Pregnancy Cravings

Every pregnancy is different but this time around I have a MAJOR sweet AND salty tooth! Last pregnancy I craved donuts. I would allow myself to have 4 donuts a week until the last few when a donut a day kept the pregnant lady at bay! This time around I crave home made chocolate chip cookies, fudge brownies and Chick fil a french fries. Clearly ALL healthy things! But I would like to not be a ginormous pregnant lady so I really try to limit my sweet and salty intake. We eat pretty healthy at the house due to Peter's dietary restrictions and because I am feeding a toddler and want her to only eat healthy whole foods. But this pregnant lady needs some sweets now and again! So I have found 2 recipes that are GREAT to fulfill both of my cravings but not have me chowing down thousands of calories. 

The first is a single serve chocolate chip cookie recipe. It actually makes 2 large cookies so I have one for the next day! Here is the recipe. 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 2 firmly packed tablespoons of dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
• Pinch of kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg yolk – discard or set aside egg white for a different use
• ¼ teaspoon of baking soda
• ¼ cup of all-purpose flour
• 3 heaping tablespoons of semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a microwave safe bowl, heat butter just until it starts to melt and is softened. Blend softened butter, sugars, salt, and vanilla together by hand.
3. Add egg yolk and stir again.
4. Add baking soda and flour and stir until combined.
5. Then stir in chocolate chips.
6. Form cookie dough into two balls and place on baking sheet.
7. The cookies will spread during baking, so make sure they are several inches apart.
8. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.
9. Remove baking sheet from oven and give the baking sheet a firm, but careful bang on the counter top. This will deflate the cookie and give it a perfect wrinkly appearance.

The second is a homemade french fry recipe. 

Ingredients

• 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
• sea salt
• pepper
• garlic powder

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray
2. Wash potatoes well 
3. Peel if you would like. I like to keep the peel because it's better for you
4. Cut the potatoes into wedges
5. Let the potatoes soak for 20 min in ice cold water. This helps remove some starch
6. Dry the potatoes as well as you can
7. In a bowl or large plastic bag mix all ingredients together. Garlic powder is optional 
8. Bake at 450 for 30-45 min depending on how thick you cut them and how crispy you want them

Now if you are craving sweet and salty I would recommend sweet potato fries! Same as above but I add a teaspoon of brown sugar to the mix. 

Bon Appetit! 

Babymoon

I have been an absentee blogger for a while... again... Basically I am 30 weeks pregnant and spend 99% of my day chasing around a 16 month old who DOES NOT STOP. So there is my excuse...

BUT I had to blog about our great BABYMOON we went on last month! Peter and I are FIRM believers in getting some alone time from the kiddos 1-3 times a year. I think it's healthy for Ava to be around other caregivers and also for Peter and I to reconnect and focus on each other for a few days instead of our sweet girl. Of course 70% of the trip we talk about how cute Ava is or about how excited we are for Alice's arrival but it's still nice to be able to not plan a day around nap time.

For our babymoon we chose the cute town of Carmel. Carmel/ Pebble Beach are about 1.5 hours from where we live and have great shopping, food, and beaches. We found the cutest little cottage to rent on airbnb.com. The house was along the 17 mile drive and about a 15 min walk to the city of Carmel.

We got there Friday evening and enjoyed a fabulous Sushi dinner in Carmel and picked up some chocolate cheesecake on the way home. We got into bed at 8:30 and watched Scandal and ate cheesecake. It was AMAZING! The next morning we both woke up at 7:45! We tried to sleep in but I guess Ava has ruined us from sleeping in! We decided to walk down to the city and grab some brunch. The walk down to the city was super nice. We stopped at the beach to relax a bit but it was a little too cold to hang out for a long time.

After brunch we hiked back up to the cottage.... literally. The walk down the hill was pleasant but hiking up a 40 degree hill 26 weeks pregnant was a bit tougher than expected! I tend to be a bit of a overachiever and never admit that I am over exerted or need help but luckily Peter noticed my HEAVY breathing and made me take several breaks on the way up. We saw several deer and SEVERAL multimillion dollar homes on the way up. It was fun but we did not attempt the hike again during the trip. 

