Baby Kosi's Sprinkle + Cool Modern Mom Newborn Stuff

my sweet sorority sisters threw Kosi & i a Baby Sprinkle (isn't that adorable?!)unisex decor :)i think i had about 36 of those cheese cubes and even took some to-go for my boys. we looooove us some cheese.yes you are, baby Kosi.heeeey, baby Nat! my niece, Natalie is as obsessed with balloons as Dego.lil' bit of everything, please. hard at work making play-doh babies!  i told my hostesses i'm not really a game person, buuuut this one ALWAYS always turns out hilarious.my mom has been referring to baby Kosi as "she" and "her" since we found out we were expecting, haha.  i dunno, Mommy... we shall see ;) my gorgeous, talented, sisters-in-love. grandma Willie!  at my age she was already 9 kids in, y'all.  she had 12 total and doesn't have to worry about me attempting to break her record :Dopening our unisex gifts.love you ladies dearly!! grateful for your presence and love. #SkeeWeei have been eyeing this Skip Hop diaper bag for weeks and snagged it using the Sprinkle gift cards i received!  also, the Ergo Infant Carrier Insert (center) is a great newborn item until baby is plump enough to fill out the car seat solo.

gimmie all the compartments!!!

love everything about this bag, especially the size and and the cuteness factor.

what i'm bringing to the hospital this time around:

• cozy, comfy, cute postpartum lounging clothes (for pictures! hair is already done, woo hoo)

• nursing camisoles (instead of just nursing bras for visitors, guests, etc.)

• socks with the grips underneath

• my toiletries / ID's 

• portable snacks, games, etc. for my 5 & 2-year-old while they wait with family

• car seat & unisex newborn outfit for heading home

• granny panties

• breast pads / Lasinoh nipple cream

• phone & laptop chargers

• Thank You cards/gifts for the nurses & caregivers 

• Sonny's bag cause he always waits till the very, very last second to pack!

then there's this amazing product taking social media by storm: the Milk Snob 2 in 1 infant car seat / nursing cover. i need it in like 5 more patterns!! this one is Milky Stripe.

share your fave, most useful baby item below.

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all pink everything

my sunday started with the usual breakfast (oat bran pancakes and egg whites) but this was my lunch:

Weber Kick 'N Chicken grilled chicken breast and veggie stir fry using every fresh veggie i could find: mushrooms, yellow squash, asparagus, and red bell pepper.

i skipped church (but listened to the podcast later) and stayed home to finish getting things ready for my sister Michelle's  baby shower! this was a #sisterssquared production; something my other sis Kara and i like to refer to ourselves as!  as of may 17th of this year she officially became my sister-in-law as well as my Soror.  i had so much fun hosting with her.

#skeewee

cake batter rice crispy treats were requested so cake batter rice crispy treats were made! Sonny brought me back the super-duper jumbo size marshmallows from the store which didn't exactly melt aaaall the way down in the cooking process but i was totally OK with that. why? the clumps of ooey gooey marshmallow in the bars was an awesome touch in my opinion! recipeeeee: (fyi, this is definitely a treat that should be eaten in moderation, guys.)

Cake Batter Rice Crispy Treats

the stuff:

• 5 cups rice crispy cereal (can use brown rice puffed cereal too)
• 10 oz marshmallows
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dry boxed yellow cake batter
• 4 tbsp butter (i haven't tried any dairy-free alternatives in place of regular butter yet)
• 1/4 -1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles

do this:

1. coat the sides of  a large pot/saucepan as well as the pan you intend to press the rice crispy batter into
2. melt butter in large pot/saucepan over medium heat
3. add vanilla
4. add marshmallows and cover; let melt for 1-2 minutes
5. add cake batter & sprinkles and stir a few times to incorporate then immediately add cereal and KEEP STIRRING
6. remove from heat and stir until all combined. be sure to scrape the sides of the pot really good
7. pour batter into a rectangular or square pan and press down on the batter until even across the top
8. add more sprinkles
9. once cool (bout 10 min or so), cut in squares, bars, or however you'd like!

who remembers this drink? who still makes this drink lol!? rainbow sherbert and 7 Up (or Sprite, or natural ginger ale). the ugliest, tastiest party drink, ever. it's been a good while since i've had it, whew.

