Baked Ziti

During my weekly chat with Erica today, she told me about how she made Baked Ziti Saturday night for a dinner party. Erica always makes the yummiest dishes ~ she's such a good cook. I told her it sounded delicious and that I might attempt to make it tonight.

It was Erica who told me about Allrecipes.com - it's so great - so I went online and found what looked like a pretty simple recipe. I wrote out my shopping list and went off to hit the gym and stop by our old place to pick up mail before heading to the grocery store for the items I needed. I couldn't wait for dinner!!!

I got home around 7:30pm and got to work. (I even called Ben on the drive home to ask him to start a pot of boiling water so I would have a head start!) It took me about 45 minutes to put it all together complete with torn fresh basil on top. I served it with a green salad and garlic bread and if I don't say so myself, it was a huge success. :)

Here's the proof:

The new couch

I am so excited about our new couch! I've always wanted a big, soft, sectional couch and now we own one. It takes up most of the family room, but I think it works well in the room. Here are a few pics.
View from the TV:


View from the corner with the kitchen in the background:


View from the kitchen looking towards the fireplace:


As you can see, our walls are still bare. We haven't yet unpacked the pictures, so we really need to get to that so that we're not staring at bare walls for much longer. :)

18week belly pic & appointment update

Today we are 18 weeks pregnant and Ben and I went to my 18 week checkup. First things first, I stepped on the scale to find out I've gained 11 lbs since I became pregnant. Not bad, considering both the fact that I've been slacking on the walking lately and that I'm 2 weeks away from hitting the half-way point!!!

Here's the latest belly shot:


Everything is looking good so far. Can't wait for the ultrasound on the 29th to get some more pics of baby boy!

New bedroom furniture and bedding ~ for us

We finally decided it was time for a king-size bed. So after shopping around for a new set, we chose this one. After sleeping in a queen-size bed for so long, it seems like Ben is so far away from me when we go to sleep. (He's enjoying that.)


Enlarged for my mother who has really bad eyes. :)

Where in the world is Riley???

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It's his favorite new napping spot. Not sure why. Maybe he's finding hiding spots for when the baby comes?

Baby Boy's wardrobe so far ~ I love it!

Baby boy has the beginnings of a very cute wardrobe! Kelly got him the "Daddy's Little Wingman" onesie and the green stripe pajamas, and Uncle Mike & Aunt Lindsey got him the blue polo onesie and the Ralph Lauren Hawaiian print shortsie, along with the blue onesie 3-pack, bib, cap and socks! He's so spoiled already!! Thanks for the beautiful outfits guys!!!

Kel's birthday ~ Ben gets baby holding practice

Kelly, Kayla, and Molly came over this past Monday to celebrate Kel's 29th birthday (it was the 4th) with takeout and chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. Kayla is 7 & 1/2 months now and is almost crawling!

Whenever we're in the presence of a baby, I'm doing everything in my power to get Ben to practice his baby holding skills. So before they hit the road, Ben said he'd try holding Kayla (after many requests). Although a little awkward at first, he did a good job!

Molly rescued her before she started crying...

17w4d belly pic

This weekend I think I'm finally going to break down and buy some real maternity clothes. I've been getting by using the bella band with my normal pants, but that is getting uncomfortable. Hopefully I'll be able to find some things without spending a fortune.

Erica, if you thought I looked pregnant in the 16week belly pic, check out these pics:

The tree in our front yard is in full bloom!

It's so pretty!!!

When Daddy is in charge of the bottle...

We were over at Luke's for the final Caps playoff game, and Kathy was getting a bottle ready for Sofia. Sofie is about 6 months old now and is completely adorable. We hadn't seen her since the email with photos came out annoucing her birth. Baby boy can't wait to have playdates!