Goodbye 20's..

Hello 30's! Yep, today is my 30th Birthday. eeeeeek!

For my 30th Birthday I always thought I'd be getting away for the weekend, going out & drinking like I'm 21 again. But I can honestly say I would soooo much rather be doing what I'm doing today .. going to get a pedi/mani after work, going out to dinner with Dan, and then chilling at home with Dan and the dogs. Sounds like a perfect Birthday.

My co-workers made me one of my favorite desserts - funfetti cupcakes! Come on, you know the stuff:

It's like I'm 30, going on 12. :)

Besides it being my Birthday there isn't much else going on right now. I've been getting some horrible sinus headaches, so if anyone has any remedies I'll take them! Work is still super busy, and I need to get my butt out there and do some Christmas shopping. We have two parties to go to tomorrow, my work party next Wednesday, Chargers game next Thursday, and then we're off to see my girlfriends and parents for the weekend.. and then it's Christmas! So much coming up.. so little time to shop.

Oh, and a confession.. we have yet to put up any Christmas decorations. GASP! This is unheard of for me. Usually by now the tree is up, the lights, the decorations.. the whole nine. We're just not going to be home much the rest of the month, and we're spending Christmas up at Dan's parent's place. Next year will be the babies first Christmas though.. spent at home. We'll definitely go all out to make it special. :)

Happy Friday everyone!

NT Scan

Can you believe I'm 13 weeks???? Well, technically they pushed my due date back two days to June 15th, so I guess I'm really 13 weeks on Wednesday. Close enough. :)

We had our NT scan last week and it was SO cool! We got to look at the babies for about an hour.. we saw their spines, their brains, their itty bitty feet and hands. They moved around a lot which was really neat to watch. Baby A was especially wiggly. Constantly kicking his/her feet and moving their arms around.

No guess on the sex of the babies, but that's o.k.. we got really good results from the scan and the blood work I had done the week before. 1 in 34,000 risk for down syndrome, 1 in 100,000 risk for trisomy 18. YAY!

All is well with the babies, and all is well with me. Besides some nausea throughout the night recently, I'm feeling pretty good. Getting exhausted around 2:00 or 3:00 every day, but still managing to stay awake until 10:00 each night. The belly is getting bigger. I think I still just look fat, but it's hard and I can't suck it in. So weird!

I'm soooo excited to be officially out of first tri in just a few days. I'll leave you with some showing off of the babies :)

Baby A (our little wiggle worm):

And Baby B:

Happy Thanksgiving!!

uuuuuugh. I continue to suck at blogging lately. Here's some randomness to catch you up on what's going on with me..

.. the babies are both doing fine. I had a little scare Monday morning when I woke up to cramping and some spotting, but an u/s in the afternoon confirmed everything looks great! My little gummy bears are starting to look like babies!

.. Monday's appointment was also our first official OB visit! Everything went well, minus the weigh-in. After noticing I was gaining a few lbs with each injectable cycle, I just stopped weighing myself altogether. So, to say I was unhappy with the # would be a complete understatement. Oh well.. I guess I should get used to that for the next 6 months.

.. Work has been craaaaazy busy. Yuck.

.. My sister, brother-in-law and nephew are flying in from Oklahoma in a few hours, and I can't wait!!! This will only be the 2nd time I've seen my nephew, so I can't wait to get some sweet snuggles in with him. :) We're doing Thanksgiving at my house so this past week I've been busy planning, grocery shopping, and cleaning. It will all be worth it tomorrow when I'm sitting down for some turducken with my family.

This year I'm feeling particularly extra thankful.. for an obvious reason. I hope everyone out there in blog-land is feeling thankful as well. Have a wonderful holiday tomorrow, and don't forget to wear your stretchy pants! :)

Thankful Thursday

Geez, I'm getting really bad at blogging lately. This time of year starts getting really busy.. both at work and at home. Or maybe I just don't have anything really interesting to say. haha!

Anyways, I can't pass up Thankful Thursday because there's a lot to be thankful for right now..

..I reached the 10 week mark this week! Just a few more weeks until I'm officially out of first tri. :)

..We have our first OB visit on Monday, and our NT scan scheduled for 12/1. Can't wait!

..Rainy weather in the forecast for the weekend. I love when I'm at home and it's raining outside. We don't really have plans, so it should be a relaxing weekend at home. Probably the last one before the busy holiday season starts. I'm pretty sure after this weekend we have something going on every weekend until after Christmas. phew!

..the $1 bins at Target. LOVE. I don't know if it's just me, but I think every single item in the $1 bin is some sort of steal. $1 beach ball? Score! $1 coupon organizer? Score!

...My early bday gift from Dan. He bought me this official Chargers helmet and then waited in two longs lines on the same day to get an autograph from Antonio Gates and Ryan Matthews. All this from a 49'ers fan! Love him :)

Isn't it puuuurdy? It's the actual, real deal helmet that the Charger players wear on the field. So cool. You might think it's an odd Birthday gift for girl, but I love the Chargers and this will be something we can pass on to our kids some day. I totally have a Chargers themed 30th Birthday, since my other gift were the tickets we bought to the December 16th game against Dan's 49'ers!

Hope everyone is feeling thankful today.. it is in fact exactly one week until Thanksgiving!!!

Thankful Thursday.. a day late

Even though it's Friday, I just couldn't pass up Thankful Thursday.. here's why:

We've got gummi bears!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Aren't they already so cute? hehe.

The u/s on Wednesday went great. It was such a relief to see those 2 babies pop up on the screen, and then I reeeally let out a sigh of relief when the tech measured their heartbeats.. 171 each! Now if I'm starting to think of the old wives tales, that would mean we might have 2 girls cookin'! I would be thrilled.. but then of course I'd be thrilled with one of each, or 2 boys.

We officially graduated to my OB, too! It was bittersweet since I've really grown to love my RE, his nurse, and the office staff. The good thing is they're literally down the hall from the OB, so I can stop by and visit whenever I want. yay!

I have my first visit with my OB on the 22nd, and I'll be calling her nurse today to schedule the NT scan. I can't wait!

I've been floating on clouds since Wednesday, and I went out and bought myself 2 pairs of maternity jeans. They're HEAVEN. Although they slip down a bit when I walk. I think I need a bigger belly to hold them up. Soon enough, soon enough.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Happy Friday!!!

9 weeks!

I've been slackin' on my bloggin'. I know. This past week I've been so busy at work, and feeling icky when I get home. So, blogging went on the back burner.

I'm officially 9 weeks today! Still feeling pretty good.. the same random nausea and some food aversions, but still considering myself pretty lucky at this point.

Our next u/s is this Wednesday and I CAN NOT WAIT. I seriously wish it was today. I'm just so anxious to see the babies again and to make sure they're growing strong. I have all the usual what ifs running through my head and I know they won't be calmed until I see those babes.

