Where everybody knows your name;

If you didn't know already, pregnancy has been a breeze for me. Olivia has been so nice to her mom, never giving me any real problems or symptoms aside from acid reflux. Not once have I thrown up (I've come close), but after learning how my body works with this new development, it was really easy for me to stop any nausea in its tracks. I've never been psycho-pregnant-chick, thrown anything at Michael, or had him go to the store in the middle of the night for something I'm craving. Things have been really great, despite the new pains of my body adjusting itself to prepare to deliver a baby.

But to say that I don't send him to the stores, does not mean that I don't get my cravings. The main craving throughout all of my pregnancy has been Indian food. Bombay Deluxe, in particular---my favorite Indian restaurant in town. To say I go there often is an understatement. I came to realize this maybe a month ago when, after my card got declined because I got a little too "transfer-to-savings" happy at the end of the pay period, the owner said "It's okay, Elaura, just pay next time." Every time I go in there, I am greeted warmly by first name, and today I even got a welcome hug from the ever so polite owner, who is always around. He knows my drink, my name, and will soon know our daughter.

Some people have their bar or club where they can sit down, be greeted and served a drink without having to order. But I.... I have Bombay Deluxe, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

"Bye bye, Elaura. See you next week!"

Why is she wearing that?

Have you ever seen a newborn (or baby girl in general) and thought to yourself "Why is she wearing that?" When I see a precious bundle of little baby girl nearly suffocating in pink ruffles, it makes me wonder why the parents would do this. Maybe I'm jumping the gun a little too quickly, but I doubt I'll get the overwhelming urge to dress Olivia in pink bows from head to toe. Sure, I'm excited to put a cute flower in her hair (or headband, beanie) to match whatever she's wearing, but when I see a picture of your kid and the first thing I notice isn't the natural cuteness of the baby, but the ruffly outfit, it's kind of frustrating. She's not a toy doll, she's your child.

In other news, I had some Braxton Hicks (false labor, practice contractions) last night around 4am that were pretty uncomfortable. Usually they are painless, but not last night. It was good to be able to practice what we're learning in our Brio Birth class---deep breathing, relaxation techniques, pretending it doesn't hurt. And, honestly, as irritating as they were, I don't think I'd mind getting them more just to prepare for labor. I don't want to freak out and cry for an epidural when this is something I hope to do on my own.

Craving of the week: Baked Jalapeno Bacon Poppers (click for link to recipe!)

I made these a couple weeks ago for a Scentsy party and they turned out perfectly. I didn't use sweet peppers, but I made sure to scrape every trace of membrane and seed from the jalapenos to lessen the heat. I don't think I ever want to eat a fried jalapeno popper again. After making and eating these, I realized how much of the awesome jalapeno-cheese flavor gets lost when it's drowned in goo and deep fried. Did I mention that there's crumbled bacon in the yummy cheese filling? Yes, bacon. So if you want to impress the family or a group of friends, this should be your go-to recipe. It's definitely one I'm keeping around!