Round Two: 22 Weeks +

The best part of being pregnant has arrived! Feeling all those kicks inside AND out! Even so much that we are starting to see them. This little lady is just as stubborn as Sloane was and will be kicking up a storm but the minute Dad puts his hand on my stomach.....radio silence! So I thought maybe I could just show Chris and put my phone on my stomach and let him see the phone move. His reply..... "Get that cancer stick off my unborn child!@"  haha, oh the love!

We are getting closer to a name, handful of first names and handful of middle names just need to figure out what we like best together!

Otherwise, feeling great, hips still bother me and when I finally get my act together I'll actually schedule an appointment with the chiropractor! Or get a massage... or both!

'Tis the Season

So here is most of December wrapped in one sugar packed post! In the beginning of December Sloane and I made a weekend trip to Nana and Papa's. St Nick comes in the night of December 5th and he definitely found our lucky lady! She also scored a new Christmas shirt, PJ's and cookies from Nana because St. Nick told her she has been a very good girl this year. 

And what holiday is complete with out making cookies? Sloane just read a book about the gingerbread man and was super excited to make gingerbread men and ginger-deer as we're calling them! She had so much fun getting covered in flour and cutting the cookies. 

Sunday I have the pleasure of co-hosting a  Baby "Sprinkle" for my good friend Gini. A sprinkle is a little shower for baby number two. Doesn't she look fabulous!? We were hoping her water would break right at lunch :) No luck. Baby just needed another 11 days! Her and her husband and big brother Nolan welcomed Cody Dean on December 18th! 

here is my co-host Sarah and I with the Mama-to-be

And here  are the decorations, little winter wonderland touches and cookie sprinkles as favors so we could SPRINKLE Cody with love ;) 

If you don't have enough of a sugar rush by now you will after these pictures. The following weekend we attended our friends annual cookie exchange. Rewind 5 years and this was a cookie bake where we all made the cookies right there. Fast Forward to these pictures and you'll see why we now just bring cookies to exchange and let the kiddos decorate sugar cookies :)

 This led to a major crash once we got in the car to go home. SO. MUCH. SUGAR!

Of course, what is this season without Christmas lights?! Sloane was crazy about lights this year... so much fun!!

Round Two: Be But Little!

Though she be but little, She is Fierce! ~ William Shakespeare

That's right, round two goes to the ladies! We are thrilled and blessed to be adding another little princess to the family! Neither Chris nor I know what's in store for a sister to sister relationship but are eager to find out!

From the very beginning this little one has been a mover and she proved no different during the ultrasound. She was moving the entire time and didn't make it easy for the tech to get some good pictures. Like I've been saying, this is going to be our real wild child! We lucked out on a few good shots and because of all the moving and grooving we got to see a 3D and 4D picture. We never had that with Sloane, so that was fun.

My favorite part though was when the tech told us we were having another girl (I caught her slip twice before the official announcement) and was pointing out her parts. Chris shot up out of the chair and was about 10" from the screen like he could read it and was going to prove her wrong. He couldn't quite believe it and really, neither could I.  I was so sure it was a boy, more so than I was "sure" Sloane would be a boy too. I guess that's my tell. No names yet. I long list of likes, but nothing we've even talked about yet.

After the appointment we met up with family for dinner to share the news. We grabbed a few pink frosted cupcakes and gave them each one while their eyes were closed.

For the fun of it, here's my bumpage from week 10 to week 20!

Round Two: 20 Weeks +

Cheers to halfway! I've heard people say it all the time, but this is seriously flying by. With all the planning and stress over moving, selling the house, adjusting to being a stay at home mom and looking for and interviewing for a new job I've kind of forgot at times that I'm pregnant. Then my little gummy bear gives me a swift kick back into reality... literally!

We got the opportunity to meet with our new doctor and were very pleased to hear his opinion on VBAC's (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean). We (most I) feared he would feel the risk was greater than the doctors in IL made it out to be, but was pleasantly surprised to hear roughly the same view. The biggest detail to get this rolling is that I will need to go into labor naturally, there can be no induction or we run a much higher risk of my uterus bursting. Your're welcome for the visual!

The doctor is also all for me checking out a chiropractor to help with my SI Joint pain. That's next on my list, along with finding a certified person to encapsulate my placenta. Yes, that means what you think it means, my placenta will be dried and encapsulated into pills for me to ingest. Take that for what it is, more details on that later.

Here's the belly at 20 weeks, getting nice and big, especially in part to a Thanksgiving feast! 