And guess what? Once we get through the next hurdle of the u/s, I'll be one month away from 2nd tri! YIPPEEEE!

Dan and I had a nice weekend .. we had a little date Friday night when we went and had dinner at a Mexican restaurant and then browsed Barnes & Noble afterwards. Saturday we took our long walk downtown with the dogs.. walking through the farmers market and stopping for some clam chowder by the water. Yesterday after watching my Chargers win (YAY!) we took a drive to Julian.

Julian is a little town about one hour from our house. In just that short drive you go from a big city, to the country. The drive out there is beautiful, and the town is adorable. People riding in horse carriages, antique shops, and of course their specialty.. apple pie! And another little fun fact for you about Julian.. Dan and I were camping there for the weekend when we said I love you to each other for the first time. We don't need to get into who said it first.. haha.. minor details, right? :)

We stopped at a farmers market on the way in.. sampling hot apple cider and browsing antiques. Then when we got to downtown Julian we had some good bbq for lunch and then waited in a loooooong line to bring home a fresh apple pie. Seriously, the line is LONG. But it's totally worth it.. check this out:

And trust me.. this picture doesn't do it justice. Soooo tastey. 

So, that was my weekend.. Hope everyone else had a great weekend too!

8 weeks!

As of today I'm officially 8 weeks along. Woohoo!

No belly pics yet, but my jeans are way too snug to wear without a belly band. And honestly, I'm not a huge fan of the belly band. I have to adjust it every time I sit down and stand up again. It's annoying. I'm actually really looking forward to buying some real maternity jeans.. I have a feeling that's just a few weeks away. Eek!

Still feeling pretty good. The bouts of nausea are coming on more often, but it's nothing too horrendous. As for food aversions, sometimes the sound of anything with meat sounds disgusting, and now I can't stomach scrambled eggs. boo. I'm still considering myself lucky though, since I know it could be a whole lot worse.

I'm soooo looking forward to seeing the babies again next Wednesday. I'll be about 9 1/2 weeks, so I'm hoping they look more like babies this time. :) I'm a little anxious, because I just want to know everything still looks good and they're growing nice and strong.

Oh yeah.. happy (late) Halloween everyone! We had a low key Halloween. My parents were here for the weekend so we went to breakfast with them at one of our favorite breakfast spots. They have THE best bloody mary's, so I had a virgin, and then realized I couldn't stomach the omelet that Dan & I always share. boo. We watched football, and carved pumpkins.. after my parents left we got pizza (a Halloween tradition), watched the World Series game, and passed out candy. I was a little bummed that we only had a handful of trick-or-treaters.. Dan on the other hand was very pleased with the huge bowl of chocolate that was leftover. haha.

Hope everyone had a great weekend, and a happy Halloween!

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for..

Cheerios! I've got a morning routing going now where I eat a bowl of honey nut cheerios right when I get out of the shower. I've been waking up feeling staaaarving, and I found if I don't eat something I feel sick.

I'm also thankful for my parents coming to visit this weekend. I'm excited to see them.. but I'm also excited because they're bringing my favorite spaghetti for lunch - Vince's!!!!!!!!! It's a place I grew up on, and they make the best spaghetti.. hands down. I've been craving it like crazy this week! Mmmmm. I'm drooling just thinking about it.

I promise I'm thankful for more than just food today. Of course I'm thankful to still be pregnant. I hope I can continue being thankful for that until at least May of next year. :)

Lastly, I have two good e-friends who are doing their transfers, for their IVF cycles, this week. One today, and the other on Saturday. Please send some good thoughts and positive vibes their way. Hopefully we'll be celebrating their pregnancies in just a couple of weeks.. and maybe I'll have a couple more friends to join me in the twin club. :)

Enjoy your Thursday.. just one more day to go until the weekend!

7 weeks (& 1 day)

Oops.. I'm a day late, but as of yesterday I'm 7 weeks! I still feel like time is dragging and I wish first tri had a fast forward button.

I had a bit of a scare this past Friday night. When I went to the bathroom and wiped, I was spotting, and it was light pink. I wiped a few more times..same thing. I started freaking out, but luckily my best friend, who was visiting for the weekend, was able to calm me down and reassure me that everything was fine. Of course I had horrible nightmares all night about losing the babies. :(

I woke up Saturday morning to just a little bit of brown spotting, and that was the end of it. My cramps seemed to get worse over the weekend though, so I was still worried. I called my doc yesterday and he assured me that the cramps are normal, and the spotting is probably caused by my progesterone suppositories.

So, I'm breathing a little easier, but I'm still nervous. That's normal, right?

I'm still thanking my lucky stars that I feel pretty good. I'm getting more nauseous, more frequently, but nothing crazy. My wonderful Sister sent me a pregnancy package, equipped with life savers & sea bands, to help with the nausea. And they work! Those were just 2 things among many, many things that she sent me. I'm so lucky. :) Thank you, Brooke!!

That's all that's going on with me in pregnancy land! Hope everyone is having a good start to the week. Is it Friday yet?

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for...

We're having twins!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The ultrasound tech was looking around, but not saying anything.. so of course my mind is going wild with thoughts of no baby found. And then she says "there's two babies" (calm as can be). She turned the screen towards me and there they were!

I looked over at Dan and the look on his face was absolutely priceless. A combination of shock & pure joy. I'm sure I had the same look on my face. :)

You could have fooled me that there's actually two babies in those sacs, because for the life of me, I can't see them. But they got the heartbeat for each baby.. 118 & 122. And we could see the tiniest of flickers.

We met with my doctor afterwards and he said everything looks great. He also said it's too soon to determine whether they're fraternal or identical. Given the fact that we had multiple eggs when we did the IUI, I'm going with fraternal. I'm also not going to lie.. when I think about identical twins this is all I see..

AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!! Of course if I have identical twins I'll love them like crazy. You have to admit though, they're SO creepy, right?

My next u/s is in three weeks. Until then I'm going to sit back and attempt to let this all soak in...

Today's the day! (& I think I'm going to have a heart attack)

No joke. I don't think I've ever felt so nervous in my entire life.

Dan woke up this morning and said "today's the day we meet our baby!!!" ..and all I can do is think of the worst case scenario. We get the u/s and find out there's no baby, or no heartbeat. I know, I know.. these are awful things to think about.

I guess after being disappointed month after month you sort of get used to bad news, and you almost come to expect the bad news.

But I'm trying to block out those bad thoughts today and think positive thoughts. And course I'm counting down the hours & minutes until our appointment. As of right now I have a little over 6 hours.

Please please please let everything go o.k. If you've got any spare good thoughts to send my way, I'll be happy to take them. I need all the positive thinking I can take! :)

6 Weeks

I'm officially at the 6 week mark today. Woot!! It's starting to sink in a bit more, but I don't think I'll fully accept it until we hear or see that heartbeat on Wednesday. I can't wait!

