Farewell Nutella!

Those who follow my Pinterest boards are well aware of my obsession with Nutella (the oh so delicious creamy, dreamy chocolate hazelnut spread that my celebrity soulmate Giada DiLaurentis talks about eating for breakfast when she was growing up in Italy) and will be SHOCKED at the title of this post. 

Yes, I love Nutella, I love it on toast, love it on strawberries, love it as the chocolate for my s'mores, love it on waffles, love it in pancakes, love it on apples, love it on a spoon or even my finger :)  I have spent countless hours researching Nutella recipes on Pinterest (not one of which I have actually made, but isn't that the point of Pinterest?) and have an entire board devoted to its deliciousness.  If there was a support group for Nutella Eaters Anonymous I would have to join. 

However I was shocked to find something EVEN BETTER...

TRADER JOE'S COCOA ALMOND SPREAD! 

The Italian and I both agree that this hidden treasure hands down beats Nutella.  Just picked the little gem up at our local Trader Joe's out of curiosity (and a weak pregnancy moment) and we had it on strawberries for dessert and are both HOOKED!  I came home last night and found that there are only about 2 Tablespoons left.  The Italian definitely approves :) 

This stuff is G-O-O-D!  Even gooder than Nutella!  If you have a Trader Joe's near you you should definitely check it out.  If you don't have a Trader Joe's near you, first I am so sorry for this void in your life...you're really missing out.  But seriously, they sell it on Amazon!

DELISH!

Hellooooo 3rd Trimester! - It's Hump Day Bump Day again!

I can't believe we made it to the 3rd trimester!  Only 11 short weeks (or so) until little Nicolette graces us with her presence.  I honestly cannot believe it! 

We had a busy week last week (hence the lack of a HDBD post for 28 weeks). 

• The dreaded glucose test was last week.  For those not familiar you drink this BIG cup of SUGARY, SYRUPY drink - think of an orange crush soda with extra sugar and NO carbonation.  You have to finish within 5 minutes and then have your blood drawn exactly 1 hour later.  This tests to see if you have gestational diabetes.  So far I haven't heard anything back about the results and the doc said with this test that "no news is good news".  So I guess you don't hear anything if you pass, only if you fail.  Fingers crossed that we're still good and that we don't hear from the doc until our next appointment (on my birthday!!!  Now we start going every two weeks for check ups). 
• The Italian had cataract surgery...no he is not 100 years old...just has had lots of unfortunate eye problems.  So we spent a couple of days on that and recovery - so far all is looking good.  His vision was actually 25/20 the day after surgery even with his eye still being dialated which the eye doctor said was AMAZING!  YAY!  He has another follow up tomorrow so prayers that all continues to look good.  He says it feels like he has an eyelash in his eye a lot of the time and he catches a glare out of his right eye and I'm hoping the doc says that that is all normal and that it will subside with time.   
• We had our Childbirth Preparation class Friday night and all day Saturday.  The Italian was a little bored, but definitely learned a lot - he thought all women delivered babies flat on their backs like they do in the movies.  Boy was he surprised when we had to watch "THE video" with 6 live births.  Fun times.  He's going to be an "uptown dad" - no need for the full show downtown.   
• The most fun was Nicolette's first Baby Shower this weekend with my work family!  This little girl is going to be spoiled rotten!!!!  We're starting to set up some of the "stuff" that we got for her around the house to see how our cat-child and dog-child react.  Chance (dog-child) is so mellow he really doesn't even seem to notice but Sasha (cat-child) is VERY curious.  We set up Nicolette's bathtub in our bathroom and she's been eyeing it for the past few days.  We're lucky to have very friendly, not aggressive in the least pets but Sasha does like to snuggle so I'm hoping to set up the bassinet in our room sometime in May or June to see what she does with it in the room.
• Little Nicolette is definitely making use of the space she's created in this belly of mine.  I swear I think she's doing toe touches or cartwheels in there because I'll feel (and see) her kicking in all different directions AT THE SAME TIME.  It's fun to watch!  :)      

And that brings us to this week - I've got some big events at work this weekend running into next week and trying to remind myself (in advance) to pace myself.  Still get awfully lightheaded now and then but the doctor swears that my 80/42 blood pressure is A-OK.  Whatevs...as long as I don't pass out I guess it's ok.     

And then NEXT weekend I'm so-hostessing a baby shower for a dear friend and former Panther Cheerleader teammate at our house!!!!  Babies, babies everywhere!!!!

