Hello Blog!

Well, I am not nearly as awesome as I thought I would be since Makaila was born.  I had all these visions of multi-tasking and accomplishing much more than I actually have been.  I don't have to point out that the blog has been sadly neglected ever since she was born.


Makaila has been keeping me busy, and our hectic lifestyle hasn't helped much either.  I can't even begin to express how anxious I am to settle down and stop living out of suitcases!  I will do a full blog about Makaila's birth and I will do some posts to catch everyone up on her progress in the last 3 months.  She is 13 weeks old now, and in her little lifetime she has moved one and a half times, traveled halfway across the world and then across the United States, attended a wedding, was the star at her baby blessing, and has won the hearts of everyone who meets her.  We have been blessed with a very special baby girl.


Trip and I are also doing well.  We have decided that Ohio is not the place that we were supposed to settle in after all, and we are heading back to Utah to stay.  Trip has gotten some job interviews and his resume has been generating a lot of interest.  I am just trying to stay on top of things while taking care of this bundle of energy.


Here is a video of sweet Kaila Bean conversing with her Pop-pop Baker.  This will have to do until I set aside some more time to post pictures, etc.

Memories

Trip and I were talking the other day, and I pulled another classic "pregnant brain" move; I had the most random thought and decided to share it mid-conversation.  This thought was funny enough that he suggested I blog about it and I figured that was a good idea because who knows when I will remember it again :)


If you have been reading this blog much, then you are probably aware that I did not have the greatest first tri-mester.  Thankfully, the worst did not begin until after the 30 hour flight from the United States to Malaysia (seriously sooo grateful for that!).  Well, sweet Jack and Tigger were unaware of these changes that I was experiencing, so they didn't really understand why I was suddenly spending so much time at home and so much time cuddling with them in bed.  They certainly weren't complaining, but they just couldn't understand why I would freak out if they tried laying on or walking on my stomach.


It wasn't long after we got back to Malaysia before I got sick with them in the room.  Apparently, before pregnancy, Trip and I never got sick around them because their reactions were priceless.  I was running to the bathroom and didn't quite make it (poor Trip had to clean up my mess...I am so lucky he loves me!).  I threw up on the floor at the foot of the bed and Jack immediately put his tail between his legs and started getting real low to the ground like he was going to get punished for my mess, or like I was angry at him or something.  Tigger walked to the foot of the bed and just started crying.  Anyone who has heard her bellow before knows that we own the loudest cat in the world.  She just started freaking out and meowing as if to say "what's going on?!".  Somehow, I ended up comforting both of them even though I was the one feeling lousy.


Of course, less than a week later, my getting sick was old news to them.  Whenever I would throw up, Jack would come over to check out what I had eaten and Tigger would try to stick her face next to mine so she could watch.  What weirdos!

Sleeping

Trip and I recently moved in with the Sanders, which has been so much fun!  The only downside is that they have this ridiculously comfortable bed, which makes it really hard to get up in the morning.  They have one of those memory foam tops on the bed and we have loved it so far!  The pro's of the memory foam top is it has completely changed the way I sleep!  I used to wake up with a stiff back on a regular basis, but no more.  Ever since we started sleeping on this memory foam, my back has been pain free, and will stay that way most of the day.  I love it! (seriously, I want one)

The con's of the memory foam is that it steals all my motivation to wake up in the morning.  Also, because I sink into it so much, I literally have to roll myself out of bed.  Kind of like a beached whale :)  Another reason that it is just easier to lay in bed all day.  Unfortunately, just because I am not working for someone doesn't mean that there isn't work to be done.


Oh well, I will gladly take these con's over a sore back and sleepless nights any day!  Next pregnancy, we are totally investing in some memory foam :)

Quick update

I have been pretty bad at posting lately.  We have been packing up our things in preparation for moving out of our apartment, as well as moving back to America.  We have also been trying to get some last minute friend time in before the baby is born.  It's been fun, but I am just not nearly as effective as I used to be.


I am so big, it is slowing me down :)  I just can't do as much as I used to without getting tired.  I have to take frequent breaks and bending over is just ridiculous.  Sadly, I just haven't been able to accomplish everything in as timely a manner as I had hoped.


Anyway, things are going well.  I am feeling pretty good.  Trip and I are working out our plans and looking forward to having this baby join us soon.  We will keep you posted, and I will be trying to post more regularly over the next few days and weeks.