Still no crazy symptoms to speak of. Saturday I woke up at 4:00 a.m. feeling really nauseous, but other than that, some stomach "issues" and some acid reflux, I'm feelin' good. I think that's why it's hard for me to accept that I'm pregnant!

I got my last beta results this past Friday. Remember, one week prior to that I had a beta of 586. So, I did the math and figured I'd be really happy with anything around 7,000.

Actual beta... 13,373!!!!!

To quote my RE, "I don't think you're octo-mom, but there's a chance there's more than one in there". EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!

I mean, I can't be too shocked to find out we have twins. I had 3-4 follies at the time of our IUI, so we knew going in to it that it could happen. I guess you just don't think it will actually happen after two years of failing to conceive ONE baby. There's no guarantee of course until this Wednesday's ultrasound. I might just have one super strong baby in there. I would be THRILLED.

Don't get me wrong. If we had twins, I'd feel equally happy & blessed... but I'm not gonna lie, I'd be scared. Nervous about their health, my health, and of course how we would afford two of everything.. double the stuff, no biggie, but double the daycare? Yowzers. Dan just tells me we'll figure it out one way or another, so I'm trusting in that. I'm not letting myself get worked up over something that's not a reality yet, so I'm still assuming there's one bean in me and we'll get some conclusive results on Wednesday!

In other, non-related, news.. the Chargers are KILLING me this year. First we lost to the Raiders, and then the Rams yesterday?? I totally feel like the kid in this video. If you're a football fan you'll appreciate this kids passion for the game.

This was after the Chargers lost to the Raiders last week..
click here

Grandpa Tom

I'm skipping Foodie Friday again this week for two reasons.. 1) I've been eating like a 5 year old this week, and 2) I need to pay tribute to my late Grandpa Tom, who passed away 10/12/2002.

First I have to tell you how amazing he was. He was born & raised in Canada, loved hockey, and eventually he served in WWII. He married my Grandma, and they had five kids.. one boy, four daughters. When my Mom was about 12 years old my Grandma left my Grandpa for another man.. something unheard of back then. She picked up and moved away from the whole family, leaving my Grandpa to finish raising the kids. Talk about a role reversal. He dated, but never remarried. His family was always his top priority in life.

And then of course his grandchildren came into his life, and I can't imagine someone ever beating him at the title of "World's Best Grandpa". He was just that.. the BEST. When I was born he let my Mom, Dad, Sister and myself, move into his house while he moved into his detached garage that he turned into a bedroom.

Later on when we moved into our own house about an hour away from him my Sister and I would stay with him for days at a time, during the Summer. We would go through his closet, playing dress up with his shirts, hats and glasses. Then we would put on a Beatles record and pretend we were them. He would go through his wallet, pulling out any ripped or crinkled one dollar bills, and tell us we can have them because they're in bad shape. We would make trips to the local mall, always getting some ice cream or licorice, and always stopping to pick out some candy. And he could make us laugh, and laugh aaand laugh. He would sing us silly songs, this one being my favorite...

Jean, Jean, made a machine
Joe, Joe, made it go
Art, Art layed a fart
And blew the bloody thing apart!

My Grandpa was a great artist, and also a great craftsman. Every year when it was my Sister's birthday, I would get a Happy Un-Birthday card that he drew himself..always with some sort of silly illustration. And he'd do the same for my Sister when it was my birthday. He built us each a beautiful dollhouse.. something I still have, sitting in my living room. He also built us a tree house in his backyard, and a playhouse in our backyard.

Almost every Sunday he would come to our house, usually with a pie. I'd get my roller skates on and he would hold my hand & run with me from the top of our street, all the way down.. me rolling with laughter from the tickling vibration of the asphalt under my feet. Dinner in the evening would usually consist of one of his faves.. my Mom's tacos, or his famous baked mac n' cheese, or stew.

I could go on & on & on about my Grandpa Tom. What a wonderful Grandfather he was, and all the great memories I have of him. I had a special bond with my Grandpa Tom, and he was always my favorite person, and my biggest hero.

Grandpa Tom,
First off, let me tell you how much I miss you. I don't think I can even put it into words. I think about you every day, and it's weird.. it puts a smile on my face, but tears in my eyes. I often have dreams about you..but maybe you already knew that? In most of them we're holding hands and walking, both of knowing it's just borrowed time before I wake up and have to say goodbye again. I love waking up in the morning, remembering those dreams. It brings you to life again, even if it's just for a quick moment in my sleep.

I wish you would have had the chance to meet Dan. I think you would have loved him. And guess what, Grandpa? It took awhile, but I'm pregnant. If it's a boy he'll take your name as his middle name (don't worry, I won't give him your middle name of Ambrose.. I know how much you hated it). And someday I'll tell him or her about you.. their Great-Grandpa they didn't get the chance to meet. I can't wait to tell them stories about you, and make them feel as if they know you, even if you never met.

I miss you dearly, Grandpa Tom. Please visit me often in my dreams.

Love,
Lauren

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm feeling thankful for...

..still being pregnant. I'm 5 weeks 3 days, with no morning sickness or exhaustion to speak of. I almost wish I'd feel like crap to reassure me, but since I've heard most people don't experience these symptoms until 6 weeks, I'll probably be eating my words soon.

..waking up to the rain at 4:45 this morning. Normally I'd be pissed to wake up so early, but I LOVE listening to the rain on the roof & windows. I'm so ready for some more rainy weather!

..my hubby. He picked me up from work the other day (we carpool) & had these for me:

Aren't they puuuuurdy? They had a note attached that said "Congratulations Future Mom!" hehe. He's so cute, and I'm so thankful to have him as my husband. I can't wait to see how he is when he's a Daddy. :)

Something to make you smile

If you love the Old Spice commercials & Sesame Street as much as I do, you'll love this...

Click Here

Happy Wednesday!!!!!

So much stupid

Ok, so we all know there are a lot of really ignorant people out there. I don't think I've ever really noticed it so much until struggling with infertility. The things people say regarding fertility treatments are INSANE.

I remember a girl telling me and some other "infertiles" that we were selfish for doing fertility treatments. That it's against God's wishes, and we should just adopt. The first thing I thought was, WOW... you're so uneducated & you obviously have no idea what you're talking about or you wouldn't run your mouth telling other people how to handle infertility.

But then I got angry. How dare someone judge someone else for doing whatever they have to do to have a biological child. And I'm sorry, but if you believe in God, didn't that same God create the scientists who created the medicine to treat infertility?

And in the end, I just feel sadness. Sad that there are parents out there who raise children to think that they have the right to pass judgement on other people's decisions, based off their own religious beliefs.

If you've watched the show, Giuliana & Bill, you know they've been struggling with getting pregnant. They did an interview for a magazine recently, where they said they did IVF, got pregnant, but unfortunately had lost the baby. Scrolling through the comments people left online, I stumbled across this doozy..

