26 Week Ultrasound!

I absolutely love that my OB does a 4D ultrasound as part of the regular prenatal care! I never had one of these with Sophia, and I wasn't going to get one this the Ninja, but I lucked out and got one for free anyway! (Well, insurance had to pay for it, but still...) It was so fun seeing his pudgy little face on the screen! He was sleeping so nice and sound so we got some cute shots of his face, until he got tired of getting poked around and covered his face with his arms. It would have been fun to see him making facial expressions and stuff, but I'm glad we got a good shot either way! :) Oh, and after having a dream that our Ninja was actually a Ninjette, I asked the technician to double check that (which she was doing already) and he is most DEFINITELY a boy. Let's just say that Jon is super proud of him already. ;)

Anyway, because he was sleeping all of the pictures look basically the same, so here is his sweet little face for you to see!

Isn't he the BEST???? And his nose looks just like Sophie's - which is good because she has quite the adorable little nose herself. Not sure where she got it from...either way. And as far as pregnancy symptoms go, I am super sore already (WAY more than I ever was with Sophie!), the placenta isn't in place to protect my ribs this time around (didn't realize how much that helped with Sophie until now!), I have very little swelling thus far (yay!), and the only real downside is that I may have SPD (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction) which is painful and annoying, but so far manageable as long as I don't make any movements that require me to put more weight on one leg than the other. Fun. Times. Oh, and I hear back on my glucose test in a few days, which means I have to make my chocolate cake tomorrow and eat as much as I can before I'm told that I can't...just in case. ;) Okay okay, I'm really not worried, but I'm still making a cake!


Okay, that's all for now bloggersphere. Good night!

Jon's Oh-So-Yummy Enchiladas!

So for years now (about 6-7, since we met) Jon has been wowing me with his ability to go in the kitchen, throw a bunch of random things into a crock-pot, pan, or on the stove, and come out with something amazing. Seriously, it's disgusting how good he is. But does he do this often? No. What a jerk, right? Okay, not really, because I definitely enjoy it more when he decides to cook for me. Meanwhile, I am a recipe girl. I do not deviate from what the paper/computer screen/mom on the phone says. Well, that's not totally true - sometimes I add a little garlic salt to my recipes...or extra vanilla when I'm making sweet treats. Living on the edge, right? Yeah...

Anyway, one of my all time FAVORITE "Jon Dishes" are his enchiladas. Oh they are so good! Now truthfully, I've never followed a recipe to make my own enchiladas, but I have had some that others have made as well as the frozen kind you buy at the store and I must say that Jon's are like a completely different dish. They are so packed with flavor and happiness that you end up eating them for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the days after until (sadly) they run out. They are THAT good, in my opinion. And I'm picky. So yeah.

So tonight Jon tells me to make some enchiladas. HA! Every time he tells me to do this, I heat up the chicken and proceed to ask so many questions that he just comes in and does it for me. Which is fine, because like I said, he does amazing work. Tonight wasn't really all that different, except that I was ready. I had a piece of paper and a pencil and as soon as he came in and got the can opener out I said "Hey I would really REALLY like to have this on paper, can you just call out what you're doing as you're doing it so I can write it down?" and guess what, fellow cyber-stalkers? It worked! Now I don't want to lose my recipe (this would make me very sad indeed), so I'm typing it up. You are under no obligation whatsoever to try this, but if you do then trust me, you won't me sorry.

Ingredients: 

• 1-1 1/2 pounds cubed chicken/beef/whatever meat you want (you can also mix ground beef and chicken and it still tastes good if you don't have enough of one or the other)
• 15 oz can green enchilada sauce
• 10 oz can red enchilada sauce
• Small jar Salsa con Queso (I like the Tostitos brand, but that's me, also this is optional but amazing)
• 8 oz Sour Cream
• 8 oz Refried Beans
• 5-6 oz guacamole (optional)
• 10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chilies (my favorite is the Ro-Tel brand)
• About 10 large burrito sized tortillas
• Large back of shredded cheese (to your liking)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425. 

In a large skillet, cook/heat up meat. Add 1/2 can of green sauce, 1/2 can of red sauce, 1/2 of the sour cream, can of diced tomatoes and chilies, guacamole, a few large spoonfuls of the Salsa con Queso, and the refried beans (note: the beans are a great way to make the sauce thicker if it's really thin, so use judgement as to how much to add to it). Stir while heating thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, mix remaining green and red sauces and a few spoonfuls of the Salsa con Queso. Spread a small amount over the bottom and half way up the sides of a very large glass casserole dish (I use an 11x15, but you can also use a 9x13, they just won't fit as nicely).

