Bringin' Mittens Back!

I have to share this you tube video with you guys. Just in time for the holidays Grayson and his best friend Nate are bringing Mittens Back! Check it out here. He is the one who wouldn't keep his mittens on. Child actors...what are you gonna do? :-)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Coming Out....Well, Partially

I have been rather quiet on here over the past weeks, because I've been keeping something to myself.

I am PREGNANT!

We are super excited and of course a little nervous. I have had 2 ultrasounds so far, the most recent being yesterday, and both have been great. Measuring good, heartbeat strong (188).

I'm am 9 weeks 1 day today. Hard to believe.

I've only made it to this point with 2 out of my 5 pregnancies - which feels pretty good. And I've also been pretty darn queasy all day every day, which has been oddly comforting. Yesterday's u/s was the least nervous I've ever been going in to one.

I'd show you my adorably cute little blob on the u/s photo, but I haven't scanned it yet. We have a 3rd one on January 8th - and I will be 12 weeks then. So I'll be sure to post after that.

I really think that this is one is going to stick. I'm already very attached to this little bean and am making all kinds of plans for a July 21st due date. Grayson will be just over 2 which is a great age gap I think.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. And...if you know me in real life, I'm doing my best to keep this under wraps for a few more weeks. (Although, I sure feel like I look pregnant already so this could be tough). So...shhhh. Don't tell anyone! And if you want to offer me congrats in person...please do so discreetly. Thanks!!

In Threes

They always say bad things come in threes. I just now learned that a 3rd friend of mine has miscarried. It was one week ago today I found out about one, 5 days ago I found out about another and just 5 minutes ago I found out about the last. They were anywhere from 8 weeks along to 3 1/2 months along. The distance in pregnancy doesn't really matter. It all royally sucks.

My heart is super heavy for my friends right now. Some I know better than others, but that doesn't change my heart breaking for them.

It has me thinking a lot about my own quest for bambino #2. We are steady trying these days...so far with no success. I'm currently in the 2 week wait...my least favorite part of the whole cycle for sure. If it is true and bad things come in threes, I can't help but wonder if because I've already had 3 losses if I'm exempt from more? Or if there are three more to come before I get the joy of another Grayson? I must admit I'm living in fear right now, but trying not to. It's hard though.

Woosh

Just saw on facebook that a friend lost her baby. She is 10 weeks along. Woosh. All my emotions on the day I discovered my losses come flooding back. It hate how unfair miscarriages are.

There are lots of other pregnant ladies in our circle and I know how hard it will be for her to watch their bellies grow while hers doesn't.

Pray for Sarah and her husband Zack. Today sucks for them.

Firsts

The past 15 1/2 months have been full of too many "firsts" to keep track of.

First time Grayson smiled
First time he said "mama"
First crawl
First steps
First explosive poop
First tooth
First time puking in the car
First time playing in the snow
First time in the pool
First trip to Disney world...and puking in the car

This weekend we were outdoors having fun at a wine festival and Grayson did another first. We were walking next to each other, and he reached up for my hand. Melt my heart! Now, we hold hands a lot when we walk, but up to this point I've had to grab his. But not this time. He looked up at me, smiled, and reached up. I wish I could have it on video, but I know it will be forever engrained perfectly in my brain.

Oh it's the moments like this that make every tear shed in the "trying" worth it, and make me know that I can go through the "trying" again, even if it gets hard again.

Where's Pop?

My husband's parents spend a lot of time at their home in Florida, but Grayson sure does love them and miss them when they're gone. He has this little photo album of them that he looks at all the time. And if you ask him "Where's Pop?", he will go straight for it..

Recipes!!

I LOVE to cook. My husband though for the first 6 3/4 years of our marriage would just assume eat peanut butter & jelly for every meal. I was so excited at the beginning of the summer when he told me he wanted to start eating "real" meals for dinner as long as they were healthy. So since then I've been cooking at least 4 nights a week and loving every minute of it. Something about searching out of recipes, buying all the ingredients and preparing them is so relaxing to me. And I love that we have now started a great tradition of eating together as a family.

I thought I'd share a few recipes I've made this summer that I have thoroughly enjoyed. And the best part...none of them are super bad for you!

Fish Tacos
Serves 2 to 4 people

For the Fish....
Sprinkle a mild fish (I use mahi mahi, but tilapia, etc., would work great too) with salt pepper, cumin and chili powder. Saute in a small amount of EVOO over medium high heat until cooked through. Shred between 2 forks and set aside ( I use 1 fish filet per person...which is enough for 2 people plus leftovers for lunch the next day.)

For the Pico De Gallo
Dice/seed 1 large tomato, 1/2 a red onion and chop a good handful of cilantro. Combine with juice from 1 lime and set aside.

For the Chipotle Aioli
the key ingredient that is super yummy!
6 T. mayo (I use lowfat)
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro or 2 tsp. dried
1 to 2 cloves minced garlic (i like to use the hand graters for this)
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. chili powder
4 tsp lime juice (about 1/2 of a good sized lime)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Combine together, mix well and chill til ready to serve

Warm flour tortillas in the oven or microwave (i just wrap in paper towel and heat for 30 to 45 seconds)

To assemble tacos, put desired amount of fish in tortilla, top with pico de gallo and drizzle with the aioli. It is delicious!

Mexican Corn on the Cob
Wrap 2 to 4 ears of corn on the cob in very wet paper towels (each ear should have it's own wrapping)
Place on a plate and microwave for 4 minutes
This makes perfect corn on the cob every time!
Then rub the corn with a small amount of mayo (sounds weird I know..but trust me!)
Then sprinkle with a small amount of chili powder and salt
This is a great side for the tacos.

Tonight, I made Scallops with Herbed Raw Tomato Sauce courtesy of Rachael Ray. It really was easy and I used a mixture of fresh and dried herbs, and frozen scallops that I thawed out. And it was really yummy! 30 minute meals with Rachael Ray was my 1st inspiration to start cooking back in the first year of our marriage.

I also made my lunch for tomorrow...and my husbands lunch for the middle of the night (he's been on night work all summer so his lunch is at like 2 in the morning). It's a Greek Salad recipe from the magazine Cuisine at Home (which has been the source of some of my favorite recipes in the past). It's very easy to assemble and is great for leftovers as well.

For the dressing
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 T. olive oil
1 T. sugar
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 tsp each dried rosemary, thyme, and oregano (recipe calls for fresh..but i've always used dried instead since I have it on hand)
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Salt
Whisk together, cover and refrigerate
Set aside 1/4 cup to marinate chicken

For the Chicken
Marinate in dressing for 5 minutes to 2 hours
Grill or saute until cooked through
Slice into strips

For the Salad
2 Hearts of Romaine chopped - Or bagged romaine lettuce prewashed and chopped
1 to 2 tomatoes diced
1/2 english cucumber diced
1/2 cup kalamata olives pitted and diced (I buy already pitted)
1/2 cup feta cheese (I add more because I love it!)
1 cup assorted bell peppers diced (most the time I just use 1 red bell pepper)
1/2 red onion diced or slivered
(I eyeball all above ingredients.....and sometimes omit something if I'm out of it)

Combine all ingredients for salad, mix with dressing and toss in chicken.
Can be served with Pita Bread