[Chalkboard Tracker] 13 & 14 Weeks

Man, keeping up with blogging my chalkboard photos is really difficult!  Haha.  Today I should be posting my 15 weeks board, but since I am behind, as usual, that isn't happening.  Here are my pictures for weeks 13 and 14:

Pretty proud of that peach!  Haha.

Not much of anything yet.  ;(

How far along - 15 weeks today! :)

Total weight gain/loss - 10 lbs gained.  Yikes. 
Stretch marks - None.
Favorite moment this week - I got to see my aunti and cousins for the first time since being pregnant.  It was my cousin's birthday, so my whole family came over to my mom's to have lunch. It was nice to be able to be with my whole family for the first time since finding out about the baby.
Miss Anything - Not having to clean up all my hair that comes out in the shower!
Movement - None.
Food cravings - Gummi worms, which is weird because I wasn't crazy about gummi candy before.  Still craving sweets and carbs a lot.
Anything making you queasy or sick - Haven't felt sick in a while, thankfully.
Symptoms - Dry skin is slowly starting to get better.  I have horrible hair and memory loss though.
Have you started to show yet - Not really.  Maaaaaybe a tiny bit.  
Gender - Unknown.
Belly Button in or out - In.

[Chalkboard Tracker] 11 & 12 Weeks

Whoops!  Forgot to update with my 11 week chalkboard photo last week.  I'll be posting for weeks 11 and 12 today.

Lighting was really bad for this photo.  :(

I have not been happy with the way I look in any of these so far. :(

Yay!  3 months!  :)

How far along - A little over 12 weeks as of today.

Total weight gain/loss - 5 lbs+ 
Stretch marks - None.
Favorite moment this week - Last Thursday I had a prenatal appointment and got to get another ultrasound.  Baby was wiggling around and clearly has little arms now.  :)
Miss Anything - Caffeine; having more energy.
Movement - None.
Food cravings - Sweets and carbs like pasta and rice.
Anything making you queasy or sick - I got sick a few times this week and was starting to worry that maybe morning sickness was finally kicking in, but yesterday and today have been good.  I switched vitamins so that may have been the cause.
Symptoms - Just extremely dry and irritable skin and the previously mentioned sickness.  Also been getting emotional a lot more frequently.  Yesterday I was trying to pick out a wedding card for my husband's aunt and I kept tearing up while reading them because they were making me think back on my own wedding.  Hahaha..
Have you started to show yet - No, but my stomach is very hard and it's definitely not muscles! Haha.
Gender - Unknown.
Belly Button in or out - In.

[Chalkboard Tracker] 10 Weeks

This is a very unflattering photo of me, but it's really difficult to get Tomm to take pictures with me.  It's a one-shot kind of thing.  If I'm not happy with the first one taken, too bad.  So please excuse my double-chin.  :(

I was, however, pretty happy with how my first board came out.  Arts-and-crafts is not my strong-point, so assembling this chalkboard and drawing even those simple designs was hard work for me!  Haha.

How far along - 10 weeks

Total weight gain/loss - 5 lbs+ (bad, I know, but my weight fluctuates like this even when I'm not pregnant)
Stretch marks - None.
Favorite moment this week - Making this chalkboard and having my husband tell me he thought I did a really good job.  Plus, all the positive feedback on it from Facebook.  :)
Miss Anything - Drinking with my husband/friends/family; coffee; coffee and cigarette in the morning
Movement - None.
Food cravings - Mul naengmyun, breakfast food like waffles and french toast, sweets
Anything making you queasy or sick - My prenatal gummies usually make me gaggy in the morning.  I have to eat them first thing and then brush my teeth to get the flavor out of my mouth.  Brushing my tongue also makes me gag and even throwup sometimes.
Symptoms - Exhaustion.  I rarely have the energy to do anything when I get home from work around 5:20 p.m.  It is slowly getting better though.  I have also developed what I believe is eczema around the corners of my mouth and my hair is falling out by the fuck-ton.
Have you started to show yet - No.
Gender - Unknown.
Belly Button in or out - In.

Keeping Up With Posting

Look at me go!  Two posts in one week.  I'm on a roll, huh?

My last post was all about baby, so I didn't mention that Tomm just recently turned 30.  We didn't get to do anything spectacular, which I was slightly disappointed about since it was his big three-oh.  Tomm isn't into celebrating his birthday though.  It would have been nice to go on a mini-vacation, but I think he was 100% satisfied knowing our baby was on the way.  I thought that was a pretty great birthday present.

