Monday

This past Monday, the 23rd of August, everything changed.

On Monday, the 23rd of August, our Bean went from being a Bean to being an Oh my gosh there's actually a BABY in there.

Not only did the Bean go from being a Bean to being an actual BABY, it became a BOY baby.

In that instant of the ultrasound, a moment that literally took five seconds, where the tech rolled over our baby's bum and legs and we saw his little boy parts, everything changed.

It then wasn't "it's legs" it was HIS legs. HIS foot, HIS hand, HIS head, HIS heartbeat.

We went to Babies R Us that night and looked at blue outfits and blue bedding and everything else that might have been blue or green or had cars or monsters or baseballs on it. And for the first time in 18 weeks I could picture an actual baby in that blue outfit because my baby is a boy. And I could see a baby laying in the that crib with the blue and green turtle bedding because my baby is a boy. My baby has an identity. My baby is a boy.

A baby boy.

And today as I sat in 7 consecutive hours of teacher workshop, our little baby boy kicked and punched me with all the might his 8 ounces could muster.

And with all the dread I have about going back to work on Monday, those little kicks from that little baby boy made me the happiest girl ever.

It's a Mr. !!!

And I've bought my first official "boy" outfit. So, so cute.

Monday morning with Rex and Penny

What will they do without me next week when I am back at school?

Better yet, what will I do without them??

By the way, this is my 100th post!! Can you believe you've wasted your time reading a hundred of these things? Haha, joke's on you.

There's no food in this post!!

Last night I had a dream that I was "with" Bret Michaels. You know, with him. I have no idea what brought it on, except maybe for those crazy pregnancy dreams I've heard so much about. It was... different and not something I'd want to re-live again. Bret Michaels? Really?

I also had a dream that when my mom came to visit and go shopping yesterday she was so nice and understanding about the house Gordo and I live in, the size of said house and the size of the nursery. In this dream, she was very understanding of that fact that we are not rolling in dough and cannot afford a new house right now. In this dream, she was very excited about the new carpet we just had installed and about the prospect of helping me pick out furniture for the baby's room. In this dream she did not harp on how small the baby's room is and how she isn't sure how we are going to fit all the necessary furniture in there. In this dream, she didn't make me feel like we live in filth and that we are some sort of family embarrassment. In this dream, she also didn't make a face and laugh when I said that I thought I felt the baby move the other day. In this dream she smiled and said "that's wonderful". In this dream I didn't actually have to say to her "Are you even excited about this?"

*****

Did I tell you that I haven't had coffee in over 4 months? Coffee, my bestest friend in the world who's been there for me through thick and thin?? I just can't do it. Just the thought of it and I make a face that says "Eh". I just don't like the taste anymore. I feel as though I have turned on a dear old friend. I'm sorry coffee, someday we will be reunited and we will be BFFs again, I'm sure.

By the way, if my dear Penny Lane doesn't stop chewing everything in our house that isn't bolted down (and some things that are) we aren't going to last too much longer. I woke up this morning to Gordo's slipper in a million pieces in the living room. Really, Penny? Really? What about all those toys we've bought you? She's so damn lucky she's so damn cute.

Funny cause its true

I actually saw this driving yesterday on the Berlin Turnpike. The five year old in me thinks it is the best licence plate ever.

Obsession of the week~ Grilled Cheese

Everyday this week, I have had grilled cheese for lunch. Well, every day but Wednesday because my niece came to visit and I took her out for sushi. *Score*

Growing up, my mom made grilled cheese on the stove top, in a pan. She'd coat the pan in melted butter and the bread would get a beautiful golden brown and the cheese would be perfectly melty. When I've ever tried to make grilled cheese on the stove top, plop on the same butter, but somehow the bread would get burnt and the cheese would still be cold. Very disappointing. This frustration in my lack of culinary grilled cheese-ness, left me grilled cheese-less for many years.

Until recently. The invention of the George Foreman grill brought grilled cheese back into my life. But the George Foreman is made for meat, and it presses down and my grilled cheese would be flat as a pancake. Tasty, but deflated.

Then last year I bought Gordo a panini press for his birthday. It must have been our obsession with Panera Bread that made him want a panini press. Oh, and his obsession with the Cuban sandwich he gets every year in Miami. He quickly dubbed the panini press the greatest thing I ever did for him. No, not declaring my love for him, or saying "I do" or "Yes I'll bare your children". My $29.99 Target purchase of a panini press was my greatest accomplishment of our relationship, but it still flattened my grilled cheese.

Then one day, a month or so ago, the panini press died. It was a sad, sad day. But being the wonderful, caring, considerate and resourceful wife that I am, I remembered the gift card to Crate and Barrel we still had from our wedding over 2 years ago. And because I love my husband so, and wanted to keep his sandwich needs at the top of our relationship priorities, off to Crate and Barrel I went. $69.99 was the price tag on their only panini press. Thank goodness for whoever got us that gift card.

This is no ordinary panini press and that's where the grilled cheese comes in. This panini press has settings! You can melt! Or toast! Or press! This topped my first panini press purchase, and Gordo's love for me was once again restored! And my grilled cheese dilemma has been solved!

See how it's toasting, but not pressing down on the bread? It grills the bottom, then flip, then it grilled the other side. And by having the top down keeps everything warm and melty.

Look at the golden brown-ness. Its perfect. Golden on the outside, perfectly warm and melty on the inside. Yum.

And there you have it. The perfect lunch. My grilled cheese, my Parents magazine and my Snapple.

Yes, I like my grilled cheese with ketchup. I think that started years ago when I worked in a diner. It's tasty, try it! I mean, you'd have marinara with a mozzarella stick, right?

By the way, we are completely out of sliced cheese now. I have no idea what to have for lunch.

At some point I will try and post about something other than food, but really, that's where my mind's at. But really this was about the panini press, wasn't it?