Gnomie in the Capitol City

right now.

2012-02-12T22:37:00.002-05:00

home from eating dinner with in-laws + my mom. love them, and feel so spoiled to have family so close.

i hear a mouse in the utility closet. scratch, scratch, scratch. he'll probably cut the hot water supply off or something, just my luck.

baby is sleeping.

eating cold pancakes from this mornings feast.

looking at my sleeping baby, too afraid to move him from his carseat.

looking at sheets for henry's new crib. i made sheets for his bassinet, but i can't imagine finding the time to make sheets for his crib.

making big plans for my last full week at home before i go back to work. so bittersweet. mostly bitter. i've gone through more emotional transitions in the past year than in my entire life. it's completely nuts.

things coming together. sort of.

2012-02-10T10:37:00.004-05:00

yes, we found a new apartment.

we also found a nanny for little Hen. a sweet nanny i am in love with, and can't wait for Henry to speak 2 languages! (or one, for that matter)

kind of learning to multi-task: eat lunch, while putting on makeup, bouncing the baby and squeezing his foot to make him smile, google "sleep training" every other hour.

still can't figure out how people get their babies to sleep through the night?? will this happen?

listening to sharon von etten and wishing we could find a babysitter to sit in our house with a sleeping baby on a saturday night while we go to her concert at the Black Cat (impossible).

met up with some colleagues this week, feeling nervous to go back to work, wishing i cared more about my career...can't think about anything else but baby. i wonder if this will change...

and onto the weekend. another jam-packed saturday filled with errands, errands, errands. just setting up and getting ready for our new life! life as working parents with a sweet babe!

here we go again.

2012-02-06T21:03:00.003-05:00

if you've seen me in the past few days, you'll have heard this news already (i'm having trouble staying quiet about it): we are moving!

our friends recently moved to utah (boo!! we miss you guys!) and i casually asked them what they were doing with their house, not thinking anything would really come from it. but i stopped by their house a few weeks ago and it just felt so perfect for us. i was holding my breath for weeks, hoping it would work out, and we are signing the lease tomorrow. hoorah!

our friends moved into the house when they had a little boy henry's age, and when they left they had 2 little boys and a brand new baby girl (named Julie!). so now we get to move in with our sweet little boy and watch him grow with plenty of room to crawl around and bump his head on the doors and fill the rooms with laughter. and who knows, maybe see our family grow a little more in the next few years, too!

we move in just a few short weeks. and here are the things we are excited for:

no more basement

huge windows and lots of natural light

henry gets his own room

we get our own room!

hardwood floors -- goodbye carpet

we get to stay on the Hill, and move closer to our favorite sandwich place on the Hill (Mark is no doubt very pleased about this)

backyard patio

bathtub for baby baths (and mama baths)

lots of storage

oh. mah. goodness. is this what heaven feels like?

moving.

2012-01-31T23:20:00.003-05:00

Guess who is moving again...

Nowhere exotic, just a few blocks away. But oh! To have more space! And to leave the dreaded basement!

When i was younger i moved around a lot more. I was much more mobile and enjoyed being able to pack up my car with all my belongings like a turtle, and drive to a new place. Utah, Alaska, New York, Virginia...I was a free spirit.

And now...well, now I'm married. And I'm turning into this adult with stuff. We bought this huge couch. And this table for having dinner parties and stuff (which happen far too few times). Fitting all these things into a one bedroom is a very tricky thing. Plus, this baby has seemed to have made our house shrink to half its size. Acquiring any new piece of furniture or clothing is like a delicate game of Jenga, ready to topple at any moment.

So, we move. We move on, we move up, and we move the hell out. Hopefully I'll know more in the next week, but I've got my fingers crossed for good things!

waking up with henry.

2012-01-29T21:20:00.005-05:00

so this is how our 6:30/7:00 am goes.

henry: meh.

...ahhhhaaameh....

...

