13 week Ultrasound!

How far along? 13 weeks 2 days

Total weight gain/loss: Gained about 4 pds

How Big is Baby?: about 3.5 inches

Maternity clothes? Not really, 2 pairs of jeans but i've only worn them once

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: I wake up at least every hour to go to the bathroom.

Movement: None

Food cravings: Pink Lemonaide

Food aversions: Not really

Symptoms:bloated, cramps, acid reflux

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I am looking forward to: Finding out if my baby is a boy or a girl

Weekly Wisdom: Just Relax and try not to stress.

Weekly Joy: Reaching the 2nd tri!

Baby Murphy

I had my first ultrasound on 11/17/09. My next one will be 12/28 I can't wait!

This post is only going to be two words

HOLY BLOATING!!!!

RIP PAPA

Saturday night my papa passed away. It has been very difficult to deal with. My family is flying in from California on Thursday morning and the wake is Thursday and the Funeral is Friday. He was the best and I can not even put into words how great he was. He will be missed and I love him so much.


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Today I am 5 weeks 2 days

How far along? 5 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Down 1 pd
How Big is Baby?: The size of a lentil bean
Maternity clothes? No
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: I wake up a lot to go to the bathroom and then I wake up really early and stay up.
Movement: None
Food cravings: Not really
Food aversions: Not really hungry right now
Symptoms:bloated, cramps
Belly Button in or out? In.
What I am looking forward to: Definitely the first sonogram and being able to tell the world that there is a baby on the way.
Weekly Wisdom: Relax and do not worry!
Weekly Joy: Giving my brother his birthday present and a bib that said I love my Uncle. My mom, dad and sister were there and they were so excited!

YAY

On October 30th Murphy and me found out that we are expecting our first baby! Right now our estimated due date is July 9th! We are so excited and nervous, I have never seen Murphy so excited in his life! Here is how I found out I was pregnant.

I was laying in bed with the worst pains in my stomach so I got up and took a bath; Murphy started the heating pad for me. I got back into bed with the heating pad and feel asleep for about an hour. Murphy is finally out of the house and I get up and I'm peeing on the stick like it's my job. I look at the test, which is one of those strips that you order online. I see a line and my body starts shaking! I then drive like a maniac to cvs, I was going down a street that had construction going on and they told me I couldn't go down I told them to screw and kept on driving. I get to cvs I am looking all nasty in my sweats and sweatshirt and I am walking to the counter shaking and carrying 5 types of tests. The lady gives me the weird eye and I bolt out of the store.

I get home and take about 5 tests. They all have faint lines but the digital says pregnant!
I panic. I have no idea what to do because I am home alone! I pulled myself together, put the test in my purse, and drove to Murphy’s work. The whole time I am driving I am pulling it out and looking at it. Meanwhile I get to work (me and Murph work together) I have to put my bag through a metal detector because we work at a jail and I am freaking out that they can see it on the screen. I walk into Murphy's office and the first thing he says is who let you in with your pocket book Jenn? You know you can't bring those in! I told him I bribed the guy working the metal detector because we were in the same academy together and I would kill him if he didn't let me bring it in. So we sit down and are eating some soup and just talking, and I am shaking like a cold chichihua. Then I take it out of my bag put it on his desk and ask him when we should tell our parents. He flips out and starts getting teary eyes (and blames it on his soup) and just keeps saying how happy he is. We finish our lunch and I have to head home to get ready for work. Murph must have called me about 20 times in 2 hours to check up on me.

At work, I'm not working. I keep looking at the test. I probably looked at it every minute of every hour. I just wanted to take the test out and wave it in the air and show everyone but I was good and controlled myself. Holy crap I am going to be a mother!

Halloween

We love Halloween. We used to live in Salem MA and it is crazy there. The whole month of October is packet with tourists. We still cover our house with pumpkins and decorations and dress up. We even dress up the dogs for when the kids come trick or treating. The kids love it!

Wow I am a bad blogger

Ok I will try to update you on everything that has been going on lately. October 18th was our one year anniversary. We went up to North Conway for 3 nights and stayed in a cute B&B. Here are some pictures, we did alot of hiking and walking around. It was so peaceful and beautiful up there this time of year. We had a great time!

Wow I have been busy

I haven't been on in a while I have been really busy at work. But I found this great find today at a Thrift/Antique store so I wanted to share. $75 can't beat that price!! It is in really good shape.