Happy Hump Day Bump Day! 

29 weeks!!!!!!



National Infertility Awareness Week®

Hi all - I'm passing this message along...Please call your Members of Congress this week!

In recognition of National Infertility Awareness Week®, don't ignore your voice! Members of Congress need to know that people with infertility matter.

 

Hundreds of supporters throughout the infertility community are gathering in Washington D.C. this week to meet with Congressmen and urge them to co-sponsor the Family Act and save the Adoption Tax Credit.

• The Family Act would create a tax credit to help with the out-of-pocket medical costs for infertility treatment.
• We also need to repeal the sunset provision of the Adoption Tax Credit, which is set to expire this December.

And we need your help by calling your U.S. Senators and Representative to also show your support.

Here's how you can raise your voice: Visit here for details about your Congressmen, their phone numbers and a suggested script.

 

Calling will take just a moment of your time and could change your life as well as millions of others who are struggling with fertility treatment expenses.

 

Please call today!

World War III

Now I'm not usually one to air out my dirty laundry but here goes.  So ya know how I've been surprised at how I'm not freaking out about not having anything done for little Nicolette?  Well, I think perhaps I've repressed some of that energy (which beautifully released itself this weekend)...here's the story -

Friday night I mentioned to the Italian that I had to work on Saturday.  I knew that he was off this weekend so asked him if he thought he could "finish up" in the nursery.  (Note that that was a question, not a demand).  Now the tasks that the Italian had offered to complete for project nursery were paint walls, paint ceiling, install crown moulding (his idea, not mine) and paint said crown moulding.  He answers "yes".  He already had the walls painted so needed to paint the ceiling and handle the crown moulding.  So in my mind the affirmative answer meant that all would be completed this weekend - hooray!  (sidenote - we had already committed to Easter lunch with my parents on Sunday so I knew that that was going to eat into his schedule along with the Masters being on TV - apparently a national week of reverance for those who love golf). 

So I get home from work Saturday and notice that the hubs is not home - I looked in the nursery and nothing had been done so I thought SURELY he had made a trip to Lowe's or Home Depot to pick up some much needed supplies.  I go about my evening busying myself with chores when he bee-bops in and I realize that he was not at aforementioned home improvement stores but out playing golf.  Hmmmm...so I'm not the kind to blow up - I'm even worse I'm a passive aggressive pain in the arse.  (This is not a pregnancy hormone related issue...it's just how I roll - not proud of it, but I recognize and own it completely).  He notices aforementioned passive aggressive pouting and asks what is wrong and I calmly state that I thought he was going to finish up the nursery...things escalate within a matter of 5 minutes reaching a fevered pitch as he calls me a nag and tells me to get off his back and it ends with me telling him that I think he's lazy and that I hate golf.  (now the ironic thing is that he was more offended with the "I hate golf" statement than the fact that I called him lazy - who would have thought that would be the bigger insult?  Guys are weird...Lesson learned). 

Then comes Sunday morning.  The Italian is up earlier than usual and heads to Lowes for crown moulding supplies.  He returns as a man on a mission - bound and determined to prove me wrong and finish the project by the end of the weekend.  Oh and did I mention that he's happy about it...REAL happy about it (note sarcasm).  

Needless to say, he did NOT make it to my parent's house for Easter so it was just Nicolette, myself and Grandma and Grandpa for the day.  It was nice though - we got to skype with some of my relatives in Iowa - none of whom I have seen since our wedding (nearly 7 years ago)!!!!!

So lessons learned -

• For wife: Do not call your husband lazy (especially when he really isn't - he's actually super handy and takes care of 99.9% of our home projects and renovations - granted he does so on his own timing which is where we butt heads...when I say I'm going to do something, I like to do it immediately.  Him?  Not so much - he'll get to it when he gets to it and he might say that he'll get to it today which I am supposed to know means it might be another month). 
• For husband: Do not tell your wife that you will complete a project AND go to her parent's house over the weekend if you are really planning to spend an entire day playing golf which will make it impossible to complete said committments.

By the time I got home Sunday night, the crown moulding was up, ceiling was painted and all was well with the Italian happily watching Bubba Watson win the Masters (have to admit I'm a Bubba Watson fan so I was happy about that "win" too http://www.faithnews.cc/2012/04/02/pga-golfer-bubba-watson-lets-his-light-shine/).
   