After we rested for an hour or so we decided to drive down to Big Sur. The drive down was SPECTACULAR and we made several stops along the way. 

Peter had to climb down and up every hill/mountain along the way. I just looked away and prayed he didn't slip. Boys are so funny! We also spotted a whale from this look out. I spotted the blow spout and yelled down to Peter to look. We assume it was a gray whale and it's calf since they are in season to spot around here.

We finally arrived at Pfeiffer State Park but didn't realize they have limited parking and had to wait about 45 minutes to park and head to the beach. If you ever head down there on a weekend get there early or it can take 3+ hours to park. They don't let cars in if there aren't any spots so you have to wait until someone leaves for them to let any cars in. The wait was worth it! This beach was BEAUTIFUL! It was still way too cold for me to swim but it was great to hang on the beach.

The next day we decided to go whale watching in Monterey. We did this actually during our babymoon while I was pregnant with Ava but apparently spring is the best time to see Orcas and so we decided to go again. We did not see any orcas BUT we saw over 20 humpback whales, a family of gray whales, and lots of dolphins. We even saw 4 humpback whales bubble feeding while dolphins tried to jump all over/around them. The whales made this super annoyed trumpet sound from their blow hole to warn the dolphins. The dolphins did not listen and we saw a humpback whale lift up his/her fin and slap the dolphin! It was crazy and the marine biologist onboard said she has never seen that in her 20 years of whale watching. Let me just say I would not want to be on the other end of a 15 foot long fin slap! We also saw a whale in the distance tail flapping over and over. By the time the boat reached the area the whale had gone on it's way but it was very interesting to see in the distance. Sadly there were no orca sightings but it was so amazing to see so many whales and dolphins! We also saw a few cute little otters and a ton of seals! 

After the fun whale watching tour we headed home to see our sweet girl. I think she really missed us because she held on to us so tight that night and would not let go! She is not a big cuddler but she hugged each of us for 2+ minutes.

What a great trip! And a BIG thank you to Memei for watching Ava!!

#targetdoesitagain

So this Fashion Friday post is a little early but it's because I don't know what our nap time schedule will look like tomorrow! Ava is cutting a tooth and her molars are starting to descend so today has been a 2.5 hour nap day but tomorrow could be 30 minutes! 

Anyways, today's blog post is dedicated to everyone's favorite store... Target! Somehow I was living in the dark ages a few months ago and wasn't aware of the Target cartwheel app! I mean coupons... on your phone... that you automatically load? GENIUS!!!! 

I started using this cartwheel app right when Ava's feet grew. Somehow Target KNEW and a 25% off kids shoe coupon showed up! Of course I had to check it out to see if it worked and I got 3 pairs of shoes for $28! I have had a Target red debit card for a while so I also got another 5% off on top of that! AMAZING! 

Well just the other day I realized I needed some more play clothes for Ava for the Spring/Summer. Now you all know how much I love to put Ava in smocked monogrammed dresses but on a day to day basis or #whenpapasincharge (you have to follow my instagram to get that one) you know our days can get messy. 

Ava LOVES to play outside, sit in the mud, splash in puddles, and collect rocks so most of her clothes require intense quantities of oxyclean on a daily basis. Just the other day I decided to divide all of Ava's clothes in her dresser so that when it's the weekend and Peter gets her dressed in the am he knows where her "approved" play clothes are located. This has helped immensely in sparing some of her nicer more expensive outfits from dirt, grass, blueberry stains, etc...

So anyway, back to #targetdoesitagain and my cartwheel app. I was just telling Peter how little Cuties shirts were getting a little tight in the tum tum and how she had no shorts for the Spring and what popped up on my phone... a 5% off Circo clothing and half of them were already on sale for $4! I love Target's Circo clothing line. The separates are great, are fun colors, aren't too cheesy, and wash really well. So I ordered 4 s/s shirts, 3 l/s shirts, 3 pairs of shorts and a pair of easter shoes for $45! Thats right, 11 items, including shoes, for under $50! And because I have a target red card I didn't have to pay ANY shipping!!! 

