Holidays

The mister and I had a great holiday even though pregnancy has been starting to get to me just a little bit.  We even managed to dress up two whole times, once for Alyssa's Christmas party and once for Christmas eve.  The in between outfits really aren't worth posting, believe me.  

At Alyssa's party in a non-maternity dress, that I got at H&M when we were in Spain on our honeymoon.  The bump made it just a little short but as long as I didn't bend over, it was all good.

 E & I in our formal pregnancy pose.  My Christmas Eve dress, from Bump in Brooklyn.  Totally expensive and the first three times I was supposed to wear it was foiled by nosebleeds, etc etc.  I almost thought I might never wear it at all (one of the dangers of buying maternity dresses in the third trimester!)

55 More Days!

Hi Cuties,
Hope you all enjoyed the holidays.  Sorry for the absence of posts.  The last week was a rough one, pregnancy wise.  I am really starting to feel exhausted.  Today I started a little countdown to the big day and realized I still had 55 days to go (approximately, but of course.)  55 kind of sounds like a lot.  Not when I'm thinking in terms of all the things we have left to do (basically, everything.)  But in terms of the way I've been feeling lately, yikes, 55 seems like a long time.  
The mister and I had a great whirlwind holiday though visiting with our families.  Still hoping to get a lot of baby stuff done this week and save up some energy for a crazy month at work.  This is it - the final stretch!
xo,
C

Humidifier Time

Cuties, 
Today I had the most horrific nosebleed.  I know you don't want to know the details.  I know this because everyone at work kept giving me that "oversharing" look when I told them why I was late.  I only tell you, because there was one little bit funny part.  
I have been getting nosebleeds the past few months.  Apparently, it is a side effect of pregnancy and the dryness in this apartment does not help.  Anyway, it's been super annoying and today I had the mother of all nosebleeds right when I got up.  It got to the point where it was a little bit out of control and I started freaking out and called the mister into the bathroom in a state of panic to help me.  Man, this poor guy, he rushed in there so fast, I really think he expected to see a half-born baby.  It was very cute.
P.S., I have been reading up on emergency births just in case and it seems pretty easy so I'm sure we can handle it or one way or the other ;)
xo,
C

Meetings

Hi Cuties,

Today is exactly 8 weeks from my due date and I am getting a little nervous.  I wore this outfit to work on Friday for a meeting.  The past week has been a whirlwind of work, work, and more work with a bunch of client meetings and I am exhausted.  I managed to do all my christmas shopping online Saturday afternoon in one marathon session and am now praying that everything gets here in time.  This week will be the big push - lots to do at work and home and then a little time off to start slowing down a bit.

xo,

C

Wednesday

A few people have mentioned to me that I all of a sudden look majorly pregnant.  So that's good I guess.  Today I wore a real maternity shirt, so I guess I must be getting big.  The mister and I have so much to figure out in the next few weeks - I think we are both getting freaked out.    We are going to have to make some major changes in the next few months.  Am starting to feel like something is really going to have to give here.  Not sure how everyone else makes it look so easy!

xo,

C

Maternity Coat

So, I got my new winter coat in the mail, finally!  I was getting frustrated with my coat situation, and it was becoming painfully obvious that I wasn't going to make it through the winter without purchasing the dreaded maternity coat.  It is getting cold here and while I can wear all my coats unzipped, my stomach was getting a little chilly.  I do have one coat that actually buttons around my stomach but it is one of those poncho type coats with 3/4 length sleeves so while my stomach stayed warm, my arms were pretty cold.  The day after ordering my coat from asos.com (which certainly wasn't cheap) I suddenly came to the realization that I had been looking for coats in the wrong half of the closet.  Why did I even need to order a coat when the mister has like 6 that I can wear?  All of last week, I was rocking a cute green puffer jacket of his.  I may have looked rather large in it (a girl I worked with randomly asked me if I ever worry that people think I am just fat, and not pregnant, the first day I wore it) but it is so puffy and comfortable that when my real coat came I couldn't bear to take it entirely out of the rotation.  The "real" maternity coat is okay.  It is a little big in the wrong places.  Like perhaps it was made for a taller pregnant model.  The idea behind it is great.  It is supposed to gather above the bump.  I can only imagine this is so people know you are pregnant on the subway which is exactly what I need.  The alternative is to unzip my coat once I'm on the platform and stick my stomach out which is kind of blatant and makes me look like a pandering, pregnant loser.  I think this coat would be adorable if I had gotten a smaller size.  But as it is it took two weeks to get here, so looks like this is my coat!
xo,
C

