Showering Baby with Love

Saturday, March 17th, while many bars were serving green beer in honor of Saint Patrick's Day, I spent the afternoon with a few close family members and friends at my traditional baby shower.

Jillian and Daniel hosted it with help from Cheri at Wanda's house. I honestly could not have imagined a better, or more beautiful, party! It was a quiet, intimate afternoon on the back deck and in the garden. The food included some of my favorite homemade Asian dishes, including: lettuce wraps, dumplings (steamed pot stickers), spring rolls and kabobs. To my joy, Jill and Dan followed through with their promise NOT to play any games--although, we did do a couple of old wives tale tests to guess the gender of the baby. Several guests told me it was the best baby shower they'd ever been to, and I couldn't agree more!

Rather than go on-and-on, I'll let the pictures do the talking..

With my wonderful hosts, Dan, Jill and Cheri

Daniel's homemade lettuce wraps--my favorite!

Pot sticker and kabob table

Alcoholic beverage table with homemade champaign spritzer

Non-alcoholic beverage table with Arnold Palmers for me :)

The dessert table doubled as a "make you own favors" table. By the way, those cupcakes were heavenly--thanks Dan! 

One of the sitting areas set in the garden

You know I couldn't leave my chalkboard behind!

Thank you again and again and again Wanda!

Being a sister is wonderful, but being the middle sister is best!

Jill and my mom, a couple of my favorite scorpio women.

My leading ladies, I love these two more than all the sand on the beach ♥

"For a smart, wealthy baby" -- Auntie Jill (who also gave baby a piggy bank)

Cheri, my practical friend!

It would be too difficult to explain my happiness in this picture. Some of you, who know me well, will understand. 

According to the needle test, I'm having a boy!

Best friends and our mommies ♥

"Off the charts inappropriate"

There are eleven versions of this picture. They are all ridiculous. This is the only decent one. The four of us should not be left alone together!

Post shower I was the DD for everyone so they could celebrate the rest of Saint Patrick's Day and the last night of Bike Week.

♥ A

Week 24

How far along? 24 Weeks

Baby is the size of a... grapefruit. The baby is about 12.7 - 20.8 oz and 10.5 - 11.8 in

Total weight gain: Eight pounds--I know, I'm loosing weight... But the doctor isn't worried, "yet."

Maternity clothes? Still managing to steer clear of the maternity clothes for the most part.

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: Sleep is good overall!

Best moment this week: The beautiful, traditional baby shower that Jillian and Dan hosted for me on Saint Patrick's Day.

Miss Anything? Playing "biker chick" with the girls at Bike Week...

Movement: Plenty this week, my dad and Dan even got to feel baby kick!

Food cravings: Steak and potatoes from the Iron Horse. Bike Week and Biketoberfest are the only times they serve them.

Anything making you queasy or sick: No


Gender: Unknown but I still got some great stuff at my baby shower!

Labor Signs: None

Symptoms: Exhaustion 

Belly Button in or out? Stuck in belly button limbo

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy


Looking forward to: Closing on the new house!

♥ A

After I found out about the baby, I started following the Little Baby Garvin blog. The author, Jessica Garvin, is an absolutely beautiful girl who has graciously shared her experience throughout her pregnancy with her daughter, Harper. Jessica has inspired me to embrace this time of my life; she has also documented her pregnancy progression in a unique way that I couldn't help but do my own version! To view Little Baby Garvin's 24 Week entry, click here. 

Brief Interruption in Service

Sorry for my absence this past week. I have been working hard with my loan officer to close on my first house; therefore, Ryan and I have spent much of our time preparing to move. Additionally, we cancelled our internet service at the temp house and were without it a good portion of the week--not that I would have had time to use it.. Anyway, Bright House just finished installing our new cable/internet package at our new place so we're up and running again!

I am happy to report that I am posting from the master bedroom of the new house. 

Officially, I am a homeowner. 

I promise to post pictures soon! Also, last weekend was my traditional baby shower so I owe you pictures from that too--not to mention my 24 and 25 week updates.

♥A

Week 23

At Mel's baby shower, bump-to-bump (23 weeks and 31 weeks)!

How far along? 23 Weeks

Baby is the size of a... pomegranate. The baby is about 12.7 - 20.8 oz and 10.5 - 11.8 in

Total weight gain: Nine pounds

Maternity clothes? You don't have to buy maternity clothes these days! The "in" style seems to be loose, flowing shirts and dresses that fit a baby bump perfectly. Not to mention how forgiving clothing manufactures are making the sizes these days--I'm almost six months pregnant and fit perfectly in XS dresses from the women's section at Target.

Stretch marks? No sign (please stay that way!)

Sleep: Sleep is good but bathroom breaks are starting to increase. Lately I'm up at 3AM and 6AM. 