You literally cannot get mad when a $3.50 shirt gets mud on it. These clothes are perfect for all of fun sunny park days ahead or for #whenPapasincharge! 

10 Things You Miss Once You Are a Mom

So over the past few months I have had several friends have babies and during the last week of their pregnancy they always ask "What should I do before my life changes forever?" I think some of them are just trying to get their mind off of how uncomfortable and anxious they are but some also know that once you are a Mom you will always be a Mom and therefore miss out on many every day "luxuries" that most people take for granted. 

Here are my top 10 things you miss doing once you are a Mom. 

1. Using the bathroom alone: In the beginning your terrified you're child will roll out of something or magically disappear if you run to the bathroom for a minute. Then once your kiddo can start crawling or walking they follow you in there because what you are doing is WAY more interesting than the awesome toy you gave them to distract them for 2 minutes. 
2. Eating a meal at it's proper time or at it's proper temperature: Man I miss eating my food when it's ready. It seems there is always some emergency as soon as your food is ready. Ava also only wants what I am eating if we are eating at the same time, even if she has the EXACT same thing on her food tray. 

3. Not sharing: What's mine is yours is the name of the game with kids. Whatever it is you are eating, drinking, or doing you kiddo will want. Peter drinks grapefruit juice (GAG) but Ava wants some if he is drinking some. She totally gags as soon as she gets a sip but wants more once she sees him drinking it. 
4. Sleeping in: No matter what time you go to bed your kiddo is bound to wake up between 6:30 and 7:30 and they DO NOT go back to sleep until many hours later. The luxury of sleeping in is no more. Unless it's Saturday and Hubs lets me sleep in and then greets me with a waffle in bed. :) 
5. Sleeping Soundly: As soon as that baby comes out the Momma bear instinct kicks in and any weird noise they make in their sleep you wake up to. We had to move Ava into her nursery at 3 weeks because if she cooed in her sleep I woke up and ran over to check on her. That never changes! I used to be the heaviest sleeper, I slept through hurricane Fran when 9 oak trees fell on our house, but now any little baby noise I hear I wake up! 
6. Listening to whatever you want in the car: I used to listen to all sorts of music in the car but now it's all Christian music or Veggie Tales Pandora station. At least Veggie Tales plays lots of classic Disney music so I can relive my Disney days! 
7. Having a clean home: The moment you pick up they need the toy at the BOTTOM of the toy bin. I now only pick up after Ava is in bed. So if you come over to my house in the day time please excuse the trail of toys, piles of Tupperware that NEEDED to come out of the kitchen cabinet, and the toilet paper that MUST be torn up into little pieces all over the bathroom. 

8. Long Showers: Unless you take night time showers before bed showers after kids are asleep showers will be a 3 min MAX affair! Even if they are sound asleep in their crib as soon as you lather your hair up with conditioner they WILL wake up. It's inevitable! 
9. Wearing silk or cashmere: I wore a cashmere sweater once after Ava. Within 5 minutes it was covered with snot and mushed green beans. Load up on the cotton or anything machine washable after kiddos. And a word to the wise always have backup clothes in the car for every member of the family. There is a lot of misplaced poop/food/nasty random things that tend to cover you and them at some point in the day! 
10. Doing ANYTHING alone: I used to just hop in my car and go wherever I needed at any time. Now it takes 30 minutes to load up the diaper bag, dress the baby, get them in the car and your bound to have a poopy diaper right when everyone is ready. Going to the grocery used to take 20 min max, now you are lucky to get out within an hour. Everything takes longer. BUT you do have a buddy with you wherever you go and now when I run through my grocery list out loud I am actually talking to someone! 

Don't get me wrong being a Mom is SO wonderful BUT if you are pregnant or thinking about having kids please take advantage of ALL of the above every day simple luxuries! They'll change your life forever... in the BEST way possible! 