First Of all Doing IVF Is going against god's will.......Ivf is all manmade, and it is artificial insemination...... can u imagine hw god feels if u tried to do something other than only which he has control over....... it goes to show.......u people dun even trust god in conceiving kids naturally n safely......love takes time......nature takes time.....u gotta haf faith in god.....if not if you dun.....u'll never succeed......watever u're doing is a sin.....n that's why you had the miscarriage......because u didn't let god take care of u.......u simply didn't trust god n by destroying ur body by having a boob job too is just pure sin.....u're jus telling god u're not happy with urself n in return he isn't happy with u........yes he created us humans but u gotta respect n honor him first!!!!!! Appreciate what he gave u.....dun destroy another life again PLSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!

::Sigh:: Yep, there are people THAT stupid out there. It's terribly sad, no? Isn't religion supposed to teach people about accepting people for who they are, sympathizing with people who are struggling, and not judging others?

I guess there's no real purpose to this post. I just had to get that off my chest. Even if I may have won the battle, infertility has taught me a lot about myself, and unfortunately it's exposed me to all the stupid that exists in our world today.

I, for one, will teach my children about empathy & acceptance. And when I look into my child's eyes it will solidify the fact that there is no wrong way to conceive a child.

586

That's my 2nd beta#!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And my progesterone is over 20 now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (sorry, I'm just a little excited)

Just to recap, the first beta on Monday was 132, but my progesterone was only 15. So, my beta has doubled nicely throughout the week and my progesterone is where they like to see it. Aaaaand, the spotting seems to have officially stopped.

My first ultrasound (to hear the heartbeat.. holy crapola) is scheduled for October 20th. I'm going to go in next week one last time for blood work. My RE didn't think it was necessary but offered it to help ease my mind between now and the u/s. I lurve him. :)

OH. EM. GEE. This is really happening????

Thankful Thursday

I don't even think I need to write this post to tell you all what I'm thankful for today. It's obvious, right? I'll say it anyways since it's fun..

I'm thankful today for being pregnant!!!!!! :) And if I want to get a little more specific I'm thankful that the spotting is almost non-existent, and any that I'm still having is still light brown. Yay!

I'm also feeling thankful for a husband who is constantly telling me to think positive thoughts. I've been such a worry wart all week long, and he puts me in check. I think it's perfectly normal for me to be nervous, but I shouldn't be so anxious about tomorrow's bloodwork. All I can do is think good thoughts and hope for the best. Seriously though.. is it Friday yet??

Lastly, I'm thankful for having friends & family who are truly just as excited as we are about this pregnancy. They know how much we wanted this, how long we waited, and how much we went through to get here. They're praying, thinking of us, and sending all the good ju-ju they've got (this includes you, dear reader!) . I can't express how much that support means to me. Knowing I have so many people pulling for us and hoping for a mini Lolo/Dan next June, touches my heart and makes me feel all warm and gushy inside. This little pea in my belleh is already loved dearly, and I'm beyond thankful for that.

Hang in there little pea.. I promise you'll have a life full of family, joy, and love. xoxoxo

It feels like Fall!

Hello! First off, I'm still pregnant.. Yippeeeeeeee! I still have cramps that I wish would just go away, but the spotting seems to be getting lighter. It's still just brown (phew) and for some reason it's only happening now during the day, and not at night while I'm sleeping. I took another HPT this morning to make sure it's getting darker, and not lighter.

14dpiui:

16dpiui:

I'm happy with that :)

Now, onto the point of this post.. it feels like Fall at my house! We've had a rainy, cold week in San Diego & I'm LOVING it. Dan thinks I'm weird but I wish it rained much more than it does here. I love being at home, hearing & smelling the rain, lighting a fire, and cooking some soup.

The last two nights we lit a fire in our fireplace..

And I put up some Fall decorations...

I got the straw looking pumpkin & the branch/leaves around the candle at Target for only $2.50 each. I also got the little orange candle (it's pumpkin spice!) at Target for $1. Woot! As you can see I don't have much when it comes to Fall decorations, but it's a start.

Next I'll be decorating my feet for Fall .. new boots! :)

there's a little thing..

In my belly!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm totally, utterly, completely shocked. I mean, obviously I knew it was a possibility, but when I started spotting over the weekend I assumed I was out and started going through my IVF paperwork in more detail, looking at the calendar & trying to estimate when my egg retrieval and transfer would be.

I stopped at my RE's office on the way to work to get my blood drawn, and then waited anxiously at work all day for the results.

Last pregnancy's beta was 23 .. this beta was 132!!!!!!!!!!! Soooooo much better. My RE didn't mention the progesterone, so I asked. He said it's at 15, and they like to see over 20. So, I asked if he thinks this will be another chemical pregnancy & he said he doesn't think that's likely since my beta is so high.

I feel like I can breathe a little, but that damn progesterone number is going to make me a nervous nelly all week. My next blood draw is Friday, and that day can not get here quick enough.

For today, after 2 long years of trying, I'm pregnant.. I'm pregnant??? Holy shit, I'M PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Foodie Friday: Pumpkin Cheesecake

Happy Friday, friends! It's October.. can you believe it?? This weekend I'll be pulling out the Halloween decorations, and buying a mini pumpkin for my desk at work. Before you know it we'll be putting up Christmas decorations. I can't wait! I have much more to say about October, and some significant dates and milestones, but I'll leave that for another post.

Today I'm feeling obligated to share a recipe with pumpkin in it.. and really, this is the only recipe I have that has pumpkin in it! Lucky for you it's DELICIOUS. I've been making this every Thanksgiving, and I think I also made it for Christmas last year.. it's Dan's fave. It might seem like a lot of ingredients, but I promise it's super easy.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust Ingredients
3/4 Cup graham cracker crumbs (I put graham crackers in a freezer zip lock bag and then smash them up with a meat hammer)
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Filling Ingredients
1 Cup cream cheese (1/2 lb)
1/4 Cup sugar
1 large egg
2/3 Cup pumpkin
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
garnish - whip cream

Directions
In a small bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, (crust) spices, and melted butter
Mix together & press into an 8x8 pan, lined with foil
Place cream cheese in a large mixing bowl & beat with an electric mixer until fluffy
Beat in sugar, then egg
Blend dry (filling) ingredients (cinnamon & cloves) together, and beat into cream cheese mixture
Beat in pumpkin
Pour mixture into your prepared pan & bake @ 325 degrees, for about 40 minutes, or until filling is just set.
Cool on wire rack for one hour, then refrigerate until serving time.
Garnish with whipped cream just before serving.

Happy Friday.. I hope everyone enjoys the first weekend of October!

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm feeling thankful for...

..feeling A LOT better than I did earlier this week. I still have a cough and I'm feeling run down, but not nearly as bad as it was. woot! Decaf hot tea is my BFF this week.