More pregnancy fun

I haven't really had many "cravings", until the third tri-mester that is.  Now, it seems like I am constantly craving Starbucks hot chocolate (I almost cried the other day when we passed a Starbucks and I didn't get one), fresh basil with mozzarella cheese, and grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup.  Those are the constants.  Every now and then I will think that something random and unexpected sounds good too.  For instance, on Sunday, I couldn't stop thinking about McDonald's french fries.  I also have been daydreaming about cheese on a stick from Hot Dog on a Stick...what is wrong with me?!  Most of these cravings aren't really that bad, so luckily I have not had a hard time telling myself no.


I have also noticed that I am constantly hot.  Poor Trip actually gets cold at night and I am still uncomfortably warm!  My biggest relief for this is the pool.  Malaysians don't heat their pools and I have been loving it!  I can get right in these days without feeling cold, and last night I went at 8pm and it still felt wonderful.  I will miss the year round pool weather when we go back to the US.  The other benefit to the pool is the relief that my lower back gets.  It seems like I am constantly sore these days thanks to Baby Bean's increasing size and the added strain it puts on my back.  Sadly, the cartoon really isn't that far off!

Furry Antics

Tigger has been getting bored with her surroundings lately, so to spice things up she has been getting more and more creative when it comes to where she lounges.  Trip was the first to discover her new "urban jungle" hiding place, and it's a pretty good one too!

Nothing to see here, just your ordinary curtains

Stealthy cat is almost invisible...

The last few days, we barely see her since she is busy staring out the window from the security of her hiding place.

You're ruining my solitude

What are you looking at?

She doesn't appreciate it when we ruin her hiding spot, but we couldn't resist taking some pictures anyway.  While Tigger likes to be "secretive" and play in private, Jack prefers to be the center of attention.  He will always greet us with a toy in his mouth the minute we come in the door, and he will often just stick a toy in our laps when he decides it is time to play.

I gave you my bear...now throw it

I got the bear, I got the bear!

Throw it again, throw it again!!

They are both so funny when they play.  I will have to post a video of them playing together too.  Those are my favorite moments :)

Where were you a year ago?

Me at dad's place, July 2011

Me in Penang, June 2010

 

I was going through pictures recently and came across some pictures that we took when my family came out to visit a year ago.  It is kind of crazy to think of how much has happened and changed in a year.  A year ago, Trip and I weren't ready to start having children yet.  A year ago, we were seriously thinking of extending our international experience for a couple of years.  Now, we feel like moving back to the States is the right thing for us, for now anyway :)  And we are definitely having children...ready or not!  Just funny to think of how much can happen in so little time.

Lemon Squares

Absolutely delicious!

I found this recipe on my friend, Dana's blog.  It looked so good, I just had to try it out and it did not disappoint!  These are a great little treat and they don't take very long or much effort to make either.  If you want the recipe follow this link here and you can get it straight from the source  :) 

Pregnancy Brain

Every now and then I am afflicted with something that I like to call "pregnancy brain".  This term is usually used when my mind goes blank or I forget something that I normally wouldn't.  Recently, Trip has also been exhibiting symptoms of pregnancy brain.  Between the two of us, we are starting to compile quite a list of funny moments.


Moment 1:  After one of our babymoons, I had gone to pick Jack up from the neighbors house.  When I got home, I put his food away, took care of his things and moved on to unpack our bags.  Later that day, I opened up the fridge to get started on dinner and saw this...

One of these things is not like the other...

Not sure how that got there because I don't remember putting it in the fridge at all!


Moment 2:  Trip made stir fry for dinner the other day.  Those who have eaten with us before know that we are huge fans of freezing rice for quick consumption later.  This time, we were low on frozen rice so we made a fresh batch.  It wasn't until a couple of hours later when I went to heat some food up in the microwave that I discovered the last of our frozen rice sitting there waiting to be warmed up.  I asked Trip if he had put rice in the microwave and he assured me that he hadn't...until he saw the rice sitting there.  That's when he realized that he too was experiencing pregnancy brain.


Moment 3:  It was my turn to teach the Young Women a few Sundays ago, and I had been reminded several days before. It wasn't until literally 1 hour before class that I remembered to look at the topic!  Needless to say, it was an interesting lesson and I had to confess to the girls that I have become rather forgetful.  Lucky for me, they are a forgiving group :)


Moment 4:  Trip was getting ready to take Jack out this morning as usual.  He put his collar on, put him in his crate, and took him out to the elevators, as usual.  When he came in to grab a key, he sat down at his computer and promptly forgot all about Jack for the next hour...it wasn't until we both heard Jack's collar jingle that he jumped up and said "oh crap, I forgot about Jack!"  Pregnancy brain struck again.


