Pumpkin Muffins

Everyone knows how much I love pumpkin.  Love it.  It's part of the reason I love this time of year so much -- there is pumpkin and pumpkin spice EVERYWHERE!  This week, my sister-in-law Jill gave me a recipe for pumpkin muffins that I was dying to try --

1 can of pumpkin
1 box of spice cake (or yellow cake) mix
1 bag of chocolate chips

Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes.

That's it.  Seriously.  Three ingredients!  I was skeptical, but I made them last night and they are DELICIOUS.  They taste just like a regular muffin, which is SHOCKING without the oil or eggs or any of your typical ingredients.  It's almost as much a mystery to me as Diet Coke cupcakes.  (How can a box of cake mix and a can of Diet Coke make such wonderful cupcakes?  I don't understand how it took me so long to find this recipe!)

Jill is the pumpkin expert -- she has an entire cookbook of pumpkin recipes! -- so I'm sure she'll continue to be my resource for ways to incorporate my favorite Fall flavor into my baking and cooking.  I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I did!  Happy baking!

 

Getting close!

1) Mindy and Doug will be having their baby any day now!  I'm super excited to meet my new little nephew, and also SUPER jealous that I will still have to be pregnant for a few weeks after Quinn gets here.  Maybe Quinn's arrival will make Gavin want to hurry up a little -- he'll want to meet his new best friend, after all!

BFFs

2) Work has been crazy lately because I've been picking up shifts here and there and learning a whole new set of tasks.  I feel good because I'm now cross-trained on most office jobs -- even though my job will change drastically once I get back from maternity leave and the office begins the transition to electronic medical records.  Then the real fun begins for me, as a huge portion of my job will be to help with the transition.  As for now, though, I'm trying to learn as much about office management as I can and really increase my rolodex of skills.  Stephen is also trying to broaden his professional horizons -- there have been some job postings at Mitsubishi that sound interesting to him, so we're getting his resume and cover letter together this week.  He's had a few people at work ask him if he'd be interested in applying for the open positions -- including the man who is currently doing one of the jobs -- so that's made him feel confident that there is no harm in applying at least.  He's such a hard-worker, and SUCH a team player at Mitsubishi, so we'll see what happens!  He also starts a new term in mid-November and will be taking a writing course and his first computer course (7 credit hours total), so it'll be a busy but really exciting end to 2011.

3) It's been awhile since I've posted some photos, so here are the updated photos of our finished nursery and bathroom:

We are so happy with how everything turned out!  The dot decals in the bathroom cost a whopping total of $15 and made a huge difference, and we love our new custom glider in Gavin's room!  He won't be sleeping in the nursery for probably 3-6 months (we have a bassinet we'll be setting up in our room), but the room is all ready for Gavin to love.  Plus...we can't wait to dress him up in all his cutie pie clothes.  

4) We're done with holiday shopping!  Since the baby isn't due until the end of November, and rumor has it that most first time mothers deliver up to two weeks late, we thought there might be a chance that Gavin will be a December baby.  That being said, there was no way we wanted to spend our first few weeks of maternity/paternity leave fighting mall crowds with a newborn.  So everything is purchased, wrapped, and ready to go!  :)  Now the hard part is keeping our gifts a secret.  I'm the world's WORST secret-keeper when I find a gift for someone that I know they'll love.  I usually end up giving Stephen his gifts early because I just can't wait to see him open them!  So I'll have to keep my mouth shut for the next two months, but I'm really happy to have that huge task knocked off my to-do list.

5) Speaking of our to-do list, there is still a long way to go before reaching the end of it, but we have managed to take some time to enjoy typical Fall things like pumpkin patches and football games. 

HAPPY FALL!

Photography

I love photography and have always tried to document special events -- it's just nice to have mementos from great days to look back on when things get a little rough.  So, Stephen and I were planning on having maternity photos taken last month so I could look back on this experience and remember the good things about being pregnant.  (It was also meant to give me an excuse to get all dolled up and feel somewhat pretty again.)  Unfortunately, my computer had a meltdown and we found ourselves needing to spend that money on a new one rather than on maternity photos -- so we cancelled the session.  I didn't really mind, because in all honesty, I don't really feel like I look like myself, and I'm not sure I'll really WANT to remember the way I've looked throughout this pregnancy.  (Some people get the pregnancy glow...some people just sweat and swell.  I'll give you one guess which category I've fallen into.)  Now, when I've lost all this baby weight and my hair and skin start cooperating again...then let's have some photos taken.  Until then, I'd much rather have a new computer.