MEH!

me: it's the baby.

mark: wha?

me: the baby.

mark: hmph?

me: the BAYbee.

mark: oh! ok i'll get him...(rolls back over to sleep)

henry: rrrmphhhh....maaaahhh!

me: mark! can you get the baby?

mark: (waking up suddenly) what?

me: henry is awake. can you help him?

mark gets up and shuffles over to henry's bassinet. and i roll over and go back to sleep thinking i can sleep for at least another half hour before mark leaves for work.

henry: MEH!

mark: j, i think he's hungry.

me: meh.

then we snuggle for a little bit while he eats, then he falls asleep on me. and it looks something like this:

(don't worry, he can totally breathe during the faceplant. but this photo makes me laugh so hard.)

the days are long but the weeks are short.

2012-01-27T17:07:00.003-05:00

how was he ever so little?

baby is asleep.

he stirs and i want him to stay asleep, but i also want him to wake up so we can cuddle.

laundry is folded.

kitchen is clean.

errands are run.

flowers are on the table.

...a pile of papers are sitting on the table like the leaning tower of pisa.

...a million things to do before the inevitable return to work in a few weeks.

my brain is kind of jumbly right now.

but guess who got a babysitter so she could go on a hot date with her husband tonight?! (thanks papa mickey)

happy weekend!!

10 weeks old: fat baby.

2012-01-23T19:13:00.003-05:00

10 weeks of Henry. It's been a TRIP. a terribly fun, lovey, crazy, sleep-deprived, hilarious trip. my heart grows every day i spend with him.

what is henry up to these days?

at his drs appointment today, we found out he is already 14 lbs 6 oz, which is the 90th percentile. yes, he is larger than 90 percent of other babies his size. are you kidding me? height is 50th percentile. i love having a fat baby.

he is really talking a lot lately. sometimes he'll let out a roar so loud, i think wild gazelles will come pouncing through the living room. he wakes up in the morning so happy and babbly. i love it.

he smiles at me, and i die.

he chews on his knuckles because i think he can't seem to find his thumb.

he can't seem to hold onto his pacifier, but he sure does try. same with bottles. he smiles and tries to eat, like it's a game, but it takes him awhile to figure it out.

he is almost out of his 0-3 month clothes. hello, fat baby.

just in the past few days he has started to hold onto my shoulder when i hold him. it's like a constant hug. ugh, crazy love.

he also scratches my back with his little tiny hands when i'm holding him and i'm like, oh you are definitely my baby. he knows mama loves scratchies.

his eyes are looking more blue every day.

he sleeps about 4 hours straight at night time, and takes a few naps during the day. two nights ago he slept for 6 1/2 straight hours and i swear i almost died of happiness. yay.

i'm feeling more confident and connected to him as my baby. he knows me, and the way he looks at me, i mean just stares at me -- it makes my heart burst. we totally have a love connection. this little boy is our life.

all i do is baby stuff.

2012-01-19T22:23:00.002-05:00

i didn't think i'd be just writing about henry all the time, but guess what? i don't really do anything else besides being his mom right now, so i really don't have that much else to write about! it's crazy how all-consuming having a baby is. i am still the same person, but i'm no longer just a "me", i'm an "us". even when you're married, you can still end up spending days or even weeks apart. but when you have a baby, good luck even going to the bathroom when you have to. i didn't realize how much my life would completely change. sometimes it is so frustrating, like lately where he's had some gassy-fussy-waking-up-screaming-every-night nights, but i always feel proud to be able to take care of him. to raise him. babies are such interesting beings, and they seem so wise in their simplicity of life. they just want to eat, sleep, and play.

i'm used to life being busy, but babies force you to just...sit.

and make faces.

and bounce.

and do things you never thought you'd do in public. haha.

last week i went on an elimination diet to figure out why henry is having such a miserable time in the gassy department. i went meat-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, corn-free, and cruciferous vegetables free. which pretty much means i ate a lot of potatoes, carrots, beets, and brown rice. the good news is i lost a little bit of weight cutting out breads and cheese, and the other good news of course is that henry is feeling a lot better (minus a mashed potatoes IKEA adventure. sorry henry). i'm pretty sure it's the dairy, so i'm going to start eating bread again. oh, i miss bread. and maybe one of these days i can have brie again. for the love of pete.

sick. sadface.