Round Two: 18 Weeks +

The last 2-3 weeks have gone by so fast, further adding to my absentmindedness about being pregnant. My hips made it through the move, but when we discovered we didn't have a microwave I nearly died not being able to heat up my heating pad. It's all good thanks to Auntie J and the extra microwave she had lying around :) My 20 week appointment is scheduled for Dec 3rd and we'll be having our anatomy scan the same day!  So excited to see if our next addition to the family will be a boy or girl! Sloane's vote still weighs heavy on the baby sister side. I however still imagine a little boy in there and have caught myself talking to and calling "him" my little man.  On the other hand, I'm carrying very similar to Sloane and uber, super high and wide. I also had dreams with Sloane about her being a boy, and we all know how that turned out... so... who knows!? 2 weeks and counting down! Can't wait!

The Big Move

Moving Day! Being pregnant, moving day felt like it flew by. All of my work (packing) happened prior to Friday, November 7th. The movers showed up around 10am and Sloane and I hit the road by 11am to leave Chris and the movers to hard stuff. Our mission was to get up to Point and get the keys to our new place, a two bedroom duplex in Wisconsin Rapids. Everything went fairly smooth, we did run into a small snag, being not everything fit on the truck! So all the stress really ended up on Chris as he had to go rent an additional truck, pack it up, leave his car down in Illinois and drive up that night.

Saturday, move-in day, also went pretty well. Having the additional truck really helped with moving large furniture like our dining tables, office desk and other miscellaneous stuff to the storage unit. I again was not allowed to really do anything, so I mostly walked around and pointed at where I wanted things. Mucho big thanks to our parents and Uncle Pat who were also there to help take care of Sloane, bring us all food for lunch and dinner, and help build our beds and storage shelves back up. The next day Chris left at 7:30am with his Mom to drive back down to Illinois to bring the truck back in and pick up his car. Talk about being tired!

Lastly, in our good ol' family tradition, Chris left on Monday for a week long work trip in Indy. So Sloane and I got to work unpacking, organizing and spending time together. Another big thank you to all our family and friends that came to visit that first week and bring us some grub. It was a huge help!

Packing up in Illinois

At some point Friday morning we were fully dressed to drive back to Wisconsin, but someone started to strip down in front of the movers in favor of pajamas. Hint: It was not myself or Chris! 

I like to think this picture is because she was sad to be leaving but mostly she's sad because Mom was bawling her eyes out in the front seat. She kept asking me what was wrong, and when I told her I was sad to move away from here, she told me it would be okay because Grandma would be so happy to see me. True words Sloane. True words.

Unpacking at the duplex in her Badger gear ;)

 Discovering if she moves her stool over by the dresser she can see the train that sounds its horn a good three or four times a day. It was fun and cute the first day...

Farewell Food Tour: Final Stop - Hop, Scotch & Vine

Our final food tour stop was the most fitting as it was our/my first new restaurant we tried when moving down to Plainfield.  I knew there was a "cute" downtown and figured there would have to be something to eat down there. We drove down the road, saw Hop, Scotch & Vine, and thought... why not! Well that turned out to be a great decision! I would say we probably ordered from HSV a good three or four times in the first month we moved here. I say ordered because Sloane was only 4 months and too much work to go out to eat with so Chris would go pick it up and bring it home. Our favorites were hands down the stuffed burgers that were very "Juicy Lucy-esque".  We would split a Jalapeno stuffed and Blue Cheese stuffed and when I was feeling naughty I would get stuffed mushrooms, there were easily the size of a baseball and the stuffing was crazy tasty. Then they had to go ahead and add a sweet thai chili sauce for dipping. Heaven! Defiantly going to miss those :(

Halloween 2014: Ballerina

Just a few days (weeks) late on this post! Can you blame us? Moving day was less than a week after Halloween and we had some work and packing to do!  We did though have time to enjoy trick-or-treat, even though is was EXTREMELY cold and 20+mph winds! Sloane really stepped up her game this year, she walked up to the houses all by herself and even though we couldn't get a "trick or treat" out of her, she was sweet and would say "Happy Halloween" instead. Maybe next year we'll get the whole package.  I'm sure if the weather was better she would have gone much longer but she did have  fun passing out candy back home with Dad and Grandpa.

Farewell Food Tour: Pappaduex

Pappaduex will certainly be one of our most missed restaurants. This one was a ways away from where we lived, but always well worth the drive. Chris originally heard about this place from a co-worker and with our love of seafood and cajun we had to go. This was also the only place we have found in the area that serves boudin. That's the sausage looking ditty below. It's a mixture of dirty rice, spices and sausage stuffed into a sausage casing. It looks like a solid sausage but is actually more soft and rice like inside. Super flavorful and delish!