..having a good friend from out of town visiting this weekend. He's Dan's best friend and since he's moved to Arizona we don't get to see him as much as we'd like.

..cooler weather. yippeeeeee! It's still pretty warm, but not the dry death heat we had earlier this week. We even have some sprinkles, thunder & lightening this morning. Exciting stuff!

..the new ability to use my debit card at my work vending machine. This is dangerous.. but today it saved me. I had no breakfast, and no change, so I just swiped my card & got myself a granola bar. Success! :)

Hope everyone's having a great week.. I think we're all thankful that tomorrow is FRIDAY!

One week down, one more to go

I'm at the half way mark of my two week wait, before I test to see if IUI#4 was a success. Surprisingly this last week really flew by, and now I'm hoping the upcoming week does the same.

No symptoms to speak of, but it's too early for that. Even with the chemical pregnancy the only thing I noticed was random bouts of nausea, but that probably started just a few days before I tested. I'm proud of myself though. I haven't been consumed with this IUI, constantly wondering if it worked or not. I'm just going with the flow, and not overly anxious to find out.

The one annoying thing is I have a whole lot of nothing to keep me busy for the next week. Just the usual work, dinner, take the dogs for a walk, watch some t.v.. haha.. my life is so boring, eh?

This past weekend was pretty uneventful as well.. especially since I'm sick :( AGAIN! Yes, I know.. what the hell is wrong with me that I'm always getting sick?? This time I'm convinced I got what Dan had last week, accept I got it 10x's worse than he did.

I have the sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, acheyness.Major yuck. I'm home from work today, trying to rest up. We're in the middle of a heat wave and with my old ass windows and no air conditioning, my house is like an oven. So, when all I want is hot tea and soup, I should be eating popsicles. I'm so confused...

Foodie Friday: Wakey Wakey, Eggs & Bakey!

I have a good friend that used to love annoying her boyfriend by waking him up in the morning by yelling "Wakey Wakey, Eggs & Bakey!!!!!!" .. get it? Eggs and bacon? It's annoying.. which is why I sometimes like to wake Dan up with this same cheesey, annoying rhyme. hehe.

Anywho, I'm talkin' breakfast today. Wonderful, yummy-ful, craveable breakfast. Arguably the best meal of the day. Why do you think people sometimes eat breakfast for dinner? Ok, maybe it's because they only have eggs, pancake mix and syrup in their kitchen, but whatevs..it's fun!

I should add that nothing on this post is a part of the less carbs, less sugar diet. Bad Lolo... bad.

I finally get to cross another thing off my list... having breakfast at Cafe 222. It was good..not craaaazy good, but good nonetheless. I ordered one of their "famous" waffles, and just had to try a side of their tamales. I know, I'm a big fat fattie.  Dan had some homemade corned beef hash & eggs. Mmmmm...delish.

If you just happen to be in the downtown San Diego area, I would recommend giving it a shot. Bobby Flay picked their Peanut Butter Banana Bread French Toast as his best breakfast pick for the show "Best Thing I Ever Ate". I didn't order that because..well.. I'm just not into french toast.

Now.. if we're talkin' about one of my top 3 breakfast joints in San Diego, I have to tell you about Kono's Cafe, in Pacific Beach. We always have a couple hours to kill between dropping off Dan's goods, and going in for the actual IUI. Since it was a week day we took advantage by eating at Kono's.

The key is going before 9:00 A.M, and on a weekday.. otherwise you'll be in a line out the door and good luck finding a good seat on their outside patio, overlooking the beach.

Here's the view from the patio..

It was still early.. so gloomy, but that's the pier on the left. There are tons of guys surfing but my picture sucks and you can't see them.

The most important part.. the food.

How yummy does this look? Seriously. It's so good. (just ignore the big bite I took out of my toast before I took this picture. oops) This, my friends, is what they call the "little breakfast". LITTLE. Eggs, 3 thick sliced pieces of bacon, toast, and a mound of cheesey potatoes. Their "big breakfast" is all that plus pancakes. Whoah. The little breakfast is only about $5.75.. so cheap! Aaaaand, they have fresh squeezed o.j. Mmmmm.

We went there after the last IUI that technically worked, so we figured we'd go there again and see if it's the lucky breakfast. :)

P.S. Last night's "secret" band at the party did turn out to be Dave Matthews, minus the band. He performed with famous guitarist, Tim Reynolds, who by the way was pretty amazing. Dave Matthews was cleeearly drunk (& possibly stoned) but he was hilarious and put on a good concert. I've seen Dave Matthews perform with the whole band, so it was cool seeing him play an acoustic performance.

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm feeling thankful for..

Having 50 followers of my blog! I know there aren't actually 50 people out there reading what I have to write every single day, but I feel loved anyways. I hope those of you who read my blog enjoy it, at least a little bit? :) It's been a fantastic outlet for me since we've been struggling with getting pregnant. It's like my own personal journal, that I just happen to share with 50 people! hehe. So, thank you readers! I'm feeling very thankful today for you.

Also, on a side note.. I'm an avid blog reader. First thing I do when I get in to work is grab my coffee or tea and read the blogs I follow (shhhh..don't tell my boss). There's a good chance if you're following my blog, I'm already following yours, but if you're not sure leave me your blog link! I'd love to follow you, too. :)

I'm also thankful for the party I get to attend tonight! Dan works for a big company, and today is their 25th anniversary celebration. So, they're throwing a huge party with free food and I'm sure all sorts of fun stuff. There's a concert, but they're keeping who's performing a big secret. Rumor is it's Dave Matthews Band. I've seen them before, but I'm a fan and you can't beat a free concert, right?! I keep joking with Dan that it's actually going to be someone like Earth, Wind & Fire. hehe. I guess we'll find out tonight!

A TMI conundrum

So... I have this leakage problem, courtesy of the progesterone suppositories I have to take twice a day for the next two weeks.

I'm used to it by now, but I've come to the conclusion that these itty bitty thong panty liners just aren't cutting it.

On top of that I HATE wearing underwear at night. You see, I only own thong style underwear, and while that's fine & dandy during the day.. I don't especially like cotton wedged between my butt cheeks as I sleep. I like to be freeeee.

So, what do I do about it? I'm not going to lie to you. I'm 100%, totally considering purchasing some of these to wear at night:

Don't judge.. you know they look comfy.

I'm also on the hunt for a longer thong style panty liner. Important stuff, yo.

IUI#4 done!

Our 4th & final IUI was this morning, and it went great!

25 million sperm, post wash. My RE called Dan "Mr.Reliable". ::eyeroll:: The procedure was pretty quick & painless.. followed by the usual 20 minutes laying on the table & then we were on our way.

I took the whole day off from work so I've been napping, relaxing, watching tv.. basically being plain ol' lazy.

I'll be testing Monday, October 4th. That seems sooooo far away. UGH. I consider myself a very patient person, but something about the dreaded two week wait gets me every time.

