Ross, Party of Three

18 months!

2011-01-25T08:50:00.001-05:00

Zach is 18 months old . . . unbelievable. Especially considering that he was only born last week. I'm not sure how that works. He's becoming more and more of big boy, we love to watch him as he figures things out and amuses himself in the funniest ways.

As I write this he is doing laps in our room at Greg's parents (where we are living while renovating our new house) closing and opening the 3 doors between the hallway, bathroom, and bedroom. With foam sword in his hand. He entertained himself this way for about 15 minutes yesterday. Love this kid.

What else is Zach up to?

He's running faster and faster everyday.
His shoe size is a whopping size 6.
He attempts to copy EVERYTHING he sees an adult do.
He "talks" constantly but we can only understand a handful of words (dog, dada, shoe, cheese, me, no, that, 'nana, uh-oh, more, car). We're quite certain he's saying more, but we just can't make them out yet - boy's got quite a southern drawl . . .
He LOVES to play with balls, especially Pops' basketball.
He loves to play with all his tools and watches intently when Greg and I are working on projects and then gets the closest toy tool and mimics us.
He loves his blue blanket and stuffed dog.
He's still a thumb sucker, thankfully only when he's tired or extremely board (like in a car).
He loves to talk on phone when it's pretend but freezes up if he actually hears a voice on the other end.
He feeds himself pretty well with a fork and spoon, but still uses his hands as a reliable backup.
He's forming very definite personal opinions and knows what he wants and likes (both a good and bad thing).
He loves ketchup and would eat it on everything if we let him (we don't). I've heard this is a family trait on Greg's side - - ketchup and cheese sandwiches anyone =).
He loves things to be tidy and often picks up after himself and walks behind me in the kitchen closing drawers and cabinets.
He talks with his hands and uses his pointer finger very animatedly. I've been told he's learning this from me =).
He's just started enjoying to watch tv (his attention span is only about 5 minutes) and loves to dance in circles if the show plays music.
He says and waves "bye-bye", gives high-fives, kisses and fist bumps.

We love this little boy more and more everyday and we're trying to take the advice of everyone that has every seen Zach in a grocery store or at the park . . . enjoy this while it lasts because he will grow up all too fast.

Riverbanks Zoo

2011-01-18T19:30:00.000-05:00

In November, the day before we moved out of our first little house, Zach and I spent the day with our friends Joletta and Aiden at Riverbanks Zoo. It's about a 2 hour drive from Charlotte, takes 2 hours or so to walk through, and then 2 hours back, so really, the perfect day trip with kids. Zach wasn't as interested in the animals as I hoped he'd be, but the zoo was really wonderful so I know we'll be going back.

Go terps!

Joletta overcame her fear of birds to come in the bird enclosure with me. That's a good friend =)

Buddies!

New house!

2011-01-17T20:33:00.004-05:00

Come visit our new blog, And A Pecan Tree! We bought a new-to-us house and we're in the process of renovating it . . .

I've had every intention of posting more pictures but somewhere around the time that Zach started walking (immediately followed by running) I lost almost all of my free time. But I did finally download all the pictures from my camera, dating back to June, ouch! Maybe between keeping up with Zach and working on our house I'll get a chance to write some new posts here.

And I guess I shouldn't end this post without a new picture of Zach . . . =)

First Game of the Season

2010-06-09T07:50:00.003-04:00

Softball season started up last night and . . . drum roll please . . . they won their first game!! Walking away with a 17-12 score, the guys were pretty stoked for this season. And I have to say not being 9 months pregnant was definitely a much better way to watch the game =)

Zach also enjoyed himself greatly. Clapping for Daddy and Pops, playing with Azaylee (who also came to the games last year in utero), and climbing on anything he possibly could.

After the game . . . quite a reversal from last year . . .

The creation of a beach bum

2010-05-28T08:29:00.003-04:00

We just got back from a wonderful trip to Hilton Head, SC with Greg's family. Zach is a HUGE fan of the beach and especially loves to eat the sand.

Here are some pictures and videos of our time there =)

Photo album on facebook

Zach's first piano lesson

2010-04-01T09:48:00.003-04:00

Neither Greg or I play the piano, but we have a piano in our living room. Well, I can play chopsticks and chariots of fire. And the first, oh, 10 measures of Fur Elise (which doesn't annoy Greg AT ALL!). Obviously my numerous years of piano lessons really sunk in well. But back to the story. We are storing my parents piano in our living room because they have my grandparents piano in their living room. It's a long explanation. But the upside to having a piano that we don't play is a) I have another flat surface to put pictures and plants on and b) when Chelle comes over to visit she plays for us. A couple months ago when she was here, Zach got his first lesson.

I think Zach has some potential.

Happy Guy

2010-03-27T09:44:00.002-04:00

Zach loves to make noise . . . specifically hitting noises . . . we may have a drummer on our hands =) He bangs on the floor, the wall, his high chair tray, his toys, my head, etc, etc. It makes him so happy to hear those sounds! My mom was over yesterday and we got this great video of them hitting the couch together.

Zach's 6 months old! (aka One Big Catchup)

2010-02-11T06:00:00.009-05:00

Zach is half a year old, I can't believe it! The biggest change, by far, has been his mobility. He's now a full fledged crawler and he's getting to be really fast at it, too. I used to set him down on the floor by the desk and let him play with a couple toys while I worked on emails, pictures and such, but no more! My friend, Sally, documents weeks at a time rather than single events, and I think I'll be giving that a try in order to better keep up with what's going on. We shall see . . .

Besides crawling and being a general wiggle worm, what has Zach been up to? Well, he's down to 2 naps a day, sleeping from 10-12 and 2-5, generally and that's been a pleasant change. It has made it harder to get out of the house, though. When he was taking 3 naps, if he got a truncated nap or missed one all together it didn't seem to be as big of a deal where as now, missing a nap means missing HALF of his daytime sleep! But on the flip side, he's been fairly consistent with those naptimes and I have HUGE chunks of the day to get stuff done around the house. It's also wonderful having long stretches between feeding times for when we do get out or if I'm able to have someone watch him while I get out baby free.

Solid foods have been going very well. He has quite the variety built up now (since we waited about 4 days between introducing each new food). Avocado, sweet potatoes, bananas, butternut squash, acorn squash, peas, carrots, peaches, and apples. It's been fun to see his reaction to each one! Applesauce is definitely his favorite and peas his least liked. But that could have something to do with how dried out the peas were due to my poor cooking of them . . . hmmm. I haven't fed him anything out of a jar yet (with the exception of the applesauce. I just buy the regular unsweetened applesauce from the "normal food" aisle at Walmart and it's been just fine) and making the baby food has been so easy and so inexpensive. I figure that I do my best to make nutritious and fresh meals for Greg and I, why would I do anything else for Zach? And the cheapness factor completely won me over! I've been using this great website as a source for instructions and recipe ideas when we get to blending foods together.

Now for some pictures!

He's quite adept at sucking his toes!

And loves to read, especially the cloth books from Grandma Nancy, because he can hold them himself (we don't let him hold the paper books because they all go straight to his mouth!)

We enjoyed a visit from Aunt Leah, we yard sale-d and shopped Ikea . . . Zach was content to play in his stroller or slept the whole time we were out!

We got about 4 inches of snow! Nothing like our friends up north, but just the right amount for us. After 2 days of being trapped in the house because the roads were too icy to drive safely (and that was Mr. Pennsylvania who made that call!) I was so glad that we rarely see snow.

We had to put socks on his hands in lieu of gloves!

Starting good habits young, we brush Zach's 2 little teeth every night (that we remember). Normally we hold the brush, but I let him play with it last night after we were done with the real brushing.

Zach and Spartacus still get along, although we do have to watch out for Zach getting too rough with the dog. Spartacus does such a good job being gentle around the baby and not running off with Zach's toys, but Zach likes to play with the dog toys and has learned that if he yanks on Sparty's hair that he will run off and leave his toy behind . . . devious!

With crawling comes getting stuck! He was wimpering that he couldn't fit between the piano legs to get to his toy basket just beyond them. Then the camera came out and all was better.

Sushi II

2010-02-10T10:50:00.003-05:00

Dana - this one's for you!

I thought about documenting our process of making sushi as we went along, but seriously, can anyone do that better than the Pioneer Woman? Lucky for us, she has sushi 101 on her blog already! I read through it and those step by step directions were exactly what we did. Once we got our first "trial and error" rolls out of the way, we moved right along and had the following 4 done in less than 10 minutes.

The only thing that she doesn't include in her tutorial is how to make rice on the stove. I've heard that you really NEED a rice cooker in order to make rice properly, but I'm always hesitant to add an appliance or gadget to my tiny little kitchen that serves only 1 purpose if something I already have can do the same thing. Enter my 3 quart pot.

Our Sushi for Dummies cookbook assured us that we could get fine results cooking on the stove top, so we followed those steps and came out with PERFECT rice.

Selecting the rice - you need short or medium grain rice (the same as if you were using a rice cooker). Pretty much if you buy rice that's labeled "sushi rice" you're fine. (We found ours in the international aisle at Harris Teeter. I've heard you can get it cheaper from an Asian market.)
Decide how much rice you're going to cook. 2 level cups of uncooked rice produces 5-6 cups cooked rice which is enough for about 6 rolls. We made 3 cups and that was waaaay too much for just us.
Choose your pot. For 2 cups raw rice, use a 2-quart pot; 3 cups, a 3-quart pot, etc, etc.
Put the rice into the pot and rinse (cover the rice with cold water and gently swirl the rice around with your hand) several times until the water drains almost clear.
Soak the rice. For every cup of raw rice, add 1 cup of water. Set the pot aside and let soak for 30 minutes.
Cook the rice! Put a lid on the pot, place on medium heat and bring to a bowl. Once a boil is reached, turn down the heat and simmer for 15-20 min. After it simmers you'll "finish" the rice. Turn the heat down to it's lowest point for 5 minutes, then turn up the heat to the highest point for 7-10 SECONDS.
Turn off the heat and let the rice rest for 15 minutes.
Turn out the rice onto a cookie sheet, pour rice vinegar mixture over it (1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1 Tablespoon sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt) and toss with a moistened wooden spoon while fanning the rice (we used a small plastic cutting board) until there is no more steam coming off the rice.

And that's it . . . it seems a little intense now that I've written it out. A rice cooker may be the way to go, but I love hands on cooking and thought that the whole process was really fun. Especially since it turned out well! If that's not you, the pioneer woman has another post detailing how to cook the rice perfectly in a rice cooker.

Let me know if you try sushi and how it turns out!

First Food

2010-02-10T06:00:00.002-05:00

Soon after we returned from Deleware, we decided to start Zach on some real (not rice cereal) solids. Like I wrote earlier, we started rice cereal at 4 1/2 months because he was ready developmentally and had started waking up much earlier due to hunger. The rice cereal did the trick and added back a couple hours to his sleep! After a month of just rice cereal we chose avocado for his first fruit (it is a fruit, technically, isn't it?) really for no other reason then I love avocado and thought Zach would, too. I was right!

Sushi

2010-02-09T16:33:00.003-05:00

Greg and I have been fans of sushi for a long time. Armed with a sushi cookbook and tools Greg got me for Christmas and some encouragement from my friend about how easy it was, we made our first sushi. We did this while we were iced in and it sure was a nice way to break up the monotony!