Our last trip there Chris and I both tried some different dishes (me, because I'm pregnant and couldn't take anymore heavy greasy food and Chris, because that's just what he does). I had the Ginger Salmon which was AHHHmazing and Chris had a tilapia and seafood/caper sauce concoction. Also, uber yummy! 

Farewell Food Tour: Crosstown

Honey Sriracha Naked Tenders with Wasabi Ranch. Thats really about all I can say.

Okay, just kidding I've got more to say! Crosstown was a favorite lunch spot for me and my designer girls. Only thing that would make Crosstown's wings and sauce/rub selections better would have been a beer.... Which we sadly could never have during the lunch hour :(  I'll miss my ladies and all the laughs and good eats!

Farewell Food Tour: Houlihans

So Houlihans isn't exactly the usual restaurant on our typical food tour, but this one was more for me and the fun memories. There used to be a Houlihans attached to the mall in my hometown and I have good memories of shopping with my mom and stopping only for lunch at Houlihans. Our favorite then, and still to this day... So Cal Fish Tacos! Imagine my disappointment when Houlihans left the mall, and then my excitement when I moved 10 minutes from one! So yeah, had to be on the Farewell Tour...

Another great memory was meeting my good friend Vic there for happy hour. $5 Liter Long Islands and Chicken Chipotle Nachos. Now they looked much prettier all loaded up on a platter than they do here in a takeout container but really it all ended up looking like the second picture anyway, so who cares!

Round Two: 16 Weeks +

It's official, I look pregnant. This week I had multiple people in my yoga class mention I'm finally showing. Obviously they haven't noticed the 10lbs I've packed on already. Cripes! Just. Keeps. Growing. No other new and exciting news. We are under one week to moving day. Stress is at an uber high which essentially means I cry all the time. So, so sorry Chris!  On the plus side I have been feeling the first flutters and movements from our little gummy bear. It happens almost always at night as I lay down for bed. Love those little flutters. 

As a side bar, when I think about our little gummy bear I imagine a baby boy, snuggling my little man and dressing him up all handsome, but I have strong feelings it's a girl. With Sloane I had strong feelings and dreams it was a boy... so... try explaining that one! Heart rate at 12 weeks was 160 bpm (Girl) and at 16 weeks it was 164 bpm (Girl). This was my last appointment with the doctor here in Illinois and the big 20 week will be our first when we get back to Wisconsin! What do you think our little gummy bear will be? Boy or Girl?

Side bar: Happy Halloween! 

Farewell Food Tour: Nothing Bundt Cake

Well... this is where Chris and I cheated on our Farewell Food Tour. We said once we've gone to a place, we could never go again. Well.... Chris shouldn't have had a birthday then! 

Our bad!... or not...

Nothing Bundt Cake is just that, nothing but bundt cakes, and believe me when I say they are the most moist delish little cakes you will ever put in your mouth! Red Velvet, Double Chocolate Chip and Carrot Cake were out favorites. 

Farewell Food Tour: Moe Joe's

There are many wonderful cajun restaurants we went to down in Illinois, but Moe Joe's due to proximity was defiantly frequented the most by us. When we needed a fix of jambalaya, étouffée, gumbo or blackened catfish poboy... we were there. The bonus was a little kiddo re-sale shop across the street that I had lots of good luck at including some new boots for Sloane, hence the bag hanging from her arm! We shall miss you Moe Joe's!

Farewell Food Tour: Frank's, Tischlers & Portillo's

Let's talk about meat next!  Born and raised in Wisconsin we are brat kind of people, but when in Chicago... the hotdog rules... most of the time ;)

Frank's Night Out

Twenty plus combinations of hotdogs. Everything from your basic chili dog and Chicago dog, all the way to the Notorious P.I.G. That's the bad boy in the middle, a bacon wrapped vienna beef hot dog covered in pulled pork, mac-n-cheese and topped with jalapeños. Heart attack sending you to Heaven!

Tischlers

Then there is the local meat market, Tischlers.  Delicious recipe for their hot wings and our regular, a killer giardiniera brat and blue cheese brat with large chunks of goodness inside. We are however pretty excited to be back near the Stevens Point market, Ski's... dear Bloody Mary brat... we're coming for you!

Portillo's

Lastly on the meat train. If you're not having a Chicago Style Hotdog you're having an Italian Beef. And if you're looking for a sloppy mess of goodness, have it dipped! Dear IL Co-workers... please ship me Portillo's italian beef for Christmas! Thanks in advance!