Lemon Crinkle Cookies

It's finally Spring in Minnesota! It took long enough to get here, but enough complaining about that. The first day the sun was shining and we had our windows open, I decided I needed a little something from the kitchen that made it feel like spring as well. [of course i needed something from the kitchen...]

I saw something on Pinterest and ran with it. I looked at several similar recipes, and this is what I came up with. The simplest, quickest little lemon cookies. They're so easy you might even judge me for what's in them. I'm ok with that... they took under a half hour to make, including washing dishes. And I didn't even need a measuring cup! They're light and lemony-- perfect for spring. And Mike's favorite part:  they're soft!  [first words out of his mouth when he took a bite]

What you need
1 box lemon cake mix
8-oz container of Cool Whip, thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten
about 1 cup powdered sugar, in a separate bowl

What you do
Preheat oven to 350 (because my oven takes about three hours to preheat). 
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, egg, and cool whip. It will be very sticky! Take a generous tablespoon of the batter, roll it into a ball the best you can, and roll it in the powdered sugar. Bake for 9-10 minutes, just until the edges start to turn golden-brown.

That's it! They kind of resemble lemon bars, except they aren't as dense as those sometimes are. And they're much quicker to make!

I hope you're enjoying your Spring, wherever you may be.

Baby W: 18 weeks

[i think i need to stop waiting til sunday night to take these pictures, 

when i'm in my sweats and half asleep]

Total weight gain: 10 pounds... actually 10.8, but the nurse at the doctor's office so kindly rounded down :)
Maternity clothes: Not yet, but I have a feeling it's only a matter of time before I have to break down and get some pants. Attempting to find some jeans that fit the other day was quite the challenge. They're just so uncomfortable! 
Stretch marks: Nope
Sleep: The biggest problem in the past week with sleep has been mid-day appointments and meetings. I understand the world operates from 8am-5pm, but that's when I sleep! This night-shift business is really wearing on me, especially when it's all week, every week.
Best moment this week: The doppler at the doctor's office was definitely a highlight. It's reassuring to know that everything is still happenin' in there!
Miss anything?:  A beer at the Twins game would have been nice. But my pink lemonade was refreshing too. (i sound like an alcoholic... nearly everything i've missed has related to alcohol.)
Movement: A few little flutters this week, but not really any more than last week.
Food cravings: Ice cream. A Blizzard, in particular. Or McFlurry, whatever. Something with chunks. Mike isn't much of a dessert or ice cream guy, so whenever I suggest it he turns it down. I still haven't cracked and done a shameful drive-thru and eat-it-in-the-car-alone thing yet, but it's getting dangerously close :)  But I don't dare get a whole container at the grocery store, I'd definitely eat the whole thing in 24 hours or less.
Anything make you queasy or sick?: Nope.
Aches and pains: I seemed to ache all over this week. My hips,  my left shoulder, my back. A massage and chiropractor sound great.
Starting to show yet?: You can definitely tell there's a baby bump there. Especially when I wear my regular clothes without a sweatshirt. 
Gender prediction: We had a doctor appointment this week, and when she did the doppler, the heart rate was 138. She says it's definitely a boy, and she'll be shocked if it's a girl! Still not definite of course, but she sounded pretty sure.
Labor signs: Nope.
Belly button in or out?: Still in 
Wedding rings on or off?: On, but super uncomfortable two different times this week. Maybe I had too much salt.
Happy or Moody most of the time?: Happy, except when I'm sleep deprived.
Most looking forward to: The warm weather to continue! It's finally been warm here the last two days -- in the 60s and 70s! I think we skipped the 50s altogether, but I'm ok with it. I'm just hoping it stays warm from here on out!