Aside from that drama (which really should not have been drama at all) not much is going on.  Today is Hump Day Bump Day, so here we are at 27 weeks!!!!  She's taking over for sure!  Next week I'll officially be in the THIRD TRIMESTER - the HOME STRETCH!!!!  I can't believe it!  My due date is exactly 3 months from today! 

I'll post pics of "Project Nursery" soon!  We still have no furniture - but we'll make sure she has somewhere to sleep before she arrives :) 

Cravings much?

Soooo thankful to work at the establishment that serves the BEST BURGERS in the city of Charlotte!  (The Gallery Restaurant at The Ballantyne Hotel)

I think this OFFICIALLY qualifies as a "Mega Craving".  I tried to satisfy it with my usual snacks...an apple, some cereal, cucumbers...nothing.  So THANKFULLY the wonderful chefs at The Gallery Restaurant were kind enough to let me order our BAUCOM'S BEST FARMS® ULTIMATE BURGER.  This burger is no joke - 8 oz of grass fed beef which I topped with melted cheddar and bacon...nom, nom, nom!!!! :)  Nicolette is a happy girl - flip flopping away. 

For those who know me, you know that I'm not a red meat eater so this is definitely outside of the norm.  I have been slightly iron deficient at my last few appointments, so I'm going to blame the craving on that.  Now we just have to make sure that it doesn't become a daily occurence....

HDBD ~ 26 weeks

Wowzers!  26 weeks and time is FLYING by faster than I can keep track!  Nicolette is growing, growing, growing (and so am I...OBVIOUSLY - see below).  So far we're feeling pretty good...only thing is that I'm a little worried about my blood pressure...I had another incident the other morning where I almost passed out.  This time while walking Chance in the morning before work.  eek!  I managed to stumble across the street and land on all fours in someone's drive way and then took a minute to collect myself and picked myself up to walk back home.  I sat for a little bit and was then totally fine.  I had eaten breakfast before my walk and was feeling just dandy when we headed out until all of the sudden I totally was NOT.  I can't think of anything else to relate to other than my BP.  My BP was 80/50 at my last appt and the Doc and Nurses all say that that is GOOD. 

Has anyone else had blood pressure issues or fainting spells while preggers?  I haven't passed out yet, but have felt on the very brink of it several times.  I called the Doctor's office and their wise advice is just not to stand up so much.  Hmmmm - sounds brilliant right?  And oh so practical.  Whatevs.  Other than that, I feel totally fine so I guess I'll just continue to keep my phone with me and hope I don't need it! 

Here's one thing I'm VERY excited about!  Nicolette's first CHEERLEADING UNIFORMS!!!!!  The Panthers had a clearance sale on these little gems (probably related to the new logo that's being rolled out and the switchover from Reebok to Nike sponsorship for the NFL).  Anyway, they didn't have any little infant uniforms, but I did snag an 18 month and a 24 month outfit for her :)  My girl HAS to promote her Panther Pride! :) 



CHEERS TO YOU ALL!!!!!

HDBD - 25 weeks

25 WEEKS!!!!!

That means only 15 weeks or so until our precious little Nicolette arrives!  I can NOT believe it!!!!  Time is REALLY starting to FLY by!  We've had a busy week this week and I have a feeling that things are only going to be getting busier and busier. 

Daddy painted the nursery this week and will be putting up crown moulding in her room over the next week or two.  After that we need to pick out a chandelier (every little girl needs some *bling* in her room) and purchase some of the nursery furniture.  We're considering re-carpeting the upstairs so if we decide to do that we'll probably do so before we get the furniture. 

I'm surprised at how calm I am considering that I have not purchased ONE THING for baby Nicolette (- ok that's not totally true.  The night we found out she was a "she" I bought a bib that says "Daddy's Little Princess" - but that is TRULY the only thing that I've purchased.)  For those who don't know me this is NOT how I usually operate.  I would normally have an entire spreadsheet devoted to what we're going to purchase and when including the price, where we're purchasing it from and where it will be stored until we're ready to set it up and it's final resting place.  YES, I am aware that this is totally annoying but that's how I roll...normally.  (God bless my husband for being able to stay married to me through this annoying way of life and God bless my coworkers who also have to deal with new spreadsheets created to analyze every possible scenario).  Anyway, for some reason I don't feel my usual compulsive need to make endless lists and obsess over every detail - hopefully this is preparation for motherhood and me starting to realize that "I can't control EVERYTHING", "I don't need to control EVERYTHING", "Even if EVERYTHING isn't done before she gets here, it will in fact be DONE when it needs to be done." and "If I do try to control everything I will surely be disappointed because it is guaranteed NOT to go the way I plan." 

