The Doctors Wife

Oh My Gracious!

I seriously cannot believe how fast time is flying by! Mike and I were going over the calendar for the next few weeks and I got a little freaked out. Partly because this is a busy time of year, and partly because my dear sweet husband started asking me if I had my hospital bag packed? (no) and made the comment about how if the baby was early, we could end up with a Christmas baby. (really early) So I started thinking and while I think it is a little early to pack my bag (I drove him crazy when I was pregnant with Hannah- he felt I was waiting way too late to pack) it is making me think that I should perhaps make a list (you all know how I love a list) and perhaps purchase the things on that list that I do not have. So I spent a good part of Hannah's nap making lists, scheduling appointments, and crossing things off my list (ahhh the satisfaction). So while I am sure that my calm is sure to be met with stressed out fits, for now I feel like I am facing the next few weeks with a plan, and it is a realistic plan that will actually allow me to enjoy the holidays and still feel prepared for the new baby. But seriously, next week is Thanksgiving?! Oh my gracious!

*I would like to add that Mike just read this and wants the people to know that I only packed my bag with Hannah after an OB appointment when I was told that I was dilated to 3 cm- even though this was still several weeks before my due date. And I would like to add that I had plenty of time and when the time came my bag was indeed packed. Clearly this is still an area of contention for us.

The Good, Bad and Ugly

What has gone on with me while I have been "away" (in no particular order)

Cuddling
A car that won't start (Mike's)
Tears (Hannah's)
Missing my husband
A tow truck
Vomit (Hannah's)
Tears (Mine)
A play-date
Laundry
House guests
Multiple trips to multiple stores
A cold front
More house guests
More cuddling (by the fireplace)
A trip to the mall (soo unbelievably busy)
More tears (mine and Hannah's)
Planning (so much to plan for, so little time)
Cooking (lots)
Rain
Being so happy my husband is home

Tis The Season (Well...Almost)

I love Christmas! It is my very most favorite time of the year, and I have to use a great deal of restraint to not bust out the decorations, music and holiday cheer as soon as November rolls around. So the rule is no Christmas music, decor, etc. until after Thanksgiving. My husband greatly appreciates this "rule" and knows that on our trip home from Thanksgiving we will most certainly be listening to Christmas music. All of that being said, last weekend at Target I saw that Faith Hill has a new CD- and it is a Christmas album! Needless to say it found its way into my cart and I cannot tell ya'll how I have been eyeing it, wanting to rip off the plastic and pop it in the CD player. Well, I am planning on putting Christmas music on Hannah's playlist that she listens to at night and decided that of course I needed to preview this new CD to find out if any of the songs would be included on Hannah's playlist. So out of the deepest motherly love for my child I listened to the CD in my car yesterday on my way to the doctor. It may or may not have made me a little weepy, which may or may not have anything to do with me being pregnant. And I may or may not have had to give myself a minute in the parking garage to collect myself before heading into my appointment. (which went well by the way, I was applauded by the doctor for posting a weight gain- easy to do the week of Halloween and your child goes trick or treating, but isn't old enough to eat 90% of her goodies) But back to the topic at hand, it is a really good CD and I highly, highly recommend it. So if you are looking for some new holiday tunes I think this is a great album!

Recipe Swap Box

Time for another Recipe Swap hosted by Randi at I Have To Say. Since the weather is cooling off, I am in the mood for soups, stews, crock-pot dishes and all of those foods that are too "heavy" for summer. Today I am sharing a recipe for a really delicious chicken vegetable alfredo soup. A friend made it for a get together a few years ago- and yum, I had to get the recipe! It is easy and delicious!

Chicken Vegetable Alfredo Soup
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped broccoli
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1 garlic clove, diced (I usually add more because I am in love with garlic)
1 jar alfredo sauce
1 can chicken broth
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 tablespoon snipped basil
Grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
Chop/ dice broccoli, carrots, onions, bell pepper, and garlic; place in saucepan and add broth- bring to a boil. Cover/ reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or until veggies are tender crisp. Add chicken and alfredo sauce. Simmer 5 minutes or until heated through. Remove from heat and add basil, sprinkle with parmesan and serve.

I serve this with fresh bread and a salad or sandwiches (these go great)

I hope you enjoy! Head on over and check out other great recipes, or post one of your own! Thanks to Randi for hosting!