Monday, Monday

Hi Cuties,
Um, what is up with my pictures today?  The mister took a bunch of them, but man, did they look bad.  I may have turned the corner in this pregnancy, folks.   Today I got a massive nosebleed in the middle of the office, like literally gushing blood.  It was pretty embarrassing.  Have been trying to visualize what it will really be like to have a little baby.  It's crazy to think that in a couple of months, my days will have completely turned upside down and it will be just me and a little baby, hanging around the house.  I can't wait to see him!
So, anyway, maybe I'll try a little harder with tomorrow's outfit.  I got this sweater at Old Navy and it is kind of like a blanket.  But maybe the extra bulk isn't really doing it for me.  Maybe it's a house sweater.  
xo,
C

Birthday Dinner

Hi Cuties,
Tell me, how is it possible that this weekend is already over?  Next week should be a super intense week at work, and I am having a tough time gearing up for it tonight, as I know I am going to have to move several other things to the back burner (things that at this point really can not be moved to the back burner, like christmas shopping.)  I still can't believe the baby will be here so soon - I've officially moved past the thirty week mark and it is freaking me out!  
This weekend the mister and I did a little bit of maternity shopping and a lot of prepping for tonight, Alyssa's birthday dinner.   My parents drove up from PA and we cooked everyone dinner.  Cooking dinner for five people probably shouldn't be that big of a deal.  After all, my mom used to do it every night.  But, somehow for us it was a two day extravaganza of shopping, cooking, and cleaning, and turning the kitchen upside down in the process. I don't think we impressed anyone with our graceful hosting tonight as we frantically tried to prepare everything to be ready at the same time.  Maybe it's a sign that we should cook more often, or maybe we (I) tend to overcomplicate things.  It was nice to see the family though and we spent some time sitting around talking about the baby, which was exciting and something I wish we spent more time doing.  Sometimes it still doesn't seem real, if that is even possible with my rapidly expanding waist line.  I really want to enjoy these last two months of pregnancy and start focusing on the arrival of our little guy, with less distraction from other things! 
xo,
C

Friday!

Tonight was part 2 of Alyssa's birthday weekend.  The mister and I made it to dinner but not out to the bar and dancing after.  I am too old and pregnant.  I don't know what his excuse is.  This has been another long work week and I can't wait to sleep in tomorrow (enjoy it while you can, I know, I know!)  Work has been so crazy, I feel like I really need some down time to start mentally preparing myself for the baby's arrival, but it's hard when the baby's not here.  Still, we have so much to do and we are running out of time.    I can only imagine that juggling work with taking care of a baby will be much more difficult than juggling work while preparing for a baby,  so it looks like I am in for a treat!
xo,
C

Happy Birthday, Sister!

Today is Alyssa's birthday and she is turning the magical age of 24.  We went for a speedy mani/pedi since I miscalculated how much time we had and then rushed to our dinner reservation at Spice Market.  Lots more fun birthday plans for the weekend!
xo,
C

Top Pregnancy Foods

Hi Cuties,

Ugh, I have been sick this week and barely eating but tonight my appetite finally came back and I ate SO MUCH. The mister made his famous chicken tortilla soup and now he is making us ice cream sundaes!  I am so full I can barely move.

In honor of my copious consumption, I thought it might be a good time to count down my top pregnancy food staples (I still won't call them cravings because to be honest, I haven't felt anything extreme enough to convince the mister to go on a midnight grocery run.  Sad, because I was so looking forward to that.) 

Anyway, without further ado, here are the foods I have not been able to live without:

10. ICE CREAM / FRENCH FRIES: calling these "pregnancy staples" is a bit of a stretch, since they've been Carolyn staples for years

9. CEREAL:  I eat breakfast now!  Fun.

8. APPLES:  I usually bring an apple to work with me.  Have been doing a good job eating fruit instead of buying it and throwing it away like the old days.  Sometimes I even manage to choke down a banana.  Yuck.

