She has a name!

We've had this name in the back of our minds for a bit while we tossed other names back and forth. 

Anna
Emily
Ava
And so on...

But we just kept going back to...

Addison Grace <3

I love the idea of both of the girls having the same first initial. Since they are sharing a room, I'll be able to DIY some cute A's using ideas that I've found floating around Pinterest like..

{via}
with an A instead of a B, obviously

{via}

thinking a big A in a fun font would be adorable

{via}

except with different colored buttons to match the theme we picked out!

I was going to make the girls matching bedding, but when I saw this matching crib & toddler bed set t I knew I had to have it! I love the bright colors, and I can always just make them light blankets that match.

Aubrey loves it, and we love it. Win/win

We got the crib set up last week. I know it might seem early but I'd really like to get stuff done while I have the motivation for it. Plus, tomorrow is October which means February is 4 months away! I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going. It's so exciting and I can't wait to hold little Addison but at the same time, I know I'm going to miss the heck out of being pregnant since this is our last one.

{18 weeks}

How far along? 18 weeks!
Baby stats: My sweet girl is the size of a sweet potato!  She is yawning and hiccuping. :)

Total weight gain/loss: None since last week
Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: The Snoogle makes sleep amazing.
Best moment this week: Keith & I celebrated 6 years together on Tuesday! 
Miss Anything? Back to missing pumpkin beer.
Movement: Oh yeah
Food cravings:  I could eat breakfast for every meal! French toast and bacon. Mmm
Anything making you queasy or sick: I seem to be doing better this week, knock on wood!

Have you started to show yet: Yes
Gender: GIRL! 
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Heartburn
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :)
Looking forward to: Another ultrasound on Monday!

2,193

2,193.

That's how many days it has been since Keith asked me to be his girlfriend.  Six years to the date. 

Aww, look at the little babies ;)

Of course, it wasn't that simple. I needed some convincing. I had just broken up with my long-term boyfriend, who still wanted me back, and I was a mess. I went back and forth a million times in my head over what to do. Stay with what I knew or venture out into unknown territory. I don't really know why he waited around as long as he did while I pondered. I know damn well that if the roles were reversed I would have been gone in a second. But I'm glad he did.

{getting ready for our first trip! maine, october 2006}

A month after we started dating, he asked me if I wanted to take a week off and make the 4 hour drive up to Maine with him to meet his mom. Right then I knew I made the right decision and that this was the real thing. I said yes in a heartbeat. 

Our relationship moved at a pretty fast pace. Not long after we started dating, he practically lived at my house.. only going home to shower and get ready for work in the morning. Just days after our one year anniversary, we moved into our first apartment.

{my 21st!}

A year after we moved into our apartment, we started looking at engagement rings. We were ready to take the plunge! And then... a month after that... we found out our lives would change drastically in July 2009. We were pregnant!!

{maid of honor at my best friend's wedding. a week later, we found out there are really 3 of us in this picture!}

Things were fast sailing from there. 2009 was our busiest year to date. We got married and welcomed the most beautiful little girl we ever laid eyes on into our lives!

 

{our first dance}

 

{love at first sight}

He's not perfect. Neither am I. But together, we have learned to make it work. He scoops the cat box and I sweep the floors. He makes the pancakes while I dodge bacon grease splatters like my life depended on it. I always leave food in the oven too long, but he prefers his food crispy. He gives me the last bite of his Drumstick.. you know, the last part of the cone where all the chocolate is hiding. He lets me look at all the cute little baby girl clothes for Addison even though he clearly has no interest and would rather poke his eyeballs out with a pitchfork. 

 

I can't wait to see what the next 2,193 days brings.

♥ ♥ ♥

{17 weeks}

So this update is late.. Thursday night was a rough one. I'll explain in a minute. but first..

How far along? 17 weeks
Baby stats: Baby is the size of a turnip! Which makes me want a boiled dinner in the worst way.

Total weight gain/loss: Finally starting to gain some weight! Up 3 pounds since finding out we are expecting
Maternity clothes? Yes 
Stretch marks? Besides the ones from Aubrey, none
Sleep: Good!
Best moment this week: Finding matching bed/crib bedding for the girls!
Miss Anything? Sleeping on my belly
Movement: Flutters. Can't wait for hard kicks that Keith and Aubrey will be able to feel :)
Food cravings: Steak with Catalina dressing
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still gagging over everything..

Have you started to show yet: Yes
Gender: GIRL! 
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Heartburn
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :)
Looking forward to: Seeing baby girl on the ultrasound again!

All day Thursday, I was feeling sick. Mild cramping, headache, nausea, vomiting. I made sure I kept up with my fluid intake and took it easy for most of the day. I really didn't want to call out of work so I went in. By lunch time I was still not feeling better. I called my doctor and let her know what was going on and she told me to go home, drink lots of water, and rest and to call her back if things don't get better. 

I left work and had to pull over twice to get sick. Finally got home and just couldn't keep anything down. Not even water.. so I called my doctor and off to the hospital I went. I got there right before 10pm and didn't end up leaving until 4:30 in the morning.. Within that time I got anti-nausea meds, bloodwork, IV fluids, and an ultrasound to make sure everything with the little ladybug is okay.

