Weekend Recap

We had such a nice weekend. It's crazy to think that these are our last weekends where it will ever be just the two of us! On Friday I had a doctor's appointment in the morning. Everything is looking great with both Ethan and I. I've made a little bit of progress but there are no signs that he's coming any time before my induction but we'll see what happens. I just have one more doctor's appointment this Friday and then the next stop will be the hospital! After the doctor, it was back to work, which has been really crazy lately. I can't say enough how much I'm looking forward to maternity leave! Friday night we went out to dinner with Rich, Tif, the kids, ken and Kat. After dinner we hung out and just talked until it was time for the kids to go to bed.

On Saturday we actually slept in for once and got a late start out for our errands. I was bummed it was raining so we couldn't go to the Farmer's Market this week. Instead, we went out to breakfast and then headed to Whole Foods and Meijer to do our grocery shopping. We came home, made some lunch and then we worked on finishing our closet project we started last weekend. We were waiting for one last piece from Container Store that was back ordered last week. We installed the last piece and finished putting everything in.

Before

After

So much better, right? We also worked on the closet right next to this one. It was way overloaded and everything needed to be gone through. It's so much more organized now.

Before

After

I'm so happy we got this done before Ethan comes. Everything is organized and we have plenty of room to accommodate all of his stuff. After finishing the closets, I took a nap. When I woke up it was time to get ready for our date night we had planned. We need to get in as many nights with just the two of us before Mr. Ethan gets here. We went to our favorite sushi place ever, Sushi Kushi Toyo in Lake Forest. It's a far drive for dinner, but it is worth every mile. Our dinner was amazing as always. 

After dinner we headed over to Tif's parents house where they were hosting a poker night for everyone. I hung out with Tif, her mom and the kids while the guys played poker. I headed home before they were finished playing and Michael caught a ride home with his cousin Tim. 

Sunday we got up and I had to work for a couple of hours. Afterwards we just relaxed, had some breakfast and then we got ready to take our maternity pictures. We've been waiting for weeks to finally take our pictures. At first we couldn't take them because I didn't really have a bump. Then finally in the past 3 weeks I finally got the bump but the weather has been horrible. Today actually worked out well because it was partly cloudy which is better for pictures. I'm going to do a full post with our pictures this week, but here's a sneak peek!

After our pictures, we needed to run a few errands and we stopped by Rich and Tif's to bring Jacob the balloons we used at our photo shoot that morning. He loves balloons so we knew he'd love 15 balloons!

We also stopped at the nursery to buy some flowers and herbs for our garden. I wanted to get them bought before Ethan comes because we will be pretty busy! We are going to plant them this week since its going to be warmer. We picked out lots of blue flowers for our little boy!

After we got home, I started working on Sunday dinner. I wanted to make a really nice meal since it might be the last nice dinner I make for a while! I made Michael's favorite, herbed turkey breast, mashed potatoes and his favorite stuffing! He was in heaven! I realized I haven't posted my herbed turkey breast on here before, I will definitely have to post it. It's the best turkey you will ever have!

After dinner we cleaned up and Michael asked me to play a game of Scrabble with him. I don't really like to play with him because he's ridiculously good. Last time we played, I cried, HA! We actually had fun playing this time and of course I lost, but not by much.

The rest of the night we just relaxed and watched some t.v. It was a great weekend, I'm sad that its over already. I'm looking forward to working my last full week of work this week. I have only 7 work days left maximum, which is very exciting. And only 10 days maximum until we check into the hospital. We are so excited to finally meet our little man and the wait is almost over!

Our week in pictures: 4/22 - 4/28

Sunday, April 22: Our closet makeover nearly complete!

Monday, April 23: New book and giraffe puppet I bought for Ethan from Hallmark.

Tuesday, April 24: Cuddle time with Dada and Porkchop

Wednesday, April 25: My 38 week baby bump!

Thursday, April 26: We had a yummy dinner of baked ranch chicken and fresh veggies from the Farmer's Market.

Friday, April 27: New rugs for the kitchen that I picked up at Kohl's.

Saturday, April 28: One last sushi date night before our little man arrives!