Fashion Friday: Tiny Toes

Today's blog post is dedicated to my Little Lamb and her tiny tiny toes! When Ava was born she had tiny little feet, well every baby has tiny tiny feet... But Ava's have grown at an incredibly slow pace! I mean SUPER SLOW! Ava still wears 0-6 month shoes and just now fits into infant size 2 shoes. Her buddy who is 2 months younger than her wear size 5.5 and most kids her age wear between size 4 and size 5. Her feet are also super narrow so finding shoes that don't fall off is a challenge. I guess she is going to have feet just like her Momma! Here are my top pics for kiddos with tiny toes. 

1. Pedipeds: Although a little pricey, these shoes are AMAZING! They are all leather so they are great first shoes for walkers as the kids can still feel the ground and help with balance. You can also wipe off all dirt so they always look new. The mary janes can tighten to accommodate very tiny narrow feet or stretch wider for chubby ones. They also come in lots of cute colors and styles. 

2. Robeez: These shoes will NEVER fall off! Well unless you have them on a 1 year old who has learned to pull them off! But these are also all leather so are great shoes for when they are first walking. They too come in fun colors and designs. 

3. See Kai Run: These shoes are super cute and all leather as well. My one issue with these is they are cut a little wide so only the mary janes which can be tightened fit. 

4. Toms: We bought our first pair of Toms the other day and they are very comfortable and durable. Ava got the cutest paisley pair. My friend told me they look like Lily Pulitzer and Toms conspired to make some adorable little girl shoes. They are holding up well but they are very easy for Ava to kick/ pull off when she is done wearing them so we have had a few almost losses. 

5. Lastly we love some Target OshKosh shoes! These are more for walkers and not pre-walkers as the bottom is full rubber but they are not too heavy. These metallic gold ones have been our favorite during the holiday season! And the best part is they are only $12.99! SCORE!

"I can only imagine where these tiny feet will go in their lifetime. My only hope is that they never forget the way home."

 Author: Candice G. (Kendallsmommie)

I'm Baaacccckkkk...

Hey Ya'll! Whew, what a crazy few months it's been! We were gone 17 days in December/Janurary for the Tour de Feliz Navidad, as I like to call it. We went to Miami, Key Biscayne, Port St Lucie, Florida and then flew up to NC to visit my family in the Durham/Pittsboro area. During the second leg of the trip Peter and I caught some terrible upper respitory virus and were sick as can be for a week. Ava seemed totally fine but the day before we were supposed to be home she spiked a 102 fever and ended up with a double ear infection. Luckily, I took her right to the urgent care and 24 hours after taking the amoxicilin she was back to her old self and ready to fly home. Seeing family was great but that was the last double location trip we will be taking for several years! Here are a few pics from the trip

Peter's Family at Christmas 

Rolling in Lila's jeep 

  

Fun at the Ferrington House                        Dinner with my Mom and Sis

Cutest little cheeseballs around!

After we got back to Cali Peter started a new job at Cisco! Peter had the increadible opportunity to help lead a new division of Cisco here in the Bay Area. Of course he misses the all you can eat free food and I miss the heated Google toilet seats but this opportunity was such a great career move that it made sense.

check out this fab Google toilet seat. 3 heat settings and various other functions I was too scared to try

We also decided to find to a much bigger townhouse in North San Jose. It is closer to Peter's job and has 3 bedrooms for the growing family! It even has a tiny little yard! Real Estate in the Bay Area is incredibly depressing, especially when you are from the Triangle and a moderately priced real estate market so for now we will just be renting. There is something about spending $900k+ on a 3 bedroom 2 bath 1800sq foot home that just doesn't quite make sense to me. Hopefully in the future we can move back to the East Coast and buy something amazing! For now we will just focus on packing and moving into our fab new 1800 sq foot townhouse on February 1!

