Baby Lyons | Baby prep and purchases

The snow I have been wishing for all year has finally arrived - in droves! We got a good 8-10 inches last night and woke up to a winter-wonderland this morning. We've finally started getting some "baby planning" checked off our list these days, so I thought I would share some updates. First of all, we have pretty much finished our registry - which is never really complete, right - but it's getting close.

We decided to use Baby List for the registry - with friends and family all over the country, we wanted something easy for them to view, use and select items for Baby Lyons. Although we don't get the in-store finishing perks, I think this is the best way to keep everything in one list - rather than tracking two or three registry's at once. We have heard awful stories about Target and how they never have things in stock... and never update your registry, so you get multiple items. Well, Baby List takes out the question and puts in all in the users hands. Now you can select yourself and be sure the item is removed from the registry. Seems pretty simple to use - I guess we shall see!

For Valentine's Day my mom and pop purchased our bassinet for us! It was so fun to open and of course, put together right away. We decided to go with a simple portable bassinet that can also be used for travel from the babe is really small. The Delta Travel Sleep Solutions bassinet comes in great simple colors that even matches our  master bedding too, so I think it will blend into the bedroom well for those first couple weeks or months.

As I mentioned during our bump-date last week, we splurged and purchased a snoogle! I held off for the longest time, because I really didn't think it would make much of a difference, but I was totally wrong. I used to be up 3-4 times a night, usually waking myself up and then taking a trip to the bathroom since I was awake. But, since sleeping with the snoogle, I'm usually up only once! It's been life-changing for a pregnant lady.

A few weeks ago on one of my road trips I made a pit stop at Target to do a little walking... aka, shopping of course. We all know the first thing {after hitting up the dollar bins, of course} you see when you walk in are the ladies swimsuits. whomp, whomp. I know this should be depressing to think about right now, but just seeing the bright colors got be super excited for summer. There is not doubt that I love summertime and would live with my toes in the sand if I possible.  I decided to take a look and this year bought myself a couple "Baby Bump" suits for this summer.  I have a really long torso, so one pieces just don't fit me and tankini's really look odd on me.  I did find a cute tankini-syle that had a nice open front, which broke up the long look of the fabric and also made room for the belly. Also love the flounce tops, which gives a little more coverage. These are the two I picked!

Last but certainly not least... speaking of warmer weather and sand. We decided to finally book our what everyone so affectionately calls, a baby moon. After taking a few long car rides and getting more and more uncomfortable - we decided it would be good to take once soon, so we booked it for three weeks from now. Eeek! I'm so excited to have one last getaway with just me and the hubs and relax a little. More on the baby moon location to come, stay tuned!

Mardi Gras in Lex

We had a wonderful weekend at home, spending time with good friends, working on the nursery, celebrating Valentine's Day and the best part - celebrating Mardi Gras in Lexington! The thing is, when you leave the little bubble of the Gulf Coast, it's like this fabulous month long celebration doesn't even exist. It's a shame really - I only wish I could share the excitement of Mardi Gras with everyone I meet - which is why I was so excited to find out that the Mardi Gras celebration was coming right here in little ole Lex. The Georges put on quite the celebration, complete with a jazz brunch, beignets, a second line band and after party.

Beignets!

sausage flatbread scramble, roasted red pepper grits, eggs benney, and andouille hash

{yes, I wanted to eat them all - but , don't worry - I shared. haha}

Bourbon milk punch. For the hubs of course. 

Second line parade!

...followed by an after party party at TAPS! 

It was a bitter cold weekend - complete with a light snow and 25 mph winds, but our Sunday celebration made it not even matter. Mardi Gras just makes everything that much better! Hope you are able to find a little Mardi Gras celebration near you - and if not - have yourself some jambalaya and call it a day! Laissez Bon Temps Rouler!

Happy Heart Day!

Just popping in to spread a little love this Valentine's day! 

via.

Also, wanted to share a few pics of Valentine's that we put together for the kiddos.

I found these adorable felt envelopes at Target in the dollar bins - such a steal! 

We are off to enjoy our first Saturday at home in weeks... with a great Valentine's breakfast and lots of work on the nursery. But first, a sneak at my beautiful roses delivered to my office yesterday by my hubs! 

