MOVING!

I'm really no longer a bride and need a fresh start- so I've moving! 


www.shemadethree.blgospot.com


xoxoxoxo

bow tie fiesta

the FRG committee for d's ship put together a meal train for a family in need this past week. i've started to really enjoy cooking, but its not much fun just cooking for one person- so when this email came out i jumped on the chance to make them dinner. i tried a DELICIOUS recipe from Erin @ the Blue Eyed Bride. I'm having company over for dinner tonight and decided to make it again it looked so good. its called bow tie fiesta however mine came out as spiral fiesta because the grocery store didn't have bow tie pasta. 

anywho. delicious, easy & i will definitely be making for d when he returns. thank you to erin for sharing :) 

Bow Tie Fiesta

Ingredients:

8 ounces bow tie pasta

1 pound ground beef

½ onion, chopped

½ green bell pepper, chopped

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 tablespoon chili powder

Salt to taste

1 cup sour cream

1 cup salsa

½ cup sliced black olives

¼ cup sliced jalapenos (optional)

1 tomato, chopped

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Optional: baby in bumbo to supervise

Directions:

Cook the pasta using package directions and cooking for 7 minutes; drain. Brown the beef in a skillet, stirring until crumbly; drain. Add the onion and green pepper and mix well. Cook until the onion is tender, stirring constantly. Stir in the tomato sauce, chili powder, and salt.  Combine the pasta, ground beef mixture, sour cream, salsa, black olives, jalapenos, and tomato in a bowl and mix well. Spoon into a 9×11-inch or 9×9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with the cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly. Yield: 8 servings

this is what it looked like before going into my 9x11. Forgot to take a final picture :(

xoxoxoxo

back in the swing of things! halloween recap

i know i know. still need a birth story. i'm in the process of writing it but get teary eyed every few paragraphs. they really do grow up SO FAST. 


last night lyla dressed up as a baby cub. fitting, no? a girlfriend of mine started calling her baby cub while i was still pregnant and the name just stuck. so, when i saw this costume from pottery barn i knew it had to be hers. 

we went trick or treating with my neighbor and her daughter but really lyla just laid in the stroller and checked out all the big kids. 

and about 10 minutes in, this baby cub was out: 

too cute. hope yall had a very happy halloween! i am THRILLED we are now into november. november 1st means d comes home VERY soon & the starbucks holiday cups are out :) 


xoxoxoxo

LONG overdue: Lyla Grace is here!

BAD BAD BLOGGER ONCE AGAIN!

seems I fell off the blogging wagon :/

for those of you that follow me on twitter you know baby Lyla Grace is indeed here (no I'm not 9 weeks overdue) and I'm madly obsessed with her!

Birth story to come- I've had a super busy past few months which have included: visits by my mother in law, mother, a last minute move, the BIRTH of my daughter, a visit home from my deployed husband, a 3 week mini vacation in Newport, trip to Texas, Lyla's baptism, trip to Denver for my best friends wedding, and lastly a visit home to see my parents.

Birth story to come and complete recap of all of the above! But for now a pic of my sweet girl:

born July 27, 2011 @ 2:47am weighing 6 pounds 9 ounces

(blogger is REALLY irritating me so I apologize for the awful formatting!)

xoxoxoxo

tomato & mayo sammy

throughout my pregnancy i've been very surprised i've only had a few cravings. which is very unlike me because I LOVE FOOD. but there has been one meal that i cannot get enough of. 


mayo & tomato sandwiches. 

(i substitute vegenaise for mayo- tastes even better and makes me feel a little better about eating it by the spoonful)

just typing it out makes my mouth water. 


the strange part is that before pregnancy i don't think i ever tried one? and then one day i decided to try one and you would have thought i died and went to heaven (i ate 3 in that sitting!). from what i gather its a southern thing and man oh man did they get it right. 


absolutely DELICIOUS! on a perfect day i'd combine one of these with a chai tea latte (my #2 craving so far) OR a rolo mcflurry (easily a tie for #2). ha if that doesn't scream starving craving crazy pregnant woman i don't know what does!


xoxoxoxo

33 weeks

How far along: 33 weeks

Maternity Clothes: absolutely. do you see that basketball attached to the front of my body?

Movement: lots of shifting especially in the evening, and about 2 bouts of hiccups a day

Sleep: its 5 am right now :/

Symptoms: nothing really to speak of  

Cravings: mayonaise and tomato sandwiches i just cant get enough! they're absolutely delicious and i eat at least one a day! 

Emotions: in the past few weeks it hit me she's coming soon and dan wont be here. my main goal right now is keeping a positive attitude- i feel to blessed to be pregnant in the first place. while its not ideal d wont be here she's still our miracle and i am thankful for her every day

Best Moment of the Week: OUR BOB STROLLER ARRIVED!!!!! who am i getting so excited about a jogging stroller?!

xoxoxoxo

3d ultrasound @ 30 weeks

baby cub was 30 weeks 4 days in these...

she was NOT in the mood to cooperate and had her hands up by her face the entire time! the tech was surprised at how much hair she had at only 30 weeks, but d and i both have super thick hair so i was kind of expecting her to come out with some. now i can justify the millions of hair bows i purchased ;) 

xoxoxoxo

30 weeks & maternity pic!

