Baby did great yesterday. We got to hear his/her heartbeat (a strong 153) and set the ultrasound for Oct 17th!! I don't think I kept track of Henry's heartbeats, so I figure if I blog it I will at least have it down somewhere. Until you can feel the baby move, that heartbeat is the most precious thing ever. Man, I can't wait to feel those kicks.

I've got a busy afternoon filled with busyness and getting stuff done and hoping Henry takes a monsterous nap. I won't be blogging again until next week. Hope you all have a great week!

My little boy is sleeping and I'm waiting for RJ to get home so we can go to our baby appt! RJ came to the last one, but we thought it'd be fine to bring Henry with and because of that RJ was out of the room and didn't get to hear the heartbeat. So, he's very excited to hear it today. This is going to be one of those quick 5-minuters, but then my next appt is the big ultrasound when we get to find out what kind of baby we're having!! I can not wait. I'll leave my guessing/trips through the wives tales for another day though. I've got lots of ideas.....:)

I was in a Bible Study a couple of years ago with some great gals, and we've finally decided to start 'er back up again so the gang is coming over tonight. Should be a good time.

Alright, more baby talk later. Happy Monday and Happy Fall!

In honor of Fall.....

An amazing chili recipe!!

Black Bean Chili

8 ounces bacon (about 8 strips) cute into ½ inch pieces
2 medium onions, chopped fine (about 2 cups)
1 red bell pepper, cut into ½ inch cubes
2 tbl fresh garlic or 1 tbl garlic salt
¼ cup chili powder
1 tbl cumin
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 lbs 85% lean ground beef
2 cans (16 oz each) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can (28 oz) tomato puree
table salt
tomato juice

1. Fry bacon in large Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring frequently, until browned, about 8 minutes. Pour off all but 2 tbls fat, leaving bacon in pot. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, oregano, and cayenne; cook. Stirring occasionally, until veggies are softened and begin to brown (about 10 minutes). Increase heat to medium-high and add half the beef; cook, breaking up pieces with spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Add remaining beef and cook, another 3 to 4 minutes.

2 Add beans, tomatoes, tomato puree, and ½ tsp salt. The chili at this point is very thick. If you like it that way, then just bring it to a boil and then reduce to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Otherwise, add tomato juice to get to the right consistency for you; (I add a good 4 cups or so) bring to a boil and then simmer. Beef should be tender and chili dark, rich and thick. Adjust seasoning with salt.

Enjoy!

Minnesota

Ode to Minnesota.

This ode neither rhymes nor has any attributes that would attain to a normal ode, but here goes.

I once fell in love with a man who lived in Minnesota.
I'd drive hours to this state, very quickly, to see this very man.
I once woke up at the crack of dawn to surprise this man at Northwestern College without having a clue as to where I was going. I figured St. Paul couldn't be too big.....
I quit a job at Sticks that I'd only had for 2 months, without having another job, and moved to this state so I could be closer to this man.
I spent the first 8 months of my married life with this man there.
Then we moved back to our home state just south of Minnesota. (And Sticks eventually hired me back!)

I always love to go back to Minnesota with this man that I love.
It has so much more than that stupid, big mall. Yes, it's fun to shop there, but seriously, there's so much more.
I love driving by our old, somewhat cruddy, first apartment and neighborhood in St. Louis Park, baby!
I love going to Uptown and Lake Calhoun.
I love going to Punch Pizza, The Edina Creamery, and The Edina Grill.
I will always have a slight fascination with the state of Minnesota.
And I will always love the man who introduced me to it.
The End.

This morning, I walked in to get Henry from his crib and he had thrown his diaper out and was in his little birthday suit. The first time, folks. Thank goodness it wasn't dirty, though I'm sure that's coming quickly....

More interesting posts to come tomorrow and then it's a week long break from this here blog world....

It's the first day of MOPS today! It's going to be a good day....

Partially Wordless Wednesday

Partially because we've had a super (fun) busy week and I'm worded out! I've had loads of great conversations with some great gal pals. That always does me good. And Henry's had a blast in the meantime too. So, here's our week so far.....

this was actually a couple of weeks ago, but what a tricky position to get stuck in, eh?

totally boy

to totally girl

totally looking like a 5 year old

totally keeping an eye on the neighbor's cat

I'm tired!

A month ago, I was incredibly down and lonely in this little house and feeling very sorry for myself. The last couple of weeks, and this upcoming week are jam packed with fun-ness. Henry and I sat down for Sunday morning breakfast and I realized that he hadn't eaten a meal in his chair since Thursday lunch since we've been out and about so much. Monday is usually my babysitting day, but I got the early call and we didn't have to go over. This doesn't happen too often, but when it does it never fails that it ends up being perfect timing. Henry was able to sleep until 7:15 for the 3rd day in a row! He was up during the night a couple of times, but sleeping in that late is fantastic for him. In fact, he's already resting again--don't know if it will turn into a nap, but it is awfully quiet. He has some major catching up to do on sleep!


The weather is going to be gorgeous this week! I'm happy to see the sun again. I liked the first one or two gloomy days, but as much as I love fall, I wasn't quite ready to see summer be completely gone.

Well, I hope you all have a great start to your week!