when you bite into them but who cares!

They are amazing!

Rounding 39 weeks pregnant and the cooking/baking I guess can be categorized under nesting.. because Im really into it right now..

I think I know I wont have time to do much of it pretty soon...

SUYL - What Do you Make/Sell

Recently I've been making burp cloths... and a bunch of other baby goodies for my little man, who will be here soon..

Custom Burp Cloths!

I did a giveaway last week here's the link to see some pics of my recent work!

I also have a separate Art Blog - 3rd Floor Art - that I have done a bunch of painting projects.

- Wedding Plaques

- Canvas Bags

- Custom Canvas Art

- Rocking Chairs

- Stools

Check it out!

38 Weeks { and feeling like it}

38 Weeks – 2 Weeks to Go.
Size of baby: Docs say about 7lbs.
Gender: Boy
Weight Gain: No weight gain this week - what are ya kiddin me? I ALWAYS was gaining every single appt up until the DAY I had SJ

{had my appt on Tues... will this be the last time I see one of these rooms??}

Gosh I hope so! It gets so redundant in the end... weight, bpressure, pee in a cup... lets have a baby already... geesh!

How am I feeling: Some days still a TON of energy – no idea where its coming from? I made homemade eggrolls last night for dinner and sauce all in one weekend…Yes I am crazy. And when we need something from the store, like last night we needed Green Onions.. I volunteer to go instead of hubby.. I figure If Im moving.. (like I said in a previous post)… Maybe I’ll go into labor?
I have a lot of smallish contractions/pains. Yesterday I could barely get up, and the pain lasted abouy 3 hours, but then went away. I think its just baby burrowing his head deep in the pelvic area. We’ll see at next appt if this means Im making progress. I don’t remember anything like this happening with SJ.
Im busy though.. cooking a lot and not seeming too tired.. I think it’s the pregnancy adrenaline.. I keep thinking “this could be my last day…” So Im trying to get a ton of things done.
We have a bunch of freezer meals already in the freezer.. eggrolls, homemade sauce, stuffed peppers, chili, but I’d like to try to do some easy things like Potato Skins..and some other quicky freezer foods.. Not sure what freezes well though.. when in doubt… Pinterest I guess!
Baby Movement: Movement this weekend on Sunday in particular was really slow. I was getting a little worried. But today we’re back in action.. kicking and squirming like mad. I feel like he’s moved down a little, as I don’t feel his feet lodged in my ribcage anymore.. BONUS!
Appointments/Events: Today 1.24.12.
Baby is lower. Head is right there – says my Dr. I’m almost 2cm dialated. Which is so surprising to me! She said they don’t think the baby will be as big as they originally told me.. thank goodness! She also said she doesn’t think they’ll have to induce and that she thinks I’ll go into labor on my own, possibly very soon, or could be more near my due date which is on or around Superbowl Sunday.. haha..
I asked her what could speed up labor.. and she said some people say Raspberry Tea.. so I went straight from the appointment, and I am sipping it as I type right now. That evening.. I started having a lot of pelvic pain.. and smallish contractions/braxton hicks.. so maybe it does work???

My next appt is Jan 31st – so we’ll see if anything has changed.. – Who knows.. I could not make it!
It’s a great mystery.. when will I have this baby????
Truth is, no one really knows when or how I will go into labor…but it was nice to hear my dr’s optimism!
Craving: Salty Stuff.. Peanut Butter, Pears,, Apples, Cranberry Juice (again).. Nothing really in particular this past week…
Missing: Sleeping comfy, and not snoring and waking myself up.
Funny Things/Baby is Coming: Samantha Senses! SJ has been kinda weepy on a few short occasions. Like when our nanny comes over, she loves her.. Its like her 2nd Momma.. But for some reason, she was extra clingy last week and wanted me to hold her..etc.. Same with my MOM! I couldn’t believe it.. She loves her Grammy so so so much, and often times tells me “go downstairs Momma” when Grammy is over. But she latched on to me like a stranger had entered our house! Good thing is it only lasted about 5 min, and she bounced right back to her normal self. I think she is aware that baby is coming soon, along with some changes in her life. I almost feel bad for her. We’re going to tip her whole world upside down in a few weeks, days.. etc.. (whenever this bean is cooked) And I don’t want her to feel neglected or sad. So I am planning on just paying as much attention to her as I can.. and involving her in everything right from the start with baby brother.
Special Buys/Finds This Week/Getting Ready Items:
Baby Book
Its super cute! Im gonna pack it in my hospital bag, this way all the details are super fresh in my mind!