Um, yes, we are pigs. I think that was 3 rolls a piece. Which ended up being too much, but Greg did say that it was the first time he was truly full after a sushi meal. Usually our wallets would keep him from eating to his hearts content.

Zach enjoyed it vicariously . . .

The Rest of Christmas

2010-02-09T14:59:00.004-05:00

In the days following Christmas, we spent a day with my family:

Mom and Dad hosted Mawmaw and Pawpaw, Chelle and Allie, Uncle Dave and family and us for a day of eating, exchanging presents and playing on the Wii! Allie and Chelle each got a Wii for Christmas and Chelle also got the Beatles Rock Band, and we put them to good use . . . they really kept us entertained the whole day. And it was super fun watching the adults (Even with a child, Greg and I aren't in that category yet at family functions) playing the guitar and drums. My favorite part of the day was when Mom and Chelle sang several duets with the Wii . . . I love their voices together!

The following Sunday, we loaded up the car and headed up to Maryland/Deleware to visit some of Greg's extended family. The first night we stayed with his Uncle Mike and Aunt Nicole and Zach got to meet Gigi (his great grandma Betty, Steve's mom). Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of any of our time in MD, I was snapping away with someone else's camera.

The next afternoon, we drove an hour and half longer and made it up to Bethany Beach, DE for dinner! We stayed with Nana and PopPop for 2 nights and had a wonderful time relaxing (and shopping at the Rehoboth Outlets - DE has no sales tax . . . quite a treat!) and watching Zach interact with everyone.

Zach made it very clear while we were there that he was ready to start on some solids. We had begun giving him rice cereal right after Thanksgiving (when he was about 4 1/2 months old) but this child (much like his daddy) loves to eat and the rice cereal just wasn't cutting it. This picture doesn't capture the full energy of the moment . . . he was lunging at that cheesecake with all his might!

Christmas Afternoon

2010-01-20T08:00:00.003-05:00

We spent Christmas afternoon w/ the Ross/Honea/Ross families and we had a blast! We always have so much fun unwrapping stockings and sliding some personal jokes into the general gifts as well. Really, it's all payback for some very awkward moments years and years ago. Kristie and I realized we might not have many more years to get these jokes in because eventually, Zach will be aware of what's going on around. But until then . . . =)

Steve showing off my mad parenting skills . . . somehow when I changed Zach's diaper, I put both legs in 1 pant leg . . . mom of the year award right here!

Nate got a teething ring!
Zach modeling Pops's driving hat
Zach and Nana getting in a fine after dinner snack of wrapping paper . . . Zach and Uncle Awesome enjoying some teething comfort

Christmas Morning

2010-01-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure why exactly I have this need to post month old pictures . . . but somewhere in my mind is the thought that if I don't post pictures from all of our important events, that I will forget that they happened. Unlikely, but since I listen to the voices in my head far too often, here are pictures from our Christmas(es).

First off, Christmas morning at our house. *Disclaimer: We do not get dressed up all cute for Christmas morning. Someday, maybe I will start washing my face and putting on some makeup before the photo frenzy . . . but at the age of 25 that still seems like over doing it . . . maybe 26 year old Hilary will feel differently about it (but probably not . . . ).*

Greg got me a remote for my SLR that allows us to operate the camera from in front of it. First family self-picture with no timer!

And while this remote is super fun, it is not magical. I does not make your child face the camera despite how many pictures you take (in fact, Zach is staring at the remote in Greg's hand)

Nor does is keep your dog from invading said child's personal space.

But Greg's smile is nice.

Just thought I should point out something redeeming from the gross fest.

Zach got some sippy cups and spent a better part of the morning trying to figure out what they were for. Banging yourself in the head? Chewing on? Pouring water into your eye? As you can see, he did finally get the hang of it.

And Greg's contribution to the stockpile of pictures that morning. This is our back patio. Apparently the dying leaves on the blueberry bush were beautiful. Not that I can mock . . . have you seen my photog skills?

Oh, and here are Zach and I on Christmas Eve . . . he was looking quite studly =)

More CA Pictures

2010-01-18T10:01:00.005-05:00

Zach meeting (great) Aunt Christy, Michael and Nate

Watching TV with Michael (keep in mind he was only 4 months old when this was taken)

Greg and Michael playing battleship . . .

Everyone playing Taboo

Brenden and Zach hanging out during "Elf"

Allie and Brian

Nicole and Zach

You can't tell in this picture, but Aunt Christy was getting Zach to really, really laugh!

Greg, Brendan, and Brian. Besides all of their faces being odd . . . this picture is funny b/c Brendan is nowhere near that tall . . . he was getting in a good vertical jump!

Laura and Zach =)

Grandma Nancy

2010-01-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Though the purpose of our trip to California was a very sad one, it was wonderful to be with family and for Zach to meet many of his west coast relatives.

Here he is with his (great)Grandma Nancy. He is the first great-grandchild in my dad's family and marks the beginning of the next generation to look forward to growing taller than Grandma!

Backtracking . . . Thanksgiving

2010-01-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

This year for Thanksgiving, we were able to spend it with my family. Mom and Dad hosted all of us (Mom's entire immediate family) and we had so much fun EATING all day long. Despite having both my digital camera and camcorder with me, I only managed to get 2 pictures. Both of the same thing, no less! Oh well . . . I learned my lesson and took a bazillion (yes, literally) at Christmastime.

Unfortunately, I didn't get everyone's faces in either of the snaps (and Zach was napping during this time, too!) . . . so for your viewing pleasure, both of my Thanksgiving pictures. Try not to be overwhelmed =)

I've probably said this before, but Thanksgiving is my all time favorite holiday. I love the cooking and the baking and the eating and regret for finishing your plate, the family time, the constant tally of how many times the story of the uncooked oyster dressing is mentioned. I love it all! I have so many fond memories of Thanksgiving growing up and how my parents made it a day all about family and spending time together as well as recounting how many things we have to be truly grateful for. This year was no different! Now if only I had the pictures to prove it . . .

Saying Goodbye

2010-01-05T09:05:00.000-05:00

December is always a busy month. It's supposed to be. With all the shopping, wrapping, baking, decorating, partying, and family-ing (just needed to make that flow . . .) December seems to always fly by and then, before you know it, it's the next year. I wish I could say that this year was no different, but it was. On December 2nd my Grandpa Tom Baumgartner passed away from a heart attack. The following days brought about many tears, much preparation for a flight to CA, reunions with family (some of which we hadn't seen in years) and remembrances of a wonderful man. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.

We named our son after him and I'm sitting here in tears now knowing that they will never meet. Here at least.

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." (John 11:25-26)

Grandpa had a true faith in Jesus Christ that he lived out in his actions and love towards others. We do not grieve as those who have no hope, for we will see him again in heaven. And I pray that someday Zach will share that same faith and that when his days on earth end he will meet his great-grandfather and they will worship our Savior together.

Welcome to 2010 . . .

2010-01-04T08:58:00.003-05:00

We haven't abandoned the blog . . . fear not! There are pictures, videos, and poorly written anecdotes aplenty coming your way soon. And what better way to start off the year than to catch a glimpse of this little dude:

Love to you all!

Scooting

2009-12-01T15:21:00.003-05:00

Zach is diligently practicing scooting backwards . . . this morning he got his feet stuck under Greg's bass amp and then at nap time he did this:

Davis Lake

2009-11-30T08:00:00.001-05:00

Though we live in a tiny little neighborhood where the only amenity is that they give you a warning before they begin fining you for being able to see your trashcan from the road . . . we do live right down the road from a very large neighborhood with a lake, playground and a couple miles of walking trails. On the weekends we often walk down there to see the geese and ducks and walk the trails. Zach was giving the water fowl a couple smiles here and there but mostly just staring at them, trying to figure it all out!

(these were taken a few weeks ago when the temps were still in the 70s . . . )

Mr. Casual

2009-11-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Zach is pretty laid back most of the time, but never more so then when he's sleeping . . .

The other day we went in to get Zach up from his nap and found this:

(see the little yawn in there?)

I think the only thing that would have made me laugh harder was if his arms had been propping his head up . . . little lounger . . .

Sitting Up!

2009-11-25T08:00:00.002-05:00

Zach loves his bumbo seat, and so does his Mommy. It gives him a chance to check out his surroundings from a different perspective and when I have the tray attached as well, it gives him good practice at reaching for his toys.

But he won't be needing the bumbo for playtime much longer . . . he's quite determined to be sitting up on his own! For the last couple of weeks he's been able to sit up for very short bursts, but we've setting him up and catching him when he falls over 5 seconds later. He's getting better and better at keeping his balance and has even started to catch himself and correct his balance. He still needs to use his hands for extra support, but I'm sure he won't need them much longer!

This was taken on the 11th, the first day he was able to support himself sitting up . . . look at that concentration!

A more recent picture, if he didn't have the bulky sweater on, you'd be able to see that he's sitting a little higher up . . . take my word for it!

Halloween

2009-11-24T09:41:00.004-05:00

Well, I had every intention of getting these pictures up weeks ago . . . but at least I'm getting them up before Thanksgiving!

The day before Halloween (which is my Uncle Tim's birthday, Happy 50th, Uncle Tim!!), Zach and I visited a pumpkin patch with some friends.

He was a little too young to appreciate the epitome of fall that it was. But he was good sport and even let me take a picture of him with some pumpkins.

I can now see why portrait studios buy great seats and balance boards for infant pictures . . . otherwise you're just laying your child on the dirt . . . oh well. (Thanks Grandma Gigi for the cute bib and pumpkin shoes!!)

The next night was halloween. We thought about taking Zach to a harvest festival, but Greg got back in town late that afternoon from a rained out camping trip, so we decided to stay home. But we had to dress Zach up in his costume (a hand-me-down). He's dressed up as Pooh bear dressed up as a sunflower. Not the manliest . . . but he was 3 months old, that's not a a very manly stage of life to begin with =)

Biltmore, one last time

2009-11-24T09:08:00.003-05:00

At this stage of the game, it's all too easy to get bogged down in dirty diapers, dirty clothes and the all important nap schedule. Every once in a while we need to break it up and have a change of scenery. Zach does a pretty good job napping in the car or in the baby carrier, and when Greg and I go together it doesn't seem to be a problem at all to take this show on the road. So, at the end of October we took one final trip up to the Biltmore with our year long passes. The fall colors were just a little pass the peak of the season but still oh so beautiful. We toured the winery (the first time I've been able to do the wine tasting since I was pregnant every other time we went), the farm and then took some walks on the grounds.

I think the farm was my favorite part of the trip. It was our first time visiting the farm and we loved walking through the kitchen garden (which was mostly empty due to the season), the stables and seeing the animals in the petting zoo. Zach was a little too small to take him in to see the goats and chickens, so we just observed from the other side of the fence. We'll definitely have to take him back when he's older, the chicken with the slipper looking feet were cracking us up!

Chatterbox

2009-11-17T16:11:00.001-05:00

I love the time right after Zach is done eating, when his belly his full and he's in a great mood . . . he apparently loves that time, too.

3 Months

2009-11-09T11:09:00.004-05:00

I know it's a little late . . . but better late than never, yes?

