Jojo the Bachelorette — Week 2

• Ok seriously, is Chad trying to be the villain? No one can be this big of a douche and not know that he’s the worst.
• How can Jojo not feel like a total weirdo watching these guys do the fireman challenges?
• I don’t like Luke. He’s too smooth and romantic and ew. Watching them kiss was awful. All the hands and slowness. Blah.
• Derek is so cute! I don’t think he’s shiny enough for her though. He reminds me of Ben; a little too normal for The Bachelor.
• Quote of the night: “If you’re making a protein shake made of the group of dudes here, and like, you know, blended it up, half of that dude protein shake would be, like, have zero chance.” -Chad
• I have some breaking news: Derek has a hard time opening up. This might be the first time in bachelor history to have a contestant who has a hard time opening up. Rolling my eyes.
• Bachelor Nation was a good idea. We actually learned about the guys and saw their personalities. Unlike those physical competitions that are just embarrassing.
• Chad is making everyone uncomfortable. He’s trying WAY too hard to be “honest”. It’s weird. I think his approach is fine, but he took it all way too far. This tells me he’s just not that smart. Can’t read a room.
• I think that James is really, really sweet. There is no way that he and Jojo will end up together, but I hope he finds a nice girl and doesn’t end up on Bachelor Pad.
• Alex and Jojo in that big chair was the funniest moment of the episode. I think the producers put that big chair there and forced Alex to sit in it.
• Nick. He’s trying too hard. I get the impression he doesn’t date much.
• Chad really came off normal during his one on one time! Huh. Interesting.
• It makes total sense that Jojo gave the rose to James. He’s sweet, and she can’t start off giving roses to the guys we all know will be the last guys. She has to spread the love early on instead of singling guys out as “favorites”.
• Chad’s move to catch her before the cocktail party started was pretty genius. She didn’t seem into it at all, and she especially didn’t seem interested in the kiss.
• Alex leading the pack in confronting Chad was ridiculous. They should all be high-fiving Chad for thinking of a way to get more time! Back down Alex, you’re dumb.
• Chase and his mini-date with the snow was adorable. This guy is going far.
• I LOVE that Chad is eating so much food. It makes me crazy to see all the beautiful food that no one eats. Eat Chad! Eat! We laughed and laughed watching this. It’s the best.
• Alex has a serious case of short man syndrome. I really dislike him. Really, really.
• Chad’s making us laugh! He’s awful, but come on…he’s not as bad as everyone is making him seem. I actually felt like Alex had it coming when Chad got in his face. Obviously Chad is psycho for taking it to a threatening level, but Alex was asking for it. Alex spent the night following Chad around picking on him and Chad snapped. It doesn’t seem that crazy. I think he might be a Michelle Money villain, as in, not actually a villain.
• Evan is great. I like him a lot.
• Bye, bye James, Brandon and Will.

Jojo the Bachelorette — Week 1

This might be confusing to read but this is all I have time for these days. I wrote down their name when they first appeared on screen and then as they came back time and time again throughout the episode I went back and filled in more details about each person.

