Thursday, April 24, 2014

The Big Move

i've come to the conclusion that husband and i like to make big changes everytime we end up having a big life changing event going on. back in 2012, about three months before we got married in spokane, wa, we decided we were going to pick up and move to portland, or, a city we've grown to love over the past two years.

 Portland view from my current office
 Portland Waterfront on a Spring Day
 Timbers!!!
 MusicFest NW at Pioneer Place

now, we're having a baby, and we've decided to uproot our lives once again and head back to spokane, just about three months before our baby boy is due to grace us with his presence. life changing events = big moves in the alexander family household.

it's been a tough decision and one that we did not take lightly, but we feel like the time to head back to spokane is now. we'll be closer to family, friends we've known most our lives and a little city, that we may have taken for granted the last time we were there.

we'll miss portland, oh so much. this city is an amazing place filled with amazing people. we spent the first year and a half of our married lives together here, and maybe one day we'll come back. (perhaps will decide to move if baby #2 ever makes an appearnace ;0p) or maybe we'll stay in spokane or head somewhere else.

but, we're excited to head back to spokane. start our family and build a home together.




so right now, things are a little hectic in our neck of the woods, seeing as we're moving in the next two weeks. it might get a little quiet on the blogfront, but i'll be back!

we're excited for this new adventure and who knows what life will bring next!

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Life Lately

according to my samsung galaxy!

6 months preggo. alcohol free wine! a spring bike ride. portland waterfront. new office view. easter lilies. husbands birthday brewery tour 2014 (we checked out hair of the dog, cascade brewery and basecamp brewing and i was the lucky DD) . shawarma fries from gonzo (aka the best thing ever!)













Saturday, April 19, 2014

An Easter Menu

i had all kinds of grandiose ideas about posting a bunch of easter recipes this past week for you. but we had a busy week, and i'm lazy, oh and also 6 months pregnant, and well, that means, i barely got around to googling what the heck i was going to make for easter, let alone come up with ideas to share here on this little blog.

Easter Lilies are my favorite!!

so instead, i thought i'd share with you what i'm planning on making!

we'll be starting out the day with some of these delicious copycat cinnabon cinnamon rolls for breakfast! and because i like to throw in some nutritional substance along with all the sugar i'm planning on feeding husband, they'll most likely be some cheesy scrambled eggs topped with a handful of green onions (trust me it's good) and maybe some fruit (of course berries, because that's all i eat these days). it's all about balance here folks ;0)

and then for dinner, i got a little, ok a lot, of help from good ol' martha stewart. easter dinner will consist of a scrumptious glazed ham, tasty steamed artichokes with a tarragon aioli, and scalloped potatoes with leeks.

i hope you're more on top of things than i am this easter! but if you're not, you can copy my plan...i'm cool with it ;0)

happy easter weekend everyone!

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Bumpdate: 22 Weeks


how far along: 22 weeks, 1 day

estimated due date: august 16, 2014

size of baby: baby "a" is the size of a spaghetti squash

some of little man's new wardrobe

sleep: i'm giving up on sleep. i've officially come to terms with the fact that for the next 18 weeks or so, i'll be uncomfortable and after that, i'll be up with a baby. byebye sleep, it was nice knowing you.

total weight gain: 8 lbs

symptoms: i've got some pretty intense hip and back pain and my feet are officially swelling after limited time on my feet. it's not so much fun, but husband has been a champ and has been rubbing my feet and running me warm baths to help with the hip and back pain.

movement: every once in a while, i think i feel the babe, but nothing consistent yet. at the last doctor's appointment, my ultrasound showed that my placenta is up front, and is most likely blocking any baby kicks that i would be feeling. hopefully the little guy get's stronger and starts kicking away! i can't wait till their more consistent.

maternity clothes: full on maternity clothes. loving them.

go to eats: fruit always sounds good. i also have a pretty intense sweet tooth that i'm trying to curb and my latest obsessions are thai food and burgers.

best moment of the week: we went baby shopping! little man is starting to get quite the wardrobe, and he's well on his way to being the best dressed in the family.

a cute little nautical onesie sent to little man by his "girlfriend" kaia

gender: bouncing baby BOY!

what i wish people knew: everything hurts. a lot. 

what i'm looking forward to: little man only wanted to show the ultra sound tech that he is in fact a little boy, so we're headed back for another ultra sound in about a week so they can finish the anatomy scan and get more photos. i can't wait to see him on the screen again!

milestones: little man is developing his senses including forming taste buds and his sense of touch. he also weighs almost one whole pound! 

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Second Trimester Favorites

hi! since i did a little recap of all the items that got me through my first trimester....i thought it would be fun to do the same for the second trimester.

i started my 6 month (woah! time is surprisingly flying by. i can't believe only a few weeks left and i'll be entering the third trimester) on saturday, and that got me thinking about what i've LOVED the past three months or so.

some are repeats from the first trimester, but sometimes oldies are the best.