We're are enjoying this little man more and more with every passing day! He didn't have a well visit this month, so we're not sure of his exact growth, just that he is growing! He's moved up to the next size of clothing, and it's probably about time to move him up to the next size of diapers (we've dealt with some pretty bad blowouts the past couple of days). He's very liberal with his smiles and a couple times a day we can get him laughing - that's the best!

He's still super strong, pushing himself up like a champ, spinning in circles during tummy time, and he's starting to push himself backwards. The other day I had him on a blanket next to me while I was on the computer and I looked down to see that he had pushed himself right off the blanket. I really don't think I'm prepared for him to moving that much yet!

Night time has been going wonderfully, for several weeks now he's been sleeping 11-12 hours through the night . . . it's amazing. We lay him down between 7:30 and 8 and he sleeps straight through until 7 or 8. I can hardly believe that life is settling into a livable pace this early on!

He most definitely has the characteristics of a first born (I would know . . . ) and it's fun to see his little personality coming out. Yesterday at church I was sitting in the lobby with a couple other moms with boys a few months older than Zach during the sermon. The "older boys" were sitting up on their own and playfully grabbing toys from each other. Zach was ever so intently watching them while laying on his belly. Every once in a while he would furrow his brow and squeal at them. They would turn to look at him and he would bust out a huge smile . . . Someone loves being the center of attention . . . =)

Still his favorite . . .

2009-11-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

Family Resemblence

2009-11-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Now, there is no doubt that Zach has mostly his daddy's genes. The male Ross genes run strong . . . but looking at this picture, I might get to claim a couple of Zach's features, the eyes especially:

Apple Picking 2k9

2009-10-31T08:00:00.001-04:00

At the beginning of October we got to take Zach apple picking for his first time! Since this is an annual trip that we take with Nate and Kristie it's easy to look back and remember what was going on around the time of previous years trips. Last year I remember watching other families with their children riding around in wagons and sitting on their dad's shoulders to reach the high branches. I wondered if Greg and I would ever get to experience that and prayed that God would bless us with children. Little did I know that I was already several weeks pregnant and that God was giving us such a precious and perfectly healthy son!

The apples and scenery were wonderful, too and we had a blast picking apples and hanging out in the beautiful orchard.

A HUGH spider we saw between two trees. Don't be fooled, I was no where near as close as the picture looks, my zoom was helping out. Greg was proud of me for getting a picture at all . . . I'm completely terrified of spiders . . . *chills down my spine*

I'm pretty sure Nathan wanted the spider to jump on me. Brother-in-laws are the best =)

Normally I get to be the tree climber, but Greg got to do that this year since Zach was strapped on to me in the carrier. I lived vicariously through him instead, haha.

Storytime with Dad

2009-10-30T08:00:00.005-04:00

I absolutely LOVED to read when was I younger (and I still do, I just don't have as much time). I can clearly remember Saturday mornings sprawled out on the dining room floor right in front of our sliding glass door reading Nancy Drew for hours. The sun poured in and it was the most relaxing place (to a 10 year old) to lounge.

I'm determined that Zach will love to read just as much and it's never too early to start so I try to read to him each day. The other night, Greg was reading him a book before bed and I think Zach knew that each page turn was counting down to him being "forced" to sleep . . .

I'm not sure which is more sad . . . for him to hate sleep or reading?

Our dryer, may he rest in peace

2009-10-30T08:00:00.004-04:00

Our poor little dryer finally bit the dust =( It was a hand-me-down from Steve and Carol and has served us well for the past 3 years (and them for many years before that) but it finally dried it's last load this month. The motor was so far gone that it would run dryer for 5 minutes, overheat and shut off, require an hour to cool down, run for 5 minutes, etc, etc.

Before we replaced it, Greg took the whole thing apart on several occasions and fixed several other problems it was having (a wire on the control panel had shorted out, the rollers were squeaking like a dying animal, and we thought a fuse had shorted out as well). With his handy-man skills we were able to keep it limping along for a few extra weeks, but when he figured out it was the motor that was dead and it was more to replace the motor than to buy a new dryer, we turned to craigs list.

Greg found a good deal from a guy that sold them out of a storage unit . . . we're really hoping it was legitimate and that we didn't buy someone's stolen dryer. Really, really hoping =)

So, now we have mis-matching laundry machines but I've never been so happy to have dry towels in under an hour!

Visiting Mawmaw and Pawpaw

2009-10-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, Zach and I drove up to Concord to visit my grandparents who moved here right before Zach was born. It made my heart so happy to hop in the car and drive 20 minutes to visit with them as opposed to the previous 6 1/2 hours to Fairfax, VA. I hope that our visits with them will become more frequent now that Zach is awake for longer stretches between naps.

Pawpaw (he actually wants Zach to call him "grandfather") said that Zach is the most attractive male that's related to him. (Can you tell he believes in honesty in all situations, that's quite a qualifier there!) We won't tell his sons he said so . . . =)

Skilled at Sleeping

2009-10-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

Zach loves to grab his sheet (or the blanket he's lying on during tummy time) in his little fists and snuggle down as far as he can when he's tired. During the night, the very edge of his mattress provides the best area to grip and we often find this when we get him up in the morning.

It apparently doesn't bother him at all, we'll just hear the normal happy baby noises letting us know he's awake.

Supermen

2009-10-27T08:00:00.001-04:00

I love my boys . . .

Thumb sucker!

2009-10-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

Zach has officially ditched his pacifier in favor of his thumb. (Except for car rides, his arms aren't quite long enough to manuvre around the safety straps yet!) He looks so content just lying there, sucking away. He still has some trouble getting the thumb in position, though. His most frequent blunder is to tuck the thumb in between his pointer and middle finger (picture the "I stole your nose" routine) and still try to suck only his thumb . . . doesn't work so well.

The best of friends . . .

2009-10-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

One thing I was very nervous about before Zach was born was how Spartacus would adjust to having a baby around. And if his barking at cars and people going by the front door would wake up Zach. Thankfully, it's all working out wonderfully. He's only woken the baby up a few times and it really hasn't been a problem at all recently (Zach must be used to the sound from all the barking he heard while in the womb). It's been fun to see them interacting when they're both awake. Zach loves to stare and watch the dog and Spartacus seems to be counting down the days to when Zach gets to eat solid food and the messes will begin.

Spartacus will often stand guard over Zach when he's playing on the floor. I can't wait to see how these two will play together when Zach is mobile!

Greg took these pictures a couple weekends ago:

Don't you make me relax in a plush seat while rocking gently . . . don't you do it!

2009-10-24T08:00:00.002-04:00

Zach has decided that swinging just isn't his thing. We've borrowed 2 different swings from friends and he'll chill in them for 10 minutes or so and pretend to be pretty happy . . . then the allusive swing monster jumps out and scares him . . . I can't even sit him down in the swing now without him screaming. Kind of defeats the purpose of the swing in my book =) Funny enough, we've discovered that he's super content just playing on blanket on the floor . . . low maintenance . . . I like it!

Here's Zach before the monster attacked . . . nearly asleep. I probably should have taken a picture of him screaming just moments later to prove my point, but you'll just have to trust me.

Wiggle Worm

2009-10-23T07:55:00.005-04:00

As if anyone needed more proof that Greg and I would have hyper-active children . . . when I unzipped Zach's sleep sack this morning this is what I found:

Motoring in a Mini

2009-09-26T08:00:00.003-04:00

This is Zach's first car:

He got it to match his Pops' car (we do need to make sure that Zach's future driving outfits match his car, apparently that's how you dress when you drive a Mini):
Zach just told me this morning that his favorite color is blue and that he would like to trade with Pops . . . I'm just repeating what the boy tells me =)

2 Months!

2009-09-25T11:08:00.004-04:00

Wow . . . I can't believe that it's already been 2 months. It really doesn't feel like it's been long enough for 2 whole months to go by. And at the same time, if I wasn't staring at a tiny baby, I would think that Zach's been here closer to 10 years. I have a pretty good idea that it will always feel this way!

We just got back from his 2 month well check. He's weighing in at 11lbs 4oz and measuring 23 1/4", which puts him in the 50th percentile for height and between the 10th and 25th for weight. Tall and skinny . . . shocker =)

He also got 3 immunizations, poor little guy. =( Thankfully the actual giving of the shot went better than last month when he received part 2 of the HepB vaccine. Last time I held him during the shot and it was heartbreaking. I cried only marginally less than he did. I was surprised at my reaction because needles don't bother me in the slightest. I even let my friend practice starting IVs on me when she was a nursing student. But when Zach screamed and grabbed onto my shirt with a death grip, I lost it.

This time, the nurse had me lay him on the table and stand behind him so that he couldn't see me (and I admitt that I turned away and didn't watch). That way he didn't associate me with the pain nor was he mad at me for letting something like that happen to him while in my arms. I was able to sweep him up as soon as it was all over and comfort him. The calming down process didn't take nearly as long. I cuddled him and walked around the outside of the medical building for a few minutes and he was sound asleep within moments of putting him the car. So far he's doing really well; he's been his usual smiley self and hasn't shown any signs of a fever.

As you saw earlier, he's rolling over now (just from tummy to back). He's also smiling, making great eye contact, tracking certain toys and people with his eyes, reaching, batting, and grabbing at toys and my hair (I have a feeling that ponytails are going to become more and more standard!), and as our pediatrician pointed out today, starting to work on getting his butt up in the air . . . it looks like he's trying his hardest to be an early crawler. He and Spartacus will be great friends once he's moving around!

I hesitate to announce this on the blog as I have a tendency to jinx myself, but last night marked 7 days in a row of Zach sleeping through the night! The sleepless haze has been lifted and what a difference that makes! It really is like having a cold where you can't imagine life without a sniffle and a sore throat and then as soon as it's over you can barely remember the sickness. I'm so glad that God allows us to have such short term memories about things like that. It gives Zach a much better chance of not being an only child =)

**For reference, here's Zach with the Bear when he was only 4 days old.

Rolling Stones Gather No Moss

2009-09-16T21:23:00.004-04:00

Last Friday when Zach and I were playing on the floor, he rolled over 5 times in a row! It was so fun to watch him because he really had no idea what had just happened. I had my still camera, but not the video camera. Of course by the time I ran and got the other one, he had decided that his arms were too tired to push himself up anymore. And I couldn't get him to repeat it that night for Greg or my dad either. Oh well . . .

Now for the last day or 2, we'll hear him playing in his crib and by the time we get to him, he'll be crying because he's rolled himself into the side of the crib. Then this afternoon he decided that rolling over continuously would be so much more fun than sleeping . . . speaking of which, I hear the little man now . . . =)

2009-09-15T09:22:00.003-04:00

Could you love this face any more?

"Old" videos

2009-09-14T08:25:00.002-04:00

I took some video of Zach on my cell phone several weeks ago and just remembered it this morning =) It's not going to win any awards, but I thought that our out of town family would like to see Zach in action.

Zach waking up (aka "The one where Spartacus is an alarm clock"), 5 days old

Tummy Time 8/17, 3 weeks old

I'll try to take something a little more up to date one of these days and show you some more of his tricks!

A post with words

2009-09-09T07:47:00.003-04:00

The last 6 weeks have been quite a whirlwind! It seems like as soon as we adjust to a "new normal" everything is up in the air and changing again!

