Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

I needed to get rid of some very ripe bananas so I made some chocolate chip banana muffins yesterday... they turned out pretty good.  I think I still have some tweaking to do.  I have another recipe for banana bread that I have used forever but wanted to try a different one... I think I like my old one better.  I did change a lot to this recipe recipe that I used yesterday but only things that other people mentioned they did. 

Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi

Today I decided to try and make mahi mahi for my first time.  I made a ginger glazed mahi mahi with wild rice and veggies... it turned out very tasty!!  I will definately make this recipe again.  Not the prettiest picture but it tasted good!! :)

It's A Boy!!

So we went in for our u/s and got to see our baby again!! I didn't sleep very well... not sure if it was the anticipation of finding out the sex of the baby or just the baby not letting me sleep lol. When I took my shower I told the baby that it was picture day!! I had to drink 32 oz of water in 30 minutes and hold it for an hour after that. If you know me, I have the smallest bladder and on top of that I never drink that much and I drink really slow lol. So I felt my bladder was full but the lady told me that it wasn't but it would be ok. This time we got to find out the sex of the baby... and the lady said that she is 99% sure that it is a boy!! Plus we got to see his boy parts!! So Armond and I are both real excited... this is the first boy out of the grandchildren!! I know little about boys since I was in a house full of girls and all my sister's children are girls... so this will be a crazy new experience!! The lady said that the baby was very cooperative with her and at the end she wanted to show us his boy parts one last time but I guess he knew that his job was done because he went to sleep and wouldn't wake back up lol. :)

The Not So Joyous Part of Pregnancy

So yesterday we went to Hachioji to a place called the Hub for a last night out for one of my husband's co-workers. I haven't ridden on a train since November which is because I got sick. In Novemeber we rode the train to Nakano to go to a gaming store and everything was fine on the way there. On the trip back, the train was way more crowded and hot. Then I started to feel hot/sick and told Armond that I needed to get off of the train... the next stop was Tachikawa which is the station we had to switch trains at. I hear the person on the speaker say "Tachikawa next stop" but it seemed like forever!! I was sooo scared that I was going to spew all over people. Once the train stopped I ran off the train and made it around a corner to let it all out. Not a fun experience and I decided that I wouldn't ride the train anymore. Well last night I thought "Well it's been a while since I have ridden on a train and I am no longer getting sick all the time so it shouldn't be that big of a deal." Man was I wrong!! The trip there was fine because I was sitting down. On the ride home I was standing up and the train was hot. I began to feel like the last time and it was just awful. Again I told Armond that I didn't feel good and again we have to switch trains at Tachikawa! "Tachikawa next stop." We didn't make it... so I had to hold it in! YUCKO!! Once we got off of the train my sight got blurry and then all of a sudden I couldn't see at all!! This has never happened to me before and I was a bit scared. Armond had to guide me... eventually with the fresh air I felt better. On the next train one of our friends asked an american if he could let me have his seat because I was sick and pregnant. He told her that I should go over to the area that was for pregnant people and ask someone there to move. She told him that she didn't speak Japanese and it would be easier if he would just let me have his seat. His friend was very nice about it because his wife was there and she was also pregnant so he got up for me. I just can't believe how uncourteous he was. My husband always offers his seat to women!! Anyways the rest of the trip was good. I think maybe standing up is what makes me sick... the swaying of the train while I am standing. I think I will just pass on riding the train if I can for the rest of this pregnancy!

I finally took it out

I took out my belly ring after about 10 years. One of my longest relationships lol besides my family and some of my friends! I had been kind of putting it off but since my belly is growing I figured it was time. Some people actually keep it in and it leaves a mark because of their growing belly and I decided that it wasn't worth the risk of the ring either getting pushed out or making an ugly mark. Some people actually buy a plastic ring that bends just for pregnancy but I didn't think it was actually worth the trouble. They say that sometimes the hole actually stays open but sometimes it closes. I guess if it's meant to be it won't close on me lol. I don't know that I will think that having a belly ring is for me after I have this child.

First Time Cooking Asparagus!!

