Waiting

Little Miss officially was due a few days ago but my doctor will let me go about 2 weeks from September 7th to give my body and baby a chance to go into labor on their own.

Bryce asks "How are you feeling?" usually multiple times a day.  When I make phone calls to family, the first response is "Are you in labor?  Are you in the hospital?  Is everything okay?" before we continue with regular conversation.  When we go for our 3 mile walks, I usually have to slow down and even stop because my stomach gets so tight with contractions.  A couple times at night after we walk, before we fell asleep, Bryce has said, "Just wake me up if you're in labor."  Um, Bryce, do not worry, you WILL know when I am in labor.  The first time he did this, it took me 1+ hours to even fall asleep because I kept thinking about it.

We cannot wait to meet her!

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27:14

Every day is one day closer to when we get to meet our sweet little girl and hold her in our arms.  So I'm trying my best to be patient, keep my mind off of this waiting game, and keep busy.  I'm sure these days will fly by, but when you are in waiting for something big and exciting and life-changing, it seems to move at a snail's pace.

If the Lord makes us wait, let us do so with our whole hearts; for blessed are all they that wait for Him.  He is worth waiting for.  The waiting itself is beneficial to us: it tries faith, exercises patience, trains submission, and endears the blessing when it comes.  The Lord's people have always been a waiting people.  

Charles Spurgeon

While I've been waiting for her arrival, I have tried some new recipes:

Oven baked fries

Source: annies-eats.com via Elissa on Pinterest

Verdict: I will make these again.  Delicious.  I used red potatoes and they turned out great.

S'mores cookies

Source: kevinandamanda.com via Elissa on Pinterest

Verdict: I don't think I'll make them again.  I thought that I would love them.  The graham crackers made the dough pretty heavy and the marshmellows melted (I used small ones, not the mini teeny ones that she used).  So you couldn't really taste the marshmellow at all.  It just tasted like a heavy chocolate chip cookie.

Lemony chicken souvlaki

Source: realsimple.com via Elissa on Pinterest

Verdict: So good.  Bryce approved.  We added mixed greens and a little sour cream mixed with white vinegar, sea salt, and pepper for a sauce.  It was a healthy, filling dinner.  We also didn't end up grilling it, I just cut up the chicken, sauteed it, then added the veggies and cooked them until the onions were tender.

Best birthday cake with swiss buttercream frosting

Source: smittenkitchen.com via Elissa on Pinterest

Verdict:  The cake was to die for.  It was comparable to a box cake with a perfect texture and awesome flavor.  The buttercream frosting was good, but not my favorite...don't think I'll do that frosting again.

Here's a picture of my version below of the BIRTHday cake (but not really since today was not a birth day for anyone in our family.  I was hoping to coax Madison out with the cake, but alas, I was unsuccessful.

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Source: smittenkitchen.com via Elissa on Pinterest

Verdict:  These cookies were awesome, just the right amount of cakey, soft, chewy, and crackle on the outside.  I will definitely make them again.

I've also got a couple Pinterest crafts on the list if she doesn't show up here soon...