I know there are other classic moments, like when I forget what I am saying mid-sentence, but true to form, neither one of us can remember any at the moment!

Claimed!

For some unknown reason, Jack gets really excited whenever we pull out new towels.  We recently discovered that when I am sitting on a towel to do stretches, he will get in the way because he just has to sniff every inch of it.  He really doesn't appreciate the fact that I get in his way while sitting on the towel.

Trip put a towel down to do sit ups on the other day, and Jack immediately claimed it as his.  It was too funny not to share.  Jack must have learned that if you don't sit on it immediately, you may lose to someone else!  Looks like Trip lost this time :)

31 Weeks

I am currently at 32 weeks, but my pictures are from week 31.  We are now entering 8 months and things are looking good!  I got my RhoGAM shot yesterday, which basically prevents my RH negative blood from producing antibodies that will attack my baby's blood, if she is RH positive.  Good times :)  


The doctor says everything is looking good and when we did the ultrasound, she was still in a great birthing position...this girl is just ready and waiting!  They estimate that she weighs about 4 pounds now, so she still has some weight to gain, but she shouldn't be too big either (thank goodness!).  I am now going to be getting a checkup every 2 weeks or so, which is kind of crazy.  I can't believe we are almost at the end of this pregnancy journey!  I am nervous and excited all at the same time.

Strawberry Banana Cupcakes

I came across this recipe a long time ago and then forgot all about it.  Recently, I rediscovered it when I was looking for something new to bring to a party.  I thought they turned out pretty well and they aren't bad as cupcakes, but I think next time I will not frost them and just have them as breakfast muffins.  They stand alone really well, and were more dense like muffins than cupcakes anyway :)

Banana Strawberry Cupcakes

Makes 20 Cupcakes 

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup vanilla sugar (or substitute regular sugar, which I did)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• grated zest of one lemon
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1 cup of chopped strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, stir the eggs and the oil. Add the bananas, strawberries and lemon zest.
4. Add to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Spoon into cupcake papers, about 3/4 full
5. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 
6. Cool on a wire rack and frost.

Cream Cheese Frosting

(This is my standard recipe)

Ingredients

• 4oz Cream Cheese
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• 2 cups Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 stick butter

1. Mix together.  Can add more vanilla or sugar to taste.

--

If you try these out, let me know what you think!

Lesson learned the hard way...

Yesterday I discovered that a project I had completed a couple of years ago did not get backed up like I thought it did.  This project was something that I spent tons of time on and it was meant to be a resource that I could turn to and reuse in the future.  The time to reuse it has come and now it seems that it is gone.  The really lame part is that Trip had tried telling me to put it into Google Docs, and even offered to show me how to do it, but I was too proud, and convinced that using a word document would be just as good.  That was before I realized how smart and awesome my husband is...


Now that the computer it was saved on has crashed and there is no backup I am wishing that my pride and poor judgement had listened to reason!

Presents

I am such a lucky pet mom.  I have a cat who insists sleeping on me no matter how hot or cold it may be because she loves me.  And I have a dog who loves me so much that he even thought to get me a present for my birthday and our "eternal" anniversary.


For my birthday, Jack got up on the bed to cuddle when Trip and I woke.  He fell asleep and, like a toddler, proceeded to wet the bed.  How did he know that all I wanted for my birthday was to wash the sheets?!  What a sweetheart.


For our sealing anniversary, Jack waited until the end of the day to surprise us with his present.  Trip went downstairs to meet a friend who was spending the night with us and I took the trash out.  We were absent for literally less than 2 minutes, but that's all he needed to prepare his surprise.  It took me a little while, but eventually I went into our room to grab my water bottle and noticed that it smelled funny.  I started checking the floor and didn't see anything, then turned and saw it...Jack had pooped and peed right in the middle of our bed!  I should mention that we had taken him out no more than 15 minutes before he left this little "present" and he, in his generous and loving nature, had decided to wait and surprise us instead.  It went all the way through to the mattress, and yes, it was 10pm and too late to wash everything and be able to sleep in our own bed that night.  I was so happy about this that I didn't even think to take a picture until too late.  Oh well, that's what memories are for.

Happy birthday mom!!

Happy Birthday to me!

