Smoky Mountain National Park

Memorial Day Weekend was spent in the great outdoors - as it should be in my opinion.

Our base camp for the long weekend was a cute creek-side cabin in Whittier, NC just outside of Bryson City.

Activities included: hiking, hiking, campfires and more hiking. 

20 Weeks

We've reached the halfway point!! Can't believe it. We've had a really good week - lots of movements. I'm slowly starting to explore baby stores to try and figure out what we really need. Earlier in the week I was a little overwhelmed by the shopping -blasphemous, I know. But since then I found a good article that can steer me towards all the newborn essentials. It seems much more manageable now. I'm still leaning towards the convertible crib with an attached changing table. We won't need a dresser for the nursery. So either I buy a changing table or change her on the floor.

I guess I'm overdue for taking and posting baby bump photos. I still think I look more fat than pregnant. But then I feel her moving around and I know it isn't so. Here you go....

Banana Nut Bread

Ever since a friend mentioned smelling banana bread baking in the oven, I've been scheming for the perfect morning to do so. - I finally found one.

Banana bread is one of my go-to recipes. This particular one came from a Cooking Lite magazine from the early 90's. I've only made small modifications to it over the years. It's a favorite.

And I picked up a fun habit from Nigella when cooking; always fix a nice cocktail, or in this case, a fancy latte, to enjoy while working.

19 Weeks

I've started planning the nursery. I'm pretty sure we're going with a vibrant pink and gray color combination. My inspiration for this look comes from here and here. But before I finalize paint I think I should find crib bedding. Then I can match up the paint to the fabric. Sounds like a good idea anyway.

I love this bedding set, but not sure I want to spend that much money on it. I'm debating pulling out my sewing machine and dusting off the cobwebs. But since I haven't sewed in too-many-years-to-count I'm not sure bedding is the place to start.

This week marks the anatomy scan. We both got a clean bill of health. She is growing perfectly.

How far along?  19 weeks  

Kentucky Derby Party

Whoa! We had a great "First Annual" Derby Party this year. We polished our silver, bought some roses, and even had a few trophies to help us decorate. I always have a problem with everyone bunching up in one smaller room (kitchen) during our parties. To alleviate that we tried to set up little stations throughout the house. It worked pretty well. 

On the kitchen table which we pushed up against the wall to provide more walking space was the Mint Julep Bar. We had several different Kentucky Bourbons to choose between and taste test. I think it turned out quite nice. In the squeeze bottle is a minty simple syrup. Putting it in the squeeze bottle helped with people spilling. (Note for next year: Buy extra ice. By end of night very few people were drinking mint juleps still, but we still ran out of regular ice for mixed drinks) 

18 Weeks

I saw this on another site and thought it was cute. Even though I've missed quite a few weeks, I'm starting it now. 


How far along? 18 weeks
Total Weight Gained? 5 pounds
Maternity Clothes? Not yet. I work from home so I'm getting by with a daily uniform of yoga pants and a t-shirt. I'll probably head to the store soon. Aside from the yoga pants only one other pair fits me. I've tried the belly band, but it's not too helpful. 
Stretch Marks? No
Sleep? Pretty good with a bathroom break mid-way through the night. Some nights I get up and sleep on the sofa at that point. I'm still getting used to sleeping on my left side.