Nursery Decor and Delicious Cravings!

It's been such a busy week! Between dropping my husband off at Police College, photographing a wedding and an engagement session, editing a bazillion photos, going out to eat (on multiple occasions!), hanging out with friends, and remembering to take a moment to relax, the past 7 days have flown by and here we are beginning week 23! Only 17 weeks left! Thinking about how fast the first 17 weeks came and went, it's a scary thought that I only have that many remaining in this pregnancy!

Luckily, I've been feeling fabulous lately! Still on the Diclectin to control my nausea, but thats really the only symptom thats persisted this week, so I can't complain.

Speaking of pregnancy symptoms, I had a mean craving for chocolate chip banana bread the other day, and finally got around to making it today! I've included the recipe and a few photos of the step-by-step deliciousness! This is the moistest, most chocolatey, and flavourful banana bread recipe I've tried, so I know you'll love it!

CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA LOAF

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

4 bananas

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

1 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

Heat oven to 350C

Combine and mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

Place batter in a greased bread pan (bottom only) or in muffin tins.

Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes then remove from pan. Complete cooling on a wire rack.

Serve & Enjoy! 

(I like to warm mine in the microwave for about 15 seconds, so the chocolate chips get all melty... nom nom nom!)

I had a million photos of nursery ideas/inspiration I wanted to post today, so instead of inundating you with random pictures, I made a little inspiration board for the baby's room! (Yes, today wasn't quite as busy as the past week!) I'll be ordering the bedding in the next few weeks, taping and painting the walls (hopefully this weekend), and shopping for art, accessories and other cute pieces to complete our little mans room! Knowing the rate that I work at though, it won't be completely done until the winter. Oh well - 4 months is plenty of time to make it just perfect!

Now for my outfit of the week posting! I went out for dinner last night (Indian, YUM!) with my two closest girlfriends, so we took a few snaps of my casual look for the bloggy! The striped top is non-maternity, but the skinny jeans are from Seraphine Maternity, and they're amaaaaaaazing! The perfect length, perfect colour, and they're super comfy! The elastic waistband is just the right thickness, so I can wear them after baby arrives as well :)

 Jeans: Seraphine Maternity

Top: Max Studio

Cardigan: H&M

Sandals: Birkenstock

Purse: Aldo

Until next week!

A 'Smorgasbord' update!

It's been a while! I've been super busy this past month with a course I'm taking for teaching, various photographic endeavors, and a cottage get-away, I just haven't found the time to post! Well fear not, dear friends, I'll be posting WEEKLY from now on!

I'll be 18 weeks pregnant on Sunday, which I just can't believe. Where did the last 4.5 months go?! We're almost half way done! I've got quite a few random updates for this post, so here we go...

First off, we bought our first "baby items" last week - a crib and change table for the nursery! They're due to arrive at the end of August, and I cant wait to set them up in the room and start planning/decorating the room!

That leads me to my next update... I had my 4 month pre-natal appointment last Friday and we got the requisition to book the comprehensive 2nd trimester ultrasound which typically happens between 18 and 20 weeks. I was hoping I could book it asap and get in during my 18th week but this particular clinic prefers to do it at 20 weeks since its more detailed and the sonographer is able to see more - so another 2 weeks to wait! We are both very IMpatiently waiting to find out the gender of this baby! I think it will make things that much more real since right now, it's still sometimes hard for me to believe I've got a life growing inside me! In addition to finding out the sex, though, the scan actually checks for some very important things. The sonographer will check that the baby is developing properly, and look at the position of the placenta in my uterus. The baby's organs, hands, feet, face, bones, etc will also be checked.

And what's new with me? This past month I've felt the most 'normal' I have so far. My nausea and morning sickness has subsided (I'm still taking 1 Diclectin before bed which helps me in the mornings) and as long as eat every couple of hours, I feel great! I'm hoping that by 20 weeks or so I wont have to take the Diclectin any longer, but I've also heard some women end up needing it for the entire pregnancy. I figure taking 1 per day is better than NOT taking it at all and not being able to keep down a single morsel of food.

I'm still not looking very pregnant, although I've gained 13 pounds already! I think my body needed the extra weight in the beginning since I packed on 10 pounds in the first three months without eating any differently. I'm actually supposed to gain 1-2 pounds per week until the end of the pregnancy but I've only gained 3lbs in the last 6 weeks. My doctor said my gain is on the low end, but she's not worried since some natually thin women just cant gain as easily as others. And believe me, I'm definitely eating! I have a feeling as the end draws closer and the baby starts to fatten up, I'll pack on a bunch of weight during the last month!

Anyways, I think thats about all for updates this week! I'm without my camera at the moment, so I'll post a bump photo in the next few days - I promise!