It's a ....

GIRL!

Yes, it's true. We're expecting a little lady and I can't believe it. I did predict that it was a girl, but I based that on the fact that my appetite this time around has been very different. I was ravenous when I was pregnant with Devon and with this baby I have to remind myself to eat sometimes. I am feeling a little nervous about having a girl, but ultimately we are thrilled. It feels like having my first baby all over again and my nervousness is wrapped up in all insecurity that comes with bringing a new baby home. I just want so badly to be a good mom to both my children and raise them in a loving, calm, and happy home I tend to over think all the "what ifs" that I have no control over. It was sweet to hear Joe say that knowing it was a girl put him at ease and that he was just super excited. It is so much more real for us now.

Joe went with me to the appointment and as we were sitting in the chairs outside the sonogram room "reading" (read that as staring at the book, but not taking in anything on the page. Mostly my palms were just sweating)we talked about how nervous we both were. We heard the doctor say to the couple she was with,"It's a boy!" and I thought,"She is not going to say that to us. The couple waiting outside our door is going to hear her say "It's a girl." And we were right.

Everything looks healthy as far as the brain, heart, limbs, etc goes and she weighs about 10 ounces. It is so nice to say "she" and not "it" or even worse stammering,"he, she, it, whatever." I will have another sonogram at my next appointment in a month to re-check measurements. I am only 18 weeks now and it is easier to get more accurate information after 20 weeks. My doctor is awesome because she could have just made me wait until my next sonogram to figure out the sex and do all the measurements, but I think she could see the desperation in my eyes and let me come in anyway.

Yes, I've already been to the fabric store .... bring on the pink!

Anyone who tells you that finding out the sex before the baby is born is "ruining the surprise" would be incorrect .... I WAS surprised! I mean .... I DID intuitively think it was a girl, but to know for sure was a surprise that I am so relieved to know. Having a girl tells me that she completes our little family. One boy and one girl. Big brother and little sister. Perfect! Now I get to choose a name, figure out how to arrange the upstairs bedrooms, get a few pink onesies, make baby blankets and daydream about my little girl until I get to meet her.

Alpine Muesli

I can vividly remember working in the dining room at Canyon Ranch when I was 17. Most of the staff was around my age so it was like going to work with all of your friends everyday. It definitely made the 5:00 am breakfast shift go by much faster having people you could relate to working along side you. As a bonus for working in the dining room the staff was "treated" to a meal for every meal we worked. That means that every day I was cooked a healthy breakfast and lunch by gourmet chefs. Not a bad gig.

The menu was on a 7 day rotation and changed about every 3 months. So every Monday for 3 months I got to have mango pancakes, on Tuesdays we had pumpkin waffles and so on for the rest of the week. Alpine Muesli (sounds like m-you-sell-ee) was one of my favorites and I still make it every summer when fruit is in season. I thought it was strange that oats would be served cold, but trust me .... it's divine.

Ingredients:
1 cup orange juice
1 cup milk (I use vanilla soy milk, but regular milk is fine)
1 container Yoplait yogurt (I use boysenberry)
1.5 cup dry oats
Honey to taste
*Mix together and let soak while you prepare the rest of the fruit

(Here's where you kind of do what you want as far as fruit goes, but I will list what I do. I think I remember the recipe using a pound of fruit)
2 apples diced into small pieces
1 small container of strawberries
1 small container raspberries
1 small container blackberries
1 nectarine
1 small package of hazelnuts (the ones you find in the spice/cake mix aisle at the store)

I would stay away from bananas, watermelon and maybe even grapes. Adding them to a ready-to-eat portion would be good though.

If it doesn't "rest" long enough it will be too runny and look like this ....

The next morning it should be thicker and look like this once you stir it ....

Mix the fruit with the top mixture and let it set for a few hours or overnight. You will need to mix it together before portioning out a serving since (1 cup) the liquid tends to separate. This is SO refreshing, satisfying and a great way to start your day with a healthy serving of fruits, nuts and grain. Enjoy!