We did go out to eat on his actual birthday with some friends (and family).  Nothing big, as he always makes sure to remind me.  We ate at Lucille's BBQ, which is always excellent.  They're a little pricey, but definitely worth it.  Their portions are huge, the food is delicious, and the service is pretty good as well.  We usually sit in the bar area, so that's why I can't say the service is excellent, since service in bar areas is normally and expectantly slower.  For dinner, we shared a two meat combo of pulled pork and tri-tip with two included sides of garlic mashed potatoes and BBQ baked beans.  We originally ordered the sweet mashed potatoes, to try something new, but ended up sending them back.  Definitely not something I would recommend.  We both thought it tasted like baby food.  Other than that, everything was sooo good!  I even managed to sneak in a cake without Tomm having any idea at all (benefit of carrying a massive purse).

Tomm was very happy to turn 30, and in turn it made me happy.  We are moving forward and progressing and never turning around.

Happy Birthday my love.  :)

I finally switched my bangs back to "side swept" as I was getting tired of constantly having to trim them.  I already feel tired of this look though.  Trying to find different ways to cover up a giant forehead is frustrating.  I've had some form of bangs my entire life.  I feel like I look way less attractive without them, but perhaps I'm just not used to seeing my fivehead.  Hahaha.

One other photo I wanted to make sure to share in today's post:

Isn't it full of 90s awesomeness?!  Hahaha.  I visited my cousin (cute bottom-left baby boy) last week and he had tons of photo albums from when we were growing up.  This one was taken at Great America.  It's my cousin and me on the left, and my mom on the right.  I'm not sure how old I am here, and you can't tell but I'm wearing a pretty sweet Pocohontas shirt!  Ha!

I'll finish up with a little update on my pregnancy, even though there's not really anything new, so to speak.  Tuesday marked nine weeks.  Sometimes I get worried because I don't feel any morning sickness and I don't have any food aversions.  But when we went to the doctor the baby was safe and sound, with a little beating heart, so hopefully I have nothing to worry about.  Hopefully I have just been very lucky regarding the morning sickness.  Fatigue, insomnia, hunger, and frequent urination are the symptoms I have been suffering from due to the pregnancy.  I feel very lucky in dodging the nausea. Each day I feel a little better and more energetic.  Tomm and I have even planned a day trip to Stinson Beach for a "babymoon".  :)

Well, that entry was a bit wordy, so I'll end it here.  Until next time.

Baby Makes Three

I am pre-writing this post on April 19, 2013.  On Sunday, April 14, 2013, after about a year and a half of trying, we finally got multiple positive home pregnancy tests!  I am over-the-moon with joy.  It has really been a struggle for us to get pregnant.  I think it may be due to the fact that I was on birth control for nearly a decade, and also because Tomm worked graveyards for a long time right after we got married.

In all honestly, I am a bit scared.  This will be my first child, but being a mother is something I have wanted since I was fourteen.  We are crossing our fingers for a son, but obviously, more than anything, a healthy, happy baby.

Perhaps I will start blogging more to keep up with the long pregnancy I have ahead of me.  But don't I always say I'm going to start blogging more?  Yeah, we'll see.

[Edited on May 14]:
I am finally ready to post this entry.  On May 7, we went to the doctor and got to see the baby for the first time.  We could also hear the heartbeat.  It was all very overwhelming (in a good way).  We only saw the doctor for a total of maybe ten minutes, even though we were at Kaiser for over two hours.  So much paperwork!  Haha.  The ultrasound below was taken at eight weeks and today marks the ninth.  I really wanted to wait until three months passed before sharing our good news, but Tomm could not keep quiet about it.  He posted the ultrasound on Facebook almost immediately after it was taken, and proudly told everyone and anyone that we were expecting a baby.  It is sweet, because it lets me know how excited and happy he is, but I really did want to wait.  It's out in the open now though, so fingers crossed!  Please send lots of love and positive energy for the baby.

Much Needed Update

Ok, I admit, I am a horrible blogger.  I have an excuse this time:  I have tendinitis and it's terribly painful.  I am pretty much typing this one-handed.  So, this update will be mostly photos.  What's happened in the past couple months?

Mr. H and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary!  Whoa.  I have been Mrs. H for over a year now.  I'll be the first to admit that it's been a very rough year.  We are trying to stay positive though.  I do love my husband very much.  :)

Dr. Teeth has the best tots.

Too much food!

Bear Crepe!

Ocean Beach.

Macarons from Chantal Guillon.

My new wedding band.  :)

Shortly after celebrating our anniversary, I turned 24.  Fuck!  Right?  When did I even turn 23?  Besides having my dream of being a mother by 24 completely crushed, I had a decent birthday.  My mom bought me a sweet Kitchen Aid mixer, which I've been pining after for a long time now.

September babies!

I am soooo looking forward to the upcoming holidays.  I love Halloween.  I found tons of cute decorations at the Dollar Tree and Target.  And look what else I found:

Adorable skeleton pajamas for Ziggy!  I know some people think putting clothes on dogs is wrong or cruel, but Ziggy barely has any fur and he gets cold in the fall/winter time.  He loves wearing sweaters, I promise.