Baby Dworianyn Bump Watch: 38 Weeks

How far along? 38 weeks, 3 days
Size of the baby? A pumpkin!, 20.9 inches, 7.2 pounds
Maternity clothes? Still in all of my regular clothes, which I'm still amazed by.
Weight gain? Still holding steady despite how big my belly is getting! -34 pounds total.
Gender? A little prince.
Movement? Still really active, he definitely has a specific sleep pattern.
Sleep? Sleeping pretty well despite my many potty breaks during the night.
Food Cravings? I'm really craving s'mores but I haven't caved yet.
What I miss? Absolutely nothing, just getting so excited to meet our little man.
Symptoms? His crazy kicks and a growing belly.
Best moments of the week? Just counting down and getting everything finalized and ready for his big arrival!
What is baby doing this week? This week our little boy is spending all of his time putting on weight and bulking up for life on the outside to regulate his temperature. He is also shedding the white downy coating that has covered his skin for 9 months.

This week I'm...

Loving: That in 2 weeks from today our little man will definitely be here!

Disliking: This cold weather we're having, hopefully it gets warmer soon, we were so spoiled!

Craving: I've really got a craving for something s'mores, but haven't made anything yet.

Hoping: Ethan and I get another good report from the doctor tomorrow.

Reading: Since I haven't been on the train this week I haven't really read anything.

Watching: Looking forward to a new Vampire Diaries tonight!
Looking forward to: One of our last date night dinners before Ethan comes this weekend.

Hearing buzz about: So excited for Bill and Giuliana Rancic and their baby news! Michael and I have watched their show and followed their story for years now. I remember very vividly watching them going through IVF for the first time when we were 6 months in of having trouble getting pregnant and just feeling a connection to them because we were going through the same things. Well here we are 2 years later both finally expecting babies!

Wordless Wednesday: Closet Makeover Reveal - So much extra space!

New Recipe: Low-Fat Chocolate-Banana Parfaits

I found this recipe on Pinterest but it's a Kraft Foods recipe. We've been trying to eat healthier but we both have a sweet tooth so I've been trying to find some healthier options. I saw these and knew we would both like them. I like that we can change them up too. We can switch out the fruit or the pudding flavor to switch it up. We added the graham crackers to the original recipe because we thought it would add some texture so it wasn't all mushy. It was a good call, it added the perfect crunch. For under 200 calories, it's a great option for dessert!


Ingredients
1 pkg JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
2 cups cold milk
1 banana sliced
1 pkg Dream Whip - prepared (Cool Whip will work fine too)
3 Graham Crackers crumbled

Directions
1. Prepare the instant pudding and dream whip and put in refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.
2. Slice the banana and crumble the graham crackers
3. To prepare the parfaits, put the graham cracker crumbs on the bottom, next the pudding, then bananas, then dream whip. Repeat all layers.
4. Enjoy!

Weekend Recap

This weekend we didn't really have a whole lot planned but as usual, we ended up doing a lot. On Friday, I had  a doctor's appointment in the morning to check on Ethan and I. Everything is looking great and moving along as it should. We also officially scheduled my induction if he doesn't come between now and my due date. I will check into the hospital on the night of May 9 to start the process and he will be born on May 10. So we'll see if  that plan pans out or if he will choose to make his appearance sooner. It's just crazy to think we only have 16 more days to meet our little prince. We can't wait!

After my doctor's appointment, it was back to work for both Michael and I and we finished out our day. Friday night we hung out with Rich, Tif and the kids. We went to Famous Dave's for dinner and then went back to their house to play with the kids and talk.

Saturday morning we were up and out early. It was the opening weekend for the Wheaton French Market and I was so excited to go. Not all of the usual vendors were there yet but there was still plenty to choose from this early in the year. It was pretty empty too since it was only 40 degrees out!

They have delicious homemade donuts made fresh to order so we grabbed some of those and did the rest of our shopping. I picked up asparagus, green beans, potatoes, romaine lettuce, strawberries and grapes. It was a pretty good bounty for this early. 