2012-01-11T22:41:00.003-05:00

well, winter has descended upon us and so has cold season. and henry has his first cold. it is the saddest thing to see a baby struggling to breathe with a nose full of stuff! i feel so bad for him, and he just looks at me like, "mom, what the heck is going on? help me!"

we're just laying low and trying to help him get as much rest as possible. pobrecito. i missed out on meeting my newest nephew, jake, who was born the day after christmas. i really want henry and jake to meet while jake is still little tiny newborn because i'm sure the difference will be hilarious. henry is so big already, nearly grown out of his 0-3 month cloths and i'm buying him a briefcase tomorrow so he can get a job and start contributing to this family. seriously though, i can't believe how quickly he's growing up.

any tips on getting through that first baby cold? and helping them get better?

new years eve.

2012-01-04T18:48:00.004-05:00

we had the busiest and most fun new years eve!

started the day with mark running a 5K with his sister out in boondocks, virginia.

then we took a little drive out to beautiful skyline drive and ended up in sperryville, va where we found THE best BBQ sandwich i have ever had at high on the hog. even better than willards. i want to go back right now.

we came home and had a little family photo shoot and celebrated the evening with a scrabble game once little man went to bed.

i think it was the best NYE i've ever had. spending so much time with my two boys was a dream, and it was a perfect way to close out the holiday season.

skype date.

2012-01-04T18:32:00.005-05:00

today henry and i had our first skype date with my sister laura and her babies. it was so fun to talk with her and elijah and hear evie tell us "no!" for everything. the only thing she said to me besides "no" was "i love you" at the end of the call. i guess she likes playing hard to get. the funniest part of the skype date came when within about 15 minutes, i looked down at my quiet baby sitting on my lap and henry was asleep! what?! you're telling me that the same baby who wants to be bounced to sleep for an hour every night will just fall asleep within minutes on a skype date? that's it, i'm lining up skype dates starting now. so who wants in for tonight?

new year, new us.

2012-01-03T12:52:00.004-05:00

my eating theme for this year is grains, beans, and greens.

this is the year i finally learn how to use different grains than just rice and quinoa (does rice count as a grain?)

this is the year i stop eating iceberg lettuce with tomatoes and cucumbers because i'm too nervous to be creative with my salads.

this is the year i start learning how to cook with kale, swiss chard, and all those other crazy leafed greens in the produce section.

and this is the year i finally learn how to cook a pot of beans and stop using all those high-sodium cans. i mean how hard can it be, really?

follow my progress at my food blog to keep me honest. my goal is to cook one new thing a week, and bake one new thing every other week. that is 52 new recipes and 26 new baked goods. i cannot wait to get started!

i have lots of other goals, most of which center around being happier with life. this is a good year, isn't it? twenty twelve. i like the sound of it.

are you even ready?

2011-12-29T22:36:00.003-05:00

is 2011 seriously over in a few days? i feel like i say this every year, but seriously how did that happen so fast? how did i end up with a baby at the end of the year? how did i end up falling even more in love with life?

if you would've asked me what i'd accomplish in 2011, i never would have guessed that i would have expanded my family. yet. here we are. 3. THREE.

i'm off to find some sparkly baby hats to help us all ring in the new year. in style. in our little basement apartment. i can't remember the last time i stayed in on new years eve, but i hardly think henry is up for a party at only 7 weeks old...or heck, he stays up all night partying anyway, maybe we should just make it official!

oh ps we had a very merry christmas and mark helped make it so memorable, and well, henry did too with his fat little face (i just LOVE that henry is a chubby baby).

oh and pps i get to do some postpartum shopping now that i'm officially approved to exercise again. it's time to drop these baby pounds. where do normal people shop these days?

silent night...well, kind of.