Have a wonderful Valentine's day... doing whatever it is that makes you happy! 

Baby Lyons | Week 22

How far along? 22 weeks

Size of baby: A papaya (11.8 inches, 12.7-20.8 oz) 

Gender: Keeping it a surprise! 

Weight Gain: Up a total of 15 pounds from my pre-baby weight. 

Maternity Clothes: Trying to wear as many of my regular clothes as I can. Tops are still fitting ok, but bottoms are def out. The bump is really starting to pop out! Loving dresses, tights and loose tops. Looking forward to warmer weather, so I can start wearing lots of sundresses. 

Nursery:  Still not much progress, but we have big plans for the weekend. Picking out carpet, blinds and knobs for the dresser. Excited to get to work on it!

Movement: Still waiting. patiently. :)

Symptoms: Not too many - slight aches after workouts this week - but nothing bad. Tired, and defiantly logging some good sleep. Overall, feeling pretty good!

Sleep: We may have splurged on a snoogle this week!  Ever since, I've been sleeping like a baby. I'm still not sure how it helps so much, but it's been heaven. 

Workouts: Feeling pretty good during my workouts this week - mostly long walks - but feels good to be moving. I hit 10,000 steps on my Fitbit a few days, and that felt great!

Cravings: Umm.... not too much this week. Living off cereal, fruit, PB&Js, granola and yogurt. 

What I Miss: Still missing my cold deli sammies, but that's about all. Totally worth the wait. ;)

Best Moment This Week: Seeing lots of friends and AOII sisters in Nashville. Loved getting to spend Friday with my old roomie and her new beau - and enjoyed getting lots of good luck wishes and love from my AOII's on Saturday. The hubs and I made the most of our long road trip with lots of "baby moon" planning {to be announced soon} and other baby prep. It was nice having so much down time together to plan. 

Looking Forward To: A weekend home with my hubs, celebrating our last Valentine's as a family of just two, and getting the lil cubs' nursery together. Overall just feeling very content this week and blessed. 

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 Week 19 | Week 20 | Week 21

Tasty Tuesday: Grown Up Hamburger Helper

It's been COLD here in VA - and after a long day of work and dragging ourselves to the gym - the last thing we wanted to do was go to the store as well. So, we decided to clean out the pantry and see what we could throw together. What turned out was pure deliciousness! We called it "Grown Up Hamburger Helper."

Photo courtesy of the hubs, on his second bowl... since we scarfed down the first. 

Ingredients
1 lb. turkey sausage
12 oz pasta (any kind will work, we even used a variety of 3 boxes - one was veggie)
1 can cream of mushroom soup, we only used about 2/3's of the can
1 tomato, diced
1/2 onion, chopped 
2 tbls garlic, minced 
2 cups spinach or arugula (we used a mixed blend)
1 cup hot pepper cheese (really any sort of white cheese would work), shredded
Olive Oil
Black Pepper

In a large skillet, brown sausage in one tablespoon olive oil. Leave in larger chunks. Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente. Once sausage is browned, set aside (do not drain). Sauté onions and garlic in small skillet until fragrant. Meanwhile drain pasta and set aside. Add onion/garlic mixture to sausage and place over low heat. Add tomatoes, arugula and cream of mushroom soup and cook for 5-10 minutes. Season with pepper. Add mixture to large bowl with pasta - top with cheese, mix and enjoy! 

Such an easy week-night meal. Hope you enjoy!

Weekending

There is nothing I love more than a great Sunday at home. :)  While we had a fabulous weekend in Nashvegas, I was so happy to be home. I have spent the past 5 weekends on the road - and while I also enjoy my travels - sometimes a girl just wants to be home. But first, to re-cap our time in Nashville. Friday night we hung out with one of my besties and her new beau and enjoyed a great BBQ dinner at Edley's on 12th South. {My old stopping grounds... that I hardly recognize anymore.} We drove past our old house - and what used to be a huge house - could now certainly be qualified as a million $ home. It was beautiful! But, dinner was fabulous, and of course the best part was catching up with an old friend. Love you, Mols!