How far along: 30 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 6-7 pounds

Maternity Clothes: pretty much all i wear now besides a few loose tops and dresses i can still squeeze my belly into

Movement: i noticed a TON more movement in the last week- baby cub has her feet in my ribs at the moment :/

Sleep: no good. i took a trip to denver this past week and even though the time change is only 4 hours its thrown me for a loop. last night i went to bed at 7 and woke up this morning at 4.

Symptoms: not much this week

Cravings: still cant pass a starbucks without feeding my chai tea addiction

Emotions: great- i've been able to chat with d a lot this week which definitely boosts my spirits

Best Moment of the Week: also some great friends here in hawaii took me out last week for maternity pictures! i'll be posting a few more but the one up top is from our little photo day. chelsea did SUCH an amazing job. i originally wasn't going to get them done but they told me it'd be fun and now i am so so glad i agreed. i'm going to frame one for lyla's room and i know i'll treasure these for a really long time. i'm so lucky to have met such wonderful ladies that have quickly become a huge part of my life here in hawaii.

i had an AWESOME time in denver visiting old girlfriends, throwing a bridal shower (stressful but so so so worth it- props to anyone who has ever thrown a shower i never knew how much work they were!) and YES i did go out for her bachelorette party! we were out until about 2 and i got way too many dirty looks to count :) 

but also they threw me a surprise shower! i honestly had NO idea and had told them NOT to because i was only there for a few days and wanted the weekend to be about the bride- megan. whelp they surprised me with a baby shower brunch and it was perfect. i'm so thankful to have such thoughtful friends that are so excited to become aunties!


**ALSO i accidentally posted an entry about my amnio a little early this morning- for those of you that saw it know everything is fine but i'm still working on the entry and wasn't ready to post yet :)**

xoxoxoxo

28 weeks

How far along: 28 weeks

Total Weight Gain: as of tuesday i'm up 7 pounds. my midwife says she expects me to gain a couple of pounds in one week pretty soon- lyla is due for a grown spurt! i will say that although the weight gain hasn't been as much as expected i am feeling really tight & large and in charge

Maternity Clothes: for the most part all i'm wearing. the transition from regular to maternity clothes happened so quick i'm scrounging to find cute maternity clothes here in hawaii

Movement: honestly a little bit less, the dr said its because she's got less room now

Sleep: i've always been a GREAT sleeper (like head hits the pillow & i'm out for 8-9 hours) but recently i'm up every few hours and it takes me 30-40 minutes to get back to sleep. not cool. leaves me feeling pretty drowsy the following day

Symptoms: still suffering from acid reflux and have been noticing i get winded pretty easily 

Cravings: starbucks chai tea lattes. full blown addiction. cant pass a starbucks without getting one

Emotions: good! i head back to denver next week for a bridal shower and bachelorette party :) also i got to Skype with d this past week 

Best Moment of the Week: alleluia i passed my glucose test! i was a little worried because i definitely eat my fair share of sugar but i got good news on tuesday :) the drink wasn't nearly as bad as people say. my only advice is to get the lemon/lime flavor and make sure its cold! tastes exactly like flat sprite

xoxoxoxo

guilty pleasure

sometimes you need to give in...

dont hate. 

case and point: dinner last night. 


xoxoxoxo

is she going to take after mama or daddy?

daddy 

(what an adorable chunk!)

mama

(the clueless look started at just 8 weeks)

d swears that by the 3d ultrasound pictures she has my face but i don't know... i always tend to think newborns resemble their fathers most (the NYT also seems to think so). only time will tell!

xoxoxoxo

longchamp diaper bag

when it came to picking out a diaper bag i really wasn't having much luck. the only bag i found that i halfway liked was a kate spade bag that while i liked it i wasn't in love with it (and a $450 price tag warrants love to justify it).

d to the rescue.

he was searching online for me (really he's cute & wanted to get it before he left so he could see it) and one day asked why i didn't just get another longchamp.

i. love. my. longchamps.

after looking online the only con i came up with was that i wouldn't have a bottle holder, but then i found you can buy portable bottle holders that don't need to be attached to the bag. win.

so for my birthday d surprised me with this:

the bag was actually supposed to be bright pink & light pink. well, the light pink turned out to be more of a purple but i love it all the same. he also had her name embroidered on the bag in green :) its perfect and i love that he designed it just for his daughter (and her rather picky mother).

SO CUTE!

xoxoxoxo

27 weeks

in my defense i'm not exactly this big, this was after a BIG pho dinner...also i'm closer to 28 weeks because im a slacker

How far along: 27 weeks


Total Weight Gain: i don't have another official doctors appt until this tuesday, but according to the home scale i'm up about 6-7 pounds. size wise i'm finally to the point where i pass myself in a mirror and think "damn, that girl is pregnant."