Still, I'm really excited to have photos taken of our newest addition when he arrives!  We hired our photographer last week and are really excited about working with her.  Check out her blog:

http://jenrosephotojournal.blogspot.com/

So here's the thing -- I don't think it takes much to make a newborn look cute.  Naked babies with little knit hats sleeping on blankets or in a buckets/baskets are ALWAYS adorable, so I didn't want to spend $500 to get a studio session and 10 digital prints.  Seriously, that's what some people were charging.  Our photographer is in the process of building her portfolio, so for $150 she'll come to our house for 2-3 hours, provide props for the session, and give us the rights to ALL of the retouched digital prints!  Her prices are going up in December, and we're due in late November, so we're feeling pretty proud of ourselves for stumbling across her blog.

Another thing off our checklist!  Still to go --

- Order and install room-darkening blinds for the nursery.

- Get our carseats installed.

- Pack my hospital bag.

- Build the bassinet and pack n' play.

- Get through six more weeks.

Third Trimester Blues

Oh...this week was not the easiest.

Like I mentioned earlier, work is starting to get exhausting.  I'm just sore and tired (constantly, constantly tired).  My body just feels really out of whack.  It doesn't help that temperatures shot up from 60 degrees last week to 85 degrees this week.  I don't know...aside from the physical ailments, I'm just getting antsy to meet our little one.  Time is flying and going SO SLOW at the same time, and with just over six weeks to go, I'm overwhelmed by the amount of work we still have to do while simultaneously feeling 100% ready to bring our baby home.  I'm totally emotional and totally uncomfortable and totally wondering how people do this pregnancy thing more than once.

Aside from the regular pregnancy-related stuff, our house decided to fall apart this week.  For starters, our bathtub was leaking into the basement -- Dad came over and fixed it earlier this week, so at least that's one problem solved -- but today, our electricity started going crazy.  Our lights were working, but our stove and dryer weren't.  Our clocks stayed on, but our garage door wouldn't open.  We felt like our house was possessed.  This happened a week ago and Duke Energy told us it would cost $700 to fix -- apparently we had a faulty underground wire? -- but then the electricity turned back on and all was fine.  We thought we had averted a pretty expensive crisis.  Then the lights started pulsing while we were using the washing machine last night and it all went downhill from there.  Luckily, we were able to get Duke out to fix the problem today, and since the issue was less than two feet from the transformer, the repair was FREE.  So, that $700 was able to remain firmly in our savings account.  Hooray -- Gavin can go to college!  :)

At the end of the day, our house is fixed and Gavin will join us when he's ready (he still needs to bake a little longer, I know) -- but I have just been feeling really ill-equipped to handle stressful situations (like our air conditioning not working when it's 85 degrees out), so it's been a challenging week.  Stephen and I are going to have a SUPER chill day tomorrow in hopes that next week will be better, calmer, and more manageable.  My mom sent me a text today that said "Sometimes you're the windshield and sometimes you're the bug."  Today, I was the bug -- but tomorrow, I'm hoping to be the windshield.  Or at least a less hormonal bug.

L'Shana Tovah!

Happy Rosh Hashana!  Here's hoping everyone's year is filled with sweetness.  Ours sure will be!

It feels like it's been awhile since I've written, but I guess it's been less than two weeks -- things have just been busy busy busy around the Dowd household.  For starters, we had another beautiful shower last weekend!  My parents hosted a couples shower for us at the Hilton Netherland in downtown Cincinnati, a place that is really special to us because we celebrated our engagement there in 2009.  We love brunch food, and the Netherland has an AMAZING brunch, so the shower was right up our alley.  :)  Lots of family and friends came to help us celebrate, and Gavin got spoiled with tons of goodies that Stephen and I have been trying to wash and organize ever since.  It's crazy to think that we have less than two months until we get to hold our baby...wow, I am SO excited!

