September in Seattle

September in Seattle is so beautiful. I'm stealing one of my husband's photos here from his morning walk in our local park. 

Another week down until baby arrives! Which means another week of frantic nesting activities. The car seat is now installed and bag is packed. Doctor says she wouldn't be surprised if the little guy came a bit earlier than his due date (September 30th)! I wouldn't be surprised either with the changes I've been feeling. So I have slowed down my pace a bit. Last night we had some friends over for dinner and I chose the EASIEST dessert cake to make (okay, I'm feeling guilty that it includes 6 tbsp of vegetable oil), but it was dang tasty! 

I'm just so glad that we're back home from traveling to California right now. A couple of the advantages include: not having to prep every Sunday night to get on the airplane the next morning and being able to have LEFTOVERS! With jetting back and forth between Redmond and Winters we were always preparing food for just a day or two at a time. Now we can shop at and fully embrace one of our true loves: Costco!!  Currently I'm loving the Dave's Killer Bread, organic apples, and looking forward to making some dishes with a bag of their sprouted bean trio. Do you have any Costco food items that you love and recommend?

Have a great weekend everyone! :)

Hives and Nests

Check out this basketball sized wasp nest we discovered in our front yard yesterday!! Pretty awesome, now we're trying to brainstorm ways to destroy the little suckers ... ideas??

Now that we're back home in Seattle and in my ninth month of pregnancy the "nesting instinct" has kicked in BAD. I am obtaining immense pleasure from sorting through and organizing different rooms in our house.

I can also tell that I'm getting ready to have to this wonderful baby and to not be pregnant anymore. Being in the spotlight is fun... for awhile, but other moms' negative comments and "advice" are starting to wear on me. I've seriously pondered blogging about this before, and just haven't till now to keep things as "positive" as possible, but it's crazy how many people tell me in great detail about their excruciatingly horrible birth stories, how HARD it is, how I have NO IDEA what I'm in for, how PAINFUL breastfeeding is, etc etc.  "Just you wait" has been a common catch phrase.  Of course they always try to cap off the story with how much they love their kids, but by that time I'm usually standing with my jaw open in complete shock.  Thankfully, my hubby and close friends have been great at supporting and encouraging me, and there have been a handful of really beautiful birth stories that have been great to hear. 

One of my friends sent me this cute article yesterday which I thought was pretty refreshing about keeping things in perspective.  Loved the quote "When in doubt, ask yourself what a pioneer lady on a wagon train would think is important. Suddenly, organizing baby socks will fall off your to-do list and you'll feel a lot better about your day." 

California Countdown

(Sunflower field near Davis, CA)

The clock is ticking for the time I have left in California.  This week and next are the last weeks I'm allowed to fly during my pregnancy, then I'll be home the whole month of September until baby arrives! This is definitely time of excitement and joy, but also bittersweet. 

The past year has just been a really amazing time for my husband and I to be together and form an even stronger bond as husband and wife. We really are each other's "best buds" and I'm so grateful for this experience to travel together, enjoy some serious sunshine, cook, blog!, and fall in love with swimming all over again. Not to mention have the opportunity to grow a healthy, strong baby. 

Things I'm going to really miss: driving my husband to and from work every day, the hot air balloons overhead every morning, my naps on our comfy apartment couch, chatting with my coach Karen, and the friendly "hello's" from the grocery clerks at the local Nugget Market.  

(Said comfy couch)

We're both so excited to meet little Baby C, and yet at the same time I think we're savoring these last weeks as just the two of us. Not knowing what it's like to have another person to be responsible for, not having to plan ahead when going out for a date, trying to sleep as much as we can!

Anyone else experience similar feelings in the last weeks before their baby arrived? Any tips, advice, words of reassurance? :)

Morning Walks in Winters + Baby Update

This morning I went on a little walk to the Winters bridge when it was still a manageable 80 degrees out (it's hit about 110 every day this week!). I love that everyone is so friendly here, wherever you go people smile and say hello. 

Baby Update: 

Today my husband and I ventured over to A Little Insight to check out what Baby C is looking like these days. The last time we saw him was at 20 weeks, and now at 33 weeks he sure has plumped up!! I was surprised at how much he looks like a fully developed/ready to be born baby! It was hard to see too much, but we could tell that he has very full lips, a cute little nose, and lots of hair (red??). He also gave us a little baby bird, and grinned in his sleep - so cute!  

Measurements: 17-19 inches long and over 4.5 lbs

Mommy Changes: Definitely having a harder time keeping cool, and I'm sure the summer heat doesn't help! Waking up every couple of hours during the night, and having a harder time getting out of bed. 

Cool Stuff: The hubby and I really enjoy just sitting and watching baby move, and he moves a lot! We're getting better at deciphering what is what (i.e. bum, legs, feet, etc). 

Cravings: Ice cream! I was never really into ice cream before being pregnant, but I cannot tell you how many Ben and Jerry's we've gone through in the past 8 months! Did you know they have a  Red Velvet Cake flavor?? Amazing.

Crockpot Pulled Pork

So I must share this super easy recipe my friend Kate gave me: crockpot pulled pork! A delicious summer dinner.

Crockpot Pulled Pork

Directions:

Put pork loin (any size - I used 1.75lbs) in a crockpot and pour 1 can of root beer over.  Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours. Shred pulled pork and blend with your BBQ sauce of choice (Sweet Baby Rays at our house). Enjoy!!

Yup, it's that easy. :)