24 Week Update

24 weeks down, 16 to go! 16?? Whoa... that's not too far away!

Pregnancy has been good so far! He's a healthy little boy and I thankfully haven't had any issues besides my sinuses acting up, fatigue, and back pain. But hey if I can slide by with just those 3 things, I'm pretty lucky compared to some!

He's a squirmy little guy.. he moves around some in the morning but really starts going around 2pm and continues until about 5pm. He settles down and then starts back up around 7-8pm. (He's actually kicking right now!) Even though they are getting a little stronger, AJ hasn't been able to feel him yet but I have a feeling that will soon change.

Still haven't picked a name... we have one in mind that we've agreed on but haven't made that commitment yet. Naming someone is a huge deal! He's going to have this name... well... forever, ya know?

Going to the beach next weekend for a week for the annual family trip with 50 of my closest family members so we are very excited for that. You think buying a swimsuit is hard when you have put on a few extra pounds over the winter? Try gaining a BABY in your belly and looking for one! I will never complain again....

It's a......

BOY!!!!

RUMBLE RUMBLE

We were awoken this morning at 4:08 by a 2.6 EARTHQUAKE!!! Here! In Roanoke, VA! It was WILD!

The house literally shook for 3-4 seconds... the windows rattled, the furniture shook, it was loud. And then it stopped. We had no clue what happened... did a tree fall? Did one of the hospital's helicopters crash into the yard? Was there a train crash in the railyard not too far away? Did our A/C unit just explode? ;) We got out of bed and heard my parents in the kitchen. They had no clue what happened so we went outside to see if we could see anything... smoke, fire, hear police/ambulance/fire.... nothing. We thought it was an earthquake but those aren't supposed to happen around here so we turned on the TV to the local stations to see what was going on. Nothing! My dad got on USGS.com and sure enough around 4:40, a listing of a 2.6 earthquake in the Cave Spring area of Roanoke occured at 4:08. The center was about 2 miles away from the house so that is why we felt it harder than others talking about it on Facebook this morning.

As a neurotic child, my parents always told me that tornados & earthquakes couldn't happen in SW Virginia. LIARS!! haha

Feliz Seis de Mayo!!!

Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
2 cups instant white rice, uncooked
1/2 cup CHEEZ WHIZ Cheese Dip
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 large tomato, chopped

Substitutions we made:
1 packet of taco seasoning for chili powder
1 cup of shredded "mexican" cheese for Cheez Whiz

Directions
BROWN meat in large skillet.
ADD tacfo seasoning, broth and water; stir. Bring to boil.
STIR in rice and cheese; cover. Simmer on low heat 5 min., stirring occasionally. Serve topped with lettuce and tomatoes.

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This was very simple and oh-so-tasty! Cinco de Mayo has always been a favorite for me as it is also my dad's birthday! We decided not to go out this year so I found this recipe in Kraft Foods and wanted to try it out.

We tore tortillas up and put them in the bottom of our bowls and I added a white cheese sauce that we had in the fridge on top. We had enough for leftovers and I am already craving them for dinner tonight!!

Baby Update

I am 17 weeks along today!

We had a doctor's appointment last Tuesday and finally met our doctor who should be delivering the baby. She is very nice and I liked her. She answered all of my questions and did not make me feel stupid so that always good. :) Didn't get an ultrasound (booo) but we did get to hear the baby's heartbeat!! A very strong 150 beats a minutes... (http://www.babygenderprediction.com/babys-heart-rate.html still says we're having a girl!)

We go back on May 27th for the glucose test (yuck) and the ultrasound to find out the sex!!! I am beyond excited about that! I am, and have been, leaning towards one side the entire pregnancy but you never know! It is a 50/50 chance of either sex.

Pregnancy is still pretty uneventful.. never had morning sickness so that was great. Still tired and experiencing sinus headaches so that kinda stinks but it could be worse. The newest issue is this whole crying thing.. hormones are raging and I have cried at least twice a day since Tuesday. AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHY I'M CRYING!!! Friday night was the worse because I was sobbing after watching my DVRed Private Practice and ran into the bedroom where AJ was sleeping. My racket woke him up and he was such the great husband and asked what was wrong. I couldn't spit it out without wanting to cry harder and finally realized how funny it was. I then proceeded to laugh hysterically & sob at the same time. Oh my....

Thank god I have a tolerant husband! I love you AJ!

Baked Oatmeal Recipe

Found this over on http://lichtyfamilyblog.blogspot.com/ (recipe & photo)...

Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients
2 cups uncooked old fashioned oats1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 cup raisins
Handful of dried cranberries1 teaspoon baking powder1 1/2 cups milk1/2 cup applesauce1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine the milk, applesauce, butter, egg, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add milk mixture to oat mixture; stir well. Pour oat mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

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Can we say YUM?!?! Can't wait to try it!

NeVer ForgeT