35 weeks

September 27

My actual due date is October 4, but since Layla has been head down and fully effaced for 4 weeks, my doc said it's okay to induce a week early. This makes me very happy. Sept 27 would be an awesome day for her to arrive. Chris, Elyse and Naomi were all born on the 27th.  I am, however, not opposed to her arriving earlier than that. I want her to cook until I'm technically full term, 37 weeks (2.6 weeks away), because walking with a head between my legs is getting almost too hard to bear. And you're welcome for the mental image. So if she decides not to come early on her own, I will be a mommy to 2 in 33 days!!

This picture is all you're getting for a "belly shot". Standing and posing isn't my thing at 34 weeks and 105 degrees. Yes, I know I look tired. Layla sucks the life out of me. But that, I, of course, don't mind :)

Pork Chops Marsala

We haven't had pork in I can't remember how long, but when I came across this recipe, I had to make it. It was also delicious. The pork chops are hidden under the mushrooms, but I promise they are there. This recipe was relatively easy. The only part that took long was marinating the mushrooms in the Marsala wine. I thought that I could have marinated the chops overnight, but the recipe didn't call for that. And since I'm still very new to cooking, I do not want to deviate from the instructions. Along with the mushrooms are shallots. I have never had a shallot before, or at least I don't think I have, but they taste just like a sweet onion to me. But then again, my taste buds are off due to this pregnancy.

Arroz Con Pollo

This is my mom's recipe... it is so freaking delicious. I was afraid I would mess it up, but, lo and behold, it tasted almost like hers! Huge success!! I made it to serve 4 so Chris could take left overs to work. He said that the next day it tasted even better, because it was more tender (which I didn't know was possible). Happy Drooling!

My little comforter

I realize that me fake crying to son is not very nice, but he's just so sweet when he thinks I am hurt that I had to capture it on video. I know I've said it before, but he is going to be such a GREAT big brother!

Our little boy!

Nose picking

Josiah loves to make me laugh. Half of the time I laugh at things I should not, because they are bad habits that will get him in trouble in school, or with other parents. Yesterday we were driving to meet a friend for dinner. It was a 30 minute car ride, so I gave him a snack to munch on so he would be pleasant in the car (yes, I'm that mother). I have my rear view mirror angled so I can see him, and the road, don't worry mother. After he was finished with his snack he stuck his finger up his nose and made an awesome face. He's done this once or twice, but it caught me off guard, so I started laughing hysterically. So, naturally, he continued to do this the rest of the car ride. And I laughed each and every time. He started digging around more and changing nostrils. And he did this all because he knew it made me laugh. What a sweetheart! This morning, on the way to daycare, he did it again. I had to make myself not laugh because I don't want him to be the gross kid at school who shows his boogers to his friends then gets in trouble from his teacher. I'm guessing from who his parents and grandparents are, he will get in enough trouble as is.

Mexican Fiesta Salad

This was by far the BEST salad we've eaten in a long freaking time... This was really easy and not too many ingredients. I wouldn't say it was healthy, but I wouldn't say it wasn't.

Nashville Zoo

We went to the zoo for the first time today. It was really fun! We spent about 3 hours there. I was proud of myself for spending 3 hours outside, walking around at 8 months pregnant. Josiah did great too. He ran from exhibit to exhibit without too much whining. There was this awesome play area for little ones that Josiah just went crazy in. He did so many belly flops he was entertaining everyone there. It was pretty awesome. We only took 3 pictures because we are awesome parents like that...

Grilled Salmon and Pineapple Salsa

YUMMY!!! This was good! And easy!

Kitchen Cabinets

Since we're putting our house on the market in January, we have been getting the house ready to sell. Today we finished a huge project... painting the kitchen cabinets. We started on it last weekend and finished it this morning. We are very proud of ourselves!! Surprisingly, it wasn't that difficult, just time consuming. Here are the pics... tell me what you think:

Before

Primed

Painted!!!