Maternity Clothes: LOVING my old navy linen maternity shorts. other than that wearing a lot of dresses and lululemon shorts


Movement: moving around lots!


Sleep: about the same- i usually fall asleep around 9 and wake up around 6. i've tried and tried but i cant sleep any later. it works out nice though because i just go on my walk then and get it out of the way before the sun gets really hot


Symptoms: i've been having a little acid reflux but only after drinking a lot of water


Cravings: starbucks chai tea lattes. not sure what it is but i cant get enough of them


Emotions: doing alright. feeling lonely without d here but i'm getting excited to visit my sorority sisters in denver in 2 weeks


Best Moment of the Week: my favorite moments really are just laying in bed and feeling her move. it just doesn't get old


xoxoxoxo

the big d

about 3 weeks into the big d (deployment).

i miss my husband.

i haven't really talked much about the deployment on here- mostly because i don't have much to say about it people already don't know. 


its not fun & its a strange lonely feeling.

a great friend of ours posted on her fb (her husband is also deployed) that she's lucky to have someone to miss. whenever i get really down i just think about that.

i'm lucky he is mine and i have someone to miss.

xoxoxoxo

mom shorts

the time had come for me to purchase maternity shorts. i put it off until the very last second but alas this belly is too big for my favorite vineyard vines bottoms :(

enter: old navy linen draw string shorts. aka mom shorts.

ladies, this is as about as cute as they get. very comfy (hello best part of pregnancy- elastic waistbands are now acceptable. win.) and an adorable fit.

i bought a pair in white & the yucca leaf (khaki green color). and nope- you cant see through the white ones. double win.

xoxoxoxo

26 weeks

How far along: 26 weeks

Total Weight Gain: scale at home fluctuating between 5-6 pounds. i'm on serious SMP (stretch mark patrol). i know i'm going to get them (i get a few from puberty & my mother has them) well on easter sunday i went to the restroom and thought i found my first one....and cried. yes. cried. hello hormones. turns out it wasn't one but i mean really! crying?!

Maternity Clothes: i finally bit the bullet and placed an order with old navy maternity earlier this week, 2 bottoms and a top. i didn't really need the top (most of mine still fit) but it was really cute and i know i'll need it eventually. also, i bought a really cute dress at gap earlier this week and just sized up to fit my belly.

Movement: moving around lots!

Sleep: about the same

Symptoms: nothing much to speak of

Cravings: anything COLD. its getting REALLY warm here and in the afternoon i love eating cold things (fruits, frozen yogurt, etc.) i've also been having a craving (this is weird) for a bologna sandwich i used to have when i was growing up. you know- the slice of bologna, kraft cheese (the kind that comes in plastic and tastes like plastic lol) and MAYO. I LOVE MAYO. all on white bread. so so weird i'm craving them i haven't had one in probably 15 years.

Emotions: still dealing with d's departure. blah. i did get to Skype with him for the first time yesterday which was really really really nice.

Best Moment of the Week: last night i went to a kickboxing class with some friends and had a GREAT time. it was nice to be able to break a sweat (of course i didn't overdue it and took the class at half speed) but i look forward to going back.

xoxoxoxo

Water for Elephants

i'm late to this party but my word this was an amazing book.

its unfortunate we already had baby h's name picked out because i loved the main character, marlena so much i would have named my daughter after her. like really. loved her.

i say this a lot but you absolutely MUST read this book. i'm so so so excited to see the movie this weekend (comes out friday). i saw reese witherspoon on the CBS morning show this morning and she looked adorable as always. perfect casting for marlena.

its an easy read- i finished it in 3 days by the pool in kauai (ahhh take me back!) and loved every. single. page.

xoxoxoxo

25 weeks

**excuse lovely photo booth quality**

How far along: 25 weeks

Total Weight Gain: at my appointment last week i was up 6 pounds, so probably 8-10 now

Maternity Clothes: almost there but not quite. still using the hair tie trick on most of my shorts, and most of my tops were looser to begin with so they still fit over the belly

Movement: moving around lots!

Sleep: about the same

Symptoms: i think i experienced my first bout with Braxton Hicks contractions yesterday :( slightly painful and they came in waves, i'm definitely questioning my ability to give birth naturally after feeling those! also i'm noticing i cant eat big meals anymore, i feel full very quickly and then get really uncomfortable when i eat too much

Cravings: carbs! pasta mainly

Emotions: its been a hard week, d left yesterday. i must say i've done better than i was expecting but still just really hard

Best Moment of the Week: yesterday morning before d left he told me that when i passed out early he put his hand on my belly and felt lyla kick for a good hour, makes me cry thinking about it especially now that he's gone but i think its incredibly sweet because that was his last time with her until he returns and she's a few months old

xoxoxoxo