Ten Things I Would Currently Kill For

1) A nap
2) For tomorrow afternoon to get here faster (I just want my mom!)
3) For crying in the office not to be embarrassing, and to be perfectly acceptable behavior.
4) More time with my friend's newborn (I met him yesterday and he may be the cutest baby I've ever seen in real life)
5) A hug from Aaron (He works too far away for a hug during the day)
6) A nap
7) For my baby to not end up like this at the end of these nine months (!!!)
8) For me to somehow watch the entire 3rd season of Grey's Anatomy before the 4th season premier tomorrow night (actually having the DVDs would probably help in this)
9) For my nausea to go away for more than five minutes whenever I try to treat it
10)A nap!

In which I completely abuse parentheses

In a stunning twist of events I have realized, just this morning, that no the world does not revolve around me being pregnant. Surprising, I know!

(Although our eating does, and since the thought of eating makes me want to hurl, no Monday Meal Planning today. Maybe check out the first one I did, and recycle those ideas. That would be fun, wouldn't it? Because I know you all will probably want more than the Kraft Dinner that my stomach is currently demanding.)

Anyway, busy-ness abounds and I will probably not get to enjoy more 12-hour nights of sleep like the one I enjoyed last night (only interrupted 4 times by having to get up to pee). That will teach me to go be active and skip my afternoon nap! I have large amounts of writing to do for work this week, plenty of smelly places (hello, grocery store) to avoid at all costs, and plenty of naps to day dream about since I'll be missing them. :(

(Yes that was a sad face. I am not happy about the missing of the naps.)

In exciting news, there is now currently less than one week until my first doctor's appointment, 4 days until I tell my parents about the baby, and a new pregnancy planner to fill out. (Yes, I am a dork, but I love this planner. 'Tis awesomeness embodied in paper.)

Some things worth sharing (?)

Here are a few things that people are surprised to find out about me:

1. I'm an ex-smoker.

2. I used to swear, especially the f-word, a lot. (I learned that from my sailor-mouthed mother.)

3. I'm not a prude. (Which was Aaron's first impression of me.)

4. I was in a sorority in college.

For some reason these things surprise the heck out of a lot of people. In fact, Aaron and a few others I worked with when I met him thought I might not be worth getting to know because I seemed so quiet and boring. I think I proved him wrong since I haven't stopped talking since we starting hanging out together. I think it's mostly because I'm pretty shy that people are surprised about the above list, but they are all definitely true.

What are people always surprised to find out about you?

These things do not go together:

1. Being on a conference call in a small room with your boss.
2. Having to pee. Bad.
3. Being gassy.
4. Feeling a sneeze coming on.

To say I was slightly panicky would be an understatement.

Two more things that do not go together (pregnancy symptom edition):
1. Enhanced sense of smell.
2. Being gassy.

Being a loser and totally embracing it

Today is a day I have been waiting for since the spring. Do you know what day it is? (totally digging for content since I'm exhausted, slightly nauseated, and, again, EXHUASTED.)

It's the season premier of America's Next Top Model!!!!!!

I don't know why I love this show so much, but I do. It's so camp that it's fun, and even Aaron (though he won't admit it) gets into the show. He will also deny that he likes it, even if we were to admit that he watches it. I admit freely to both.

I do have to say that I'm kind of annoyed that the "plus sized" model this season is only a size 8. Seriously. I wish I could be that kind of plus sized.

Monday Meal Planning

Guess What I'm Craving Edition

I'm having a harder and harder time planning meals because 1)nothing sounds good, and 2)everything sounds good. It all depends on the exact second I'm thinking about it. There have been a few distinct, long-lasting cravings. See if you can spot them below!

Monday: Ravioli Soup, Salad

I love this soup! I found the recipe last spring and ate it a bunch and then promptly forgot all about it until I was flipping through my recipe binder the other day. It's pretty good as is, but I make a couple of changes to the recipe: 1) I use turkey sausage, and 2) I cook the ravioli separately and then add them to each serving as it's being eaten so that the pasta doesn't soak up all the broth.

Tuesday: Burritos and Mexican Rice

For burritos, I use flour tortillas, taco beef seasoning on the beef, and then do bowls of toppings. Toppings usually include shredded cheddar cheese, iceberg lettuce (or whatever I have on hand), diced tomatoes, diced onions, sour cream, and taco sauce. My super-secret rice recipe can be found in this Monday Meal Planning Post.

Wednesday: Aaron's Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, and Salad

I love Aaron's spaghetti, and it's super easy. Usually he adds half a pound of ground beef to the sauce, but seeing as there's beef in the burritos from Tuesday, and I'm trying to cut down my beef consumption (darned high cholesterol), it will be a mostly mushroom sauce this week. He just doctors up a jarred sauce (whatever's on sale, except if it's Ragu) with zuchini, lots of mushrooms, and garlic.

