well hello April 2013

How sad is it that this is my first blog post of 2013 and its APRIL!
Sad.
Very sad.
Let me show you who you can blame…

Does this picture kill you like it does me?
She is such a little angel!
I just wanna squish her right now!

Obviously I haven’t got the hang of being a Mom to this little girl and doing anything else.
I’ve fallen behind in pretty much everything.
Cooking…ha…haha.
Laundry…burp rags and baby clothes always get priority.
What? I’m suppose to mop my floors?
Blogging? Yeah we all know how that’s been going.
However, I HAVE kept a baby healthy and alive and am still married.
Those are the important things right 😉
Right.

So lets consider this my introductory post to what will hopefully be more regular blogging.
I’ll be right back with a big photo dump of that little stink butt up there so stick around.

2012

I made it!
I’m getting in my last blog post of 2012!
At least I think I will…my baby’s nap is nearing its end so this could all go terribly wrong and not get posted until summer of 2013 😉

So a quick recap!
Another year living in the Silicon Valley.
Celebrated 7 years of marriage.
Found out I was pregnant!
Went on a crazy European road trip during my first trimester…also known as the wanna barf and die trimester.
Visited family and friends back in Seattle as much as we could.
Prepared for the arrival of our daughter…this included a kick ass shower thrown by this dear friend.
Experienced the expansion of my midsection.
Gave birth to my sweet little Ellee Grace and am learning how to be a mom.

Yeah…a lot of 2012 revolved around that little girl.
Wouldn’t change any of that.
Except the barfing and wanting to die…that I would change if I had the option.

So I’m ringing in the new year with my two honeys and some black eyed pea dip.
I had to eat black eyed peas…it reminds me of my Mom.

Lastly, I’d like to submit these Dark Chocolate & Peppermint Pretzel Crisps and these Ritzies for best sweets of 2012.

So that’s it my friends!
I know 2012 has been a great year for some and a year of great loss for others.
I pray 2013 is one of peace, healing, learning and blessings from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Happy New Year!
See ya in 2013!

She’s arrived

I’d like to introduce you to Miss Ellee Grace Schoonover.
Born on 11/12/2012.
Weighing in at 7lbs 5oz and 19 inches long.

She had a rough first week which sadly resulted in 7 day hospital stay.
However, girlfriend is healthy, happy and home!
Today she had her second pediatrician appointment and is gaining weight like a champ…8lbs 7oz and 21 1/4 inches long.
Yep, she gained a whole pound since last week.
As far as us parents…we are in love with her more and more each day.
We are also tired.
Tired I tell you.
We are working hard to get the hang of this parenting a newborn thing.
Our first hurdle was figuring out how to get miss thang to sleep at night.
She considers her crib a joke.
Thank Jesus for the Rock n Play.
Seriously, thank you Jesus!
I’ll be back to fill in details about how everything went down but thought it was time to at least introduce her on the blog.
Hope you are all doing well…hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are getting into the Christmas spirit.
Peace out and sleep an extra hour for me 😉

 

no baby yet

Not even born yet and she’s already trying to show the parents whose boss 😉
It’s okay…we decided to take advantage of the extra time she has given us and go grab some donuts and bagels.
Last weekend we drove to Oakland and visited Doughnut Dolly.
Homemade donuts that are filled with your choice of filling right in front of your eyes.
Yum!

Then we headed down the street to Beauty’s Bagel Shop for a little lunch.

The husband had the salt and pepper bagel with salmon cream cheese.
I had the veggie bagel sandwich with sundried tomato cream cheese.
It was the best veggie sandwich I’ve ever had…they can be so bland.
Eric enjoyed his but his heart is still back home with Blazing Bagels.
Both places were featured in my Sunset magazine…totally worth a subscription to get great local day trip ideas.

I’ve also had time to finish a painting project for the baby room and experiment with whipping up my own body butter.

 

However, now the projects are all done and all that’s left is keeping on top of laundry and normal household chores.
So yeah…she can come now 😉

Hope you all have a great weekend!
And for those of you back home getting snow…know that I’m a little jealous.
We get plenty of sun but not a flake of snow.

