23 Weeks

Today, I am 23 weeks pregnant with Ryan. Another week down. Another week closer. 17 weeks to go. Yay!
Everything still seems to be going very well so far, thankfully. I am feeling great overall, and Ryan definitely seems to be getting bigger and stronger every day, which is good, of course.
I almost completely forgot to have Jordan take a belly picture of me tonight, but thankfully, I remembered. To be honest, I think if it weren't for my ever-growing belly and Ryan's occasional kicks/movements, I would completely forget that I'm pregnant. That may sound silly, but I feel like I just don't think about it much (being pregnant, that is). I guess I just stay so busy trying to keep up with Rylee and things around the house, and we've had a lot going on recently between visiting with family and friends, church activities, and football season starting (ROLL TIDE!). I guess I just really don't have much time to think about it. That's not to say that I'm not excited (because I totally am), and I LOVE it when he starts to move around or kick me, because then I'm like "Oh yeah! There's a baby in there!" I like when he reminds me that he's there.
Anyway, I once again can't really think of any other updates or anything regarding the pregnancy to mention, so I guess I'll just go ahead and post my belly picture. Please don't point and stare and laugh at it for too long... I know I'm getting big fast. Here it is:

On a totally separate, unrelated note, today is the 10-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on our nation. To be honest, I haven't watched one second of ANY of the "in remembrance" coverage of it on TV - partly because this weekend was pretty busy for us between watching football and visiting with friends, and partly because I'm a hormonal pregnant girl right now, and I really don't feel like crying my eyes out all day. That's not to say, though, that I haven't thought about this anniversary a lot, and that I haven't had the loved ones of all those who were lost that day on my mind today. My heart breaks for them, because I simply cannot imagine the loss they experienced that day, and still deal with today, ten years later.
I was in the gym for my P.E. period at Holtville Middle School when I first realized something terrible had happened. I remember seeing teachers running down the hallway crying. When I got back to my classroom, my teacher had the TV on, and we spent the rest of the school day watching the news. School work was the last thing on anyone's mind at that point. I was only 11 years old at the time, but I will never forget that day.
Until that day, I had never heard of the "World Trade Center". I had never seen the towers before. But I will never forget staring at the TV screen and watching the footage of each plane hitting each tower. I will NEVER forget seeing "things" falling from the towers as they burned, and later realizing it was people jumping to their deaths. I will never forget watching as each tower literally crumbled to the ground. I will never forget the expressions on the people's faces who experienced this tragedy in person. I remember thinking it had to be a movie. That kind of stuff just didn't happen in "real life". But it was real. It did happen. And I will never forget.

Chicken Spaghetti

I found another recipe on one of the blogs I follow, and I decided to whip it up for lunch today to try it out. It's called "Chicken Spaghetti", and I found it here. The recipe calls for, among other ingredients, 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup, green peppers, onions, pimentos, and cayenne pepper, but as I've mentioned before, Jordan and I don't care for mushrooms, so I replaced the cream of mushroom soup with cream of chicken soup, and I left out the rest of the other stuff I mentioned. I am not a fan of peppers, onions, etc. either, and especially right now, they don't sit well on my pregnant tummy. I guess Ryan doesn't like them either. So anyway, if you do like those things, make sure you check out the original recipe (you can follow the link I provided above). I'm sure they definitely give it a different taste/more flavor than they way mine turned out, but it still tasted pretty good the way I made it. I guess you could say I just made a very "conservative" version of it. Here's the way I made it:


Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooked chicken (I pulled chicken off of a fresh-cooked rotisserie chicken from Walmart. Yum!)
- 3 cups dry spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces (I broke the noodles in half, and then broke each half in half. I used one whole 13.25oz. box of Mueller's Whole Wheat Angel Hair pasta, and it was exactly enough.)
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (hold out 1 cup for the topping)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Preparation Instructions:
- Cook spaghetti noodles.
- Mix remaining ingredients in large bowl (remember to hold out one cup of cheese for the topping).
- When spaghetti is cooked, drain and add to mixed ingredients in bowl; mix well to completely cover noodles with mixture.
- Place mixture in a 13x9 casserole dish and top with remaining cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes. (You may need to cover the dish with aluminum foil to prevent cheese on top from burning.)