1. the body shop shea butter. this first one i wrote about in my first trimester favorites, but it's definitely something i continue to use on an almost daily basis. while, unfortunately, i do have stretch marks already, and i'm sure they'll get worse, i also have extremely dry skin ever since becoming pregnant. something i've never had to really worry about before. i'm learning that shea butter keeps my skin well hydrated and leaves me less "itchy."



2. yogi's mother to be tea. this is also a repeat from the first trimester, but any little thing to get my body ready to push out this sweet boy is a-ok in my book and this stuff supposedly helps prepare the womb for labor....so i'll keep drinking this as long as i can.



3.Leachco Snoogle Total Body Pillow again! a repeat from before, but my love-hate relationship has developed into a full-fledged love-love relationship. as i get bigger, this is my new best friend, unfortunately for my husband. it has taken up permanent residence in our bed, and i don't see why it ever has to leave.



4. a pea in the pod skinny maternity jeans. i didn't want to do it....in fact, i couldn't fathom spending more than $100 on a pair of maternity jeans, because, well, they're maternity jeans. but these are so comfortable and looked so good on and just made me feel good about myself, which is so important when your body is changing, and really not your own, that i splurged. i bought the pair above as well as a pair in a lighter wash and i wear them almost every single day. so worth it.



5. a pea in the pod elbow length shirts.  again, pea in the pod for the win. i bought the above shirt as well as the short sleeve version in all your basic colors (white, grey, black and striped) and they have pretty much become my pregnancy uniform. i wear them everyday with the above jeans and just mix and match with sweaters, blazers, etc to make multiple outfits. i really really wanted to be able to find stuff that worked at a less expensive price, but target and old navy didn't have much that fit my body type.



6. Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity + Sleep Wristband, Black. as it gets more difficult to workout, and walking becomes my main form of cardio, i'm trying really hard to keep up a good workout routine. i ordered a fitbit flex to keep me motivated and make sure i'm trying to walk at least 10,000 steps a day (i frequently clock in at about 9,300). it's been a great way to keep me motivated to get in lots of exercise, which will hopefully benefit me when it comes to, oh you know, pushing a baby out.



7. fruit. especially berries. they're refreshing, good for you, and i love love love them. i can't get enough of them, and will put them in morning breakfast smoothies as well as take them as a morning or mid-afternoon snack. if i have to have cravings, at least it's a healthy one right?

8. foot rubs. those of you who know me, know how much i HATE feet. i hate it when people touch my feet, and although i've grown used to getting a pedicure, for the most part, i don't let anyone near my feet. i also don't want to touch a foot. EVER. (i'm sure that will change for baby boy's cute little baby toes). however, any pregnant lady out there knows how much your feet HURT at the end of the day, especially after walking 10,000 steps ;0) so i am so very grateful for a husband who is willing to rub my feet at the end of the day, even if it's only for 5 minutes. it feels so stinkin' good.


9. denali's mint moosetracks. it was bound to happen, right? every pregnant lady needs a good ice cream craving and mine is definitely the mint moosetracks from denali's. holy ice cream foodgasm heaven. i may have had a heaping bowl of this for lunch two days in row. don't judge me, the baby needed calcium for bone growth, and i was happy to provide him with that. ;0) if you want to be my best friend, show up on my doorstep with a carton of this in hand, and i'll love you forever and ever.

that's it folks! everything that got me through the 2nd trimester. you can read about my first trimester must-haves here. 

Note: Some of the above are Amazon affiliate links.

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Happy Blogiversary!!!!

i just realized that today is the second anniversary of this little blog here. happy birthday blog!!!


it's been such a fun little hobby for me and has gone from being a little experimental food blog to an ongoing journal of me, that guy i like, and our little adventures.

so to celebrate blogging for two whole years, i'm off to buy some NON-ALCOHOLIC WINE!!!!! (it made this preggo lady super happy to discover that they actually made non-alcoholic wine).

have a wonderful sunday!


Wednesday, April 2, 2014

It's a....

BOY!!!! husband and i are having a bouncing baby boy!

we're so excited for our sweet  boy to join us on or around august 16th (i'm hoping earlier, but i have a feeling this little guy is going to take his sweet time joining us).

everything is looking great and about the only thing this little guy wanted to show the ultra sound tech was the fact that he is in fact a little boy. he's all boy and proud of it. we are too.

in fact, we're so excited we raced out last night to buy him a few outfits and get started on my idea for a nursery. i knew if it was a boy, i wanted to rock a nautical theme, and target had some of the most adorable nautical theme pieces.


we also scored a cute outfit from target and old navy. i mean that hat...does it get any cuter?