I went for the tour at the Pediatrician's office last night and really LOVED the doctors we met with.  Very nice and friendly and seem very easy to work with.  I have a feeling that we will be spending A LOT of time there over the next few years. 

This week I had a few pregnancy moments that I haven't yet experienced.  Monday I felt like my lungs were squished and that I couldn't catch a full breath.  So I was out of breath all day and just constantly trying to take quick little breaths.  I also felt crazy hungry but when I would start to eat I felt like there was no room in my body for the food to go so I couldn't eat much.  Now I've heard friends talk about this, but I always thought that these "side effects" crept up later in preganancy.  Luckily it was only Monday and by Tuesday I was breathing normally once again.  Then I had my first encounter with what is known as Round Ligament Pain Monday night and all day Tuesday.  I started out for a walk after work and on the latter half of the walk all of the sudden my hip flexors started to get insanely tight.  For any of my running friends out there if you've ever had tight hip flexors and it feels like it's on the verge of "popping" - that is what it felt like.  You know that intense pain right before a joint or something pops - well that was it, only there was no popping just the pain which caused me to waddle - yes WADDLE LIKE A DUCK for 36 hours.  If I stood up too quickly getting out of bed, out of the car or at work I would feel almost a stabbing pain and I'd have to bite my tongue to keep from shouting and then that would make myself laugh which again invoked more stabbing pain.  Yesterday was interesting to say the least.  Weird thing is that I woke up this morning and felt totally fine.  No more waddling for me (YET - I'm sure that will change soon).

And I'm convinced that Nicolette is going to be a Rockette - good Lord she's got some powerful KICKS.  I was standing up talking to a co worker yesterday and one of the guys at work who was walking by stopped and said, "Oh my gosh!  Did your baby just move???"  I said yes that she'd been a little hyper active and he said, "I saw it, I saw it!".  Oh boys - they are so funny.  :) 

Still no serious cravings or anything crazy popping up with the appetite.  I've craved sugary treats a little more than usual over the past week but not anything totally out of the ordinary.  She still loves fruit and veggies!  And fresh strawberries with Nutella is a dessert favorite of hers (and daddy's too) :) 

And I'm finally into Maternity Clothes for work.  The regular work attire was NOT cutting it anymore.  For any mommies to be out there, you should totally look into ebay when looking for clothing.  I've ordered several work dresses that are all NEW WITH TAGS and would normally sell for $70 - $150 for $30 or less from ebay.  I've found that sizing is still pretty consistent with what I would normally wear, just with a big old bump in the front!  :)  I will say that Old Navy stuff is NOT working for me.  Darn shame - that stuff is priced RIGHT! 

So here's today's "bump" picture - 25 weeks and counting!!!! 

Thanks for continued thoughts and prayers! 

Much love to all of our friends & family who have been so very supportive!  xoxo

This week....

So we're 24 weeks along this week.  Time is really flying by!  According to my checklist on thebump.com we're supposed to start assembling our nursery furniture this week....uh....I guess we're a little behind.  We have nursery furniture picked out but we haven't purchased anything yet and we just got the second batch of paint from Restoration Hardware for daddy to finish painting the nursery so we're just going to be content to be behind on the "to-do" list.

But in more exciting news this week - daddy FINALLY felt Nicolette move!  We were in bed watching a movie and I asked him just to keep his hand on her to see if she would come out of hiding and low and behold all of 2 minutes later she gave him a good solid kick.  The look on his face was PRICELESS!  It's definitely becoming more and more real with every passing day.  In just under 16 weeks (or somewhere around there), we'll have our little bundle with us!

I know I'm in the "happy trimester" as my doc calls it, but I didn't realize how wiped out I can get.  I started the month with a couple of 6 day, 60+/- hour work weeks and I'm just getting to take some comp time to recover today and tomorrow.  Yesterday I felt super light headed and actually had to lay down on the kitchen floor while making my breakfast because I thought I was going to pass out.  The Italian helped me back to bed and after about an hour in bed and some much needed breakfast I felt well enough to get my rear end to work, but still felt woozie and out of it for the rest of the day.  Today I had the day off so I spent most of the day in bed and still felt woozie this morning but am feeling MUCH better now.  Good grief I should feel better - I rested for about 12 hours today!  Anyway, note to self, I'm going to avoid the 12-14 hour work days at all costs...it takes me much too long to catch back up.  And if I feel that wiped out I can only imagine what little Nicolette is feeling in there.

