Monday, February 28, 2011

Movin', Movin', Movin'

Movin', Movin', Movin,
The Douglas' are movin' (have moved) again
When we 'downsized' into our 2-Bedroom Apartment last Spring, the plan was for me to start teaching in August, and thus to start earning an income. We were going to save some money, buy some land, build a house/barndominium, then start trying to add to our family in August or September 2011 (making baby #2 due in Spring of 2012)
I'm not really sure why I continue to make plans at this point, other than to give God a good chuckle! No teaching job plus expensive daycare and excessive daycare induced illness resulted in a decision for me to continue to be a SAHM...This meant no FMLA compliance to worry about...which meant a new addition to our family a year earlier than planned (It should be noted that baby #2 is earlier than planned, but still perfectly in line with what we have always wanted for our family). Anyway, this all means that we have officially outgrown our 2-Bedroom Apartment, chucked previous plan out the window, and moved a few buildings over in to a first floor (easier for baby lugging), 3-Bedroom Apartment.
God bless my hubby who handled the move, while I worried and waddled around trying to wrangle Lyvi. Also a HUGE thanks to my parents, who took over wrangling duties for the weekend so Chris could work on moving and I could worry and waddle around trying to stay out of the way. Lest, you think I did nothing...I did unpack Lyvi's room and her bathroom, making sure each room was just so, before my parents returned her to us on Sunday. Hoping that having all of her things set up and accessible will make the transition easier...pleased to say she hasn't missed a beat. The jury is still out on me and the pooch...think it will take us some more time to adjust. Our stuff is all moved, but we are far from settled, so I am off to make myself useful for a bit.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Cookie Confessions

Girl Scout Cookies are simply not safe in our house! We have just about polished off 2 boxes of Thin Mints and 2 boxes of Samoas/Carmel Delights/Whatever You Call Them These Days in less than a week. No the challenge becomes stretching whats left until Sunday (so I can at least say they survived 1 week) and determining whether enough is enough or do we chase down the closest Girl Scout for the next cookie fix...at least they support a good cause right? RIGHT?

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

~ 27 Weeks ~

We have reached the end of the 2nd Trimester! OMG! A real life baby will be here soon....here, in my arms...needing things....needing me! Reality is setting in and as excited as I am to meet Miss Sadie, I am equally nervous about being able to take care of both my babies. I find myself worring about how I will give Sadie everything that she needs without taking anything away from Alyvia. A real life baby!

Sadie weighs about as much as a head of cauliflower and most of her major body systmes are develeoped. Now those systems mature and she starts putting on weight (mmm - baby squish. dimply arms and legs, chubby cheeks...LOVE) I want to eat everything in sight (still really hung up on eggrolls) and there is a definite waddle in my walk. As I get rounder it gets harder to perch Lyvi on my hip and I've even had a few pesky (painful) Braxton Hix contractions.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

~ 26 Weeks ~

By now Sadie is approximately 2 pound and is about as long as and English Cucumber (14 1/2 inches)

She is capable of inhaling, exhaling and even crying. She is much stronger, and what once felt like little flutters are now strong bumps, kicks and rolls. She is particularly active at night between 9:30p-11:30p. I hope this is not a sign of things to come.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Photo Friday - {Snack Time}


Lyvi has really started looking forward to snack time with Daddy when he gets home from work in the afternoons. The minute he walks in the door she starts smacking and looking for snacks. Once he is settled in the floor, she climbs up in his lap and they share fruit and crackers while mommy takes a little break or gets dinner started/finished up.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

~ 25 Weeks ~


25 Weeks! Sadie is approximatly 13.5" and 1.5lbs (think rutabaga or eggplant)
The crazy heart episodes seem to have subsided for now (Yay!) and in general I am feeling pretty good. Chasing Lyvi wears me out and I am generally pretty tired in the evening, but that's to be expected. The cravings are in full force....I understand that cravings typically indicate your bodies need to fulfill some type of lacking nutrient and I can totally understand that. What I do not understand is why I am craving cheese sticks, egg rolls and corndogs. Last I checked, none of these contain any valuable nutrients. Oh well, based on my minimal weight gain to date, I suppose I can indulge a bit.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Silly Kitten