Best moment this week: Seeing Mel at her baby shower. Her bump is so big and she is so beautiful! I'm very grateful to have her as my pregnancy pal ♥

Miss Anything? I have to say, I'm pretty content with life lately. I do miss wasting days away at the beach with a cooler full of beer. Those days will return, but instead of beer I'll be toting juice boxes and bottled water. 

Movement: On Saturday morning baby starting making such big moves that I could see my belly move! I was out of town at the time so I sent a video to Ryan who was at Miller's Ale House when he received it. From what I've heard, he was walking around showing everyone the vid! He's one proud papa!

Food cravings: Chocolate, but heres the thing, I only want chocolate after I've already had something else to eat. This mostly happens at work. The second I'm finished eating lunch I crave chocolate... So strange. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!


Gender: Unknown. My friend, Anna, says this has made shopping for baby very difficult, but if I have one friend who will come up with something great regardless of the unknown gender, its Anna. 

Labor Signs: None

Symptoms: I've been getting some cramping lately and sudden urges to pee--nothing too major. 

Belly Button in or out? Same as last week, stuck in this half in/half out limbo.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!


Looking forward to: Seeing my best friends, Dan and Jillian, this weekend. They are hosting my traditional baby shower this Saturday, which is going to be a very small, intimate affair. I cannot wait to see them, I miss them both so much! Speaking of that, Jill is flying into Orlando tomorrow. Safe travels bug! See you Friday!

♥ A

After I found out about the baby, I started following the Little Baby Garvin blog. The author, Jessica Garvin, is an absolutely beautiful girl who has graciously shared her experience throughout her pregnancy with her daughter, Harper. Jessica has inspired me to embrace this time of my life; she has also documented her pregnancy progression in a unique way that I couldn't help but do my own version! To view Little Baby Garvin's 23 Week entry, click here.

Vegetarian Chili

The perfect recipe to satisfy the pregnant woman's soul; its healthy, comforting and delicious!

My best friend, Jillian, and I used to make this all the time in college. Because our taste preferences slightly differ, our recipes do too. This is my spin on our college favorite, vegetarian chili.

Vegetarian Chili

I do have a favor to ask: if you decide to try this recipe between now and Saturday, May 19th, we need your cans! My friend, Megan, is making lanterns to for my Fourth of July themed baby celebration and she needs lots of aluminum cans, this recipe yields six. If you live in the greater Daytona Beach or Saint Petersburg area and have some available cans please let me know. The can collection is on!

Thank you!

♥ A

P.S. In case you were wondering, FSU beat North Carolina on Sunday for the ACC Championship! This is the biggest basketball win in FSU's history and now FSU is a three seed going into March Madness. Fingers crossed for a national championship!

Chocolate Mousse Two Ways

On Friendsgiving (many of you might be more familiar with the term Thanksgiving) I committed the cardinal sin of baking and entertaining: never bake something for company that you've never baked before.

In this case it turned out exceptionally.

Apple Turn Overs and Chocolate Mousse Pie

Most notable was my chocolate mousse. It was a hit! Since November I have made it several times in different forms (rather than sticking to pie every time). 

Thursday was my friend Samantha's birthday. On a constant mission to make Sam ruin her diet, I decided to make her a dessert she would never forget: chocolate raspberry-filled cupcakes with chocolate mousse frosting dipped in a chocolate shell. 

Samantha and her birthday cupcakes

Chocolate Raspberry-Filled Cupcakes with Chocolate Mousse Frosting

The above recipe makes quite a bit of mousse so I used the rest to make individual chocolate mouse pie cups.

I didn't feel I needed to create an entire recipe to explain how to do this. All you need to do is buy a Pillsbury Rolled Pie Crust (you can find them in the refrigerated section by the breadsticks, biscuits and cinnamon buns). Preheat the oven to 450. Roll out the crust on a clean counter top, use a glass or cookie cutter to cut out small circles from the dough. Drape the circles over the bottom of a muffin pan. 

Poke holes in the bottom and on the sides of the cups. Bake for about 8-9 minutes. If you're unlucky enough like me to have an oven that bakes incredibly uneven, you should turn the pan once half way through baking. 

After they have cooled, pipe the remanding mousse into the cups. Chill mousse-filled cups in the refrigerator for about 5-6 hours. Once the mousse has set, top with whipped cream and enjoy!

Fell free to use store-bought or homemade whipped cream. To make homemade whipped cream, use an electric mixer to whip one cup heavy whipping cream with a 1/4 cup sugar on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form et volia!

♥ A

P.S. GO NOLES! Today they are competing in their second ever ACC title basketball game with their second win over Duke this year (which happened yesterday). FSU is currently facing North Carolina and up by 16 points in the first half!

Week 22

Because I took my chalkboard on the road this past weekend I was able to get few more exciting shot than the usual solo picture in the hallway of our temp home. I really love how these "action shots" turned out, I will definitely try to get more of these in the future!

How far along? 22 Weeks

Baby is the size of a... papaya. The baby is about 12.7 - 20.8 oz and 10.5 - 11.8 in

Total weight gain: Nine pounds

Maternity clothes? Still making it work with my normal clothes and a couple of belly bands from Amie. Although, I have been favoring dresses and skirts because they are much more comfortable that pants and shorts!