Happy Halloween

I hope you all are having a fun Halloween. While Halloween is not my favorite holiday and I have mixed feelings about it, I have decided to make the best of it. Today we hosted a Halloween play date- Hannah was a little overwhelmed (or perhaps just annoyed that I wouldn't let her have a cupcake) and cried during the first part of our morning, but once lunch and cupcakes were consumed she was good to go. I made vegan cookies and cupcakes- and yum! They were really good and didn't have nearly the sugar/ fat/ calories of regular cookies and cupcakes. (Angela would be proud!) Hannah took a nice long nap and then my mom arrived just in time for trick or treat. Isn't she the cutest little bee you've ever seen?

Happy Halloween!

Overwhelmed! Now With Hormones!

The past couple of days I have been feeling really overwhelmed. I have so much to-do it is ridiculous, I am not anywhere near being "caught up" from being on bed rest, and combine that with they everyday things that need to get done, plus everything we need to do to get ready for baby #2, and yeah... tears. Big, fat, pregnant- hormone filled tears. I am getting to the point where I am just about finished doing things that I can do by myself, so to keep making progress, I need help from Mike. Now Mike is the sweetest, most helpful husband I could possibly ask for, but he has a two part test (that is actually important- yes even as a resident you still take tests) that is over the next two weeks that he has been/ will be studying for. What set this whole thing off was the first part was supposed to be on Wednesday, but it got moved back a week. This means that the one free weekend we had this month to get some things done is now going to be spent studying. (which I totally understand and support- it is important that he does well on this test) I am just looking at the calendar realizing that a lot of things are going to be put on hold again, and now it is going to be November before we can get to them. As in, next month November. As in, I am running out of months between now and the birth of the baby that has been hanging out inside of me for the last five months, November. Top that off with the fact that the stupid *&&^#%@#*$()# UPS man rang the door-bell (completely ignoring my sign to please NOT ring the doorbell) waking Hannah up a mere twenty minutes after I got her down for a nap. Never in my life have I wanted to chase someone down and slap them while screaming words that would make my mother ashamed of me. So, yeah, it's been a little crazy, and the hormones? Well, they are raging (clearly) and that is not making things any easier. But on the bright side (oh yes, there is always a bright side) my parents are coming to visit this weekend and are on their way as I type. I am looking forward to seeing them and getting to relax a little. We are going out tomorrow night to celebrate my birthday (it was in August- but I was too sick to celebrate) and I am looking forward to partaking in some serious deliciousness (I am still 10 pounds underweight so I still have a lot of making up to do). And I know I will get a couple of things crossed off my list while they are here- so even though I've been feeling kind of down- this weekend is going to be great!

Am I The Only One?

Have you ever been drying your hair only to wonder, "Did I rinse the conditioner out?" No? Just me then?

Happy To Be Out!

It has been a full week of feeling good!! I cannot describe how excited I am to be up and about!! I have four months of things to do and it feels wonderful to finally be able to start! I have been on an organizing spree and running errands that have been long over due. I am enjoying being out and and so is Hannah! She is so happy and active- and she loves to get out. Even running errands, she seems to enjoy being out as much as me! I never thought that I would enjoy running errands so much- but being stuck in bed for so long, even running to the store sounds good. My to-do list is a thousand miles long and I can feel overwhelmed if I think about it too much, but I am just happy to make a little progress every day. I have a full week planned and the weather couldn't be more perfect. I hope you all had a great weekend!

Rain Rain Go Away

I am tired. We have had severe weather where I live, accompanied by flooding. While we are fine and only suffer from a very soggy yard, it has been a long rainy day, preceded by a long stormy night. I have grown up in part of the country where severe weather and tornadoes are a normal thing this time of of year, but I was up for a couple of hours last night watching the weather making sure that we were in the clear of any threats. Unfortunately for me the forecast is showing rain over the next several days- which is putting a damper on my plans of hanging out at the pool with my cutie-pie swim buddy. (We did manage to make it out to the pool over the weekend and Hannah is a fan) So I am now trying to come up with a plan b that includes toddler friendly indoor activities. (Why not finish unpacking? Nonsense! The boxes add a little something to the decor.) I hope you are nice and dry!!

Ahhhh...Internet

Oh internet, how I missed you. The cable guy was here all day getting us hooked up and now I sit with the luxury of a full-sized keyboard on which to blog. Unfortunately I spent most of the day in bed. My grand plans for finishing the kitchen got tossed out the window, and I unpacked nothing. So I will be going to bed as soon as Top Chef is over and hopefully will be feeling better tomorrow! And I will hopefully get some pictures posted!