Perfect!

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and I've decided that I really like my doctor.  He speaks my language.  This mostly means that he overuses words like "perfect" and "awesome" and, although I haven't seen his words in writing much, I assume he's a fan of the exclamation point.  For a pregnant lady who feels pretty exhausted most of the time, it's delightful to hear him talk about how great everything is looking for my little gal. 

We reviewed the ultrasound report in which everything came back "unremarkable" (which he assured me was a good thing, but I corrected him and let him know that this little lady is certainly remarkable).  The ultrasound report didn't include gender, but he was thrilled for me when I told him it was a girl - as he knew we had a son at home - and he remarked "You guys are living the American dream!"  That made me smile.  Two kids in your mid-twenties doesn't seem to be the American dream any more, but it is exactly what we want in our lives.  To have our little boy and, now, a little girl on the way - he was right - that is our dream.  We are so lucky to be living this wonderfully blessed life of ours with our awesome little family. 

Will is doing great.  He's learning new words every day and it blows me away how big he is getting.  I can't believe that just a couple years ago, I was still pregnant with him.  Time is an amazing thing.  He's just 6 weeks shy of of his 2 year birthday - and you can tell.  Just in the last few weeks, he's starting transitioning into a "two-year old."  He's still a really laid back and sweet guy, but he's apt to get a little more easily frustrated (and equally loud) when things don't go the way his was expecting.  Luckily we've only really had a couple of major meltdowns and as he gets even better at communicating his needs verbally, I think we're going to have a pretty good kiddo on our hands. 

Oh, and for anyone wondering, we won't be having the same naming dilemma with this little lady like we did with Will.  We already have a name all picked out - but I'll wait a little bit to share it, as we do want to share it with our families first.  :-)

Otherwise, things are going pretty smoothly around here these days.  Geoff got assigned "his" store, so in another week or two he'll graduate from "Manager in Training" to "Manager."  I'm excited for him.  He's worked really hard to get his training and certifications completed and it's going to be great for him to start managing his own store/team. 

The A's are getting ready to wrap up their season shortly and are in the midst of their last home stand of the season - so Geoff and I are going to head to the game on Friday (for Star Wars themed fireworks after the show as well!) to celebrate this great season.  There's also a chance they could clinch the division on Friday - so it would be awesome to be there when they do. 

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Gender Reveal!!!: A Photo Essay

After the ultrasound, we joined the fam for Matt's birthday dinner.  And, a little gender reveal with these adorable cards.  

Everyone anxiously scratching their cards to see the results!

Mama G realizing what she might be seeing.

That's right, folks!  It's a girl!

Freaking out just a little - first grand dot.

Mama G was even prepared with gifts.  An ADORABLE, teeny little polka dot dress!

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Busy, Busy!

So, somehow Geoff and I got busy!  I don't even know what happened.  I mean, we are typically pretty busy because of work schedules and a toddler, but our evenings are rarely filled with too much after Will goes to bed.  But, we've been having some fun the past week and upcoming weekend! 

Last week:

Playing at the Stomper's Fun Zone. Go A's!

• For Labor Day, my parent's treated the fam to an A's game versus our division rivals (Texas Rangers).  For anyone who doesn't know, I'm a HUGE A's fan and it's so fun to be back in the Bay, especially for a pennant race.  It's also very stressful.  Every loss feels like the end of the world.  Luckily, the A's won on Labor Day 4-2, so it was even MORE fun to be there. 
•  Geoff and I went to a surprise birthday party for our friend Danny.  He is married to my BFF - so it was fun to see both of them.  Mama and Daddy G watched Will for us while we went, too, so it was nice to be able to hang out kid-free.  Although, Geoff did spend the whole party holding Danny and Amanda's baby girl, Rylen.  He had the magic touch - maybe it's time for him to get a daughter of his own?
• I went to the Backstreet Boys concert with my friends Amanda, Krista and Mia.  It was great.  So fun.  And especially great to get out with those awesome ladies.  Hopefully we'll find an excuse to get together soon.

Jam on 'cause Backstreet's got it.

Upcoming:

I don't know why he's just chillin'.

• 20-week ultrasound TOMORROW!  I'm hoping, hoping, hoping that this little one will cooperate so we can find out if baby is a boy or a girl.  If you still haven't voted - do it now! (You have to view it from a computer, not a mobile device, to see the poll).  Girl is winning right now by a teensy margin. 
• Friday night we are going over to our friend's Robert and Melissa's house.  They are are first real "local" friends that we have made and it's so nice to have friends around.  They have a girl Will's age and they have a lot of fun together.  They also have a set of 4 month old twins - so that helps us be glad I'm only cooking one baby.
• This weekend is Geoff's company's employee appreciation event.  So, we'll get another child-free evening to stuff ourselves with free food and I'll get to meet Geoff's coworkers.  It should be fun!
  

  

  Sliding!  Would you believe that view behind him?

We've been having lots of fun and are grateful to be settling in and able to make friends and plans.  Phew.  Now we just need time for naps.

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How Pinterest-ing

So, last night I rolled up my homemaker sleeves and tried a couple of new recipes from Pinterest.  I've made Pinterest recipes before and they have typically been successful and delicious.  But, I've recently had a Pinterest reawakening, you might say, and have gotten really excited about trying some new things.

So, last night I hunkered down and made these two beauties (captions are links):

Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

 

No bake s'mores cheesecake

The casserole caught my eye because it didn't use any canned cream of "whatever" soups or mayonnaise.  And it was delicious.  I even cut some corners and used minute rice and wild rice in those Uncle Ben's pouches and it's great.  The sauce is cheesy and creamy, but not overly fatty or greasy as they can be sometimes. 

The cheesecake wasn't quite as successful, but it was still super delicious. I think my primary failing is that I don't have a food processor, so I was using my blender and acting like that's a suitable replacement for a food processor.  I should have just used my kitchen aid, but by the time all the ingredients where in the blender, I wasn't going to dirty another dish.  Secondly, I have no patience.  It wanted me to let it set for 6-8 hours.  "Ain't nobody got time for that."  :)  So, I may have snuck a piece after 3-4 hours.  It wasn't set up very well - and even this morning after setting all night, it's not a cheesecake texture.  But, it is DELISH.

Once we find out the baby's gender in 6 days (don't forget to vote!), I'll be starting a quilt I pinned, so we'll see how my continued Pinterest inspiration goes!

P.S. Sad (read: pathetic) Story: After I made the delicious casserole and sat down with Will to eat, he refused to even try it and ate grapes instead.  I asked him to take one bite before he got down from the table which resulted in him throwing his bowl and spoon.  I cried.  I'd worked really hard and it was really delicious!  Pregnancy with a toddler can be rough some days people. 

However, after getting down from the table and seeing me upset, Will brought me his blankie, climbed on my lap and proceeded to take my spoon and feed me my dinner.  He even took a couple bites.  I'm a lucky mama, even if a little overly sensitive right now.

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