17 months: Devon (February)

I forgot to mention in last months post that IT finally happened .... Devon fell out of his crib. I know, I know SO sad. I was cleaning the house during his nap and I heard a "thud" followed by crying and I KNEW what had happened. I went up to his room and he was carrying his blanket and walking towards me in tears. As sad as it was I thought it was cute that he escaped with blanket in hand. I promptly turned the crib over, lowered it to it's lowest setting and he went back to his nap without a fuss. Poor kid.

Devon's Movers and Shakers class is on a 2 week break before the 2nd half starts up again so we will have to find something else to do for a little while. I am starting to worry about how I will get him to classes (or at least one class a week) when the new baby arrives. He really enjoys them and I would hate to have to stop taking him. Hopefully I will be able to work out a babysitter or figure out how to get it to work with Joe's work schedule.

Devon loves to go up and down the stairs, push his shopping cart, play with (read that as terrorize) the cats, read books, put on grown up shoes and open doors. Lock the bathroom door when you are over here, folks! You've been warned ;)We set up an old laptop for him to pound on and he has figured out how to turn on the voice narration that says everything that you type .... we didn't even know it had that option! He loves it and is able to get important work done. It captivates him for minutes at a time ;)

He still takes one long nap in the afternoon which has been a huge help for his pregnant mama. I usually feel pretty good, but about 3 times a week I can't keep my eyes open so I indulge myself and nap when he naps. Some days I couldn't get through without one. I feel good otherwise and am just now starting to show a little. If you didn't know me you wouldn't really be able to tell I was pregnant and even some of my regular yoga students didn't know until they overheard someone ask me about it. I can still fit into all of my regular clothes though they are getting less and less comfortable. I am trying to stay in my jeans as long as possible since I won't ever wear them in the hot, hot summer. I think I look the same at this point in my pregnancy that I did with Devon even though I've gained less weight this time around.

Devon loves to eat strawberries, laughing cow cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and his long time standby .... ramen noodles. He is getting pretty good at using a fork to eat all this food, but don't EVEN try to make him do it with a kid utensil .... adult forks only please. He can say SO MANY words it's hard to remember them all, but some of the newest ones are no-no (which means nose and grabs his nose or puts his finger up it)cake, coke, boobaa (which is Buddha. We have a little statue in the house), cacacator (calculator), leche (milk in Spanish), bubble, baby and more! He talks all the time and I never get tired of hearing his little voice say,"Mama."

By the way he totally put these on himself and wandered around the house looking oh so cool and saying,"Cool."

Baby update

This may be boring for some of you, but I wanted to document little changes, milestones and progress for this 2nd baby. I am 16.5 weeks and doing great! I feel a little tired depending on the day, but I nap when I need to while Devon sleeps and it has worked out great. Going to the gym helps me feel like I am keeping my weight in check and keeping my energy up. Plus, Devon gets to play with other kids and new toys. I have only gained 6 pounds so far. I think by this time with Devon I had gained somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 or so. I think with this pregnancy I have figured out the difference between a "craving" and an "impulse to indulge". The only real craving I have had so far was a Subway sandwich. I thought I was going to kill someone if I didn't get one .... and soon! I even waited a while day just to make sure I really wanted it and I still did. I seriously had to contain myself from eating it while walking to the car. It. Was. Devine. I call it the "bad breath sandwich". Bacon, cheese, lettuce, salt, pepper, pepproncinis, black olives, bell peppers, and onions. Yum!

I have been having INSANE dreams lately thanks to all those pregnancy hormones which has made for some interesting breakfast conversations. I have been having some really intense cramps (that even woke me up last night), but they don't last so I'm guessing that is just my uterus making room.

I go in for my next sonogram on March 12th and we find out if it's a boy or a girl and I can't wait! I'm trying to not think about it so it doesn't feel like it's taking forever to get there. I think it may be a girl because I have a definite name pretty much selected and my appetite is so different this time around. With Devon I was RAVENOUS all the time and this time I have to force myself to eat at each meal so I don't skip. I try to eat healthy, but it's hard to eat when you're not hungry and not going to GET hungry. Boy or girl .... it doesn't matter to me which one it is I just want to know!

I did feel that first "flutter" of movement on Saturday the 20th as I was laying down to go to sleep. I probably won't feel much for another week or so, but at least I felt something! The kicking is my favorite part about being pregnant and I am excited for that to begin.

