24 Weeks!

How far along? 24 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  +20 pounds. Heading back to the doctor in a few days, so we'll hear the final holiday break eating verdict then.

Maternity clothes? Definitely on the bottom. I'm still trying to wear as many of my tops as possible.

Stretch marks? None, though I hear rumors that this is about the time they show up with vengeance.

Sleep: Trying to catch up as much as possible with these days off for break. I will certainly miss my naps when school starts back up.

Best moment this week: Getting a glimpse at how loved she will be. I think she got more presents than we did!

Miss Anything?  Nothing really stands out. . .

Movement: I'm feeling some flips and flutters. The best part was when I was out walking one day last week and I tried to pick up the pace. She didn't like that too much and gave me a good 'ol kick to show her disapproval.

Food cravings: Starbucks Peppermint Mochas, mmm. Really, anything with peppermint!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing stands out in particular this week.

Have you started to show yet: Yes! There is a bit of a bump there.

Gender: A sweet baby girl!!!

Labor Signs:  Nope.

Belly Button in or out? In, but it's trying to pop out.

Wedding rings on or off?  On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy for the most part, but there are always those mood swings;-)

Size of Baby: Sweet girl is the size of a cantaloupe this week. Must be about the smallest cantaloupe ever because I can't imagine her being that big yet!

Looking forward to: Our two appointments on Wednesday (one with the regular OB and the other with the Fetal Maternal Specialists. I hope we get to see her on the big screen!

I can't believe we only have four months left!!

"Cowboy" Oatmeal Cookies

No clue where these guys got their name, but I do know they are fantastic! I am currently on a butterscotch flavor kick where I butterscotch chips to any sweet I can. I have not been disappointed with my recent creations:-) Here is one I found and tailored to fit our taste buds.

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 cups oats

1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl, blend butter, oil, brown sugar, and white sugar.

Combine two bowls.

Add oats and butterscotch chips.

Bake for 10-12 minutes on ungreased cookie sheets.

Enjoy!

Count Your Blessings

It's very easy to get caught up in the "want, want, want" mentality that surrounds this time of year. We very easily fall into the trap of lusting after things we do not have instead of being thankful for what we do have. I know that no matter how hard I try, the greedy Grinch in me comes out at some point every year to make an appearance. This year before that green monster comes, I'm going to recognize what I DO have and how grateful I am for it.

an amazing husband

I am so grateful for David. There really are no words for wonderful he is to me. My eyes have been opened to this even more in recent weeks and I hope that they never close to these things. He has been angelic with my pregnancy moodiness and probably deserves sainthood for all that he has to put up with from me these days! 

a healthy pregnancy

We have been infinitely blessed by how smoothly things have gone thus far. With my kidney mess there have been lots of opportunities for issues, but we have been very blessed.

support

I have a great support team in my family, friends, church peeps, etc. Without their love and prayers I would not be where I am right now.

comfort

So many do not have a home to go to or a warm meal at night. I am fortunate enough to have both, and much more. 

What are you thanking God for today??

23 Weeks

How far along? 23 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  +20 pounds.

Maternity clothes? Definitely on the bottom. I'm still trying to wear as many of my tops as possible.

Stretch marks? None.

Sleep: Trying to catch up as much as possible with these days off for break.

Best moment this week: Feeling her flips and kicks.

Miss Anything?  Nothing really stands out. . .

Movement: I'm starting to feel some flutters!

Food cravings: Sweets:-)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing stands out in particular this week.

Have you started to show yet: Yes! There is a bit of a bump there.

Gender: A sweet baby girl!!!

Labor Signs:  Nope.

Belly Button in or out? In, but it's trying to pop out.

Wedding rings on or off?  On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Much happier this week than I was last week!

Size of Baby: Sweet girl is the size of a grapefruit this week.

Looking forward to: Visiting with all our family over the next few days!

Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Almonds

One of the best smells I've ever come across is that of cinnamon sugar almonds roasting. For many years I was only able to enjoy it when the local Renaissance Festival came to town. Then, the mall started joining in on the fun with booths in the middle of the walkway. Then, things got super real when I discovered this recipe to make them at home! It was super easy (minus the 20 minute increments of stirring) and worth every minute of waiting. Added bonus? The house smelled ah-mazing!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

3 Tbsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. salt

1 egg white

2 tsp. vanilla

3 cups plain, unsalted almonds

1/4 cup water

Directions

Mix first four ingredients in small mixing bowl.

In another bowl, whisk egg white and vanilla until frothy.

Add almonds and coat thoroughly.

Combine sugar mixture with almonds and coat well.

 Spray crockpot with cooking spray.

Put coated mixture into crockpot set on low.

Cook for 3-4 hours (mine took 3 and a half), stirring every 20 minutes.

 In the last hour, add water and stir well.

Line counters with wax paper (aluminum foil works too!) and spread out almonds.

Separate well and try to unclump as many as possible.

Enjoy!

Friday's Letters [12.21]

Happy Friday, folks!

Dear Mayans, What's up with all this crazy talk? If I had to hear one more student mention the world ending this past week, I probably would have lost my mind. You couldn't have kept it going for another few hundred years or so? I mean, how hard can it really be. . .

Dear students, We made it! I hope y'all are enjoying every minute of your first day of break. Be sure to thank your parents for all that you do for you on a regular basis, but especially this time of year!

Dear Davido, You'd think that after you do the Alabama thing for 6 months I'd be used to you leaving. Not so much. Your girls are very happy to have you home. I hope you don't have another trip planned for any time soon because we're not letting go;-)

Dear Pinterest, Thank you for all the FABULOUS ideas of things to make for Emerson and to do with her once she arrives. I'm not sure my hubby appreciates all the extras projects or tutus on my wishlist, but I'm excited:-)

Dear Apple, I am super impressed with your stellar customer service. From the moment I walked into the store I felt like royalty. You were able to fix my problem in a timely manner and not even charge me for it. Now, that is awesome. Want to pass on some of that knowledge to other stores (*cough*Pandora*cough*). 

Operation Nursery

From the moment we found out we were expecting, I have wanted to work on the Nursery. My lives-in-the-real-world husband was good about reminding me we should probably wait a bit before until we decorate because I'm likely to change my mind 15 times. He's so wise, that one. We knew the room that we would use as the Nursery namely because it was the only room in the house without furniture in it. We go for simplicity around here, folks.

So, when I was about three and a half months pregnant we went ahead with the first step of painting. Choosing a color wasn't difficult because we knew we wanted this to be the Nursery for any future children we had-boys or girls. We went with a neutral color referred to by Lowe's as "tranquility". Honestly, it's a lovely sea foam green color. Something that would look good with blue accents for a boy and pink accents for a girl. We dove right into it on a Friday evening and finished in just a few hours. Minor touch-ups were completed the next day but overall it turned out pretty well!

We decided not to purchase any furniture because my super sweet and generous aunt had furniture from my cousins she was more than willing to pass along to us! And before any one freaks out my last cousin isn't even in kindergarten yet so things still meet code:-) We saw it for the first time at Thanksgiving, and I couldn't wait to get it home and set up. It sat in my parents' garage for a few weeks before they kindly brought it down to us. We made plans to put it together this past weekend, so imagine my surprise when I come home Friday afternoon from a long week at work to see this. . .

My sweet husband had put it all together to surprise me! I sure got a good one:-) 

The next step? Wall hangings. We picked up some things when we were in Boone a few months ago that I can't wait to put up. After that we'll get a dresser of some sort and bedding then we should be all set for her! It's making it all so much more real!

22 Weeks

How far along? 22 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  +17 pounds, but it's sure to climb with all the Christmas treats I've been baking!

Maternity clothes? Definitely on the bottom. I'm still trying to wear as many of my tops as possible.

Stretch marks? None.