• Grant: Not nearly as cute as his profile picture. He’s not going far. Yes he is, he’s in lots of previews.
• Jordan: Winner! And Aaron Rodgers’s brother?! Peter chose him to win and I’m jealous. That was an excellent choice. Their kiss was not cute. Peter said it was like a kitty drinking water. First impression rose goes to Jordan, no surprise.
• Alex: No way. This guy seems like a real clown. Plus, he’s shorter than she is.
• James: This is the superfan and I actually like him! The Chris Harrison thing at the end was really funny.
• Evan: So this is his real job! I’m surprised and he seems less awful than his picture made him seem. And he’s got mojo for jojo, which I like. His personality will carry him through a few weeks. He seems nice and normal.
• Ali: Smokin hot, but he’s a bartender, so no. And I’m pretty sure he shaves his legs. I do think he’ll go pretty far though.
• Christian: Wakes at 3:30am to get to the gym? No. That’s stupid on so many levels. He seems sweet though and I like him other than that. Oh, the side-boob touch was TIA.
• Luke: Much cuter than his picture! And he went to West Point, so he’s legit. But Jojo doesn’t strike me as a small-town kind of girl. Coming in on a unicorn was actually sort of cute. I get a good vibe from him.
• Derek: Sweet. Plain. Cute. I really like him!
• Robby: He’s the guy that said modge podge instead of hodgepodge. How can I ever forgive him for that?
• Will: Class clown type? Meh. Doesn’t strike me as her type. Although I do like that he’s an engineer. And the awkward kiss was just awkward.
• Chad: Nope nope nope. His eye contact was creepy and gross. Ew. And she said he smelled good. I know very few respectable men who wear cologne. OH NO! This is the guy I picked. I hate this. He’s fake and gross and rude to the other guys in his interviews and nice to her face, so I hate him. I think he might be the villain. Yes, villain. WHY DID I CHOOSE THIS GUY? Wife beater.
• Daniel: Opening with Damn Jojo was funny. He’s not cute. He looks like the villain in a tv show. And he was totally rude to the other men in his interviews. Oh now he’s trying to explain his opening joke! Lol. And the short tie is so sad. Lol. And now he’s drunk and naked. Lol. And he stayed???
• James Taylor: Nope. Men who play guitar are super sketch, but I’m giving him half a pass on this since it’s his actual profession. He seems genuinely kind and I bet he’ll be one of the favorites in the house among the other men. Jojo will never go for him though.
• Jonathan: NO.
• James F.: Not cute. Needs a spray tan. He was wearing a black dress shirt and a red tie, which is never ok so he’s got to go asap.
• Saint Nick B.: That was sort of cute. He’s not cute though.
• Chase: Peter loved his mustache joke. I did not.
• Sal: Nope.
• Coley: No.
• Brandon: No. He’s the hipster.
• Vinny: Toast. No. Drunk. Huh? Why did he stay?
• Peter: They didn’t exactly show us his entrance.
  
• Wells: All-4-One?! YES!

She kept the two guys who got so drunk it was awkward, but got rid of Coley who made her laugh and handsome Peter?

The Jake thing was stupid. He’s stupid.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This used to be Peter’s favorite chocolate chip cookie. I can’t even eat those anymore. These are the our new favorites. They are so, so good. My brother got the recipe from a coworker years ago (so I’m not sure who to credit) and then I made a few tweaks. And yes, you have to brown the butter to make the recipe work.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups cake flour
1 cup bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) browned unsalted butter
2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla
Chocolate chips
Flaked sea salt (my favorite)

Several hours before mixing recipe, brown butter to light brown sugar in color and let cool. Mix cooled, softened brown butter in mixing bowl with the sugars. Cream together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add chilled eggs. Stir in the vanilla.

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl.

Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds.

Add chocolate chips.

Refrigerate for several hours to develop flavors a bit more, or just bake right away. Preheat oven to 350.

Roll golf ball size balls of dough on cookie sheet with parchment paper. Top with more chocolate chips. Sprinkle lightly with flaked sea salt and bit of sugar. Bake until golden brown but still soft, about 10-12 minutes.

Carrot Cake

This is my favorite carrot cake. I found the recipe here and took all the suggestions from the comments and made some adjustments.

Carrot Cake

4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour cake pans.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, applesauce, sugars and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Frost with cream cheese frosting, drizzle with caramel sauce and top with chopped pecans.

 

Dark Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Recipe from Sweetapolita.

Ingredients
6 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1-1/4 cups dark cocoa powder (I use this)
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs, cold
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions
In large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until fluffy and pale, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs until just combined. Add flour mixture and mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. Add vanilla and blend.

