Dining with Dad v.01

Justin and I wanted to start a new series on the blog where he contributes and so this post will hopefully be the first of many. Since my husband pretty much does all of the cooking in the house we decided to call it Dining with Dad. We hope this series is a way for Justin to share things he has cooked or new restaurants he has tried and eventually will include making food for our little girl! Hope you enjoy!

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I have always had a big interest in food. I love trying new things and seeing how different things pair together. I was lucky enough to have parents that let me experiment with things on my own. There were many times that I made a lunch large enough for 5 people, just for myself, and discarded the rest. 

One of the first things I learned to make was doughnuts. Its a super simple recipe, basically taking the canned biscuits and poking a hole in them, frying them up, and covering them in a cinnamon/sugar mixture. I've told Kayleigh a bunch of times how I used to make the best doughnuts when I was a kid, and her only response was "why haven't you made them for me yet?".  This past weekend we finally had all of the ingredients to put it together and I was able to get up a little bit before her and surprise her with some fresh made doughnuts!  It had been years since I had made them so I was pretty much going off of memory so they weren't perfect, but in the end, we didn't have any leftovers. Here are some pics of the process of making them, they are really easy but just be careful around the hot oil.

YUM!! Try them, you wont be disappointed!

28 Week Appointment and Updates

Yesterday I had my 28 week OB appointment. This was the one where I had to have my glucose test. For those of you not aware of what that is (because I had no idea what it meant before I got pregnant) this test measures how well your body can handle sugar because it is possible to get gestational diabetes while you are pregnant. First, you have to drink this nasty sugary fruity drink. This was really hard for me because I don't even like gatorade or any juices like that. I prepared myself for the worst though, and I think that helped. I also plugged my nose while I drank it and I think that helped too. Here is a pic of the drink. I poured it into a cup and drank it in the car as I left work and headed to the doctor's office.

Once I got to the doctor's office they drew my blood. I don't have good veins and they had to draw it out of my hand....hate that! I should get the results before my next appointment. After they drew my blood I had my regular checkup. Everly's heart rate is good but my weight is not. Honestly, I haven't changed anything since last month when I was weighed, but my feet and hands have been swelling up a lot. My doctor said I am retaining a lot of water which causes the swelling and can make my weight gain look pretty high. Seriously my fingers and toes are like sausages and it is becoming more and more difficult to get my wedding rings on and off. All of the shoes I wear now leave imprints on my feet and you can barely see my ankle bones. It is not sexy :(. When my doctor measured me she also said I am measuring at 31 weeks. This could be because of the water retention as well, but just to be sure, next week I have to go in to get an ultrasound to check on Everly's size. I was excited because that means we get another chance to see our little girl! Yesterday I also had to get a shot of RhoGAM in my butt. I am not afraid of needles (I do have a tattoo) however, this shot burns when it goes in. Not fun, but I'm guessing an epidural will be worse! I needed this shot because my blood type is Rh Negative and when exposed to Rh Positive blood (potentially my babies) I can produce antibodies that will fight against it. I will also have to get this shot again after I deliver. Other than that, everything has been going well and I have been feeling fine. Really excited for my ultrasound next week!

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A little splurge!

Honestly, I think both Justin and I have been pretty good about not overspending in preparation for Everly. Considering all of the things that we want, and how much some baby stuff out there costs, we have done pretty good. The most money we have probably spent so far was on our crib and it is from Wal-Mart. We have even been pretty good about not overbuying clothes and shoes even though little girl stuff is sooooo adorable! However, today Petunia Pickle Bottom was having an outlet sale and I couldn't resist. If you don't know what Petunia Pickle Bottom is, check them out here. Seriously, their Cake by Petunia Collection is some of the cutest diaper bags I have ever seen! I had originally registered for a Timi and Leslie diaper bag, which I still love, but it is $140 and I know that it is just not realistic to ask for that...especially when there are other much more important things that we really need. When I saw that Petunia Pickle Bottom was having an outlet sale, I figured it would still be too expensive but I looked anyways. That is when I saw this guy...

It's beautiful, and was on sale for only $55 instead of the original $170 it cost before it became a discontinued style. I was honestly shocked that it was still available. I know that I would probably never find a deal this good again so I just couldn't pass it up. I am so excited to receive this bag in the mail!!!

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Puppysitting!

This past weekend we were watching a cute little puppy named Dexter. Dexter belongs to my niece Hailey, but he really is the Dinslage Family Dog. They were in Nebraska visiting family so we got to steal little Dex. Dexter is a miniature dachsund. He is so cute and such a little cuddler, and since he is part of the hound group he fits in perfectly at our house. We loved having him around.

Just as much as Justin and I loved having Dexter around, our pups Roi and Minnie loved Dexter even more. At first, Dexter was a little shy but not long after he was following their every move. If one of them got off the couch, he followed. If one of them went outside, he followed. When they were play fighting, he just had to get in on the action too...