So now I need something to keep me busy for the next couple weeks.. hm.. any ideas? good books you've read lately?

Foodie Friday: Help me choose!

Happy Friday! Before I get to my usual food related Friday stuff, I have news! I had another u/s this morning.. we trigger Saturday night with an IUI Monday morning!!! That's cycle day 13!! Holy crap, my body is so ready to get this show on the road. :) I still have 1 follie in the lead but he thinks 2 more will definitely catch up.. maybe 3. Exciting!!!!

Ok, on to the subject of FOOD.

A couple times each year San Diego has what we call "Restaurant Week". Restaurants that participate will have a prix fixe meal that consists of an app, main course, and dessert. Depending on the restaurant they'll charge either $20, $30 or $40 per person. It's always a great chance to get a good meal at a nice restaurant.

We're hoping to participate this go around, but we'll see. At Dan's company he gets rewarded periodically from his peers, and gets to choose his reward from a catalog. Well, he always picks the $100 Amex Restaurant card. So, when he gets one we take advantage and have a nice meal out with it. He has one on the way, we just don't know if it will make it to us in time.

I'm having a hard time deciding where to go, so I'm going to post the menus for the places I've narrowed it down to, and you let me know what sounds good to you!

We like to try a new place every time, but even though we've been before, Peohe's is so tempting. It's delicious, overlooks the water, and $30/per person is a great steal.

Choice of First/Appetizers Course

Lobster Bisque

A classic lobster dish served piping hot and finished with whole butter and sherry.

Peohe's Salad

Field greens, mandarin oranges and candied walnuts tossed in orange-ginger vinaigrette.

Herb Steamed Artichoke

Poached in seasoned broth and served with clarified butter and lemon-basil aioli.

Choice of Second/Main Course

Prime Rib of Beef

Slow-roasted with herbs and spices and served with garlic mashed potatoes.

Coconut Crunchy Shrimp

Large shrimp breaded with tempura batter, coconut and panko breadcrumbs. Served with white rice and sweet, yet tangy plum sauce.

Crab Stuffed Tilapia

Coated wtih breadcrumbs, stuffed with crabmeat. Baked and finished with caper butter sauce and wild rice.

Choice of Third/Dessert Course

Macadamia Nut Creme Brulee

Home made custard topped with caramelized sugar, macadamia nuts and fresh berries.

No Ka Oi (Hawaiian translation: “The Best”)

Macadamia nut ice cream pie in a chocolate cookie crust with bittersweet chocolate sauce.

And the 2nd option I'm considering is called Suite & Tender. This one earns a few points for being a place we've never tried before. It's also a $30/per person option.

Choice of First/Appetizers Course

Grilled Lamb Riblets

Yogurt & Cucumber Sauce

Bacon Braised Pork Belly

Apple & Fennel Slaw, Cider Vinaigrette

Chopped Salad

Bibb Lettuce, Teardrop Tomatoes, Maple Bacon Lardons, Blue Cheese Dressing

Choice of Second/Main Course

Mustard Brined Jidori Chicken Breast

White Cheddar & Truffle Macaroni & Cheese

Crispy Sea Bass

Israeli Cous Cous, Tomato & Garlic Confit, Pea Tendrils

Grilled Flat Iron Steak

Crushed Red Skin Potatoes, Shiitake Mushrooms, Chef's Steak Sauce

Choice of Third/Dessert Course

Chocolate Ganache Tart

Lemon Curd Ice Cream

Brownie Crusted Cheesecake

Bing Cherry Coulis

Strawberry Sorbet

Balsamic Glazed Berries Medley

Oh my god.. is your mouth watering yet?? Ok, so what would YOU pick??

Thankful Thursday

Hello readers! Last nights phone call with the in-laws went better than expected. All four of us.. me, Dan, my MIL and FIL, got on speaker phone to talk about what's up next for us.

We told them that we're undergoing our last IUI and that if it doesn't work we're doing IVF.. with the money due just a few days after finding out if the IUI worked, or not. I told them a little more about IVF.. the actual procedure, the success rate (& how that compares to an IUI) and how highly everyone speaks about the clinic we'll be going to.

Of course we talked costs, and without hesitation his parents said to not worry about it.. they'll take care of it for us. I already knew how awesome his parents were, but to hear his Dad tell us not to worry about the money.. that we already have enough to focus on.. it was just so comforting.

So, today I'm feeling particularly thankful to have such amazing, generous in-laws.

I'm going to use today's post to tell you a little more about my in-laws.. if you care to know. :)

First off, my FIL, Doug. He's been a policeman, the head of a swat team, and eventually retired as police captain of Richmond, California. Richmond is no joke.. it's listed as America's 12th most dangerous cities. So, needless to say he's got stories. He's seen everything. Horrible things that make his eyes well up with tears when he's telling us the story, and things that make us all cry with laughter.

Doug has always been a great mentor for me and my career. Managing people can be tough, but Doug always had the best advice for me. He's always encouraged me to demand the things I deserve in my career, while still maintaining composure and dignity.

My MIL, Carol, is your typical Mom.. and I mean that in the best way! She's an amazing cook, and she knows all the little housekeeping tips & tricks. I don't want to paint her out to be Suzy Homemaker though because she is way more than that. She's a great golfer, she's great with finances, and she's incredibly smart.

Carol is generous and sensitive.. and loves her family like crazy. I kept the card she gave me at my wedding shower because she said she couldn't wait to have me as her daughter, since she already considers me a friend. It totally made me cry. And it's true! I consider Carol my friend.. someone I can go shopping with and gab to, share recipes and of course our favorite thing to do.. drink wine. :)

I will forever be thankful for their love, support, and generosity.

A little update & finger crossing needed!

First off let me start off by saying how crappy this week has started off.

The Chargers lost on Monday, to the CHIEFS.. how embarrassing. And the past few days I've been feeling under the weather. What's new, right? I feel like I'm always getting sick. This time it's mainly sinus issues, but I started getting that achey feeling last night. I'm drinking my tea, and trying to take it easy.

This morning I had another u/s and I could tell right away that I had a huge follie that was clearly jumping ahead of the rest. I couldn't see my RE because he was running late, but he called me and said I have to start the ganirelix injections tomorrow morning. Boo. I HATE the ganirelix injection. It's always red & itchy afterwards, and since I have to do it in the morning, instead of putting some comfy yoga pants on afterwards, I have to yank up a skirt or work pants and be on my way. UGH.

I know.. I'm just being a big pouty face complainer. Of course I'm going to do whatever I've got to do to make this work. I'm entitled to some complaining along the way, right? :)

I have a feeling this week will turn around though. I'm getting my hair did today after work (woot!) and Dan & I are having a little staycation downtown on Friday night. I get to meet 3 great friends who I actually met online! I've already met the lovely Gina, but I get to see her again. Yay!

