Caved in to Peer Pressure

Just in time for Easter weekend here is a shot of my egg shaped belly

(as requested).

Enjoy and Happy Easter a couple days early...don't say I never gave you anything.

34 week picture

Here's our most recent ultrasound (til Thursday when I get another) from last week. Yay! I've started nesting and that has been fun. I'm also obsessed with eating California Rolls for lunch and Cottage Cheese for snack. Mmm. Just enjoying the great weather today and wishing it would stick around a while. 3 1/2 weeks to go!!!

My not so “non” stress test

I went in to the doctor’s office yesterday for a non-stress test on baby Aubree. This test for those of you that don’t know is to monitor the baby’s heartbeat and the hope is that within 20-30 minutes there are 2-3 heart rate increases that go along with kicks/movement of the baby. Aubree was kicking and squirming right up until I sat down and got strapped in. Then she slept. The entire time! Because of my history with loss I was sent right over to labor and delivery for a biophysical profile. This is an ultrasound that rates the baby on criteria such as amniotic fluid level, practicing of breathing, kicks, and tone. Anyway, she passed that test easily (thank goodness). I was eventually sent home with a strawberry-banana smoothie and a promise to head over to the doctor’s office again today for another non-stress test. Of course the worry wart that I am was mildly stressed out over the whole ordeal. It also brought back some Orion memories. He didn’t do so well on the biophysical profile ultrasounds. Anyway, I went today to the doctor’s office armed with a Jamba Juice and candy bars (candy bars were my back up plan). She had an active morning already, so I was nervous about the napping again, but that smoothie helped…so much so that she didn’t stay still long (and I saved the candy bars for later). She kept moving away from the heart monitor, so I really had to press that thing against her. Thankfully we passed and were out of the office forty minutes later. Hurray. I was so dreading another trip to Labor and Delivery!

My belly is getting quite large (as it should) and just last week I had my first two belly rubs in one afternoon. Thankfully they were both women I know and not total strangers at the grocery store. I’m also happy to report that I do not have high blood pressure (yet). I’m managing to keep it down which makes me happy since that’s what put me on bedrest with Orion. I’d be stoked if things continued on this track until my c-section date! I have five weeks to go!!!

28 week ultrasound

First things first: I had a 28 week ultrasound this morning and Aubree seems to be growing right on schedule. She is 2lbs 10oz at this point. It was nice to see her lips and nose today as well since she was hiding her face at my 20 week ultrasound. She’s a cutie pie…I just know it. For those that have asked my due date is May 10 (mother’s day) but my doctor wants to deliver the end of April or very first of May. I’m getting another ultrasound a few weeks before delivery to check her growth and determine the delivery date. (I’m getting a c-section). I’ve also been asked how we picked a name. I have had the name Aubrey on a list for years now, but decided to change the spelling to Aubree so that we can shorten it to Bree if we want to. Christine for the middle name is my wonderful mother in law’s first name.

Top Chef: I was so happy to see Miami Jeff (he’s easy on the eyes) back last night even if it was just for one more week. I think he should have won the challenge over Carla, but what can I do about it. It seemed that the judges really liked his food last night and had no criticism. I thought Stefan should have gone home, but that’s not based on his cooking…just his attitude. I have a feeling he is a better chef than Fabio. It’s hard for me to be a judge since I can see their food, but can’t actually taste it. I guess my pick to win would be Carla or Stefan at this point because I’m just not a huge fan of Hosea’s. I feel like perhaps Jamie or Miami Jeff would have been better contenders for the finale with Carla and Stefan. That’s my two cents worth on that show.

Tasty Treat

This is a totally easy and tasty treat. I halved this recipe and will make the second half tonight. Feel free to add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I used Gala Apples. I’m sure another citrus soda would work just as well Squirt maybe if you are against using a caffeinated beverage.

Apple Dumplings

INGREDIENTS
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
2 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle Mountain Dew ™

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350*. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Cut each apple into 8 wedges and set aside. Separate the crescent roll dough into triangles. Roll each apple wedge in crescent roll dough starting at the smallest end. Pinch to seal and place in the baking dish.
Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Pour over the apple dumplings. Pour Mountain Dew™ over the dumplings.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

You can thank me later!!

