20 + 21 weeks!

I am so behind on my weekly post. We are now in week 22 but I still have not posted weeks 20 and 21 so I decided to combine those 2 and I will be back in a few days to post week 22. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  We drove to TN to spend time with Sayers family. It was so great to see everyone and we even had our first baby shower while we were there!

How far along: 20 + 21 weeks

Size of baby: 8 inches, approx 1 lb. The size of a spaghetti squash!

Total weight gain: 6-8 lbs

Gender: A sweet little boy :)

Movement: I felt the first real kick on Thursday (Dec 20th) night but could not feel from the outside. This past Saturday morning when we were laying in bed and I felt him kick a few times so Sayer put his hand on my belly and got to feel him kick too. It was so special and the best Christmas gift. He has pretty much been moving non stop since then. When I lay down at night I can really feel him and Sayer usually can as well.

Sleep: ehh. not great. I fall asleep initially and sleep for 3-4 hours but then after that I have a hard time staying asleep for more then 45 minutes at a time. REALLY need to get that pregnancy pillow. Any suggestions for getting good sleep at night while pregnant?

Maternity clothes: Almost everything I am wearing now is maternity but that is more for comfort then necessity. Maternity pants are a must though.

Symptoms: Feeling pretty good! I am exhausted by dinner time but during the day I feel good.

Aversions: none lately.

Cravings: A girl can never have too much chocolate milk. I should probably lay off since I have my glucose test coming up in about 6 weeks.

What I Miss: Endurance. I don't have much these days. I get winded really easy.

Best moment this week: Sayer and I both being able to feel him kick. Best moment of my month, actually.

What I am looking forward to: Our 1st baby shower! (I started this post before we left for TN) We are heading to TN tonight after work for Christmas. Sayers family is throwing us our first shower tomorrow and I am so excited. Can't wait to see all the cute things they get for baby Nixon. (We got our car seat and base and a bunch of cute clothes/things for baby!)


Sorry for the self pic but I forgot to get Sayer to take a picture of me the past 2 weeks. This was last Thursday before my doctors appt. I was 21 weeks that day. I swear my belly is growing daily which is probably why it feels so tight all the time. I ordered some new baby bump lotion that a friend recommended. Hoping this helps with the tight skin feeling.

waiting on baby

19 weeks!

I can't believe we are almost half way through this pregnancy already. Time is flying and I have a feeling the 2nd half will go even faster then the first.


How far along: 19 weeks and 5 days

Size of baby: 6.5-7 inches and about 10oz.

Total weight gain: Not sure. Have not weighed myself at the gym in a week (because I have not been...)

Gender: A sweet little boy :)

Movement: Just flutters when I lay down at night. Hoping for some big kicks soon!

Sleep: Not so great. Having a lot of "strectching" pains this week which makes it hard to get comfortable.

Maternity clothes: A little of both

Symptoms: I thought I was done with morning sickness but it decided to come back this week. I think baby is doing some serious growing!

Aversions: nothing really.

Cravings: chocolate milk. chocolate milk. chocolate milk.

What I Miss: A good nights rest. Sleep does this girl real good so no sleep equals cranky April.

Best moment this week: Getting the cutest little jacket in the mail for our boy. I can't wait to put it on him next fall/winter.

What I am looking forward to: Going to TN next week for Christmas with Sayers family!


I had 3 holiday parties this past weekend. A girls cocktail party Friday night, Sayer's firms party Saturday and then an ornament exchange with my bible study girls on Sunday night. Here is a picture of me and the bump before the party Friday night.

A space for baby boy

I have always heard people talk about wanting to "nest" when they were pregnant and now I know what they mean. It's bad. We are in the process of looking for a house and plan to be in one by the time baby comes so that means I can only dream about the nursery for now (and shop for it, of course). I am still not sure what color I want to paint the walls but here are a few of my favorite nursery inspiration pictures.





































I love pom-pom trim. It would be so adorable added to drapes or a crib skirt.




I have already started collecting prints for a gallery wall. I love the Sharon Montrose baby animal prints. We will definitely be adding a few of these to the nursery.

I love mint & yellow. I think a mint color will more then likely be the wall color and I plan to have a few yellow accents. Nothing too "themey" because thats not my style but I like the colors together.

I have been in love with these drapes that Erika from Urban Grace Interiors had made for her little girls nursery a few years ago ever since she posted them. I want something like this. I also love the bamboo shades.

I also want to do something cool for book storage. We plan to read a lot to this baby boy. I have seen a lot of neat ideas on Pinterest with shelves, hanging crates, etc.

I am working on a DIY for his crib mobile. I found this adorable mobile on Etsy but I just can't see spending that much money on something I think I could make myself. I am going to give it a try!

Lots of ideas going around in this crazy pregnant head of mine so I am sure this wont be the last nursery post.

18 weeks!