 

 

one week to go

That’s right my friends…one week to go before this baby is “due”.
Although, so far she seems pretty content just hanging out in my belly.
Freezer is full (thanks to the amazing Food Saver), hospital bag is packed, manicure and pedicure done, all baby clothes washed and put away…we’re probably as ready as we’re gonna be at this point.

So what’ve we been up to?

Going to Walmart.
Where else is it acceptable to drink two cups of coffee at the same time?

I made some homemade tassels to hang with my baby shower bunting in the nursery.
So easy and pretty.
A great little project if you want something easy and satisfying.
Directions found here.
And yes that red thing is my protruding belly.
I can’t seem to do anything without it 😉

I bought my husband this shirt for our anniversary.
He wears it proud.

And the other day he drank out of the milk jug while wearing it.
Can you even believe that?
I quickly informed him that Mr. Darcy would never pull such a stunt.

Good thing we’re having a baby…
this crazy life we live is really getting out of control 😉

And on a series note…just wanna ask for some prayer for my internet buddy Amber.
Her Mom died of a heart attack a few weeks ago.
This leaves her with a heartache, the heartache of her daughter, and a younger brother to take care of.
Girl has had some serious tribulation in her life…but is so encouraging as a result of her faithfulness to the Lord.
It’s times like these that make you so thankful for the Lord in others lives…because seriously…how could you get through it without him?

9 months

I promised my Mom I’d take a 9 month picture for her.
I had imagined us taking some maternity type pictures while at the ranch but it just didn’t happen.
Half because I couldn’t find our tripod.
Annoying.
So trusty iPhone shot it is.

 

On Monday our baby will technically be full term…even though our due date isn’t for another 3.5 weeks.
I’m feeling pretty good…especially in the mornings and early afternoon.
By the time evening hits I’m achy and tired.
So far getting off the couch, rolling over in bed and a few joint/ligament pains are the annoying side effects.
So yes, I’m thankful that all has been going well.

On a totally different note…I’ve been enjoying this sermon series on the book of Esther.
I mostly listen while I’m cooking, cleaning or driving.
So if you’re in the market for something interesting to listen to during the day I highly recommend it.

I love him

This here is me and my baby daddy.

Today is our 7 year anniversary!
I guess I’ll keep him for a little while longer 😉
Especially since he did such a rad job of pampering me this past weekend.
We decided to go away for the weekend to celebrate our anniversary and totally relax before the baby comes.
He surprised me with a three night stay at Carmel Valley Ranch.

We lounged by the pool with drinks (mine was a non-alcoholic passion fruit lemonade and was to die for).
We hardly left the ranch and enjoyed almost all our meals at the lodge.
We enjoyed complimentary s’mores by the fire pit.
I enjoyed a nice massage at the spa.
We took advantage of the gas fireplace in our room and just totally checked out for the weekend.
The only serious moment we had was when I had to lay down the ground rules for part 2 of Real Housewives of New Jersey Reunion.
Our room didn’t have a DVR so that meant no pausing or rewinding abilities…which meant no talking until commercials.
What can I say? I run a tight ship.
It was a great trip and I highly recommend the ranch.

A big thank you to my sweet husband.
He was constantly checking in with me to see if I was having a good time or how I felt or what the baby was doing.
Like I said…I think I’ll keep him for a while longer 😉
And to celebrate my thankfulness for him I have a few tricks up my sleeve…most of which have to do with cooking.
Because lets be honest, a weekend at a resort, lounging by the pool was much more of a treat for me.

Happy Anniversary babe!
I love you millions and wouldn’t trade you for the world.
Except for maybe when you try and poke my belly button…but even then I wouldn’t trade you…a new husband would be way too much work 😉

October

Happy October guys!
I kind of like the month of October.
I feel like its the official beginning of fall, the weather is still usually pretty great, I get to celebrate my wedding anniversary and can feel free to start making pumpkin desserts like this one.
I don’t even really like pumpkin.
It’s a squash and I’m not a squash fan.
Pumpkin pie? Gross.
But…I’ve learned that if mixed with flour and sugar in a cake like way…yum.

Speaking of fall and great weather…

ouch!
It was hot today.
When I got in my car is read 102 degrees…and by the time I got home is had cooled to the high 80’s.
Not feeling so  fall-ish around here yet.