Pregnancy brain!

I can start my car and take my keys out of the ignition when I warm it up…this is probably a bad thing to be able to remove keys once the car is started, but I lock the car up and go about my business. Well, today I started my car at lunch and was about to go home to eat when I remembered that a co-worker brought in chocolate birthday cake for me. Naturally I had to go back inside to retrieve that cake in case I wanted a bite or two after eating lunch. I locked my door without taking the keys out of the ignition…dang it! I realize that my spare emergency key thing is also in the car. I called Dom (who was home 5-10 minutes prior) to ask if he could drive over real quick and let me in with the spare keys. He had left for Sunriver. Ugh. Long story short he came (because he is just that great) and saved the day and my car definitely had a warmed engine at that point. I’m blaming this incident on having pregnancy brain. After all this I ended up not eating cake while on my lunch break. Silly, silly me.

Random thoughts

I’m just about to start my third trimester and I’m so excited to get a huge belly along with achy hips and back. I already waddle a little depending on how achy my lower back might be, so I know this will become more of a constant in the coming months. Aubree has been dancing in my tummy quite often and I have been savoring every second of it. I feel pretty darn good except for the heartburn I get sometimes at night. Oh, and I’m hungry like a truck driver. I especially love strawberries, eggs, sausage, Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, oh, avocados yum! Can I go eat now?

Tonight I’m looking forward to watching Fringe, one of my favorite shows! I love Pacey…oops, Peter is his character’s name now. It helps that Fringe is a great show and I’m not just watching to be loyal to Pacey. He’s the reason I watched the first show, but the story kept me interested.

Okay, so here are my two cents on the Bachelor. I am not a big fan of Naomi sorry to say. I like the three other girls left, but I am still skeptical of the relationship working out. I’m not really feeling like he should definitely choose one over the others. Maybe I’ll have a stronger opinion after the hometown dates. How about this though…maybe even though DeAnna chose someone else over Jason perhaps their relationship will work out somehow…who knows. I like DeAnna and I like Jason. People make mistakes. It’s just entertainment to me after all. Those TV relationships are doomed from the start anyhow.

To you Uncle Keith

Keith McDermott was called home from his mission on earth on Friday, December 19, 2008. His own father passed away on December 19, 1978. Other than my father I held no other man in such high regard as I did my uncle Keith. I thought last night about memories of my fun loving uncle. I don’t remember any bad memories with him. Not one! In my teen years I would get slightly annoyed with his “boys are bad” speeches that I came to know by heart, but I know it was because he loved me so much. As I grew up I looked upon my uncle for advice and spiritual strength especially after my parents divorced. Whenever I spent time with Uncle Keith I was greeted with at least two hugs and more often than not he would take my hands and place them on his shoulders for a quick massage. He was the best person I knew. He was kind, understanding, forgiving, and diplomatic. I want to live my life better just because I knew him. I will forever miss you Uncle Keith!

I'm expecting!

Today I’m happy to share the news that I’m expecting a healthy baby girl! No Spinal Muscle Atrophy here! I couldn’t be happier!

This has been a very nauseating pregnancy for me for sure. I had the middle of the night sickness and I wasn’t very happy about that, but thankfully I learned to drink a glass of milk or piece of cheese before bed and have pretzels on the night stand just in case.

I’m currently 16 weeks and due on May 10 although I suspect I’ll deliver earlier. Dom and I are thrilled and grateful to bring this child into our family. I look forward to getting sore hips and a huge belly! More importantly I look forward to a screaming baby upon birth!

Short and Sweet

I love Top Chef and I’m so glad its back!! Eugene is my favorite contestant so far.

Santa Barbara is on fire and it makes me sad.

High School Tag

Deesha this one’s for you:

1. Did you date someone from your school? Yes, Brian “Elvis” Anderson.

2. What kind of car did you drive? Oldsmobile, Cutlass Supreme… “The Tank!” I miss that car still.

3. What was the most embarrassing moment of HS? I must have mentally blocked my embarrassing moments. I’m sure I have plenty just from my sophomore year alone. Deesha, I’m sure you can share a few fun moments.

