Bday weekend !

So I turned 34! gulp, last Friday the 13th. It was a really nice bday week (yes, bday week around here) with dessert with friends, dinner with family prepared by mom (so good) and dutch blitz, dinner with Brandon and a shopping and lunch date with Ann. It was a great week. Kind've sad it's over. But it's nice to have a slower week and relax and nest/organize the pantry as inspired by the House of Smith blog.

On my actual bday, I dropped the girls at my mom and dads house for the night and they had a blast. Doing things like hanging out with their cousins Ethan and Charlotte (these pics are from yesterday) and getting waffles and ham. Um, their fav.

I met Brandon for a pre-dinner coffee since we were 20 min early and then we headed over to Tucci's (entrance photo). It was so beautiful and relaxed and we were seated right away. And it's our fav. place to eat. We started with the server's suggestion, mussels in a light tomato broth, and they were amazing. I was dredging up the broth with my sour dough bread. Brandon was in the mood for a pizza and salad and I wanted a full out bday dinner so I ordered the short ribs in the kona coffee sauce with sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts. We both had the house salad with their homemade shallot dressing. I once got the recipe out of the server. :)

I loved the food and especially loved the french silk pie Brandon had the server bring out for dessert. The chocolate was a definite craving I had! After dinner we went to our first IMAX movie and watched Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. It was awesome with the IMAX screening. Kind've want to watch every movie that way. We made sure to sit in the middle so that it wouldn't be too loud for the baby. I included a photo from outside Starbucks since I didn't take a 22 week prego shot. The pre-prego black coat is starting to fill out and pop my buttons. :

23 weeks

This week I am 23 weeks. Brandon and I have started organizing around the house, talking about having the girls take a big sister birth class and planned some baby purchases. I also went baby shopping with Ann and got the cutest boy outfits. We are talking tons of blue baby.

I am still having the round ligament pain and the update says to expect the baby to double in weight over the next four weeks. So those pounds I was gaining wasn't because of the half pan of cinnamon rolls I devoured. Nice to know....I am craving sweets baby. I made Martha Stewart's brownies from her classic blue recipe book and they were...i.n.s.a.n.e. Brandon laughed because I asked him 4 times how much he liked them. Cinnamon rolls, brownies, cookies, donuts, I could marry you all.