I'm looking forward to going every Saturday. I know we'll have to take a few weeks off when Ethan comes, but I'm excited to bring him with come June. Besides, his stroller has a huge basket underneath and will be the perfect produce holder, HA!

After the farmer's market we came home and unloaded our goods and we were back out again. We went to Whole Foods to do our grocery shopping and to Target to pick up some things. After that we went to The Container Store to design a closet system for one of our closets in the kitchen. We loved the system so much for Ethan's nursery and the kitchen closet has no organization to it. It just has one shelf and that's it. We designed the closet, paid for it and waited for them to pack up all of the materials and we were on our way. We came home and unloaded everything from the closet and then Michael had to take the old shelf down and patch the holes. Here is the closet before:

We couldn't do much more the rest of the day because we had to wait for the plaster to dry plus Michael wanted to re-paint the inside so it was all fresh. We just relaxed the rest of the afternoon and I took a nap. For dinner we met up with Michael's parents, Rich, Tif and the kids. We went to an Italian restaurant called Amalfi's. Michael and I have never been there but his parents have been going there for years. The food was good and we had a nice dinner. After dinner we headed home and just relaxed and watched some tv before crashing. 

Sunday morning we woke up and I made us a yummy breakfast of french toast and turkey sausage.

After breakfast I took a shower and got ready to head to a baby shower for our friend Maggie. She is due just 6 weeks after I am. I went and picked up Tif and we headed to the shower. It was really nice and they got so many nice things. I feel bad, I never took out my camera. After the baby shower I dropped Tif off and then headed home to find my very handy husband had been very busy! He painted the closet and got the bars installed and was just getting ready to put the shelves up when I got home. I handed him all the pieces and shelves and we had them installed in just a few minutes.

So much better than just one shelf right? We didn't get everything put back all of the way yet so you'll have to stay tuned for the final reveal this week! 

Next week's project will be the closet next to this one. We have lots of shelves in there but they just really need to be gone through and organized.

After we worked on the closet for a while we just relaxed for a few hours and then we started making Sunday dinner. We made bbq marinated pork tenderloin, crispy potato wedges and asparagus. It was really yummy!

After dinner we pretty much just relaxed and watched tv. It was a great weekend and I'm already looking forward to next weekend. We are finally taking maternity pictures if the weather cooperates and we are going on a date night. We have to get as many in as possible before the little man comes! Let's hope this week goes by fast. It's going to be weird working from home all week, but it will be really nice! I hope all of you had a great weekend too!

Our week in pictures: 4/15 - 4/21

Sunday, April 15: The birthday girl and her favorite granddaughter!

Monday, April 16: Good-bye Easter decorations, hello Spring tablescape!

Tuesday, April 17: New kicks ready for lots of post-baby walks.

Wednesday, April 18: My 37 week baby bump.

Thursday, April 19: I won't be seeing my office walls until August!

Friday, April 20: Monitoring our little man at the doctors again, everything looks great!

Saturday, April 21: The Farmer's Market is officially open, I'm so excited!

Baby Dworianyn Bump Watch: 37 Weeks

How far along? 37 weeks, 3 days
Size of the baby? A watermelon!, 20.9 inches, 6.8 pounds
Maternity clothes? Still in all of my regular clothes, which I'm still amazed by.
Weight gain? No change this week, -34 pounds total.
Gender? A little prince.
Movement? Still really active, he definitely has a specific sleep pattern.
Sleep? Sleeping pretty well, I wake up a lot in the middle of the night though.
Food Cravings? Egg salad sandwiches.
What I miss? Absolutely nothing, just getting so excited to meet our little man.
Symptoms? His crazy kicks and a growing belly.
Best moments of the week? Reaching full-term status, he still has some growing to do but it gives me peace to know if he came now, it would be just fine. Starting to work from home until he comes was also a very exciting moment this week
What is baby doing this week? This week our little boy is practicing some skills for his life outside the womb. He's practicing inhaling, exhaling, sucking, and blinking. He's also working on gripping and already has a firm grasp. He's also working up a little something to fill his first diaper with called meconium.

This week I'm...

Loving: That today is my last day in the office until August!

Disliking: That I still have to work until little man comes, but at least I'll be at home.