"Show Us Your Life": My Favorite Blogs

I just recently (and by "just recently", I mean like within the past week) started following a very well-known blog called "Kelly's Korner". Several of the blogs I already followed are followers of her blog, so after checking it out and reading up on her a bit, I decided to jump on the bandwagon.
Kelly does a blog series called "Show Us Your Life" which gives her readers a chance to get to know her and her other readers better by discussing different topics and linking up their own blog posts to hers. On Friday, Kelly posted a new "Show Us Your Life" discussion topic, asking her readers to share their favorite blogs, and I decided I'd participate.
So, in this post, I'll be sharing my top four favorite blogs of the blogs I follow. Why four? Well... although I enjoy reading all the blogs I follow, I didn't want to spend all day discussing each one (I don't have time for that), so I figured it'd be best to cut it down to the four I read most often and that inspire me the most (each in their own ways). The first two blogs are more well-known in the public blog world, both with thousands of followers, and both written by women I don't actually know personally. The other two blogs are written by personal friends of mine, and well... I just love them.
So, without further ado, here they are - my favorite blogs:

First up is a blog called "Another Day Stronger" written by a woman named Kellie Staats (I've posted about her/her blog a couple times in the past few days). I first discovered Kellie's blog back in February through a link a friend of mine posted on Facebook asking for prayers for her and her family. When I checked out her story, I ended up sobbing on my couch for probably an hour. Kellie and her husband, James, tragically lost their only child, a precious baby girl named Madison, to SIDS when she was just four months old. As a mommy of a little girl myself (and now with a baby boy on the way), I felt so overwhelmingly heartbroken for Kellie. I absolutely cannot imagine what I would do if I ever lost either one of my babies. Kellie's blog is not one for the faint of heart, but her courage to share her story with the public and face each new day in the midst of her heartache is inspiring on so many levels. I am reminded every day to NEVER take a single second with my babies (or any of my loved ones, for that matter) for granted. I truly believe I am a better mother because of Kellie.

The next blog is called "In This Wonderful Life", written by a sweet-spirited woman named Megan. I've been following Megan's blog for several months as well, and if I'm not mistaken, I actually discovered it through Kellie's blog. Megan has a sad story as well. Megan has PCOS (just like me), and she and her husband, Brent, struggled to conceive a child. However, in June of last year, she gave birth to a precious baby boy named Cohen, who was born with congenital heart defects. Sadly, when he was just twelve days old, he passed away. My heart broke for Megan and her family. Cohen was just over a week older than my Rylee, so once again, I was reminded to cherish every moment with her. Megan's story gets "brighter", though... although she and her husband still miss their Cohen every day (and always will, of course), Megan was blessed to conceive again, and two weeks ago, they welcomed TWINS - a boy named Knox and a girl named Sloane - into the world. Thankfully, Knox and Sloane are both healthy and doing very well (and both absolutely precious!). I look forward to watching them grow through the updates and pictures Megan posts.

My third favorite blog is called "Stones of Remembrance", and it's written by a wonderful Godly woman I'm blessed to know personally. Her name is Lesley, and she is the wife of the associate pastor at my church, and a stay-at-home mommy to two beautiful little girls named Reagan and Gracen. I love reading Lesley's blog, because it always leaves me feeling so encouraged and uplifted (and sometimes even convicted) spiritually. She often shares what she is currently reading in her Bible studies, and she isn't afraid to make herself vulnerable by revealing the areas in her life where she is struggling or feeling convicted. She also often shares her "adventures" - both the highs and lows - of taking care of her girls, which always encourages me as a young stay-at-home mom. Reading her blog reminds me that, even though I may strive every day to be like Christ, I'm still human, and I'm still going to make mistakes sometimes. No one is perfect - not even a minister's wife. And that's okay. Lesley has such a desire and a hunger to constantly draw nearer to God, and I am blessed to have women like her in my life to look up to.

