Tiny Wishes

Last week I posted my holiday wish list, so this week I thought it only made sense to post the baby's wish list. After all while they may not be here yet, they'll definitely be here for the holidays and they'll need to presents to open... or well, presents that someone else will open while they're asleep.


During one of my trips shopping for maternity clothes I was swayed to subscribe to Parents magazine for a few extra dollars. I love reading magazines, so it was well worth it to me. Anyways, their December issue had a list of the top toys, and while our baby may not be old enough for most of them, I thought this Skwish Stix is definitely something they could grow into. Plus it looks like a lot of fun.



One thing that I really want to make happen with the baby is cloth diapers. I've already built of a stash of 9 diapers, but I'd love to have at least 15 or so. My original plan was to have a stash of both bumGenius 4.0 and Flips since I've each is better in different situations, but so far I just have 4.0s (as well as one accidental bumGenius Elemental). At this point part of me thinks it may just be easier to stick with the 4.0s, but I'd still love to add either type to my collection.



On a similar note, I know eventually I'm going to need a diaper sprayer. I probably won't need one for several months or so, but I'd definitely love to stock up on one know just so I won't have to worry about it later.



I've posted before about how I recently went through all my children's books and added them to the baby's library. But surprisingly there's a few classics missing that well, I think are pretty mandatory. One of these would be Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown.


The second, from a long list actually that I'll likely never complete, is Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt. Although I wouldn't call the stuffed bunny a necessity.



I actually meant to buy our car seat/stroller adapter when I used the completion discount on our registry, but sadly it was out of stock at the time. Definitely something our baby is going to need especially for all those long walks I'll be taking... or I guess when we're out and out, since as much as I may have dreams of walking with the baby around the neighborhood I realize it's not necessarily likely to happen.



The baby doesn't actually have many pacifiers, which means I'm sure we'll be buying a ton in the months to come. But I can't get over how adorable the WubbaNub pacifiers are. Plus I've heard that the stuffed animal actually helps the baby keep hold of them.



While LSU may not have had the best season, they're still on their way to a bowl game, and sadly the baby has nothing to wear while watching it. Honestly, I don't really care what the baby will be wearing as long as it's LSU. And maybe the baby will be LSU's good luck charm for a win?

I do realize it's a little crazy to be writing out this list for a tiny human that may not even exist yet. But at least I had fun doing it. And I'm sure each year from here on out it's only going to get more fun and they express their own opinion on what they're really looking forward to receiving.

Mailbox Monday (101)

It's another weekend's end, and I'm still here, and linking up with Mailbox Monday!
From Goodreads
Song of Spider-Man by Glen Berger
Knowing what a disaster the Spider-Man musical turned out to me, I'm quite intrigued by this. But even if it weren't about such a train wreck, I think I'd still be curious to read all the behind the scenes details of a Broadway musical.

Falling from Horses by Molly Gloss
I've actually never heard of this author before, but she actually seems to be pretty popular. It's a historical fiction (always a plus for me), that takes place in the 1930s. From the cover and title, it's obviously about horses, but for more than that, it's about a young man trying to make it in Hollywood as a stuntman riding horses. I'm not sure I've ever read anything like this before, which definitely has me intrigued.

Purchased
Breastfeeding Made Simple by Nancy Mohrbacher & Kathleen Kendall-Tackett
I've actually already finished reading this one, and really enjoyed it. I'll have my full review up in January, but it's definitely one that I felt was beneficial, and that I'm hoping to be able to put to use.

What did you find in your mailbox this week?

Shopaholics Annoyomous

Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella
Published: October 21, 2014 by The Dial Press
Series: Shopaholic # 7
Sophie Kinsella was one of the first chick lit authors I really got into. Before her I always felt a little above chick lit, which I realize now is silly, especially since she lead me to some of my other favorites like Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner. But even so I've fallen a bit out of love with Kinsella lately. It just feels like all of her characters are always basically the same person. It's actually been 4 years since I last read a Kinsella book (the last shopaholic book even), and I never even purchased her most recent two books. But when I got a 20% off coupon the day this came out, well I couldn't say no to picking up my copy, could I?

I'm happy to say that reading this I remember why I enjoy Kinsella, and especially Becky's adventures, so much. My complaint lately about this series is that Becky never seems to learn, she just makes the same mistakes over and over again. Of course she wouldn't be Becky without those mistakes, but I was happy to see new ones happening here. It finally felt like Becky was growing as a character. Plus I loved reading about her precious daughter Minnie.