 Kara made the most adorable, pink cupcakes.

 and she also got another idea from Pinterest: mini strawberry shortcakes in a glass. aren't they beautiful(bottom right)!? there are cubes of light angel food cake, sliced strawberries, cool whip, and sprankles in there. SO.GOOD.

per Michelle's request: subway sammiches, shrimp fried rice, egg rolls, chicken meat pies, wings, and chips.

happy shower day, Michelle! eviction notice goes into effect in 4 weeks (or less).  aaaand we can't wait to plan your shower, Kara! HAHAHAHAHA

thanks for reading.

Q: what's your favorite, indulgent party food?!

le

bam bam bam

after three big events three saturdays in a row:

brother's wedding

Chiso's birthday party

my baby shower

and birthday parties, graduations, etc. sprinkled in between, i'm ready to sit down and just be pregnant.  i don't even know how to do that but i've got 2.5 weeks left to figure it out.  and as soon as i do, Odego will just be like 'OOOOOH NO YA DON'T', so it's whatever!  just taking this thing one day at a time and enjoying solo time with my 1st born until ... it's time.  i gave today my best shot and ended up in Ikea pricing bunk beds with Chiso. and hey, i got this blog post in and even started packing my hospital bag, so i'd say it was a pretty productive day.

this past sunday was baby shower day! been looking forward to it ever since my sister-in-love Michelle offered to host one for me.  it's no secret that we're having another boy, and i saved so many of Chiso's things (mainly clothes) that i didn't even consider having another shower.  however, God knew what we forgot we needed and provided for us, as He promised.

after church and a family workout sunday morning, i went and got jazzy to the best of my abilities to celebrate this little ball of energy in my tummy.  bring on the belly rubs!!!!!!

the braids are back and so is the high bun! normally after 1 or 2 stores, i'm DONE with clothes shopping for the day, but i have my go-to dress places and usually find something super quick. sooo, imagine  how disappointed i was to walk into the Houston Galleria to find both Zara AND French Connection UK....closed!? (fyi Zara will reopen in October but i needed them RIGHT THEN!!!). wasted gas indeed. the next day i tried again closer to home and was ELATED to have found this coral Calvin Klein number in the first department store i visited.  that never happens. ok, not to me. i paired it with my nude Steve Madden pumps, some gold jewelry from Forever 21, and got up outta there.

i appreciate and humbly thank each and every woman who came to celebrate with me.  the Egwuatus take what we can get during the week, but sunday is family day for us. (and sometimes you just want to have a day to do your OWN thing, especially if your work week begins on the following day...i get it!) so when i have to be away from my boys for any reason, i'm always anxious to get right back to them. which means i understand completely when people shift their schedules and take time out of their day to come support, spend time with, and even bring unrequested gifts to and for someone else.... it means absolutely EVERYTHING to me.

   i thank my family, friends, & Sorors for simply being there. and for those belly rubs!!!!

a special, heartfelt thank you and BRAVO to my hostesses who did an amazing job putting everything together. my sisters:  Michelle, Ogechi, and Kara!

 aaand, i especially appreciated the gifts given to our 1st born, Chiso. how thoughtful!  just WOW. blessed beyond measure and i just want to thank God as it is all because of Him. all of it.

thanks for reading! 9 month update post coming right up.

le

P.S. YEP, i put my cooking classes on hold in prep for those 3 big weekends and since Odego will be here super soon, the classes will be back when i am! for now, let the hardcore nesting resume.

weekend eats

so i used to REALLY let loose and eat whatever and however much i wanted on the weekends.  but i always despised how i felt on mondays... especially during my workout.  i felt greasy.. heavy.. and kinda sick to my stomach.  i don't like that feeling.  and it's not like i didn't work out on the weekends either!  clearly it was what and how much junk i was putting into my body that made me feel that way.

saturday morning started off like it normally does- at the gym.  shoulders, cardio, abs and stretching.  i've been making it a point to stretch after my workouts and now i feel incomplete if i don't do it!  that's how it should be.  i'm the same way with water.  when i force myself to down a bottle with every meal, i start craving it over time.  that's also when i start collecting empty bottles from EVERYWHERE!!!  every cup holder in the cars, piled up on my end table, and all over the house.

i got in and out super early cause i had a baby shower to attend for a friend of mine.