Hope you are all enjoying the beginning of the fall holidays!  I'll try and update more once my wrist is healed. This post took way too long with only one able hand.  Until next time. ;)

Days Go By

The months are flying by way too quickly lately.  I haven't updated this blog since the end of June, and now it is mid-August.  What happened to my "at least once a week"?  Well, at least I'm posting something now!  Right?  Haha.  I'd say, "I'm going to post more often, really," but I know it most likely will not happen.  So, a quick update!

In just 18 days, Mr. H and I will be celebrating our first year wedding anniversary!  I cannot believe how fast this year has gone by.  It's sad that we spent most of our first year as husband and wife living nearly separate lives due to his work schedule, but I know things will get better, and I'm very much looking forward to our mini getaway coming up.  We are leaving for a four day stay in the bay area on September 1st.  Our actual anniversary is on the 3rd, and we will be staying at Parc 55.  We haven't decided on a place to have dinner yet, but we are thinking of either La Folie or Fleur de Lys.  We are both quite fond of getting fancy and dressed up, and what better reason than celebrating  365 days as Mr. and Mrs. H?  It has been quite the year, and I'm looking forward to this anniversary along with 50 more to come.

I bleached and dyed the tips of my hair teal last week, with Sarah's help.  It came out pretty nice, but it definitely needs some touching up.  I'm thinking about adding some purple to the teal when I redo it, hopefully sometime next week.  Sarah has her tips dyed pink, so our hair looks pretty bad ass together.

That's all for now.  Time to work.  More later, I (kind of) promise.  ;)

Where Does The Time Go?

Ok, I totally suck at blogging.  I really thought I was going to be good about keeping up with this blog, but I'm not.  The year is already more than halfway through and I have only managed to check one thing off from my kitchen bucket list.

Mr. H and I have been working on planning our anniversary trip for this September.  I can't believe it has already almost been a year!  Time flies.  We were hoping to take a trip down to San Diego, but since our anniversary falls on labor day weekend, everything is super expensive.  Now we're planning on just heading to the bay area for a couple days, which will still be nice.

Anyway, I wanted to share this awesome website I found (if you are into reading).  It's called Thrift Books, and they sell used books for super cheap.  Plus, there's no shipping cost if you live in the states.  I purchased Aldous Huxley's The Perennial Philosophy for $5.44 and William S. Burrough's Junky for only $3.95.  They have used textbooks as well.  Definitely the cheapest books I've been able to find and they have a huge selection, so check them out if you're a bookworm like me.

Until next time, blogworld.
 

Recent Purchases

I know I never even finished posting the photos from Mr. H's birthday vacation, but I just got my shipment from Charlotte Russe yesterday and wanted to share my new purchases.  I am very happy with them.  I had a 10% off coupon and free shipping, so my total was just a tad over $100.

Pink and Gray Striped Tank Dress. 

$13.50

Floral Tank Dress.

$17.09

White and Coral Striped Skirt w/ Bow Belt and Buttons

$24.29

Above pictured skirt, worn with white H&M tank

and flat brown boots (not very visible).

Black Matte Leatherette Round-Toe Pump

$11.25

Teal Round-Toe Sueded Wedge

$31.95

I have totally fallen in love with Charlotte Russe.  I used to not be crazy about the store, but they have a much better variety online and so many shoes that I must add to my collection!  All shoes are still buy one, get one for $12.50, so I may just be ordering some more soon.  The only thing I have trouble with is the sizes for skirts and dresses.  The mediums are a little loose on my waist, but I highly doubt I would fit a small.  Shoes, however, are true to size and for the most part, comfortable.

I know I have not been very good about keeping up with my blog lately, and I know I say that all the time!  Haha.  Life has been crazy.  Mr. H is going to be supervisor soon at his job, we just bought a Mercedes, and our wedding anniversary is around the corner.  We have yet to decide where to go to celebrate (even though the year has not been the best).  It will be more of a "we made it through this crazy year" celebration!  Haha.  I will try and update again soon.

Hope you all enjoy your weekend!

[Recipe] Almond Coconut Cookies

Hello~  I have not been posting much lately.  I have truly been in a slump, especially when it comes to baking and cooking.  With Mr. H always gone, I don't really have anyone to cook/book for anymore, and I absolutely hate eating alone.  Before when I was baking a lot, I would send the treats off to work with him for his coworkers to enjoy, but lately I have been doing absolutely nothing.  I didn't even notice until this weekend.  My cousin baked my Nutella Cookies and it totally inspired me to get back to work in my kitchen!  I made these Almond Coconut (like Almond Joys) cookies yesterday morning with only ingredients I already had because I was too lazy to go to the store (it was very hot out).  Also, I may or may not be currently consumed by Diablo 3.  ;)  Oh, and also, before we get into the recipe, I finally got glasses (hence the photo to the right).  My poor eyes have been suffering and struggling to see for the last 4-5 years, but now the world is in HD and it is amazing!  I'm having issues with prescription contacts though, which is weird because I'm completely fine wearing circle lenses.  Anyone else have that problem?