How far along: 18 weeks and 4 days

Size of baby: 6 inches and about half a pound. The size of a mango!

Total weight gain: 2-3 pounds.

Gender: A sweet little boy :)

Movement: A few flutters here and there but nothing big. Hoping to feel him soon!

Sleep: Sleeping pretty good this week.

Maternity clothes: I invested in more maternity pants this week from ASOS because I can hardly wear my regular jeans anymore.

Symptoms: Feeling great! I have had a lot more energy the past few days. I actually dried my hair today!

Aversions: Me and food are friends again. Now I just have to be careful not too over eat.

Cravings: sweets! So odd because I have never been a sweets person...

What I Miss: Having motivation to work out. I have none.

Best moment this week: Seeing the baby last Friday at our 18 week anatomy scan. The doctor said he looks healthy and perfect. Music to this Mommas ears :)

What I am looking forward to: Holiday parties this weekend! (not baby related but I will be showing off my bump to a few people for the first time)

Picture Sayer took of me tonight in front our the Christmas tree!

Weekend happenings and a recipe

This weekend was so relaxing and lazy which we both really needed after a stressful and busy week at work. We shopped, cooked, cleaned, wrapped presents and decorated for Christmas. I am almost done with my Christmas shopping. Just have a few more gifts to get. I will actually be able to relax and enjoy the rest of December for once! A few pictures of the Nixon abode all decorated and ready for the holidays...

 

Sunday night I made a really easy and delicious recipe that we both loved. Original recipe found here. I adapted it a little bit.

Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half (butterfly but cut all the way through)
12 thin slices of deli honey ham
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
12 thin slices of Swiss cheese

Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 chicken bouillon cube, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt (I did not add salt until the end and just added to taste, the parmesan adds a lot of salt)
1 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Coat a 9" x 13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray
In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons melted butter
Lay the chicken breast halves in a single layer in the baking dish
Layer each breast with two slices of ham and 2 slices of Swiss cheese
Sprinkle/pat the bread crumbs over the top of the chicken.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken bakes, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat
Whisk in the flour to form a roux, cook for 1 to 2 minutes
Slowly pour in the milk while whisking constantly, make sure there are no clumps
Stir in the bouillon. Whisk constantly until the mixture begins to thicken, about 5 to 7 minutes
Remove from heat and stir in mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and Parmesan cheese
Stir until the cheese is melted. Add salt to taste. Keep the sauce warm.

Remove chicken from oven, plate, and top with sauce and chopped chives or parsley. Enjoy!

17 weeks!

We are pregnant! Most of our friends and family know by now but I wanted to make it official on here as well. After everything we went through earlier this year we were reluctant to tell anyone until we were pretty far along but the news is finally out! I started working on this post a few days ago and forgot to post it (pregnancy brain). I am almost 18 weeks now so it is a bit outdated. I plan to do these weekly pregnancy post because I think it will be nice to have later on. It will also be nice for friends and family who we do not get to see much to be able to see how things are going. Sayer and I could not be happier. We are so excited and feel so blessed to be welcoming this sweet baby into our lives this coming May.


How far along: 17 weeks and 5 days

Size of baby: Approx 5.5 inches. 5oz. The size of a sweet potato!

Total weight gain: 1-2 lbs

Gender: A sweet little boy :)

Movement: Felt my first flutter 2 weeks ago but have not felt much since then. It may have just been gas lol

Sleep: Sleeping a lot better the past few weeks but still getting up to use the bathroom 4-5 times during the night. Need to invest in a pregnancy pillow ASAP.

Maternity clothes: Some maternity, some regular. Regular pants are getting really uncomfortable these days.

Symptoms: Round ligament pains. Ouch! Also lots of random aches and pains. I feel like I am all of a sudden 85 years old.

Aversions: No aversions lately.

Cravings: Pizza. Its pretty much my only craving this whole pregnancy. Salty, savory, cheesy, yummy pizza.

What I Miss: Red wine and seasonal beer. Just being honest here.

Best moment this week: Telling our families that we are expecting (on Thanksgiving). So special to finally share the good news with them!

What I am looking forward to: Our appt this Friday when we get to see our boy again!



I dont really have a good picture from this week but here is a picture of weeks 14, 15, 16 & 17.

Be back in a couple days with a week 18 post!

It's the most wonderful time of the year

No this is not a Christmas post.

It has been a while since I posted. The last few months have been hard. Really hard. Also, I didn't exactly know how to follow up after such a heavy post. Things are starting to feel more "normal" around our house and I can say with experience now that what doesn't kill you does indeed make you stronger. Without our amazing friends and family I don't know that we could have made it through this. We really are so blessed.