Sleep: I officially have a boppy sleeping pillow! It is absolutely amazing and worth every penny in my opinion!

Best moment this week: Feeling her flips and kicks.

Miss Anything? Caffeine. These hyper, break-ready children are wearing me out!

Movement: I'm starting to feel some flutters!

Food cravings: Sweets:-)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Breakfast. I have inhaled box after box of candy canes for the peppermint to settle my tummy.

Have you started to show yet: Yes! There is a bit of a bump there.

Gender: A sweet baby girl!!!

Labor Signs:  Nope.

Belly Button in or out? In, but I see the potential for it to poke out in the near future.

Wedding rings on or off?  On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: This has been a rough week. I've been super moody. My poor husband and students!

Size of Baby: Peanut is the size of a papaya!

Looking forward to: Break starting this week!!

Coconut Brownies

It was a Tuesday (Community Group night) and we needed dessert, what's a girl to do? Raid the pantry of course! I knew I had a boxed brownie mix on hand and a few other things, but didn't want to go the traditional brownie route. Thus, these delicious treats were born. Be prepared to enter a sugar coma in 3, 2, 1. . .

Ingredients

1 package brownie mix

 3 eggs

 1/4 cup water 

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 cups flaked coconut 

1 cup chocolate chunks (I chopped up Hershey kisses, but chocolate chips would work too!)

 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk 

1 cup almonds, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. 

Spray 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. 

Prepare your favorite brownie mix according to package directions.

The amount of eggs, oil and water included above are common to most prepared brownie mix instructions, but follow your box says

 Bake 16-18 min or until brownie is set.

You are just trying to set the batter, not finish it. 

 Layer coconut and chocolate chunks over brownie base. 

 Drizzle sweetened condensed milk evenly over coconut and chocolate chunks. 

Sprinkle with nuts.

Bake 20-25 minutes.

Cool completely. 

Enjoy!

These taste especially yummy with vanilla ice cream:-)

Friday's Letters [12.14]

Happy Friday one and all!

Dear Mother Nature, Way to throw us all for a loop! 70 last week and 27 this morning? Wowzers! At least it's beginning to feel a lot more like Christmas:-)

Dear students, I know we are a mere four days away from break, but I'm gonna need y'all to chillax. Yes, we still have to do work. No, we can't just sit there and play games. Together we can survive to next week!

Dear Starbucks, How is it possible that your one little drink can bring so much happiness? Thank you for creating the deliciousness that is a peppermint mocha. Now, how about y'all drop the price a smidge so I don't feel so guilty every time I partake? Thanks!

Dear Emerson, So it just really hit me that we're over halfway to meeting you-holy smokes! Keep doing your thang and baking away because we are nowhere near ready!

Dear Davido, I hope you have the very best time next week as you kick start your Christmas vacation early. Enjoy every minute of it because come next year it may not be so easy to sneak away;-)

The Spirit of the Season

To be perfectly honest, I've had a hard time getting into the spirit of things this season. Maybe it's the fact that it was seventy degrees here last week, maybe it's the fact that I was practically done shopping in October, perhaps it's the fact that I haven't had the energy (or time) to do any baking this year, or maybe it has something to do with the fact that we'll be at school until December 21. Oof. Whatever the reason, I've been feeling a bit Scrooge-ish this season.

I've tried to fight it by blasting Christmas music whenever we're home (and even when we're not. The princess listens to it while we're at work. Pathetic, I know). We light up the Christmas tree as soon as it gets dark. We've even started watching Christmas movies, though that's more for my benefit than my sweet hubby's. Needless to say, I'm still struggling.

I think all I really need is some downtime. A little R&R with David and Daisy by the fire and I'll be back into the groove. Until I can get that I'll be blasting Christmas music in my classroom, eating candy canes, and giggling at these ecards to get into the mood!

This is my husband. . .

What's in a Name?