Ava also gave up her beloved paci this month. Ava only used her paci for naps and bed time but when speaking with her Pediatrition she mentioned that if you can take away any baby habits before 15 months that the transition is much easier. So we stopped the bottle right at a year with no issues and decided the paci was next. We obviously waited until after the Tour De Feliz Navidad where we would be on 6 airplaes and in all new places and started the weaning process a week after we got home. We tried the cutting process and honestly next time I would just go cold turkey. The first night of the paci cut she didn't notice and sucked away. The second night she was so confused as to why she couldn't get good suction and the 3rd day during naps she was LIVID. She could see the cut paci and really did not understand why we had mutilated her beloved friend. The 4th day was much better as we did not leave her paci in the crib and by the 4th night she went to bed in 5 minutes with no tears. Praise GOD!

I have also still been having some pretty terrible bouts of morning sickness. Almost 18 weeks and still sick 2-3 hours a day. I'm not tossing my cookies quite as much but just have awful nausea. Praying that 18 weeks is a better week for us! We also get to find out the gender at the end of next week! We are so excited to find out if Baby L is a little boy or a another sweet girl! 

So as you can see we have been PRETTY busy here at Case de Lamar. Oh and lastly Ava started carrying around a purse everywhere she goes. It's pretty adorable and hilarious.

Thank God for Zofran

So I have been a little MIA from the blogging world lately for a few reasons...

1. Ms. Ava is now walking which requires way more adult supervision. It's crazy how quickly those little feet can get into mischief. Ava loves pulling everything out of drawers, cabinets, baskets, shelves, basically anything she can grab and destroy she does. 

My makeup bag is also an absolute favorite!  That girl loves some Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme mascara. She also loves to hide my makeup all over the house. I am still missing my eyeliner and assuming it is lost forever. RIP Estee Lauder gel liner.

As you can see chasing around a toddler requires the majority of my time. Oh and when I am not doing that I am tossing my cookies or trying to stop the world and my stomach from spinning because...

2. WE ARE PREGNANT! SURPRISE! About 7 weeks ago I went to my High School reunion in NC. I was standing there talking to a friend from High School about kids and how Peter and I were going to start trying again after Ava was 1. Little did I know 3 days later I would find out I was pregnant! At first I didn't believe it. I took a test very early in the morning while in NC ( I did this because things have not been regular since I just weaned 2 months previously) and after 30 seconds decided to go back to sleep and see the results later. A few hours later I woke up to 2 pink lines. 1 was very faint so I decided it must have been because it sat out for a long time. I first texted my Sister because I couldn't call Peter at 4am CA time. She said normally those things don't have false positives. I still didn't want to get too excited. Plus I had a 10 month old! I was not thinking it was time for number 2 just yet. We flew home that day and on the way home I had Peter stop to get the Clear Blue tests that say "Pregnant" "Not Pregnant." I was SURE that it would say Not Pregnant but about 20 seconds later the words "Pregnant" showed up! 

Peter was SOOOO HAPPY, I was happy but still a little in shock. I honestly was scared. With Ava I was SUPER SUPER sick for about 14 weeks. I got sick almost every day and had all day nausea. I didn't know how I would handle that if I got sick again with an almost toddler. 

Well guess what happened?! I got super sick AGAIN! I didn't get sick with Ava until 8 weeks but this time around I ended up in the ER at 6 weeks after not being able to keep anything down for 26 hours. But then I got some Zofran. I took Zofran with Ava every now and again and sometimes it worked. This time around I had no choice. I could not spend all day in the bathroom because I had an almost walker on my hands! So I took Zofran and 3 out of 7 days a week I only had nausea but was able to function. I think having a kid running around helps a little because you can't focus on how terrible you feel, you have to keep moving. 

I am now 12 weeks and I have only tossed my cookies once this week so that is a HUGE improvement! Hopefully, in a week or 2 I'll have that 2nd trimester burst of energy! I mean it's not like I'm going to run a marathon or anything but not having to spend all of nap time trying to recover would be great! 

We are so excited to be a family of 4 and know this kiddo is going to bless our family in so many ways. I can't wait to see Ava as a big Sister! She loves to hug and kiss her stuffed animals and I know she will just love her brother or sister! We sure have a few crazy years ahead!!!