4. Were you a party animal? Nope.

5. Were you considered a flirt? I don’t think I was at school. Maybe at church dances and definitely while camping, my best friend took the lead though.

6. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? I was on the drill team.

7. Were you a nerd? I definitely wasn’t a popular kid.

8. Were you on any varsity teams? No, I wish I played Volleyball though. Deesha’s track story is one of my favorites from high school. I laughed so hard and ran so much better when it was on the way to my car instead of around the football field. I wasn’t the best triple jumper at school anyway, so I’m sure the track team didn’t miss me.

9. Did you ever get suspended/expelled? No, I was always afraid to break the rules.

10. Can you still sing the fight song? I didn’t know there were words to that song either.

11. Who were your favorite teachers? Mrs. Hallerberg, my French teacher.

12. Where did you sit during lunch? I don’t remember a particular place. Probably near the band room the years I danced. My senior year I went to work at Dario’s at lunch time for four hours. Good times.

13. School mascot? Chargers.

14. Did you go to homecoming, and with whom? I didn’t go to homecoming.

15. If you could go back and do it again, would you? No, I’ll pass on that.

16. What do you remember most about graduation? It was hot. I was nervous about my future and what changes might occur. My home life wasn’t the best at the time.

17. Where did you go on senior skip day? Huntington Beach. Oh, the memories.

18. Were you in any clubs? I don’t think I was. Wait, I was in Future Business Leaders of America for a short time. I don’t know how that happened.

19. Have you gained some weight since then? Well, of course I did.

20. Who was your prom date? Danny

21. Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion? I missed it. I’ll probably attend the 20th though. We’ll see.

22. Looking back, what advice would you give yourself? Not to be so self-conscious and shy.

Tag you’re it…let me know if you do fill this out!!!

Fried Bologna

Today for lunch I had a fried bologna sandwich. I’m not a fan of bologna normally, but fried is a different story. I think of two things when I break out the fried bologna. April, the person who introduced fried bologna to me and my mother, who hated the smell fried bologna brought to the house after cooking. Today I totally understand why my mother hated the smell…yuck! I’m so sorry mom that I made you endure that smell repeatedly while I went though my previous fried bologna stints. Thankfully they are few and far between. Back at my desk at work all I can smell on my skin and clothing is fried bologna. I might just go home and change. I don’t want to let people stand too close to me now because I might have an offending odor. Maybe my nose is just a super smeller today. I’m reminded of the Subway sandwich smell. I try to use the drive through whenever possible when I order from Subway because then I avoid the lingering odor the rest of the day. It’s one of my least favorite smells, but I sure do love a Subway sandwich! I love Subway second to my two favorite delis: Valentinos in Santa Barbara and Darios in Covina. Subway will just have to do since I'm too far to take a lunch break to my top two locations.

Dom's big 3-0!

Happy Birthday Dom! 30! I hate to make this message about me instead of the birthday boy, but I made an awesome cake and this is my blog after all, so I’ll brag just a minute. It was a tasty Pina Colada cake minus the rum. See below…

We went to see Hellboy and had lunch at Costco. His choice. At least he is a cheap date.
We’ve also been enjoying the Olympics this weekend. This is the second summer Olympics that I have been a fan of. I love watching Volleyball. Indoor or outdoor works for me. We stayed up way too late Saturday night watching the events.

I think I need a shower

I went to the store today to shop for a few work supplies. I went through the self check out and was proceeding to the front door when I noticed a series of spills trailing out of the store. I stepped over some of the trail on my way out of the store and was warned to be extremely careful in doing so. Then I turned the corner and noticed that the trail continued in the direction of the bathroom where I pieced it together…I had just stepped over a trail of diarrhea. Immediately after I connected the dots (on the ground) I felt a conflict of emotions. I felt empathy for the person responsible for the trail since they were most likely mortified. I also felt dirty and grossed out and checked to make sure I didn’t step in it on accident when I went across. On the drive back to work I was tempted to stop by my house to change and possibly shower. That’s my gross story for the day.

