Hi baby peach, you are growing so quickly! We had a fun week didn't we? Not only did we get to see you in an ultrasound again but we had your prenatal screening done and you are looking healthy and I can already tell that you are a happy and energetic baby. You were bouncing all over the place, your dad and I couldn't stop laughing over how cute you were - the ultrasound tech didn't love us though it made it a lot harder for her to do her reading.

You are sticking true to how awesome I know you are going to be and you have still allowed me to do boot camps [not as often as before but thank you for allowing me to have some energy], you are sweets baby - that  box of brownies I just bought cannot wait to be baked, and you still haven’t made me get sick. I know you and I are going to be best friends.

Your dad and I have started picking out your nursery theme, until I know if you are a lady or a gentlemen though I won’t be able to go as crazy as I would like to. But your paint has been selected, you crib is about to be purchased [you should know that we are thanking Your aunts, Grandma & Grandpa Anderson for that] and we know dinos will be making their presence known in your room!

Your dad and I had some friends from Santa Barbara come and visit, we had a great time. They brought you a Brown Bear book set and some bubble bath for me. I am now on the search for a bookshelf for you because lots of our friends really want you  to read read read. It is really cute and I think you will like what they have chosen for you. I think you can start to hear us in a few weeks so we will start to read those to you then. 

We get to hear your little heartbeat next week, until then keep growing my little one.
 Love, your mommy 

I loved doing this with Rachel, Teresa & Ricklyn! Rachel took most of these photos too :)


I didn't grow up eating tamales like many people did but as I have gotten older I sure have developed a taste for them. I usually buy them off someone in a parking lots (my mom hates this) or occasionally I order them when out to eat but I always thought it would be fun to give making them a shot. Thankfully the women I hang out with are also adventurous in their cooking and didn't mind getting together for about 5 hours to make 60 or so tamales. A huge plus was that 2 of them have made these with their family before, so we turned to them for their recipe and all of their tips and tricks. I cannot say that I am an expert because I have only attempted these twice but to our credit, they were some of the best tamales I have ever had. 

If you decide to make these I suggest enlisting a few friends  to help you because its a lot more fun with wine flowing and when you don't have to do all of the work. This recipe was something we collaborated on via the internet and family tips. Hope that you give it a shot, you wouldn't be disappointed.

I  highly suggest heading to BuyLow Supermarket in Long Beach (4700 Cherry Ave  Long Beach, CA 90807) because you are able to find most everything that you will need there, you could make your own masa if you would like  but we went ahead and bought it already prepared.


Shopping list
- 3 large cans whole green chilies
- 6 cans whole corn
- 6 cans sweet cream corn
- 4 cans diced jalapenos
- Big block of jack cheese
- 3 fresh yellow wax chilies
- 2 tomatoes 
- 1 can enchilada sauce
- Box of Inter fold Deli Wraps (wax paper sheets)
- Box of freezer plastic bags
- 2 large bags of hojas (this is what the tamales are wrapped in, corn husks)
- 10 punds of prepared masa fina (this is the dough for the tamales)

First things first, the hojas. These need to be soaked for two hours hot water so that they aren't too dry to fill and then eventually steam. If you just want to let them soak overnight in room temp water you can go ahead and do that too. Then you want to take the prepared masa and put it in a big bowl, we stirred in the can of enchilada sauce to give the masa fina a little bit more color.
Then we went ahead and got started on the chopping, once you have drained the  cans of whole green chilies go ahead and slice them into four pieces - about the thickness of a finger. You will also want to slice the jack cheese about the same size. Tomatoes you can just do a rough chop because this will just be mixed in for color then do the same with the yellow wax chilies.

Now lets drain! Go ahead and drain the 6 cans of whole corn, the diced jalapenos and 3 of the cans of the sweet corn (you don't HAVE to do this but I just think in the end the tamale cooks quicker and isn't as wet at the end of the process ). Put all the chopped veggies and the canned goods into a pot on the stove and heat it through to get everything combined.

While the filling is heating you should probably get started on sorting out the hojas, you will want to pat them all dry and then one by one put them in a pile with the right side facing up, this was the hardest part for me but you want to have the side that you will be putting the masa on side up so that once they are cooked the masa easily comes off of the hoja. The way my friend told us to decide on the correct side was to slide your finger nail across is and the rougher side should be on the outside and the smoother side would be where you want to place your masa and your filling. Once you have these all set up you are ready to go.
Our tamale leader told us to use the back of a spoon while layering the masa onto the hoja, you want to to have the masa be about 1/4 inch think and very even so that when they steam certain parts aren't under or overcooked. If you spread it too thick, it will be difficult to roll up with the filling added and it will squeeze out onto your hand or counter. If you make it too thin, you will have the filling falling out in the steamer. You want  the masa cover the hoja from side to side and to the bottom but leave an area at the top about 1 1/2 inch. Once you are happy with your masa you put on stick of cheese, one piece of green chili and about a teaspoon of filling down the center. You will then want to fold the bottom up and then one side over the other.