It's been a few weeks since my birthday, but it's never too late to post about the celebration :)  Mom and Steve timed their departure so that they didn't leave until after my birthday, so we were able to celebrate together.  We didn't do anything big this year, just went out to dinner with the Clark's on Saturday and had a relaxing day playing games on Sunday.  It was nice to just spend time together.  This is my last birthday before I have a baby, so it was really nice to take advantage of sleeping in and being lazy :)

I know I am wearing the same thing in a lot of these posts, but the shower, towers and birthday dinner were all on the same day, so not much I can do about that.

Thanks to those who celebrated with me!

Independence Day

Celebrating the 4th of July is always fun, but when you are not living in America, it doesn't always happen (for obvious reasons).  That doesn't mean we don't remember it, it's just not easy to make a big deal about a holiday that the country you are residing in doesn't recognize.  Well, this year we ended up celebrating more than we thought we would and we had a great time thanks to Carl and Paula Curtis!  They hosted a dessert potluck on Monday and invited a bunch of us over.  That afternoon, Trip and I went over to help Scott Sanders make his famous Peanut Butter Chocolate cookies and I made Strawberry Banana cupcakes (recipe to follow soon).


At the Curtis' house, we read part of the Declaration of Independence and played a trivia game.  And, of course, we ate.  Here are a few pictures that I managed to take.

Group shot

I love the look on Trip's face here

As things were winding down...so a lot of the food is gone

It was nice to get together with friends and celebrate the freedoms that we were lucky enough to be raised with.

Petronas Towers

While mom and Steven were visiting, we decided to do the typical Kuala Lumpur tourist thing and visit the towers...you know, the ones that put Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the map :)  The visitor's center and tour itself weren't really that impressive, but the views from the towers were beautiful.  Here are a few of the pictures we took.

Trip and I on the sky bridge at the 43 floor

Trip on the 86 floor with one tower and KL Tower in the background

View from the 43 floor (similar to the one from our apartment, but much higher)

Same view but from the 86 floor.  Pretty amazing!

Malaysia Baby Shower

My dear friend Hilary (who is also pregnant and due just a few weeks before me) was kind enough to throw a shower for me a few weeks ago.  It was beautiful, simple, and so nice to spend some time visiting with friends that I haven't seen for awhile.  Here are some of the pictures that she managed to take while we were visiting and opening presents.

The food was so yummy and the decorations were so nice!

These cake pops are something that I really want to learn how to make

I really like this picture

This wasn't the whole group, but it's one of the few pictures with Hilary in it (one the end next to me)

Thank you, Hilary for a wonderful baby shower!

Das Chops

I really should be catching up on Mom and Steve's visit out here as well as what we have been up to lately, but Trip (amongst others) has been patiently waiting for me to post about his long anticipated chops.  So, here they are in all their glory :)

The before shot

The after shot

A good side shot

Steve showing off his pimpin' suit and Trip showing off his fluffier chops (and general Irish awesomeness)

Jack wanted to be a part of the picture and just came and sat there on his own

Got chops?

My second trimester

The second trimester was an interesting combination of residual morning sickness and rapid waist expansion.  The first six weeks were much like my first trimester which, if you read about it, was less than awesome.  However, once I hit week 19 ~ 20, I was able to remember what life was like without nausea and a whole new experience began.  I re-discovered food and spent a ton more time in the kitchen baking and cooking.  I didn't realize how much I missed that! 

I started showing (finally!), and my body decided to make up for lost time and gain the first trimester and second trimester weight all within about a month.  It was kind of shocking to get on the scale in the doctor's office at my last appointment and hear how much I had gained, but when you look at my weight gain overall, it actually isn't that much.  Within a span of about 2 weeks I "grew out of" all my pants and was left with 2 dresses, 3 skirts, and 1 pair of shorts that still fit.  No more procrastinating shopping for maternity clothes for me!

Anyway, I have tried to make the most of this trimester by socializing (I still have friends?!) and traveling (see the Babymoon posts for details).  Trip has enjoyed the second trimester as well because I have actually been wearing makeup and doing my hair again, so I look like a human being  :)

The best part about this trimester is experiencing Baby Bean's development.  We found out that our little "jumping bean" is a girl, and we couldn't be more thrilled.  (This has been confirmed at the last 2 ultrasounds, so we are pretty confident that we won't be surprised on her birthday)  I started feeling her move this trimester, which is both awesome and sometimes weird.  When I first started recognizing her movements it seemed like she was always hitting my bladder.  It was such a foreign feeling, I knew it was the baby.  Sometimes I joked that she liked to jump on it, but I think she must have known that was the best way to get my attention because since I have gotten better at feeling her, she has left my bladder alone.

