it's hottt

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why? two words: THE SUN.

nothing drains me more these days and it's not like i'm out jogging in it either! just walking up to the store and/or driving around in my truck (even with the air cranked to the max) still makes me crazy tired more so than any of my gym workouts. which is why i'm glad this little guy will be outta here before the texas heat really shows out. God bless and be with you preggo mama's this summer (wherever you are)! i mean that sincerely. be safe, stay hydrated, and stay indoors.

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the weekend was rather warm too, so Chiso and i jumped at the chance to hit the pool with my sis, Michelle,  and her daughter, cousin Livvy.  time for swimming lessons for these two.  we did a family maternity shoot last month and i totally want to do a look in my bikini now! i enjoyed wearing it and sporting my bump.  most likely Sonny will have to be the camera man for that though, lol.

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something about the pool makes me want chips, hot dogs, burgers, and ICE CREAM! thanks, Sonic.

remember that summer stir fry i made? i finally got some shrimp from HEB and made it again.  this time i added red bell pepper and yellow squash too since they were on sale.  and yall know the more color in your meals, the better.

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i have still been eating the heck out of nectarines these past few days. i can't get enough of them! plus the longer they sit in the fridge the softer they become. so i must eat them while they are still crisp. all of them.

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was sad to finish the last of this stir fry today for lunch but it'll be back soon.

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Q: do i ever feel my bump is too small?

A: during my first pregnancy? yeah. this time around? nah. when people ask me (especially at the gym) how far along i am these days, 'almost 10 months' is the last thing they expect to hear.  their faces say it all, and 'you're so tiny!!!' is usually soon to follow.  then the women reflect back on their own journeys and express how ginormous they were compared to me before delivering, and the men usually tell me the same about their wives, sisters, friends, etc!! never, ever gets old.  i welcome the questions (yes, the same ones over and over ;) ) and LOVE to discuss my journey with anyone willing to listen!   i enjoy hearing all about other women's preggo stories by the same token as they are all unique.  anyway, that darn, 'every woman is different' statement refers to, well, everything, including bump size. the 'right' size doesn't exist. also: bump size is not an indicator of your baby's weight.  mom's height, weight, activity level, the way baby is positioned, how much fluid present, etc, etc, etc...... so.many.factors.  so don't compare bumps.  especially if you trust your OB and he/she assures you that you and baby are on track every check-up, just as mine has!  done deal ^^'.

Q: what's your biggest pregnancy pet peeve? vent below!

le

rainbowls

nectarines are on sale!!! so you know what that means.... Summer time is near.  i watch for that price drop every Spring and it's finally time.  they are my fave fruit but my love for them is conditional... i will only eat them when they are solid and crispy like apples.  after a certain point ( peach consistency ) i can't do it!

Sprouts Farmers Market had a gigantic fruit sale (as always) so i got a few different kinds and made this bomb salad topped with fresh mint for us to snack on for the next few days.

there are strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, pineapple, and of course, nectarines up in there.

our television STAYS on the Sprout channel but i actually got to catch an ep of The Pioneer Woman this week.  she made this 10 min shrimp stir fry that looked so easy and so tasty i got up and went to make it immediately!  i used chicken instead of shrimp,

fresh zucchini, grape tomatoes, grilled corn, fresh cilantro, garlic, and my last lemon. i didn't even measure yall, but here are the steps for what i did:

1. cut chicken breasts into bite sized chunks
2. saute extra virgin olive oil with about 2 tbsp butter on med-high heat in a very large wok or cast iron skillet.
3. add in minced garlic and stir til translucent.
4. add chicken chunks and cook just until done (i added lemon pepper seasoning to them).
5. remove proteins from skillet; add chopped zucchini and let cook for 2 minutes. push them to the corner of your wok.
6. add corn and cook 1 minute. push to corner of wok.
7. add grape tomatoes last; cook for 1 minute.
8. add chicken, fresh herbs , and squeeze your lemon into wok with veggies; combine.
9. shut off heat and let sit for about 10 minutes or so before serving.