Emerson MacAlpine Mobley

Emerson

We picked this name out for a girl even before we were engaged. I was volunteering in the Nursery at our old church in Raleigh and a little girl names Emerson came in with her parents. I had never heard the name before but I thought it was beautifully unique. I mentioned it to David and he said he liked it too. This surprised me because he usually goes down the more traditional route. Fast forward four years and we find our we are pregnant. We immediately decided if we were to be blessed with a little girl, then Emerson would be her first name. We've already shortened it and have started referring to her as Emmy too!

MacAlpine

No, I didn't sneeze. That's going to be her middle name. All the first-born girls on my mom's side of the family received this as their middle name (me included). When I was super young I didn't understand the importance of it, but now that I am older I appreciate the story behind it. The name was originally our Scottish ancestors' surname and has been carried on in our middle names since then.

Mobley

This one is kind of a given;-)

We can't wait to officially meet her!

21 Weeks

How far along? 21 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  +17 pounds. The doctor was surprised I only gained 2 pounds in a month, but after jumping 6 pounds the month before I think it all evens out!

Maternity clothes? Some things. I'm still able to wear some of my other stuff, but the maternity clothes are much more comfortable at this point. Have y'all ever heard of the "belly band"?? It's magical! I think everyone-pregnant or not- should invest in the wonderfulness of this clothes stretcher.

Stretch marks? None.

Sleep: Love it, though I am tossing and turning more now. If I wake up to go to the bathroom it takes a pretty significant amount of time to fall back asleep again:-(

Best moment this week:Seeing our sweet girl on the big screen at our appointment this week. She was such a lady and had her legs crossed the entire time!

Miss Anything? Nothing in particular sticks out this week. . .

Movement: I'm starting to feel some flutters!

Food cravings: Back to the Mexican food:-)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Soaps and lotions are still an issue, as well as Raisin Bran cereal. Don't ask me why, but I thought I was going to yak every where after a bowl earlier this week.

Have you started to show yet: Yes! There is a bit of a bump there.

Gender: A sweet baby girl!!!

Labor Signs:  Nope.

Belly Button in or out? In, but I see the potential for it to poke out in the near future.

Wedding rings on or off?  On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but that may be because Christmas is so close!

Size of Baby: Peanut is the size of a pomegranate, measuring about 12.5 oz!

Looking forward to: Last FULL week of school before break.

Pumpkin Bars

So, somehow I ended up with an extra can of pumpkin in the pantry. What to do, what to do, what to do? Bake, of course! Here is a yummy recipe for pumpkin bars!

Ingredients

1 cup applesauce
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
15-oz can pumpkin
2 cups sifted all purpose flour
  4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

 Combine the applesauce, sugar, oil and pumpkin. 

Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda.

Mix the dry ingredients and the pumpkin mixture until thoroughly combined.

Spread the batter into a greased 13x9 baking dish.

Bake for 30 minutes. 

Let cool completely before frosting with your favorite cream cheese frosting.

Cut into bars.

Enjoy!

 

Friday's Letters [12.07]

Happy Friday AND Happy December!

Dear sweet baby girl, You sure are a stubborn little thing, aren't ya? Every time we try to take pictures of you, you flip and flop all over the place. Please get out of this habit as soon as possible so I can take the gajillion photos of you I have planned for the rest of your life:-)

Dear crazy December, Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who said you could be this insanely busy? Enough of these eleven and twelve hour days. This is supposed to be a time of resting and enjoying others' company. That can't happen if I'm running around like a madwoman. 

Dear Cuties, Thank you for being so positively delicious AND healthy. I must admit that your addictive nature has taken me completely captive. Are you still healthy if someone eats an average of four of you a day?

Dear Dr's Offices, What is going on with these ridiculous waits?! I can kind of understand why it takes so long at the nephrologist's because there are a bunch of old people with lots of questions, but all the others?!? The two hours we spent at the OB this week was insane! Any chance y'all could work on this?

We Play for Keeps!

