A year in review: 2012

What a wonderful year! I love New Years Eve for so many reasons: reflecting on the past year and all it's blessings and learning opportunities and preparing ourselves mentally for the year to come.

Here is a recap of 2012:
2012 started off with a bang! In January we rung in the new year DC style with the "Frist Night DC"! We celebrated, danced and cheered in the new year with Aunt Barbara and Uncle Ralph. It was a great kick off to a beautiful year! Just two weeks later, we settled on our brand new house!!

February and March were spent settling in and schooling. I went to grad school full time in the spring to "catch up" from the semester before our wedding. Hubs is always in school full time, bless his heart.We also met our neighbors, Johnathan and Danielle who we've become good friends with and visited our friends Ariel and Ben in NYC for the last time before their big move to Oregon!

In April we hosted our first holiday! We had both sides of our family over for Easter brunch and it was perfect! Hubs also decided not to reenlist in the Air National Guard for another term. He is holding off until he finishes his bachelor's to decide his next military career move.

In May I started my new job at my company, which I absolutely love and I ran a 5k for cerebral palsy with my beautiful mama.

In June we started the summer off right! We went to VEGAS for the little brother's 21st birthday, celebrated our first wedding anniversary together then had our friends over for a cookout/fire pit for my 27th. Such a busy but fun month!

In July I went on a girls weekend trip to the beach and we went to the beach for a week with my family and our friends Chip, Kristin and Maddi. We found out they were expecting their second little one!!!

In August we discovered a new "beach" on the Chesapeake by our house and enjoyed a day trip there with my family. I also started writing my master's thesis.

In September WE FOUND OUT WE WERE EXPECTING OUR LITTLE ONE!!! Best news of 2012!

In October we couldn't contain our excitement anymore and we told our family and friends we were expecting with a cute little Halloween costume. ;)

In November we celebrated Hub's 30th birthday!! My parents and I threw him a cocktail party at our house that was a huge success!  I also had a spa day with my BFF for her 28th birthday and we spent Thanksgiving with my parents.  I also completed my thesis!

In December I graduated with my masters and we had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends.

2012 has been such a wonderful and exciting year. We know 2013 will be a year for the ages. Both Hubs and my little brother graduate in May, my uncle will get married this spring and we will welcome our little bundle of joy. <3

As far as "resolutions" are concerned, I think it is always important to strive for personal growth. A new year is a chance to reflect and set goals, but I like to do that throughout the year as well. This year, hubs and I have a joint resolution: bring lunch to work 4 out of the 5 days per week! This one is a struggle for us!! For me its a matter of a convenient deli right across the street from work and plenty of awesome coworkers who love to lunch! For hubs it's the Whole Foods right across the street! These $5-$10 costs here and there add up quickly and aren't always good for the waist line so we are aiming to be brown baggers!

Personally, I am setting a goal to continue to work out and eat healthy (fell off the bandwagon during the holidays) until baby bean arrives. I am also striving to grow in my current role at work and take the PHR (practitioner in Human Resources) exam before 2013. Most of all, I am striving to be the best wife and mama possible this year.

Cheers to another great year and an even better 2013!

17 weeks and a Christmas picture post

I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays with their family and friends as much as we did. We had an absolutely amazing Christmas this year. We left for my parents house last Saturday and got to spend 5 full days celebrating. Saturday we finished some last minute shopping and spend the night enjoying our annual "White Christmas" movie. Mom and I know every word and song after all these years. Sunday we went to church and then watched the Eagles and Ravens games at a local bar with the baby brother.  On Christmas Eve we drove down to my sister in law's house to spend time with the Robinson side of the family. It was so nice to get to spend some time with them. This was the first Christmas/Christmas Eve we've done that together- it will definitely be a tradition moving forward. Our nieces were so adorable tracking santa online. He was in Yemen when we arrived. ;)

After spending the afternoon with the Robinson's we headed back to my parents for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner with my Mom's side of the family. We have a huge spread and then do our annual Pollyanna gift exchange. I got a beautiful pair of earrings and hubs got some whiskey rocks and a Battle of the Sexes game. Super fun!  The rest of the night we caught up with family and by the end of the night everyone was playing Battle of the Sexes- the girls won! Way to go Mom and Aunts!!