Sleep is returning slowly but surely. Zach is getting very consistent with his daytime naps, sleeping 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes between each feeding (which are now about 3 hours apart) which gives me plenty of time to get stuff done around the house or catch up on a little sleep myself. At night he's been sleeping for longer and longer stretches to where now he's only getting up once in the dead of night. Last night he slept for 6 hours straight! That makes for a very happy me =) (Isn't this a cute picture of him sleeping? I swaddle him nice and tight before bed, but one night we heard a bunch of grunts coming from the crib and he had worked the swaddle loose to get a hand on his glow worm!)

We were getting out of the house quite frequently, almost everyday, to run errands, visit people or just get a change of scenery and some fresh air. He did a great job sleeping in his car seat. But as his naps at home have gotten more consistent his naps in the car have waned into nothingness. It could be that he is now more aware of how hot my car is (the a/c in my trusty '98 Cavalier is a little slow getting to the backseat) and if that's the case, hopefully as the weather cools we'll be able to get out again without major meltdowns. For now though I'm seeing the simple joys in being at home more.

Zach was a big fan of his pacifier from early on, so were Greg and I! It's been great to have such a portable trick up our sleeve for nearly any fussy situation! We both decided early on that we wanted to use music and white noise sparingly as calming techniques before bed so as not to put ourselves in a position where we need to pack a suitcase for Zach just to go over to someone's house to hang out. Obviously those are wonderful tools and we're learning to "never say never", but for us right now Zach being easily portable and adaptable is important. That being said, this past week Zach has begun to ditch his pacifier in favor of his fist. He goes at that thing with a vengeance. Unfortunately, he hasn't quite mastered it yet and gets a little frustrated that his hand won't stay still or completely fit in his mouth. Or that he can't have both his hand and his pacifier in his mouth at the same time (that's the best).

Greg and I have also been enjoying our evenings more and more over the past few weeks. I'd imagine it is in large part due to the fact that we're getting more sleep at night and I'm getting a short nap in the afternoon and not falling asleep at 8. Yes, I bet that's it. We weren't really spontaneous people before, but now that we're often tied to the house when we put him down (we still get out to meetings and over to friends and family's houses a few evenings a week) we realize how often we'd finish up dinner and go run an errand together. So we were spontaneous, just boring spontaneous. =) But, like everything else, we're learning to adjust and it's been great. We've been working a puzzle for the last 2 nights, playing games, and snuggling up on the couch to watch movies (and not falling asleep!!). I know that life won't be like this forever and I'm so enjoying these nights together. Someday, hopefully, our evenings will be full of attending sporting events, homework, chores, delayed bedtimes, etc and we'll love that, too; but we'll look back on these more quiet times and remember them with fondness.

Plus, if you think you love your husband now, wait until you see him hold your baby in his arms . . . nothing melts my heart more!

Favorites from August

2009-09-03T08:04:00.004-04:00

Mom with Zach at Uncle Dave and Pat's wedding

Mawmaw and Zach also at the wedding

Who needs a pillow when you have a paci?

First real bath!

Safe and Sound

2009-08-31T13:59:00.002-04:00

A friend from church sent this to my mom on the day Zach was born . . .

Picture People

2009-08-22T08:50:00.003-04:00

For a shower gift we received a gift certificate to Picture People (thanks again Deb and Becky!) so this past Sunday we went to have our pictures taken. When we left the house Zach was perfectly content but he fell asleep in the car during our 5 minute drive to the mall and wasn't a fan of us stopping the car . . . much drama (read screaming) ensued. It took us a little while to calm him down, but in the end we did get some cute pictures. Here are the proofs of our favorites:

Prayer

2009-08-20T13:05:00.002-04:00

I was so excited today when I checked out the website for the college outreach ministry at our church and saw that they've updated the sermons available for download. Waaay back in April, our friend Tyler spoke at one of the meetings on prayer and did a fantastic job. I came away from the meeting feeling both convicted in my lack of a prayer life and envisioned and impassioned to grow in my relationship with the Lord, specifically through prayer.

Here's the link to the message; take the time to listen to it, you'll be so glad that you did.

Pictures from July

2009-08-19T07:42:00.003-04:00

Our little burrito

But he still had to sleep like his daddy . . .

Zach meeting his friend Daniel for the first time

Not a fan of Cletus the giant bear

Zach's First Game

2009-08-17T09:50:00.003-04:00

Our first family outing was to watch Greg play in his final softball game. Unfortunately, the team didn't do that well this season, but the group of guys that played sure had a fun time (though I think that's more of a girl thing . . . "But at least you had fun, babe . . . " Greg would probably have preferred to have a grueling season and a rough time with the team and win all the games) and are planning on a new team name for next year to remove the jinx.

I wanted to get a father/son picture of Zach's first game to watch, but he apparently was too overcome with emotion from the loss. Greg was, too . . .

It was a dark and stormy night . . .

2009-08-14T15:20:00.007-04:00

**Warning, excessively long post ahead. I knew that I would only type out the birth story once, so I wanted to get as many details down as I could so that as I forget over time I have something to look back to. **

. . . on Thursday, July 23 when I first started timing my contractions around 10pm. I fell asleep through them for a while then awoke at 2am unable to ignore them any longer. They were lasting about a minute each and by the time Greg's alarm went off at 6 they were about 6 minutes apart. I was sure that we would be heading to the hospital that morning and that Zach would follow in his dad's footsteps of being born on his due date (which was July 24th). We got up and took showers, packed up the car, and did some other general clean up and, wouldn't you know, my contractions came to a screeching halt. Very disappointing. We still had a little time before Greg needed to leave for work, so we drove to a nearby mall and did some power walking with the senior citizens hoping that my contractions would start up again. Nope. Greg went on to work and a very sad me came back home to take a much needed nap. (I never fell back asleep after 2).

That afternoon I called my youngest sister up and we eventually headed off to another mall with Mom to get some more power walking in. That seemed to do the trick and by dinner time the contractions were coming again, albeit pretty far apart. Assuming that I would follow the pattern of the morning and the contractions would slow to a stop, Greg and I headed off to his softball game. It was a great game (though they didn't win) and Greg even had a very exciting play where he slid into home. I was trying my best to cheer but the contractions were coming about 5 minutes apart by this point =)

By the time we got home, the contractions were about 3 and 1/2 minutes apart, so we called the Dr and headed on to the hospital. From this point on I'll use a timeline:

11 - arrived at the hospital and was told by the dr that there was no change from my progress at my weekly appointment 5 days prior (1 cm, 50% effaced), again pretty disappointing. They put me on an IV drug to "take the edge off" and help me sleep for a little while. My dr. said then when I awoke either the contractions would have stopped and I could go home or my body would have relaxed and started to progress.
2 - woke up as the drugs wore off, still hadn't progressed enough for the dr to let me stay. The nurse came in to help me get ready to go home. Apparently Zach just needed a little pressure of a deadline because right then my water broke! They let me have my epidural (a little gift from heaven . . .) and started me on pitocin because my progress was still very slow and Zach needed to come soon since my water had broken.

7:30-8ish - at 7 cm . . . kind of wondering how much longer this would take . . . thankfully I was able to cat nap during the majority of this time. My mom had arrived at the hospital around 6:30 (I think that's right) and got some breakfast for Greg. She was waiting in the waiting room, but just knowing that she was in the hospital was very comforting.

9 - all sorts of pain woke me up and I just knew that I had to push. I'm not sure if the epidural stopped working completely or what, but I could just tell that something was different. Sure enough, I had progressed to 10cm in the past hour and it was time for Zach to come! They set the room up for the delivery while I screamed with every contraction. I told Greg and my nurse that, yes, I realized I probably didn't need to be that dramatic, but it sure it help the pain . . . Greg's a lucky man =) They finally let me start pushing and after 30 minutes (9:43am to be exact) Zachary Thomas Ross entered the world and I couldn't believe how beautiful he was.

The rest of our time at the hospital was very relaxing . . . we really wish we could have taken a couple of our outstanding nurses home with us. We were visited by many friends and family and also enjoyed the time we had just the 3 of us: napping, eating (there was a refreshment room right down the hall from us stocked with ice cream, juice, and other snacks that we could help ourselves to as often as we wanted . . .) and watching season 1 of Lost.I really couldn't have asked for a better delivery experience. I told Greg that if I could skip over the pregnancy part and just do the labor and delivery portion, we'd have 10 kids, no problem. I remember laughing when I heard that a friend said she absolutely loved the whole delivery process, but now having gone through it, I totally agree.

First Glamor Shots

2009-08-13T08:09:00.004-04:00

One thing the nursery did at the hospital I delivered at was to take some professional pictures of Zach during his stay. They of course want you to buy a portrait package . . . which we did not . . . so I just scanned in the proof page. We're cheap like that =) As soon as they gave us the proofs we laughed with every nurse and guest that came into our room. Zach looks like a little Hugh Hefner in training with his little smoking jacket and the blue silky background. There will be a day when we don't even jokingly refer to our son as Hugh Hefner, but at 2 and 1/2 weeks old, it's still all funny! The second picture is my favorite . . . a little blue steel action going on.

We are now a party of THREE!!

2009-07-27T17:38:00.001-04:00

Zachary Thomas Ross arrived at 9:43am on Saturday (July 25th) weighing at a whopping (*smile*) 6lbs 13oz and 19 3/4 in long. We have fallen madly in love with him!

More pictures coming soon =)

Another baby shower

2009-07-22T08:00:00.001-04:00

At the end of June, Carol and Kristie (my mil and sil) hosted another beautiful baby shower for me. Lots of relatives and friends came into town for the occasion and we had such a wonderful time relaxing with everyone . . . and opening gifts =)

Kristie started the shower with a fun (?) but seriously disgusting game where we had to identify baby food and candy that had been melted into a diaper. And that's about all I'll explain about that one . . . my gag reflex is still super active . . .
Greg and I were again amazingly blessed by all of the gifts we received. This little man is going to be lacking for absolutely nothing!

All of the men went to the neighborhood pool for some water volleyball and then we all hung out on the back porch for the rest of the evening. But I unfortunately don't have any pictures of that.

The next day we celebrated Kristie's birthday with a cookout and some more chill-laxing. Again, no pictures. I need to get on this taking pictures thing . . . wow.

Thanks Carol and Kristie and everyone else who made the shower so special!!

Zach's Room

2009-07-21T11:22:00.004-04:00

Decorating Zach's room has been a long work in progress. I painted the walls (and some creative patches of green on the ceiling, still not quite sure how I did that, but Greg fixed it!) back in the Fall of 2007. I couldn't stand a plain white room any longer and being the frugal man that Greg is, he said I could paint it as long as the color doubled for a nursery later on. That was probably a little of a mistake to tell me that . . . In Greg's mind that means "pick a neutral color". In my mind, that means "you really should plan out the entire decorating scheme for the baby that is only a twinkle in my eye". Well, my interpretation prevailed and I found the Winnie the Pooh fabric from which I chose the green paint and etc, etc, etc; and nearly 2 years later it's all come together. It's been so much fun to sew the nursery bedding and curtains, repaint a few pieces of furniture and see the room really become a baby's room. Except for a couple slight changes (we have some shelving to hang that we bought at Ikea this weekend and our collection of graduation gowns and formal wear needs to come out of the closet) the room is all set and ready for a baby. We are, too!

