We are officially 100 days away from our due date today! Not that I expect this little girl to come on her due date. In fact, I have a very strong feeling that she'll be significantly later than August 10th. But we'll see! I've been wrong before. And though I'm sure I'll get impatient - and probably uncomfortable - waiting for her, I'm also sure she'll be more than worth the wait!
We're still mulling over the whole name thing. I'm hoping we'll settle on one in the next month or so and then I can start giving you all some clues and letting you guess what her name might be. Yes, we are going to be one of those couples who keep everyone in suspense until the baby's born. You'll just have to be patient!
This weekend, my parents made an impromptu trip to Georgia to see us. And my mom and I made an unscheduled trip to the OB to see the baby. After a few weeks of feeling her doing all sorts of acrobatics I noticed a significant drop in her movements. I felt her kick only once on Thursday afternoon and evening and not at all on Friday. I started to get a little worried! But I was pretty proud of myself for not losing it. I ate a sugary, caffeinated breakfast Friday morning, and when that didn't get her going I called my OB. They had me come in and did an ultrasound. Everything was fine of course. I guess she was just not feeling like working too hard! I was a little worried, and so relieved to hear everything was fine. And it was nice to have an unscheduled peek at my little one! She's doing great and weighs 1lb. 11oz. now. Only 100 days (give or take :) ) until we meet her!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Celebrating Easter
I've been thinking a lot lately about our traditions as a couple. We don't have too many, but we've tried to establish some, because I think they're important. Not just for us, but for our kids. Traditions make people feel like part of group and build a sense of connection and shared memories in a family. So I want our children to have traditions that are just ours. We've got some pretty good Christmas and Thanksgiving traditions and my little book that I wrote about here is chock full of other ideas once we have slightly older kids.
But I have nothing for Easter.
Easter at our house usually goes like this: It's the middle of tax season. Jamie is exhausted and working long days 6 days a week. For a week or so before Easter I try to come up with something meaningful to do. Usually a day or two before Jamie's grandparents ask if we have plans and if we'd like to do lunch with them. And then on Easter day we go to church, have a late lunch with the grandparents and call it a day.
It's not a bad way to spend a Sunday, it just doesn't have anything meaningful really. I want our Easter celebrations to enforce to our kids that this day is important. I hope that we will do a good job of teaching them year-round about Christ and His sacrifice for us; how He defeated death and opened the doors to Heaven. But if we're going to teach them 364 days a year that Jesus' death and resurrection are the basis of everything we do then shouldn't that 365th day, the day all of Christianity sets aside to celebrate his resurrection, be something special?
So for the next several months, until Easter comes around again I'll be making it a point to take notes of any great Easter/Holy Week ideas I hear. Any suggestions?
But I have nothing for Easter.
Easter at our house usually goes like this: It's the middle of tax season. Jamie is exhausted and working long days 6 days a week. For a week or so before Easter I try to come up with something meaningful to do. Usually a day or two before Jamie's grandparents ask if we have plans and if we'd like to do lunch with them. And then on Easter day we go to church, have a late lunch with the grandparents and call it a day.
It's not a bad way to spend a Sunday, it just doesn't have anything meaningful really. I want our Easter celebrations to enforce to our kids that this day is important. I hope that we will do a good job of teaching them year-round about Christ and His sacrifice for us; how He defeated death and opened the doors to Heaven. But if we're going to teach them 364 days a year that Jesus' death and resurrection are the basis of everything we do then shouldn't that 365th day, the day all of Christianity sets aside to celebrate his resurrection, be something special?
So for the next several months, until Easter comes around again I'll be making it a point to take notes of any great Easter/Holy Week ideas I hear. Any suggestions?
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Happy Easter from the Hotalens!
The Big Ones...
The Little One...
And the Dumb One...
Who decided to take himself for a walk to Kroger this morning. In case you were wondering, chasing the dog around the neighborhood is NOT a good start to Easter morning. If you were looking to add a new tradition to your Easter Sunday celebrations, I don't recommend it.
The Little One...
And the Dumb One...
Who decided to take himself for a walk to Kroger this morning. In case you were wondering, chasing the dog around the neighborhood is NOT a good start to Easter morning. If you were looking to add a new tradition to your Easter Sunday celebrations, I don't recommend it.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Quoted
"That baby's gonna be honkin'. Every time I look at you, you're huger."
- My co-worker Dani who comes from Minnesota, where, apparently
they use words like honkin' and huger.
She's right, though.
A couple weeks ago, just before my trip to Virginia, Baby Girl decided to make sure Nana, Big Daddy and Aunt Shannon could see her. My tummy started to pop just a little.
And then, suddenly, there was no stopping it. Practically overnight I went from "Is that a baby bump or too much dessert?" to "Most definitely pregnant". And now, I look like this:
And now like Dani said, every time I turn around I'm huger! I love it though :) I'm feeling good and enjoying the whole pregnancy physique. Although clothes are becoming an issue...
(Look, even Kona's getting excited about the baby!)
- My co-worker Dani who comes from Minnesota, where, apparently
they use words like honkin' and huger.
She's right, though.
A couple weeks ago, just before my trip to Virginia, Baby Girl decided to make sure Nana, Big Daddy and Aunt Shannon could see her. My tummy started to pop just a little.