Have you ever heard of CrossFit? I hadn't either until this past April when it invaded David's workout regimen, and thus our lives as well. The concept (at least what I understand it to be, though I'm sure my husband will correct me!) is in order to become the best you have to constantly vary your workout and challenge yourself to do different things. There is a Workout Of the Day (WOD) every day with different exercises. You try to do as many repetitions of those exercises in a certain amount of time. It is very competitive, which is one of the reasons David loves it so much.

He was introduced to this phenom by a friend of his at work, and has since got into incredible shape. It does all of this from our garage since it is pretty costly to frequent a "box", or gym. Before I go any further I must tell you that this is SO not my cup of tea. His grunts and shouts during the workout, and extreme exhaustion following it, are not my idea of a good time. He loves it though, so CrossFit will continue to be a part of the Mobley vocabulary.

All of that mumbo jumbo leads me to our Saturday morning-his first competition! The local minor league hockey tea was hosting it as a benefit for the Wounded Warriors Project. He had to see how many calories he could burn rowing for a minute, then he would see how many shoulder presses he could get in a minute (with 75 pounds), then take a 30-second rest, then do as many ball slams he could get in a minute (weighing 30 pounds), then do as many kettle bell swings (weighing 35 pounds) as he could in a minute. That was one round. He did this three times for time. It was intense to watch. Here are some pictures from our adventure:

He checked out the competition by counting for another competitor. 

Assessing the ball slam challenge.

Swing that kettle bell!

Last round of shoulder presses

Absolutely exhausted.

And my favorite picture of the day. . . 

Believe it or not this guy started off fully clothed and ended up in just his underroos by the end of it! The best part? His Mulan-looking ponytail on top.

Will I ever do this? Never say never, but it's not likely. I like to be in shape, but I'm not a big fan of my thighs crushing others to death as many of the women at the competition looked like. I may be singing a different tune after Peanut is born, but for now I'll leaving the intensity to David!

20 Weeks!

How far along? 20 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  +15 pounds. We go back to the doctor tomorrow so I'm sure next week's number will be a big jump!

Maternity clothes? Some things. I'm still able to wear some of my other stuff, but the maternity clothes are much more comfortable at this point.

Stretch marks? None.

Sleep: Love it!

Best moment this week: Going out to dinner with another couple who is having a girl and are due a week after us! It was so much fun to talk to someone who is in the exact same spot.

Miss Anything? Caffeine this week. It was rough going back to school after a glorious 5-day weekend!

Movement: I'm starting to feel some flutters!

Food cravings: Spinach salad this week. I went to the Teeter every day after school this week to pick up more. At this week's grocery trip I'm just going to buy enough to last the week!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Soaps and lotions are still getting to me oddly enough.

Have you started to show yet: Yes! It's exciting:-)

Gender: A sweet baby girl!!!

Labor Signs:  Nope.

Belly Button in or out? In, but I see the potential for it to poke out in the near future.

Wedding rings on or off?  On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy most of the time with some mood swings in between. The past few days have been kind of rough. For some reason the smallest thing has me about bursting into tears. I will be elated when this passes!

Size of Baby: Peanut is a banana this week. She is roughly 10.5 oz. Wowzers!

Looking forward to: Working on decorating the Nursery!

Cool Whip Cookies

While I was posted up with my foot this past summer I went a bit recipe crazy. And by "bit" I mean I tried at least one or two new recipes a day. Yea, crazy. Here is one that I rustled up with only the things I had in the kitchen. It was super easy and super yummy! They tasted even better when we put a little cream cheese frosting between two of them. Mm mm mm. Let me know what y'all think!

Ingredients

1 egg
8 ounces Cool Whip 

 1 box devil's food cake mix (could use just about any cake mix!)
1/2 powdered sugar

Directions

 Preheat oven to 375.

Mix egg, Cool Whip, and dry cake mix together.
Roll teaspoon size balls into powdered sugar and bake on cookie sheet for 10 minutes. 

Enjoy!