Saying Goodbye

2009-07-11T11:51:00.007-04:00

Last night we had our good friend Jon Brown over before he moves to FL. It's a bittersweet time as we've been praying for him to get a great job . . . but obviously if we got to pick the job out of all the jobs possible, we probably would have picked one in Charlotte. But there's not only a job in FL for Jon . . . there's this girl . . . =) So . . . as Greg told him, man-to-man, he made the right choice (it wasn't too long ago that Greg was weighing those options himself).

My family has known Jon since I was 7 and Jon was 5. We even lived across the street from each other for a few years at the end of high school. Oh, and we went to high school together. Jon and Chelle were in the same grade, but because of how Jon's class schedule worked out, I ended up having a handful of classes with him, too. We were on the school's praise and worship band for chapel services together (Jon played guitar, his brother Taylor played drums, Chelle played piano, and I sang). And we ate lunch together most days. . . with a bunch of our teachers . . . because we were all cool and popular like that . . . yea . . . Jon and Taylor have pretty much been the brothers that the 3 Baumgartner girls never had.

Greg got to know Jon through youth group activities at our church and then also played a bunch of jam sessions with Jon and Taylor one summer. And they are both, well, geeks, so they get along really well =) It's always been a huge blessing for me to see Greg's friendship with both Jon and Taylor and how excited he'll get when he has a chance to hang out with those guys.

So last night, we grilled some burgers, played some Farkle and then Greg and Jon pulled out the NES and played Dr. Mario, Mario Brothers and Mario 3 (I think those are the right games . . . ). As I watched them play I was cracking up as these 2 college graduates got transported back to elementary age as they played the games of their childhood. They were sharing shortcuts they remembered and getting super excited at getting 100 lives. I wish I could remember more of the dialog, it was priceless.

We're very sad to see Jon go, but so very excited for him as he makes this big change, starts a fantasic new job, and get's plugged in down in FL. Plus . . . everyone really should have a friend that they can visit who lives in close proximity to a beach =)

And to finish it off, here's a small sampling of pictures . . . some more embarrassing than others, haha.

A weekend in the mountains with a bunch of family friends. Jon and Allie are the two in the very front.
Hanging out at a church conferenceSame conference, that's Greg in the background . . .
Styling and profiling in our sweet sunglasses . . .

The next several are from working at Creation one summer

Jon played in our wedding, this at at the rehersal dinner

Saying goodbye to Jon at his going away for the summer party a couple of years ago

38 Weeks - You've been served

2009-07-10T10:55:00.000-04:00

EVICTION NOTICE

Date: July 10, 2009
To: Mr. Zachary Thomas Ross

To the above tenant in possession of below described premises:

We are issuing a 14 day notice for EVICTION. You will have 14 days in which you can either gather your belongings and promptly vacate the premises, or wait until the final day. After which, you will be physically removed from the property.
You are being evicted due to breech of contract and destruction of property. Expansions only to the FRONT of the house, within reasonable limits, were discussed. Not only have these limits been exceeded, but additions to the back of the house were also made!
Remodeling and gutting of the home was never approved, nor was changing the initial layout and base structure. On top of which, the landlord has received numerous complaints about nightly disturbances.
After 14 days from this day that you don't comply with the notice will result in immediate and forceful removal at our discretion.

Thank you for your cooperation
Love,
Daddy and Mommy

From What to Expect: Your little one isn't so little anymore — weighing in at close to seven pounds and hitting the height charts at the 21-inch mark (or less). Your baby's lungs and fetal digestive system continue to mature, too. All systems, almost go!

Baby Shower

2009-07-09T11:00:00.005-04:00

So anyone who's been married or had a baby knows that there is no other blessing like a shower. Major life changes are expensive (thus the word "major") and it doesn't seem to matter how much you plan and save, there is always a moment where you wonder if you can really do this or if you will end up living in your car . . .

Greg and I have been so wonderfully blessed to be given not 1 but 2 baby showers over the past month. Here are some pictures from shower #1, which was thrown for me by the amazing ladies in our small group at church. It was such a special evening for me not only because I received so many ADORABLE gifts, but I was able to look around the room and see so many faces of ladies who are excited for me and who will be a major part of my support system over the next couple of decades. It makes this whole motherhood thing less scary to know that there are so many (including my mom and mother-in-law) who have gone ahead of me and done so with excellence and they will answer my questions!!

Zach not only will NOT be living out of a car, but he'll be dressed in style and have absolutely no lack of warm, cozy blankets!

**Thanks Rebecca for taking all these pictures for me!**

Black-bean and Goat-cheese Quesadillas

2009-07-06T06:00:00.001-04:00

Here's another non-dairy recipe that we've enjoyed over the past couple of months . . . and probably will continue to enjoy even when I can go back to eating ANY KIND OF CHEESE I WANT!! (I'm excited, can you tell??)

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained (1 1/2 cups)

3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)

1 medium tomato, seeded and coarsely chopped

3/4 cup corn kernels (from 2 ears of corn)

2 scallions, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh oregano

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

10 six-inch corn tortillas

Mash beans in a medium bowl until chunky. Add goat cheese, tomato, corn, scallions, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper, and stir until well combined.
Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Spread 1/2 cup bean mixture evenly over 1 tortilla, and top with another tortilla. Repeat with remaining bean mixture and tortillas.
Raise heat to medium-high. Grill quesadillas, 1 or 2 at a time, until grill marks appear and filling is hot, about 2 minutes per side. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

37 Weeks

2009-07-04T10:35:00.003-04:00

No picture this week . . . maybe I'll come back and add one, but I'm still sitting in my pj's as I type this and that's been a general theme of this week. It's been pretty hot and humid this week in Charlotte and my body has also been fighting off a bug that's flying around. So between feeling exhausted, sticky, and dehydrated there just haven't been many photo-ops =)

Looking at the calendar though has been motivating for me to be up and at 'em today . . . 3 weeks left!! As I type, I've got a HUGE pot of spaghetti sauce (yes, Kristie, the secret recipe) cooking on the stove in preparation for the freezer meals I'm hoping to assemble this weekend.

The highlight of this weekend though is that Mawmaw and Pawpaw (my mom's parents) are finally moving to Charlotte!! It's been a lengthy process (as is to be expected when anyone moves for the first time in 40 years) but tomorrow the moving van rolls in to town!

From What to Expect: With just three more weeks to go and at about six and a half pounds (though weight and height vary from fetus to fetus), your baby is doing just fine. You can expect weight gain to be about half an ounce per day. (Boys, though, are likely to be heavier at birth than girls. And here's a bit of boy baby trivia to back that one up: Moms carrying boys tend to eat more than moms carrying girls — a foreshadowing of teenage refrigerator raids to come.) Since your little one is considered full-term at 37 weeks pregnant, if your baby was to leave the wet nest this week, he or she would likely thrive.

36 Weeks

2009-06-24T12:35:00.006-04:00

It's so hard to believe that we have only 4 weeks left! 8 months ago, the end of July seemed forever away! It still does, actually, but when I stop and think about what 4 weeks is - 4 Sunday meetings, 20 work days for Greg (19 actually b/c of the 4th of July holiday), 6 softball games, 4 Saturdays to finish joint projects - it really feels super, super close! I'm getting so excited as well as very sobered by what a precious gift we're being given and what a big responsibility we're taking on.

The other night I was rocking a friend's child in Zach's room and as she calmed down and relaxed her little body, getting ready for sleep, I couldn't help but think of all the times I'll sit with Zach in that chair and play with him on the floor and read with him on the bed. *Contended sigh* I can't wait!

From What to Expect: Your little one is now about six pounds in weight and measures slightly more than 20 inches in length. Growth will slow down now in preparation for birth, so your baby will be able to fit the narrow passageway to the outside and so he or she can store up the energy needed for delivery.

PS - sometime I'll need to post a sampling of all the pictures that get taken when Greg shoots my belly shot . . . this time I had 3 belly pictures of me to choose from, 11 of the dog, 2 of our living room, 1 of the ceiling, and an assortment of stalker like pictures of me as I got ready to pose . . . It really is like giving a 5-year old a camera =)

Sunset Beach

2009-06-24T12:19:00.008-04:00

We just (as in 4 days ago . . .) returned from a wonderfully relaxing week at Sunset Beach with my family and our dear friends, the Mercados. We've been vacationing at that beach for the past 14 years (though this is the first year Greg and I have been able to spend a whole week there since we were married) and it's always a treat to go back to such familiar surroundings.

Greg fished from the pier almost every morning, getting up at the crack of dawn to catch live bait. I joined him most mornings to watch the hunter/gatherer at work, but at a more reasonable time =) Waking up at 5:30 on vacation doesn't describe my idea of vacation at all! Greg enjoyed the fishing as well as the community out on the pier. It was fun when I was there to have seasoned fishermen coming up to our spot on the pier and offer suggestions, or, in some cases, simply take over!

Typically the fishing was over by 10 or 11 and then we'd head out to the beach for the rest of the day. The Mercados brought a wonderful gazebo so we really could spend most of the day on the sand and not get completely burnt! We also had a volleyball net and horse shoes set up most days. Thinking back, I can't recall Greg sitting down for more than 2 minutes all summed up. That's my boy!

Our evenings were full of delicious dinners at our HUGE dinning room table (it's rare to find a table at a vacation home that really does accomodate 13 people!), watching movies, and generally hanging out and relaxing. It was hard to pack up and come home on Saturday . . . but as Greg reminded me, it always is =)

The whole crew

This was our lunch one day . . . so delish!
Dad's first time fishing in about 30 years =)

A little catnap while in Calabash for dinner one night
We went out on Wednesday to celebrate our 3rd Anniversary! Side note - can't believe we've already been married 3 years . . . I love my life with this man!!

Me and the 2 fakies =)

Creation Lilies

2009-06-10T09:05:00.000-04:00

This is my beautiful day lily from Pennsylvania. For several years, every June, Greg and I along with a couple car loads of friends and siblings would head up to Pennsylvania to work as Individual Camping supervisors for a week at the Creation Festival. It was hard work, often 12-14 hour days in the hot sun and often mud. During the week every year we would vow this was the last year, but then on the trip home as all the stories spilled out, our excitement would renew and we'd begin planning to return the next year.

The first year that I went, I noticed these beautiful wild day lilies that grew along a stream in one of the camping fields. I pointed them out to Greg as we drove by on the golf cart and that was that. Well, the next morning and every other morning for the years we were at Creation, Greg would bring me one of these lilies in a dixie cup. (You can see why I snatched him up, can't you??)

2005 was our last year at the festival and one night we sneaked out into the field with a flash light and a spade and dug up a bulb. (I'm sure the sneaking around in the dark was unnecessary, but it made it seem much more exciting at the time) I'm so glad to have this memory of our fun summers in PA!

33 Weeks

2009-06-08T08:46:00.001-04:00

Only 7 more weeks (give or take a few depending on Zach's punctuality . . . ), I can hardly believe it. 9 months seems like eternity when I think about it but the time really has flown by. Working for the first 2 trimesters and having plenty of projects around the house has definitely helped the time pass more quickly, I'm sure.

Zach's movement has become much more noticable over the past week or 2, and not just to me. Zach is pretty chill for the majority of the day, I'll feel him stretch or what I'm assuming is rolling periodically; but then all of a sudden he morphs into a hyper toddler and, for lack of a better description, spazzes out. Limbs go everywhere and my belly looks like a shaken bowl of jello. It's hilarious to observe! It happened yesterday during chuch and Greg said he was just waiting to see a baby come popping through the skin. Hopefully we're all safe from witnessing that . . . but it certainly does feel like it could happen!