And then, suddenly, there was no stopping it. Practically overnight I went from "Is that a baby bump or too much dessert?" to "Most definitely pregnant". And now, I look like this:
And now like Dani said, every time I turn around I'm huger! I love it though :) I'm feeling good and enjoying the whole pregnancy physique. Although clothes are becoming an issue...
(Look, even Kona's getting excited about the baby!)
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Right Now
Eating: Cheese fries with bacon bits and ranch dressing. Healthy, right?
Drinking: V8 Fusion Peach Mango juice. Does that counteract the cheese fries:
Listening: to the washing machine and seriously looking forward to clean sheets tonight!
Feeling: Energetic! It could be some second trimester energy flow. Or the 3 cups of coffee I had today.
Missing: these shoeless girls -
Wishing: I didn't have to wait until August to meet this baby face-to-face.
Wanting: A pedicure. It's getting pretty ugly.
Loving: the warm spring weather we had today.
Hoping: Baby DeVol's referral comes soon!
Wondering: If we'll ever be able to pick a name for Baby H.
Anticipating: My mom's trip to GA this weekend. I can't wait to see her!!
Thankful: For a new opportunity at work that might keep me employed AND home with the baby come this August.
I'm grateful for life today :) Hope you are too!
Drinking: V8 Fusion Peach Mango juice. Does that counteract the cheese fries:
Listening: to the washing machine and seriously looking forward to clean sheets tonight!
Feeling: Energetic! It could be some second trimester energy flow. Or the 3 cups of coffee I had today.
Missing: these shoeless girls -
Wishing: I didn't have to wait until August to meet this baby face-to-face.
Wanting: A pedicure. It's getting pretty ugly.
Loving: the warm spring weather we had today.
Hoping: Baby DeVol's referral comes soon!
Wondering: If we'll ever be able to pick a name for Baby H.
Anticipating: My mom's trip to GA this weekend. I can't wait to see her!!
Thankful: For a new opportunity at work that might keep me employed AND home with the baby come this August.
I'm grateful for life today :) Hope you are too!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Delicious AND Healthy!
I love the pregnancy diet - eat as much healthy, nutritious stuff as you can. Plain and simple. I love eating a big salad, feeling good about all the veggies I'm getting and not worrying about the fact that the cheese and dressing is totally killing any weight-loss attempts.
However, I'm not a huge veggie lover and I was worrying about whether or not my little peanut was getting all her nutritional needs met. So I decided to start making fruit and veggie smoothies for breakfast. And I'd like to officially declare my first attempt a smashing success. Here's what was in it:
1 C. lowfat organic vanilla yogurt
1/2 C. frozen mixed berries
1/2 of a medium-sized banana
10 baby carrots
1/2 C. frozen chopped spinach
I blended all of that together until it was really, really liquidy (I did NOT want to find a chunk of spinach in my smoothie). Then I poured the mixture into ice cube trays and froze. Once the smoothie cubes were solid, I popped them out of the tray into a freezer bag.
This morning before work, I put half the cubes into my smoothie cup that attaches to my blender (brillant invention by the way), added 4 oz. of Mott's fruit and vegetable juice and blended until smooth.
It tasted so good! Very sweet, and not at all like a spinach smoothie. Definitely a great way to add some fruits and veggies to my diet! And freezing the cubes beforehand meant I only spent a minute making breakfast this morning (because - let's be honest - I would not have woken up early enough this morning to chop produce). I highly recommend giving this a try.
However, I'm not a huge veggie lover and I was worrying about whether or not my little peanut was getting all her nutritional needs met. So I decided to start making fruit and veggie smoothies for breakfast. And I'd like to officially declare my first attempt a smashing success. Here's what was in it:
1 C. lowfat organic vanilla yogurt
1/2 C. frozen mixed berries
1/2 of a medium-sized banana
10 baby carrots
1/2 C. frozen chopped spinach
I blended all of that together until it was really, really liquidy (I did NOT want to find a chunk of spinach in my smoothie). Then I poured the mixture into ice cube trays and froze. Once the smoothie cubes were solid, I popped them out of the tray into a freezer bag.
This morning before work, I put half the cubes into my smoothie cup that attaches to my blender (brillant invention by the way), added 4 oz. of Mott's fruit and vegetable juice and blended until smooth.
It tasted so good! Very sweet, and not at all like a spinach smoothie. Definitely a great way to add some fruits and veggies to my diet! And freezing the cubes beforehand meant I only spent a minute making breakfast this morning (because - let's be honest - I would not have woken up early enough this morning to chop produce). I highly recommend giving this a try.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Isn't She Lovely
I'm so excited and distracted today I'm just blogging from work. No actual work was getting done anyway. Why am I so giddily unfocused? Because we found out today...
Isn't she beautiful? I can't stop looking at her. And I can't stop smiling!
*P.S. I published a new post today, but dated it 3/12/2011. It's a new picture and I wanted it to be posted on the day I took it. So make sure to go back and check it out.
We're having a baby girl!!!!!!
Isn't she beautiful? I can't stop looking at her. And I can't stop smiling!
*P.S. I published a new post today, but dated it 3/12/2011. It's a new picture and I wanted it to be posted on the day I took it. So make sure to go back and check it out.
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