The Crib has been Ordered!

This was one of the many cribs I was eyeing, but couldn't decide on one specific crib. Then I was on Amazon the other day, and they made the decision for me :-) They were running a sale with 50% off one of my crib selections, so I had to hop on it! I originally saw it at Babies R Us, but the brand is sold at other locations. I only purchased the crib, for I 'm not sure the route I want to go with for the dresser and other furniture yet.

According to the tracking number, it should be at my doorstep today!! :-)

Merry Christmas!! 2010 (pics will be posted soon)

I don't know where I got this hosting trait. It must be from my grandmother. It's both a blessing a curse I swear! I LOVE to host & plan parties. I don't mind the pre-planning work, but when it's all said and done it seems to take forever to get my house back to the way it was prior to the party!

It was my idea to host Christmas, and I'm so glad that we did. I had a blast, and it was fun spending time with both Darnells side & my side of the family. It was also nice not having to go from house to house making sure we see everyone. I started planning for this dinner probably 3-4 weeks prior by making the menu, and asking some folks to bring dishes. I knew that it would be WAY too much for me to cook all of that food, and I also knew that somethings are just not my speciality.

It is also a tradition that my family and I participate in Meals on Wheels on Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year we just did Christmas, and even though we have to get up early it is always WELL WORTH it!! Delivering to seniors citizens that may not be getting a meal on the holiday & the excitement on their faces when someone comes to visit them is priceless. I would encourage everyone to take the time out throughout the year, but especially during the holiday seasons to spread the joy & love that you are receiving from your loved ones to someone else that may not be getting it in their life. You never know what difference you could be making in their life.

Anyway, I knew that I would be busy Christmas morning, so I prepared a lot of the food the day before. Cleaned the greens, made the red velvet cake, set the table, put out the serving dishes, etc. That all made a huge difference when the big day came around. Dinner was scheduled to begin at 4p, but it didn't start until about 5:30p, and the festivities ended around 1:30a. Today is Tuesay 12/28/10, and the house is still not back to normal...LOL!! That's ok because it's almost time for the next event...New Years Eve!!! Then, I'll be hosting a "Game" party. Finally after almost two years the TV show, The Game, is returning, and I decided to host a party to show the launch of the new season...I told you I love to host :-)

Week 22 - Baby Bump

Yes, I am in a dressing room :-)

My mom, sister, and I went shopping to try and spend our holiday gift cards, but we all were unsuccessful. I tried on this sweater at Macy's, and all I could hear is my stylist (shout out to BoBo!) saying "you always get those types of sweaters!" That is indeed a true statement, BUT if you've read previous post I've stated that this was going to be my easy prego look! Long sweaters with leggings, boots, and keep it moving! :-)

Anyway, here is my 22 week baby bump. Is it still a bump? Looks more like a hill now!?!??!

Creamy Chicken/Shrimp Pasta Dish

I haven't really placed any food dishes on this blog, but since this particular dish has become a staple in our weekly rotation I thought I'd share :-)

I got his recipe from a blog that I frequent called, My Happy Meals. This blog is a spin off from another blog that I frequent by Molly called My Happy House. Both sites are extremely useful, and provides awesome ideas on different delish recipes & ways to improve the work flow of your home. I actually "met" Molly through a message board that I also frequent called The Nest (spin off of The Knot). Molly's nickname on The Nest is Martha Stewart because she is so domestic & makes things seem so super easy!

Anyway, I tried this recipe, and Darnell & I just fell in love with it. It's SUPER easy, and SUPER fast to make. I've actually shared this recipe with numerous friends and co-workers and they all seem to love it. One thing that Darnell & I discovered is that this dish actually taste better on day 2!!! If you try it, leave a comment and let me know what you think!

This pic below is actually when I experimented one time with Darnell's dish and used shrimp instead of chicken. However, he said that he liked the chicken better. With mine I just use vegetable stock instead of the chicken, and eliminate the chicken pieces and add more spinach and tomatoes...yummy!

Want to try it? Here is the recipe.

Week 21 - Baby Bump

Ok here is another cute baby bump pic! :-) 21 weeks, and fresh off the dance floor! Hubby and I had just came back home from OZ's 30th Anniversary Banquet, so what a better time to take the 21 week pic! Below is the pic & HERE is the link to all the pics from the banquet. We had so much fun. It was so nice to see all of my OZ Sorors...there was so much love in the room!

