March Leftovers + It’s A….

I know I’m a food blogger so I should be doing this gender reveal with some adorable heart shaped cupcakes or extravagantly decorated cake pops. But we already know I don’t really do cute food, and the truth is, I’m way too excited to share the news to mess with all that fancy schmantzy stuff.

So, without further ado, here goes!

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The Mr. and I are both over the moon, and I’m already dreaming of bow ties, toy tractors, and grass-stained pants. I found this Family Begins with a Wish book in a children’s book store here in Columbus, and I wasn’t more than 5 pages in when I started to get teary eyed. Luckily, no one else was in the store so my sniffles couldn’t be detected, but I knew this book was coming home with me. I can’t wait to read it to our little boy!

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In case you’re curious, no, we have not picked out a name, and yes, it is stressing me out. We had several girl names we really liked, but the boy names have proved far harder. The Mr. and I are generally in agreement about the names we dislike, but finding one we both love has not been an easy task. It seems they’re either too weird, too common, don’t sound good with Rowland (Roland Rowland, anyone??), or have terrible nicknames. I know we’ll figure it out, but in the meantime I’ll be over here singing the Banana Fana Fo Fana song to make sure our name doesn’t turn up a cuss word or some other horror a second grader would loooove to make fun of. Second graders are trouble, man.

My life has become somewhat consumed by baby planning, so unfortunately this month’s leftovers are a little short on book reviews. I will share the two books that have helped me so far in this pregnancy though.

First, The Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy–This book is not scientific or medical in nature, but it IS incredibly informative, helpful, and hilarious. The book is based on anecdotal evidence from a large group of girlfriend’s experiences in pregnancy. The style is very conversational, and it really does feel like you’re talking to a good friend who’s willing to answer all the questions you were afraid to ask. I so appreciated the author’s sense of humor and non-judgmental attitude. I plan on reading The Girlfriend’s Guide to Surviving the First Year of Motherhood next.

The Baby Cheapskate– This book was so helpful in determining a registry list and what is actually necessary for the raising of a human child. I really don’t want to fill up my house with hunks of plastic baby stuff I’ll use for 2 months (famous last words, I know). We’re still registering for a lot of stuff, but I’m really trying not to get swept up in a frenzy of UPC scanning at Babies R Us. I’d LOVE to hear your must have baby items or the things you actually DIDN’T need or use in the comments!

Other than that, here were some of my favorites from around the web this month.

From Around The Web:

19 People Who Are Absolutely Sick and Tired of Winter from BuzzFeed- I was done with winter approximately 80 days ago, but at least I wasn’t swallowed by a giant wave of mucky road ice coming off a snow plow. #solidarity

Food Photography Blunders from Fork and Good- I love when bloggers dig into the archives and share some of their original photos. We’ve all gotta start somewhere right? But the real gem here is Emma’s commentary. I was nearly crying from laughing so hard.

The Apple Slice from Design for Mankind- One of the most beautiful, well written pieces about comparison and contentment I’ve read in, well, ever.

Brave Moms Raise Brave Kids– This is an older post by Jen Hatmaker, but I revisited it after learning we were going to be having a boy. In usual Jen Hatmaker style, this post is hilarious, and it also makes me super excited about having a boy. But most importantly, it’s a reminder that our first calling as parents isn’t to keep our kids safe, but to teach them to love Jesus. Jen says it best:

“I donโ€™t want my kids safe and comfortable. I want them BRAVE. I donโ€™t want to teach them to see danger under every rock, avoiding anything hard or not guaranteed or risky. They are going to encounter a very broken world soon, and if they arenโ€™t prepared to wade into difficult territory and contend for the kingdom against obstacles and tragedies and hardships, they are going to be terrible disciples.”

Sex is Tricky from Momastery- Okay, I can’t even grasp the awkwardness and courage it takes to have the sex talk with your kids (shudder), but I sure do love reading about other parent’s experiences. This story was a doozy, and the comments held some equally entertaining anecdotes.

My most popular post this month was this Herbed Potatoes Anna.

Herbed Potatoes Anna Recipe

Crispy potato wedges drenched in butter. It doesn’t get any better. Add it to your Easter menu, and of course, don’t forget the Resurrection Rolls!

If you’re looking for more Easter inspiration, here were a few of my favorites from around the blogosphere:

Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns from The Messy Baker

Cream Cheese Swirl Carrot Coffee Cake from Girl Versus Dough

Bunny Chow from Something Swanky

Roast Leg of Lamb from Simply Recipes

Baked Ham with Honey Mustard and Apples from A Spicy Perspective

I hope you all have a lovely Easter! As always, you can keep up with the baby bump, my Columbus wanderings, and more bits of every day life by following me on Instagram! Happy Spring!

Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, a portion of the profits will come back to support the ongoing costs of NeighborFood. Thanks for your support!

19 Comments

  1. First off, congrats! I am a random follower and definitely not your husband, and I would recommend a new 2015 Mazda CX-5. Soul Red, because red is the easiest color for babies to distinguish, and Leather (since its natural and feels better on baby’s skin). It will make parenting SOOO much easier! (and safer than say, some old jalopy Accord or something…)
    You can trust me, since I am soooo totally not your husband!

  2. Oh my gosh, Courtney! Congratulations! I was literally just thinking about you this morning thinking, “I wonder if she has found out if they’re having a boy or a girl…I need to look into that” and then I see your post!! So happy for you!!

  3. Name him after me, Alexis is a both gender type of name…..lol what ever you name him it will fit him to the T. Love you and the Mr. With all my heart congratulations once again. ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. Courtney, I am so happy for you. This post made me smile – your are going to be the best mom and boys are so much fun! xoxo

  5. Courtney, congratulations to you and Will! How exciting! Gaaaaah, I’d be horrible at picking a baby’s name. There’s so much pressure! Try testing the name out on a group of children. If they start tearing it apart and making fun of it, that’s your cue to switch! And you are absolutely adorable – I love all these photos of you!

  6. Hooray! A boy, so exciting! I am so pumped for you. And hey, thanks for the link love! xoxo

  7. Love your pics Courtney!! Excited for “boy” things. They are so cute these days. Enjoy this time of planning and anticipation! Love you both!

  8. Courtney, you’re such a doll and I’m so blessed to have known you since you were a wee little gal. Congratulations to you and Mr. Rowland!!

  9. yay!!!! congrats! Boys are so fun ๐Ÿ™‚ and yes, choosing a name is so hard!

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