Sunday Breakfast

I'm 20 weeks now and I'm really trying to enjoy these months, to remember them and find the beauty in the life that I am experiencing right now. I feel so heavy, it seems sort of early to be feeling this way. When I walk my round belly just sort of heaves along with me. As uncomfortable as it can get at the end of the day when I'm trying to finish up dish duty, bath the baby, fight the last diaper change and snuggle my Mad into bed, it's sort of a fun defiance of gravity,  this heavy object just sort of hovering in front of me while I work. This weekend I walked with my first baby and we did some weeding in the front yard. More often than ever The Bear and I look at Mad with wonder and talk about how big she is. She's so funny and happy (and demanding) I am curious how a baby with less personality will fit in her loud little world. I know it just all magically works out with kids but it's a curious thing to wonder about. That is assuming this child is quiet and gentle rather than loud and tough.

One of my favorite things to do over the weekend is make a good breakfast at least once for my Mr. Bear. Even though he works from home (yay!) when he's not traveling (sad face!) he's pretty much on his own in the mornings. That usually means a stinky onion bagel and cream cheese with a side of Red Bull (ew!). So Saturday or Sunday comes along and I get the itch to make something a little prettier and more fulfilling. It also makes me feel like a better wife than I really am!

A couple weekends ago I made a version of a breakfast stacker that I saw online. I couldn't find the recipe and it also included some spicy homemade stuff on top that I needed to nix for the baby so I opted to guess at the exact style of the stack and use plain mild salsa in lieu of whatever had originally been instructed for the tops. They were delish and so pretty so I made them again this weekend and took fancy Iphone pics to do a little post with.

To start, cut up some cheese, peel and slice avocado, grab some eggs, english muffins (or toast, more on that later), salsa, HOT SAUCE is necessary for those who are not 2 years old, and sour cream (not pictured). Optional items are coffee and OJ. I like both.

We used white cheddar the first time and it was much tastier than the medium sharp yellow cheddar I had on hand for this batch. White just has more flavor I guess? Medium sharp cheddar is *snore* anyway, let's be honest. I just buy it because we eat it frequently with snacks and lunches etc and it's more affordable on a weekly basis.  Also, Cuties tangerine juice? It's like fireworks in my mouth! You need to try it. I'm sure there is way too much sugar to think about but I love it so much I can't help but indulge at least once a week. I'll never drink regular OJ again.

There really aren't a whole lot of pictures in this set since it is truly easy peasy and makes for boring actions shots. I like to get it all prepped since each stacker goes really quickly. We use our awesome toaster oven to do the muffin/toast and melted cheese. It takes 3ish minutes which is perfect timing to fry the eggs. If you don't have this amazing contraption I'd suggest toasting all the pieces a little bit before you start then melting cheese by broiling in the oven while you do the egg.

FYI you can do more at a time. Usually I can squeeze 3 eggs in at a time. The trick I've found for the perfect egg is a hot pan before you start and a lid to cover. I turn the stove on a few minutes before I start, on medium, to really get that pan hot. If the egg cooks too slowly it gets chewy, ew. So, spray your pan for extra nonstickness or if you love yourself throw in some butter and crack your egg. Clean out the shells. Wait I'm the only person who loves to cook but still gets shells every damn time? Oops! It should sizzle like crazy, salt and pepper and throw on a lid. It really depends on how you like your eggs cooked but 3 minutes is about perfect whenever I do it. I like them runny, The Bear doesn't, this recipe really needs runny yolk to be delicious. If you only eat scrambled eggs you should just stop now.

After 3 minutes your cheese should be nice and melty on your muffin, pull that out, pop some avocado slices on the cheese (I did that after the egg in the last picture which was a mistake), put the perfectly cooked egg on top of that, plop on a spoonful of sour cream and salsa, dribble on your hot sauce, and tada you are done! That easy it's impossible not to love!

These are pretty filling on their own but I fried up leftover fajita mixings from a late dinner the night before and they looked like a perfect addition. Hashbrowns would also be yummy!

Now is the time I tell you that I hated the english muffin version. The muffin was too thick and I didn't have enough yolk to really saturate it. Also, I used sprouted wheat toast for the first version and the yummy seeds added a delicious texture to all the creamy esque toppings. Plus toast just toasts better! And people, get the white cheddar or some other fancy melting cheese.

That's it. I can really make the longest post out of the shortest recipe so I'm not even going to do a recipe recap. Just go make this for your significant other, dog, neighbor, best friend, family, or just for yourself and then post it on Facebook or Instagram so everyone can see how domestic you are. Consider telling them the salsa is homemade so they want to be your friend more often.

MIA Again!

3 months?! I almost don't believe it. Are these photos evidence of a good enough excuse???

15 weeks

16 weeks

17 weeks (current) late night facial situation is so bad I had to cover my face

Maddie photo post bomb! Still my BFF and favorite distraction.

So, there is a not so tiny feeling hulk baby growing in my big ol' belly. Not to imply that it is a boy. I just feel huge compared to where I was at this point when pregnant with Mad aka my "Alien".

17 week with my Maddie - I'd pay lot of money to have the smooth looking belly back!

So, the first trimester is well over by this point and I feel pretty much human again. Except for the migraines. Way worse than with Maddie I have to say, it's pretty crippling some days. I'd love to try and catch up and share all the adorable/awesome pictures I have of my baby girl the last few months but that would be boring and, let's be honest here, I'd never actually get caught up I'd just stay 3 months behind forever. So we'll just stay here and pretend the past 3 months were blogged about and really amazing.

I'm not one to get too sappy but I just have to throw it out there, I love my life. I love my husband almost every day of the week, I love my Mad Maddie so much it hurts, and I'm so thrilled that I get to be a mama again to whatever little human is growing inside of me. On that note I'll just tell everyone now that we are NOT finding out the gender until D day! You read me correctly; since this will likely be our last child (The Bear is having moments of insanity suggesting otherwise but I think he just hit his head or something) I've somehow convinced Mr. Bear to get on board with a surprise baby and I couldn't be happier. I have no anxiety about the big anatomy scan, or wondering if they will have gotten the gender wrong and all my money on clothes will be a waste. I have only thought momentarily about nursery decor and baby clothing. My thoughts are pretty clear these days and I'm just able to enjoy day to day life and baby growing without any sort of anxiety. 2nd pregnancies are a breeze!

So that's it, that is why I've been MIA the last 3 months. I fully intend to be my regular posting self again immediately! So, like every week or so ;).