7. GINGER ALE:  Ginger ale is the best when you're pregnant.  Calms an upset stomach and is a nice alcohol substitute.

6. GRILLED CHEESE:  Grilled cheese is basically a turkey sandwich without the turkey.  What else can I do?

5. LEMONADE:  Pregnancy makes you SO THIRSTY.  And nothing quenches thirst like a nice tall glass of lemonade.

4. ITALIAN FOOD:  This is close to a craving as I've gotten.  I love, love, love italian food right now.  Lasagna, ravioli, you name it, I could eat it every night.

3. GRAPEFRUIT JUICE:  Every day now starts with a glass of juice.  Such a nice way to start the day - I might even continue this one post pregnancy.

2. PIZZA:  I have to give pizza it's own position, because I can't stop eating it.  The pizza guy by my office greets me with an amused smile each and every day.  It's a little embarrassing. And it's not even that good for you (or good for you at all?  Hmm.)

1. YOGURT:  I'm averaging about one to two yogurts a day.  Hope this one's at least good for the baby!

Note, none of these make up for the foods I've had to give up:  goat cheese, my daily turkey sandwich, bacon, sushi and alcohol.  Which list sounds better to you?

xo,

C

New Car!

Look who is excited to be the proud new owner of a Scion xB.  In fact, he is out "checking on the car" as we speak.  Wish we had a better picture, but more to come with this new addition.
xo,
C
PS Sorry for the short post, but I've been the proud owner of a stomach virus these past two days.  Lucky me!

Christmas Tree Takeover

This weekend, this mister and I were supposed to pick up the car, but apparently, Toyota doesn't really need our money because they have been giving us quite the runaround.  Instead of ranting about it, I will just tell you that the car isn't ready yet and we will be going to pick it up on Tuesday (but seriously, does Toyota really want to mess with someone with my social clout?  I don't think so.)
Actually, very secretly, I was okay with this development, because that meant there was time to go get our Christmas tree!  Now, when we saw our future tree on the street, it looked like the perfect "apartment tree" (as some passerby old lady remarked.)   Yes, there was a little nagging voice in the back of my head saying "Carolyn, please listen to me, I think this tree may be rather large for your living room."   But I refused to listen because I wanted that big old tree.  30 minutes later,  our apartment was suddenly dwarfed by CHRISTMAS TREE.  She is a real beaut and the mister and I just finished decorating her.   It is the first time that either of us have had a real tree as adults.  I already seem to have succumbed to a horrible case of pregnancy stuffy nose in the last two weeks, so I figured how much more damage could a real tree do?  In fact, I can't even smell the tree, which means that my one super hero power of extreme sense of smell has been diminished.  Now I am just a regular person.  Very hard to come to terms with, but that's a story for another day.  Until then, hope all your trees are as grand as ours!
xo,
C

helllooo, big tree!

the mister very carefully strung the lights (while I supervised from the couch)

a little to the left, mister!

pure beauty

don't our ornaments look just lovely?  

CHRISTMAS TREE!

Friday!

Waahhh, I'm tired.   All I want to do is sleep right now.  I need to find some energy tomorrow to do baby stuff. And to get a tree.

Tree Time

Hi Cuties,

Ugh, today was quite a day.  The emails were flying fast and furious, let me tell you.   There was an hour in the middle of the day where my back started hurting and I started getting a little premonition of what the next three months could be like.  It got me a little worried because there is so much that needs to get done at work and home before this baby comes.  This weekend is going to be devoted to personal life - it has to be.  We have so much to do to get ready for baby and I haven't bought a single christmas present either.  Not to mention that we don't have a tree up yet!!  The fact that we could have been basking in the light of the Christmas tree this whole week sends me into a state of panicky regret.  But.. the mister promised that this year we could get a real tree, so I think that's the plan.  Hopefully, my allergies will cooperate (and the allergies of certain little sister visitors.)

Tomorrow is going to be a crazy work day...but then weekend!  And time to take home the new car!!

xo,

C