Week 20 - Baby Bump

Yet another pic that I don't like, but oh well. I hope you have seen worse. So, I'm half way and still feeling A OK! I'm definitely getting bigger, but it seems to bs just belly. I can still fit most of my pants with the help of the belly band, but don't really go that route because the band always rises up & it is so annoying!!!

Woodward

Well, it finally did it! I finally snowed! Like that real nasty, thick, causing problems, not going anywhere type snow!! On Sunday, it came down & it came down hard! Darnell & I still decided to go to chuch, but other than that I was in the house for the rest of the day! Of course that didn't stop me from having to go to work! Working in a hospital means it's always open!! Ugh!

Part of my route includes taking Woodward, which I should have avoided!! They never clear off Woodward! Its always a mess & this day was no different! OMG is was so scary driving that I ended up turning off on a side street and finding Coolige to take!

Christmas Lights are up

Well, hubby & I decided we wanted to put Christmas light up outside so we took a trip to Target to get the supplies & Hubby put them up a few days later. We also purchased a light up animated reindeer, but it was not setup when this pic was taken. I think this is a good start. Maybe next year we will have more outside, but for now this will do. Notice who's in the door while this pic was taken :-)

Bored at work

It was Friday afternoon, I wasn't feeling well, and was ready to just go home!!! After lunch I decided to have a little photo shoot, and display how huge I've become! I look super big in this pic! I'm hoping it's just the angle...lol...oh yeah keep in mind that I just had lunch so my stomach has also a lot of food in it! LOL!

3rd & Probably the Last Ultrasound :-(

12/7/10 was the date of my third ultrasound. I was happy & excited to see the baby again, but sad because I don't think we will get to see the baby again until they make their appearance into the world. I didn't meet with the Dr., but the ultrasound tech stated that women normally just get 2 ultrasounds where I've received 3 already! I'll confirm with my Dr., but I do believe when I asked her before she said the same thing.

Below is the best pic out of the three they gave us. I must admit, the ultrasound at Beaumont was much better than the one at my Dr's office. We only got a chance to see a profile of the baby for once again, he/she was all over the place doing all types of flips, and turns. The pic below looks like it is sucking it's thumb, but we were not really sure since 1/2 second later the hand was back down! LOL.

We told the tech that we didn't want to know the sex, so she focused on the upper portion of the body, and when it was time to go low she told us to look away. I must admit...it was hard!! I wanted to sneak a peak, but I didn't...I stayed strong! When we did see a full body, the baby had it's back towards us, so I never really got a chance to see anything.

After the tech informed us we can look again, Darnell stated that she referred to the baby as a "he", but I don't recall that. I'm going to say that I think I'm carrying a girl for a couple of reasons 1) EVERYBODY thinks it's a boy!!! Since everyone thinks one way...I think it's going to turn out the opposite. 2) The quick few times I did see front of the baby...I didn't see anything extra to indicate it was boy. Oh well, my feeling still remain the same...I don't care if it's a boy or a girl...as long as my baby is healthy.

So, for right now the only ones that know the sex of our baby is God, the Doc, and the Tech.

Week 19 - Baby Bump

So, this is the 19 week bump. I don't really care for this pic due to the angle, but this is the result of hubby not wanting to get off the couch while watching football! LOL!

Biff with Santa

Biff's Vet sent out information to us regarding their annual photo sessions they offer with Santa. All the proceeds go to the Dogs for the Blind organization. So, Sunday morning I took Biff to the vet where it was SUPER crowded, and waited to meet the big guy. Biff was one of the smallest dogs there, but he did good...just sat in his moms lap until they called our name...sat perfectly for Santa, and even received a gift bag on the way out!

Here is his pic with Santa!!

The Turner Children

Below is a picture of my best friends children. This picture was taken on Thanksgiving. Mya was 10 months, and Anthony (my Godson) was 2 years old. Aren't they adorable. Almost every picture that I have of them, Anthony has his arm around or on his sister...SO cute!!

OMG this baby is moving & I can feel it!!

Well, I do believe it is official...I am starting to feel this baby move! It's actually great because I've been trying to feel him/her for the longest, but now that the time is here it feels weird!! Yesterday evening, and all today I have been feeling movements in my lower belly.

What are you doing in there little acrobat?? I'm even more excited to see the next ultrasound that is coming up on Tuesday!!