Remove 1/2 of dough from bowl, make a ball, and place on a large piece of plastic wrap on counter. Wrap the sides of wrap over the ball, then press down with the palm of your hand and make a disc about 2″ thick. Finish wrapping the disc with the plastic wrap. Repeat with 2nd half of dough. Chill both discs of dough for about 45 minutes.

Remove one disc and remove plastic wrap. Place on top of a large piece of parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Roll dough about 1/4″ thick. Preheat your oven to 325° F. Slide your parchment paper and dough onto a board or cookie sheet, then place in refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

Remove from fridge, and cut your shapes using the cutters of your choice, placing them on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment. Place sheet with cookies into freezer for 15 minutes before baking.

Bake until cookie edges are just crisp, about 16 minutes. Cool sheets on wire racks for 10 minutes, then gently remove cookies and place on wire racks to finish cooling.

Postpartum thoughts

1. I can’t believe how nice people are after you have a baby. We had so many nice meals, gifts, offers to help and babysitters for Henry. It’s so, so nice.
2. My doctor was the worst. I had such nice nurses and the hospital staff in general was wonderful, but my doctor was the pits. For some reason she was really down on me having a vaginal delivery. She pushed and pushed and pushed a c-section and literally TOLD ME that it would be better for her schedule that way. SHE LITERALLY SAID THAT. I told all my nurses all day I would only have a c-section if I needed one and that I would continue to push back to my doctor unless the baby or I was in danger. All throughout labor she kept telling me that I “couldn’t do it” and that John was too big and “would never fit”. It was pretty unreal. The whole ordeal was incredibly painful (yes, I had an epidural) and miserable. Really, really miserable.
3. John is six weeks old and I’ve only had both kids all day long by myself a handful of times. I’ve had friends come get Henry for the day, my mom here, my in-laws here, and my best friend here. It’s a nice way to ease into our new normal.
4. During labor with Henry I pushed for 2.5 hours and used every single muscle in my body. I was super, super sore. My face even hurt and I had red spots all over my face and neck (broken blood vessels?) for at least a week afterwards. I was so, so worn out by the time he came I couldn’t keep my eyes open or really even function at all. This time around the pushing was only 17 minutes, thanks to my stupid doctor who immediately gave me an episiotomy and used the vacuum because she was apparently too busy to wait around for the baby to come as he wanted.
5. I can’t really remember the recovery with Henry, but I think this time around was worse.
6. I’m so glad I had such a great delivery with Henry and I know that the whole ordeal doesn’t have to be miserable and terrible.
7. After I had Henry I was totally satisfied with him and didn’t care if I ever had another baby. Even days after I had John I wanted another. Giving Henry a brother was maybe the best thing I’ve ever done.
8. My days in the hospital were so wonderful. John is an angel. I just got to hold him all day and night. I missed Henry like crazy, but I’m so glad I had those days to myself just to be with John. It was really wonderful and I was sad to leave.

Tomorrow is the day

Tomorrow, November 30, is most likely the day our baby will be born. It’s a weird feeling. I have no idea what is going to happen, how it is going to happen, and I probably won’t have as much control over it as I want.

I feel like my life is going to change more now than it did when Henry was born. I am just as scared, if not more scared than I was then. Birth is terrifying. And the idea that all of the sudden I have to split my attention and affection between two little people is overwhelming. I feel like I’m going to miss Henry so much, even thought he’ll still be with me all day every day.

I have to be at the hospital at 6am.

Chiropractor

I’d never seen a chiropractor until two years ago. I was never anti-chiropractor, but I was always pretty skeptical of them. With Peter’s old job we had an insurance benefit that allowed us to see a chiropractor and massage therapist for $5, so obviously I took advantage of that a few times a month for two years. I love, love a good massage, but the chiropractor I could for sure live without. I was never very impressed. I thought it was nice, but I never felt like it made any bit of difference in how I felt when I walked out. Had an adjustment not come with an hour long massage, I would never have gone back.