Risotto, how I love you!

I love risotto and I add anything I have in the house to it!



My favorite Risotto recipe
(makes about 4 servings)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 onion, diced, divided
• 1 pound portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter risotto / 4 tablespoons for scallops
  
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon truffle oil
• 1 cups Arborio rice
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
• A couple pieces of asparagus
• 1 pound of scallops
• 32 oz box of chicken broth, low sodium

Heat the chicken broth in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.

Heat 2 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 onion, cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir quickly until it is well-coated and opaque, 1 minute. This step cooks the starchy coating and prevents the grains from sticking. Stir in wine and cook until it is nearly all evaporated.

Saute mushrooms, in 1 tbsp of olive oil. Saute for 5 minutes until lightly browned, season with salt and pepper. Drizzle in truffle oil then saute 1 minute then remove from heat and set aside.

Lightly season asparagus with salt and pepper. Place in oven on 350 for 25 mins.

Season scallops with salt and pepper and cover scallops with 4 tbsp of butter and place in oven on 350 for 15 minutes. Then broil for 1 minute on each side to lightly brown .

Add 1/2 cup of the warm broth and cook, stirring, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add the remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time. Continue to cook and stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more. The risotto should be slightly firm and creamy, not mushy. Transfer the mushrooms, scallops, and asparagus to the rice mixture. Stir in Parmesan cheese, and two tbsp of butter cook briefly until melted. Top with a drizzle of truffle oil.

My obsession with baby stuff

I have started making my friend some stuff for her son, she is due any day now. I have bought so much fabric and yard, that it is going to take me forever to finish it all. I have crocheted two blankets, made some onsies, and some bibs. I have just started sewing and crocheting so it is going to take me some time to get better.

Spaghetti-corn Relish Salad

Spaghetti-corn Relish Salad (BHG)

Ingredients

• 1 14- to 16- oz. pkg. dried multigrain, whole wheat, or regular spaghetti
• 4 fresh ears of sweet corn, husks and silks removed, or 2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
• 1 small cucumber, seeded and chopped
• 1 small summer squash, chopped
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced ( did not use)
  
• 1 large red sweet pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp. celery seed (did not use)
• Not included in original recipe : 1 package of chicken tenderloins, grilled
  

Directions

1. Cook spaghetti, with 1 tablespoon salt added to water, according to package directions; add sweet corn during the last 3 minutes of pasta cooking time. Use tongs to transfer ears of corn to cutting board. (If using frozen corn, drain with pasta.) Drain spaghetti; rinse in cold water and drain well. Cook chicken on grill until fully cooked and put to the side.

2. Cool corn until easy to handle. Hold corn upright. With fingers away from knife blade and cutting down the length of the corn cob, cut off corn in planks.

3. In large serving bowl combine cooled drained spaghetti, cucumber, squash, onion, celery, sweet pepper, and chicken

4. In jar combine vinegar, oil, sugar, dry mustard, celery seeds, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover; shake well to combine and dissolve sugar. Pour over spaghetti mixture (you do not need to use all of it, I did not); toss to coat. Gently fold in corn planks. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Makes 8 servings.

I love this bedroom

Everything about this room just says calm and relaxing and romantic to me. I saw this on the HGTV website. If you can check it out on there you should. The linens pop great against the color of the wall. I really want my room to look like this!

Hilton Head and Savannah

Shark Week

In honor of Shark week

Murph and his friends scuba dive at least once a week. But they only shark dive once or twice a year. Here are some pictures from last years trip. Their next trip is in 2 weeks! Yikes you won't find me diving with those sharks!!

1st Anniversary Help needed

We are looking to go away for a night or two for our first anniversary. We don't really know where to go. Here are some options we are thinking of:

1. Staying at Hotel Marlowe which offers: Champagne and sweet treat upon arrival in your Deluxe guestroom. $50.00 credit for room service or Bambara restaurant.Extended checkout; relax until 3:00 pm. And we would see a show.

2. Wentworth by the Sea in NH: Breakfast for two at the Wentworth Dining Room, Dinner for two at the Wentworth Dining Room, Bottle of chilled champagne, Complimentary turndown service ,Complimentary late checkout at 2pm .

