It's a BOY!!!

Brixen Christopher Keller

Due:  February 18, 2011

What a VERY exciting day!!!  I hardly slept last night...  Especially since I have been so congested lately.  My humidifier sure does help though!  Thanks for suggesting that, Mom!

I woke up at 6:00 AM, which is an hour earlier than my normal time.  I just could not fall back to sleep.  I got up, checked emails and Facebook like always, and cleaned up the kitchen.  I woke Chris up at 7:00 AM.  I said, "Honey, today is the day we find out if we are having a son or daughter."

Driving to the hospital, I was so anxious and could not wait to get there for the ultrasound.  I thought I was going to pass-out!  We got there right at 8:15 AM and got in right away.  I love being the first appointment.  

Instead of finding out at the hospital, Chris and I decided to do something a little different.  We wrote Brixen Christopher and Sophi Jo on index cards and put them in an envelope that said Boy or Girl?  We asked the ultrasound technician to put a smiley face on either boy or girl.  At the end of the ultrasound, she went out of the room and sealed it up.  Chris took this picture before we left for the hospital.

The ultrasound really did not last that long, maybe 15-minutes.  We got to see a lot on our baby this time.  Foots, legs, kidneys, spine, etc.  Baby Brixen's hand started to move at one point and we knew he was waving at Mommy and Daddy.  The ultrasound technician said everything looked great and our OBGYN would take a look at the results and email us.

I think the ride home from the hospital to our house TOOK FOREVER and we only live less than 15-minutes away.  We FINALLY got home.  Of course, I started crying even before Chris opened the envelope.  I always had that feeling it was a boy and so did Chris.  So...  When he opened it up and there was a smiley face on Brixen Christopher all we could do was cry and hug.  It was a VERY SPECIAL moment.  And, thankful, we did it the way we did.  It was private and special between him and I.  

Me and Brixen Christopher Keller (Our Son)

Chris and Brixen Christopher Keller (Our Son)

As you can see, both of our eyes were very teary from our cries.  But we both are very emotional people so I knew I would cry!  How can you not???  We were about to find out if we were having a son or daughter!

We got some stuff on video and even calling our Moms to tell them to good news.  Chris will put together a small video and I will post that soon!  Right now, we are cherishing this amazing moment and can't wait to meet our son, Brixen Christopher Keller, in February 2011.

As you can see, I changed the colors of our blog.  Brixen's nursery will be chocolate brown and light blue so I thought this new blog background was perfect!  We are planning to go do our Baby Registry tomorrow because we are just so excited.  Plus, we are heading to PA November 12 through November 14 for a Baby Shower with Chris' family.  

Tonight, we are planning to go out and celebrate that we are having a SON!  Check back soon for a video update.  I will be blogging tomorrow about officially being 20-weeks.  In addition, I am sure we will post photos and videos from our Baby Registry adventure.

Thank you everyone for your kind words!!!  It really means a lot to all three of us.  We greatly appreciate it and truly feel blessed!  

Like Christmas Eve - Only Better!

Tomorrow we will know if we are having a SON or DAUGHTER!  Wow!  That sounds strange to say.  We both are very excited, anxious, and ready for tomorrow morning!

Our family and friends are also very excited.  We have a list of people to call tomorrow after we get home.  I bet our Moms definitely will not be able to concentrate on anything until we call them with the big news!  This is like Christmas Eve ONLY SO MUCH BETTER!

Our appointment is at Evanston Hospital (where we will deliver) at 8:15 AM CST and I am not sure how long the 20-week ultrasound will last.  We have a unique way of finding out whether we are having a boy or girl.  I will blog all about it tomorrow.  

Well...  I am off to make some mac and cheese for my wonderful Husband.  He got 3 teeth pulled today and I am taking care of him!  I love being a Wife!  Oh, and, Survivor is on tonight too!

Stay Tuned...

Chicago Bears: 3-0 (2-MORE DAYS!)

Last night was the best Monday Night Football ever!!!  The Bears WON!  It was a very exciting game.  Well, the second half maybe not so much the first.

Chris and I were looking forward to this game all week!  Both the Bears and the Packers were undefeated thus far.  So, we knew this was a big game.  The Bears did not look so good in the first half but really seems to be a great second half team.

When the game was tied and the Packers fumbled...  I think I wet my pants!  It was recovered by the Bears!  We were not able to score a TD from it BUT Robbie Gould won it for us!  So exciting...

Because of all the excitement, I did not get to bed until after 11:00 PM, which is late for me.  I am sure I will be tired tonight.  But it was well worth it.  The Bears are now the ONLY UNDEFEATED TEAM IN THE NFC.

AND...  2-more days until we find out whether we are having a BOY or a GIRL.  Time went by very fast yesterday and I am hoping for the same these next two-days.  It is hard not to think about it!!!  We go very early on Thursday so basically, I will just wake-up and get ready!

Off to clean-up, have some "me" time, and start my day!  Have a great Tuesday!  Loving this Fall weather!

Recipe

Today is a very cool Fall Sunday afternoon!  It has not even hit 60 degrees.  We relaxed all day and even turned on the fireplace.  Nice and cozy!

I posted on my FaceBook that I was planning to make homemade mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and chicken for dinner.  My friend, Rachel Jones, asked me to post the recipe on our blog.  So, here I am!

