Sweet Baby Reid

Well, we've been parents for a week, and it's been quite the crazy week. Christien got home from Fort Mac on the 15th, much to my relief. We got one day, the 16th to hang out together. And we were out and about and did a bunch of things, which was really nice, cause the next morning my water broke and that's where it all began. Hit the hospital half an hour later in full active labor. After 22 hours of coping and dealing (yup, sprang for the epidural after 6 hours of doubled up back contractions) baby Reid was finally born, on his due date, February 18th at 6:14 am. It's definitely a crazy time in your life. You are up for a whole day, then you get handed this baby that you really don't have any idea what to do with and he just wants to eat and snuggle all day, and you get even more sleep deprived.. Thank goodness we are starting to fall into a good routine. Christien has been absolutely amazing. He does every single thing that he can around the house, apart from feeding Reid. I'm going to really miss him come Monday. I just have to make sure that we talk as much as we can and I'm sure the time will pass quickly.

We hit the mall yesterday just to get out and walk around. Managed to pick Reid up a few boy clothes. We need to get some other colors into his closet now that we know he's a boy. It's fun shopping when you know who you are shopping for. He even had his first visitors last night. The Wild's!! Jasmine just held him all night and he slept in her arms. He looked so little in Curtis' arms. And especially small compared to Davis and Charlie (who, by the way, slept through the whole visit too). They even gave him his very first pair of blue jeans. Too cute. I cannot wait for everyone to meet him.

Queen for a Day

My early Valentine's Day present came yesterday. Christien hired me a maid service to give the house a good scrubbing. I think that my idea of nesting is a lot different from others around me, cause getting on my hands and knees to scrub the floor, as much as it needed to be done, just wasn't really interesting to me. Christien actually came up with it all by himself and told me about it before he left. He thought that it would help me out before the baby comes and let me get on with doing the more fun nesting things!! Like shopping. Okay, he didn't really say go shopping, but still. It was a very nice and thoughtful gift from him. Sometimes they just really surprise you hey? I'm lucky to have him.

Only six more days before baby's scheduled arrival. Nothing to report yet. I am just patiently waiting for Christien to get home, and then this baby can let loose. Right now every twinge and tickle puts me on guard, cause I think, is this happening? Do I call him right now? It's 3 in the morning, will Amber appreciate a wake up call to come and get me and bring me to the hospital? Can I wait it out? I'm at the point where he's going to be home in 4 days anyways, so if it does end up being a false alarm, then I'm okay with tearing him away from his job a few days early. I think that he'd appreciate it too right now.

Return, Revenge, Redemption

Tonite is the premiere of Survivor: Heroes vs Villains. This is it's 20th season, and I have to say that I've been a fan since the beginning. Ten years ago. Survivor is the original reality TV show. I'm not usually a fan of the "All Star" shows, but I'll make an exception with this one, cause it's with the cast from the last ten years. I'm even looking forward to Boston Rob, and boy does that guy annoy me. Cute James the grave digger is back, and of course some cute ladies that will keep the boys drawn in (Pavarti for my hubby). There are some pretty good match ups with this cast that I'm so looking forward to seeing how it's going to play out.

There was a group of us that used to get together weekly for Survivor nights. We had our own Survivor rules, always accompanied by many snacks and glasses of wine. As the years went by, unfortunately we lost the ability for everyone to commit to a weekly get together. Christien and I try to get together with Barb and Mike as much as we can. And I know that, although we aren't all watching together, everyone is turning it at one time or another. Our love for Survivor went so far as playing our own Survivor game. Survivor Scotch Creek about five years ago now. All caught on video. I believe that my husband took home the title of Sole Survivor. Man, was that a fun summer!!

Now I am off to watch cutie Jeff Probst. I was totally curious as to whether his girlfriend Julie would be on this show. Or even if they are still together. Oh Jeff... Survivors Ready...

Home Stretch

Nine more days and my due date is here. It's a scary and exciting feeling. I wish that Christien was home and I didn't have to worry about calling him the minute that something starts to happen. Less then a week and he'll be here. Just hold on baby.

Doctors today. Heartbeat still 145/150. Sounding good. She said that the baby has dropped way down, which is why I'm so uncomfortable. Good sign. However, only dilated about 1 cm. She wasn't overly worried. She got me to make an appointment for next week, but told me that she hopes to see me in the hospital this week, so I guess we'll just see. I can only accomplish half of the prescription of long walks and sex that the nurse instructed me to do. Maybe one of those will help to open 'er up and have 'er ready.

I'm not really impatient. I'm just ready. And I just want Christien to have the most time possible with the baby when he's back for his 14 off. I've still got a few things to do around the house. I've got three separate recipes made and frozen for those days that Christien and I will both be too tired to do any cooking. I'm hoping for the last two weeks in March, when we've got company, that I will be getting home cooked meals from dad, mum and Cleo.