Everything is looking perfect in there, turns out it's a bad case of the flu! Ugh. I'm glad that it was just that, though, and nothing more serious. After going through a loss it's hard to not think the worst. The ultrasound tech confirmed that "she" was still a "she" and she was having a dance party while we watched. It was hilarious, but a little unnerving since it was 1:30 in the morning. Hopefully she calms down a bit and learns night from day before she gets to big that I really start feeling kicks and twirls ;)

Copycat Alice Springs Chicken

The last time my hubby and I went to the Outback, he decided to try the Alice Springs chicken. He loves honey mustard, cheese, and bacon. This was the perfect meal!

This was the same night we got a sitter for Aubrey so we could have a couple drinks. We decided to share a pitcher of Sangria. Well.. make that 2. Not because we ordered a second one.. but because the bartender prepared a second one accidentally and gave it to us for free. After my husband declared that he wasn't going to drink anymore after the first pitcher because he had to drive. If you know me, you know that one thing I do NOT let go to waste is alcohol. My best friend jokes that the only time I ever finish a drink when we go out to eat is when there is alcohol in it. Coke and Sprite are lucky if I finish half the glass. So anyway, he decided to "help me out" and have ONE last glass. So I was left to drink the other 3-4 glasses by myself. After I already had 2 from the first pitcher. Yeah. The night didn't end well. 


When I saw the recipe for Alice Springs chicken floating around Pinterest, I knew I had to make it. Up until this pregnancy, I wanted no part of anything honey mustard. Now? I can't get enough of it. I ate so many french fries dipped in honey mustard during my first trimester that I am half convinced this little lady is going to come out looking like a fry.

But anyway, it was so amazing that I had to share the recipe. I tweaked it a little bit with the sauce because I didn't feel like buying honey AND yellow mustard because I would get so much more use out of just a bottle of honey mustard. It came out amazing nonetheless. 

You will need..

• 1-2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded to about 1/2" thick
• Bacon! How much you need depends on how much chicken you are making. I only made 3 breasts and I used about 4-5 pieces of bacon (and of course, I used the infamous Apple Cider bacon in my First Trimester Favorites post)
• 1 cup of honey mustard
• 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
• 2 tsp onion powder
• Seasoning salt
• 2 cups of shredded Colby Jack Cheese
• You can use sliced mushrooms if you'd like. We are part of the he-man mushroom haters club here so we didn't.

Start off by sprinkling your chicken with the seasoning salt. Let it sit in the refrigerator while you prepare your sauce and fry up your bacon (keep the grease in the pan!).

Mix together the honey mustard, mayonnaise, and onion powder in a small bowl (I'm super fancy with my plates and bowls, can't you tell? Wait til you see my dinner plate)

Once the sauce is prepped and the bacon is crispy, cook up the chicken for a few minutes on each side *IN the bacon grease!* plop those bad boys into a casserole dish.

Spread the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle the crumbled bacon on top, and top those suckers with cheese. This is no time to be stingy. Bake at 350 for about half hour until everything looks all gooey and delicious. Don't throw the leftover sauce away! I made that mistake and had to make some extra.

Serve with your favorite sides! I am making this again tonight for my hubby since he is working an extra long day. I am thinking that mashed potatoes and either corn or peas will be on the menu along with it. And yes, as a matter of fact I think I will use my Minnie Mouse plate again.

Now, if someone has a copycat Bloomin' Onion recipe, send that sucker my way.

Best friends means friends forever

A few weeks ago, we celebrated Aubrey's best friend's 3rd birthday and it made me think of how blessed we are to have a certain two girls in our lives.

These two were destined to be best friends from the very beginning. 

Their moms have been best friends since they were drama geeks in the 5th grade who shared an obsession with Leonardo DiCaprio and the Backstreet Boys. 

Not exactly 5th grade or BSB, but whatev.

There is nobody in this world who knows me better than Rachel, and vice versa. We call each other's mothers "mom". We could finish each others' embarrassing dating stories. We used to carry each others' baby pictures around in our wallets. It's that kind of friendship where we don't even have to think twice about if we should tell each other something, no matter how horrible or embarrassing it is. We have no shame in laying in bed eating Ben & Jerry's by the pint and watching Lifetime movies. I'm still trying to figure out how we survived our teen years. She's just that girl that you know you can call when you are having an awful day and she will quote something stupid you said 15 years ago and have you on the floor laughing. The type you can go into David's Bridal with when you're 18 and pretend to be engaged just to try on wedding dresses.

When we lost KRJ, she was the first one to come to the hospital to visit me with my favorite iced coffee in hand and was the first one to make me smile after the worst night of my life. THAT is what a best friend is. Even during the hard times, she is always the first one to call and ask what she can do. She isn't just there during the easy times. She was there when my world came crashing down and I didn't want to ever get out of bed.

March for Babies walk. Team KRJ

We definitely were not planning on getting pregnant at the same time, but it couldn't have turned out any better. Aubrey isn't even 2 months older than Mackenzie. I don't think we could have planned it better if we tried.

I'm hoping that we set that strong foundation for our daughters. For them to have someone to call in the middle of the night when they break up with their boyfriends (many years down the road, of course). To have sleepovers and stay up all night laughing at nothing. To always know they always have a friend, no matter how alone this world may make them feel sometimes.

If they grow up to have half the friendship and history their moms have, they'll be the luckiest girls in the world (and Rachel & I will probably be the most stressed because we know what our teenage years involved, haha).

♥ ♥ ♥