The baby bag decision

So the search for the perfect baby bag is on :) I have been keeping my eyes peeled for a bag that doesn’t look like a diaper bag – I am not a huge fan of “diaper bags”. I want to carry a bag that will fit everything little Ryan needs but also is super cute. Purses are one of my favorite things to buy so I really don’t want to give up a purse for a diaper bag. Anyhow, I came across the following ones and I am in love with both of them!

The first is the “Stevie” baby bag by Kate Spade. It’s actually pretty practical in that it is nylon and features a waterproof lining and changing pad, side pockets for toting bottles and then lots of room in the middle! It comes in black which will be great because it won’t show dirt and the best part is that is it cute!

The next one is the Chaiken diaper bag – this one is potentially a little less practical because it is lambskin but it's super adorable. It has top handles as well as a detachable long leather strap. It also has side pockets to stuff bottles and a roomy interior. I love the brown color this comes in and it also comes in black. I love them both! Ahhh!

25 weeks

Little Ryan now potentially measures 13 1/2 inches (plus or minus) and his weight is around a pound and a half. His fruit/vegetable this week is a rutabaga - evidently they weigh about the same. In addition little Ryan is starting to get some baby fat! I am sure all the cookies and cupcakes I have been eating having been helping this!  I am getting better at these solo pics as Kevin was gone AGAIN this morning. Bob and I spent the night alone last night which is never fun for us because we don't get much sleep. Bob stays up guard-doggin and I just tend to wake up every hour for no reason at all. We are excited to have Kevin home tonight because we haven't seen much of him this week!

And for those of us unfamiliar with a rutabaga - here it is.

Dr. appointment is next week and I think we will get to schedule a sonogram! So excited!

Stuffed Peppers Risotto

I am always looking for new recipes to try and yesterday I made this risotto stuffed red pepper and it was pretty darn tasty! I found it on the Yahoo homepage, but it comes from Better Homes & Garden.

ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked Arborio or long grain white rice
1-1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 small or 2 large sweet peppers
Salt and ground black pepper
3 oz. Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 cup 1-inch pieces asparagus or fresh broccoli florets
1 cup cubed cooked chicken
2 tsp. snipped fresh tarragon or oregano or 1/2 tsp. dried tarragon or oregano, crushed
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts, toasted, if desired

directions

For filling, in a 2-quart saucepan combine rice and broth; bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut tops off small peppers, or halve large peppers lengthwise. Remove membranes and seeds. In a 4-quart Dutch oven immerse peppers in boiling water oven for 3 minutes. Remove; drain, cut sides down, on paper towels. Place in a serving dish cut side up. Sprinkle lightly with salt and black pepper; set aside.

With a vegetable peeler, shave 1 ounce of the Parmesan in thin strips; set aside. Finely shred or grate the remaining Parmesan; set aside. Stir asparagus or broccoli, chicken, and herb into rice. Cover and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in whipping cream, shredded or grated cheese, and nuts. Spoon filling into peppers. Top with shaved cheese. Makes 4 servings.
 
I also added kalamata olives to it - I love them and they tasted great!

24 weeks

My photographer left early for Georgia this morning so I was on my own to produce my weekly picture. I wonder if he planned his trip strategically - ha, just kidding. Anyhow, the figured out the self-timer but I guess I should admit that although Kevin is really impatient with me his pictures are much better and its much easier to take!

So this week little Ryan is the length of an ear of corn, evidently he is pretty lean at this point but he will soon start to plump up!

Ryan's Room

I love this room by Serena & Lily - love everything about it! Don't be shocked if little Ryan's room looks similar :) I think I will end up ordering the bedding from here, but haven't decided 100%.

Picking out paint is so difficult! My mom has been super helpful with finding paints - blue is very tricky. My mom got two blues from Pottery Barn (misty blue & harbor fog) and then we ordered the blue (Air) that is featured in the picture above.

On a side note - the UPS wouldn't drop off the paint sample without an adult signature. Which was difficult considering neither of us are home during the day. I have been so excited to get the "Air" sample and was sad when we missed the first attempt. I was ready for the UPS man to come last night - home by 7, ready and waiting. Kevin wanted to do some gardening so we were all out back when all of the sudden Bob tore off in one of his little crazy barking episodes...then I heard the big UPS truck speed off. Shoot! So what did I do? Well I ran through the house (of course Bob was ahead of me angry and barking) and I had to pick him up to get out the front door because he wasn't going to let me go alone...grabbed the sticky note from UPS that was on the door...and with Bob in one arm and the UPS tag in the other we ran down the street. I imagine it was pretty silly looking considering you can clearly tell that I am preggo now...waving my arm to try and get him to stop all while I am randomly carrying my little Chihuahua. All for my paint sample. Of course Bob growled at him, but he said he was familiar with Bob because he always hears him though the door. Whew - paint secured. So we got back and I went straight to Ryan's room to see what it looked like on the wall.