The murmurings of snow started toward the end of last week. By Tuesday the Weatherman had us all a twitter with anticipation of white fluffy snow falling from the sky on Friday. On Thursday the school district declared Friday a snow day and I giddily started planning playing with Lyvi in the snow (all 3 inches that we were promised). Oh, the fun we would have...Oh, the pictures we would take....Oh, how let down I felt when I awoke to no snow on Friday. In fact there was hardly enough ice on the stairs and ground to even be noteworthy. Total Let Down!

So, I ask you, what's a picture hungry, stir crazy parent to do?


Put daddy's mittens on the kid, bait her with my cell phone, and laugh our patooties off while she tried to pick it up off the floor.

Untitled from Lauren Douglas on Vimeo.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Chocolate & Coconut Lace Cookies

Picture a lovely pile of delicate lace cookies

According to my mom, I basically grew up on the kitchen counter. I love flipping through cooking magazines, scrolling through foodie blogs, and I am a bit embarassed to admit just how much Food Network is watched in our house. I gather up delicious looking recipe and wait until just the right time to test it out on family and friends. I love when I stumble across a simple recipe with ingredients that are already waiting in my pantry just calling out to be used. Such a phenomenon happened this weekend while watching the Valentine's Day Episode of Giada at Home. She whipped up a batch of Chocolate and Coconut Lace Cookies. Easy recipe...Big impact!

These cookies are delicate, crispy, sweet and so good that they were gone before I could even drizzle them with chocolate. (As you can see above, they were gone before I could even snap a picture)

Chocolate & Coconut Lace Cookies
Source: Food Network - Giada De Laurentiis

3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sweetened, flaked coconut
1/3 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (4-ounce) bar bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, coconut, melted butter, flour, vanilla, and salt.

Using a 1/2 ounce cookie scoop or a tablesppon scoop 6 balls of dough, 3 to 4 inches apart, on each baking sheet. Lightly flatten the tops of the dough. Cook until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the parchment paper, about 15 minutes.

Place the chocolate in a bowl and place over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Using a fork, drizzle the tops of the cookies with the melted chocolate. Freeze the cookies until the chocolate has set, about 5 minutes. Remove the cookies from the freezer and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Note: If the cookies have baked into one another, use a knife or metal spatula to separate the cookies then allow to cool

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Are You Ready For Some Football?


We sure are!

GO PACK, GO!



Lyvi has her Packer Gear ready to wear. Hubby's Packer Jersey and CheeseHead are ready and waiting. The signed Packalope picture is hanging in our living room ( I kid you not! Click Here if you are not sure what a Packalope is...you know you want to) and the Green Bay Blanket is freshly washed and ready for use.


Now all we need to do is fix a few munchies and watch Green Bay beat Pittsburgh!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

~ 24 Weeks ~


Technically these pictures are 24 weeks, 1 day. Should have taken pictures yesterday, but I didn't feel like it...and that's a pregnant ladies perogative.
Sadie is about the size of an ear of corn and is starting to plump up. I can already tell that she is going to be a bigger baby than Lyvi was. According to the books, her tastebuds are starting to develop....appearearntly she has a taste for cheesesticks, eggrolls, blueberry muffins, and frozen peaches! I have had the strangest cravings this time around. In true 'second pregnancy style', Sadie is sitting really, really low and I can feel her more in my back and belly - still can't really feel her with my hand on my belly. I have had a couple of episodes of racing pulse and dizzy/light headedness this week (nothing that isn't cured by lying on my left side for a bit). I suspect that she is compressing my lower vena cava (the large vein that returns blood from the lower half of the body to the heart) to cause this.