When I did my second round of IVF I saw an acupuncturist/chiropractor twice a week in an effort to do every single thing I could possibly do to make the IVF successful. I think that it was a positive thing. I don’t want to go as far as to say that IVF worked because of it, but I’m glad I did it and I do think it made some sort of difference on some level.

Last week I went to my regular 35 week checkup which included a sonogram. I learned that the baby was transverse. My doctor immediately scheduled a c-section and said there was absolutely nothing I could do to help the baby move to a head-down position. Nothing at all. I liked her ok until that moment. She pretended to be disappointed for me since I wanted to avoid a c-section, but I actually thought she seemed a little happy about it. She told me that a c-section would work out great for her Thanksgiving plans, but a day of labor would not. Yikes.

I left my appointment pretty bummed. My friend called me right away and told me that her baby was breech at 37 weeks and she went to a chiropractor who specialized in flipping babies. I was willing to give anything a shot so I went to see the chiropractor a few days later.

I had been having a lot of back pain, which was making the rest of me pretty uncomfortable as well (I’m not sure I really even connected that my discomfort was due to my back pain). I rarely felt the baby move and I never felt kicks/pokes. I only felt occasional vague stretching type movements. I was even throwing up more and more frequently as time was going on.

The chiropractor changed everything! When I first laid down she felt the baby. She felt how he was positioned (she was right on, according to my ultrasound) and agreed that baby was not head down. She adjusted my back and when I stood up I immediately knew something was different. My belly was shaped differently (more out, less wide), my back pain was gone, and I felt better from head to toe. I’m throwing up less now, I’m feeling kicks, pokes and normal baby movements all the time. I didn’t even realize how poor I’d been feeling until I stood up immediately feeling normal. She felt my belly again and she was pretty certain that he was head down at that point. I could feel her hands around what for sure seemed like a nice round little head. I was shocked that baby could flip and I could feel so much better in a matter of minutes.

I didn’t want to get my hopes up, so I waited until my ultrasound a week later (yesterday) to celebrate that the baby is head down! Yayyyyy! No more c-section, unless something changes. I totally give credit to the chiropractor for this.

Let me be clear, I am in no way anti c-section. If I need a c-section I will welcome being sliced open to keep me and my baby safe. But the idea of healing from a c-section with a sweet toddler who loves to snuggle on my lap and read stories sounds pretty miserable. I’d like to avoid that if possible.

Baby will be here in about three weeks!

35 Weeks Pregnant

1. I love being pregnant, I’m getting really sad that I’m nearing the end.
2. I don’t remember feeling aches and pains when I was pregnant with Henry, but this time I am. I don’t know if it’s because I’m older, started out heavier, or if it’s just different.
3. A few weeks ago while lifting Henry out of the car I hurt my back. It was an entire week of pain. Back pain is the pits, it makes you incapable of doing anything.
4. Skipping Pie Night this year is actually a relief. I thought I’d be sad skipping it, but it’s nice to take a year off!
5. I have rarely felt this baby move until a few weeks ago. My doctor says it’s because my placenta is in the front, but let’s hope it’s because I have a lazy baby. Not feeling him has been a bummer. I worked so hard to get pregnant and then got screwed out of the best part! Around 33 weeks the baby was finally strong enough that I could feel large movements, which has been great.
6. With Henry I was not looking forward to his arrival. Being pregnant was so fun and having a baby was a big unknown. This time around I am so thrilled to be giving Henry a brother that I am looking forward to the actual baby part.
7. I am forced to use an OB with this baby, which has been a bummer. I used a midwife for Henry and had a super fantastic experience. Texas doesn’t do midwives! There is only ONE within a 25 minute drive and for a number of reasons it didn’t make sense to use her. My OB is fine I guess, but I’m nervous about my delivery. I have a feeling it will not go nearly as well as my experience with Henry.
8. The thing I’m the most nervous for is leaving Henry while I’m in the hospital. I have never been away from him for more than a few hours. I’m going to miss him! I know this is overly dramatic, but I also am nervous about how he is going to feel without me.
9. Heartburn with Henry was awful. It’s bad with this baby too, but not nearly as bad as with Henry. I’ve thrown up about the same amount. I threw up almost daily for about 17 weeks and then roughly once a week since. One day around 20 weeks I threw up more than 10 times. I was too delirious (literally!) to keep count after 10. Have you ever thrown up in the bushes in public with an audience of strangers? How about pulling over and puking on the side of the road? In a bucket in your car while your mother-in-law drives you around? In front of the Walgreens guy as he dispenses your medicine while you wait in the drive-thru? It was so bad that my mother-in-law ended up missing a flight. I even asked Peter to come home from work which is really, really saying something. Maybe it was food poisoning? Whatever it was it was awful.
10. I’ve been so busy with house stuff I feel like I haven’t given this pregnancy as much thought as I would have liked. Now I’m slowing down with house stuff and starting to focus more on baby prep, which is hard because there is so much more house stuff I want to get done. Clothes are washed and hanging in the closet, nursery is coming together, and I have most of the big items I need.
11. The baby has no name and we don’t actually talk about it that much. I’m debating between John and Russell. Peter is not really into either one as far as I can tell, but we don’t discuss it much so I don’t know.
12. We’ll meet this little guy in about five weeks!