Let's make some cookies!  These come out fairly small, light, and fluffy.  Almost similar to the texture of a scone or shortbread, but much more soft.

What You Need:

•  2 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tsp. almond extract
• 2 tsp. imitation coconut extract
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 egg white
• 1 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Nestle Semi-Sweet Mini Morsel)

 

Separated egg yolk and white.

Let's Bake:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F).
• Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.
• In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, baking soda, and salt.
• In a large mixing bowl, with a hand mixer, cream together your sugar and melted butter.
• Add in egg yolk and white.  Mix well.
• Add in all three extracts.  Mix well.
• Slowly incorporate your dry ingredients into the large mixing bowl.  Do not dump the entire contents into the large bowl.  It will be very messy.  Use a spatula and stir in 1/4 - 1/2 cup at a time.  Use your hand mixer at the end to make sure the ingredients are well combined, but do not over mix.
• Use the spatula to stir in chocolate chips.
• Scoop your dough onto the parchment paper in rounded tablespoons.  They do not spread out too much, so you only need to leave about a half inch space in between.
• Bake for 11-12 minutes.
• Enjoy! 

 

Click here to print this recipe.

Mr. H's Birthday Weekend [Part 1]

I have been quite absent lately, I know.  Forgive me for not posting in so long.  But now I have some photos to share with you guys from Mr. H's birthday weekend, which we spent in Santa Cruz and Monterey.

I got to leave work early on Friday because we celebrated a late Administrative Professional's (Secretary's) Day.  We all went out for a nice fancy lunch at Il Forno and I got a little smashed too early in the day (oops!).  I ended up going home and taking a nap with my husband who was already sleeping, since day time is his night time.  It was nice to be able to sleep next to him for a change.  We woke up and caught happy hour at Elephant Bar.  I was still feeling really sick from all the booze earlier, so I didn't drink anything there.  After that we went to Glass Turtle (a bar) to meet up with some friends.  I decided to be bold and take a shot because I wanted to celebrate with Mr. H.  It was a bad idea.  I barely made it to the bathroom before getting sick again. Once all the old liquor was out of my system, I did ok and was able to stomach a couple shots and dance a little bit.  We left the Turtle, went to the casino, and stayed there until around 3:00 a.m.  On the way home we decided we'd wake up early in the morning and head out to Santa Cruz, and then go to Monterey on Sunday.  We always enjoy our spontaneous trips together, so we said "fuck it, let's go."

The only photo I have from Friday. :(

We got up after about 4-5 hours of sleep, did a horrible job of packing, and then headed out for the day.  We were both starving, so we stopped in South Sac for some lunch.

Mr. H glued to his phone, as usual.

Lunch at Huong Lan.

Next stop, Santa Cruz!  :)  Mr. H's cousin had rented a home right next to the beach, so we stopped by there to hang out with them and be beach bums for a while.  The weather was wonderful and we daydreamed about owning our own summer beach house when we are older.  We ate sandwiches and chocolates, collected seashells, soaked in the sun, and enjoyed feeling much younger than we actually are.  Mr. H and his cousin even built a sweet sandcastle.  It was a damn near perfect day.

Don't judge me!  I was not bikini-ready this weekend! :(

My husband does not like smiling.  Hahaha.

After hours on the beach, and after almost everyone else had left, we headed back to the house to say goodbye.  We made the 20 minute drive to Watsonville, where one of our friends live and where we would stay for the night.  Once we got there and got situated, we headed back to Santa Cruz to check out the Boardwalk while we waited for another friend to get off work.  Almost everything was closed or about to close, so we found a pizza place/bar and stayed there for dinner.  It was a good choice because the pizza was delicious and Facebook offered a 10% discount if you check-in!  Sweeeet! 

Santa Cruz Boardwalk.

Crazy drunk husband.

I'll do Part 2 later this week.  Uploading all these photos from my phones is somewhat of a hassle.  Haha.  I can only do so many before I get burnt out.  I also need to catch up on all my blog-reading, which I'm sure is going to take a decent chunk of time since I haven't been on here for almost two weeks.  

It is getting warmer and warmer each day here in Sacramento, and I can feel summer is fast approaching.  Summer is ridiculous here where I live and I am not ready for it yet.  Spring is almost non-existent, so I have to enjoy it while it lasts.