Oh, and the finger crossing.. tonight Dan's going to have the talk with his Mom about IVF costs, and we're really hoping they'll want to help us out. We certainly don't like the fact that we have to go to a family member and ask for help, but we also don't have $15k floating around. I just have to keep reminding myself what it's all for... our baby, our baby, our baby.

Hail Mary IUI in full effect!

I had my baseline u/s last Friday. There was no cyst, so IUI#4 is officially A GO!!!

On top of my regular bloodwork they do after each u/s, I had blood drawn for cystic fibrosis & rubella. I have to do cystic fibrosis testing for IVF, so I figured I'd get that out of the way. And apparently after they did the immunization for Rubella earlier this year, they never tested to make sure it worked. haha. Since it's another requirement for IVF, I went ahead and got that out of the way now too.

I generally don't really mind getting blood drawn, but three vials drawn + no breakfast that morning = a dizzy Lolo.

I started my follistim injections Friday night, and I go in this Wednesday & Friday for u/s' to see how I'm progressing.

Knowing that technically the last IUI worked, and that if we move on to IVF I'm going to be in great hands, I'm feeling excited, hopeful, and relaxed. Yay!

Now, if the Chargers can pull out a win tonight I'll be an extreeeemely happy camper. Go Bolts!!!

Foodie Friday: Sausage Spaghetti Spirals

This week I tried a new recipe out, from allrecipes.com.. Sausage Spaghetti Spirals. I had some spiral whole wheat pasta in the cupboard, and wanted to find an easy recipe with just a few ingredients. Success!

I sort of messed up and bought some ground Italian seasoned lean turkey meat.. instead of actual Italian sausage. I think I definitely would have gotten more flavor in the dish if I would have bought the Italian turkey links.. and just took the meat out of the casings. Oh well.. next time!

It was really yummy, and it makes a lot. So, if you try this recipe out, be prepared for left overs.. unless you're feeding family or friends.

Sausage Spaghetti Spirals

Ingredients:
1 lb bulk Italian sausage (see my suggestion above if you want to make this healthier)
1 medium green bell pepper
5 cups spiral pasta (this was a whole box of my whole wheat spiral noodles)
1 (28 oz) jar meatless spaghetti sauce (my jar was only 24 oz, and it was fine)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I used the less fattening low moisture mozzarella, but I probably put more like 2 1/2 cups on it. I'm a cheese-a-holic)

Directions:
Cook and drain pasta
While your pasta is cooking, chop the bell pepper
In a skillet, cook sausage and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain
Stir in pasta and spaghetti sauce; mix well
Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2in. baking dish
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes
Uncover; sprinkle with cheese.
Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted

Super simple, easy (even for me) to make, and tasty. We ate this with a side caesar salad and it was a perfect Football watching meal.. in front of the t.v. Don't judge. :)

Hope you like it!

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for all things Fall.

It was drizzling on my drive in to work this morning and traffic was crazy (90% of Californians can not drive in drizzle without freaking out.. luckily I'm in the 10%) so I decided to stop at Starbucks.. and what do they have again???

Yippeeeeeeeeeee! You've gotta love Starbucks' seasonal drinks. They're the bestest.

And nothing else screams fall to me than ... the changing colors of the leaves? Nope. Pumpkin pie and other baked yumminess? Noooope.

Those things are nice, but I'm talking about FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!!! 

Today marks the official start date of regular season Football, and I'm ex.ci.ted. There's nothing better than sitting around the house all day on Sunday's, watching the games. Usually we're bbqing or making soup. And usually there's some beer involved.. of course.

And I especially love my Chargers!

So, today I'm thankful for Fall.. cooler weather, pumpkin spice lattes, and the start of another season of football.

Exciting Stuff!

Yesterday's post was totally sad an dreary.. I know. And if I'm being totally honest, I had to close my office door when I wrote it, because I couldn't do it without crying. UGH. I'm such a cry baby these days.

SO.. today's post is going to be about something a bit more happy & exciting... My IVF consult! It's probably odd to some that my IVF consult would be a happy & exciting thing, but to me it's the one thing right now that gives me some hope. Next month will mark two years of trying to get pregnant.. and about three years off birth control. I'm SO ready to move on to something more aggressive.

On to the consult. It was GREAT. Dan and I met with Dr.Garzo, who looked over my medical records, & asked us some basic questions.

Then he did an ultrasound.. which I was totally not expecting! He said my left ovary looked good, but my right was on the large side and "text book polycystic". Hm.. why nobody has mentioned that before has me baffled. I'm already on metformin though, so he asked me to double my dose. I asked him if there's anything I can change in my diet to also help and he said it doesn't hurt to cut back on sweets and whites.. white rice, white bread.. you know, all the good stuff. doh!

After the ultrasound we sat down and talked some more.. he told me with everything considered he would say I have up to an 80% chance of IVF working. WOOT! Of course the pessimist realist in me thinks "holy crap.. WHAT IF I fall in the 20% who are unsuccessful!". I don't know why I like torturing myself.. just do.

Next was the sit down with our IVF Coordinator. And the weirdest thing.. I sat next to her in a math class I took at a local community college! It was probably seven years ago, but I KNOW it's her. Such a small world. Anyways, she went through all the pre-IVF testing we'll have to do, and then went through a mock calendar of what the actual IVF cycle would look like.

Lastly, we met with the financial girl. She went through the pricing of everything.. and since we don't know whether we'll do ICSI, and how much meds will be needed, we're estimating the total cost at $12-15k.

So, that was the visit in a nutshell. I'm still hoping this next IUI will be the lucky one, but if not at least I feel comfortable knowing I'll be in great hands during our IVF cycle.

Oh, and when we came home from the IVF consult this was in our mail:

Dan picked it up, showed it to me and said "Look, babe! We don't need to do IVF.. Old Navy has babies on sale!!!" hehe.. silly hubby. We could watch some parade of babies (The Parade of Cute!) go by and pick out the one we want. If only it were that easy!

The Story of Ingaborg & Ambrose

Awhile back, Dan and I found a birds nest that had been built in some rafters, hanging on the side of our house. Inside the nest was a dove, sitting on two eggs.

Eventually those eggs hatched, and neither babies made it.

Not long after, the dove returned & made another nest in the same spot. She sat on two eggs again, and this time they made it.

I'm not sure if they were female or male, but we named the baby doves Ingaborg and Ambrose. Ingaborg was Dan's late Grandmother's middle name, and Ambrose was my late Grandfather's middle name. And they both HATED those names with a passion. Dan & I always said if we had birds or fish some day, we'd name them Ingaborg and Ambrose. :)

Saturday morning Dan found one of the birds on the ground. It wasn't injured, so we're guessing it was learning how to fly. yay! I was worried the mama bird wouldn't be able to find him to feed him.. so I asked Dan to put him back in the nest.

As Dan went to put him back in the nest, he realized the other baby bird didn't make it. :( We weren't too surprised as it seemed to be the runt of the two.

