H is for Handsome Hayes

Being a mommy is quite the adventure. I am learning to function on 2 hours of sleep at a time...which results in some amount of insanity. More than once, I have woken up cradling my body pillow and panicking when I couldn't find Hayes....who is always sleeping peacefully in his own bed. Even though I am more tired than I have ever been in my life, I still somehow have the energy to stare at my precious little man while he sleeps. I should take advantage of his naps and take my own, but he is just so cute!

I would like to say...Ryan gets Daddy of the Year award. He does such a wonderful job taking care of Hayes! And me...I tend to forget that part when I am caring for our child. This week, Hayes gets to meet his Nana and Pappy! I'm not sure who is more excited...Hayes or Nana and Pappy. I think Nana and Pappy:)

Here are a few new pictures of Handsome Hayes....

The newest love of my life...

My beautiful baby boy was born on Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 12:41 p.m. He weighed 8lbs 12 oz at birth and was 21 inches long! I can't believe he was curled up inside of me:) I won't share too many other details now...but I just wanted to introduce my handsome little fella.

Hayes Patrick McCormick 

I am off to stare at my cutie pie:) I am sure there will be more pictures to come...

McBaby's Room! And a yummy recipe...

And finally....pictures of McBaby's wonderful room. Looking at it now, I'm a little surprised at the direction I took. My decor style tends to be neutral colors on the walls with bright colored accents...and lots of black and white. I absolutely love how this room has turned out though. Hopefully the bright colors provide lots of fun visual stimulation for our little baby's developing brain. I am waiting until baby arrives to add things to the walls. McBaby needs a few gender specific items in the room:) And the tour begins...

Fun curtains...the first addition to the room.

The bed, obviously:) Mom made the super fun bumper pads! I love the shelves. Thanks Ikea!

Changing table station. The dresser came from a Pottery Barn outlet and the mirror came from Marshall's.

Relaxation station. The chair is getting a dark brown slipcover. The lamp and side table...thanks again Ikea!

Our baby is full term now! Although I'm sure we still have to wait a while longer before he or she makes the big entrance into the world...Had quite the contraction early this morning. Just one contraction. One lonely contraction. One contraction really doesn't get you anywhere. Here's hoping for more where that came from!

And now for the yummy recipe...Shrimp Potato Soup! This recipe came from a college friend of mine. I added some extra veggies in hopes of lessening the effects of the Rotel on my reflux. Here it is!

1 lb shrimp (or crawfish or crab or whatever floats your boat...or floats near your boat)
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup green onions
fresh garlic to taste
1 bell pepper
1 onion
3-4 stalks of celery
2 oz cream cheese

1 tsp shrimp boil

2 cans cream of potato

1 can cream of mushroom

 1 can rotel

1 can corn

1 pint whipping cream...or fat free half and half if you are attempting to be healthy-ish

Melt butter in a large skillet. Chop veggies and saute with garlic in butter. Add shrimp and cream cheese. I chopped my shrimp first. Cook until shrimp are done and cream cheese has melted. Stir in shrimp boil. Add to a crock pot with the rest of the ingredients. Cook on low 4-6 hours. You can also simmer in a large pot on the stove until warm. This recipe was super easy to make and tasted amazing!

Stay tuned....maybe there will be more contractions in our future. Maybe...

Chicken Pot Pie

Today was cold and wet and snowy....a perfect night for warm chicken pot pie! This recipe came from my Pioneer Woman cookbook. Enjoy!

3-4 stalks celery

3-4 carrots
1 large onion
1/4 cup butter
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1/4 cup flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cube chicken bouillon

1 cup whipping cream (I used fat free half and half)

salt, pepper, and thyme to taste

1 pie crust

Ready? Preheat oven to 400. Chop all of your veggies. PW calls for frozen peas also...which make me gag. We added extra celery and carrots instead. Melt butter in a large skillet and add veggies. Saute until tender-ish.They will get more tender while baking. Add in chicken. Slowly add flour and stir for a few minutes. Add in chicken broth and bouillon. You can also add some white wine...if you wanna. Add cream and cook on low for several minutes or until mixture thickens. Pour sauce in a deep pie dish or small casserole dish. PW makes her own pie crust from scratch. I purchased one from the grocery store. Place the pie crust over the chicken mixture and cut small slits in it. Bake for 30-40 mintues or until crust is done. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before eating. Enjoy your comfort food!

This past week was crazy for us. We had a lovely ice storm Tuesday that resulted in a loss of power for us. We stuck it out in our house Tuesday night, but had to resort to a hotel for Wednesday night. Luckily, our power came back on Thursday afternoon. Friday, my co-workers had a wonderful party for McBaby...and me. Some of my favorite people, our residents, were in attendance. I got some fantastic baby name suggestions, including John Wayne and Lucille Ball. Someone likes tv.... I also got some great parenting advice. I was told, by the tv fan, that the baby might like Ryan better, but I shouldn't be offended. Interesting. She also pointed out a gentleman with a pot belly larger than my pregnant belly and said I shouldn't feel bad about being so big. What do you even say to that? Thank you?

Almost to 37 weeks! Dr said everything is looking perfect so far. Little baby is head down and ready to go, in a few weeks. I can't believe how close we are! Well, yes I can. I feel every second of this pregnancy. Still exciting though:)

Tomorrow I am making a new recipe from a friend...Shrimp Potato Soup. I have a few additions that might be fun...I will let you know!