In other news, the husband and I went to a newborn care class this weekend.


That was our baby.
She was pretty low key and didn’t squirm nearly as much as the little peanut in my belly.
It made swaddling much easier 😉
Btw, I’m kind of excited to swaddle.
Weird I know.
It’s kinda like when you buy a new note pad (do people use notepads anymore?) or basket and you can’t wait to get home and write a list or organize something.
I’ve got a few swaddling blankets and just wanna swaddle my baby.
Let’s hope she goes for it 😉

So yeah, our weekend was spent learning about newborn babies, napping, church, and wedding dress shopping with a friend!
I might have asked her “does this mean you’re saying Yes To The Dress?”.
Cheesy, but I couldn’t help it you guys!
And she totally did!
Beautiful.

And before I let you go…two things.
One…can you believe I blogged again so soon?
I’m making an effort to get back on the wagon because I really do enjoy it.
Two…did anyone watch the first part of Real Housewives of New Jersey Reunion?
One word…Rosie.

hello, hello, hello

Well look what the cat dragged in…me!
How are you my friends?

I’m still pregnant.
34 weeks pregnant…also known as 8.5 months…or even crazier 38 days left till my due date!
Yes, the clock is ticking.
Baby clothes have been washed and put away and man do I hope she really is a girl cause there is a whole lot of pink going on.
All the big items have been purchased and most of them delivered.
Amazon has been our biggest friend these days.
Although, I’m sure our neighbors are considering an online shopping addiction intervention soon.
Especially when they see not one but two delivery trucks parked outside our house at the same time delivering boxes.
Scandalous.

In other baby news…I flew home for a sweet and intimate baby shower a few weeks ago.
It was a short visit but a great one.
I was able to enjoy friends, family, great food, the fair, and a little of the amazing Western Washington summer.
Here are a few pictures from the shower taken by Sarah from Sarah Alyssa Photography.
You can read more about our day on her blog.

That last picture is for my Dad.
He had that special made just for his Granddaughter.
Which I’m sure your not surprised because how else do you get a Who is John Galt onsie?

Well I better get my hiney in the kitchen and finish up dinner.
Speaking of dinner…any of you have any great freezer friendly meal ideas?
I’ve invested in a Food Saver vacuum sealer and plan to stock the freezer before the baby is born.
So far I’m thinking; lasagna, mashed potatoes, possibly some marinated fajita meat, pancakes, lentil & rice burrito mix.
And just so you know…I am to freezer food as my husband is to leftovers.
Not a fan.
I don’t think it ever tastes as good as fresh, is often watery and just not good.
So if you have any freezer tips let me know.
I’m really hoping the Food Saver makes a difference.

On a totally different note, my front window is open, it’s 5:02pm and a bunch of kids are outside playing in the neighborhood.
I just heard one of them yell “oh shit”.
I wanna wash his mouth out with soap…does this mean I’m old?

treats

Well hello!
I’m taking a break from watching my unborn child push up and down on my stomach.
SO WEIRD!
She seems to currently be putting pressure on my belly button area.
Not cool.
I promise I will ground her the second she is born if my belly button becomes an outie…one of my biggest fears.

We are coming along nicely regarding the nursery.
I finished painting and waxing the dresser and the husband replaced the hardware.
Curtains and area rug have been ordered.
Which pretty much sums up a bulk of what we plan to do.
I’ll share pictures once it all comes together.

I don’t really have any exciting pictures to share…except a lot of food.
Which totally makes me look like a crazed pregnant woman.

 

• Brunch with the husband a few weekends ago.
• Homemade magic shell. Which is awesome and only has three ingredients: coconut oil, chocolate bar (I used a Theo Chocolate Dark Chocolate bar) and salt. Which you microwave together and then stir. Doesn’t get much easier than that! My friend Leah saw this picture and said they made it all the time as kids…to which I say, why have you been holding out on me for all these years!
• Blueberry muffins for a sweet friend who just had twins. The muffins are beautiful but only so so. Bummer.

Ok, I’m off to watch the rest of Hatfields and McCoys.
As always, love ya!