Saturday I sent the day in "panda land" with all my AOII's. It was a great day with Jess from PhiredUp, such a cool gal. She always has the best advice and perspective. Can't wait to share some of her great tips with my chapters. If you are curious as to what we do... check out her book, I Heart Recruitment.

Did I mention that Saturday was also my Dad's Mardi Gras parade and ball? We were so sad to miss... but now Mobile has a live feed, so you can watch all the parades from wherever you are. It was awesome! His float was "King Cobra" this year. Not that you can tell, but he's on the one on the top in front - with his head down.

Not quite like the real thing... but it'll have to do this year. I think this live feed will be up on my desktop all day on Fat Tuesday!

Saturday night J and I went to Sambuca in the Gulch - still one of our all time favorite spots in Nashville. We snagged a spot at the bar where we stayed for the next 3 hours, munching on some fabulous food and enjoying a wonderful band, The Familiar Faces. They were so great and had everyone up and dancing all night long!

After our weekend of fun, we hit the road early Sunday to get home and enjoy some of this beautiful weather!! We got home just in time to do a little grocery shopping, laundry, dishes and cleaning. You know, the fun stuff. Does anyone else get excited to do these things when you haven't done them in 5 weeks?? We also enjoyed some great burgers from the grill {yay for warn warm weather} and these tasty carrot fries on the side.

via.

Last, but certainly not lease - a quick shout out to my beautiful niece and goddaughter, Emilia Cay. She's such a beautiful little lady, inside and out and today she turns the big 5! Happy Birthday sweet girl!!

At her My Little Pony party. 

Baby Lyons | Week 21

How far along? 21 weeks

Size of baby: A pomegranate (10.5 inches, 12.7 oz) 

Gender: Well, this would have been our week to find out - we had our anatomy scan on Monday - but we kept our eyes closed {during that part of the ultrasound} and didn't peak. We're just so happy to have seen a healthy heart and a little wiggle worm, keeping the ultrasound tech on her toes for sure. :)

Weight Gain: We are defiantly growing - we as in me - I am up 15 pounds total. A little motivation to get back to the gym I suppose.

Maternity Clothes: O yes! Still getting by with dresses, tights and flowy tops - but my maternity leggings, workout tights and pants have defiantly come in handy!

Nursery:  Is starting to get organized. Somewhat. We did pick up a few odds and ends last week that I can't wait to share.  

Movement: The ultrasound tech was able to see that the baby is hiding behind the placenta, which is why I haven't been able to feel much of anything. Every now and then I get a little nudge. But after seeing the ultrasound, we know that baby is moving all over the place these days - so that was a happy! 

Symptoms: Very odd symptoms this week. Noticed a couple moles that have started growing bigger - that the doc says is completely normal - thank goodness. Waking up with a nosebleed most every morning, some are just small amounts, but still there. The past few mornings, I've woken up to a sharp pain in my ribs/stomach area. Doc says it's just my stomach muscles growing and stretching out - or maybe my belly growling. It's just funny. Laying on my back is totally out of the question now - after about 5 minutes I get lightheaded and hot.  

Sleep: Overall sleeping pretty good. An extra pillow is helping hold up the belly a little. 

Workouts: Getting back to the swing of things. Made it to the gym a couple times and out for a few walks and runs this week. It's defiantly getting harder, and I get tired much quicker - but taking it slow and pacing myself. 

Cravings: Salads, fruit, smoothies, peanut butter, yogurt and granola. Oddly enough, pretty healthy. I felt like I was constantly hungry all weekend - and really couldn't find a way to keep my belly full. So, trying to stick to more hearty snacks with lots of protein that fill me up! 

What I Miss: Sleeping on my back and belly. 

Best Moment This Week: LOVED our anatomy scan on Monday! It was such a re-assuring feeling to see that lil cub on the screen moving all around. We have lots of pictures of hands, feet, legs, heart, spine - and a cute little profile shot for the baby book. Look at that adorable nose. 

Looking Forward To: Our trip to Nashville this weekend to spend time with one of my besties and her new beau. Spending a weekend in my old stopping grounds is just what the sole needs - a little country music and lots of good food! 

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