Thursday: Broccoli Risotto, Salad, Baked Tomatoes

We've had a box of arborio rice sitting in the pantry waiting to be used, and darn it, I'm using it this week!

Friday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

I haven't eaten Cambell's Creamy Tomato soup in forever. Then last week, while learning an important lesson (never let a hungry pregnant woman go shopping), I picked up a microwavable container and I loved it. I would eat it every day if I could. YUM!

No weekend meals this weekend or next weekend since I'll be out of town both weekends. Oh! I almost forgot!

Bake: (which I haven't done in a couple of weeks) My Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies. I would like to swim through a big pile of these currently.

So did you spot the cravings? If you guessed tomatoes and carbs, you're totally right. I can't get enough!

And so it begins...

Monday morning was a big one. I made my first prenatal appointment and then went to the dentist, which is where I told my first non-Aaron person that I'm pregnant.

And then I got my first rude pregnancy comment, from the hygienist.

"So, was it planned?"

Isn't that kind of like asking if we know how to use birth control or not? Too weird. The strange thing is that Aaron's boss asked him the same thing. Aaron fessed up because he wants to attend appointments with me, so he let his boss know he'd be taking a morning off at least once per month, and his boss basically said, "Congratulations! Did you plan it?"

I can't believe how soon the rude questions started, but I suppose I should get used to it.

I've known I'm pregnant for a week now, and I'm still getting used to it. This is just so new and weird and different. I'm loving it all (so far).

Finding Out

Last Thursday night was a tough night, especially for Aaron who cannot stand it when I cry (he's in for a long nine months because I've cried every night since then too). I was crying because I had cramps. Bad cramps. And I was frustrated. We've been trying since the spring, and I really just wanted to be pregnant, but was convinced that these cramps = period coming.

So I cried and Aaron hugged and told me we'd try whatever we could think of to make this happen, but also that he thought I was pregnant already so don't worry about it until there's something to worry about. (He was, obviously, right about that.) (Must have been the crying I did the previous 4 days as well.) (Poor Aaron.)

So Friday morning I woke up and was surprised that I had not started overnight, like I normally do. "I'll just take a test for fun," I thought to myself.

And so I went and peed on yet another stick and set it down on the counter to wait the 3 minutes the box told me to wait. There was no line right away, so I picked up the magazine sitting on the counter and tried to be patient. I looked a few more times and then I couldn't believe my eyes. There was an incredibly faint line, but it was a line; the first I'd ever seen on a test I'd taken.

So, being smooth like I am, I started shaking and then I walked into the other bathroom where Aaron was taking his shower. "I don't want to get your hopes up," I said, "but I think there's a line here." (I know how to tell a man he's going to be a dad, don't I?)

He cracked open the shower door and said, "Yep, I see it. Kind of."

And we agreed to test again the next morning, which I did and it was much darker, but still took a little while to show up and wasn't the kind of dark I was hoping for.

All weekend long I was nauseated and tired, and Aaron said it was probably all in my head. Then on Tuesday morning I tested again. This time the "pregnant" line showed up before the other line, and it was dark.

Aaron saw it and hugged me. Then he smiled, slyly, and said, "Well, now we know my boys can swim!"

We're still getting our heads wrapped around this whole thing, and we're both having "Holy crap!" moments. But we're also both incredibly excited and nervous, and ready to find out what the future holds for our little family.

We're So Psycho*

First off, I have to say: Holy Crap! How prophetic was this? That's pretty freaky, isn't it?

Anyway, I know I said I was going to tell you all about finding out today, but I'm busy so you'll just have to wait one more day. But I will tell you about another prophetic situation that happened yesterday.

My best friend and I have been best friends since we were 2. That's 25 years of being best friends, and we're more like sisters than anything else. Anyway, yesterday morning said best friend called me, and here was the conversation (nearly verbatim):

Me: Good morning.

Her: You're pregnant aren't you.

Me: Um, what?

Her: I had a dream last night that you and I were hanging out and you said you had something to tell me, and that something was that you are pregnant. So are you?

Me: Yes!!!

Her: I told Jon (her husband) that I had to call you this morning because you're pregnant.

Me: (slightly freaked out by her psychic abilities, but also relieved about not having to figure out how to tell my best friend I'm pregnant)

Aaron is completely freaked out by both of these occurrences and has also requested that my best friend dream up some lottery numbers for us. I'm just to excited to worry about anything except, you know, everything baby related.

*Quote from my sister's best friend (it's a good thing she's so pretty) during high school when they both said the same thing at the same time.

BFP

For those of you who don't speak message-board, allow me to clarify:


!!!!!!!

It's still very early (I'm only at 5 weeks and don't have my first appointment until October 1st), but I can't hold it in anymore! I've known for four days and it's bursting to get out!

