Recipe: Western Egg Strata

Here's a good recipe for anyone who needs a new crock pot meal idea!

We modified the recipe a little. I don't care for ham, so we put in breakfast sausage instead and our kids don't really like onions and green peppers so we left them out.

Ingredients:
Vegetable cooking spray
8 slices white sandwich bread, cut into cubes
3 cups frozen diced potatoes (hashbrowns)
1 pound ham steak, diced
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese (about 16 ounces)
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
8 eggs
2 cups milk

Cooking instructions:
1. Spray the inside of a 4.5 to 5-quart slow cooker with the cooking spray. Layer half of the bread cubes, potatoes, ham, onion, pepper and cheese in the cooker. Repeat the layers.

2. Beat the soup, eggs, and milk together in a medium bowl. Pour over the bread mixture in the slow cooker. Press the bread mixture down to coat with soup/egg mixture.

3. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or until set.

Makes 12 servings

Growing belly: 8 weeks

So I took this today. Going to call this 8 weeks, since I'll be 8 weeks tomorrow. I can't believe how much my belly has grown in just this short time!

Valentine's flowers

Brilliant B. got me some beautiful flowers for Valentine's Day and for finally being pregnant (and I'm just now getting around to uploading them on my computer!)!!

He's just the most wonderful, loving, caring husband in the world!! I think I'll keep him!

(here's a hint: click on each pic to see the detail of each pic in it's true size!)

(this last pic is of my absolute favorite flower...Sunflowers!)

Ultrasound!

Everything went WONDERFUL!!

The baby is doing great! It is measuring 7 weeks 1 day, instead of the 7 weeks 3 days based on my LMP.

We heard the heartbeat too!!! It is a STRONG 150 bpm. That was the most wonderful sound I have heard in a VERY, VERY long time!

Now I can relax and enjoy this pregnancy!

Here are the first pics of the baby!!

Nerves, Nerves, Nerves

In about 2 hours, we will be getting our second ultrasound and hoping to see a heartbeat this time! I'm so damn nervous about this, it is not even funny.

I did not sleep well last night and when I did sleep I had horrible nightmares about the ultrasound results (and one weird dream where I cussed out the nurses and called them all morons and walked out of the office).

I know that my nervousness and worry is probably going to be for nothing, but after losing a baby a few months ago, I can't help but worry.

This baby is something we've wanted and gone through so much to have and I just don't want anything to go wrong! I want to meet this baby face-to-face in October!

I'll update when I get a chance to later tonight. Right after the ultrasound I have to go to class, so I won't be home until later tonight!

Friend Makin' Monday: Valentine's Day

This week Amber is asking this:

1) How did you spend your Valentine's Day? What did you get? What did you do?

2) A list of your top reasons/things that would have made it even better.

We spent most of our Valentine's Day at my in-laws house. We started off the day at our house. We gave the kids their boxes of candies and little stuffed animals, as we do every year. We let them eat one piece of chocolate (even though it was morning and before lunch!). Then Brilliant B. gave me my gift. He gave me a sweet, thoughtful card, 2 big Reece's Peanut Butter Hearts (since I can't eat tree nuts he doesn't give me the box of mixed chocolate so we don't end up with an accidental allergic reaction on V-Day!) and a new, bigger wedding band. Mine had become tight and uncomfortable and he got me the same band in a bigger size! It was the best gift EVER!! Now I can wear my band during this pregnancy without fear of it cutting off circulation!

After all gifts were opened and everyone was dressed, we headed out the back door and across the alley to the in-laws house where we chatted and watched the Daytona 500. The kids helped their grandma fix the various things for dinner later that night. A few hours after we got there, my mother-in-law says, "I just can't wait anymore" and goes and gets the gift she got me for Valentine's day. I opened it and it was an outfit for the baby to wear next Valentine's day!!!! Of course, it is a little girl's outfit and my Mother-in-law says that she is putting in her vote for a girl!! She was just so excited about it all!! After the race was over, we all sat down to a dinner of grilled pork, grilled pineapple, loaded baked potatoes, green beans, and homemade bread and followed the delicious meal with homemade banana pudding!

It was such a wonderful day that really nothing could have made it better and I wouldn't change a single thing about the day filled with LOVE!

Baby is OK!

The baby is where it is supposed to be.

They saw a yolk sac on the ultrasound and the baby is measuring 5 weeks 4 days.

No heartbeat yet, but not too worried about that since that comes anywhere from 6-8 weeks!

My beta hCG numbers were over 22,000, which is SUPER good for 6 weeks along! I am supposed to go in on Monday for a follow up beta hCG test just as a precaution.

They told me to just take it easy and drink more fluids and hopefully the cramping will go away.

Heading to ER tonight

My midwife's office called today about scheduling my ultrasound (I've been bugging them with messages the past TWO days). The earliest they can get me in is February 22nd. I went ahead and scheduled that, but am going to the ER tonight because I can't wait that long.

I've been having cramps on and off for the past week and they are starting to get me worried. I can't wait a week and a half to make sure everything is where it should be. So, we're not. As soon as B. gets off of work, we are going to have the kids go to my In-Law's house and we are headed to the ER for a baby check.

I know it's not the best thing to do, but I'm worried and cannot take another day of the cramps and worry. I need to know that our baby is nestled comfortably in my uterus. I need to know that the cramps are nothing to worry about.

I will update when we know anything.

Hormones make me weep

I have been so darn weepy lately it is not even funny. I just got through crying over an email that was forwarded to me that I've read a dozen times before. I couldn't help it. The tears came even though I was fighting it.

I saw a pregnant teenager leaving the school where Big J. takes his Math and English credit recovery classes and had to fight tears then. I know what that girl is going through. I've been there and done that and survived and it made me cry because I know all that she is giving up in her life and all that she will gain from that precious baby.

I forgot just how emotional I get when I'm pregnant. Now I remember. Going to have to stock up on tissues.

Quick update

I only have time for a quick update.

Things went WONDERFUL! I am indeed pregnant. The baby is due on 10/8/10. How awesome is that!?!?!?!?

My midwife and I decided that we would not go through the whole drawing blood and checking beta levels, because, as she said, there is really nothing we can do if the numbers aren't doing what they should be.

I will be getting an ultrasound in a few weeks. I will get it scheduled as soon as I hear back from insurance, which should be soon.

My first "real" pregnancy appointment is March 8th (day before my birthday!).

I've been thanking God endlessly for this.

I will do a more in depth post when I have more time....for now, I have to head out the door for some errands and other appointments!

Nerves

I have my first appointment with my midwife in about 2 hours and my nerves are SHOT! I am so scared that we will get bad news again and that we will lose this baby too. Even though I have a good feeling about this pregnancy, the nagging fear is still there.

Brilliant B. is trying not to get too excited until we find out everything is ok and that is bugging me. I want him to be as excited as I am right now, but he is a worrywart and is being cautious.

It has been hard to not just tell everyone that we are pregnant. I want to scream it from the rooftop, but we are going to wait until after the ultrasound to make an announcement.

We are going to tell the kids first and then our parents and then extended family and friends. I can't wait. I know that Diva D. and Little J. will be thrilled, not so sure about Smarty-pants C. and Big J. Big J. was not thrilled that his bio-mom has had 2 more babies since his parents divorced, so we are not sure how he is going to take the news that we are going to have a baby. Smarty-pants C. is not here all that much since he moved to Indiana and I don't think the news will sink in until he is here in April for Spring Break. I'm just nervous about Big J.'s reaction. He is not known for handling news he doesn't like well.

*sigh* can I just sleep until after the ultrasound tells us everything is ok?