She sits low in my belly, and even though she moves a decent amount, she is not as active as other babies that I hear about.  She rarely rolls around; instead she just kicks and punches and occasionally jumps.  She has gotten the hiccups a couple of times but not very often.  Baby Bean often sleeps during the day and gets active around 9 or 10 at night.  Sometimes she wakes me up in the middle of the night...looks like we are going to have another night owl on our hands!

Trip and Baby Bean have had a great time getting to know each other too.  When she is poking me, you can actually see my belly move (reminds me of a popcorn bag when it's popping).  Once, Trip poked my tummy while talking to her and we could see her poke back in the same spot!  They did that a couple of times and he got a kick out of it.  It seems like most of the time I tell Trip to come and feel and then she will stop moving...typical :P  She has been nice to me so far and avoided my ribs (for the most part) which I appreciate because I don't like that feeling at all!

The second trimester was all too short and very sweet.  We have enjoyed having some time to get to know our baby's personality a little better and of course, we have loved getting some good quality time in before she joins us  :)  Here's to a smooth third trimester and delivery!

Bad Parenting

Waiting to see the vet and not too sure how she feels about it

Quick Update:  Tigger's x-rays showed no foreign objects in her intestine, so the worst case scenario did not happen, thank goodness!  Looks like it was a false alarm and she is doing just fine.


To some people, pets are just pets.  Similar to other household items, they are just one more thing to take care of and should it become inconvenient to keep a pet, they find some way to get rid of them.  To other people, pets are family.  They stick with you and you plan around their needs just like any other family member.  These people would do anything to save their pets.  Of course, these are 2 extremes and most people fall somewhere in between.


Trip and I both treat our pets like family.  I believe that even though they are not "people", they are still living and breathing creatures with distinct personalities and they deserve to be treated as such.  I recognize that pets are not the same thing as children, but part of the reason we brought Jack and Tigger to Malaysia (and we will take them back to the US with us) is because we took on a responsibility when we adopted them and we take that seriously.  Unfortunately, just like caring for children, caring for pets is not always easy.  We started out by being very conscientious caregivers; the kind who would never let a regular vet visit slip by and who would notice the second something seemed amiss.  However, living in Malaysia has made the regular vet visit difficult (they don't do preventative medicine here), and lately I feel like I keep missing things that I shouldn't be missing.  


Poor Jack had an allergic reaction to the flea spray that the vet used when we put him up for boarding one weekend, and it took his hair falling out for us to notice (how did we miss his itchiness?!).  Sweet Tigger hasn't gone to the bathroom in a couple of days and it took that long for me to even notice!  As soon as I did, I took her to the vet, but I'm afraid that my negligence means that the situation is not going to be good and she will suffer for this.  I hate knowing that it all could have been prevented too.


I brought some balloons home after my baby shower (post about this to come soon), which was mistake number one.  I should have remembered that our vet had told us not to have anything with strings around because Tigger would eat the strings and that could cause some major problems.  Mistake number two was when I caught Tigger eating said balloon strings and still didn't remember what the vet said.  We did get rid of the balloons, but the damage had already been done.  On Saturday, Tigger threw up 3 times, but then started acting relatively normal.  We watched her on Sunday, but she seemed to be doing fine, so we promptly forgot about it.  That was mistake number three.  Yesterday, I noticed that she hadn't used her litter box, and we decided that if she still hadn't by the time we got up this morning, we would have to take her to the vet, which is where I just got back from.


The vet was very nice and I know that Tigger is in good hands, but I could tell that he was worried about her condition.  She is running a temperature and might have an infection, but the worst part is that he thinks her intestines are blocked.  If this is the case, then we will have to do surgery to fix it, otherwise they will go necrotic and she will die.  I had to leave her at the Animal Hospital so that they can do x-rays and watch her overnight and it is killing me!  This is all my fault and if I had not been so caught up in what was going on with myself, I would have noticed this sooner and things wouldn't be so bad.  How could I have become such a neglectful pet parent so quickly?  Am I going to be like this with my own children?  I feel like such a bad mom right now.

Welcome home

Captain Jack and Tigger were certainly glad to have us back from our little adventures for awhile.  Both of them welcomed us home in their own sweet way.

"Dad cuddles, my favorite"

I'm so happy, I look high...

I'm just gonna lay on your pillow and not move for a long, long time

Tigger was rubbing against Trip's leg for at least 5 minutes straight.  Of course, she stopped when we started videoing.