Updates, Baby Gender Reveal, the Holidays and What's to Come!

Wow, where does the time go?  It flies by, just like the expression says.   I decided I needed to come on here and give a few updates. 


I did more cooking and prep work in the past two days than I've done within the last three months!  I pureed broccoli and carrots.  I boiled and chopped up three cups worth of chicken.  I made my better for you baked spaghetti and meatballs and froze half for later.  I also made my fiesta-style beef and veggie soup (from my cookbook) which I froze 3/4 of it for later.  I made banana waffles for breakfast this morning and even baked ginger snap cookies too.  Then I even made a meal plan for the week, something I haven't done in a long time! 


Sunday - Spaghetti and Meatballs, garlic bread
Monday - Beef and bean enchiladas, salad
Tuesday - Balsamic Chicken Wraps, sesame green beans
Wednesday - Leftovers or sandwiches
Thursday - Black bean burgers, baked chips with salsa
Friday - Homemade pepperoni pizza
Saturday - Eat out or leftovers

Besides all the cooking I did, my husband and I cleaned out rooms, threw out a bunch of trash and tidied up like we hadn't done in weeks.  I guess you can say I'm officially "nesting" now.  I'm now 19 weeks pregnant and doing great.  We just had the gender reveal on Friday too.   It's a.............

It's a BABY!  Hahaha!




It's actually another GIRL!  Yay!  GIRLS RULE in my house now!   Years ago when I had two pets and a husband, I was outnumbered.  Now we're down to two males (my hubby and our dog) and we'll be three girls in the house now. 
 
Hooray!  Another Girl for the Fernandez family!  I am soooo, soooo happy!   Even though I tried to remain gender neutral throughout the pregnancy, the closer we arrived to our ultrasound day, the more I wanted another girl.  Maybe it's because my daughter Vivian has said she's wanted me to have a girl all along.  Every time I asked her, she would say that she wanted a sister.  Or maybe it's because so many people (my husband, father, even my mother-in-law and friends) wanted me to have a boy and I like to be opposite of the majority.  Or maybe it's because a big part of me has always wondered what it would be like to have a sister since I didn't have one.  Whatever the reason, I'm just overjoyed to be having another girl. Girls are what I know.  I can reuse all the same things.  And I can watch Vivian make a best friend for life, someone who understands her as a woman and she can share secrets with growing up, something I didn't have.  I'm soooo, soooo thankful for another precious girl in my life!   Woo-hoo! 


With working and preparing for this baby, I really haven't thought much about holiday baking or cooking.  In fact, we'll be visiting family over Christmas so I won't be doing any cooking.  (Yay!)  I can take it easy and let someone else do the work for the change.  I'm looking forward to relaxing.

I've also decided NOT to participate in any Christmas parties or cookie exchanges this year.  My heart just isn't in it this year and I don't want to spend hours making 100 cookies.  I also don't want 100+ cookies around to tempt my already pregnant, overeating self this year!  No, I'm happy to take off from the hustle and bustle exchanges this year so I can just focus on my family and do my own prep work for the coming months when I become uncomfortable and don't even feel like lifting a finger.


So what does all this mean for this food blog, Learn-Laugh-Cook???  I'm not exactly sure!  I am still around cooking and baking but I've not really made anything new lately.  I've also not wanted to spend an hour blogging in my precious time off.  Yes, sadly it usually takes me about an hour to do each blog post by the time I type it, proofread it, include any photos and more.  Therefore, I'm not sure how much I'll be around in the beginning of 2012 and beyond.  I won't completely go away though either.  I'm just busy and focused on other things.  I still try to share or post weekly on my Facebook page though!  It's easier to jump on there and chat or share a link than it is to post here on Blogger. 


All I know is that I'll follow my gut and my heart.  If I want to be here, then I will be.  If I have something to share, then I will.   But if I'd rather play with my two girls or just curl up for a few rare moments alone, then I'll do that too. 


I'd like to wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!  There are so many great food sites out there and Pinterest and other venues now where you can find tons of recipes, ideas, meal plans and more.  You don't really need me anyway.  But when I need to share more with you, I'll be back!  Until then, take care of yourself.  Have a wonderful Holiday Season!  I know I will. 

From my family to yours, love and best wishes always!

Here's What I've Really Been Cooking These Days.... :-)

Hi there!  (Echo, echo, echo, echo....)  I know it has been quite a long while since I have posted on here.

Well I have a very good reason for that.  And here it is - see below photo:

That's right, I've been cooking something alright, slow cooking I guess you could say.  And this little dish of mine (aka tadpole, peanut, jelly bean, future baby) is due to be done on or around April 27, 2012.

Yes, I'm 12 weeks pregnant!  Our family is thrilled!  It's taken us quite a long time to cook up this baby, much much longer than it took for my beautiful daughter Vivian who turns four years old in just two weeks.  So we're just happy our moment has finally arrived. 

So you see, the thing is that I haven't felt like cooking.  My eating habits have been like a roller coaster - some days I feel like eating and other days, I can't hardly stand food or the smell of food.  That's why I haven't been posting or sharing recipes.  I haven't really done a whole bunch of cooking these days, definitely not anything new.  I've been eating from my freezer a lot. 

I had hoped that I'd be an exception to the pregnancy rule and not feel nauseous and be able to cook, eat and share recipes.  BUT that just hasn't been the case for me. 

Also with me working full-time, by the time I come home from work, I'm rather tired.  Too tired to even post on here or look at my fellow foodie bloggers too.  I'm sure this will pass.  When I was pregnant with my daughter, I felt my best during the second trimester and was able to do so much.  Maybe I'll feel that way again and will be back to some kind of normal posting and sharing ideas schedule.  Time will tell. 

It's sad too since I normally LOVE the fall time and all the food associated with it - pumpkins, apple dishes, soups, stews, holiday foods, etc.  But I can't stomach even thinking or talking about it too much right now. 

Oh well, it's all for a good cause, right?  And look, my daughter is getting in some practice as a big sister (see photo below!)  :-)

Vivian can't wait to be a big sis!  Although I think it mostly has to do with just bossing someone else around~!

Until my next post, I hope you're doing well and enjoying this wonderful season.  Thanks for checking in here from time to time.  I'll keep you updated whenever I can. 

Thanks!  Lots of love to you! 

-Mandy