Lululemon is a beast with the slimming effect, seriously!!!! she'll also slim the heck outta your wallet though, my goodness.

first things first, lol! kidding.  really though, this cake gave my cake lady a SPRINT for her money.  it was from Ooh La La Sweets. do you see how ginormous that cake is?  that's only half a sheet :shock:

we were all watching Emily open her gifts (Chiso tried to help) and even after all that cuteness, the thought of having a girl still scares me!!  i know she'll come at the most perfect time..... but i could totally do a few more boys.

nevertheless, we cannot wait to meet baby Audrey:) a HUGE congrats to Mike and Emily on their precious blessing and addition to their family.  our little boys are close in age and i remember us both taking fitness classes and bouncing around the workout room, big bellies and all!

the lovely hostess on the left is my girl, Anna.  she's an instructor too, can't you tell!? she's also a huge part of my inspiration for becoming an instructor in the first place.  i'm so grateful for her friendship.

 'we don't even have to try, it's always a good time!!' :)

ok back to this cake though!! the icing was subtly sweet. i LOVE that.  it's like they got the recipe just right.  it's not the  heavy, super-sugary icing, and not the fluffy non-dairy whipped topping either.  it's... perfect.  the right consistency, texture, everything.

white french vanilla cake iced  with vanilla buttercreme and filled with chocolate mousse w/ chocolate chips. YES. what a combo. definitely something i'd put together myself.  and pink sprinkles!

next, we went to meet my bro for lunch and also to attend a kiddie Halloween event in the same area.

Matt chose Ruggles Green and we scored some awesome seats facing the courtyard where all the action was.

kids in costumes everywhere!

 the view + the  awesome fall weather +  family = my heart overflowing with joy.

#thelittlethings

Matt ordered his usual-  bison (or turkey) burger with sweet potato fries.

is this rude?

i ordered a side of their famous organic butternut squash and split it with Chiso.  i was still full from the shower.

i get this whether Chiso is present or not though!  i Googled the recipe immediately while we were sitting there.

duplication recipe WILL be happening.

i'm glad he enjoyed it so much- he's been turning away vegetables left and right.  i'm sure that graham cracker crust had something to do with it.

oh and we had more cake. Anna cut us a huuuuuuge chunk lol! my mind screamed 'nooooooo', but my taste buds said 'heck yes', 'why not?', and 'burn it off tomorrow'.

 the event was over and they were cleaning up by the time we finished.  we let Chiso run around and expend some energy for a little bit though.

when we got home, it was time for me to eat again, so i cut up a sweet potato and made some chips in the oven.

i also put a chunk of baked salmon, fresh steamed spinach, a fried egg, some reduced sugar ketchup, and spicy mustard on an Ezekiel sprouted grain wrap.

early service on sunday was fantastic.  it never fails- i always want to go OUT to breakfast after church!  apparently Sonny felt the same way cause he starting driving the opposite direction of home without saying a word.

we ended up at The Egg & I.  that was Chiso's cheat meal!

at first i ordered their 'Granny Smith Chicken Salad' and silly me neglected to ask how it was prepared.  it was chicken salad on top of actual salad.  you know, that mayo-laden, creamy stuff that is usually full of fat.  i despise having to return my food or ask my waiter/waitress for anything extra (i've always been that way) but this time...i couldn't do it.  i had it replaced with their citrus chicken salad and double checked that the meat was grilled.  it was topped with raw red pepper, red onions, candied walnuts, and cilantro.

i also ordered some pecan coffee, but these were my only sweetener options, booooooo.  artificial everything...not good.

i 

so i reached in my purse and pulled out one of my 'stevia in the raw' packets.  always be prepared.  ladies, stash a few in each of your bags so if you happen to switch it up real quick before heading out, you'll be covered.

'the best paaaart of wakin' up, is stevia in your cup.'

Sonny had a 6 ounce steak and a few cups of steamed spinach.  he's competing soon, so he's staying on track with his clean diet.

 however,  he  did help me ensure Chiso's waffles were OK for consumption :lol:

afterwards? grocery shopping!!! i KNOW!  i can't believe Sonny went WITH ME again either! twice in one month!  or maybe it's cause i told him fresh salmon was on sale and that's all he's eating for his last week of competition prep. hmmmmm

we took advantage and got a couple lbs.  i seasoned these puppies as soon as we got home.  mc cormick bbq and dried parsley on one slab,

12 min. in a 450 degree oven.

and then i did a lemon pepper/dried parsley slab as well.

and then i hit the gym and put in some work on these legs.

i did the same leg circuit from last week.

we ended our evening and weekend with a walk down the block.

the big day is tomorrow- remember, MODERATION!!! have fun and be super safe.

i'm gonna give out candy + a  piece of fruit.  i'm so serious.

le