Canyon Ranch Caesar salad dressing

I used to work at Canyon Ranch as a server in the dining room when I was a teenager. We got to taste all the food that was served and I was surprised at how healthy and yummy most of the food was. There are several recipes that I still prepare to this day that I got from the Ranch nearly 12 years ago.

I don't make my own salad dressings, but I love Caesar dressing and I LOVE this recipe. It is so easy, very flavorful and lasts a long time since you don't need to add a lot to the actual salad. If you are a Caesar fan you will like this healthier option.

Ingredients:
1 T. mined garlic
1/4 C. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 C. lemon juice (*I used lime juice and it was good as well)
2 T. Dijon mustard
1/2 C. Parmesan cheese
1/2 T. anchovy paste
1 t. black pepper
1/2 C. mayo
2 t. white miso

* Don't be intimidated with the anchovy paste and white miso. I was able to get both of these items at Basha's so you shouldn't have to go to a specialty store to find them. I would, however, go to a store that has a "healthy" section like Basha's, Trader Joe's or Sunflower Market. I also used light mayo.*

Just mix them all together and that's it. I added bell peppers and cucumbers to my salad and called it good. Enjoy!

Chicken Pot pie

I LOVED chicken pot pies growing up and fell in love with this easy recipe. I also love using puff pastry since that means I don't have to make my own and I know it will turn out light, fluffy and make this "meat and potatoes" dish taste a little more fancy. I was out of marjoram (and I forgot to get some at the store, duh!), but I used rosemary and I think I liked it better that way anyway.

Ingredients:
5 applewood-smoked bacon slices
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
12 ounces peeled whole baby carrots (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 8-ounce package trimmed haricots verts or other slender green beans, halved crosswise
4 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram
1 3/4 cups low-salt chicken broth
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon crème fraîche (*I used heavy cream and it's fine)
3 cups coarsely shredded chicken from 1 small purchased roasted chicken (skin removed)
*I also added potatoes. What kind of pot pie would this be without potatoes?!?! Sometimes I also add corn and peas.*

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 450F. Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Chop bacon. Add onion to drippings in skillet; sauté until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Add next 3 ingredients; stir 1 minute. Add broth; bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to mediumhigh and boil until vegetables are almost tender and some liquid is reduced, about 8 minutes. Stir in 2/3 cup crème fraîche, chicken, and bacon. Bring to simmer. Season with pepper. Divide among four 2-cup soufflé dishes.

Unfold puff pastry onto work surface; roll out to 12-inch square. Cut into 4 equal squares. Top filling in soufflé dishes with pastry; fold edges down onto rims of dish. Brush top of crusts (not edges) with remaining 1 tablespoon crème fraîche. Cut small X in center of crusts; pierce all over with fork. Bake until crusts are golden brown and filling is heated through, about 22 minutes.

*I used 1 big casserole dish and cut the puff pastry into as many pieces as it took to cover the surface before baking. That way each serving gets it's own crust and it doesn't turn the whole thing into a mess when it's cut. I baked it for 20 minutes and even then the pastry started to burn so keep an eye on it. Enjoy!


www.epicurious.com

Savers President's 50% off clothing sale

I was bored yesterday and was in desperate need of something to get us out of the house for about an hour. I settled on Savers since A) I haven't bought Devon ANY clothes since Savers had the 50% off sale on Veteran's Day and B) every other day I find he has outgrown another shirt or pair of pants. I didn't know about the sale until I got there so I was SUPER excited to save 50% on exactly what I was there to buy.

for $47.56 I got:
13 shirts

4 pairs of pants

4 BRAND NEW white newborn onesies
7 pairs of shorts

2 very strange baby night gowns

1 "big kid onesie"
1 pair of shoes

If I would have paid full price it would have cost me nearly $100 smackers .... so I wouldn't have been able to get as much. Now I won't have to get him new clothes for a long time. Yeah for Savers!

I was really excited to get the onesies since I will be needing some of those soon enough and I actually went looking for plain white ones. I want to customize a few with some ideas I got from another blog. I'll post them when they're done.