Thanksgiving

We had the most wonderful time being home for Thanksgiving. It was great to sit by the fire, drink delicious hot chocolate (or grape juice or fresh cider or eggnog), read books, enjoy crisp autumn weather, and be with our family and friends. My mom and dad always take such good care of us and fill our vacations with excellent food, fun, and lots of laughs. My good friend also threw a baby shower for me (!!) and it was so amazing to share in baby joy with some of my oldest and dearest friends. It was a Thanksgiving were both Jeffrey and I were awestruck at how much we have to be thankful for, including all things past, present, and future.

{31 weeks!}

{hand crafted jams, jellies, and preserves at Sage's farm}

{apples, delicious apples}

{the most decked out house for the holidays ever! a traditional stop every year for our family-it's just too much to miss}

{we had so much good food, including two turkeys: one roasted and this baby was fried. we made Thanksgiving french fries once we pulled him out, and I think fresh fried french fries should make it to the table every year}

The Ohio

We made it safe and sound! No passing out, no swollen feet, and no getting sick-I can still hardly believe it! I forgot to pack tons of things, of course, but at least we're home and safe and thoroughly enjoying leaving our overly busy and stressful routine behind.

We'll be back soon to wrap up another semester and resume our regular work schedules, etc., but for now we're drinking way too much cider by a cozy fire in a comfortable home that smells of spice and baking pies.

30 weeks

We got an ultrasound today to be sure that everything is growing along great, and to be sure that I'll be safe to fly, because WE'RE GOING HOME FOR THANKSGIVING!! I'm so elated, I haven't been home for Thanksgiving since I started college, and I've been pining over the spread my family produces for Thanksgiving feasting and longing for something just a bit more familiar. I'm also so excited to show off my tummy and baby pictures to friends I've known and loved for years, and to enjoy the last crisp, beautiful tidbits of fall in Northeastern Ohio.

I'll be packing tons of snacks, compression socks, and a 5 pound baby for the flight. That's right. 5 pounds of 30-week old baby!! My baby chart says typically 30-week babies are just over 3 pounds. This little bundle is a tank!! The ultrasound tech was taking his measurements and she paused to ask each of us how big we were as infants, and then once she had everything measured and calculated she asked, "Ok, are you ready to hear this? 3 1/2 weeks ahead of schedule, 4 lbs, 15 oz!" We were shocked! Then we started giggling. And of course, the due date is still January 22nd-our doctor just smiled and shook her head and said the due date is accurate as can be, we must have big baby genes.

10 weeks to go and 5 pounds already, this is pretty exciting! My heart is at ease to hear that he is doing well and that my body is able to support him and help him to grow. Keep growing strong little miracle child!

Monster Cookies

If you had a rockin' Halloween like we did, you might still have lingering candy cluttering up your house and finding its way into your tummy day after day. I decided this had to stop. We had so many leftover treats from chocolate apples and from trick-or-treating (at the store, that is) I decided to round them up into one place: Monster Cookies.

These cookies are a "kitchen sink" variety. You can put basically anything you'd like into them, and the more variety the better. They helped us to eat up, and share, all that leftover candy in no time.

Since I'm thinking more and more about family traditions these days, I can't wait to make them with my babies after they trick-or-treat. They can select candy contributions from their hoard, and we can mix the cookies up together and share them with our neighbors and friends. See, Halloween can be such a giving, sharing, caring, holiday :)

These are seriously, ridiculously, and dare I say, monstrously good!

{get 'em before they're gone}

Monster Cookies
family recipe, courtesy my sister Krista

Ingredients:
2 Cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1 Cup softened butter
1 Cup granulated sugar
1 Cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 2/3 Cups rolled oats

Add-ins: whatever you'd like to use, totaling 2-3 Cups
1/4 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 Cup milk chocolate chips
1/4 Cup currants (or raisins)
1/2 Cup toffee bits
1/2 Cup peanut butter chips
1 Cup mini M&Ms

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Combine add-ins and rolled oats in a small bowl and set aside. In large bowl, cream together butter and both sugars. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla. With a wooden spoon, gradually stir in sifted dry ingredients. Then stir in mixture of rolled oats and add-ins until evenly combined and distributed.

Drop in rounded spoonfuls onto parchment lined baking sheet-these have a tendency to stick with all that candy in them :) Bake 5-10 min (I did mine for 8 min). If you chill the batter first, or if you save it for later and pull it out of the fridge or freezer, pull the cookies out when they are halfway done and mash them down a bit.