Speaking of celebrations, Stephen and I celebrated three years together last weekend!  I came home from work on Friday to find beautiful flowers and a sweet card from my husband, and then we went to Bloomington for the evening on Saturday!  I was given permission to travel until 32 weeks (which is TOMORROW), so we figured it might be our last chance to get out of town for a bit.  We enjoyed the drive -- there is nothing quite like Fall in Bloomington -- and then had Mother Bear's pizza (YUM) and Jiffy Treet Pumpkin Pie Cyclones for dessert.  It was all definitely worth the drive.  Our one-year wedding anniversary is next month, and Stephen won't tell me what we're doing to celebrate...but I know it'll be a little closer to home.  :)

Also, it was my mom's birthday on Monday!  Stephen had school that night (despite the Cincinnati State strike), so we held off until Tuesday and had dinner at Outback with Mom, Dad, Doug, and Mindy.  The six kids pitched in and got Mom a DVR for her birthday, so now she can record the Michigan State games and Survivor marathons and watch them at her convenience!  She does so much for all of us and always goes above and beyond for our birthdays (there's a reason I love birthdays as much as I do), so it was nice to be able to show her how much she means to us.

The nurseries have really been coming together in the past week or two.  Stephen and I helped Mom build the crib for her nursery last week...SUCCESS!  After the Dresser Debacle of 2k11, we weren't sure we were the appropriate choice to help build furniture, but the crib looks great and there were no tears involved this time.  The under-the-sea nursery is incredible.  Literally incredible.  I'll have to post pictures later, and even the pictures won't do it justice -- but Gavin and Quinn are going to have some amazing memories in that room.  Dad got Mom a 40-gallon fish tank for her birthday, so they've been having fun filling it with colorful rocks, decor, and fish.  The coolest part?  Several of the FISH are pregnant!  Or, WERE pregnant...they had babies last night!  Some of the little ones became fish food (sad sad sad), but the rest are doing just fine.  Fingers crossed that they last and grow into big fish!  As for our nursery, we had our glider delivered today and now just need to hang all the wall decor.  We're planning on doing that tonight after dinner, so I'll take some pictures to share.  Our Hungry Caterpillar bathroom is also finished and looks GREAT.  Now all we need is the baby!

Work is getting more difficult because I'm starting to feel all the effects of the third trimester -- swollen feet, aching back, sore EVERYTHING.  I'm definitely not sleeping well anymore and am feeling enormous in general.  Stephen and I have been keeping active by going to the gym a couple times a week and on walks around the neighborhood and bike trail, but I'm really excited to get back into the swing of intense workouts again.  I miss Spinning classes.  I miss being able to get on the elliptical machine for more than 20 minutes without my tummy cramping up.  I think Gavin hates the gym.  :)  He's such a stubborn little boy already!

One last thing -- CONGRATULATIONS to my super smart husband for getting an A on his first big math exam this week.  Math was the subject he was most apprehensive about, but he is succeeding with flying colors!  :)  I love coming home and seeing him doing homework and studying at the kitchen table.

Off to eat apples and honey!  L'Shana Tovah!

Recipes

Along with my desire to clean and nest these days, I have an increasing desire to grow my culinary expertise.  As such, I have been searching for fun new recipes to try out.  Last week's challenge was to master a crockpot recipe -- and on Sunday, I accomplished my mission!

I've always been a bit hesitant to use our crockpot.  I don't really understand the concept -- I mean, why take eight hours to cook something when you could cook the same thing in less than an hour on the stovetop?  So, aside from barbecue meatballs, I've never cooked anything with our crockpot and it essentially lives in our basement with all the other unused appliances (bread maker, anyone?)  But on a quest for new recipes, I've been asking around for people's favorites, and while out to dinner with Bobby and Michelle last week, Michelle shared her friend's crockpot recipe for chicken tortilla soup:

1 pkg. boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 packets reduced sodium taco seasoning
1 packed ranch seasoning
1 can each black beans, red kidney beans, white beans, vegetarian baked beans, medium chili beans, corn, diced tomatoes, green chilies
1 can Mexican tomato sauce (found in special Hispanic section of most grocery stores)

Garnish: sour cream, shredded cheese, pre-cut tortilla strips (typically found in salad dressing aisle)

Michelle's version also included garbanzo beans and olives, but I figured five types of beans were probably enough, and Stephen and I aren't huge olive fans.  We also used only one ranch packet instead of two (to cut back on salt).