You’re welcome.

M'am?

I went to Taco Bell last week at lunchtime…yeah I know; Taco Bell, but I love the tostadas there. Okay, so I was at Taco Bell and stepped up to the register to place my order and the kid behind the counter said, “What can I do for you m’am?” This has been happening more and more often lately. What’s wrong with that you ask? I’m a m’am now! When did this happen? When did I change over from Miss to M’am? Yes, I’m aware that I just called the guy at the register a kid. One time not too long ago…a few years maybe I was carded when Dom and I were at the grocery store getting beer for him. He showed his card because it was his purchase and he was paying and the checker wouldn’t let us buy it until I produced my card as proof of my legal age. I thought it was annoyingly funny. Now I don’t get so much a questionable glance at check out when Dom buys beer. What?

It also reminds me of when I was a substitute teacher in Texas. I usually taught at elementary or middle schools, but one time they needed me for a high school. By the time I was called to go in classes were already in session and I had my little backpack filled with stuff for me to do because usually my work day was all about movies and games. I was quickly walking from the office to the classroom I was assigned to when I was stopped by an annoyed voice. “What are you doing?”
I turned around to face a stern faced woman in a business suit. “Going to my class.”
“You are late; you should already be in class. Who’s your teacher?” She looked pretty upset with me almost as if she was going to start tapping her foot and tisk tisk me.
“I’m the sub.”
She smiled, “Oh, okay. You looked like a student!” As if she hadn’t been rude to me just seconds ago just because she thought I was a teenager late to class.
I thought she was harsh on her students based on that interaction. A class was nearby doing something in the lunchroom and one of the students that overheard said, “She’s mean huh?”
I was inclined to agree, but as a sub I knew I shouldn’t. I went into my class, but thought a lot about how she treated someone she thought was a student. It was no wonder some of the student population there didn’t feel much affection for her. At the end of the day she saw me on my way out and made a point to thank me for coming in last minute (that’s what subs do).

Be nice to your teenagers…they are people too! (Love you Matt and Ty my two favorite teens)!

If you can find the time

You might want to check out this book. I read this book last night after work in one night and found it entertaining. This book is not a self-help book or inspirational, but sometimes it is just nice to read for purely entertainment purposes. This was a funny romantic comedy written in the form of emails only and there was even a little whodunit mixed in.

Dom's exciting shopping trip

Dom is the proud new owner of this lovely lawn mower. He also purchased a weed eater and a blower…It’s a big day at the De Amicis household!

Fight Night

I just knew that Urijah Faber (left) would win the fight last night. Have I previously mentioned my love for cage fighting? I couldn’t wait for this fight. We recorded the show so we could fast forward commercials, but when we watched the program the recording cut off right as the fight I wanted to see was entering the ring! Outrage! I saw that it was playing again, so I stayed up late to watch the main event. It was worth the lack of sleep and a great bout! This guy is on a 21-1 winning streak.

California and Florida trips

I’ll start with my California vacation and then move on to Florida. I’m quite the jet setter lately. As some of you may know I went to California for Easter to visit the family. I am the worst at taking pictures on vacation!!! I only took a few pictures in Santa Barbara of my nephew’s BMX practice and that was it. We had a great trip though. It snowed all the way out of Oregon on the way there, but Santa Barbara was beautiful as usual and I enjoyed a long walk by myself at Goleta Beach. I forgot what it feels like to have sunburned shoulders because it has been so long! Even that felt good. After spending a couple blissful days at the beach we drove to the inland empire for the last part of the trip. Easter was a busy day full of family visits. It was so nice not to have to bundle up every time I walked out of the house. Visiting reminds me of how much I miss my family and makes me want to move back to Santa Barbara. If it weren’t for the expense we’d be back in a heartbeat. I promised myself to take better pictures on the Florida Vacation. I did take more pictures, but not nearly as many as I should have.