In other interesting baby news . . . I found out on Friday that Greg was 9lb 14oz when he was born. Quite different fromt the "8lbs something average" that I had previously been told. I've heard the old rule of thumb is that the baby's weight will be an average of both the parent's birth weights. I was liking the average of my 7lbs 3oz and Greg's nice 8 something . . . If the old wives tale is true, Zach should be in the 8 1/2 lb range . . . we shall see . . .

From What to Expect: This week your baby may be anywhere between 17 to 19 inches in length and weigh more than four and a half pounds. At this stage in fetal development, your baby could grow a full inch more this week alone — especially if he or she has been on the shorter side. Weight gain can range from a third more growth to a full doubling before the big debut.

Why Greg is so happy we're having a boy . . .

2009-06-04T17:27:00.003-04:00

I don't know if he could listen to 2 of us chatty girls on road trips =)

But really . . . could she be any cuter?

Biltmore Gardens

2009-06-03T08:55:00.003-04:00

Once again Greg and I traveled up to Asheville to visit Biltmore Estate. We've seen the house enough for now, but with all the gardens in bloom, we decided it was a perfect time to bring Spartacus and walk around the grounds. I'm so glad we did!

We took advantage of the many benches along the garden paths . . . something about the heat and being pregnant didn't mix as much as I thought it would =) It was a wonderful way to spend a leisurely Saturday. We of course had to check out some of the fish, too.

Apparently my belly is still a little on the smallish size for being in my 8th month (being tall is finally paying off!), so I was very surprised when so many people commented on my belly or, more often, stared at it as we passed by; this was really the first time for me to experience that in large quantities. They also could have been staring at my sausage fingers . . . but water retention and swollen limbs is a topic for another day.

And speaking of babies . . . my blog posts don't seem to stray to far from that subject anymore . . . Zach is growing right along and so am I. I'll try to get an updated picture up this weekend. He's weighing in between 4 and 4 1/2 lbs right now and in my non-medical opinion has really, really long limbs . . . he sure can get those legs going when he kicks!

Poppies, my most favorite flowers to see in nature

Greg and Spartacus in the bamboo forest, right before I impaled my foot on a fallen piece of bamboo . . . I keep things exciting around here =)

Mancation 2009

2009-05-27T13:14:00.014-04:00

This past Memorial Day weekend I went fishing and camping with my friend from Winston Salem, Evan Hawkins. We usually do one backpacking or fishing trip each year and this year we took a bigger trip since things will slow down a bit once Zachary's born. We borrowed his dad's canoe and went up to the New River near Blacksburg, VA. This river is famous for smallmouth bass and is considered the best river in the southeast for that fish.

Each day we floated down the river for several miles, anchoring the boat at good spots. The fishing was very good and the scenery was beautiful. On Saturday we probably caught around 80 fish between the two of us. Most of it was the smaller rock bass (aka "redeye") and brim, but we did catch some good smallmouth bass here and there. I caught the biggest fish of the weekend, a 14 inch smallmouth on a "bloody bugger" fly that I tied (white woolly bugger with red hackle). I also caught a very feisty 13 inch smallmouth that I fought for about 3 or 4 minutes. Evan also got several smallies in the 10-13 inch range. On our last day we both kept some fish to bring home. I managed to catch 6 good sized redeyes but had no luck with smallmouth that day.

This picture was my personal favorite. When removing the hook from this redeye I noticed he recently chowed down on a crawfish.

30 weeks

2009-05-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

Here I am at 30 weeks, I can't believe there are only 10 weeks left! I still have a lot to do before Zach arrives, but we're starting to get things done. This weekend I assembled the stroller and snapped the visor on the car seat and I have to admit that I've gone in to his room, sat on the bed, and just stared at it every day since. We have several other pieces of baby equipment, but there is just something about that tiny little car seat that makes the anticipation grow more and more!

From What to Expect: Your baby's height and weight haven't changed much in the past week, but the big news is your baby's brain gain. Until now, the surface of your baby's brain was smooth. Now, your fetus's brain is taking on those characteristic grooves and indentations. The reason for this change in appearance? Those wrinkles allow for an increased amount of brain tissue — a necessary change as your developing baby prepares for life outside your womb, and the street smarts he or she will need.

Another big change at 30 weeks pregnant: Your baby's bone marrow has taken over production of red blood cells (before, tissue groups and then the spleen took care of producing the blood cells). This is an important step for your baby, because it means he or she is better able to thrive on his or her own once born (with a little TLC from you, of course).

Greg vs. the nightmares

2009-05-12T08:39:00.003-04:00

Now, I've always been a vivid dreamer which unfortunately has come with sleep walking and talking at inconvenient times . . . there was the time I walked into the living room where Mom and Dad were watching TV and I tried to convince them that we need to save all of the fluffy bunnies. And the time I thought I was running away in the middle of the night to escape certain danger and was rushing to get ready to leave our house . . . I awoke several hours later to find that the hair gel and makeup I had applied in my sleep was, in fact, real.

More recently I have run around the house in the middle of the night flipping on lights, certain of the of the fact that Greg and I had overslept and missed our breakfast plans, only to have Greg wake me up mid flight and inform me that it was still dark outside, I hadn't missed anything. Oh and let's not forget when I insisted that Greg kill the "things" that were growing from our door frame. He was fully awake and tried to reason with me that nothing was growing from our door . . . eventually giving up and just telling me to go back to sleep . . .

But I don't think anything can top yesterday morning (as in 2 am) when I woke Greg from a deep sleep screaming in terror that someone was chopping my leg off.

It was a Charlie horse.

I wish I could encourage Greg and let him know that this will pass with the pregnancy . . . but I have parents and 2 sisters who can unfortunately confirm that this does not appear to be something I will grow out of.

I passed!

2009-05-05T14:33:00.003-04:00

Today I went in to the drs office for my Glucose Tolerance test (to test for Gestational Diabetes) and I passed! The hardest part about the test was not eating for 2 hours prior and then for an hour while I waited for them to prick my finger. The drink you have to take (which I'd read some apparently exaggerated stories about) was similar to flat sprite. No biggie.

There hasn't been much of anything new happening here at the Ross house. I had a little burst of energy last week, which was wonderful, but I'm starting to feel all of my energy being sapped up by Zach. That's ok, I guess . . . I just keep assigning him chores for when he gets old enough . . . we'll make this fair =)

Greg and I did get to go and pick up my crib from my parent's house last night. It's sitting in pieces in the nursery right now, but hopefully by the end of this week it will be assembled! Bringing that home last night made everything seem so much more real. Hopefully in less than 3 months (assuming I don't go too far beyond my due date), there will be a baby sleeping in there!

I really should be doing something else . . . .

2009-04-30T08:54:00.005-04:00

Rules (if you want to waste some time, too):

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search (http://www.flickr.com/).
b. Using ONLY the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Mosaic Maker. Change rows to 4 and columns to 4 (http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php).

d. Save the image and post it!

Questions:
1. What is your name? Hilary
2. What is your favorite food? Sushi
3. What is your hometown? Charlotte, N
4. What is your favorite color? green
5. What is your favorite movie? Sense and Sensibility
6. What is your favorite drink? Strawberry margarita
7. What is your dream vacation? Mediterranean cruise
8. What is your favorite dessert? angel food cake
9. What is one word to describe yourself? tall
10. How are you feeling right now? overwhelmed
11. What do you love most in the world? my husband
12. What do you want to be when you grow up? a martha stewart
13. Favorite Hobby? cooking and baking
14. What kind of books do you like? Historical fiction
15. What’s your favorite sport? Volleyball
16.Where do you work? at home

Son-Father fishing

2009-04-27T12:59:00.004-04:00

Fishing seems to a traditional Father-son bonding experience. For whatever reason, Dad and I never did much of that when I was younger. It's probably due to all the various sports activities we did...soccer baseball and basketball kept us pretty busy on weekends. Ever since graduating from college I've really gotten into fishing and now I've gotten Dad into it so the roles are somewhat switched!

Anyways, Dad and I were able to take a trip up to Stone Mountain State Park (http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/stmo/main.php) and do some trout fishing on some of their well stocked catch and release streams. We also took his Mini Cooper which was a blast to drive in the mountains.

This was his first time fishing with his new fly rod that he got for his birthday and he learned pretty quickly and caught a decent sized Brook Trout about 8 inches long.

Later in the day I finally landed a 12 inch Brookie.

Spring is here . . . .PLAY BALL!

2009-04-20T09:36:00.003-04:00

Baseball is not only THE national pastime, but it's quite possibly the Baumgartner Family pastime as well. My Dad's family nearly lives at the baseball field during the spring and summer months . . . I'm looking forward to Zach's first t-ball team with much anticipation =)

All that to say . . . you know spring is officially here when you go to your first baseball game. Greg and I got to go see the Charlotte Knight's play on Saturday with a group of college students from Mission 28. We had a blast! The weather was perfect. We got a foot long hot dog (yes, Dad, Knight's stadium now serves foot longs . . . ), some nachos, and a drumstick. Greg caught a foul ball (1 of 3 that were hit pretty much directly to us, next time he'll bring his glove, haha). Our team won 2-1 with a fantastic home run hit out of the park. And there were fireworks at the end. Couldn't have asked for more.

Amish Friendship Bread

2009-04-18T17:37:00.005-04:00

This past week I got an Amish Friendship Bread starter from my mom . . . I'm rather excited about it as I love baking, but it does bring back some memories of trying to pawn off - I mean generously give - the starters to my very small circle of friends as each batch multiplied every 10 days. I've since learned that you can freeze the starter if you need a break and that you can turn a spare starter into a loaf of bread instead of giving them away. Plus, Mom found this great website with many variations on how to bake with the starter so you don't get bored of the same sweet bread (the 3rd page of variations is what I'm looking forward to the most)

I'm on day 6 right now and looking forward to my first loaf this week!

Oh, yes, the whole point of the this post . . . Please, please, please let me know if you would like a starter and I will make sure you get one =)

25 weeks

2009-04-10T19:02:00.002-04:00

I seemed to have popped . . . =) I'm definitely wearing maternity pants all the time now (until about a week ago I was still able to use the rubber band trick to give me some extra inches on my jeans) but I'm still wearing mostly pre-pregnancy shirts. With the empire waist style of shirts being so popular and my belly being on the smaller side still, it's been working really well. But I'm realizing that may only last another week or so . . .

Zach is quite active and Greg's able to feel him move a lot more now, which is super fun for me. I get to feel him move all the time which is truly amazing, but there's just something about watching Greg's face when he feels his son kick his hand. I'm quite certain that the extra pregnancy hormones add to the emotions of those moments, too =)

From What to Expect: Your baby is about nine inches long and more than a pound and a half in weight this week. And don't look now (as if you could), but your baby's skin is turning pinker as small blood vessels form under the skin and fill with blood. Lungs and nostrils are also growing at this stage of fetal development.

Chic-fil-a

2009-03-19T08:00:00.004-04:00

This pretty much sums up the cravings of this pregnant lady =)

Corned Beef and Cabbage

2009-03-16T08:00:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, I'm super excited! This is our traditional St. Patrick's Day dinner. I usually serve it with soda bread as well . . . this year I'm trying a new potato recipe called Colcannon, which is essentially mashed potatoes with cabbage and leeks. I just can't wait!