And I think its because subconsciously I know we're going to be turning SJ's world upside down in a few days, weeks, whenever baby comes.. I keep feeling the need to buy her little things to surprise her with/keep her busy.. Im feeling bad already for all the changes she'll have to adapt to.. and just hoping little gifts and surprises can make the transition easier...

Just small little things like:

Spices from the Dollar Tree that she can play with and cook/mix with water.. when we're cooking

I found an awesome dollhouse that I thrifted for her.. and I found $1 doll furniture on sale.. so I got her a little bed, dresser, table..

Puzzles (she loves puzzles)

New Crayons/Paper

Toy Drum

Stickers..
So hopefully with all this new stuff plus her goody bag at the hospital, she'll be all happy and take this big change very well.. but we'll see.. All I can do is hope for the best, But im not gonna pretend that when Im pushing this baby out, she'll be on my mind... Maybe thats a good thing.. It will be my motivation to push harder and faster, right?

WILW - Last Wed in January

Today I'm Loving: @Jamie's Blog

This Giveaway

Maybe because her daughter's middle name is Noelle, and mine is Joelle.. I'll have some luck!

Im also loving:

this recipe Im trying for dinner its in the slow cooker smelling very delish

.. Im using Chicken instead of Pork

I'll post pics and recipe if it turns out good..

Chicken Carnitas for Burrito Bowls

Im also loving...

These adorable heart peanut butter cookies!

Found on pinterest of course!

Source Below

http://www.bettycrocker.com/

Im also Loving:

That Im feeling some pains... well not really LOVING it.. but you know what I mean...

But some progress is being made in there... baby could come soon!

Happy Wednesday

Bedtime Blues...

Yes Its true I am having some "bedtime blues" of my own.. but this post is about SJ.

She's never been an easy baby to put to bed.. since nursing.. and even then around 9 months she started waking up in the middle of the night for a feeding that was probably unecessary.. But I fed her anyways..

So now she's 2.5 years old.. baby due any day.. and I have to hope the baby due anyday is the reason why she's giving us.. ME a hard time.

She's not completely bad.. she is just a master STALLER... Our routine has been books, brush teeth, in bed, prayers and maybe 2-4 more books in bed.

I know I give in because Im all preggo and emotional.. but tonight she was screaming and screaming and just wanted ONE MORE BOOK.. Thats the phrase she was screaming from down the hallway.

I finally got my point across after caving and reading her more books and she read for a while... I think she fell asleep near 10pm.. but c'mon!

Is she sleeping too much during naptime? She typically goes down when our nanny is here at 12:30 and sleeps till 3pm.. and we WAKE her up.. I think she'd sleep longer!

All I can think of is... how the hell am I gonna do this with an infant in the house?
Im also nervous for the baby.. and how is his crying not gonna wake her up?
Oh good lordy its a stressful night in the house tonight!
If anyone has any suggestions please let me know

This was truly a venting blog post.. and I do feel a little bit better now.. ha!
Good Night,
Joellle

Weekend in Pics {From My Phone}

Our Weekend...

Consisted of a lot of cooking!

I had a burst of energy and my mentality these days is "I have to keep moving, cause maybe I'll go into labor!"

Banana Spring Rolls....

We'll come back to this ...

Friday I gathered all the bags for the hospital, and the one on the left is a little "present" bag for SJ when she comes to see her little brother. We're all set and packed. Made me feel accomplished! ha!
My Mom came over earlier in the week and played with Samantha while I got a few things done, like the rest of the crib bumper, and then I started making a few pillows... I love the way they turned out...I am a beginner sewer... I just cut the fabric and wrapped it around the pillow inserts inside out. Then turned the fabric back to the pretty side, and finished the pillow down the last edge.

Saturday hubby took Samantha sled riding, while Momma made a Starbucks run for a White Hot Chocolate, and a Grocery store run for some ground meat for my homemade sauce.

It turned out amazing.. and we have SOO much to freeze. Which was the plan.. I know in a few weeks cooking meals like this may be put on hold...

Samantha loves Momma's Sauce and Noodles!

She was such a good girl all weekend while we cooked and ran errands as a family.

I am sort of nervous that she'll rebel when baby comes, and Im praying she stays her sweet self, and becomes my little momma helper.

Sunday: Chinese Feast...

We love asian/chinese/japanese food.

I found a great recipe for Homemade Egg Rolls on ... where else?

Pinterest last week. So we got all the ingredients and gave it a try.

I made veggie egg rolls and omitted the ground chicken. They were A-MA-ZING!

