Birthing State of Mind

Ok so I had the option on Tuesday to have my membranes striped to help labor along. At that point I was super comfortable and thinking that I really wanted to see if I could get the labor process going naturally.


So, today is my due date. I am uncomfortable. I am super hoping that something will happen to get my body in a birthing state of mind. I have been doing a lot of walking. eating spicy food, and I am going to have Justin give me a nice foot massage. Any other suggestions?

I have never felt more ready than right now.

Re-Decorating

I am Excited to say that we will be getting a couch this weekend and a glider rocking chair thingy! But, after looking at the front room and knowing the size of the couch I need to move things around. I am also thinking of moving things around in the boys room as well (we got a toddler bed). So it looks like a couple big projects for me today! I will get pictures posted as soon as everything is all happy.
Horray for nesting!

Pregnancy Photo's

The other day my sister decided that she would do my hair and make up and take some pictures. Which sounded like a great idea to me. ( I am feeling very anxious and fidgety) Here are my favorite ones!

Homemade Yogurt

Yesterday we tried making yogurt for the second time.
The first time it just didn't work. So we decided to buy a yogurt maker.(we were having major temperature consistency problems) What we made yesterday tastes like yogurt but has a much runnier texture. It is perfect for cooking making sauces and dressings!!! (I am making some awesome Indian like kabobbs on Sunday) We are trying out a new recipe today making a yogurt cheese! I am curious as to what it will taste like, but imagine it will make an awesome spread for pita chips and other things.
I will post the best recipe we find when we find it.

Broken Camera

Seriously, this happened last time we had a baby.
Pregnant Katie is no longer allowed to touch cameras.

On a happier note can you believe that my due date is next week?!!!? I am getting more excited and a little overwhelmed. But I know everything will be just fine.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

First of all I believe the 7th movie to be the best of them all! I am looking forward to seeing this one again.
In honor of the movie coming out we had a family party. We made t-shirts to wear to the movie and had a Pizza B-B-Q after seeing the movie.

I am sad that this series is over. But I am looking forward to reading it to my kids.

Play Time in a Basket

The Red Ballon

We took a trip to Harmons (our favorite grocery) and while we were there Felix got a red balloon. The balloon stayed with him all day.

Felix showed the balloon the house.

He took it to see the water at Vivian park.

It went on the walk up to Bridal Vale Falls.

The balloon was included in snack time and was a major player in play time.

The balloon even had dinner with him.

By the end of the day the balloon was pooped. He had had a very busy day.

Aloe, Christmas cactus, and Mother in Laws Tongue

After moving into our new apartment I noticed that there were several hooks meant for hanging plants. So I began to ask Justin which plants would do well where and if we could display any of our orchids around the house. Most of the hooks are in very low light places so orchids were not a possibility. We began the search online for house plants. We decided on a couple of plants we both liked the look of; the spider plant ( a cutting we are getting from some one, I don't remember who) Mother in laws tongue, a cutting of which Justin acquired from the AF hospital.
We also got a cutting of Christmas cactus from my aunt Nancy and a cutting of an Aloe which was her grandmothers (my great grandmother) I am really excited about this one. I really like that it is a family heirloom. Man plants are cool!

Justin also picked up a Ludisia Discolor Alba from Orchid Dynasty

So our house plant collection is well on its way.
Justin and I also discovered that most places don't sell baskets for smaller houseplants. Which is a little frustrating, but we will improvise until our plants are large enough for the baskets sold. (one night I was even considering taking up macrame)

Felix and the Ants

While having lunch on our front porch Felix was eating coco bunnies. One got spit out on the ground and a large mass of ants came to eat and collect the partially chewed bunny. (the mass of ants is that black spot)

Felix was fascinated by the ants.

So he tasted the ants. They were yucky.

It was far more fun to spread the ants around and watch them scramble to get back to what remained of the coco bunny.

Cousins!

I thought I had lost these pictures but found them on my Mom's computer! They are pretty cute. I am not sure when they were taken. I think around March or April 2010.

Music at Home

Felix has recently started to sing and dance to music. I love watching him wiggle and move to the beat. The singing is a lot of fun. I just love when he sings to himself in the car. Super cute!

The New Apartment!

I hope you enjoy the tour of our new apartment! Obviously not everything is decorated, but it is at least clean. (Yes!!!!!!!)

This is the front living room and office area.

The kitchen. (I have beef with who ever put in the cabinets. Some are in backwards...)

The pantry/crafting area.

The bathroom.

The nursery.

The master bedroom.

Hopefully we will be seeing you soon!

Our Trip to the Park

We had fun on the swings.

Climbing in trees.

Pushing the stroller and playing in the bark.

Climbing on the Jungle Gym.

Sliding on the slides! (this was Felix's first time riding the slide by himself.)

Trying to climb back up the slide.

We had a great day at the park!

Dairy Free and Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

I had to share this recipe. Best Peanut Butter cookie I have had.

This came out of my Yellowstone Cookbook (page 168 by Carl Sheehan). It is probably the easiest cookie I have ever made, and they taste awesome.

1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg
Preheat oven to 375. Mix sugar peanut butter and egg. Roll into 1 inch balls, flatten with fork. Bake for 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Makes about 1 dozen.

Super easy right!
I was very skeptical when I made this, but as I actually had all the stuff I needed for these cookies so I thought it was worth a shot.(this is the hardest part of moving, finding you don't have the things you need when you really really want to make something)
I was happy to additionally discover that this recipe eliminated the two things I didn't like about peanut butter cookies. One, There is not enough peanut butter flavor in them. I find that they are just to bland. Two, I find that peanut butter cookies tend to be dry and super crumbly. (now, these cookies still crumble a little, but nothing like I have had in the past and they hold up better the second day as well)
Seriously give these cookies a try especially if you like peanut butter!!!

Also, I am excited to try this recipe with some almond butter. Then I want to try it with Nuttella.

Oh! And you could totally add chocolate to this...

Hair, Pregnancy and Talking Toddlers

Those of you who have been reading my blog since the beginning know that I am growing my hair to donate it to locks of love. Being pregnant has really helped it to grow quickly and keep it nice an full. I am loving it right now. I could donate it at any time but I really want to try and grow it past my waist. Just to see if I can do it. I know it will take me a whole year to reach that goal but I have come this far so why not!
Being pregnant is not my favorite. I am super happy to be at the end of it. I am a little worried about handling two children 24/7. Felix is a good kid so I am not too worried about it. I just worry about how tiered I am going to be. And I am already super tiered.
Felix is talking a lot now. It has been wonderful to actually be able to communicate with him. His new phrase is "I want it." He is usually as vague as possible when he says it. He doesn't always point at what he wants and is frequently not in the same room as the object he wants. So, we basically play 20 questions many times in a day. He has also taken to jumping and diving off of the bed. It freaked me out the first time I saw him do it. He is also climbing onto everything he can. He seems pretty fearless which worries me because I can just see the broken arms and cuts and bruises coming. Also, his new favorite toy is Wall-E.

Apartment Found!

We found an apartment and spent the weekend moving in!!!!! Horray for long weekends!!!!
I am super excited to have all the boxes, except the book boxes (we have no shelves), unpacked and put away. In the evening I have been working on decorating and making things feel more homy and comfortable. We found after getting things moved in that we have no where to sit (apart from the chair we are borrowing and our kitchen chairs) so I will be pricing love seats and other chair stuffs. I am really excited to be on the tail end of moving things in. I am really feeling the baby deadline coming up. Which is making me a bit crazy. I want to get as much done as possible every day. I will post pictures of our new place soon.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July!