Stretch marks? None, thank you St. Ives Oatmeal & Shea Butter lotion! If I didn't swear to this stuff before my pregnancy, I really do now.

Sleep: Sleeping pretty sound, my dreams are still quite strange but I've had to get up less often for middle of the night bathroom breaks.

Best moment this week: My step mom got to feel the baby kick this weekend. She was so excited she cried, it was really sweet. I was hoping my dad and sister would be able to feel the baby too but I suppose we have to leave some milestones for future weeks. 

Miss Anything? It's Spring Break for FSU this week. I miss college, my girlfriends, sexy dresses, binge drinking and making reckless choices. But I also find so much happiness in my new life that "missing" my past life doesn't necessarily mean I'd go back if I had the chance. 

Movement: I feel like the baby has quieted down a lot this week, which kinda bums me out. I love feeling my sweet mini making moves!

Food cravings: Veggies, sour cream and cilantro. Which resulted in a craving for a Veggie Barrito from Chipotle on Sunday and Monday nights...

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing in particular sparked it but I was feeling pretty terrible at Publix yesterday. At one point I called Ryan and almost made him come take over shopping duties for me. Being the wonderful support he is, he was able to talk me through it and I finished on my own. 


Gender: Unknown but expanding baby's wardrobe regardless! I bought baby a gender-neutral Mickey Mouse onesie this weekend at Downtown Disney.

Labor Signs: Nope

Symptoms: Both yesterday and today I have had some horrible stomach uneasiness.

Belly Button in or out? The top is starting to pop out and the bottom is still in. It looks so funny!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :D


Looking forward to: Making some quiet time for myself this weekend. I am in desperate need of it.

♥ A

After I found out about the baby, I started following the Little Baby Garvin blog. The author, Jessica Garvin, is an absolutely beautiful girl who has graciously shared her experience throughout her pregnancy with her daughter, Harper. Jessica has inspired me to embrace this time of my life; she has also documented her pregnancy progression in a unique way that I couldn't help but do my own version! To view Little Baby Garvin's 22 Week entry, click here. 

And the Winner is...

The announcer had some very great news for the Lady Bucs on Sunday night at the Contest of Champions National Dance Competition!

The Lady Bucs won...

• 2nd place in the pom category
• 3rd place in the high kick category
• 4th place in the hip hop category
• 7th place in the jazz category
• 2nd place overall in the nation for the Small Varsity Division

The campions with their trophies

Mahaffey yelling at the girls.. as usual ;)

Lady Bucs' Senior & Junior Officers

Lady Bucs' Senior Co-Captains

Mahaffey's infamous postperformance debriefing (look at the smile on Mallory's face)

My gorgeous little sister, Mallory, after a long weekend and well-deserved victory

I'm one proud big sister!

♥ A

Contest of Champions National Dance Competition

Today I am "destination posting" (if you will).

Currently I am sitting with the Mainland High School Lady Bucs Dance and Drill team at Disney's Wide World of Sports waiting on the awards ceremony for the Contest of Champions Nationals. These girls have worked harder than any other school to be here--and I don't just say that because my sister is on the team. The Lady Bucs are not as financially well off as most of the other teams, they don't have fancy costumes or a fleet of luxury SUVs that traveled from California to be here. These girls got here by simple hard work, dedication and sponsorship. I couldn't imagine a better way to spend a weekend; although, at 22 weeks pregnant I'm slow, exhausted and cranky sometimes, it's been a great experience that I'm glad I got to attend.

My little sister, Mallory, is the girl right behind me

Last night the Lady Bucs were scheduled to do their last dance routine (their hip hop routine which was the one I most anticipated seeing) at 7:30PM. The girls had been awake since 4:30AM and had already preformed three times over the course of the very, very long day. Around 7:25PM the team scheduled to go before the Lady Bucs was stalled, the announcer broke the painfully long silence, "Where are the Mainland parents?" We started hooting and hollering, thinking the announcer was just trying to keep the crowd pumped. A few seconds later a judge came over and explained one of the girls, Chelsea, had dislocated her shoulder and they were postponing Lady Bucs' hip hop performance by an hour and a half. 

The girls had to revise their routine last minute to fill Chelsea's space, as she was rushed to the hospital. Sixteen and a half hours after waking up, traveling to Orlando, preforming all day and neglecting sleep and hunger, the girls went on stage--morale dropping but with smiles on their face regardless. 

Lady Bucs preforming their hip hop routine

Today the girls enjoyed a much deserved day off. Of course, many are still tired from yesterday, but as we sit here waiting for the awards ceremony to begin, we are all hopeful. Lady Bucs preformed in the high kicks, pom, jazz and hip hop divisions, they're bound to win something--it's just a question of what? I'll be sure to let you know. Until then, here are some more pictures. 

♥ A