We then wrap each tamale in wax paper and bagged them in Ziploc so that we could freeze the ones that we would be eating at a later date. While you finish your tamale prep keep the bags standing up so that the filling does not fall out of the tamale. This made about 75 tamales you could make more or less but I say the more the merrier, they keep in the freezer and I'm sure friends and family will be hitting you up for some. 
When you are ready to steam these babies  you could pull out your tamale steamer if you are fancy like that or go ahead take out your biggest pot/lid and steamer insert/pasta drainer/concoction you have made our of tin foil and get started. Take off the wax paper and you want to stand the tamales upright, I use a pasta drainer and I do about 4  tamales at a time. You do not need a lot of water in your pot but you do want to keep a close eye on the water level and continue to add to it so that you don't end up burning the bottom. Each time I have steamed tamales it has taken a different amount of time. I am sure it depends on the water, how many tamales you are steaming and the filling. Mine take from 45 - 90 minutes, the way you can tell if they are done is by removing one with tongs, laying it down and attempting to open it if the masa easily comes away from the hoja then maybe let it cool for a second and dig in!

Hope you find this helpful and if you do make tamales any time soon I hope you let me know about. I cannot wait to get home tonight and eat a few!

Can I talk to you for a second about what I have been eating!? Because I'm embarrassed but also pretty amped because never again will I be able to eat like this and have no one judge me!

I woke up pretty early today with no plans for the morning, decided smoked cheddar on crackers with tea would be my best breakfast option, while I looked past the yogurt and cereal. Then about an hour later I just had to have half a vanilla bean cupcake with chocolate frosting.
Food guilt kicks in and I do about 10 mins of Jillian Micheal's yoga and am totally out of it, this heart rate speeding up is no joke. I think I'll keep my head above my knees for the time being!
As I was about to rush off for work I realized I needed to have lunch, all I wanted was a chili cheese dog and thankfully I have an amazing husband who just went shopping so all the goods are in my cupboard. Nitrate free hot dogs, whole wheat bread, Hormel chili WITH beans and some mustard. It was a feast!
At work my hunger seemed to slow down for a bit, thankfully I wasn't needing my snacks until about 1pm, cherries it is. Dinner was around 3:30pm and I had my leftover homemade pizza with chicken, bbq sauce and spinach, not to pat myself on the back but it was pretty tasty - I love f&e whole wheat pizza dough.
Well, now its 7pm and its actually dinner time, I ran across the street to f&e [I really will be sad when they close] and got myself a breakfast croissant, plus all the groceries I need for the weekend.

All in all a good food day but I cannot get fro yo off my mind, we'll see how I feel once I get off work.

If you are pregnant/have been - what did you usually eat? 
If you're not pregnant tell me what you ate anyway because I want more ideas :)

xo

First picture of a Pinterest project that I am really excited to do, I'm sure you've seen it on there: picture with test, picture with belly, picture with baby! This was the first one, I'm not really showing yet so I thought I should go ahead and take the pregnancy test shot.
Also, off topic, I am loving our orange wall! Looking forward to getting the nursery painted. Ryan and his friend Aaron are going to paint it while I go out with Kristen, Aaron's wife, who is also pregnant! Yay! She is about 10 weeks ahead of me so I'm just copying them every step along the way :) Maybe we can do some baby Pinterest crafts!?

Week 12 was a big one, I helped plan the Delta Chi Alumni party which was such a blast. We sent out our pregnancy announcements to our friends and family PLUS we made it Facebook official haha. It was overwhelming how much love we have received from everyone and it's also surprising to see who stays silent. I am really happy to say at this point in our lives we really know who our true friends are and we hope we have done the same for our friends. We have so many people we can turn to and lean on and I couldn't be more thankful. 

Still no crazy cravings, just when I want something I must have it but I have to say that was pretty much the routine before I was pregnant. Ryan pokes fun at me because I literally have no memory, I forget everything and am very easily distracted. I never knew that "baby brain" was something so real and would happen so so soon. Thankfully it hasn't really happened at work yet, whew.

Right now our little plum doesn't have very much to report but I am so looking forward to our ultrasound tomorrow where I get to see him/her again!

have a great week!
Nikol

The picture above was at 10 weeks, our little kumquat had visitors - my sisters and Keith came to visit! 
This was after a fun, tiring night at First Fridays in Bixby Knolls.

At week 11 we no longer had a Christmas tree and we are working out a new place to take belleh shots. 12 weeks was going to be a big one, we will be nearing the end of first trimester and we will be sharing the news with all of our friends! It was a great week, cannot wait to share those pictures with you!