2015 Fall TV

1. The Daily Show: Trevor Noah has potential, but it’s so hard to continue with a talk show when the host changes. Hopefully at some point I’ll stop wanting him to be exactly like Jon Stewart.
2. The Late Show: This is making me sad. Love Colbert, but this is not his lane. I hope he can grow into this position and things will work out for the best.
3. Code Black: Meh. Not as bad as I thought. I might just like it because Mona from Friends is in it.
4. Nashville: I hate that I’m still watching.
5. RHOOC: This entire season was about Brooks and it was annoying. Megan is the worst and was a bad choice in casting.
6. RHONJ: Watching Joe ride a bike was awesome. He’s always needed a giant slice of humble pie.
7. The Player: Meh. These are piling up on my dvr.
8. HTGAWM: I hate Annalise’s storyline from college. It was so “shocking” that it was predictable and obnoxious. I just rolled my eyes the whole time. I liked last season better than this season, but I still like it.
9. Dr. Ken: Terrible. I didn’t even make it through the first episode before I deleted it from my dvr.
10. 90 Day Fiance: There are some good couples this season. I’m particularly interested in the mormons, the old/young couple, and the bartender who has roaches in his house.
11. Sister Wives: You’ve heard about Meri, right? OUCH! It’s so obvious she’s miserable, and it’s hard to blame her. She’s never gotten over her fertility issues, her only child left, and she only has a husband 1/4 nights. Lonely people seek out comfort. Always. I’m surprised that Kody didn’t see this coming. I’m also calling BS on the Mormons telling Maddy she couldn’t get baptized. We are missing part of the story there for sure.
12. Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season one was so funny. It’s still entertaining, but it’s gone downhill.
13. Manzo’d With Children: Better than last season.
14. Blood & Oil: This is sort of a primetime soap opera type show, which doesn’t bother me, but I know it’s too cheesy for most people. I think I’d say it’s sort of a mix of Desperate Housewives and Dallas.
15. Last Man On Earth: One of my top three shows that are on right now.
16. Quantico: Fine. Worth watching for now, but I don’t love it.
17. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I’ve only seen one episode so far, but I actually liked it better than I thought I would.
18. Blindspot: Fine. Worth watching for now, but I don’t love it.
19. Fargo: Good. Love Fargo.
20. Monica the Medium: She is too much. I am certain she embellishes her readings and it drives me crazy.
21. Fresh Off the Boat: I would have quit this a long time ago, but Peter likes it enough for me to keep it on the DVR as a show he can watch when he’s not actually watching.
22. Limitless: Better than I thought! Even Peter likes it.