Dom and I went Florida for a week and it was great to get out of the cold weather for a while. We flew into Orlando and spent just a full day there. We did not do the amusement park thing because we didn’t want to wind damage Dom’s eye, but we kept busy with miniature golfing, go carts, and Wonderworks. In Key Largo we checked into our hotel and walked to a nearby Wendy’s for lunch. On our way back to the hotel Dom stepped on my flip flop and broke it, so we got into the rental car and decided to drive up to the Kmart we passed coming in. I made him go with me instead of relaxing because he broke the shoe after all. On the way there a Honda Accord side swiped us! I was upset that this happened in a rental. It was a minor fender bender though, so I cannot complain too much. I was just worried that the rental company would charge us an arm and a leg..and maybe another arm. So far though things have been going well and thankfully the other driver had insurance and they are paying it all. When we got back from Kmart we went immediately to the pool for relaxation time. Dom had a Pina Colada at the poolside tiki bar and we listened to the poolside entertainment. While in Key Largo we did a whole bunch of nothing really. Dom did go on a fishing trip and we took a glass bottom boat ride together to see the Molasses Reef. I had the best fish tacos ever at Sharkey’s. I got sunburned at the beach and am still peeling and scaly from that. Halfway through our trip we got a call from our neighbor at home who was watching the cats for us. She asked if someone else had a key to the house because the cats hadn’t eaten or used the litter box in a couple days. I hoped that maybe they were just depressed and would get hungry enough to eat soon. The next day I hoped for a phone call to let me know all was well, but when we finally broke down and called her before we went to bed she said that she still had not seen them. She did ask if we shut the upstairs bathroom door before we left and I didn’t think we did. She tried opening it, but it wouldn’t open all the way. The cats had been playing in the bathroom and while they were wrestling they shut the door behind them. In a panic to open the door to get out they opened all the drawers under the sink and barricaded themselves inside. My neighbor had to get a butter knife to push each drawer back in. Thankfully the cats are okay and I was very relieved to hear this. The last day of our vacation we stayed in Miami. It is so beautiful there. We went to the Miami Sea Aquarium and then walked a block from our hotel to the beach. I love that city, but people are up ALL night there. That was annoying since we seemed to be the only people in town that wanted to go to bed because we had to get up super early to catch our flight home. I thought I could sleep on the plane, but that didn’t work out well either since there was a fussy baby a few rows up from us (I’m not mad at the baby, but felt badly for the parents). We also sat in front of the exit row, so we couldn’t recline our seats the few inches they allow. When we got home we did a deep cleaning of the upstairs bathroom because the cats had to use it as a restroom for a few days…yuck. Then I had the best sleep I have had in a very long time. It was wonderful.

Here are some pictures. :)

Dom in Miami

Dom at Miami Sea Aquarium

Wonderworks...see me in the picture?

Everglades

Miami

The only Key Largo sunset I was able to capture

Also, Oregon welcomed me back with a big case of allergies. I guess I’m meant to live in a tropical environment because I only sneezed once the entire week while in Florida! Here at work I sneeze a few times a day at the very least. Within a half hour of landing in Portland my eyes were itchy and my nose was running.

Bell's Palsy

On Wednesday night last week Dom came home and told me that the left side of his face felt numb. I, being the positive thinker that I am (insert sarcasm), went straight to thoughts of stroke. I feared the worst. He didn’t want to go to the ER and I was up half the night checking to make sure he was breathing and imagining calling 911 at some point in the night and all kinds of other horrible things because sometimes that’s how my overactive imagination rolls. Thursday morning his face was still numb, so he decided to go to the ER to get checked out. He has Bell’s Palsy and thankfully it will clear up! For now though he refers to himself as Droopy the Dog. He is doing okay, but he has to wear a patch on his eye for sleep and work because the eyelid doesn’t close all the way and causes dryness and discomfort. One side of his mouth feels like he went to the dentist and his forehead only wrinkles on one side now. He has the most charming half smile though and has referred to himself as Elvis a couple of times...I don't know why, but this feels like a reoccuring theme somehow. I'd rather refer to him as a pirate with that eyepatch.