It's been 110 degrees in Nashville, so Josiah and I have not been playing outside much. And I'm 7.5 months pregnant which means my body temperature feels like 145 degrees. Today I made a pathetic attempt at creating a fort for Josiah. It was sub par to say the least. But he seemed to like it. Here is a picture of my lame fort... and my adorable son. 

part 4... Black Bean Avacado Wrap

Like I said in my last post, no meat, which is rare for our household. There were a whole lot of ingredients in this recipe so even though there was no meat to cook, it took a good 30 minutes to chop and slice everything. But well worth it. This was friggin delicious too... and healthy (other than the tortilla, next time I'm getting whole wheat tortillas). Chris has said that everything I have made has been incredible, which makes me want to cook for him even more!!

part 3... Boston Blue Chicken Apple Salad

This was yummy yummy yummy!! And very healthy. It didn't require too much work or ingredients either. I've never grilled chicken before so I thought it was going to be hard, but it wasn't. I impressed myself! Tomorrow I'm making a non-meat meal with lots of ingredients, but again, healthy.

Heavy stuff

I have been really torn up about what is happening in Somalia. For those of you who don't know, there is a drought and famine in southern Somalia that has caused the death of over 29,000 children under the age of 5 in 90 days. If you are looking for a good cry you can read about it here, http://news.yahoo.com/us-29-000-somali-children-under-5-dead-104757443.html. Although I will advise you not to because it is just so freaking sad.

There are many things about God I do not understand. And even more things that I know I will never understand, so I try not to think about. This is one of those instances. I do not understand why God will not provide rain to this country. They need water for their crops. And to drink. Why can't he give that to them?? I was talking to Chris about this and he said something that made me feel better. Many times in the Bible Jesus talks about his love for children. All that He says about children leads me to believe that those children who die before they can understand that Jesus died for our sins, go to heaven since they cannot begin to comprehend what that means. Really, how is a one year old supposed to grasp that when they can't go potty on their own? So... Chris said that he believes that those 29,000 children are with Jesus in heaven and that God rescued them from a life on earth where there would be continual famine. They are with Him, laughing, playing and not feeling anymore pain. While it still makes me utterly depressed about Somalia, it is encouraging to know that God does and will take care of His children.

I know I deviated from my "adventures in cooking" and Josiah blogging, but I had to get that off my chest. I will, however, still pray for rain.

part 2... Tin Foil Baked Fish Taco

Tonight I followed the instructions to the T. They call it tin foil baked fish taco because you bake the fish in tin foil with onions and bell peppers, for 10 minutes. So after 10 minutes I took it out of the oven and the fish was still raw. So Chris advised me to bake it for another 10 minutes... still raw. So we took it out of the foil and baked it in the baking dish on top of the veggies for 10 minutes. Finally it was cooked through and looked delicious... and tasted great too! The presentation isn't great, but that will come with time.

Adventures in Cooking... part 1

2 weeks ago I decided I am going to start cooking dinner for Chris 3 or 4 nights a week. He has been the cook in the family for the last 3.75 years, so I figure it's my turn. And I want Chris to be able to come home, relax and spend quality time with Josiah, instead of figuring out what to cook.
I have been tearing out recipes from magazines, borrowing them from yahoo.com, and stealing them from my mother. Since Chris is lactose intolerant I have to really look at the ingredients to make sure he won't get sick from it, and that I can actually cook it. Tonight I started with Chicken Parmesan. Even though he's lactose intolerant, there was only 1 tbsp of Parmesan, so I figured it would be okay for him to eat. Here's how it turned out :) I am very proud of myself. And it tasted just as yummy!! Tomorrow night, Talapia!

10 years...

I can't believe I forgot to mention that when we were in Denver 3 weeks ago, I hung out with one of my very best friends from high school, Sarah (Protzman) Howlett. And I got to meet her Irish husband! Sarah and I have been writing actual letters (for those of you who don't know what that is, it's when a real pen meets a piece of paper) since we graduated HS. She went to college in Missouri and I stayed in Texas. Then she moved to Colorado after college, lived in New York for 3 years, then back to Colorado. Her parents moved to Colorado soon after we graduated HS, so she didn't have a reason to visit Dallas anymore. She is very special to me and I am so glad I got to see her beautiful face for 2 days.