....aaaand we're back!

Hey hey! Sorry for being MIA.  The last two weeks have been one notch down from insane BUT we're all moved in to our new place (complete with a white picket fence)! 

After doing the last two moves completely on my own (and my husband thinks I haven't caught on to his little game haha)...I found this amazing thing called "help" in the form of Moms. 

My mom and Patrick's mom came over and blitzed through almost all of my boxes in 2 days.  It was pretty magical.  Patrick's dad helped me put our bed together the first night and my sister-in-law came over yesterday to help with the rest of the boxes and set up the dining room.  Aaaaaamazing.  I think 1 week has to be some kind of record. 

I will forever be thankful to Henry and Colleen that I didn't have to come home to a scary, dark house by myself for 6 months.  That being said, I'm giddy to have my kitchen back <---the best part.  Opening those kitchen boxes and seeing all of the things I'm used to cooking with was like those Crate & Barrel boxes showing up on our doorstep again!  First order of business:

beeeeans!  I *always* have beans readily available in our house.  Such a good source of protein and you can use them for anything: salads, side dish, mixed with rice, with eggs in the morning....the list goes on.  I make a big crockpot about once a month and split them up into weekly portions and freeze what we aren't using.  Beans go bad pretty quickly and the smell of rotten beans is right up there with rotten lettuce = awful. 

I soak the beans overnight and then rinse in the morning.  Put them back in the crockpot with enough water so that its about 1/2" above the beans, 1 yellow onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cumin (the magic ingredient).  Cook on high for 8 hours.  Sometimes I do black beans, sometimes I do pinto beans.  Sometimes, after they are done cooking, I'll put them in the food processor for about 10 seconds to give them the texture of refried beans - but WAY healthier.  Lots of options.

Another reason I'm happy to have my kitchen back: my bulk storage.  I totally could have made this happen in the apartment, but I didn't have my glass jars (or room to store them really) and its just prettier in there than grocery store plastic bags right?! 

I made a trip to Sprouts last night (a farmer's market-type grocery store...Whole Foods quality without whole paycheck prices) to stock up on our staples.  Its so much cheaper than buying the packaged versions - and greener. :-)

I enjoyed a delicious breakfast this morning on my dining room table that I missed so much (amazing wedding gift from the grandparents!):

2 eggs, tomato and vegan cheese on a slice of toast, a bowl of mixed fruit with a drizzle of honey, and tea in my new mug that a certain handsome man mailed to me.  That certain handsome man happens to be coming home soooooon.  Not soon enough, but we're definitely getting there!  I'll keep you guys updated.  I may disappear for a few days again when that happens, so just prepare yourselves for blog inactivity.  :-)

I'm going to enjoy the California sunshine on a walk around our new neighborhood this morning.  Have a fantastic Tuesday and I'll see you tomorrow with a baby update!

xo
Shaina

23 Week Update!

Happy Friday everyone!  The weekend is finally here....anything fun planned?  I hope you guys started the day with a delicious breakfast - most important meal of the day!

We (yes we, me and the baby haha) had a whole wheat english muffin topped with a little veganaise, some daiya "cheese", sliced tomatoes, 2 over-hard eggs (gosh I miss my runny yolks) and sliced avocado + strawberries and juice.

I spent my morning visiting with the doctor to check in on the baby.  Report: all is well. :-)  Baby is growing like a weed and looking healthy...and never sleeps, I swear!  I'm 23 weeks & 2 days, and the baby measured at 24 weeks 2 days with the head, 25 weeks 2 days with the leg.  My prediction: tall baby and a week early.  We don't know the sex (because Patrick won't let me find out) but I have a hunch.  We'll have to wait and see if I'm right....

My doctor is awesome and lets me record the ultrasounds for Patrick.  Baby Anderson says hi everyone!



So here's what we started with:

(the flowers have bloomed a little, but they're still looking good - I know you were wondering Mom)

then we started to pop out a little bit around 11 weeks:

I remember thinking "wow I'm getting big" around 19 weeks (ha!): 

and here we are at 23 weeks:

a little pointy this week. :-)  Total weight gain so far: 16 pounds. 

Things that run through my head on a daily basis:

1. I hope my bladder returns to its normal capacity.  I used to stand a 4 hour watch on the ship and drink water the entire time...no problem.  Now, I make a mad dash for the bathroom and pee a tablespoon.

2. I miss running.  I never thought that sentence would be true, but I really really miss running.  I get legitimately jealous when I'm out walking and see runners. 

3. The whole process of getting my body back (and hopefully better!) makes me nervous (but excited).  I know most of it happens automatically, but I've never *had* to lose 30+ pounds before.  Last time I did it, it just sort of happened as a result of changing my lifestyle.  It blows my mind that my waistline could go from whatever crazy number it will be back to 27ish (hopefully) in a few months.  Being married to a man as handsome as my husband should be good motivation though. :-)

4. My hunch?  Boy.  I had a crazy dream Tuesday night that I was waiting for the doctor in the exam room.  Somehow, I knew how to use the sonogram machine, so I did a little sneak peek while I was alone and saw baby boy parts.  I couldn't make this up - seriously.  A lot of friends/family say boy, a crazy gypsy lady did the whole pendulum-swinging-thing over my belly and said boy, and I've just always felt like it was a boy.  Won't WE be shocked when a girl comes out?!  Haha.

5. Workouts still feel fantastic, but are definitely starting to slow down a little.  I try to walk for an hour or hit up a yoga class on most days - but holy cow, a 2 hour nap sounds fantastic as soon as I'm done.  That definitely happens more often than not.

6.  I've been lucky that I haven't had the sore hips a lot of pregnant women complain about, but my tailbone has started to get tight after long walks.  Nothing a little stretching doesn't fix, though.

7.  My nails have never looked so fantastic!  I used to bite them, so when I finally stopped they were pretty thin, would break easily and took forever to grow.  I had to cut my nails today for the first time in YEARS, after already filing them down twice this week.  Amazing.

I'm off to get a new phone and do some bridal shower planning. ;-) Have a fantastic weekend everyone! xo Shaina