Dan put the other baby bird on the hill where his mom & dad would eat. I figured he could eat something there, and maybe the mama bird would find him. Dan placed him on the hill and within 5 minutes the mom & dad birds came over and started loving on their baby. Dan and I watched, in total awe, for awhile. Most mama birds leave their babies to fend for themselves, but these doves were like a real family. It was absolutely amazing..

I know this picture is sort of blurry since I took it from a distance, through a window. I didn't want to disturb their reunion. :) The baby dove is right below one of the larger doves.

They sat like that for most of the day. Sitting with their baby, giving it warmth.

Once it got dark out the mom & dad doves had flown away, and the baby dove sat by himself on the hill. After doing some research online, Dan & I decided to put a towel in a shoe box, and keep the dove warm for the night.

But when we went outside, the baby was gone. We looked around for a couple minutes and figured it must have figured out how to fly, or found a warmer place for the night.

Sunday morning I went out to look for the baby. As I was looking, I realized the mama dove was perched on the edge of our roof, looking down at the spot she had reunited with her baby, the day before. And then I spotted the baby dove.. on the ground, behind one of our trash cans.

I called for Dan to see if the baby was o.k., and he told me it had passed away.

Queue me bawling my eyes out for 1/2 the day.

And then the saddest part.. the mom & dad dove sat in that same spot on the hill for a good part the day.. waiting for their baby dove to show up.

Queue more crying.

Even that evening I spotted the mama dove perched on our fence.. looking down at that same spot.

And queue some more crying.

It absolutely broke my heart.

And I think maybe IF has made me more sensitive to these sorts of things. All I could think was that this poor mama dove had tried before and lost both babies.. and now she had lost two more. Hopefully she'll try again, and hopefully the next one will make it.

Rest in Peace.. Ingaborg & Ambrose.

Foodie Friday: Italian Wedding Soup

Last night I tried out another recipe from my Trader Joe's cookbook.. Italian Wedding Soup. For those of you not lucky enough to have a Trader Joe's near by, don't fret! Every ingredient can be bought at any grocery store. Yippeee!

This soup was really easy to make, and so delicious. I know this for a fact because after Dan finished his bowl, he moved on to mine. haha. It was probably not the best idea to make a hot soup on a Summer night but eh.. we survived. It will definitely be a repeat recipe.. especially since Fall is right around the corner!

Before I give you the recipe, here's a little history on Italian Wedding Soup, that I got from the TJ's cookbook:

Despite Common belief, the name for this soup actually has nothing to do with a couple's big day. It refers to the winning combination of greens and meat. In Italian, two things that go well together are said to be "well married," and hence the name for this tasty dish. There are endless variations to wedding soup; just make sure meat and greens are involved.

Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients:
20 frozen party size mini meatballs (you can really use any size frozen meatball you'd like)
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup diced carrots or halved baby carrots
4 cups (one 32-oz carton) Organic Free Range Chicken Broth-Low Sodium (again, 4 cups of any chicken broth will do)
3 cups fresh swiss chard or spinach (I used chard)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup grated or shredded parmesan cheese (I used fresh grated parmigiano-reggiano..holler, Giada!)

Directions:
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic and carrots. Cook for 5 minutes. (Stir to avoid anything sticking to the bottom of your pot)
Add chicken broth and meatballs. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. (Stir occasionally)
Add swiss chard (I chopped mine first.. about the same size you would for a salad) and boil for 5 minutes longer. (It might seem like a lot of chard as you're throwing it in the pot, but it quickly shrinks up).
Ladle into soup bowls. Garnish with parsley & parmesan cheese.

Mangia!

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for carpet. I know, I know.. I need to get over the damn carpet. But I LOVE it. I saw it in person yesterday when I got home from work and it's the exact color & texture that I had hoped for.

When I was growing up one of my favorite things to do was to look through model homes with my Mom & Sister. I was a weird kid..what can I say? We were one of the first neighborhoods built in our area, so as new neighborhoods were being built, we would drive around town visiting all of them. My parents were never interested in buying a new house, we just liked to pretend. My Sister and I would even argue over who would get which bedroom. We're a little crazy..I know this. My Mom and I continued doing this even after I had moved out of the house. When I would visit, we would go to a new neighborhood and walk through the model homes.. telling the realtors "we're just looking". They probably hated us. Tee-hee.

I promise there's a point to this story.. the SMELL of these brand new homes. Ahhh, the smell. It smelled clean, it smelled like paint, and they all just had this same distinct, wonderful smell. Yet, here I am, in my first home, built in the early 1960's. It soooo did not have that smell. BUT dear readers.. I'm here to tell you that great smell you get from a model home, is actually from the new CARPET. I HAVE THE SMELL.. in my old house.

Just like the new car smell, my new carpet smell will fade away ::tear:: .. but for now I'm going to enjoy it. If you actually read this whole post about my love for the smell of a model home.. you get this:

Oooo... fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. Another great smell. :)

News Flash!!!

We have carpet!!! Halle-freakin'-lujah. I'm excited about this.. can't you tell? :)

I'm mostly just excited at the fact that we are thisclose to having our house renovations DONE. As of last night all three bedrooms had crown moulding installed and paint on the walls. YESSSSSSS.

The carpet was installed today & Dan just emailed me these 3 pics:

guest bedroom:

Office/future nursery:

Master bedroom:

Those aren't the greatest pics since the point of them is just the carpet, so I'll be sure to get some better "after" pics taken. I still have to find window treatments, get everything moved back into the bedrooms, paint the guest bedroom furniture, and add new pulls for the guest bedroom dresser. Oh, and we're painting and installing new doors this weekend.

Sooooo, not done yet.. but so close. Yippeeeee!!

Foodie Friday: a Paris kind of picnic

Last night we had a not so normal dinner..

A french baguette, sharp cheddar, havarti, salami, prosciutto, capicola, dijon mustard.. and of course, red wine. drooooool.

It instantly brought us back to our favorite spot in Paris.. and really the only reason I would ever go back to Paris again: the Jardin du Luxembourg. sigh.

It's a dreamy park, where kids ride donkeys..

Or rent wooden boats and sticks from a stand.. and then push them around a huge fountain..

The patience these kids have is unreal. They literally stand at the edge of the fountain, watching their boat sail around until it eventually drifts back to them.. and then they push it back out with their stick, and do it all over again.

The place is just beautiful.. and it makes you feel like you're in another era. But back to the point.. FOOD!

Dan & I went to a cute little market a block away from the park, and picked up some food to have a picnic in the park..

& let me tell you.. those blackberries were THE best berries I've ever had. The bread was delicious, the cheese was creamy, and we got a big kick out of using a wooden knife to cut everything.

So, last night as we ate our dinner & drank our wine, we reminisced about the Jardin du Luxembourg and wished we were sitting on that park bench again.

Definitely a meal we'll remember forever..