Happy Friday

Baby Z

    You are now the size of a plum and I can't help but want to see you all of the time. We have an ultrasound next week and I am on the edge of my seat to get to peak at you again. This is my first note to you but your dad and I have been thinking about it all the time, I just never knew where to start. I just didn't know what to say, I have all these feelings and its very unusual for me to be speechless. I think about you all day every day- with every bite of food I think about you and believe me there has been a lot of food!
Over these past three months we have been trying to read every little sign to find out if you are a boy or a girl, excitedly deciding on your name, making sure the 2nd bedroom is no longer a guest room but is your nursery, and loving you so much.
    You were planned, prayed for and so wanted. So far you have been very very easy on me and I thank you for that, all you seem to want is for me to sleep more and I do not mind that one bit, whatever energy you need to grow grow grow, you can have it. Your favorite meals have been bread, you and I are so much alike, I thank you for bringing loaves of bread back into our home, they were very missed.
Your grandparents and aunts are so so excited for you. You have already been so loved and welcomed that we cannot wait until August when they actually get to meet you in person.
xo
love, your mommy


____
I have been no good with belly pictures but here are a  few and Ill try to keep this update more often.


Baby bump - week 5

Baby bump - week 6

:)

Lately all I have been wanting is fried green tomatoes and fried pickles. Every time we go out to eat those are the first items I search for, I have always loved them but before being pregnant I tried to keep away from these types of appetizers but now I am very much enjoying them! On my way home from work tonight I knew I wanted one of my new fried favorites, I didn't happen to have green tomatoes on hand but a jar of pickles was all ready for me! Thankfully, I had seen a recipe for "fried" pickles that were actually baked at home. After a few easy steps I was dipping these babies into some ranch and having a wonderful night on my couch. Hope you love them as much as I do.


Ingredients:
1 egg
3 to 4 tbsp. all purpose flour
1 tsp. seasoning salt
1 tsp. pepper
deli style dill pickles, already thinly sliced
1-1/2 c. bread crumbs

Directions:
Turn on broiler in oven (500°F).  Place bread crumbs into bowl; set aside.  In another bowl, beat egg.  Add in flour and mix until it's like a paste.
Stir in the seasoning salt, and pepper until well combined.
Add the pickles to the paste mixture and toss until well coated.
One at a time, coat pickles with bread crumbs and place on cookie sheet.  Bake 4 to 6 minutes or until golden.  Remove from oven and flip over each pickle slice.  Bake an additional 3 to 4 minutes.  Serve immediately.

You could make these in bigger patches but I have a feeling they would get soggy, this took me a total of 10 minutes so I think it would be worth making when the mood strikes. Enjoy!

When I describe my husband I use the words: funny, loving and my best friend. I could not be more excited that we have been married for two years and cannot wait for all the exciting things to come.

Ryan made me the card that is pictured above and it is so him. Thoughtful and creative, I cannot wait to find a frame and hang it up. We celebrated our anniversary with sushi and a movie. I have been missing sushi, so so much! I just found out that octopus is actually cooked and my whole world changed. I ate a lot of it last night and plan to have it pretty often :)

This time next year we will have a little baby with us to celebrate our anniversary and I just think that will be the most exciting thing we do over 2013. So looking forward to it all.
xoxo

Hi friend, I had taken a pregnancy test on 11/23 and it was negative, Ryan and I were pretty sad but off to Disneyland we went to celebrate a birthday, a friends return from Hawaii, and a friends pregnancy - nothing was going to keep us down for long. Plus, we had only started trying in September so we were both ready for a long haul. Days kept passing and still no sign of my monthly hell week and on my birthday I just knew something was up. I was exhausted, my boobs were hurting and I could not stop eating. I decided to wait until Sunday the 1st to take the next test because if I got the news I was hoping for Id never be able to hide it from you and all my friends at my birthday party. Well here we are, I couldn't wait!! On 11/30 I took another pregnancy test at 5:30am because the feeling woke me up earlier than my alarm and it was test time.

I think you have guessed it by now, but yes I am pregnant!!! (I'm sorry I lied to a few of you about getting my period but I wanted to hide it) Ryan and I are expecting! We could not be more excited and a bit shocked. After I got off work I ran to the doctors office and took another test, still positive so here we go. The due date they have given us is 7/31/2013 , really? haha 2 days before the Hagaman/Brenes wedding that we are so excited to be apart of? Yes that was my first thought but my second thought was WE HAVE AN ELECTION NIGHT BABY haha I don't know if that is exactly correct yet but still, thanks for the win Obama because had Romney won we would have been a lot less in the mood ;)
I wanted to call you right away, you are one of my best friends and I know you know that we have been excitedly trying and I wanted to thank you for your words of encouragement and just for loving us and our soon to be little one.

Tonight is my birthday party, I will be surrounded by people that I love and I have no idea how I am going to hide the fact that I am not drinking, you all know that's my tell. Silly me for making it so obvious just how much I love the bottle :p haha but we are gonna attempt it, if you caught me I hope you didn't call me out I don't want our little secret out just yet. But I cant wait to send you this letter so that you know that from the day I knew that I wanted you to know and that I'm sorry I couldn't immediately share it with my closest girlfriends.

xo
mama to be

Marriage isn't hard and I resent how often people make it sound scary and difficult. Sure you have to compromise and maybe you don't always get your way but you aren't a child. I wish more people told people about their happiness instead of their disappointments.
I have almost been married  to Ryan for two years [1 week away!] I couldn't be happier and daily I know how lucky I am, how lucky we are and how blessed these two years have been. 
I vow to continue viewing my marriage in a positive light and promise to always give him the benefit of the doubt.
<3

My heart married you years ago