weekend, finally.

DC is getting a blast of cool air this weekend, and i haven't so excited about something since like 5 minutes ago when i saw an article on this new cafe downtown, Wicked Waffle. drool.

for the weekend: it's conference, crafty bastards, and lots of baking planned, including trying out these bagels, possibly some pumpkin CC bread, and definitely some more baked potato soup. tis the season for soup!

can you tell i have food on my mind? hmm, i wonder why (ahem. baby.).

have a gorgeous october weekend!

family baby shower!

as if having one baby shower wasn't enough, my amazing sisters also threw me a baby shower. jenny went above and beyond to make cute folded fans (just like at our wedding) and banners, and these awesome garlands that hung from the ceilings. and the food. well, the girls got willards BBQ which really was enough for me. but on top of that, they made all KINDS of treats - cake pops, fruit tarts, thumbprint cookies, and a smattering of other BBQ sides. they made me feel so special!

the best part - when they were making cake pops, lizzie (4 years old) was DYING to have one, but wasn't allowed until the shower started, so she just stared at them wistfully from across the room and whispered to herself "i wish i could have a cake pop". my sister mary said - lizzie, you can have a cake pop soon, i promise! and lizzie said "how did you hear my wish??" she cracks me up.

i felt so loved and um, really HOT. i've been getting so warm lately (as in i wake up in the middle of the night in a sweat), and being the center of attention made me sweat even more. anyway, we had a super fun time! i loved hanging out with family and laughing with my sisters. laura, can you please move to DC already? i hear minneapolis gets pretty cold in the winter...plus elijah and evie are too cute to be so far away.

this photo of evie holding the butt bath bottle kills me.

after the shower ended, we moved into the "let's make evie walk" portion of the party. and she did! it turns out candy bribes really work for kids. who would have ever thought.

thanks sisters for a fun baby shower that made me and baby feel so special! time for rowlett baby number 7 to make its entrance to the world and meet all these people that will love him or her so much.

baby shower!

last saturday, my darling friend naomi threw me a baby shower.

let's back up about 6.5 months. naomi and josh had just had their sweet baby eleanor and we found out we were pregnant - about 5 weeks along. it was so early, we didn't want to tell anyone but family, but we really couldn't hold it in from our friends who had just experienced their first pregnancy and birth. so we went to the davis house to visit and hold eleanor when she was just about 6 weeks old.
"are you ready to have a little friend?" i asked eleanor. and naomi and josh were both like - what is she talking about...then it sunk it...then the screaming started...and hugs and excitement and maybe a baby started crying from the loud noise. it was fun. i was afraid of stealing her baby thunder, but naomi was so excited for us and that week asked me if she could throw me a shower. naomi! you just had a baby! but she persisted and last saturday - my darling friend naomi thew me a baby shower.

she made these awesome flower garlands that looked perfect in her house, and the spread of brunch food was beyond words for this pregnant lady. she made my favorite pregnancy craving - cinnamon rolls - seriously the best i've ever had, and a ton of other amazing food. and then a bunch of people i love showed up and we all talked about life and baby things and ooohed and ahhed over tiny baby things. last time i had all these people i love in one room, it was my bridal shower and i was receiving lacy things. at this shower, i was receiving diapers and tiny socks and nursing pads. what a difference 18 months makes!

it was just the nicest saturday and baby and i felt so loved. thanks to sweet naomi for being such a gracious hostess and a great friend, and my friends who support and love me through marriage, babies, and so much more. i'm a lucky girl, and this lucky baby is going to have a lot of loving aunties!

*all photos taken by naomi and josh davis.

milk duds + someone to watch over me.

last night, as i sat in bed reading my baby book, i snacked on a small box of milk duds to calm the midnight sugar cravings. (and because milk duds are my weakness - what can i say, i like a good chewy caramel.)

upon seeing his wife get caramel stuck in her teeth with every chew, with no intention of getting out of bed to brush, TH took matters into his own hands. "you have to brush your teeth", he insisted. "i won't let you go to bed with sugar teeth and cavities".

and that is why it's nice to have someone like TH around. he loves me right down to my chompers.

day off.

staying home today to catch up on sleep on the same day my landlords thought it would be a good idea to paint the exterior of the house.

cue me waking up at 8am to the sound of paint being scraped off the windows 7 feet from my head. gah. so onto the couch to finish my rest.

since i mentioned how busy i was in my post yesterday, i realized i needed a day off to catch up on rest and make sure i'm up to speed for all the things i still need to do in the next 6 weeks. it's a lot to think about, so i'm glad i had the sense to take it easy today. feeling so much better already.

yesterday i had two different people tell me the babys gender. the grocery clerk KNEW that it was a boy. look at the way you carry, he said. and the security guard KNEW that it was a girl. look how it sits on your body, not poking out, she said. i told both of them that i didn't know - this is just the way my body carries a baby! did you have people tell you the wrong gender when you were pregnant, based on how you looked?

the third trimester: busy, busy.

the first trimester of baby was spent accepting the fact that i had a baby growing inside of me, and spending many mornings close to the bathroom, and trying to keep it a secret until 13 weeks. that was a tough few months!

the second trimester was full of energy, happiness, awe of my expanding belly, and return of my (newly voracious) appetite.

so far, almost 34 weeks into this pregnancy, the third trimester has got me feeling...well, endorphin-filled, emotional and just plain busy.