It was super easy to make.  I just put the chicken on the bottom of the slow cooker, covered it with the seasonings, poured in all the cans (with HALF the liquid drained from each), and let the whole thing simmer on high all day!  After a few hours, the chicken was so tender it literally pulled apart.  The chilies (which I had never cooked with before) gave it a nice kick, and the sour cream on top made it really creamy and wonderful!  Best of all, it was SUPER filling, so we had tons of leftovers to save for dinners and lunches throughout the week.

With a baby on the way, I'm trying to find recipes that can be easily frozen and saved for later.  Soups and casseroles seem perfect for that -- so I'm trying to add a few to my recipe repertoire!  So far I've mastered chili, chicken noodle/matzo ball soup, beef barley soup, and now chicken tortilla soup -- next up is potato soup!  My friend Morgan just posted a great recipe on her family's blog, so I'll keep you posted on how it turns out!  Fingers crossed...

What I'll Miss

There are a lot of things I'm looking forward to doing again when I'm not pregnant anymore.  On the list:

- Walking up a flight of stairs without getting winded.
- Eating spicy tuna -- cooked sushi doesn't quite cut it!
- Toasting with champagne instead of Kiddie Cocktails at weddings and other celebrations.
- Fitting into clothes that have actual waistbands.
- Being able to put my shoes and socks on without having to adjust around my belly.

The list goes on.

Still, despite the fact that I'm excited to chow down on a Fire & Ice Roll at Kyoto, there are definite things I'll miss about being pregnant, and I don't think I mention those enough.  So, here goes:

- Feeling my baby pumpkin kick.  I can understand how women feel a void when their babies are no longer safely in their bellies -- I've grown used to (and quite fond of) Gavin's little squirms.
- Preparing for Gavin's arrival.  It's fun to envision what it'll be like when our baby gets here, and actually have time to set everything up the way we want to!  Once Gavin arrives, there will be all sorts or other things to look forward to, but it's pretty fun looking forward to meeting him for the first time.
- Expectant mother's parking spots.  Stephen and I feel pretty accomplished when we find a grocery store or mall that has them.
- Food cravings.  Once this baby gets here, I no longer have an excuse to eat Skyline nearly as much as I have throughout this pregnancy.  Operation "I Hate Baby Weight" will commence 4-6 weeks after Gavin's arrival.
- Having Stephen talk to my belly and feel for kicks.  It's neat to feel so connected as a family.  I know that'll continue even when Gavin gets here, but there's something special about building that relationship.

Anyway, throughout the rest of the pregnancy, I'm going to try and focus on the things I enjoy about being pregnant rather than look forward to the things I get to do when the baby arrives.  Hopefully it'll make the rest of September and October fly by!

-----

Stephen and I have had a very good week in terms of baby Gavin.  We had our 3D/4D ultrasound on Thursday and found out that G is weighing just over three pounds and is right on track for where he's supposed to be.  I also got a clean bill of health, which is comforting to hear.  We got some great photos of his chubby bunny face, as well as a DVD of the ultrasound itself.  All in all, it was my favorite appointment yet.  Now I start seeing the doctor every two weeks...we're in the single digits for weeks left of this pregnancy!  Ahhhh!

I had my work shower on Friday night at Slatt's -- it was wonderful.  Beth and the rest of the people I work with put together lots of cute, personalized things for me and the baby, and we got spoiled with so many great gifts!  I'm washing some of Gavin's new goodies as we speak.  Dinner was great, the company was great, and I felt very special.  :)  Now I'm looking forward to another shower next weekend!

I also had the chance to celebrate my soon-to-be nephew at Mindy's shower yesterday.  Mindy looked adorable, and after all the gift opening, it became clear that baby Quinn is going to be a well-dressed little nugget!  I got to chit chat with Doug for a bit, which was wonderful because he's always sooooo busy, so it was a really nice opportunity to talk about all the exciting things we have coming up in the Berg and Dowd families.  I'm super excited for Doug and Mindy -- they are going to be incredible parents.

Alright, I think that officially catches this blog up on the big news.  It's hard to find time to update when there is so much going on!  It's only going to get crazier from here...  I can't wait!  :)