And then there were 4.

Well, as of now there are 4 anyway!
4 what you may ask?
4 names.
Yep names, we still have not named this child!
In our last attempt to choose a name Mahlon and I both made a list.
We put any and every name on our lists that we could see giving our child.
My list had 14 names.
His list had 11 names.
There were 4 names in common.
For those of you who are not mathematically minded, that means that there were 21 names we did not agree on.
Ha!
The names that were on both of our lists are:
Harrison
Oliver
Micah
Nicholas

We are not saying that this child will be given any of these 4 names.
However, it's a starting place :)

Truthful Tuesday: Cooking Confessions

I have a few confessions to make.
Here goes.
Ahem....

1) In the summer time I let handy husband, also known as the grill master, take over most of the meals.
I mean why not?! He has this super duper grill that his awesome wife bought him for a wedding gift, the weather is nice and grill food is oh so yummy!

2)I will not attempt to cook anything that does not have a picture to go along with it in the cook book!
I truly believe that it's for the best interest of everyone involved :) A little visual aide never hurts!
Last night was a perfect example of both of these confessions.
Here is the recipe from last nights dinner- take note of the picture :-)

 

It's not easy to read the recipe so here it is:

Pork Packets:

2 Bone in pork chops

Onion soup mix

2 potatoes

1/2 cups of frozen peas

1/2 cups of frozen carrots

Butter, salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Place pork chops on doubled foil. Top with potato, carrot and peas. Sprinkle with soup mix. Seal foil tightly. Grill for 30-35 minutes turning occasionally.

As the grill master was preparing our oh so yummy pork packets outside on the grill I did at least prepare the side dishes (corn on the cob and mac & cheese). 

This is how the pork packets turned out.

Pretty much exactly like the picture-minus the carrots that we did not add. 

Yummo! He did a great job :)

One final confession. 

3) I did buy a package of cookie dough yesterday with the intentions of making cookies today. However, instead of baking the cookies, I ate 1/2 of the package of dough. 

Drats!  

He Looks Like.....

Who does our unborn child favor?

Hmmmm, lets see!

Mahlon's newborn picture:

(It cracks me up how much he still looks like this!)

Baby at 29 weeks

My newborn picture:

(with absolutely no hair!)

You can be the judge. I think he's pretty stinking cute either way :)

29 week update

How far along: 29 weeks 3 days

Total weight gain: 22 pounds

Maternity clothes: Sun dresses are my new favorite thing to wear right now.

Sleep: Pretty good. I will occasionally wake up and my arm or leg be asleep, but other than that no complaints!

Best moment this week: I can't choose! Here are 3.

1. Completing the nursery. I feel much more at ease now.

2. 3D/4D ultrasound. I just loved seeing his chubby little cheeks!

3. Starting a baby registry. There is so much cool stuff!

Movement: Tons! The ultrasound tech asked me "Does he always move around this much for you?" haha!

Gender: Ultrasound tech confirmed that he is still a boy :)

Labor signs: None

Belly Button in or out?  Still in, but quickly closing the gap on becoming flat!

Weekly Wisdom: Enjoy being pregnant! Do not get sidetracked by the minor discomforts but rather delight in the fact that you are experiencing these symptoms because there is a sweet little person growing inside of you.  

Milestones: At our doctors visit this week they estimated his weight to be 3 lbs 8oz :) That puts him in the 70% for his age. His head is getting bigger to support his growing brain. He looses much of the lanugo that has covered his body (tiny tiny hairs) in order to regulate body temperature, his brain and sensory organs are developed enough to do this on their own now. 

A post on parenthood

Parenting:

*Something we know nothing about just yet. 

*Something many others who already have children have shared their opinions, perspectives and advice with us on.

 Among the typical, and some negative, perspectives that have been shared with us regarding parenthood,there has been one very insightful and uplifting perspective that has truly made me smile :).

Last week while Mahlon was at camp, a fellow member of our church family shared this perspective on parenting with him.
" I like to say, before the baby, your life has been like a black and white movie. As soon as this baby gets here, your life will be in color. And color is a good thing. Like movies. Some black and white movies are great. There are the classics that you never get tired of watching. And, not all color movies are wonderful. But, over all, life is better in color."

I found this to be such a unique and positive way to look at the change that is about to occur in our lives.
There are the black and white memories that Mahlon and I will always have of our time together as "just the two of us". We have shared many fun times together and have endless black and white memories for the scrapbooks. However, we can not wait for this precious baby to arrive and splash some color into our lives!
Thank you church family, for sharing this point of view with us!

Wordless Wednesday: The View From Here.

29 weeks 2 days

Hello Somebody

We got another package in the mail today!
Nope, it wasn't something for the baby.....

These are our new Hello Somebody watches.
What is a Hello Somebody watch you ask, well let me tell ya!

"Hello Somebody is a non-profit brand that exists to impact and change the world through love, passion and creativity. Our purpose is simple: feed the hungry around the globe. 
Every day, people are sacrificially giving of themselves to feed, clothe, educate and medicate people worldwide through Hello Somebody.
You have the ability and the means to impact hundreds of hungry people by simply sacrificing a few dollars and spreading the word. Join the movement. Will you be a partner to bring positive change our world so desperately needs? HELLO SOMEBODY!

***Purchasing just one watch feeds 125 people. A donation of $25 feeds an orphan child for an entire year. A business contribution of thousands can build a feeding station in an impoverished area. Every dollar is essential and necessary to save a life"

This is a great ministry that God has provided for us to be able to help those less fortunate than ourselves.
Check out their website by following this link.

Handy Husband rockin the watch while playing video games

Me :)

Stephanie supporting the cause with her awesome pink watch!