Perfect Fall Weekend

Hi Cuties,
Had a great weekend with the family, visiting the pumpkin patch and carving pumpkins.  Considering the lack of kids in our family, we usually rely upon our close family friends to share in the day and supply some children to justify the weekend's activities.  We spend the day frolicking with kids and pumpkins and by the end of the night collapse on the couch, exhausted.  Well, by this time next year, we'll have a kid of our own.  Could it be that soon every day will end in exhaustion (actually, wait a second, every day already does end in exhaustion)?  Let me tell you, this weekend, everything really started feeling real.  We are excited and scared!
xo,
C

hot stuff

Mounted Stuffed Animal Heads

So...I'm thinking about mounting a stuffed animal head in the nursery.  Actually, I am absolutely doing it and I am pretty sure I can't be swayed.  Creepy or cute?
xo,
C

hippo.  would this scare a baby in the middle of the night?  from what I hear, babies wake up quite often.

classic teddy bear

wise old giraffe

no themes in this nursery!  but i am kind of loving elephants right now.

Chicken Pot Pie

Hi Cuties,
Today, I had a very busy day at work and the mister ended up not having to go into the office.  You know what happened when I got home?  I got a big hug and a chicken pot pie!  Now this a girl could get used to.
xo,
C

Hormones!

Hope everyone is enjoying their week.  Mine has been a little work intensive so far for my tastes, and I am tired. I've noticed my hormones seem to get the best of me around lunch time and work stress seems to magically intensify itself times a million.  It is pretty easy to annoy me right now.  Fun times!  I think I need to chill a little bit or I am going to drive my office mates crazy. It's hard to put into words just how excited I was to get home tonight and watch Real Housewives.  I can't wait until me and my little baby can watch all of "mommy's shows" together.  If only All My Children was still around, we could kick it old school.  That's what I used to watch with my mommy.
xo,
C  


PS Is anyone watching Real Housewives?  How painfully hard to watch is this show this season?  That Kim Richards is something else, am I right?

Pack and Plays and TGIFridays

Hi Cuties,
Hope you all enjoyed the weekend.  The mister and I spent a lot of time cleaning out the nursery which had become a storage area for all our remaining boxes from the move.  I am still horrified by how much stuff we've accumulated through the years, and by how much more stuff we're about to accumulate!  Tonight, we went to Babies R' Us to check out pack and plays.  We're pretty much winging it here.  There is so much STUFF we have to get - lots of decisions in the coming months.  After we (did not) made a decision on a pack and play, we ambled on over to the TGIFridays at Union Square.   I know it's wrong.  But how can something so wrong feel so right?  The good news is after checking out the calories on the menu, we will not be making a repeat appearance. Even pregnant, we will not be making a repeat appearance.  
Hope your dinners were healthier than ours!


Baby Update:
Inspired by the recent hot celeb baby name, "Bear", tonight Erik suggested we name the baby...wait for it... "Otter"!  I'm not quite sure if he's serious yet.  Guess you'll find out in four months!
xo,
C

Friday!

Hi Cuties,
I am so happy it is Friday, I can't even tell you.  Tonight Alyssa joined us for dinner and I made a classic family dish - ground beef, pasta, and peas.   The mister and I have been looking forward to this weekend as we plan to clean the remaining boxes out of the baby's room and really settle into this place ;)


Baby Update - The bump is getting bigger this week (but not big enough to keep my maternity tights from falling down all day!)  Planning to enjoy sleeping in tomorrow while I still can.  


xo,
C 

food photo - watch out, she's back!

New/Old Lamp

the unsightly plastic bag on the bench is filled with mail for the people who used to live here.  I don't know what to do with it.