1. trying to close out work before maternity leave is kind of a joke since i am planning and running 3 meetings before the baby comes (honestly - was not realizing how tired and exhausted i would be at this point).

2. my amazing and lovely sisters threw me a family baby shower last weekend complete with willards BBQ, and naomi threw me a beautiful baby shower on saturday with my favorite pregnancy food - cinnamon rolls. yum! celebrating a baby with friends and family helps the experience seem all the more real - yes, we are having this baby and we've got the cute outfits and baby gear to prove it! plus i'm pretty sure baby loves all the attention. what else would cause such hard kicks to the ribs?

3. we took a couples yoga class on saturday for labor and delivery, and it was so GREAT. i would recommend that class to everyone - i felt so close to TH during the entire class. knowing that we are going through the birth experience together is a really emotionally heavy concept to accept and i'm surprised how much this pregnancy has brought us closer together. i didn't expect that.

basically now that we've kind of prepared for the physical arrival for baby, focusing on the emotional delivery of the baby is top priority. and every time i see a birthing video - EVERY time, i cry. i can't even imagine how amazing it will be to meet this little baby for the first time. we are just beyond words over here and it's incredible that we are building and strengthening our own relationship in the process - falling in love a little more with TH every day.

i'm realizing i could go on and on about baby and the entire crazy/scary/miraculous journey of pregnancy, so i'll wrap it up by saying - i'm so grateful the human gestation period is 9 months. i've needed this time to prepare myself physically, emotionally, and mentally. it's just been a whirlwind of an experience.

*photos from baby shower, taken by naomi.

sometimes you just need to leave the office and go on a date with your love.

that is tryst, my favorite place to cozy up next to TH. we sat on a bench on the SAME side of the table and he had his arm around me while we listened to some beautiful live jazz and shared nachos. and of course i got my washington carver (choco + peanut butter shake = eyes rolling back in head delicious). after tryst, we walked into used book store and bought a sweet book about norwegian gnomes. perfect night.
work is so crazy busy for both of us right now, but we prioritized each other last night and it was one of the best nights we've had together in a while.

weekend roundup.

1. korean BBQ birthday party = awesome.
2. family baby shower = perfect.
3. hanging out in a coffee shop, developing a good list of baby names = relieving (it's been so hard to find any names we like!)
4. mexican dinner + new enchiladas recipe with family = yummy.
5. watching evie learn how to walk, encouraged by little bits of chocolate = so cute and funny.

i love my family - it is so good to have laura and the babes in town to bring us all together. not to mention papa mickey is finally back, so we can have big family parties at his house again. with family all around, the weather cooling down, and b-day getting closer...well, life just seems to be getting sweeter.

babies! (what, did you think this would be about something else?)

my office mates threw a baby shower for me yesterday. i tend to get a little nervous when i'm the center of attention at large group gatherings (hello, awkward lingerie wedding shower - seriously what was i thinking??), but the baby shower yesterday was perfectly lovely. i think it's because the shower is really about the baby, and everything at a baby shower is so darn cute that it's hard not to fall in love with everything and everyone.

they brought in crazy amounts of cupcakes, ice cream, and sweet little baby presents. they planned a onesie design activity - everyone got a white onesie and some fabric markers and drew little designs on them. some of them were really so cool and some of them were um, poo related. blech. but then we opened the star gift - the ergo carrier! we tried it on TH and i can report that while successful, it was also hilarious.

it is really nice to like your job, but it is REALLY nice to like your coworkers. and i think they are pretty great.

and speaking of babies, my sister is in town for a week with elijah and evie baby! talk about cute little kids, i cannot wait to hang out with them all weekend.

september and terribly so.

today is september 15, which means it is back to school season.
some days i really would like to be back in school although i don't think i fully realize what that means. but i think what i really miss is the memories. i am (secretly) a very sentimental person and cling to memories of the past and romantic visions of the future. it keeps me sometimes from enjoying what is going on in the world around me. but i try. i do try.

today is september 15, which means it is less than 2 months until baby is here.
having my first baby is a ridiculously surreal experience. i feel it kick and move and spin, and i know it's in there, but like, really? am i really having a baby? it boggles the mind. especially after watching my first 2 birth videos this week. for the record i sob like a baby every time i see a baby born, or read about a baby being born.

today is september 15, which means i should gear up my fall wardrobe.
but friends, where does one obtain maternity tights? and should i keep the boots i bought with "man-made" soles, not leather? i get so swept up in the romance of Autumn, i ignore fashion until November and then it is 3 years in a row I have not been able to find a new boot. i think i'll probably stick with these.

what does september 15 mean to you?

dreaming about...