But then there's the ending. Most of the shopaholic books end with a bit of a preview of what going to come next, but everything is still wrapped up pretty neatly. Not with this one though. There were several pretty major plotlines purposely left open, which I really wasn't expecting. Although it does mean there has to be another one in the series, since there's still answers that you need as a reader.

I'm happy to say this renewed my love for Kinsella. I actually have another one of her books I recently picked up through paperback swap, and after this I'm hoping to get to it a lot sooner than I would have otherwise.

5/5

Today I'm linking up with Blonde Undercover Blonde for Book Club Friday!

When You Wish...

I feel like I'm incredibly late coming up with my holiday wish list this year. Actually it's a proven fact considering my wish lists from 2013, 2012, and 2010 were all posted in November. I guess I may have just been a little preoccupied by the fact that a baby will be joining our house in about a week! But since I'm not yet officially a mom, I guess I can still be a little selfish and list out of few things I'd love to take home this holiday season.


Pajamas from Victoria's Secret used to be my go-to holiday wish, at least until I stocked up on a drawer full of them. But all the ones I have are either tank tops or t-shirt tops, which don't really lend themselves to middle of the night feedings. So I'd love to have at least one button down pair to add. These ones with pictures of Paris, London, and France appropriately called City Girl Print are the favorites that I've found.


We don't really have a ton of decorative plates in our house. These ones while they're meant to be used as Hanukkah, would likely work just as well for Passover in my opinion. Plus well, pretty much any other Jewish holiday.


The first concert I ever went to was Garth Brooks and actually the first cd I bought was also by him, (except by cd, I actually mean tape...) so he's definitely a long time favorite. I have pretty much all his other cds, and I'd love to add his newest to my collection.


We do have a dish towel that I love that we keep on the stove, but it's starting to show some wear and tear. I'm not quite ready to retire it, but I'd at least be willing to rotate it with this one of French cheeses.


After what feels like years of not being able to eat desserts, once the baby is out all bets are off. Well, not really, but still, I'll be eating desserts again. While we may not have an actual See's store in Louisiana, during holiday season there is at least normally a cart of this amazing-ness at the mall. I'd love to have a box of their soft centers.... or maybe their peanut brittle... or both!


We do have two casserole dishes, but they're both clear and kind of boring. So I'd love to add a pretty Le Creuset one to our collection. Plus both of our dishes are rectangle, and this one is square, so clearly we need to diversify.


I did get my pump through my insurance, but recently realized I'll actually need something to carry it to and from work each day. Not only do I like the way this one looks, but it's specifically made for the type of pump I have.


We actually do have a good amount of our china, but still, you can always have more... at least until you've completed it. One thing we don't have are any serving platters, like this medium sized one.

What are some of the items on your holiday wish list this year?

39 Weeks Bumpdate

Yes, I'm still here posting updates! So I guess we'll have to wait and see whether I make it to 40 weeks or not.

How Far Along: 39 Weeks

Size of the Baby: A mini-watermelon

Maternity Clothes: I'm sure you've probably noticed looking at the past few weeks of photos, I'm most definitely wearing the same clothes over and over. But at least I still have a few different options that work.

Nursery: It's done! Or at least I'm not sure what else would need to be done. I have had some issues ordering things for it online though. Like the purple and yellow crib sheets that were actually purple and green. Or the fact I ordered 2 diaper storage bags that were supposed to be purple and yellow, but they were purple and orange. Or the fact I meant to order all bumgenius 4.0, but instead ordered one elemental. I have already returned the sheets, but I'm thinking I may keep the orange bag since the color doesn't really matter. Also may keep the elemental so I can see if I like them better and if needed purchase more of them instead.

Stretch Marks: It looks like I may actually get through the pregnancy without them!

Sleep: Still pretty awesome. There actually has been a night or two where I've woken up to use the bathroom, but that's really more the exception than the norm.

Movement: There's a lot going on in my stomach. Part of me keeps trying to convince myself they're contractions, but I'm pretty sure it's just the baby.

Cravings: Have I mentioned there's a Chick-fil-a about to open around the corner from us? Well, there is, and every time I drive by it I think how amazing their holiday peppermint cookies n cream milkshakes are. Of course even once I have the baby I know I can't go crazy on them since peppermint supposedly isn't great for breastfeeding. But still, I can't wait to have one!