2011-12-23T23:31:00.003-05:00

i made this little video of henry's first two weeks of life spent sleeping. it's our christmas card of sorts. something about sleeping in heavenly peace...

we'll be spending the christmas weekend with family and snuggling with henry. and hopefully making my annual caramel corn and watching old christmas movies. merry christmas!

Henry Lazybones. from julie rowlett on Vimeo.

consumer anxiety.

2011-12-22T10:28:00.002-05:00

last minute christmas shopping gives me hives.

luckily, i finished most of my shopping via the internet (what did new moms or ANYone do before online shopping and amazon??), but i still have just a few things left to find.

henry will be my little buddy as we look for those last few things. and today he's going to the doctor and probably won't be very happy about it.

can someone say perfect storm? some people might be getting their christmas a little late this year! i get a free pass for that, right?

then and now.

2011-12-19T23:04:00.002-05:00

then: leisurely, thoughtful trips to the grocery store

now: supermarket sweep

deals + 1 month.

2011-12-16T13:40:00.004-05:00

our family at the DC temple this week.

i finally found a new winter coat that is warm and doesn't make me look like a marshmallow! i am always checking out the merch at need supply, a well curated clothing shop based in richmond, va, but i can hardly afford to buy anything from the store. i'd had my eye on this parka for the past few months and then i found it for 2/3 the price on zappos! i thought rob hamill would have been proud.

henry turned 1 month yesterday! to celebrate, we went for a walk by the capitol to his favorite spot - the botanical gardens - where he loves to stare at this iron gate for as long as i'll let him. then we nursed and pooped all day (his other 2 favorite things).

henry, you make us so happy. when you stare right into my eyes i think you must know something i don't. or at least you are letting me know that we are in this together, and it's so comforting for your mama. you are sleeping 4-5 hours at night, which makes us feel like we won the baby lottery. you get fussy in the evening and your parents are worried we are messing you up, but then we just remind ourselves that you are a baby and this is what babies do. you squak like a bird when you are hungry and it makes us laugh so hard. you like to hold onto your little teething ring when i change you, and you love it when i sing christmas songs. you are growing so fast and your mom and dad love you so much! we can't wait to see what month 2 brings us (a smile, maybe?)

Henry's birth.

2011-12-11T21:02:00.005-05:00

Henry was born on November 15, 2011. I've written down a detailed version of his birth, but here are some of the highlights. I read so many birth stories while I was pregnant that inspired me and gave me strength and courage during my own birth, so I thought it was only fair to share my own story of Henry's birth.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011 came and went without much fanfare. In the back of my mind, I’d had a feeling that my baby’s arrival would happen after the due date, but I have to admit I was disappointed when I woke up on November 10 with no sign of baby.

I spent the next 4 days having contractions that started at night, and would subside by the morning. Mark and I walked around the entire neighborhood of Capitol Hill several times over the next few days, I drank red raspberry tea, made spicy ginger cookies, ate spicy Mexican food, and tried every other trick in the book to kick labor into gear, including asking our midwife Sierra to sweep my membranes twice.

Sunday, we left church early and decided to go on another long walk and I felt some light contractions. Later that evening, we had friends over to visit and by the time they left at 8pm, the night contractions had started again. But this time – they felt different. They were stronger and they came in a timed pattern, and I was so happy! I timed my contractions with my handy iphone app and they were 5-8 minutes apart for a steady 3-4 hours. We called Sierra and let her know we thought this was it, and we wanted to come into the hospital.

We met Sierra at the hospital around 1am that Sunday night. Walking into the hospital, the image of Mark still makes me laugh so hard. I had packed way too much in our hospital bag, we had the baby bag, a pillow, my purse, and a giant medicine ball to labor on. Mark was so nervous and seeing him carrying all that stuff from the car to the hospital, doing his best to “keep it together” made me laugh out loud, despite my contractions. Ahhh, that guy. When we arrived on the labor and delivery floor, I was dialated to 4 cm and 80% effaced! However, Sierra thought it was still going to take awhile to get to the more serious contractions, so we walked around the hall for an hour to see if it would move things along. After an hour, we checked and…no progress. We made a decision to go back home and labor in the comfort of our own home, which turned out to be one of the better decisions we made during labor. It was so nice to be in the dark, cozy comfort of my apartment that night.

