DC's power couple

Chad reminded me this morning that it's been nearly a month since I blogged. Mom reminded me - publicly - as well, though I will say I've blogged since she has.

So, here's our biggest news from the last month.

Remember this? Well, it's happened again.

In a football game a couple weeks ago, Chad tore his ACL and meniscus on his left knee. He also has been having some lingering pain and swelling in his right knee, and an MRI showed that he tore the meniscus in his right knee as well. We were hoping for good news and preparing for bad news. Unfortunately, we got the latter.

Between my ever-growing belly and Chad's hobbling, we are quite the pair. It's actually comical.

So, Chad needs a scope on his right knee and reconstructive surgery on his left (ie: crutches for a month). The question around here is, when should we do it?

Should we try to get the ACL done before the baby is born so that Chad could start his recovery during a slow time of year and I'd only have to deal with taking care of one child at a time? (Sorry, couldn't help it...) If we went that route, in a perfect world the worst of his recovery would be behind him before Buster's grand debut, even though he'd be on crutches during the delivery and through Christmas. We wouldn't have to dread any upcoming surgeries since it would be out of the way and it's a slightly better option from an insurance standpoint. In a not-so-perfect world, the baby would come while Chad was still doped up on pain meds and unable to drive, though fortunately we have lots of friends and family who have already offered to chip in.

Other options: Wait until later on in my maternity leave, even though Chad will be busier at work. Wait until next summer even though the baby will be more mobile, I'll be back at work, and in the meantime Chad may injure his knees even more. (I don't personally see any of this as a good thing though this is what the surgeon seems to think makes the most sense.) Do both surgeries at the same time, even though the immediate recovery would be more difficult... Decisions, decisions. And not a single one of them is a no-brainer.

So I leave it up to you:

How should Chad approach surgery?
Just scope the right knee before the baby is born. There will be time for the "big" surgery later. Have surgery on the left knee ASAP. Get it over with already and hope Buster doesn't come early! Have both knees done at the same time sometime after the baby is born. Wait until next summer to do both, separately. Babies are hard work!
	Results

(Let's say it in unison, "Hopefully Buster gets Ellen's knees.")

Finally fall

We've got cooler weather, falling leaves and open windows at our house, which can only mean one thing: it's fall. And last night I made the yummiest recipe that got me even more in the mood for cooler temps than I thought I could be.

I must admit, I've hardly cooked at all since I've been pregnant. It's actually sort of embarrassing. Most dinners have involved take-out, Chad's kitchen magic or leftovers (though, to be fair, I'm almost always on dog-walking duty so we are splitting the chores).

Last night Chad left work earlier than I did, so the deal was that I'd make dinner and he'd take Lucy out.

What was in our fridge? Pork chops. And that was about it.

I didn't want to grill them. I didn't want to just throw some seasoning on them and bake them. Anything marinated would take too long because, let's face it, it was 7:30 and I was just thinking about dinner. I didn't exactly have 8 hours to let something soak.

After a few minutes of digging, I found the world's best solution: caramel apple pork chops (no caramel required), which I was able to make with ingredients I already had in the kitchen. The other best part? They were almost done by the time Chad got back from their walk and we had eaten dinner by 8:15.

Here's the recipe, just because I feel like sharing:

Caramel Apple Pork Chops

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
4 (3/4 inch) thick pork chops
1 teaspoon vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste (I used 1/8 tsp salt and about 1/8 tsp pepper)
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tart apples - peeled, cored and sliced (I cut ours into 1/2-inch wedges so they were bite-sized...and I didn't peel them)
3 tablespoons pecans (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Place a medium dish in the oven to warm.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush chops lightly with oil and place in hot pan. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, or until done. (It took about 10-11 minutes for our pork chops to be done, not 5-6.) Transfer to the warm dish, and keep warm in the preheated oven.
3. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, salt and pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add butter to skillet, and stir in brown sugar mixture and apples. Cover and cook until apples are just tender, about 4 minutes. Remove apples with a slotted spoon and arrange on top of chops. Keep warm in the preheated oven.
4. Continue cooking sauce uncovered in skillet, until thickened slightly (about 3 minutes). Drizzle sauce over apples and chops. Sprinkle with pecans.