Still no crazy cravings - wanting lots of fruit and fresh strawberries with Nutella is our favorite dessert for the moment.  And actually if you haven't tried it and have access to a Trader Joe's, you should try their cocoa-almond spread...we actually like it BETTER than Nutella.

So that in a nutshell is week 24...still hangin' in there and getting more and more excited with each day!  Thanking God for each and every little blessing!

HDBD - 23 weeks

It's Hump Day Bump Day once again!  23 weeks and counting!!!!  Nicolette is definitely out of hiding now!!!!!

I still haven't bought any maternity clothes but my selections in my closet are limited.  I think I have 3 dresses that I can wear to work (God bless A-line and shift dresses).  So, sorry co-workers, but you're gonna have to get used to my outfit recycling...promise that I do laundry on a regular basis!  

Nicolette is kicking up a storm - she really likes to sit up by my right ribs.  When we went to the doctor Tuesday the nurse even commented about how she's curled up in a little ball way up high on the right.  She had a strong heartbeat at 147 BpM.  Hubs still hasn't felt the kick - she'll be going at it for a little while so I'll have him come over and put his hand on her and I guess she's either shy or trying to make a liar out of me and she totally stops.  Hopefully he'll feel her in the next couple of weeks.  She either absolutely LOVES fruit or is totally irritated by it so that is pretty much always guaranteed to get a reaction.  I guess I'll just keep downing oranges and pineapple to see if daddy can feel her sometime soon.  

Hoping hubby will make some more progress painting the nursery this weekend - I'm still frustrated that I can't help with the painting. That is one home improvement task that I actually CAN do (and usually enjoy it too)!  I know there are mixed thoughts on whether women should paint or not.  I have girlfriends who have painted and everything has been perfectly fine however I logged on to the American Pregnancy Association's website to check out their thoughts just before I was ready to open a can of paint and read that they really don't recommend it.  Specifically they state that "Avoiding paints and solvents is the safest course of action" Then to make it worse I logged on to a message board and read a message from a mother who said that as the mother of a handicapped child she will wonder for the rest of her life it it had to do with the painting that she did while she was pregnant.  ACK!  That scared the living daylights out of me and I literally RAN away from the paint can.  For the rest of the day I wouldn't come near the Italian or the fume infested room...still haven't stepped into it fully 4 days later as I want all of the paint fumes gone.  We used low VOC paint, but still...with all that we've been through to bring little Nicolette here we'd rather be safe than sorry.  Luckily the Italian's a pretty handy guy so he's got it under control (he just doesn't always operate on my time schedule). 

That's all for now...feeling blessed beyond belief and loving every moment of this pregnancy (even the 14 weeks of constant sickness in the very beginning). Hard to believe that she'll be here in just a few months!!! 

She has a name!

Well, she's actually had a name since the day after we found out that she is in fact a "she".  We've just been bouncing it around and calling her by her name to make sure that we do absolutely love it (and we do).  So she is officially 

Nicolette Branson Randazzo

I wanted something girly and feminine and had to give up my fight for the name Giuliana since the Italian was adamantly opposed.  So I put together a list of about 20 names on Sunday after our Gender Party and had the Italian review them.  He nixed every single name except Nicolette.  As soon as I heard him say it out loud I said you know I love that name too, let's name her Nicolette.  And so we did!  

Branson was our first name for a boy and it comes from part of my maiden name and we thought that it would still be a nice and special middle name for our little girl.  Not only is Nicolette a pretty name, but the Randazzo family is full of Nicholases.  Grandpa Randazzo is a Nicholas so this is a nice variation on it   and each of her names incorporate a part of each of our families which makes it even more special.  

I think it may be the fastest that two parents have ever named a child, but when you know, you know, right?  

Other than the name we just started work on the nursery - I've been taping off the trim and Daddy was kind enough to start painting this weekend.  We'll definitely share pictures as it starts to come together. 

And I can't wait to see my Hump Day Bump Day pic this coming Wednesday...I feel like she's tripled in size over the last two weeks.  Time is trucking right along and we'll be 6 months along this week...I can hardly believe it!