The fourth blog on my "favorites" list (and dare I say it?... my favorite of the favorites) has to be "I am my Beloved's and He is mine." This blog is written by my lovely friend Katrina. Before I go any further, I must say that she actually just started this blog last month. However, before this blog, she had another blog called "Whimsy and Wonder", which she retired last month. Anyway, I absolutely LOVE reading Katrina's blog. And I do mean LOVE. (Just read her final post in "Whimsy and Wonder"... I was one of the people BEGGING her to come back to the blogging world when she went on a blogging hiatus for a while recently. It was a terrible time. I wasn't sure how much longer I was going to survive, but thankfully, she heard my cries and pleas for mercy and finally came back.) One of the biggest things I love about Katrina's blog is that she freely shares her heart. She has such a beautiful, Godly spirit, and her love for Christ just overflows in her words. She is truly in love with her Savior, and it is such an encouragement to me. I desire to have that same love for Him. Katrina also has a Christ-like love for people, especially those who are hurting or in need. She is one of the most compassionate, gentle people I know. If Katrina could have her biggest dream come true, it would be to adopt every single orphan in the entire world. (Okay, let me correct that last statement just a bit... it would be to marry Tim Tebow and THEN adopt every single orphan in the entire world. She wants/needs a good "baby daddy" in the picture.) I don't know many people like that. Another thing I absolutely love about Katrina's blog is that it almost ALWAYS leaves me cracking up laughing. It doesn't matter what she's talking about... she can make just about anything at least a little humorous. She is just hilarious, and I love it. If I'm ever having a rough day and need something to brighten my spirits, I know I can always count on a blog post from Katrina to do the trick.

So, there you have it - my four favorite blogs. I hope you'll check them out!

22 Weeks

Today, I am 22 weeks pregnant with my precious Ryan. Another week closer to the big day when I can finally hold him in my arms. A friend of mine just gave birth to a baby boy on Thursday, and seeing pictures of him makes me that much more excited to meet my own baby boy in a few months. I just cannot wait.
As with the last few pregnancy update posts, I don't really feel like I have all that much to say in the way of any actual updates. Everything is still going very well as far as I know/can tell.
I'm feeling pretty good overall, other than backaches and sciatica pain every now and then.
I am for sure having Braxton Hicks contractions every now and then. They're not painful or anything (not yet, anyway) - just a bit uncomfortable in the sense that my stomach tenses up and gets really tight. I had them when I was pregnant with Rylee, so I'm very familiar with them. It'll be interesting to see if they get as strong as they did when I was pregnant with her. I have a feeling they probably will.
I get worn out (out of breath) pretty easily, especially when I have to hold/carry Rylee or chase her around for a while. She's getting so big.
Speaking of Rylee getting big, I guess I better mention that I'M getting bigger every day as well (which is to be expected, of course). I haven't weighed myself since my doctor appointment this past Monday, but I wouldn't be surprised if I've already gained another pound or two. I really don't think I'm eating any more than I normally would even if I wasn't pregnant, but I still feel like I'm just getting bigger faster. I have been wanting sweets a lot lately (although that's pretty much how I always am, regardless of whether or not I'm pregnant). Cookies, ice cream, brownies... I love it all. Anyway, I'll be anxious to find out how much I weigh at my next doctor check-up in a few weeks on the 26th.
Ryan's movements are getting stronger/more obvious every day, and I am loving it. I love being able to feel him move - it's by far my favorite part of being pregnant. There is just no other feeling in the world like it.
I have been sleeping like a ROCK lately (for several weeks now, actually), which really surprises me, but I certainly can't complain. I usually take a nap with Jordan every afternoon while Rylee is napping, and I sleep like a baby, and the same goes with my sleep during the night. Jordan always tries to give me a kiss and tell me goodbye before he leaves for work in the afternoons and early in the morning, and I rarely ever remember it. Of course I have an "off" night every now and then (in fact, I think I woke up in the middle of the night last night because I had to go to the bathroom), but overall, it has been really nice getting some good, solid sleep. I'm certainly enjoying it while I can, because I know it will be short-lived.
Now that we know I'm having a boy, I'm excited to set up baby registries at a couple of stores. I don't even care if we don't get anything... it's just fun to go through the store and scan all the cute stuff on our baby "wish lists". We'll probably register at Walmart and Target, just like we did when I was pregnant with Rylee. Not sure exactly when we'll do this, but hopefully maybe in the next couple of weeks. I'll try to remember to post links to the online registries here in my blog whenever we get them set up.
Anyway, that's about all I can think of for now. I'm starting to get pretty sleepy, so my mind is going blank. I'll leave you with an updated belly picture. Here are me and Ryan tonight at 22 weeks:

Hash Brown Casserole

Tonight, Jordan, Rylee, and I went over to my parents' house for dinner and some football-watching. I made a dish of hash brown casserole to contribute to dinner, and I thought I'd post the recipe real quick since I haven't shared it on here yet. Jordan doesn't like it, but it's a big hit with the rest of my family.
Here's the recipe:


Hash Brown Casserole

Ingredients:
- 1 large bag Ore Ida Country Style hash brown potatoes
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 8oz. sour cream
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (hold aside 1/2 cup for topping)

Directions:
- Mix all ingredients in large bowl.
- Spread mixed ingredients evenly in a 9x13 baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
- Top with remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
- Bake in oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes.