I'll write all about finding out tomorrow, as well as already getting my first rude pregnancy-related comment at the dentist office yesterday.

(P.S. If you're reading this and you know me in real life, don't tell my mom. I'm not telling her until I see her in person at the end of the month. Ditto for Aaron's mom.)

(P.P.S. I can't believe I'm posting a picture of something I peed on. Aaron can't believe I'm insisting on keeping something I've peed on.)

Monday Meal Planning

Aaron's Edition

Another busy week is upon us, including such fun things as throwing a baby shower, a dentist appointment, a big proposal due at work, and apparently buying a new vacuum (Aaron's currently swearing in the next room). Also, we're busy all weekend, so there's only five meals on here this week. A final note about this menu - it's Aaron's doing this week. He took it upon himself to plan it so I didn't have to worry about it too much. I have plenty of other things to worry about.

So, we're doing easy meals once again.

Here goes:

Monday: Pizza and salad

We have no time tomorrow to do any grocery shopping, and I skipped out on doing it today because I'm feeling a little under the weather.

Tuesday: Aaron's Famous Stir Fry with brown rice

This is one of my favorite dinners, and it's super easy. Saute some chicken cut into small pieces in a little bit of oil. When it's nearly done, add some chopped up veggies (we either use chopped broccoli or frozen pea pods, along with onions, garlic, and whatever other veggies we have on hand that need to be used up). When the veggies are crisp tender, pour in some teriyaki sauce (we prefer Soy Vay). Serve the teriyaki covered meat and veggies over prepared brown rice (we use instant usually).

Wednesday: Macaroni and Cheese with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes (except we totally use grape tomatoes, and it's still awesome) and salad

I'm in the mood for some mac and cheese this week and mentioned that fact to Aaron. Then it showed up on his menu. Isn't he wonderful?

Thursday: Asian Beef Skewers and steamed broccoli

This is another of my favorites that Aaron makes. It's super yummy and I could eat my weight in this stuff.

Friday: West Coast Grilled Vegetable Pizza

This one is delicious and healthy to boot. We sometimes use pitas from our local Mediterranean restaurant instead of the tortillas, and that works well too. Plus, it has avocados and tomatoes, two things I've been craving like mad lately.

Yet another week down. I'm surprised I remembered to write this post; I've been majorly distracted lately.

I do have one question though; anyone out there using and enjoying the recipes? Just curious.

Happy eating everyone!

My 50th post on this new site, and I waste it on this

You know sometimes I forget about this, and then am amused/embarassed when someone brings it up: my husband and I have unisex names (at least when they're said and not spelled out). We're Aaron and Jessie, which is bad, although not quite "Pat and Terry" bad. People get us confused when we're first introduced to them, especially if we're introduced together.

I have one friend who took about three months before she got us straight.

My boss teases me about it on a regular basis.

I guess I'm just glad that people are usually laughing with me about it.

Don't even get me started on the deli counter people

I should have known better than to do what I did last night. Really. And even this morning I'm still in a foul mood because of what I did.

What exactly did I do?

I went to the giant grocery store after work yesterday.

That is the worst time to go, on par with 2 p.m. on a weekend day. That is when everyone is there, and my homicidal tendencies emerge. There are a lot of people who are lucky they're still alive today.

Here are the cast of characters that ruined my past 16 hours:

Annoying middle-aged couple

This couple was apparently buying food for a crowd of people for whom they do not normally buy food. Also, this food was in the most obvious place, that place being right where I needed to go next. I even tried to change up my shopping pattern to avoid them, but they obviously have telepathic abilities, because no matter where I went, there they were!

Stupid boy at meat counter

Here's our conversation from last night, nearly verbatim:

Me: Do you have any non-pre-cooked shrimp?
Him: Um, no I don't think so. All the shrimp we have is over there. *points to case of pre-cooked frozen shrimp*
Me: Are you sure? Because normally you have frozen shrimp that's not pre-cooked. Do you have any in back?
Him: I don't think so, I think all we have is right there. *points, again, to case of pre-cooked frozen shrimp*
Me: *wants to break his pointing finger, because I know where the pre-cooked frozen shrimp is, and that's not what I want anyway!!!*
Me: Do you know when you'll be getting any raw shrimp in? Will it be this week?
Him: I don't think so. I think all the raw shrimp we have is in aisle three, and I'd have to go look there to see if we had any.
Me: *head explodes* So there's frozen raw shrimp in aisle three?
Him: Yes. That's where we keep it.

I didn't even dignify that with a response.

Woman who takes 5 minutes to choose an ice cream flavor, blocking the freezer case the entire time so no one else can get to it.

Needs no further explanation. All I wanted was some damn vanilla!