Hi Cuties,
Meet our new/old lamp.   This lamp was hanging in my grandparents' house for as long as I can remember, and it brings back so many wonderful childhood memories and mostly just gives me a big feeling of happiness when I look at it.  My grandmother passed away a few years ago, my grandfather a few years before that, and this lamp reminds me of them and their house full of aunts and uncles and cousins more than anything else.  I think you could classify the decorating scheme of my grandparents' house as Americana - they were American, proud of it and not afraid to show it, be it through this lamp or the America-themed (awesome) wallpaper that hung in every room.  It's crazy to have such an iconic piece from their house in my little apartment but it feels great.   We hung the lamp over our new breakfast nook which fits perfectly in our apartment.  We love the whole setup so much that Erik and I have taken to eating dinner at the table each night and discussing our days, just like a real family!


Baby Update:  I seem to have taken on some daily morning sickness as part of my second trimester.  This is not supposed to happen since as we all know the second trimester is "the feeling great and full of energy" trimester. This week is crazy.  What with my delayed due date and morning sickness I think I am having a Benjamin Button pregnancy!  Also, I'm starting to love maternity jeans.  


xo,
C

Big News

Holding your stomach lets people know that there is a baby in there!  Unfortunately, this has NOT been working on the subway.

Hi Cuties,
I know, I know it's been a little while.  But I have some very exciting news to share.  The mister and I are expecting a little bundle of joy!  We are so happy and have been so busy moving to a bigger apartment and planning for our special arrival (and I've been doing a lot of resting :).


I am about twenty weeks, or so we thought until yesterday when we had our second anatomy sonogram, at which point the doctor informed us that he thought our due date might actually be ten days later than what we had been working with (Feb 19).  Let me tell you, this is not music to a pregnant lady's ears.  Especially one who has been crossing off every single day and tracking her weight gain on a little chart.  Until now, every time someone tells me I'm barely showing I've smiled modestly, but now, NOW, we all know it is because I am really two weeks less pregnant than I thought I was.  Also, ALSO, that would make our due date on Feb. 29...a leap year.  This is actually good news because if the baby is born on a leap year it will save us a lot of money on birthday presents, parties and the like.  Fingers crossed, kiddos!


So, I'm going to try to make a comeback on the blog.  I'm sure my followers will love to hear about the daily ups and downs of pregnancy and check out my super cute (Ha) daily maternity outfits.


One more piece of news...it's a boy!  And to our sweet baby boy, if you are ever reading this, know that we can't wait to meet you.


xo,
C

Packing Update

Packing is painful!  But we are about half done (I think.)  I can't believe how much stuff we have and it is terrifying me.  We did a fair amount of purging, but still I can't imagine fitting all this stuff in our new place.  Right now, it is so clean and open and empty!  I just want it to stay that way, pure and uncluttered by all of our crap.  I've lived in my current apartment for over 8 years now and it is definitely a bit emotional to leave the neighborhood.  Alyssa is taking over our apartment though so at least it is staying in the family.  Will be so weird to come visit her in this apartment.
The mister and I are taking a little break from packing tonight to watch The Killing.  We've really been loving this show but it is a bit of a downer, right?


xo,
C

Roadside Afternoon

This is how today was supposed to go:
- Wake up early and PACK (we are moving to Clinton Hill next weekend. yes, it was a rather quick decision.)
- Drive to LI for an afternoon BBQ with Erik's whole family
- Pick up tons of boxes and packing stuff from Erik's parent's house
- Go to Target and get some additional, very necessary supplies
- Go home and PACK some more.




Here is how today really went:
- Wake up late and eat breakfast.
- Drive to LI.  Car overheats and shuts down on side of LIE in faraway Queens.  Erik runs to gas station to get antifreeze.  When he gets back the key won't turn in the ignition.  Stay on side of road for another hour.  Sweat a lot.  Tow truck comes to take us to mechanic.  Mechanic can't fix car until Tuesday.  Suggests we take the bus home! Quelle horror.  In the face of an impending bus ride, Carolyn finally shows some scrappiness and gets cab driver at gas station to give us a lift home.
- Get home.  The mister is so bummed we have to go to Calexico and stuff ourselves with food.
- Go to Rite Aid to try to get some of the Target stuff.
- Come back home and need a 2 hour nap from all the eating and roadside standing.
- TV time!


xo,
C