Slow-Cooker Angel Chicken

Along with straightening up my act in the way of taking care of things around my house, I also really want/need to start cooking more and experimenting with new recipes. I want to try to cut back on how often I just throw a frozen dinner in the oven. Yes, they might be convenient, but they're not always the healthiest options, and they get "old" and repetitive after a while. There are a MILLION good recipes out there that I know I would love... I just need to start trying them out. Some of my favorite blogs that I follow post recipes from time to time, and I would really like to start doing that as well. If I make something and like it, I want to share the recipe here on my blog so my readers can try it out if they'd like.
A couple days ago, Kellie, author of one of my favorite blogs, "Another Day Stronger", posted a recipe for a dish called "Slow-Cooker Angel Chicken", and it sounded really yummy to me. I decided to make it (with one or two variations to the ingredients) for dinner tonight, and I invited my parents and sister over to try it out with me. My sister didn't like it, but then again, she's still in a pretty picky eating stage. My parents and I, however, really liked it. Jordan had to work, as usual, so he hasn't tried it yet, but hopefully he'll enjoy it as well. Anyway, it's a recipe I will definitely be adding to my collection to make again in the future. It was super quick and easy to throw together - I think it took me maybe 15 minutes to get it all whipped up and in my crock pot. Can't beat that! Here's the recipe:


Slow-Cooker Angel Chicken

Ingredients:
- 4 raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 10 3/4oz. can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1/4 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 0.7oz. package Italian dry salad dressing mix
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 4oz. cream cheese

Directions:
- Melt stick of butter in a saucepan.
- Stir package of Italian dry salad dressing mix into melted butter in saucepan.
- Add cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, and cream cheese to melted butter and Italian dressing in saucepan; stir well until it combines and melts.
- Place raw chicken breasts in bottom of crock pot.
- Pour sauce into crock pot, completely covering chicken breasts.
- Cook in crock pot on low setting for approximately 5 hours.


Sounds yummy, huh? It is! The recipe I found on Kellie's blog called for mushrooms and condensed golden mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken soup, but I am NOT a fan of mushrooms, so I altered it a bit. (And apparently, Kellie got the recipe from someone else, who got it from someone else, and the ORIGINAL recipe calls for dry white wine instead of the chicken broth.) It also said to serve with rice or pasta, but I decided to serve it with mashed potatoes and rolls instead, and I think those were good compliments to it. Anyway, like I said, it turned out really yummy, and I look forward to making it again sometime. Y'all let me know if you decide to try it out, and if so, what you think!

Happy Birthday, Kellie!

Today is the birthday of a very special fellow blogger named Kellie. (I have posted about her before here and here.) I don't personally know Kellie, but I came across her blog, "Another Day Stronger", several months ago, and I have been checking in on her every day since.
Back in February, Kellie and her husband, James, tragically and unexpectedly lost their precious 4-month-old baby girl, Maddie, to SIDS. As I mentioned, I don't personally know them, but I cannot explain in words how overwhelmingly heartbroken I was (and still am) for them. When I first read their story, I literally sobbed for probably an hour. As a mommy of a little girl myself, I simply cannot imagine the loss they have endured. However, they are both strong people who are striving, even in the midst of their heartache, to move forward each day in memory of their beautiful "Maddiebug".
Today, Kellie had one simple request of her blogger friends for her birthday: to post a blog about Maddie and share her sweet picture with everyone. So, Kellie, here you go. It's the very least I can do, and I wish I could do so much more.

Kellie, I want you to know that I think of you and your family every single day, and I pray for you often. Your story has touched my life in a profound way, and I will always keep Maddie's memory alive in my heart. Because of her, I have learned to truly cherish every single second with my precious babies, and to never take them for granted. I am a better mother because you were brave enough to share your story with me. Thank you for that. I pray God gives you peace and comfort today and reminds you how very loved you are by SO many people. Have a blessed birthday!