Symptoms: I keep googling early labor symptoms to see if something stands out. Like last night I felt really tired and searched to see if it was an early labor symptom. It actually is, except for me, I'm pretty sure I was just sleepy.

What I Miss: I guess just being able to eat what I want when I want. It's definitely a pain to pay attention not only to what you're eating, but when you're eating, and that's something I won't miss once the baby is here.

Looking Forward To: While I may not be emotionally ready for the baby to be here, everything else basically is. The nursery is finished. We have a new car with car seats installed. We have our holiday decorations up and I'm pretty much finished with all my present buying. (Although do need to start wrapping.) Basically the only thing I'm waiting on at this point is for the baby to arrive, which really and truly could happen any day now!

6 Weeks ~ 7 Weeks ~ 8 Weeks

9 Weeks ~ 10 Weeks ~ 11 Weeks

12 Weeks ~ 13 Weeks ~ 14 Weeks

15 Weeks ~ 16 Weeks ~ 17 Weeks

18 Weeks ~ 19 Weeks ~ 20 Weeks

21 Weeks ~ 22 Weeks ~ 23 Weeks

24 Weeks ~ 25 Weeks ~ 26 Weeks

27 Weeks ~ 28 Weeks ~ 29 Weeks

30 Weeks ~ 31 Weeks ~ 32 Weeks

33 Weeks ~ 34 Weeks ~ 35 Weeks

36 Weeks ~ 37 Weeks ~ 38 Weeks

Cranberry Blast

If you look at my 101 in 1001 list, three of the items under cooking all involve Thanksgiving foods. Last year I made both the gingerbread crust and oyster stuffing (and even made them both again this year). But for something new, this year it was time for cranberry sauce.

I didn't have a specific recipe I wanted to try, but I was looking for something reminiscent of the one my mom used to make. I searched online and came across Alex Guarnaschelli's version, who you probably know as a judge on Food Network's Chopped. Hers had a similar feel towards what I remember. Luckily, while it may not have been an exact match, it is pretty similar to what I grew up having, so I have a feeling I'll be seeing it on my Thanksgiving table a number of times in years to come.

Alex Guarnaschelli's Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
1 pound fresh cranberries, washed and dried
2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 orange, zested and juiced

Directions
1. Combine the cranberries, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Bring down to a simmer and add the cinnamon stick, allspice, and nutmeg. Stir and let simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. (Don't be like me and completely forget about the cinnamon stick! Thankfully I remembered to add it as I was starting to cool everything down, and I don't think you really noticed. But still, it's helpful if you remember all the ingredients!)
3. Add the orange zest and juice. Let cool before serving
I know a lot of people tend to use the canned cranberry sauce each year, but really when you see how easy it is to make, it's hard to justify not cooking it yourself. Actually, I can't ever remember having canned sauce since it was one thing my mom made every year. Although a version like this was her normal, she'd also mix it up at times and even molded her own.

What's your favorite way to enjoy cranberry sauce?

November in Review

It's my last monthly recap without a baby! Crazy to think, right? So I guess we all know that the highlight of my December recap will be, at least assuming I find time to write one. But since we're still a week or so away from inviting in a new tiny permanent house guest, here's a look back at November.

In November......I attended my baby shower
and was thrown a second shower at work.
...I traded in my old car from high school, seen above right before my brother and I drove it from L.A. to LA back in 2006, for a new, far more baby friendly car. In particular an Acord, which basically met my need of having 4 doors. Plus it's a pretty bit upgrade from my old car which had both manual windows and locks!
...We celebrated Thanksgiving, and while I tried not to go crazy, it's still pretty clearly not the most gestational diabetes friendly plate. As for my contributions, I made the oyster stuffing that my mom, grandmother, and I think even great-grandmother used to make, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.
I'm not sure if it was the fact I haven't had much sugar lately, but I really do think this year's pie came out better than it ever has before.

...I posted reviews of 4 books and 1 movie
The Lost Daughter by Lucy Ferris
Mennyms Alone by Sylvia Waugh
Husband-Coached Childbirth by Robert A. Bradley, M.D.
Mennyms Alive by Sylvia Waugh
Big Hero 6
Maybe somewhat surprisingly considering the number of books to movies, my favorite this month has to be Big Hero 6.

...4 years ago, in 2010, I wrote how American Girl was retiring Felicity.
Although I do have high hopes that since they brought back Samantha earlier this year, they may eventually bring back Felicity as well... only time will tell.

What were some of your highlights from this past November?