Cashier who couldn't tell the difference between a red onion and an eggplant

Seriously, here. I'm not lying. She rang up things incorrectly at least five times. "You're taking me on a tour of the fruits and veggies section today, aren't you?" she asked, smiling. "Sure am", I replied, smiling back so I didn't start crying from frustration of having to tell her, that's not an eggplant, it's a red onion. Those aren't oranges, they're minneolas. Ad nauseum. I can't help it if we eat a lot of fruit and vegetables! Know your stuff! It's your job!

Annoyed customer service representative

I didn't catch the fifth thing the cashier rang up incorrectly, so I had to go wait in the (incredibly long) customer service line to get my $1.65 back. When I get up there, what does the eye-rolling, nearly-swearing rep do? He rings me up wrong! Although this time it was in my favor and I would feel worse about it if he didn't walk away from me right when he was done, before I could say thank you. He gave me back $2.00, plus a coupon for $2.50 off our next grocery bill for my trouble.

I guess I can't be mad at that.

But the rest of it? Still mad.

Monday Meal Planning

Day Late Edition

Yeah, sorry about that. Yesterday was just one of those days. I'm still catching up on rest after my killer week last week (no pun intended for those who read my last entry), and yesterday was the type of day where I started crying at the drop of a hat.

Stupid hormones.

So, in summary, it was quite a fun day, and a day in which Aaron took away the computer when I started crying over 1) not being able to decide what we should eat for the week (such a crisis, I know), and 2) our wireless router cutting out whenever I wanted to do something on the computer.

Grrr....

Anyway, I finally planned meals this morning, so that's a load off.

Here they are:

Tuesday: Chili Cheese Fries

Since we're still feeling lazy-ish today, we'll reheat chili leftover from Saturday's football extravaganza (which, don't mention that to Aaron, because his team lost. Big time), and put it over steak fries. We use frozen steak fries which we doctor up with a little olive oil to crisp them up and Montreal steak seasoning. Top the fries and chili with shredded cheddar and minced onion. If you don't have leftover chili, like we do, pick some up from the store or even Wendy's.

Wednesday: Sirloin, baked potatoes, roasted brocoli, salad

No real recipe needed here. Sirloin is on sale, so this week we eat steak! I just sprinkle it with some Montreal steak seasoning, toss it under the broiler for about 10 minutes (five minutes per side), and then throw a pat of butter on it when it comes out. Let it rest for a minute or two when you take it out of the oven so that the juices redistribute, and you won't lose them all when you cut into the steak.

I serve steak with a salad made with romaine, spinach, tomato wedges, red onion, and (for me only, because Aaron doesn't like cheese on his salad) some crumbled feta. This way I can thinly slice any leftover steak and have a steak salad for lunch the next day. Yum!

Thursday: Mozzarella and Ham Panini with Cherry Tomato Salad

Continuing the super-easy theme this week, this one is a big hit in our house. I'm not even a big tomato fan, but I'll eat this salad willingly and happily. Man, I love Martha Stewart and her staff and their awesome recipes!

Friday: Shrimp Scampi, salad, baked tomatoes, and rolls

Aaron and I have very differing opinions regarding Tyler Florence. I think he creates wonderful recipes, not to mention that he's easy on the eyes. For this second reason, I think, Aaron despises him and always says the things he makes look gross. Except for his shrimp scampi recipe, which we both drooled over. I may have even forgotten Tyler was on the screen, it looked so good.

For baked tomatoes, this is a recipe my mom handed down to me. Slice enough tomatoes for however many people you are serving (I usually do two tomatoes for Aaron and I) into 1/4 inch thick slices. Mix together a dollop of mayonaise, about an equal amount of parmesan cheese and some minced onion. Place a dollop of this mixture onto the tomato slices and place them under the broiler until the mixture turns golden. That's it. I love these things (again with the "ways to make Jessie eat tomatoes" recipes).

The shrimp scampi recipe also calls for parsley, which we tend to have a hard time using up, so I've been throwing it on everything. Those baked potatoes up there under Wednesday? Will be served with butter, sour cream, and parsley. Those salads? Will be having some parsley added to them as well. Parsley for everyone! We will use it all this time!

Saturday: I might be headed out of town for the night, but if not, dinner will be Mom's meatballs, chopped salad, and baked Cinnamon Apples with vanilla ice cream.

Use any ground beef meatball recipe to make the balls. This next part sounds gross, but it's delicious and everyone always loves this sauce. In a large skillet, mix together a bottle of chili sauce, a small glass jar of grape jelly and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Place the pan over medium heat, and whisk until it comes together. Once this happens, drop the meatballs into the pan, reduce heat to medium low, and cook for one hour.

Sunday: Easy Broccoli Quiche and hash browns.

Keeping it simple this last night before the work week starts again. Even Aaron, who considers himself a "Real Man" will eat this quiche.

Well, I wasn't hungry when I started this post, but now I'm starving! Have a happy Tuesday everyone!