Like many Americans, Greg and I are European mutts; but I do claim my little sliver of Irish heritage (my grandfather's grandfather was born in Ireland) on March 17th =)

Servings: 6
Start to finish: 10 hours

1 Corned beef brisket, as large as your crockpot will allow
2 liters 7-Up®
1 pinch seasoned salt
1 pinch sugar

Put the beef in crock pot and pour 7-Up over it to almost cover the beef. Cook all day on low (about 10 hours).

Cut cabbage into wedges and place in crock pot approximately 2-3 hours before you plan to eat (when beef has been cooking 7-8 hours), sprinkle with seasoned salt and sugar. Continue to cook on low for remaining 2-3 hours

Slice beef and serve with cabbage on the side.

21 Weeks

2009-03-14T15:13:00.001-04:00

From What To Expect: At about seven inches in length and almost 11 ounces in weight, your baby is about the size of a large banana. There's still a great deal of room in your womb — though your tenant will soon begin to feel cramped, so be prepared!

At about seven inches in length and almost 11 ounces in weight, your baby is about the size of a large banana.

Sausage, Pepper and Onion Sandwiches

2009-03-12T07:00:00.000-04:00

This is another no-dairy required recipe that we've tried and fallen in love with! It is so super simple to make and so delicious. We had c0mpany over on Sunday and the sausage in particular was a hit. (The picture isn't mine, I had to find one online b/c we demolished the sandwiches before I remembered that I hadn't taken a picture yet!)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage
2 red bell peppers, sliced (I used green bell peppers, less lovely, but cheaper . . . )
2 yellow onions, sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup Marsala wine
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
4 to 6 fresh Italian sandwich rolls, optional

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook until brown on both sides, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain.

Keeping the pan over medium heat, add the peppers, onions, salt, and pepper and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the oregano, basil, and garlic and cook 2 more minutes.

Add the tomato paste and stir. Add the Marsala wine, tomatoes, and chili flakes, if using. Stir to combine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the browned bits. Bring to a simmer.

Cut the sausages into 4 to 6 pieces each, about 1-inch cubes. Add the sausage back to the pan and stir to combine. Cook until the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes. (If you realize mid recipe, like I did, that you're out of tomato paste, pull out a few spoonfuls of the cooking liquid and dissolve a heaping tablespoon of cornstarch into and add it back, it worked wonderfully.)

Serve in bowls. Or, if serving as a sandwich, split the rolls in half lengthwise (I cut the rolls 1/2 way through only, like a hotdog bun would be, and it made for a less messy eating experience) . Hollow out the bread from the bottom side of each roll, being careful not to puncture the crust. Fill the bottom half of the roll with sausage mixture. Top and serve sandwiches immediately.

Ultrasound, part 2

2009-03-11T06:00:00.001-04:00

**Edit** we uploaded the video to youtube b/c we were exceeding our bandwidth for the simple blogger video upload. If you still have problems viewing it, please let me know!

We went out to eat with my parents, and Nate and Kristie then came back to our house for dessert and Michelle joined us there . . . we were also able to get Greg's parents and Allie on speaker phone for the "big reveal"

BTW . . . if you couldn't tell from the video . . . we're ecstatic!

(And Leah knew all along . . . )

Ultrasound, part 1

2009-03-10T14:16:00.005-04:00

Here are some pictures from our appointment this morning!

We had the technician put the picture of the gender shot in an envelope which we will open tonight at dinner with our family (minus Allie, who is at school, and Steve and Carol, who are in Hawaii . . .). I am like a little kid on Christmas Eve!

It was such a blessing and relief to hear that little Pinto is right on track for development and weight gain as well as to see all the anatomy that they measure and check for certain defects come back clear. The most amazing part of our session was to see the 4 chambers of the heart beating right along. We have an awesome God!!

Another Biltmore Post

2009-03-09T10:10:00.011-04:00

I do apologize if you've seen just about enough of the Biltmore by now . . . =) It is our destination spot of choice this year. Biltmore is the new Charleston, if you will.

We had a wonderful time, again, with our friends Dustin and Mary Benton this past Saturday at Biltmore Estate. The weather couldn't have been more perfect and we spent most of our time there outside. They generously treated us to a tour of the rooftops (thanks, again!!) and we thoroughly enjoyed that. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable not only about the architecture of the rooftops, but all sorts of other Biltmore and Vanderbilt family history.

We passed around the camera quite a bit and ended up taking 185 pictures (a lot better than my usual 4), so it may seem like I've got a ton of pictures up here, but it's only a small sample =) (Most of the photo credits go to Mary and Greg)

We started off the day with lunch and tour of the winery . . .

While in line for ice cream (finally a warm enough day for Greg to get his chocolate cone!) we ran into these guys . . . it was quite a surprise and so much fun to keep crossing paths with them all afternoon =)

We walked through some of the side gardens before our rooftop tour . . . I really can't get over how perfect the weather was . . . 70 degrees and sunny all day!

Out on the roofs

If you enlarge this photo and look between the columns, you'll notice an entrapped gargoyle.

The boys had a lot of fun with the fish . . . taunting them with rocks as if it were food, trying to get them to bite their fingers, catching tadpoles, etc. We're pretty lucky they didn't fally in at any point =)

20 Weeks . . . 1/2 way!!

2009-03-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

I don't think I look quite this big in real life, but we were in the middle of making dinner and snapped this picture really quickly . . . but I am getting bigger!

From What To Expect: You've got a heavyweight in your belly now (well, in baby terms, anyway). Your little champ weighs about ten ounces and has a height, crown to rump, of about six and a half inches. Think of your developing baby as the size of a small cantaloupe (and probably as sweet too). Boy or Girl? You'll also be able to see your baby's gender in the ultrasound by now!

Please, won't you be my neighbor?

2009-03-05T20:32:00.007-05:00

Greg and I will be first to admit we're not the best neighbors you'll ever have in your life. I've sadly never brought baked goods to someone moving in (though I'm bound and determined to be that lady someday!) and it might take us several weeks to introduce ourselves.

But we are certainly not the worst neighbors you'll have either. We don't accumulate piles of yard sale treasures on our front porch. We don't have old cars sitting in our grass. We don't have a cement figure garden in our yard. And we do our best not to yell at each other in the midst of heated arguments while in our pajamas and bathrobes in the front yard before dawn. We might even let you borrow an egg or a cup of sugar if you ask.

Despite those qualities, we seem to have run off both of our next door neighbors within one month of each other. It makes us look quite pitiful to have realtor signs on either side of us. So, to any of you future neighbors, we'll try our best to step it up a notch.

And here's some free advertising for the leasing agent and Realtor:

I miss . . .

2009-03-04T19:20:00.002-05:00

Today I was hungry while at work and my purse/personal convenience store was empty of snacks . . . so I walked across the parking lot to the grocery store. The sushi counter cried my name. Oh, sushi, oh I miss you.

I ended up getting a california roll (no raw fish to upset the baby) and it was ok, a little bland, but ok. I am now officially counting down the days until I can have the real stuff again.

And arranging for Michelle to bring me Rusan's in the delivery room.

Turkey Meatballs

2009-03-03T11:41:00.001-05:00

**Edit**: I removed the picture of the meatballs because, as my mom kindly pointed out, they don't look as pretty as they taste. Especially not on my less than beautiful cookie sheets. I should have gotten a picture with them on the pasta and sauce. Please, if you initially shied away b/c they looked less than appetizing, give them a chance!

About 2 months into this pregnancy I realized that dairy products were making me really sick. I've never had an intolerance to dairy before and my diet consisted of as much cheese and milk I could let my health conscious self eat. I now eat no dairy if I can possibly help it. Milk baked into things doesn't seem to be a huge problem . . . but gone (temporarily, I hope) are the days of cheese covered pastas =(

This change in my eating has forced me to dig a little for new recipes that I can eat and I've found a few that we've really enjoyed, turkey meatballs being one of them. My friend, Eileen, made these for a dinner one night and I couldn't wait to try them out on my own!

Turkey Meatballs
Makes 4 doz 1 1/2 to 2 inch meatballs

2 lbs ground turkey
1/4 loaf of italian bread
milk
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Thyme
Salt and pepper

Tear the bread into small pieces, place in a bowl and let soak in milk for about 30-45 min.

Drain the remaining milk from the bowl and add the remaining ingredients, seasoning with thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Form into meatballs. Bake at 350 for about 20 min or until the turkey is cooked through.

Serve over pasta with sauce.

I actually made these meatballs a few weeks ahead of time and froze them. They turned out great, I just placed them on the baking sheet still frozen and baked for 30-4o min at 350.

And this time it actually covered the grass . . .

2009-03-02T08:29:00.008-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I predicted that the predicted 3-6 inches of snow we were supposed to get overnight would be a disappointment and we'd actually get the 1/4 to 1/2" that we've got the last couple times.

I was wrong.

By the time we left our friend's, the Bentons, house at 8:30 last night, we already had about 2 inches and this is what we awoke to this morning. How beautiful.

Greg, being the Pennsylvania boy that he is, drove into work right on time. (But not before he shoveled the driveway and scraped down both of our cars . . . I'm a blessed woman!) I doubt we'll ever get much cold weather down here that's would make him stay home from work. Oh well. Spartacus and I took a quick walk and may make it out again this afternoon before all the snow turns into one gigantic sheet of ice =)

And just a little PSA reminder . . . don't eat the yellow snow . . .

Soon is a relative word

2009-02-28T11:16:00.002-05:00

So when I said that belly pictures were coming soon, I meant that they might arrive on the blog before the announcement that Pinto was born.

Without further ado, here is my just barely showing belly at 19 weeks. Most people at work still don't really believe me that I'm pregnant =)

Ledo Pizza (aka manna from heaven)

2009-02-26T11:25:00.007-05:00

It wasn't long after Greg and I started dating that I found out about his certain obsession with a nothern pizza company - Ledo Pizza. Any time he and his family were in close proximity (say, 30 miles . . . ) to a Ledo they would not only feast there but also bring home several 1/2 baked pizzas to freeze and enjoy later. Oh and Greg and his friend Dave (who also has northern roots) would always call to rub it in that they were eating Ledo Pizza and the other was not.

Now, I love pizza. I mean really, really love pizza. I could probalby eat it for every meal of every day for a month and not get tired of it. But I must admit, I haven't fallen in love with Ledo Pizza. As much as Greg explains to me that the combination of thin, almost pastry like crust and thick slice pepperoni on every square piece of pizza is as if this pizza was sent down from heaven just for him, I just can't get attached.

But, I do love my husband like he was sent down from heaven just for me; so when Mom and I passed a new Ledo Pizza location on our way home from Fairfax, VA, we pulled in for a 1/2 baked.My husband was a happy man =)

2 weeks

2009-02-25T10:38:00.005-05:00

In 2 weeks we will *hopefully* find out if we're having a boy (Zachary Thomas) or a girl (Aubrey Grey). I've been told by my doctors that Pinto here (see the original ultrasound picture here to understand why this nickname) is really quite active and the movement that I've begun to feel confirms that. We don't have any fears about not getting a money shot =)

We've had these names picked out for a long time . . . I heard the name Aubrey in a movie at some point during college and just loved it. I'm not sure at what point I paired it with Grey, but Greg fell in love with the name and we've never really seriously considered another name for our first girl. Aubrey is historically a boy's name, but recently has begun to be used for girls, too. After falling in love with it, we realized that it's a family name of some of our dearest friends, so that makes it all the more special to us!