Here is what they look like on our walls:

The grayish color is the "Air" which is featured in the room above - totally not what I was expecting. We like the blue on top the best (misty blue) - but are interested in finding a blue that is maybe a mixutre of the Air and Misty blue. However, I think we could just end up chosing misty blue because it won't be too over-powering since we will have white bead boarding on the walls as well. Who knew paint was so tricky - well I guess everyone that has painted their walls before does. :)

23 weeks

Ryan is the size of a large mango this week! He is supposedly over 11 inches and more than a pound...I wonder what his true size is. Still have five more weeks before next ultrasound :(

My mom has been here this week and we have been working on the nursery. She has been so helpful and even primed the walls for us, so now they are ready for some paint! Now Kevin and I just need to decide between the blue's- so hard! We are also going to do bead boarding so we need to find a handy man to help us with that. The room already looks so different from before - and that's just from wall color changing!

Bob really wanted to be in the pic so we took another one for him! What a silly pup.

Corbin Christopher Steger

Congrats to Cristin and Chris on welcoming their new little baby boy to the world! Corbin was born on April 13th! He is adorable! Ryan and Corbin will be best buds just like their moms's were growing up! How fun!

Kicks and Hits

Ryan is a busy little man! I felt him kick (or hit) for the first time this past Saturday! I have felt him moving around inside of me for a while but this was the first time I could feel from the outside. Bob and I took a nice long nap and when I woke up Ryan was up too! So fun - now I am feeling him kick or hit me every day! I can't wait for Kevin to feel it.

Pokey O's

A rep brought Pokey O's in for an afternoon treat today - how could I say no? It was sooo yummy! And Ryan loved it too! He was moving around after I ate my delicious snack!

Summer Starts May 7th!

So I gave my official notice at work on Tuesday and my last day will be Friday, May 7th. So why did I choose May 7th? Well, the next week is the last week of my 2nd trimester - so its our window of opportunity for one last getaway before little Ryan comes! We were originally suppose to go to Mexico but as I mentioned before that won't be happening. Instead of planning another family trip, I think Kevin and I will just plan something for the two of us and make it an early anniversary trip too. That way, if for some reason we have to cancel at the last minute we won't ruin everyones vacation again. So now we just need ideas for somewhere relaxing. We would really love to go to the beach or maybe try a spa/golf resort in Arizona or New Mexico. We have never been there before so anyone with reccomendations please let us know!

22 weeks

So according to baby center, we have got ourselves a little baby spaghetti squash this week. He should be around 11 inches and almost a pound! I can definitley feel him more often but still haven't had a big kick yet. I feel him a lot in the morning and then in the late afternoon - so fun! So Kevin and I have been trying to eat healthier this week and we definitley are except for my sweet tooth! It's so weird to crave sweets - I really hope it goes away after Ryan is born! I have a lot more energy now and I wish I could make it to the gym more often but its just kind of a pain to go after work. I guess that will change soon!

It's official...

We decided on Ryan Bradford McDonough for the little one!

Dr. Appointment

So another quick appointment today. I gained 5.5lbs in the last month! Oh my!! So that's a total of 10.5 all together...goodness gracious! It's so weird to get on the scale and see that but the doctor says I am doing great so nothing to worry about. I guess if I gain a pound a week from here on out I would hit a total of 28lbs - I guess time will tell. Kevin thinks he has gained weight too so he wants to start eating healthy again...I guess that means no more oreo balls! haha
I asked Dr. Richards about our trip to Mexico thinking that it wasn't going to be a big deal at all but to our surprise he actually cautioned us about going. Not for swine flu or any of the other mess that happens down there, but just because he doesn't advise traveling from 23 - 28 weeks, especially out of the country. The reason is basically that if I did go into labor we would be under the care of Mexican health system and plus the baby wouldn’t be able to leave until it was at least 37 weeks…so that would be quite an extended stay. I am so bummed about this but since I am such a worry-wart I know it would only make me miserable the whole time…not to mention my mom would probably be just as worried. I really should have asked before we booked (and rebooked) our tickets. We were both looking forward to this trip and sad we can’t make it. I think instead we are going to look at planning a nice relaxing weekend at Barton Creek Resort over Memorial weekend.

21 weeks

So today is 21 weeks :) Everything is still going great. The only thing I have noticed recently is that I don't have much of an appetite. Now don't get me wrong...I am still eating every meal...but most of the time I am just not very hungry. Also, when I do eat something, I get filled up pretty easily. My stomach feels soooo tight, especially at night. Just feels like its stretching and stretching. It's still pretty small compared to how big its going to get - scary! haha! I have been eyeing it for stretch marks but looks good so far. Oh and I think my little belly button is moving its way on out....it's definitley not as far in as it use to be! I hate belly buttons, but I guess I can't avoid it!