Take the mixture from the skillet and spoon into tortillas, roll them up, and place them in the casserole dish. Once you have filled the casserole dish, take the remaining sauce from the bowl and drizzle the sauce over the top and in between the enchiladas (this makes it easier to dish them out as they won't stick). Sprinkle a layer of shredded cheese over the top of the enchiladas, and bake for 10-15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and just starting to brown. 

Allow 3-5 minutes to cool and serve!

I'm just happy I have the recipe now so I can make it without taking Jon away from his studies! If anyone decides to try this, let me know what you think! Jon loves praise for his work, but doesn't like to brag so I have to do it for him. ;)

The Monster

I was crying so hard I couldn't see, tears streaming down my face like a heavy rain. I cried as the monster kept coming forward and back, it's eyes glowing and it's growl permeating my very soul. I sunk to the back of the couch and cried for my mommy to help me, but that's what she was already trying to do. For what seemed like an eternity, Mommy had been fighting off this monster, holding it by it's long tail that stuck straight up in the air and trying to wrestle it away from me. But the beast only growled louder and kept looming closer to me. No matter where I tried to run, the beast was right there, chasing me, trying to suck me in. I turned my head for just a moment and buried my face into the cushion while Mommy continued her struggle.

I heard her call out to me, "Get under the blanket sweety, it can't get you if you're under the blanket!" but the blanket was several feet closer to the creature than I already was. I turned and watched as Mommy pirouetted and tried to change the direction of the great monster. She looked so graceful, almost like she was dancing with the beast. Had it not been for the awful grinding noises it made and the horrible deep growl radiating from it's core, you would have thought they were in a delicate dance together. Mommy knew what she was doing. I'd seen her fight off this beast before. But what if this time were different? What if this time, the beast got her? I cried harder and dove for the blanket, only to have demon turn it's glowing eyes on me as a thunderous roar rolled out of it's chest. I abandoned the blanket and tried to make a run for it, but it blocked my path! There was no escape! I turned and dove back onto another couch, slipping on the way and almost falling victim to the creature's jaws.

Mommy yelled again, "Stay on the couch!" and tossed some pillows to me for protection. I screamed and cried harder. It was hopeless! We would never make it out of here alive! That's when I saw it - Ariel! She was just lying on the floor, RIGHT IN THE MONSTER'S PATH!!! I looked to Mommy to see if she saw her, but Mommy was so busy wrestling the beast that it was hopeless. I got what little courage I had left, wiped the tears from my eyes so I could see, and ran. I heard the beast, felt it's white-hot eyes boring a hole into my back as I reached Ariel and started dragging her over to the safety of the couch. We made it just in time, and I put Ariel protectively under the protection of several pillows. Then I started to cry again and called for Mommy. She looked crazy now - her hair flying in wisps around her face, a small bead of sweat on her temple, and she was looking from the monster and back to me with a crazed smile on her face. She was getting worn down, but she wouldn't show weakness in front of me, I knew. I cried harder and reached for her. Why didn't she just stop fighting and come and hide with us? Why couldn't she just grab us and make a run for it?

Suddenly, the look on her face changed. Mommy's face turned calm, concerned, loving, and sad, all at the same time. She looked right at me and said simply, "It's okay sweety, it's almost over." I was shocked - she was going to give up! Give up herself so that I could be safe! I screamed over the horrendous roar and said simply "No Momma!!!"

At that moment, she simply stopped fighting, and knelt down by the beast. I covered my eyes with my hands and pinched them shut as tightly as I could - I couldn't watch this! I expected to hear her screams, or the maniacal laughter of the monster as it showed no mercy to my mother. Instead, it went silent. The growls and roars stopped. The light from the creature's eyes was nowhere to be seen. I didn't dare to look still, and sat there with my face covered, tears still streaming down my face, as I thought of the fate of my poor mother.

What seemed like an eternity later, I felt a warm hand on my back. "Sophie, are you okay?" said the voice, angelic and melodious.

This was a trick! There was no way! How could she have survived? I shrunk into a small ball and still refused to uncover my face and cried harder. But the hand never left my back, and another hand began to stroke my hair in a familiar way. I felt the gentle arms scoop me up and hold me gently as I peeked through my fingers at the angel who was now holding me. It was her! She was okay! Her hair was still out of place, and she looked exhausted, but it was her! I instantly had tears of relief as I wrapped my arms around her neck as tight as I could. It was my Mommy! She had saved us! She hugged me back and tried to soothe me as we sank back into the couch together. I quickly un-buried my Ariel baby doll and hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry Sophie, I know you don't like it when Mommy vacuums, but I'm all done now, it's okay."



I sure am glad that vacuum monster didn't eat my Mommy!