It wasn't all fighting, though. They got a lot of lounging around and napping in too!

They even enjoyed a little puppy concert...haha!

Dexter left last night and we sure will miss that little guy!

p.s.

Don't forget to vote for us by clicking on the link below and then clicking on the cute little owl on the left! Thanks!!!

27 Weeks and My 25th Birthday

Last Sunday I turned 25! Sorry it took me so long to update. I also entered the third-trimester of my pregnancy. Yay! Two-thirds of the way there! Here is me at 27 weeks...

My birthday was great. We hung out by the pool for a couple of hours and then came home to have burgers with my family and Justin's family. My sister-in-law Carly makes the best turkey burgers ever. They have garlic, spinach, and feta in them and they are so juicy and yummy! It was exactly what I wanted on my birthday...and ice cream cake of course! Here are a few pics from the night!

Even my brother Kory made an appearance!

My sister Kim and little Cam

The Larkins family....thanks to Jared for grilling also!

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Top Baby Blogs!

Justin and I have submitted our blog to be on the top baby blogs website and we just got approved. We are really excited because we found a lot of great blogs through this website. Now we need people to vote for us. You can vote once a day every day and all you have to do is click on any one of the little banners or widgets like these...

Once you click on the link it will take you to the Top Baby Blogs website and you just click the owl on the left where it says click to vote! Thanks! 

Missing Soccer!

I stopped playing soccer after my outdoor season ended in March due to the pregnancy and watching the Women's World Cup is really making me miss it! I probably could have played indoor a little longer than I did, but it is my first pregnancy and last summer I broke my wrist in that league so why take the risk? The outdoor season starts back up again at the end of September and I will be able to start when the second half begins in January! I can't wait to play again and have my husband and little girl on the sidelines! Here is a pic from our last tournament where we got second place! (me standing on the far right)

6 weeks later

After 6 weeks of trying very hard to be patient, Everly's bedding finally arrived. It was custom made from a shop on Etsy called Katie Bug Creativity. It felt like Christmas in July when I was opening that package! I absolutely love how it turned out. It is girly, but not overly so. The fabric is created by designer Joel Dewberry who makes some fantastic prints.

We absolutely love it. It is diffferent than anything you can find in stores right now and that is exactly what we were going for. Can't wait until there is a cute little baby inside this beautiful nursery!

AZ Duststorm

Last night we had a crazy duststorm hit Phoenix. When I first looked outside I thought there was a fire because it looked smoky! Justin went out and got a few pictures because it looked so creepy outside...

4th of July Weekend

Our fourth of July weekend was really great, especially because we really didn't plan anything. It was very nice to have a 3 day weekend where my husband actually had one too. We did some shopping on Saturday and painted a couple of ceramic pieces for Everly's room (will be posted later). Justin got a new suit for the wedding we are attending in NY next month, bought with a coupon of course. We also did some hiking this past weekend with the puppies. They love hiking. Here is a pic from Monday morning's hike with Justin and all 4 dogs!

We really did not have anything planned for 4th of July. After the hike we got a lot of cleaning done, and organized Everly's closet a little better. Justin's sister came over and we had a couple beers in the pool before heading back home to have some brats for dinner with her husband and daughter. It was really yummy, and I must say I enjoyed the leftovers for lunch on Tuesday. Justin's niece, Hailey, brought over some fireworks so before the night was over we headed over to one of the greenbelts in our neighborhood to light them.

 

 

We even had an audience and a grand finale. What would 4th of July be without a little fireworks? Thanks Dinslage Family!

Yay for July!

So glad July is finally here...and not because of the awesome weather we get in AZ in July! There are a lot of things coming up in July, starting with a 3 day weekend with my husband for the 4th of July. I don't think we have had 3 days off together since our wedding/honeymoon. Also, my 25th birthday is on the tenth. Just hearing 25 makes me feel older. My youngest sister turns 16 three days after my birthday and then a week later my brother turns 21.

Lots of baby stuff going on in July as well. I begin my third trimester in July. Yay! Two-thirds of the way there! I also have my glucose test in July to make sure I don't have gestational diabetes. We got notified that Everly's bedding has been shipped and we are super excited to receive it. Can't wait to see how it looks in her nursery.

In July, my sister will also be sending out invitations for my baby shower. That means that I have to get on top of getting my list organized and addresses updated so I can give it to her. The shower will be hosted by family and friends on Saturday, August 20th at my friend, Lindsay Hyzer's house. I remember being really excited for my bridal shower because that meant we were really getting close to the wedding date, and likewise, I am really excited for my baby shower because that means we are getting really close to having Everly arrive.

Also, the sooner July comes and goes the sooner we get to August and I have tons of things to look forward to in August!!!!