Baby W: 17 Weeks

Total weight gain: Not really sure. Conveniently, my scale is still in Omaha :) My guess is 8-9 pounds by now.
Maternity clothes: Still in regular clothes. I'm not super excited to go shopping for clothes that make me realize just how big I'm getting! I talked to a very pregnant friend this weekend (she's due in 3 weeks) and she said I can borrow some of her super-cute maternity clothes once the time comes. Win!
Stretch marks: Not yet
Sleep: I'm not sleeping all that well right now. I toss and turn a lot, and once I'm awake I can't go back to sleep. Hoping that gets better in the next couple weeks, but I'm not holding my breath. 
Best moment this week: Mike and I just returned from the Twin Cities, where we spent the weekend for a wedding of two Creighton friends. It was so great to see friends that we hadn't seen in a while, and of course to witness A&A's wedding!
Miss anything?:  Of course I could have gone for a glass of wine (or three) at the wedding... and maybe that would have improved my dance moves, but I didn't miss the headache this morning! Instead, my Shirley Temples were quite delicious :) 
Movement: I've had a few little flutters this week that feel like a goldfish swimming around, and from talking to a co-worker, that's probably a kick! It was fun to have more than one this week, so I'll let you know next week if it continues to happen more frequently.
Food cravings: As of yesterday, I could really go for some of my Aunt Linda's pickle roll-ups! Oh- and Mike finally caved and we went to Cherry Berry for frozen yogurt last week for a friend's birthday. YUM!
Anything make you queasy or sick?: Nope.
Aches and pains: I think my headaches come on Monday when I'm trying to flip my sleep schedule back for work, so I still had that this week. My legs continue to ache (I don't foresee that changing), and this week I've had a few lower back aches. That's probably only going to get worse too, huh?
Starting to show yet?: I think I'm almost past the awkward food-baby stage... surely no one can eat this many cheeseburgers?!
Gender prediction: No clue, but after talking to a couple friends this weekend Mike is 200% set on not finding out what we're having... so I guess it will be a surprise!
Labor signs: Nope.
Belly button in or out?: In, but still getting more shallow! 
Wedding rings on or off?: On
Happy or Moody most of the time?: Happy, unless you withhold food or sleep :)
Most looking forward to: We have another doctor appointment this week, so looking forward to hearing the heartbeat again. No ultrasound for another 3-4 weeks, but I'll take a healthy heartbeat any day!

Baby W: 16 Weeks

Total weight gain: 7 pounds
Maternity clothes: Nope. Wearing my BellaBand more regularly, and I had to buy a bigger pair of jeans, but still no maternity clothes.
Stretch marks: Not that I've noticed, and let's hope it stays that way! Still lotion-ing daily.
Sleep: Can't complain, still sleeping about 7 hours and waking up just once to go to the bathroom.
Best moment this week: I had a fun weekend with my high school friend, Rachael. We spent a few days in Minneapolis at Mall of America and Ikea.. it was loads of fun! Mike was in Pittsburgh for the weekend, so when he returned it was great to spend some much-needed time with him.
Miss anything?:  The hot tub at the hotel sounded great, but that's a no-no.
Movement: I had one more little goldfish-in-my-belly feeling, but still not sure if that was the real deal. I have a feeling I'll find out in the next couple weeks, because it should be happening more regularly.
Food cravings: Frozen yogurt! I keep trying to get people to go with me to one of those self-serve places (Orange Leaf-style), but no one has given in.
Anything make you queasy or sick?: Not really, but still avoiding raw chicken.
Aches and pains: Fewer headaches this week, but my legs still get achy after a long day (or night) of walking or standing.
Starting to show yet?: Yep, getting a little bigger each week, but still looks a little like a food-baby.
Gender prediction: Really not sure! After my heart-rate=girl comment last week, I was told that that was actually kind of high so maybe a boy. And my mom said she got some rockin' acne (sorry mom!) with a boy but not a girl... and I've got the acne covered. So who knows!
Labor signs: Nope, still not ready for that business.
Belly button in or out?: In, but it's getting a little more shallow. You can actually see the bottom now - ha!
Wedding rings on or off?: On
Happy or Moody most of the time?: Happy
Most looking forward to: The wedding we're going to next weekend. There will be some friends there that I haven't seen in way to long, and I'm ready to see the bride on her big day!