Normally, when I make recipes, I do not measure ingredients.  So, I will do my best to explain the mashed potatoes.  The green bean casserole is actually the recipe from the back of a french fried onion can.

Homemade Mashed Potatoes

5 Medium to Large Russet Potatoes

Vitamin D Milk

Butter

Salt

Depending on how much homemade mashed potatoes you want, you can always add more potatoes.  Chris and I like to have extra for leftovers.  It is always good warmed-up.

1.  Boil Water; Add Small Amount of Salt to Water

2.  Peel Potatoes and Wash

3.  Cut Potatoes; Small Pieces

4.  Cook Potatoes in Salt Water

5.  Drain Potatoes

Typically, the potatoes are finished boiling when you take a fork to them and they break into smaller pieces.  Not sure exactly how many minutes this is, just keep an eye on them.

Put the potatoes in a large bowl.  Do your best to mash the potatoes so there are no whole pieces left.  Once this is completed, add vitamin D milk and butter.  Again, I do not measure.  But always add a little at a time.  I always add more butter than milk.  Mix the potatoes, milk, and butter with a mixer.  

Continue to add milk and butter to the potatoes until it is to your tasting.  Add a bit of salt at the end.  The homemade mashed potatoes should be very creamy and buttery.  When I serve it, I always add more butter!  :)

Green Bean Casserole

1 (10 3/4-OZ) Can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup

3/4-Cup of Milk

1/8-TSP Black Pepper

1 1/3-Cups French's French Fried Onions

2 (14 1/2-OZ) Cans Green Beans, Drained or 2 (9-OZ) Frozen Cut Green Beans, Thawed

1.  Mix Soup, Milk, Black Pepper, and Beans in a Large Bowl

2.  Add 2/3-Cups of French Fried Onions

3.  Add All Ingredients to 1 1/2-QT Casserole

4.  Bake at 350 Degrees for 30-Minutes

5.  Top w/ Remaining Onions - Bake Additional 5-Minutes

For Thanksgiving, I always make both of these recipes.  Both are extremely good and great leftover.  I guess when I woke up this morning, my mind was thinking about Thanksgiving!  Off to start dinner...  Enjoy!

Week #19

Yesterday, marked Week #19.  Now...  We only have 5 more days until we find out if we are having a BOY or GIRL.  I cannot stop thinking about it.  I am even having dreams!  I definitely have my intuition.  I guess we will see if I am right very soon!  

There are so many friends this Summer that had babies or friends who are now pregnant.  My friend (Jenny) who is due the same day as me, just found out they are having a boy.  She thought they were having a girl!  Another friend  (Jodi) who is due a couple of weeks before me, is also having a boy.  I am just anxious to find-out.

Baby Bump Photo - Week #19

This week, I did not gain any weight but my belly did grow about a half an inch!  I felt pretty good this week.  I got tired one day so I took a nap.  It was hard to sleep that night.  Since the weather got hot this week and now it is not even suppose to hit 60 today, my allergies have been bothering me. 

Last night, Chris and I, walked around at the mall and Target.  We had a great dinner at this place called Dengeo's.  It has a variety of food.  I had a Greek Salad and Chris had Ribs.  It was so good!  Kohl's had a huge sale on Carter's.  So many cute clothes for both boys or girls.  Hopefully, the sale is still going on next week because we want to go back and buy some stuff!

No plans for the weekend!  It is suppose to be right around 60 all weekend.  Of course, College Football and NFL.  Church on Sunday.  The Bears do not play until Monday Night Football against the Packers.  That should be a great game since we both tied for first place.  So exciting!

Off to make some Hazelnut Coffee and wait for Chris to get up...  He loves to make us breakfast on Saturday mornings.  Today, he is going to make cinnamon french toast.  Yummy!

Have a great weekend!

Baby Brophi Video

Chris and I are trying to make as many videos as possible, especially since we are about half way through the pregnancy.  We both want to be able to look back on these times.  I am sure days, weeks, months, and years from now we will be thankful we made all these videos.  See below...

This is my second blog post today...  As you can see, I love blogging.  If you want to know more about our appointment today, read below.  Be sure to vote BOY or GIRL since we find-out in 7-DAYS!!!  Wow!  So exciting...

Boy or Girl??? - 09.30.10

Today, we had our monthly OBGYN Appointment.  It was very fast this time.  We like being her first appointment of the day!  I think we will plan to go around 12 PM every time, if possible!

The appointment went GREAT!  Below are more details.  We go back for our next OBGYN Appointment on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 at 12:15 PM.  I just love going to the doctor.  I get so excited and she is wonderful.

Weight:  144-Pounds

Baby's Heart Beat:  Between 150 and 160

Blood Pressure:  110/70

I gained a total of 5-pounds in the last 4-weeks with a total of 7-pounds since the beginning of my pregnancy.  I definitely have been eating a lot the past 4-weeks.  Everything sounds so good!  

After our appointment, we went to Olive Garden!  It is a tradition for us to go after our appointment.  It is right by our doctor's office.  As usual, it is always SO GOOD!  We both had soup, salad, and breadsticks.  I am full now!  Yummy!

AND...  WE SCHEDULED OUR 20-WEEK ULTRASOUND!!!  The countdown is ON!  We go on Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 8:15 AM.  SEVEN DAYS!!!  We cannot wait to find out whether we are having a BOY or GIRL.  Stay tuned...