3. MGM grand at foxwoods for some gambling, a show and dinner.

Creamy Chicken Lasagna

Creamy Chicken Lasagna
(Pleasure Cooker)

12 no-boil lasagna noodles
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package portabella mushrooms ( I used a package of sliced mushrooms)
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 boxes cream cheese (room temperature)
2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 teaspoons Italian seasonings
1 teaspoon garlic salt
ground black pepper
1 jar of Vodka Sauce

Put chicken into water and boil, once boiling cook for 20 minutes (Check chicken to make sure it is cooked), then shred.

Saute mushrooms and onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil until soft, adding garlic at last minute.

In large bowl, combine chicken, veggies, cream cheese, 1 cup mozzarella, italian seasonings, garlic salt and pepper. Dissolve the bouillon cube in 1/4 cup of boiling water, and add to chicken mixture.

Spread 1/3 of sauce in bottom of 9x13 pan, and top with 4 noodles. Spread half of chicken mixture on top, then 1/3 of sauce, then add another layer of 4 noodles, then rest of chicken mixture, then noodles. Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with remaining cup of mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes, then uncover for 20 minutes.

Me

Murph did not tell me that he had the camera and caught me in my daily night swim haha.

I need these now!

I need these curtains and that is all I am going to say. You can find a better picture at http://www.carrierandcompany.com/portfolio/forge_river_guest.php

My new favorite summer scents

This sun and sand is the ultimate summer candle. It smells like sun tan lotion and will remind you of being at the beach and covered in Coppertone suntan lotion.

Beach walk is so good I have this in my kitchen and I love the smell. It has a very clean smell to it.

Midnight cove is my new favorite favorite! It smells so refreshing and I have this in my bedroom and in my car. It makes me think of a summer night in a beach cottage with the windows open.

The Pact

I read this book over the last two days. I thought it was a good read just like most of Jodi Picoult's books. She keeps the stories very interesting and does very good research for her books. I recommend it. Here is the summary.

Chris and Emily, teenagers from two neighbored and very close families, have been as close as siblings since birth, but as teenagers their relationship develops into a romance. When they are seniors in high school, however, both families are called to the hospital: Emily is dead at seventeen from a gunshot to the head, and Chris says the two had intended to carry out a suicide pact.
Every other chapter is a flashback to Emily and Chris's childhood life, leading up to the night of Emily's death. Some scenes include flashbacks on Emily and Chris's life while they were young (best friends) through their teenage years as lovers. It is revealed that, as a result of dare made by Chris to go into a men's restroom, Emily is molested as a child. It is also discovered that she was impregnated by Chris, but she never revealed it to him. It is also revealed in flashbacks that Emily's feeling for Chris were more sisterly, yet she felt pressured to be with him in a romantic way due to the closeness of their families. She also felt uncomfortable having sex or being touched due to the molestation. It was all of these things that made her suicidal.

If we buy a vacation home

It will have stairs that look like this. I absolutely love them and I want them now. These stairs were featured in the Absolutely beautiful things blog. I just think these are so different and would make a beach house pop and it is different from the normal blues and whites you see in a beach house! love it

Raspberry Squares

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 1/4 cups good-quality raspberry jam

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar, then add the egg yolk and mix well. Add the flour and walnuts and blend well, but keep the mixture a bit crumbly.

Put half the mixture into a greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes, and then remove the pan from the oven. Spread the jam evenly over the top, leaving about 1/4-inch from the sides. Crumble the remaining dough evenly over the jam and pat lightly. Bake for another 20 minutes. Do not cut until the dish is cooled. Serve after cooling.

Wagon Wheel Pasta

I needed something different for my July 4th party. I was sick of the same old pasta salad with Mayo. This was really easy to make and I made it the night before. It has alot of cheese in it which I love! It was a big hit and everyone loved it. Don't mind the picture I put it in tupperware the night before.

Wagon Wheel Pasta Salad
(Cara's Craving)
1lb wagon wheel pasta
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 10oz package frozen corn ( I used 2)
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
8oz shredded Mexican-blend cheese
1 1/2 cups salsa
1/2 cup olive oil
3-4 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp cumin
1-2 tsp chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
freshly ground salt & pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 avocado, diced

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a large bowl, combine the black beans, corn, tomatoes, salsa, and cheese. Add the cooled pasta and mix well.

In another bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin and chili powder. Pour over the pasta salad, add the cilantro, and mix well. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

I cooked mine the night before so I added the avocado the next morning.