So last night I made asparagus for my very first time!! It was delicious!! The only thing that I did wrong was eat before dinner but that wasn't all my fault. My very good friend conned me into going over to her house with fresh strawberries!! So I went over to her house and she fed me fresh straberries, pineapple, cheese, crackers, chips/dip, and veggies right before dinner. I had already planned to make the asparagus so I followed through with it. My hubby cooked the steak while I cooked the asparagus. I steamed the asparagus while I cooked onions, garlic and mushrooms and some seasonings together. I chopped up some pecans (p can :)) and drizzled them with a brown sugar and butter mixture and then toasted them in the oven. Toasted pecans are soooooo yummy!! Once they were toasted I added them into the onion, garlic and mushroom mixture for a few minutes. I then took that mixture and topped the asparagus with it! I loved it but couldn't eat all that much since I snacked before dinner :(. My hubby enjoyed it and had seconds!! This is definately something that I would cook again!! I love finding/making good recipes!

Valentine's Day 2010

This is the cake that I made my hubby for Valentine's Day!! I made some cupcakes to go with it too but they weren't that cool so I didn't post them.

The morning of V-day, my hubby made breakfast! Very cute... he made toast with egg hearts!













Then for lunch I made egg salad sandwiches for my first time... which I thought were pretty tastey so I would definately make them again... no picture of the sandwiches... they were a bit messy!



Once the movie was done we went back home and made our Valentine's love pizza... ooooohhhhh!! My hubby and I make homemade pizza together... it's a bit time consuming but oh so yummy and worth it. I actually think that it is a very fun activity! So because it was V-day we made the crust into the shape of a heart!!

























When the pizza was finished cooking we watched P.S. I love you! Cute movie... kind of sad though. This was the end of our love filled day!! I love spending time with my best friend!!

Fried Cabbage

So I bought some cabbage the other day. Wanted to see what I could do with it. Well today I realized that I still hadn't done anything with the cabbage. I looked up some cabbage recipes and settled on making this fried cabbage. The comments/responses were good and so I figured that it couldn't be all that bad. It has cabbage, bacon, cheese, onions and garlic in it/on it. I didn't know what to put with this... so I decided that since it was kind of southern I would make some cornbread. It actually turned out well. Armond said he would eat it again lol and that he really liked it. The cornbread went great with it! Yay for making yummy food!!

18 weeks and 5 days

So I am 18 weeks and 5 days pregnant!! Its been an interesting experience! We go in 8 days to do the ultra sound... might just be able to find out what the sex of the baby is! I had a scare yesterday... thought there could be something wrong with the baby so Armond and I went to Urgent Care. All is good with the baby and me. They checked the baby's heartbeat which was nice and reassuring to hear. So many changes when you are pregnant... no more drinking whatever you want, you experience symptoms that you have never before had, your on an emotional roller coaster, your body is no longer just yours. I have experienced morning sickness through my first 3 months, food aversion on top of that... just glad that I am out of the first trimester!! I had to eat something constantly... not a lot just snacks here and there... but it was hard because I didn't have an appetite. If I didn't eat I would get sick... so my best friends were pretzels, animal crackers, water and milk! Now that we are past the first trimester I can actually eat!! So many people are pregnant right now and no one seems to worry as much as I do. I guess maybe its because I always thought that once I finally decided that it was time to start having children, I would have trouble conceiving. Then when we decided to try, it happened faster than I expected. So it was like can this be too good to be true? I worry all the time. Am I eating right, am I eating enough, am I drinking enough water, will I be a good mother, will I enjoy being a mother... so many things because of this little baby growing inside of me. I didn't want to tell people right away that we were expecting because I was scared. They say that miscarriages usually happen in the first 3 months. We waited until after Thanksgiving to tell our families which was about 2 months. Then announced it at about 3 months after we got to hear the heartbeat and see the baby for the first time! Its still not totally sinking in for me. I look at other people that are posting pics of their bellies and I feel like mine isn't showing much. Someone says they feel flutters and I think why am I not feeling flutters. I know that every pregnancy is different but I am just waiting for this babies arrival... I guess I am a bit impatient!! :) So I am anxious for our appointment on next Wednesday... which is in a week... I am ready to see this baby again and hear more about the baby!!