Baby W: 15 Weeks

Total weight gain: 5 pounds
Maternity clothes: Not yet; still in regular clothes. My jeans are starting to get pretty uncomfortable when I button them and wear them all day, so I started wearing a Belly Band a few days ago, and I love it!
Stretch marks: Not yet; I'm applying lotion at least once a day because I really don't want them! I'm using Palmer's Cocoa Butter... any better suggestions?
Sleep: I'm sleeping better than I was last week. When I go to bed, I fall asleep almost immediately, but I wake up at least once to go to the bathroom. No more 10+ hour sleep sessions, after about 7 hours I'm up and at 'em.
Best moment this week: We announced to everyone that we are expecting, and we were overwhelmed with the amount of support and love we received! It's fun to know that even so far away, people still sincerely care.
Miss anything?:  I never really cared about them much before, but since I've been told I can't have lunch meat, I've been really wanting a Jimmy John's sandwich. Less of a craving and more of a you-want-what-you-can't-have sort of thing. Also, Mike and I had a couple friends over for Taco Night and I could have really gone for a margarita or daiquiri!
Movement: I secretly think I felt a little something about a week ago when I was lying in bed. It definitely wasn't gas or hunger pangs, but just two quick little flutters in there. I don't know for sure if it was Baby kicking or not, so I'm not calling it the official "first kick". Haven't felt anything since then.
Food cravings: No real cravings, although I'll eat just about anything you suggest!
Anything make you queasy or sick?: I still haven't been able to cook chicken of any kind, and the smell of coffee still doesn't do it for me like it used to. But both are much less repulsive than they were in the first two months. 
Aches and pains: My legs get SO achy toward the end of the week at the hospital. My support stockings (real attractive) really do help, so I suppose I should invest in a couple more pairs. I'm having at least one headache a week, which is unusual for me. I try not to take any medications for it, but I've had to resort to Tylenol a couple times.
Starting to show yet?: As you can see, that's a yes! I'm at the awkward stage of baby bump vs cheeseburger bump, but it's definitely something there. 
Gender prediction: Not really sure yet... Heart rate was 152 which is a little slower so maybe a girl? But Baby was swimming around like a champ when we were listening to the heartbeat, so maybe a naughty boy? Who knows!
Labor signs: Absolutely not. Let's not even go there yet.
Belly button in or out?: Still in. My bellybutton has always been a pretty deep cave, so I have a feeling it will be a while before it pops.
Wedding rings on or off?: On, and only uncomfortable after going for a walk.
Happy or Moody most of the time?: Happy (I think... Mike might have a different opinion!).
Most looking forward to: Seeing Baby on the 20 week ultrasound!

Big News!

Although we waited until April Fool's Day to announce it publicly (in hopes that we could at least fool someone), it's true! Mike and I are planning to welcome a little one in September. It's exciting but terrifying at the same time. But hey, if the kids on Teen Mom can successfully raise a child, surely we can too!

We were hoping that we'd have an ultrasound picture to share with close friends and family by now, but the doctor says that everything looks so good there's no reason to do one yet. [I guess that's a good thing!] We'll have the first one at 20 weeks - almost 6 weeks away. We got to hear Baby's heartbeat last week though, which was super exciting - and relieving. Not being able to see what's in there and just trusting that everything is OK is pretty tough; if you've  been there before, I'm sure you understand that.

I'm currently 14 weeks along, and I intend to keep close friends and family updated week-by-week on here, starting this coming weekend. I'll let you know how things are going, what Baby is doing, and of course how the belly is growing. 

So far I'm feeling pretty good. I had a rough month or two- nauseous all the time and couldn't get enough sleep even if I slept for 18 hours a day. But that has since passed, and now I've got more energy and sleeping less. Working nights is still pretty rough on my sleep/wake schedule, but I'm surviving. At 13 weeks I had gained 4.5 lbs (Mike safely/wisely took the under on that bet), which for me is a lot, but it will only get worse I suppose. So far I still fit into all my clothes, they're a little snug. Mike has been wonderful about absolutely everything - keeping cold pickles stocked in the fridge (ha!), doing laundry when I'm too exhausted, and letting me sleep anytime I want.

Thanks to everyone for the well-wishes; we really appreciate your support and love!