But on to something I am really looking forward to and the reason for this post. Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the food. The weather. The pumpkins. The beer. Its just the best. Fall is slowly making its way to Charlotte. We have had a lot cooler temperatures the past week and I hope its here to stay. I have been obsessing about fall decor for our cute little rental house. Its the first time in 3 years that I have had a porch to decorate and I plan on going all out. I found a bunch of inspiration on Pinterest. Here are a few of my favorite ideas...

June Girl

May 29 2012: We both woke up so excited about our 12 week appointment and ultrasound. We could not wait to see our sweet little baby again. We got to the doctor and went back with the ultrasound tech. She put the warm jelly on my stomach and within seconds we could see our little peanut squirming around on the screen. She was so active! And big! Tears filled my eyes. I was so happy. Then she said the dreaded words that we never thought we would hear, “Let me go get the doctor, I see some things that concern me.”

Everything since then has been a whirlwind…doctor’s appointments, tests, ultrasounds and heartache. We found out our baby girl had Turners syndrome and that we were going to lose her. It would only be a matter of time. Three weeks later she went to be with Jesus. As I sit here and write this I am numb. I don’t know why this happened to me. What Sayer and I did to deserve this pain. It will never make sense to me.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
-Jeremiah 29:11

I may not understand why this happened but I do know that God works everything for the good and I am holding tight to that promise.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

I posted a picture of a new recipe I tried last night on Instagram and a few friends asked for the recipe so I figured I would post it here. This was an easy recipe and Sayer and I both LOVED it! It makes a TON so if you just wanted to make enough for two people you could half the recipe. I found the recipe here. I love her blog and she has lots of yummy recipes I want to try! I did not alter the recipe at all but I think it would be yummy to add black beans or even substitute black beans for chicken. oh I did take out the salt and just added a pinch for taste. It really didnt need it in my opinion. The sauces were plenty salty.

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded (I used 2!) 

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 {4 oz.} can diced green chiles

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

2 {10 oz.} cans green chili enchilada sauce

2/3 cups red enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded colby & monterrey jack

1 cup sour cream

I box of Penne pasta

Toppings (what I used ):

diced tomato
cheese
sour cream
cilantro
pickled jalapenos


Bake chicken, shred and set aside (you could also boil but thats not my thing). You could also use a rotisserie chicken for this. Boil Pasta according to the directions and chop the veggies. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet on medium heat and cook onions for about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic & red pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add cooked chicken, green chiles, cumin, chili powder & enchilada sauces. Let sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Add cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and heated through. Stir in the sour cream (turn to low before adding or it will curdle). Stir until sour cream is well mixed and heated through. Drain pasta & return to pot. Pour sauce over pasta and mix well. Serve and garnish with whatever sounds good! (I just used what I had in my fridge)

Enjoy!

catching up

This post is causing me major anxiety to write because there is just so much that has happened since I last posted. I don't know where to begin! There is no good excuse for my absence besides life. A lot has been going on around here the past 3 months. We moved back to Charlotte and things were pretty hectic for a while there. Who am I kidding, things are still hectic! We have new schedules to get used to, a new house with yard work included (new to us) and lots of friends and catching up to be done...oh and also, we are kind of having a baby. You heard me correctly! We are expecting our first bundle of joy this December and could not be more excited. I don't plan on turning this into a "pregnancy blog" but it is a blog about my life and being pregnant is what is going on in my life so I apologize if its not what you want to hear about but its probably going to be what I blog about for the next 6-7 months. Holy run on sentence. I blame it on the prego brain.

So lets see...details. I am 12 weeks this Friday and we are due December 7th which I know is just an estimate and I can pretty much plan on it being no where near that date since this is my first pregnancy. We decided to just stay in our rental house until at least next spring so we don't have to deal with house hunting and moving while I am pregnant. I have to say I am perfectly fine with that. I always thought I would want to own a house by the time I had kids but it is what it is and we are going to make the best of it. We plan to convert my current office in to the nursery so I will definitely post ideas and pictures of the final thing once its all done. I am already in nesting mode. As far as pregnancy symptoms go I have most of them(in all their loveliness) minus the morning sickness. I have what I like to call "afternoon sickness." I start getting nauseous around 4:30 and stay that way till about 7. But honestly I can not complain, because it has not been bad at all and it has not once sent me running to the toilet. Mostly I am just exhausted so taking lots of naps and watching lots of Law and Order SVU on the couch.

Besides that things are pretty normal around here. We are finally in a nice routine, which is good for my type A personality. We are both loving being back in Charlotte and enjoying all of our favorite old spots and trying out some new ones. Again, sorry for the extended absence. I promise it will not happen again. Well maybe not. Thanks for anyone who is still following!

neon coral

Currently in love with colored denim. also currently in love with neons. Just ordered these and can not wait to wear them this spring.

asos neon coral skinnies

big news

We Are Moving!!

