Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving was especially relaxing and fun. We spent the morning practicing our regular tradition: watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and planning our attack for Black Friday! In the evening, we enjoyed chatting with family and friends at Mom and Dad's.

Black Friday was incredibly successful. We hit Kohl's, Target, IHOP, the mall, Toys R Us, Costco, and Target (for a second time). We stopped around 11:00 am, and we had either finished Christmas and birthday shopping all together or made a pretty big dent in it.

Since Black Friday, I've done quite a bit of wrapping. From now through Christmas, it should be smooth sailing!

Sarah's Birthday - Belated

We celebrated Sarah's birthday a couple weeks ago. It was great to get together with the family and help Sarah mark her 9th birthday! We dined on Papa John's pizza and ice cream cake for dessert. Sarah received a ton of toys and games and seemed to really enjoy herself. Anyway, I think one of the best parts was the birthday tiaras. Check out the pictures:

BB2 at 18 Weeks

Here's this week's update from babycenter.com:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

Speaking of gender, we're scheduled for our next sonogram on December 8. If baby cooperates, we should be able to find out whether BB2 is a boy or girl!

Turkey Noodle Soup

Here is a phenomenal turkey noodle soup recipe. I make this soup throughout the year - not just at Thanksgiving. I often substitute chicken for the turkey. I also add an extra can of broth.

Cooking spray
1 cup (1/4-inch-thick) slices carrot
3/4 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup (1/4-inch-thick) slices celery
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 cups (3 ounces) uncooked egg noodles
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 bay leaf
2 cups shredded turkey (about 8 ounces)
Coarsely ground black pepper (optional)

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add carrot, onion, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is lightly browned. Add celery, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; sauté 3 minutes. Add broth and next 3 ingredients (through bay leaf); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add shredded turkey; cook 3 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Sprinkle with coarsely ground black pepper, if desired.
Original source: Cooking Light

Daddy and Sydney's Bike Ride

About a month ago, we purchased a Burley tow-behind trailer for Tom's bike. The trailer basically allows Sydney to ride safely along while daddy goes on a bike ride. Anyway, today was the maiden voyage for the Burley. Check out the video.

Updates

Wow - it's been a while since I last posted. Oh well. Things have been busy around here. Sydney and I have been busy getting back in the swing of things with playgroup and other activities. Tom's been busy at work and at home working on the shower. I don't want anyone to get too excited, but we have new tile permanently attached to the shower floor. All that's left is grouting, sealing, and caulking - how long could that possibly take? :)

As far as fantasy football, there is big, big, big news.

Did you hear? The Reptiles won! At my expense. Oh well, it was a long-time coming, and they deserved the win with a whopping 140 points scored. They not only beat me, but also took the top spot for high score of the week. Gooooooooooooo Reptiles!

BB2 is steady growing. I think it's safe to say that my belly button is well on its way to being an outie. I have been experiencing some massive headaches, so I'm headed to the neurologist this week to determine the cause. I think most everyone agrees that I *must* be carrying a boy and, therefore, *must* be experiencing hormone-driven migraines. We shall see.

BB2 at 14 Weeks!

Here's this week's update from Babycenter.com:

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

Night 2 with the Toddler Bed

Night 2 with the toddler bed went way better than night 1. Last night, Syd slept from 7:30 pm to 5:45 am with no interruptions! YEAY! I tried to put her back to sleep at 5:45 am, but she was ready to get up, so we ended up starting our day at 6:00 am. Oh well... I'd much rather have 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep (for me) and get up at 6:00 am than a later wake up with plenty of interruptions. Let's hope today's nap is easier than yesterday's!