will be making this again and again with different proteins no doubt. the more color on your plate, the BETTER! rainbowls rule.

read below, but do it in reverse :) have an awesome Friday nite.

le

38 weeks - i should pack

 1 cm dilated celebration pose!

my OB checked me at my most recent visit yesterday aaaaaand, well, i'll take it.

one is better than zero, right?  right!  she then reminded me of some natural ways labor can be brought on, but my mom is not out for the Summer until this friday (she's a teacher) so we will hold off on those for the moment. lol.  we are in no rush anyway, seriously.

i have, however, finally start packing my hospital bag.

now that i have a bigger, better (cleaner) bag!

i found this J. J. Cole satchel bag in Babies R Us that caught my eye (and Chiso's apparently) so i rolled with it. this is my running list so far:

and this is what i have going as of today:

in my bag:

• slimming black nursing cami (Target, 22.99)

• swaddle blankets

• burp cloths

• Odego's going home fit and extra onesies

• car seat + head support

• diapers & wipes

• travel toiletries

 and the infant car seat is by the door!  currently researching double seated strollers... that would be smart.

 i may have very well taken my last Wednesday night Turbo Kickboxing class before Odego gets here... we'll see what happens!

Q: moms, what did you bring to the hospital that you should have left at home OR that you wish you would have brought with you?

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.

one...two...THREE #may27th

saturday, this boy woke up singing 'because i'm happyyyyyyyyy!' :P  he knew it was finally party day.

we threw a joint birthday pool party with friends of ours, Kristina and Allen; their daughter, Celén, was born on May 28th.  the location was at my gym, Lifetime City Centre! it was special to me because i had part of my 30th birthday celebration there, Chiso was finally able to come gymming with me when he turned 3 months old, and now he has celebrated his 3rd birthday there.

excited and picking up the Mickey and Minnie Mouse cakes the morning of.

the guests of honor! and why do they look like long-lost brother and sister?! LOL

but before their guests arrived, we put them to work stuffing their favor bags. we paid them in food, no worries.

on the menu:

 cheese, pepperoni, & BBQ chicken pizza (provided by the Lifetime Cafe), an assortment of subway sammiches, a variety of chips, cake batter rice crispy treats, strawberry-pecan-spinach salad, juice, water, and cake.

right on time, Papa, thanks.

we played gym games upstairs on the 3rd floor before hitting the pool. 

does that parachute give you a nostalgic feeling too?

they had some parachute fun, bowled, played scooter races, and there was even a real live Angry Birds game... pretty neat.

Chiso had all the pretty girls to himself before his guys friends arrived ;)

my girlfriend, Michelle (bottom L corner), put her super long legs to work and dusted EVERYBODY in the scooter race! her daughter, Lyonna, and Chiso share the same birthday.

now for the part the kiddos had been waiting all day for-

it's time to SWIM!

the party ended at 4, but we were in that pool from about 2:45 to 6:15.  he just didn't want to leave! you know where to find us this Summer.

this picture cracks me up- i was just trying to get their attention for the picture and i have no idea what i even said! but ummm, they look so annoyed. ROTFL.

splish, splash <3

i didn't get pics with everybody, but i'm grateful some of my family and friends were able to come celebrate with us!

my cousins Angie and Gerrilyn and their kiddos,

my sorority sister Trashina took a dip with her adorable boys,

and my friend Krystal was on double duty and held it down! i tell her all the time what a huge inspiration she is to me.  i feel like i'm starting all over balance-wise with Odego on the way and all... heck i feel like i JUST got into a groove with one kiddo (remembering to add an event to my calendar, getting there on time if at all, making sure he has pants on, etc) and she always encourages me that i can. experience is the best teacher and i believe you, girl. alright *clears throat*

let's sing! make a wish, Celén.

your turn, Chi!  he would not put that pizza down.

before & after.

 asleep in the car by 6:30pm and didn't wake up til the next day. party POOPED.

all four of us were! happy, HAPPY, 3rd birthday to our Chiso <3

thanks for reading!

le