I can finally share this great news! My husband was recently offered a job and so we are packing up and moving BACK to Charlotte. Yep, you heard me. Raleigh has been great to us. We got engaged here. Our relationship grew so much here. We spent our first 5 months of married life here. Now we are heading back to Charlotte (in less than 2 weeks!) and we could not be happier.

We can't wait to be closer to friends and family and back in the city we love.

I have a slight dilemma. I need a new blog title. any ideas?

ikat

I am sorry for my lack of blogging lately. There are big things going on in the Nixon house (come back tomorrow to hear more). Until then here are some cute ikat bowls I found online.

orzo salad with roasted veggies & feta

Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone had a nice weekend and MLK day. We had a very nice weekend of nothing at all. Just cleaning and relaxing. Oh and I finished the first book in the Hunger Games series. I LOVED it and can't wait to start the second book tonight!

I saw this recipe on a blog I was reading a while back (can't remember which one) and decided to look up the recipe and try it. This is an Ina Garten recipe and I just altered a few things. A lot of her recipes are a bit complex but this one was quite simple and delicious! Also, I doubled the recipe so I would have enough to take for a few lunches this week. You can find the original recipe here.

Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound orzo pasta

For the dressing:
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2/3 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Topping:
Feta Cheese, 1/2-inch diced (as much or as little as you want)
fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne

*I kept these toppings chopped and in containers in the fridge to add to the pasta each time we ate some so they would not get soggy from the dressing.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss the bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables (I reserved a little dressing to add later to freshen it up). Let cool to room temperature, then add the feta and basil. Serve at room temperature or serve cold the next day.

I forgot to take a picture of the pasta after it was finished so I found one online...


                                       source


Enjoy!

{ 19.99 }

you're welcome

2012

I have been putting off writing a resolutions post because I know how I am with resolutions. I don’t really stick to them. At least not all of them. I was reading Liz's (she is great, if you don'f follow her, you should!) blog this morning and got inspired by her monthly “goals” for 2012 and thought this was a great alternative to traditional resolutions. So here’s my plan:


January: might as well get this one out of the way. Work out 3-4 days a week. I have been doing this anyway for approx. the last 6 months, give or take a few weeks. I just want to maintain and also be realistic. There are just some weeks where we have other stuff going on. Life happens. Exercise is not just about having a great body. It’s good for the mind. In fact, that’s really the main reason I do it. It helps me to stay sane. The other benefits are just an added bonus!

February: Start a real savings plan. Because of student loans and not so smart financial decisions while in my early 20’s I have not been able to do much saving but now I am in a place where I can and I plan on 2012 being the year I got my finances in order! One thing I want to save for is my first DSLR (see November).

March: This one is about being healthy and saving money. Cook a fresh and healthy dinner at least 5 nights a week (enough for us both to take leftovers for lunch the next day). I have been good about cooking dinner at home vs. eating out since I moved to Raleigh last year but I want to be better about what I cook.

April: Step away from my phone/computer and get outside. It starts to warm up towards the end of March in North Carolina and it’s the perfect time to get outside. Sayer bought me a bike last year for my birthday and I am ashamed to say I have only ridden it a handful of times. In March I want to change that!

May: Drink more water. Simple.

June: Volunteer for a non-profit organization. This one is going to take some research but it’s something I have wanted to do for a while. Any suggestions?

July: Get organized! In every area of my life possible.

August: Plan a trip. Sayer pretty much plans most of our travels but I would like to plan something for us and fund it completely on my own.

September: Celebrate our first year of marriage.

October: Plan and host a fall themed get together with friends. Pumpkins, beer, good friends and food. Sounds fun, right?

November: Purchase my first “real” camera. I have been doing lots of research on cameras for the last few months and I have it narrowed down to a few but I am open for any suggestions on what a good starter DSLR is. This is something I have wanted for quite some time now and I think it’s time I reward myself. Plus a camera is a gift that keeps on giving.

December: Start a new holiday tradition (stole this one from Liz because it’s a great idea!)

Happy New Year!! (just a few weeks late)

a few randoms

• I have had my radio tuned to the classical station for three weeks now. After Christmas music went off I just could not go back to regular music. Is that weird? whatever.
• I plan to start a regular "wedding Wednesday's" post soon so I can share some of our beautiful wedding images from Whitney Photography. I cant believe it has almost been 4 months since our wedding. Time flies!
• Sayer and I bought a new couch for our future home this weekend from Crate and Barrel. It is hanging out by the front door of our apartment right now, wrapped in shrink wrap and packing foam. I like to stare at it a lot, even though I can't see anything but plastic.
• speaking of our new couch. I am on the hunt for some pretty new pillows for it. Here a few of my favs. Not all together, of course.

1. 2. 3. 4.(unknown) 5. 6.

We have some exciting things going on at the Nixon household right now that I can't share just yet but stay tuned. Lots of exciting changes coming!

Hope everyone is having a great week so far. Looking forward to a three day weekend coming up!