Ramen from Toki Underground. Slurpy, chewy noodles in a perfectly seasoned broth. I have been craving it nonstop all day. There has to be a way to get around the 2 hour wait.

ps weatherman is saying today is the last day of summer! good thing because i've been craving soup and homemade bread for a few weeks now. my stomach could really use some cooler weather.

32 weeks.

i can't really believe how close i'm getting to b-day. i also can't believe that i have around 8 more weeks to g-r-o-w. i already feel like i look 9 months pregnant, so i can't imagine how it will really be. this might be the last picture i post of me. we'll see how it goes.

we bought a new dresser for the baby this weekend, and got a few diapers in the mail this week. we also watched happiest baby on the block, which made both TH and I a lot more confident in how we'll be able to take care of a newborn. dr. harvey has all these tips about how to soothe a newborn, calling the first 3 months of life the 4th trimester. all the tips he gives are basically things that help a newborn feel safe and secure like they were in the womb. kind of cool, we'll see how it works for us!

the weekend went by too fast, as always. dinner with newlywed friends on friday, saturday brunch at belga, nap, and shopping in georgetown, followed by a rousing game of POWER GRID, our new board game obsession.

and here is me, as a pregnant zombie lady. i'm trying to figure out some good ideas for a halloween costume (i will be one week from due date on halloween).

have a happy weekend.

*gulp* *drawing in breath*
hellosorryiwillnotbebloggingforawhileworkissobusyimightdieandpreparingforthisbabyistakingupallmysparetimeineedtofocusforafewdays.

until we talk again, enjoy my fish friends. we met yesterday as i was waiting for my midwife appointment. this fish was so attentive, every time i looked at it, it would swim over to me and wag its tail, i wanted to die it was so adorable.

xo

beisbol.

and for the final birthday hurrah, I took TH to a baseball game to see the speed demon, Strasburg, pitch his first game since his injury last year. his fastest pitch of the night was 99mph. that's pretty fast, world.

but let's get down to brass tacks. baseball games = sitting close to each other, listening to him talk about something he loves, and eating french fries and nachos. hello, i do not get why people can't enjoy baseball. ;)

we stayed through the 5th inning, at which point the heavens opened up and poured down on all of us, so we walked home. pregnant bump and all.

xo

ps someone told me this morning that i'm starting to waddle. i don't get why people think it's ok to comment on belly protrusion/width, walking abilities, and the foods i'm eating. but if you are my friend, feel free to comment on all this. see how i have double standards? it's pretty cool.

birthday weekend = success.

brunch at granville moores. solid brunch menu, the good doctor was amazing.



dinner at toki underground (totally worth the 2 hour wait). oh, i am already craving that ramen.






naps and relaxing all day sunday. a long walk through The Yards Park in southwest waterfront.

tour of the pope leighy house in virginia, one of the few frank lloyd wright houses in the area. amazing and inspiring use of 1200 square feet. also, it was super hot and i almost passed out, but hey, tough it out for my mans bday.


lunch at willards (duh. perfection.)

banana split cake with friends. used this recipe for the banana cake, and added some sliced bananas, chocolate ganache, whipped cream, chopped walnuts and cherries!


and that my friends is how you usher in year 31 for TH. i'm finding he likes low key much better, after comparing it to the montreal birthday trip from last year, he was much more contented to stay at home and hang out with his buds. i really love him a lot. we are lucky to have found each other and lucky to be in love with a little one on the way. hooray for birthdays that remind you of the need to celebrate the life of the ones you love so much.

sick day.

not so fun staying up all night sick, sick, sick on the bathroom floor.
staying home to nurse myself back to health, wishing my mom were here to take care of me (yes, i'm pathetic and can't take care of myself).
for a few minutes i started panicking and thought i was in preterm labor, which happens to be one of my greatest anxieties since my sister had her babe at 32 weeks and my friend had hers at 31 (?) weeks. both their babies are beautiful, healthy babies, but for some reason i still have this anxiety - anyone else experienced this?
i just keep saying every morning to baby - if we can just make it through september, you can be born when you want. so, that's our deal.

have a fun holiday weekend! TH's birthday is this weekend, so we're going to be living it up (read: laying around all weekend watching guy movies and eating milkshakes). i love celebrating his birthday, even though i think i usually get him pretty weird gifts like the time i got him 12 egg holders, or the time i got him my favorite candy. oops.

maryland blue crabs: our annual tradition

once every summer (at least), we head up to aunt diana's and uncle tom's in maryland to eat crabs. we get bushels and bushels, spread newspaper on the table and crack them open with our tools. we always have fun, whether i am brave enough to eat crabs or not (pregnancy and maryland blue crabs do not agree with me).

i love family traditions. what are yours?