Totally worth the effort, we made about 10 and froze about half.

I was nervous to make them, but they were not that bad to make at all.

Even the frying wasnt a big deal, couple minutes on each side, and voila!

NOW... On to Dessert

If you ever been to PF Changs, I was trying to attempt their Banana Spring Rolls.

They turned out just as easy and good.

I took 1 banana.. and cut it in half, and then cut the halves down the middle.

Wrapped them in the wonton paper...

and sealed them with a little egg wash...

and fried them the same way I did the egg rolls.

Garnished them with powdered sugar, chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream... OMG.

It was a delicous meal, and then to finish it off with a dessert like this..

was so good

Nothing too exciting this weekend, but we sure ate good!

What did you do???????

Momma's Hospital Bag

Momma's Hospital Bag

brother's is already packed see HERE.. and mine has been for some time, but never got around to this post...till now.

I had NO time to pack with Samantha.. I was induced in an emergency type fashion, and not allowed to leave the hospital.. so whatever was packed already at home had to do. I didnt pack hardly ANYTHING practical.

So this time, I am prepared...(or so I think)

I've got toiletries, shampoo/body wash/loofah/facewash/travel toothbrush/makeup remover/etc. A comfy outfit for after baby, flannel pants, white nursing tank and cardigan.
There are nursing bras in the bag as well, socks, a huge fluffy robe my momma got me for Christmas, Mints, Gum, Phone Charger, Hair Ties, A large eco shopping bag, (for all the things they give you at the hospital - diapers, wipes, etc.)
I feel pretty well prepared..
Some last minute things we have set aside are the camera, batteries, laptops, ipods
Im getting so excited/nervous/scared. I am a wide range of emotions these days..
"Im totally ready, just get this thing out of me!"--- to.."My due date isnt till Feb 6th, I have time to do a few more projects, organize more clothes, etc"
But the truth is....no one knows when this baby is coming.. at least for now.
The past few days I have been having small contracitons, and pains in my leg, pelvic area, etc. Seems like my body is getting ready.. just dont know when it will be TIME!
Thats one of the great exciting things about being preggers I guess.. and I think this might be the last time I will be, so I am trying to enjoy the waiting....
Happy weekend Everyone!

What Im Loving...Wednesday

Here's what Im Loving:

Tomorrow Im being featured on Blonde Undercover Blonde's Blogaversary!!

Here's a hint (below) as to what the giveaway will consist of... So stop by and enter!

I found this on Pinterest (of course)... and I thought it was hysterical..
Im also loving my newest baking gadget. Its a mini pie press for heart shaped individual pies. I got it at Michael's 3.99 plus I had a 50% coupon, so it was well worth it..
I am in love with this next pinterest find.. I think I found a project for myself..
Its a cardboard coffee stand/store. I really really want to make something like this for SJ... okay and a little for the kid in me too.. I'll have to start gathering supplies once my life calms down a bit.. whenever that will be!
And Im loving my little bean inside my tummy... we're 37.5 weeks today.. and doctor has him possibly coming early.. we shall see!

Im posting my 37 week post tomrorow!

Baby's Hospital Bag {Packed and Ready}

Baby's Hospital Bag

I had so much fun packing all the yummy little baby things into his hospital bag this weekend.

With SJ I had no warning ... I was induced on the spot, and couldnt go home to "get ready" So this time I really made sure we're prepared.

Here's everything in the bag.. although I may add a few more clothing items, its so hard to narrow it down, plus we dont know how big he'll be either..
A closer look:
Little Sherpa Booties
Undershirts/Onesies
Caps
Scratch Mittens
Baby Socks
This little gap hat was worn by his sister when she was in the hospital... so I thought it would be a nice tradition to pass it along...
Going home outfits:
The brown one with matching hat is size NB
Underneath is a fleece sleeper with guitar on it 0-3m
On top are Gerber side snap tees for in the hospital.. I just love these shirts!
Swaddle Blankets - The first one is THE softest thing I've ever felt.. my favorite

Hand Sanitizer for all those diaper changes, and for visitors when they come, My #1 nasal aspirator, b/c the ones they sell in the store STINK!!.., 2 choices for Paci's, a Hair Brush, - since doctors seem to think he's got a lot of hair already.., and Vaseline for his little bum bum...

So as far as baby's bag is concerned, I feel pretty prepared. Although our hospital is 5 minutes down the road.. In North Carolina, it was a 45 minute drive. So If I forget anything.. its only a short distance away.. I have my bag almost all ready.. except a few things. I'll post mine soon!