It's a very scary and exciting time. Crazy to think that you go from keeping it a secret to actually having a daughter or a son. I can't wait. My doctor has said that she's very impressed by me, and that I'm so low maintenance that she thinks that I'm going to have an easy time no matter what. That sounds good to me. Christien says the same things, so I'm happy to have that kind of support around me.

Well, off to another baby class. I'm not the first of the due dates, so we'll see if anyone shows up with a baby tonite. That makes it even more exciting!! Who knows what might be next week at this time??

Le Frustration

I woke up on Saturday to a wee puddle of water on the floor of the bathroom on my main floor. Weird, random drip from the ceiling. I proceeded to find out that the bedroom directly upstairs from said leak had a very wet carpet. Potential pipe burst/leak in the ceiling between the main floor and the upstairs?? I don't know. I know nothing about stuff like this, or what to do when it happens. I don't even know where to go in the basement to turn off the water. Christien takes care of this stuff. But Christien is away at work. I texted him, not knowing what to do, and had Amber call her dad to see what I should do. I guess it's hard to explain what's happening to someone who isn't here, and it's also hard for them to gauge the kind of damage it may cause. It's not horrible, especially the slight drip into the bathroom, but I'm just really worried about the water soaking up from the floor into the bedroom and getting the carpet all wet. That wetness is starting to cover a larger surface. Put a call into the plumbers this morning at 830 and here I am three hours later, still waiting for them to call me with their hour notice before they even show up. Not really something that I want to be dealing with today. I'm still a bit sick from that bouncy castle last weekend, and I'd really rather have slept in this morning and be napping right now. However, I've gotten sucked into my chore list. Hopefully someone will come by, or at least call soon, so that we can get this show on the road. Couldn't be a better night for the Bachelor tonite!

Ooh-la-la-sagna!

I made the first on my list of "to be frozen" meals last night. It's going to be such a help once the baby gets here and all we have to do is pull something healthy out of the freezer for dinner. Anyways, it's my favorite lasagna recipe of all time. Well, I guess it actually ties with Amber's dad's lasagna, cause that is so very delish too. This one is so very good, and actually not too bad for you, so I'd like to share...

Sauce

8 oz (227 g) light mild Italian sausage (I use the spicy stuff to give it more flavor)
8 oz (227 g) extra lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onions
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 jar (22oz/700ml) of your favorite tomato pasta sauce
1 can (19oz/540ml) tomatoes with Italian herbs, undrained, cut up
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

12 uncooked whole wheat lasagna noodles
2 cups light ricotta cheese
1 pkg (10oz/280g) frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry, and chopped
1/3 cup grated Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago cheese
1 egg
1 1/2 cups packed shredded light mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside

To make sauce, spray a large, non-stick pot or deep skillet with cooking spray. Remove casing from sausage and break into small pieces in skillet. Add ground beef, onions, and garlic. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until meat is no longer pink. Stir in oregano and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook 1 more minute. Add pasta sauce, tomatoes, basil, vinegar and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

While sauce is simmering, cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain. Rinse with cold water and drain again.

In a medium bowl, mix together ricotta, spinach Parmesan cheese and egg. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To assemble lasagna, spread 1 cup meat sauce over bottom of baking dish. Top with 4 lasagna noodles, cutting pieces to fit if necessary. Spread 1/3 remaining sauce over noodles, followed by 1/3 mozzarella. Top with 4 more noodles, 1/3 sauce, all of the ricotta mixture, and 1/3 mozzarella. For top layer: 4 noodles, 1/3 sauce, 1/3 mozzarella.

Cover lasagna with foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Let lasagna stand, uncovered, for 15 minutes before serving (this last part is kinda important, or else all the fillings will slide out as soon as you take out your first piece).

Per Serving:
calories: 311/total fat: 10.5 g/saturated fat: 5.7 g/protein: 25 g/carbohydrate: 29 g/fiber: 4.2 g/sodium: 713 mg

Taken from Eat, Shrink and Be Merry

Tonite I move onto a grown up version of Macaroni and Cheese. Alright, it might not be so grown up, but it's good.

Registered Baby

I finally broke down and decided to register at Toys R Us for this little one. I know that a handful of people are going to think that it's tacky and another handful are going to think that it's a great idea. So be it. I'm really hoping to have a baby shower, or at least a little get together, meet and greet, once the baby is here, and I know that some people enjoy knowing what you need. It's especially for relatives and friends who haven't been over to our place yet, and who really aren't aware of how much we actually have for the wee baby already. We are more then prepared with all the initial newborn stuff, but there is still lots of things that I'll likely buy for the baby once it gets bigger and stronger. This registry is just an example of some of them. However, with that being said, this baby has no outfits. Basically it's going to live in undershirts and sleepers till I can manage to get out of the house after it grows a bit. So enjoy, or judge. Either way, I'll be updating the registry as I learn more about what the baby needs once it gets here.