I knew I was really a mom when...

WARNING: THIS POST IS NOT FOR PEOPLE WITH WEAK STOMACHS

I've been babysitting a sweet 6 month old boy a couple times a week which has been a good refresher on caring for an infant since I haven't babysat one in a year or so. Today started out very uneventful. He woke, we played, we ate, he pooped, he napped. Then it began. He got fussy so I picked him up and held him on my shoulder to comfort him. Then, a fountain of puke erupted on my shoulder. I cleaned us off the best I could which basically meant stripping him and trying to wipe me up. At this point he was upset so I continued to hold him. Five minutes later. Another puke volcano. My hair. The floor. My clothes. Basically everywhere except on him. I started wiping up again and got the most of it then realized he just needs to be held. So I just sat there in his room in reach of the wipes and burp cloths and just held him.

I realized I was really a mom when the puke didn't make me puke!! I have an extremely horrible gag reflex. If someone pukes at the very least I'm gagging. I always wondered what I was going to do when I had a child...how would I take care of them without getting sick myself?? I watched my mom take care of my sister and me and couldn't figure out how she did it. She even took care of me through a stomach virus this past December. I'm 26 and not ashamed a bit of that.

Anyway, I did it! I didn't gag, I didn't get sick. And I realized that sometimes you just need to put the child ahead of your insane OCD ways. Sometimes just holding the baby when you're both sticky with puke is more important than cleaning.

The happy ending to this story is that his mom arrived home 30 minutes after the eruption started so I got to leave and go home and shower. :)

Love,
Jess

Sneak Peek of Maternity Portraits

Here's a link to a sneak peek of my maternity portraits taken by the wonderful Elizabeth at Almond Leaf Studios!

http://almondleafstudios.com/blog/?p=8210

While you're there please take some time to visit the "our motivation" section of her blog!

Love,

Jess

Food Friday...just a little late

I know, I know, my second week on the blogging job and I'm already a failure! I had very good intentions of posting this last Friday but my wonderful friend Leah surprised me and flew in for a visit on Thursday. Anyway, more on that later...I know present to you FOOD FRIDAY!

This is a recipe that I tried a few months ago but I love it so much I wanted to share it with you! Liz and I found this gem on Pinterest courtesy of the food blog Pinch of Yum.

Healthy Sweet Potato Skins

Ingredients

• 2 medium or large sweet potatoes


• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter


• 1 shallot, minced


• 1 bag fresh baby spinach


• 1/4 cup light sour cream


• 2 ounces light cream cheese


• 1 cup chickpeas


• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese


• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Bake sweet potatoes at 350 for 45-60 minutes, or until fork tender.


2. Cut sweet potatoes in half and let cool for 5-10 minutes. While sweet potatoes are cooling, saute the shallots with the butter over medium heat until translucent. Add fresh spinach and heat for 2-3 minutes, until spinach has cooked down. Set aside.


3. Scrape the sweet potato out of the peel, leaving a thin layer inside with the peel so that it can stand up on its own. Mash the sweet potato with the cream cheese and sour cream. Stir in chickpeas, spinach, and salt and pepper.


4. Coat potato skins with a drizzle of oil and bake for about 5 minutes to get a crispier outside. Remove from oven and fill each skin with the sweet potato mixture and top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake again for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and filling is heated through.

Let me know how this turns out for you!

Love, Jess

Look ma! Coffee inspired art for my kitchen!

So I made the very adult decision that I finally need to pick colors for my kitchen. Drumroll please...the new colors of my kitchen are kelly green and cobalt blue with a coffee theme.

On to my craft... I've recently been inspired by my friend Amy to be more crafty. I'm good with things that have a specific pattern (crocheting) but I'm not very artistic so I've been apprehensive about starting anything. Inspired by my new decision I decided to embark on a project to make something for my kitchen.

Here's what I did:

Supplies
12x12 canvas
Acrylic paint
Paint brushes
Coffee beans
Mod Podge glue

1st
I painted the canvas with two coats of the paint with an hour dry time between and after.



2nd
I laid out the coffee beans how I wanted them on the canvas.



3rd
I glued on the coffee beans with Mod Podge glue. At first I was doing them individually but I realized since it dries clear it's easier to brush on sections of glue then apply the coffee beans a section at a time.

4th
Hang. Admire.



After I finished the mug, I decided to make it a mate.



Love,
Jess

Food Friday!

As part of my blogging adventure I have decided to bring you all Food Friday! Each Friday I will bring you a new recipe I've tried or an old favorite for the weeks when my culinary attempts consists of pbjs!