Zachary Thomas was a little more difficult to decide upon. It's a tradition in Greg's family for a son (in Greg's case, the only son) to have his mother's maiden name as his middle name. Thus Carol "used-to-be-Clark" Ross gave birth to Gregory Clark. Now, sorry Dad and Grandpa, but we decided that Baumgartner was just not middle name material. So we've replaced my maiden name with a family name instead. Thomas is my dad's middle name and his dad's first name. And much easier to spell than Baumgartner. We looked through lists and lists and lists to find a strong first name that matched up nicely with Thomas and finally decided upon Zachary which means "God has remembered".

I can hardly wait to name this baby in 2 weeks!

PS - cast a vote on our poll and let us know what you think . . . boy or girl?

PPS - belly pictures coming soon . . . I've finally started showing!

(The) Biltmore Estate

2009-02-24T17:22:00.003-05:00

For Valentine's Day we went to Biltmore Estate with the Hawkins. Notice how I made an intentional point of not calling it THE Biltmore Estate, because as Evan spoke to us for about 10 minutes on our way off the estate, the signage and and staff call it simply Biltmore. Not The Biltmore. See I was listening.

We had a great time with them, as always. I didn't get too many pictures because you can't take pictures inside the house and it was pretty cold so we didn't hang outside for too long.

The real reason we all spent Valentine's together . . .

The wine library . . .

We'll be headed back to Biltmore several more times this year, making the most of our passes. I'm really looking forward to the visit where I can finally sample some of their wine. I smelled everything Leah and Greg tasted, but it's just not the same. They do, however, make some amazing grape juice.

February 15th

2009-02-15T16:39:00.003-05:00

Today is my best friend's birthday.

Today was also the due date for the pregnancy we lost last summer.

I had many plans for today when I first found out the due date. Today likely would have been spent wishing that the baby would come so that it could share its birthday with Aunt Leah. It probably would have ended with me still pregnant wondering when exactly I would give birth.

But God had other plans for that little life. And my life, too.

I was very aware of the date coming this whole last week and especially as I woke up this morning. On one hand I miss and grieve the child I'll never know until heaven; but on the other hand I know that the child I'm carrying now, the one, Lord willing, I'll get to meet in a few short months, would not be here otherwise. It's a confusing set of emotions.

I don't have any summary thoughts nor a "now I completely understand why" statement. Just an encouragement to share that brought my focus back this morning during church.

May the words of this hymn encourage you as well:

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Kittens, Inspired by Kittens

2009-02-12T19:57:00.001-05:00

This isn't anyone that I know, but it could have been me . . . or either of my sisters . . . don't think you're above this, Michelle.

2009-02-09T10:03:00.004-05:00

There are so many things that I would love to blog about today, but I'm already late in getting ready to leave for work (I don't think I posted about that either, but I'm working for H&R Block through tax season). Sorry I haven't been keeping the blog updated . . . We've really been in survivor mode around here and when it comes down to spending 30 minutes cleaning the bathroom or 30 minutes blogging, well, honestly, I choose neither and usually end up falling asleep on the couch. So, yes, life has been interesting for 2 people that are typically obsessed with having a spotless house. Dishes have accumulated in our sink for a couple of days at a time and we've been reaching back to the farthest corner of the closet for clean clothes (most of which should have remained in the far recesses). But I must admitt that although on first glance the past 3 months have not looked that appealing, Greg and I have been learning so much about each other and that makes all the sickness nearly worth it (and then the thought of a healthy baby in July and makes all the rest ok, too). We've learned even more how to work like a team (which I didn't know was possible) and have seen our own self-sufficiency revealed and *hopefully* are dealing with that sin in a way that will bear much fruit for the future. I would love to look back on this time of my life and see that I grew in trusting in the Lord and relying on Him to get through everyday.

The "all-day sickness" is beginning to lift and I've upgraded myself from constantly nauseous to constantly queasy. I'm hoping that this is the evidence of an upward trend and that I'll be back to my old self in no time at all. Well, as much as my old self as a pregnant woman can expect to be =)

We've got some fun plans in the work over the next few weeks . . . hopefully there will be pictures to put up and some more interesting posts to read!

A little catching up . . .

2009-01-15T09:50:00.005-05:00

Well, Greg suggested that maybe Jan 15th was a good date to take down the Christmas Music . . . and I couldn't really disagree . . . . so the Christmas music is now gone just in time for a little post on our Christmas.

Now where to begin . . . We had a fun time with Greg's family on Christmas Eve. We all gathered for appetizers and gifts around 3 and then had a speed opening session so that I could get to the last choir rehearsal for the Christmas Eve service at church. There was much laughter as we opened the ongoing jokes (I think Willie Nelson has now been passed around for 5 years?)

We received many practical gifts which were put to use right away . . .

And, of course, at least one of Kristie's gifts was addressed to Nathan . . . supposedly it really was an accident this time . . .

The rest of the group headed out to Red Lobster for dinner as I was off to church. (Greg brought me chicken tenders to eat during the sermon . . . sorry, Joe!) The service went well and the choir "didn't sound all that bad", which is always encouraging to hear.

Christmas morning, Greg and I opened gifts from each other (I am now the proud owner of a lovely tripod which, theoretically, means that there will be more and better pictures this year), enjoyed cinnamon rolls, and a little organizing of all the gifts we had received the night before. Seriously, before Christmas morning was over, I do believe we had almost everything put away. (I'm sure that this is Greg's ocd-ness shining through . . . love you, babe)

Around lunch-time we headed over to my family's house where we *shocker* opened yet more gifts and then snacked and napped the afternoon away. Oh, and watched a documentary on Antarctica because that's really Christmas-y. I guess the snow ties it all together.

Dad helping Chelle remove the tape that had somehow tightened around her fingers like Chinese handcuffs.

We had a wonderful dinner together and ended the evening by watching a real Christmas movie, White Christmas . . . it was a wonderful day!

Then Greg had several days off and we spent them . . . yea, I can't really remember how we spent them which means they must have been wonderfuly relaxing. I'm sure that we ate lots of leftovers and I vaugely remember reading a book I received for Christmas and the Zelda theme song is softly ringing in my ears. Yea, I'm pretty sure it was a nice long weekend.

On to the next major holiday, New Years! Greg only had New Year's Day itself off, so after work on NYE, we drove up to Winston-Salem to Evan and Leah's and spent a riotous night with them. And by riotous I mean that Leah and I fell asleep on the couches while the boys smoked cigars and drank Evan's homemade beer and then woke us up at 11:40 to see the ball drop. Does "old souls" fit here? Or are we just old?

The next day we slept in and then all lounged around in our PJs until about 2. That's one of those tests of true friendship, right there. Kind of like eating spaghetti together. Then we had steaks for lunch (thanks to Greg's grandparents who sent us a box of Omaha steaks for Christmas) and then homemade calzones for dinner. Eating and lounging, does it really get much better than that? Thanks, Hawkins, for your hospitality!

And now on to my excuse on why it's taken me a month to update our blog . . .

I'm 13 weeks along (due date July 24th) and we're still working on the first stages of training our little bean that it's not acceptable to make Mommy sick all the time. He's been a little stubburn at receiving our correction, but I think we may be turning the corner soon.

In all seriousness though, we are so amazed and grateful to be at this point in a pregnancy and to have a growing baby! We don't take any day or any good news for granted. I still feel like I'm holding my breath and probably will be for quite a while, but the Lord has kindly been answering my prayers that I would grow in excitement and anticipation of this child's arrival (as opposed to assuming that something is going to go wrong). I'm sure I'll have more commentary on that aspect of the pregnancy, but I'll leave that for another day.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, only a month late!

Flea Market Montgomery

2008-12-15T18:45:00.001-05:00

Just b/c Greg and I felt we hadn't drawn attention to this recently enough . . .

Biltmore

2008-12-12T14:01:00.003-05:00

Wow . . . finally a new post =)

The Monday before Thanksgiving we were able to take a drive up to Asheville with my parents and Dad's parents to visit the Biltmore. Greg had never been before and I think the last time the rest of us has visited was circa 1995. And we had never seen it decorated for Christmas.

I didn't take many pictures because you're not allowed to bring your camera inside and it was cold and rainy that day so we didn't explore any of the gardens. But Greg and I did upgrade our passes to an annual pass, so there will be many more visits and hopefully more interesting pictures to accompany them!

Lunch inside the stables

They had a professional photographer taking pictures for holiday cards . . . this is a bootleg copy

It's Christmas Time!

2008-12-01T11:20:00.002-05:00

Well, we've had a pretty busy (and really fun) week celebrating Thanksgiving with our families. I can't wait to post the very few pictures I took and tell some fun stories . . . but I'm still recuperating and cleaning house from all the excitement =)

In the meantime . . . check out some of our favorite Christmas music on the side bar. My all time favorite Christmas song is O Come All Ye Faithful (but Amy Grant's TN Christmas is a close second) . . . what is your favorite?

Weekend in DC

2008-11-11T07:58:00.009-05:00

This past weekend Greg, Mom, Chelle and I took a quick trip up to DC to visit my grandparents and paint their living room. We had a wonderful time with them and got all the painting done. There are still some final touches that need to be taken care of (like switching out outlets, hanging new blinds and putting some art on the walls) but the room itself has been rescued from the dark wood paneling.

In between coats of paint, we were able to hear my Pawpaw tell stories. He's in his 80's and as the result of multiple strokes, his short term memory is weak; but all Chelle had to do was ask him how he met and fell in love with Mawmaw and he shared clear and detailed stories for nearly 2 hours about their love story, his career in the Marine Corps and his many tours overseas. What blessing for all of us to hear our family history and how his life was spared multiple times in combat situations. My only regret is that we didn't have a video camera or tape recorder.

While we were there, we got to visit our very close family friends, the Mercados, at their church in Ashburn, VA and then go out to lunch with them. Sushi on a Sunday afternoon. It really doesn't get more perfect than that. Our time together with them really was too short and missing about 1/2 of our families, but (Uncle Dave and Aunt Susie . . . are you reading this??) we're hoping to see them when they come to visit for Christmas (right??).

We were also visited by one of Mom's best friends from jr high/high school, Helen Jo. It was a lot of fun listening to her tell stories that Mom has conveniently forgotten over the years. She comes from an amazing family and she and her Dad played an integral role in Mom's salvation.

Because we were working all week, I didn't get many pictures at all. We were hoping to get out and walk around DC all lit up at night and see the new Air and Space Museam Annex, but we ran out of time . . . I guess we'll just have to take another trip soon.

But I did get some pictures of the room we painted. To truly understand the significance of the change you have to see some before pictures. Unfortunately, I didn't take any before we started working and the only ones I can find are from Christmas morning 2006. Please look past the people and only focus on the walls. I know you will do that for me. =) (We really have no airs about ourselves on Christmas morning and make no attempt to be picture perfect and cute while opening gifts. Bed head all the way . . . )

Ok, you get the point.

And now, after:

Doesn't it look so much better? I can't wait to see all the finishing touches completed.

**Photo credit** The first picture, of the Capital in DC, was taken by my friend Colleen Mercado and stolen by me since I wasn't able to get downtown this trip.