Christmas Day is always very low key. We wake up, open gifts and lounge in pjs until it's time for dinner. Mom makes a YUMMY Christmas dinner (fillet, parmesan potatoes, green beans and steakhouse salad) and we watch movies. It's so relaxing and I love the quiet tradition.

Seventeen weeks: December 24th, 2012 

This week we were traveling to see family so the bump picture isn't in front of our dry erase board. Baby can yawn, twist, roll and punch!

Total weight gain: As of Monday it was about 3 lbs. Now that I spent the week eating it's probably a bit more but I'm heading to the gym today!
How big is the baby? : Baby R is the size of a sweet potato!
Maternity clothes: Still trying to utilize as many of my pre-preggo clothes as possible and buying non maternity things I can wear again next year (ahem- long sweaters). Wearing the belly band,  rocking a few maternity shirts and a lot of tunic sweaters, leggings and boots. Mom got me some maternity clothes for work for Christmas that I'm sure I'll be wearing very soon. The bump is getting bigger!
Stretch marks?: Not yet... Using Palmer's stretch mark cream daily!
Sleep: Getting a little better! I am using a pillow between my legs which seems to be helping. I'm finding myself on my back a few times a night which I need to figure out how to stop.  Might buy a maternity pillow this weekend.
Best moment this week: Spending time with family and showing off the bump! I also got to hear baby's heartbeat last Friday, which is always a special treat! <3
Movement:  I feel little flutters. :)
Food cravings: Nothing crazy- carbs I guess is the thing I "want" the most. Trying to avoid the bad ones and stick to whole wheat! Those Christmas cookies were calling my name this week!
Food aversions: Shrimp aversion remains consistent, thought it might be gone but couldn't stomach them on Christmas Eve.
Labor signs: No way Jose
Belly button in or out: In
What I miss:  I'm not missing anything too much. On Christmas it might have been nice to have a glass of Champagne but that's about all!
Pregnancy Symptoms: bigger boobies, bigger butt, stiff legs/back when I first stand up, thirst and the occasional bad headache. Nothing I can't handle! I am feeling more "pregnant" this week than ever before- I am sure that will continue weekly until little one comes.
What I'm looking forward to: Finding out the sex on January 12th!!!

Merry Christmas!

From our little family to yours! Hope your holidays are filled with love, peace and joy!

16 Week Bumpdate

I can't believe how fast these 16 weeks have flown by! 4 months pregnant already (12/17/12)!

I'm currently at my parents house soaking in the holiday. When we go back home, I'll update this post with my 16 week picture.
Update: 16 week picture below!

Cravings: Nothing too crazy! I've been  trying to workout more and only indulge in a few holiday treats! They are definitely calling my name! 
 Any foods you don’t want: I saw a Diners, Drive ins and Dives episode where they were making a shrimp dish and it actually looked and sounded appetizing. I might be over my shrimp aversion?
Symptoms? Dry skin (combo of winter and pregnancy maybe?), waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and thirst! I am SO thirsty! I feel like I can't get enough water
Showing: YES! I have a bump! I think it's more undeniably noticeable to me than everyone else. 
Boy or Girl? We will find out on the 12th with our families! Gender reveal cake, here we come! Can't wait. I am thinking a boy based on our last ultrasound picture but the heartbeat was in the 150s at our last appointment, which they say means girl. Who knows! Happy and healthy are our main concerns.
Bought anything? Nothing since the crib and dresser/changing table. After the holidays and finding out the sex, I am sure the answer to this question will change. :)
Shopping for anything?  Nothing in particular. I am excited to register in the next few weeks!
The Dad to be? He's so excited. I catch him checking all the juice and  cheese labels before I eat anything to see if it says pasteurized. So sweet. I love when he rubs my belly and loves on the baby.
Most recent appointment? 12/21 we had a regular check up/blood work. I got to hear the baby's heartbeat!
Next appointment? We find out the sex on 1/10!
Baby bean-

Being home for the holidays makes me even more excited to meet you! I can't wait to have you hear with us next year at Christmas! For now, we want you to continue to grow big and strong. We love you to the moon and back.