Chad rated these "a solid 8 or 9", meaning he definitely thinks they're something we should make again. (By the way, I'm fairly certain that "10s" are reserved solely for Thanksgiving, thick steaks, or anything fried so this was high praise.)

The only thing we still haven't decided? Who gets to eat the leftovers.

No turning back

Sometimes I don't blog because I don't have anything to say.

Sometimes I don't blog because there's so much going on that I can't figure out where to start.

My silence for the last two weeks has been a result of the latter, but I promise to be better about it! I really do have a lot of things to write about...

NRF released its holiday forecast today. This is my ninth holiday season at NRF and our announcement is exhilarating every year. (I almost played Christmas music at work today, that's how excited I am...) I like my job for the first nine months of the year, but I love my job for the last three months.

I've actually been so focused on getting all the little puzzle pieces together for this big day of ours that it just hit me yesterday I won't make it through the entire holiday season: Buster will make his grand arrival before Christmas - if I'm lucky, right after Cyber Monday. As the date gets closer, the idea of having a baby strangely seems much farther away. I need to get out of this mindset soon because, as my doctor reminded me on Monday, Buster could come into this world anytime. (There is no indication that he will, but technically he could.) Eiks!

Too Easy

Since Ellen is neglecting everyone, I thought I would take a break from my ESPN gig and my just generally being awesome, to remind everyone (especially you dirty Packers fans) that the Packers game was really too easy.  We'll see if the Little Giants can put up more of a fight.  Until then, enjoy this:

I know, I know...

It's been almost two weeks since I've posted anything. (And this, after teasing you with three straight days of posts.) Sorry.

I'm in Dallas at an online retail conference, hoping the Bears will destroy the Packers tonight so that I can wear my Cutler jersey with pride to Cowboys Stadium tomorrow night. I've got plenty of good blog fodder in my head, but that will have to wait another day. Right now, it feels kind of fried.

Turf war

Buster and I are in the midst of a little property dispute. All was going well for the first seven months, but apparently he thinks the little cocoon I have so lovingly crafted for him is no longer big enough. So he is trying to make himself more comfortable by stretching and kicking his way into a larger space. Despite the fact that I am a generally hospitable person, I must say that my stomach, bladder and other organs are not liking this new development one bit. I'm starting to feel squished from the inside out. (And, yes, I realize this is not likely to improve in the next several months.)

Seriously, can't we all just get along?

I told Buster last night that if he wasn't careful I was going to serve him with an early eviction notice. I'm fairly certain he wasn't listening.

Rolling out the red carpet

Every year, Chad and I host a summer party with a different theme and invite all of our friends. Last year's theme, which I documented with a few photos, was "redneck." This year, it was "At the Movies." And unlike the past few years, we had absolutely perfect - and I do mean perfect - weather. What a fun end-of-summer night to spend with lots of friends.

I am still laughing about the costumes and the creativity in our group. We had about 40 people show up - some moviegoers and paparazzi, a few tennis players and cartoon characters. We had some 80's flashbacks and some totally random characters that no one, really, has ever heard of. Chad and I went as the teenage couple from Juno, though managed not to get a photo of us together all night. But here were some of the best ensembles:

Our friends Mark, Brigid and Dan, who came as the Trolls from Troll 2

 

April, Tom and Braden as the couple from Raising Arizona
(for the second year in a row, the O'Reilly's won Best Couple/Family)

Our friend Aaron, who is really from Australia, came as the Crocodile Hunter (Line of the night from one of our friends who didn't know Aaron previously: "How long have you been working on that accent?" to which Aaron replied, "Umm...about 32 years.")

 

Sarah and Spencer, contenders in the Best Couple category,
had quite an inventive ensemble from Dodgeball

Our friend Jenn, who won the Best Girl category
with her Breakfast Club persona

Rob, a contender for Best Guy, who came as one of the main characters in The Hangover

Brigid and I are both really pregnant and both came as Juno

And the costume of the night went to Paul, who completed a flawless Cousin Eddie with a see-through white sweater, green Dickie, tight pants, and patent leather shoes (and don't forget the moose mug!)

Now can you see why I'm still laughing - and already looking forward to next year's party?