Craving: Ever since Easter, all I want is egg salad sandwiches.

Hoping: To hear that little man is progressing and starting to make his decent at my doctor's appt tomorrow.

Reading: Still catching up on magazines looking for new recipes.

Watching: Looking forward to a new Vampire Diaries tonight!
Listening to: Crazy arguments on the quiet car yesterday, tourists apparently don't understand the concept.

Looking forward to: Having a relaxing, low-key weekend.

Hearing buzz about: Dick Clark's passing, New Year's will never be the same.

New Recipe: Healthy Pizza Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Pinterest has become my new go to for new recipes, especially healthy ones. I came across this recipe when I found the baked buffalo chicken rolls last week as well. It seemed up our alley, and an easy week night meal. It was delicious! I will make one small tweak next time. I will put the turkey pepperoni inside the chicken breasts instead of on top. They got so crispy and dry on top, they were inedible. They best part? They are insanely low in calories. Only 280 calories for two rolls made with 1 chicken breast!

Ingredients:
1.25 lb boneless, skinless chicken (4 chicken breasts), pounded thin. (I used 2 breasts butterflied)
1/4 tsp salt and pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian blend seasoning
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup pizza sauce + 1/4 cup pizza sauce (for topping)
12 turkey pepperonis

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with foil, and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Lay out chicken on prepared baking sheet.
2. To make the stuffing, mix together the mozzarella, pizza sauce and seasonings in a small bowl.
3. Spread mixture out evenly over the chicken breasts. Roll up each chicken breast and place seam side down on the baking sheet. Pour remaining pizza sauce over the top of the chicken breasts and place 3 pepperonis on top of each chicken breast.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked through and no longer pink.

Weekend Recap

We had a great weekend full of celebrations. On Friday I had a doctor's appointment first thing. Mr. Ethan has finally flipped and is no longer breech. We have 3 weeks at the longest to wait for his arrival as I will be induced if he does not come by his due date. Everything looked great at my appointment and now we just have to continue to wait. We worked the rest of the day on Friday, then stopped by Rich and Tif's quickly to say Happy Birthday to Tif and see how their first day of deck building went. After we left their house, we had a date night and went out for dinner. After dinner we came home and just relaxed and made a healthy, yummy dessert, chocolate banana parfaits. They were really yummy!

On Saturday we were up and out early and ran a whole bunch of errands. I had some things to return and some items to buy. We ran around for a few hours and then came home, had lunch and took an afternoon nap. After our nap we showered and got ready to go out for dinner to celebrate Tif's birthday! We went to Greek Islands one of her favorite restaurants. The food was delicious! I had some yummy pork chops and Michael had gyros. After dinner we headed over to her parent's house for dessert and to sing Happy Birthday. Her Mom made a cookie cake and it was so good!

We hung out for a couple of hours and then headed home and crashed.

On Sunday we did a few things around the house and then headed out to Costco and Kohl's to pick up a few things. We came back home, relaxed and I wrapped some birthday gifts for the guests of honor.

We met up with my family to celebrate my Mom's and Teddy's April birthdays. We went to an early dinner and Benihana. The food was really good as usual and we had fun just talking and passing Lily around. After dinner Mom and Teddy opened their gifts and then it was time to go.

We headed home and just relaxed the rest of the night. The weekend went by way too fast. I'm really looking forward to only having 3 more weeks of work left before Mr. Ethan comes. We have some low key weekends ahead. Our plan is to get a few more date nights in over the next few weekends and get our maternity pictures finally taken. Everything else is all ready to go for our little man. I hope all of you had a great weekend!

Our week in pictures: 4/8 - 4/14

Sunday, April 8: Happy Easter!

Monday, April 9: We tried a yummy new recipe for dinner, Baked Buffalo Chicken Rolls!

Tuesday, April 10: Love the Mama parking!

Wednesday, April 11: My 36 week baby bump!

Thursday, April 12: Another new healthy recipe this week, pizza stuffed chicken breasts.

Friday, April 13: Monitoring our little man at the doctor's.

Saturday, April 14: We ended Tif's birthday celebration with a cookie cake.