Love,
Mama Cait

Holi-daze (& a 15 week bumpdate)

This post is appropriately titled. I feel like I'm in a daze, more specifically, a holidaze. After finishing school last Monday (FOR GOOD!), I am finally able to sit back and enjoy the holiday and sit on my butt if I feel like it relax. This week, I've really been enjoying our pretty little tree. Our house is all decorated for Christmas and I just love it!

Yesterday, I hosted our second annual cookie day with the Kassab family. My best friend's parents are my parents best friends. We've been like family my whole life and we've had so many wonderful traditions over the years, cookie day was added last year! Both families go crazy bake a ton of cookies each Christmas so we figured, why not get together and make twice as many and have a variety to share?! Below are a few snap shots from the day. All in all, about 400 cookies were made!

Rollie-pollie Santa cookies? Yes Please!!

In other news, we are 15 preggo this week!

Fifteen weeks: December 10th, 2012 
Total weight gain: Hard to believe but it's still low, only 2 lbs. Not complaining though. :)
How big is the baby? : Baby R is the size of an avocado
Maternity clothes: Still trying to utilize as many of my pre-preggo clothes as possible. Wearing the belly band so I can leave my pants unbuttoned when needed and rocking a few , maternity shirts. Also in love with my maternity leggings from Target.
Stretch marks?: Not yet... Using creams to prevent these little suckers every day!
Sleep: Eh- just ok. I fall asleep pretty early most nights but I wake up frequently and defiantly can't sleep in anymore.
Best moment this week: Presenting my thesis and being done with school. Time to daydream about baby things!
Movement: I think so! I feel little flutters. :)
Food cravings: Nothing in particular yet.
Food aversions: Shrimp aversion remains consistent,  but nothing else has given me the icks!
Labor signs: No way Jose
Belly button in or out: In
What I miss:  I'm not missing anything too much. Occasionally I think it would be nice if I could enjoy a glass of wine, but carrying this baby is 1 million times better than any glass of vino. <3
Pregnancy Symptoms: bigger boobies, sleepiness, stiff legs/back when I first stand up. Guess these are all signs of a growing little baby!
What I'm looking forward to: Graduation tomorrow and spending several days at my parents during the holidays. Also just a few weeks away from finding out if baby R is a boy or a girl! What do you think?
xoxo

14 Week Bumpdate!

I am 14 weeks preggo! 25 to go until we meet our sweet baby.

I am definitely starting to show! I felt like my belly popped this week! I still have only gained a pound and a half and I think it's all in that belly! I have a belly full of love. <3
 

Cravings: Nothing in particular! This week I’ve been really thirsty, so I guess you could say water! I also find comfort in a cup of hot water with lemon slices before bed.

Any foods you don’t want: Still no need to bring shrimp around. Otherwise, I am starting to tolerate meat again.

Symptoms? Dry skin (combo of winter and pregnancy maybe?), waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and thirst!

Showing: YES! I have a bump!

Boy or Girl? Not sure! We want a happy, healthy babe. I am leaning towards boy

Bought anything? We bought our crib and dresser/changing table. I can’t wait for them to get here so we can start to put the nursery together! I had to convince myself not to buy cute little clothes in Carter’s the other day!

Shopping for anything?  Nothing in particular. I am excited to register in the next few weeks!

The Dad to be? So amazing. He was so sweet last week at our NT (first trimester) test. The night before he mentioned things the doctor would be looking for. I was shocked and asked how he knew that and he said “I’ve been doing some research!”.  Made my heart melt. I’m so glad he is so supportive and involved.

Most recent appointment? 11/29 we had our NT test. Got to see baby moving all around! He or she was really comfy in there and didn’t want to show the doctor his/her neck! We received the wonderful news that we are in the best possible range for a healthy babe.

Next appointment? 12/21- normal check up! We find out the sex on 1/10!

Baby Bean-

Your mama and daddy cannot wait to meet you. We day dream about the day we’ll get to bring you home to your new home. Until that day, we want you to grown healthy and strong. We love you to the moon and back. Can’t wait to hold you in our arms and get to know your little personality.