This week I tried a new recipe with my dear friend Liz. When we find time in our busy schedules to make dinner together we go in search of new recipes to try and usually come out with a winner! This week was no exception!

I turned to an old favorite for this week's recipe: Real Simple. If you've never visited this website or read the magazine, put it on your to do list! I found a few options but we decided to go with Spaghetti with Zucchini, Walnuts and Raisins (just for fun I'll put links to the runners up below!).

Here's the recipe with the changes we made bolded:

Ingredients:

12 oz spaghetti (3/4 box)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 c. walnut halves, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (we used minced garlic)
1 1/2 lbs small zucchini (4 to 5), cut into thin half-moons
3/4 c. raisins
kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 c. grated Parmesan (1 oz)
*we also added some cut pineapple to the mix too

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and return to the pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the walnuts and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, 3 or 4 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, about 1 minute.
4. Add the zucchini and raisins (and pineapple) and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the zucchini is just tender, 4 or 5 minutes.
5. Add the zucchini mixture to the pasta and toss to combine. Sprinkle with Parmesan before serving.



Tada! A wonderful meal with very few ingredients that takes very little time...in other words, every mom's dream!




As promised, here are links to the runners up!

Honey Chicken Skewers with Grilled Corn Salad

Grilled Lemon Chicken with Cabbage Corn Slaw

I would love to hear if you try any of the recipes I feature or of any changes you made!

Love,
Jess

Ahh...kids and pregnancy

As many of you know, I'm a nanny to two very inquisitive children who are 6 and 9. They've been excited about the baby and their new favorite game is 20 questions about the baby. The other day I was telling them that when he comes out he'll recognize people by their voices. This got them super excited so they decided to introduce themselves to my belly...this alone was enough to bring a smile to my face. However, they were talking to him like he was a 90 year old with hearing loss- very slow and loud...now this almost made me pee my pants from laughter!

I hope you can picture this scene well enough that it brings a little funny to your day :)

Love,
Jess

Don't google...and other things I've learned during pregnancy...

By far the best advice I've received during pregnancy was from one of the nurses at my ob's office. DON'T GOOGLE! Occasionally you might get good advice but more often you'll end up worrying yourself sick or ignoring symptoms that your doctor needs to know about!! The nurse told me to never hesitate and call them with any questions! They would much rather you call than google!

WHEN YOU FEEL ENERGETIC, TAKE ADVANTAGE! I've learned that this is especially important because you could be full of energy one day and dead on your feet the next. I've always heard that you'll be more tired than usual during pregnancy, but nothing prepared me for the tiredness I experienced! One day I took 3 naps! And I guess while I'm discussing sleep (or need for), I'll mention PILLOWS!! You can never have too many especially when you're pregnant! Between the heartburn/acid reflux, hip pain, back pain, not being able to sleep on your back, and your ever growing belly, you'll need a ton. Haha. I've been known to sleep with three under my head, one between my knees, one behind my back, and one to hug. Most recently I've had to add one to prop up my swelling feet! When I'm trying to roll over (which is a great process), I always imagine that I look like a beached whale.

And I should go ahead and mention that EVERY PREGNANCY IS DIFFERENT! So really, only the no googling advice might apply to you!

STOCK UP ON TOILET PAPER Actually, you should do this as soon as you see that second line. Don't stop to tell anyone your good news. Go STRAIGHT to Sam's Club, get a membership, and buy tp. You will need it. Lots of it.

Well, I'm done dispensing my wisdom (hehe) for the day!

Love,
Jess

A big week.

It's been a big week in the life of Clay Lucas and he's not even here yet! Here are some highlights:

-Picking a pediatrician office (I can already tell I'm going to love Charlotte Pediatric Clinic!)
-At my ob appointment I learned that Clay is head down and the chances are very slim that he could flip so no breech baby for me!
-My mom, aunt, and sister came to visit and help me get organized! They are such a blessing! Now all I need before he comes are cradle sheets!
-Clay has officially become destructive to my body- I still love him sooooo much though!
-I had my maternity portraits taken yesterday! I'm so excited to see them and can't wait to share them with you!

Time to attempt to stay off my feet
..

Love,
Jess

Meet Clay Lucas!

Yes, that is my child all lopsided in there. All I can say is, I still have an innie! Love, Jess

Why a blog?

Duh, cause all the cool kids are doing it! Haha, actually this is my attempt to keep all the ooey gooey baby stuff (mostly) off facebook and to share with you all my adventures in motherhood! One day I might share with you a new favorite recipe and the next I may share with you my struggles with breastfeeding so BEWARE! Just kidding about the last part...maybe ;)

Love,
Jess