Allow to cool 2-3 minutes before removing from tray.

Enjoy!

Weekend Mirths

I crafted my eyeballs out this weekend. I have no idea how many pillows I sewed, but I do know that this little pillow for the baby's nautical nook is most definitely my favorite.

It was also one of my more successful attempts. I'm in love with the red piping on the edges, and I'm certain that if I'm not careful, I may go piping crazy.

29 weeks

"Big and loving it!" is what my pregnancy book is calling this week, and this whole month for that matter (I've been reading and really liking "The Pregnancy Book" by Dr. Sears and his wife). I'm not sure yet if I'm loving it, but it is kind of cute to me to see my tummy rounding out so nicely. Things must be getting tight inside for our little darling because his kicks and squirms are getting stronger everyday and keeping me up most nights too!

We've started seriously gearing up for delivery. Both of us are big believers of the power of positive thinking, so we're planing on the most marvelous delivery ever...while still preparing and keeping an open mind about whatever path our baby decides to take to enter this world. Jeff makes an excellent dula/supportive labor partner. He is so calming and good at relaxing so we practice, practice, practice, because I'm lousy in both arenas unless I'm at a beach or secluded mountain lodge. Since we have 11 weeks to practice, I'm hoping to be a pro at just shutting down and relaxing by the time little guy is ready to come.

Make a Wish! 11-11-11

Today is the most perfect day for wish making.

Jeffrey and I will be celebrating this historical day by making wishes (lots and lots), having a number one themed dinner, and taking turns doing our number 1 things.

First up....favorite movies.
And then....Coldstone.


Enjoy the magical day!

28 weeks

A few days late on this week, but just look at how we've grown! We visited the midwives this week and everything is going great. I'm measuring perfectly on schedule for 28 weeks, our baby love's heart beats to the right rhythm, and we have finally made it to the last trimester. Hooray for the homestretch! We just can't wait to bring this baby home, we are so in love with him already.


This week I went to get Rhogam shot. Because I have O negative blood and our baby's blood type may be positive, this shot prevents my body from building up antibodies and attacking the baby should any of his body fluids mix with mine. I didn't realized how worried I had been about this until I noticed how relieved I felt after getting the shot. Falling or severe bleeding are always dangerous, and especially during pregnancy, but I would have nightmares about tripping down the stairs or sliding on ice and not being able to make it the ER in time to get the shot and save our baby from my body. I still cling to every railing and scour the sidewalk for potential dangers with every step, but I'm much happier knowing we took one more precaution to keep our sweet child safe.

Pumpkin Patch

Halloween is my favorite holiday (Christmas is given! Everyone has to pick a favorite other than Christmas....it's the rule). We made the most of the one-day, treat-filled holiday by celebrating all month long. I bedecked the house with cobwebs, spiders, glittering skills, my favorite mercury glass, and lots of candles. Then came to search for pumpkins.

We carved pumpkins twice this year and both times we selected our pumpkins from a cute little pumpkin patch. Obviously we just couldn't get enough of that pumpkin patch-we each carved three pumpkins in total.

{can you guess which are mine and which are Jefe's?}

{my witch face, Jeff's angry snake, Michelle's happiest ever pumpkins}

When Halloween weekend rolled around, we indulged in chocolate apple making with our cousins and some close friends. Chocolate apples instead caramel apples because the caramel didn't turn out so well:

{caramel apple disaster}

Next year I'll just do what I should have done and make the caramel from scratch. I tried to melt down caramels-like tons of people suggested-but once the caramel had set, it was so hard that it bounced! We're talking rock hard. It was pretty ridiculous, but in case you'd like to know, chocolate apples are really delicious.

We also drank copious amounts of spiced apple cider, with a spice mix I whipped up myself: star anise, cinnamon, and cloves.

{lovely spices}

Also, we may have had two Halloween themed dinners....
One with my wonderful friend, Michelle, where we delighted in eating monster eyes, troll fingers, caterpillar guts, ghosts and witche's pee (caprese bites, roasted turkey legs, green bean casserole, and spider cider, of course). And because I can't go a Halloween without them, we ate mummy dogs the next night.

And then to wrap it all up, we made a haunted gingerbread house on Halloween night (while also doing homework, because such is our life right now). Home sweet happy Halloween.