Love,

Mama and Daddy

Monday Randoms

A few random thoughts:

• It felt SO good to turn in my 55 page master's thesis tonight. I feel like I have my life back!!! 3+ years of always feeling like I could be doing something for school are out the window come this time next week. Cannot friggin' wait!
• I am loving my house all decorated for Christmas! This is our first Christmas in our home and I am just loving it. It's so nice to pull in the driveway after work and see our Christmas tree glowing in the window! I'll do a Christmas decoration post later this week.
• My belly definitely decided to show up this weekend. I felt like I woke up on Saturday and bam(!) there was my baby bump. I had someone in my class tonight ask me if I was preggo! I guess that's a sign I'm not just looking like a fatty!
• My husband has been the sweetest lately and I just wanted to give him a quick shout out: I love you and I definitely noticed how sweet you've been.
• I should be writing my very last paper of grad school right now but I am absolutely refusing since I handed in my thesis tonight. I'll work on it tomorrow- it can wait.
• I'm really looking forward to sleeping in this weekend and making weekend plans that don't involve hours of studying and/or paper writing!

Don't get me wrong, I am so glad I went to grad school but I will not miss it at all! I'm so ready to move on!

Time to take this week by the horns and make this last week of school count. Enjoy your week everyone!

Better late than never...13 week bumpdate!

My master's thesis is due in 3 freakin' days! Clearly, I'm freaking out calm, cool and collected. This week's bumpdate is a few days late (being as I'll be 14 weeks in two days!). At least the picture was taken on time.

I am hoping now that I am entering the second trimester I will start to look a little better in these weekly pictures! I always look so sick/tired!

Thirteen weeks: (November 26, 2012)
Total weight gain: Hard to believe but it's only 1.5 lbs! I have been back on my workout grind and eating much better now that I can hold down more than just plan rice and pasta.
How big is the baby? : Baby R is the size of a lemon
Maternity clothes: I've been wearing the belly band and did buy a pair of target maternity leggings (SO comfy) and a few maternity tops. I can still wear most of my regular clothes but its nice to have some roomy things to wear as well.
Stretch marks?: Not yet...and hopefully not at all!
Sleep: I'm so tired by the end of the day I usually fall asleep by 9. This is making sleeping in really interesting because I can't sleep in past 7. :-/
Best moment this week: Spending Thanksgiving with our family
Movement: Not yet. I swore I felt flutters but all the books say it's too early.
Food cravings: I've been eating my typical diet.
Food aversions: Still no shrimp. I think it might be seafood in general now. We made salmon the other night for dinner and I could only stomach two bites.
Labor signs: No way Jose
Belly button in or out: In
What I miss:  Iced tea and wine
Pregnancy Symptoms: bigger boobies, sleepiness. My mom and hubs think the booty has grown too.
What I'm looking forward to: Graduating in two weeks and having more time to get ready for this little bundle!

xoxo

Saw it. Pinned it. Did it: Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark

I've been wanting to join in on the saw it, pinned it, did it fun with Beautiful Mess and Keep Calm & Carry On for a few weeks and finally had some time to complete a Pinterest project last week!

I have been dying to try this Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark and it seemed like the perfect Thanksgiving "pickie" for family to snack on. It was super easy to make and is really tasty!!

I apologize in advance for the iphone pictures. I was at my parents house without my camera!

What you will need:

bag of mini pretzel twists

2 sticks of butter

1 cup of brown sugar

1 bag of chocolate chips

Sea salt or table salt

Steps:

Line a jellyroll  pan with tin foil and arrange pretzels on pan

Make caramel by combining butter and brown sugar. Be sure to stir constantly (aka don't ruin any pots)until caramel begins to thicken and stick. Preheat your oven to 350 while caramel is forming.

Next, pour caramel onto pretzels and bake for 5 minutes.

Next, spread chocolate chips evenly over the caramel

Put the pan back in the oven for 1-2 minutes or until the chips melt.

When you pull the pan out, cover with "chunky" sea salt. 

(thanks Ma for the assistance!)

Finally, put the pans in the freezer so the bark "hardens". I actually put the pans on our porch because it was cold enough outside and the freezer was stocked with Turkey Day goodies.

After the bark hardens, break the bark apart and arrange in a cookie tin!

Next time I make this recipe, I will not use salted pretzels and sea salt. I will use unsalted pretzels next time. It turned out a little too salty (yes, even for this preggo).

Enjoy!!

P.S. I'll be back tonight for the weekly bumpdate! I was freaking out the begining of this week with thesis writing but I'm finally done!! I took the picture Monday, just didn't have time to update. Can't wait until school is done in two weeks (FOREVER) and I can have time to do *my own things*, seeing friends more, dates with hubs, blogging and pinterest crafting!

Home

There is nothing quite like being "home for the holidays".

Hubs and I came "home" to my parents house last Friday night. I took off work the begining of this week to work on my thesis and knew that I would be more productive and feel more relaxed at my parents. (Ahem, cleaning distractions, wanting to hang with the hubs, cooking, etc.) At Mom and Dad's I have home cooked meals and am distraction free during the day. Plus, who doesn't love a little extra parent lovin' when your preggo around the holidays.

We spent the weekend doing "homey" things and it was just what the doctor ordered.

Friday night we got in from our drive and had a home cooked meal from Mom. The kitchen is the gathering place in our house. We sit around the table, eat, drink (we'll not me anymore) and be merry. It's lovely. We caught up on the recent happenings and enjoyed our time together.

Saturday Mom and I got up and went to Zumba bright and early. I love getting the chance to work out with my ma. :) Afterwards we met my best, Julie, at the best day spa ever (aka the place I got pampered for my wedding) for pedis. I got Jules a spa pedicure and facial for her birthday gift and we cashed in! We followed the spa with lunch at locally sustained restaurant. SO FREAKIN' YUMMY! Such an awesome morning.

Saturday night the fam, hubs and I went to my cousin Kay's for a family get together. Several of my cousins recently went to upstate Pennsylvania where my grandma and her brother and sisters were born to explore. It prompted everyone to want to get together to look at old pictures/organize/divy up based on "family". It was so neat hearing stories and seeing all of the old photos. My grandma and her sisters were so close so there are a TON of pictures of everyone together. We got to eat good food and spend time with family, which is always amazing.

Following dinner hubs and I met up with another one of my bests, Kelly and her boyfriend Steve at their new house to meet their newest puppy addition! We then headed out to a local bar where Steve's band was playing. It was so nice to catch up and see her new house!

I love being home and seeing all my favorite people. Just what I needed to get in the holiday spirit.

Sunday we had a big family breakfast before Hubs headed home for a few days to work. Mom and I went grocery shopping with a HUGE list for Thanksgiving then I worked on my thesis for the afternoon (in front of the fireplace<3).

That would be a little red baby bump in the bottom of the picture above!

The next few days leading up to Turkey Day I will be hitting the gym, working on my thesis and visiting with some more friends (Kristin and Chip). Hubs and my baby bro will be getting in on Wednesday, which I'm looking forward to! Can't wait to eat good food, watch football and be thankful on Thursday.

Seriously, this week is perfect: family, friends, Thanksgiving, productivity (thesis).

I love this week!

12 Week "bumpdate"

This week, I am not at home with my little erase board. We are 12 weeks along. Last week in the first trimester!! Baby is the size of a peach (3 inches long) and growing vocal chords.

Cravings: Goat Cheese. Thank goodness I found some pasteurized goat cheese meals at lunch on Saturday! That was all I wanted!
Any foods you don’t want: SHRIMP! Still so unappealing. 
Symptoms? Getting sleepy pretty early in the evenings. 9 pm bedtimes for this little mama lately. I also had a few days of headaches but they aren't too bad or too often. I am thinking (knock on wood) I will be feeling much better the second trimester. :)
Showing: I think there is a small little bump. People would probably say I look like I stopped working out or drank too many beers.
Boy or Girl? Not sure! We want a happy, healthy babe. I have been pinning some cute clothes either way!
Bought anything? Not yet. We will probably start shopping after we both finish this semester. I
Shopping for anything? Not at the moment. Soon enough! We will register after the holidays!
The Dad to be? So amazing. He was so cute at the latest appointment when he got to see baby moving all around. <3
Most recent appointment? This past Friday we went for our final sonogram to check over all three "sacks". I feel so spoiled because I've had three sonograms when most mamas only get one in the first trimester, if any! Below are the three "sacks" from the first sonogram. (Cannot for the life of me "flip" this picture). Sorry about that, it's a picture of the sono from my phone. Every time I upload to blogger it shows upside down!

Here is baby bean this past week! Getting so big!

Next appointment? November 29th we have our NT to check baby's health. I can't wait to see my little bean again.