As my labor progressed and contractions got closer together, 3-5 minutes apart by sunrise on Monday, I really started feeling the pains in my back. We had taken hypnobirthing classes, and had planned on using techniques to relax and be able to handle the labor pains naturally. But we had not counted on the intensity and pain associated with back labor. The only thing that was working to relieve those back contractions had nothing to do with “going inside”. Nope, I’m sorry to say that hypnobirthing did not work for my back labor. Instead, I turned to my animal instincts and found myself pressing my lower back against anything I could find to relieve the painful back contractions, that were coming 2-3 minutes apart by 10am. I’m still haunted by images of me pacing back and forth all night from our bedroom to the living room, pressing my back up against the laundry room door, on the dining chair, and the bookcase every 3 minutes to try and relieve the pressure on my lower back. Mark would follow me around every few contractions and push my hips together for counter pressure. It felt amazing when he was able to apply the right kind of counterpressure and really helped control the pain.

We headed back into the hospital at 10:30am, feeling excited about the progress we had made, and with repacked hospital bags (and that pointless medicine ball left at home), and Sierra checked my progress - 4.5cm. I had only progressed 1/2 cm in 12 hours! We were pretty discouraged, but glad to be at the hospital with Sierra, where I felt safe. Sierra is a really good friend of mine. We lived together for about 6 months before Mark and I were married, and I had always hoped she would be my midwife, but didn’t know if we would still be living around each other when I was pregnant. I’m so happy we were able to go through the pregnancy and birth with her – she’s an amazing midwife and I loved experiencing such an intimate and private thing with just my husband and friend. It was so sweet.

When we checked into the hospital, Sierra would switch with Mark to push in on my hips, my legs, and my back every 2-3 minutes for counterpressure for the back labor, giving Mark a nice break from the previous 16 hours.

The day continued with contractions growing in intensity, staying 2-3 minutes apart. I took a couple of hot showers, walked around the halls for hours pressing my back up against the walls, and Mark continued to support me so well through the whole day. He had water, juice, ice chips, and food ready for me at any time, and rubbed my back and held my hand through every contraction or left me alone when I needed to be alone. I have never felt so much love for another human being as I did for Mark during my labor. Mark was my rock.

aren't hospital gowns sexy?

That night, around 10pm, we checked my progress again. I had only progressed another ½ cm reaching 5cm, and was now at -1 station. This was kind of the breaking point of my labor. I had been laboring for 26 hours, I was physically and emotionally exhausted, and my back literally felt like it would burst apart during each contraction and I was losing the ability to control my breaths during each contractions. I took another hot shower to try and relax, and we took a few hours to think about what to do. I really wanted to have a totally natural labor, but with the pain of the back contractions, I just knew I couldn’t continue on by myself anymore and have strength to push when the time came. Time didn’t really exist at that point, my eyes couldn’t stay open, and I only had a couple of minutes between each contraction to really think about what to do next, so it took awhile to decide. Finally around midnight I told Sierra I was ready for an epidural. We decided to do a Pitocin drip along with the epidural in hopes I would progress further and hopefully my water would finally break.

During the first 30 hours of labor, the only monitoring I had was a handheld fetal monitor that Sierra used to listen to the baby’s heartbeat every 30 minutes. No hep locks, no IVs, no nothing. Mark fed me applesauce, hummus, broth, saltines, and apple juice and had the water cup at my mouth after every contraction. In a matter of minutes, our peaceful and warm labor atmosphere that we had created the first 30 hours of labor ramped up to bright fluorescent lights, IV drips, needles, monitors, anesthesiologists, nurses, and no eating or drinking. I felt so scared and nervous and I could tell Mark was getting upset with the brash treatment from the nurses who couldn’t care less about my fragile and exhausted state after 30 hours of back labor. I don’t know how I did it, but I stayed still during a back contraction while the candyman gave me an epidural. After the epidural and Pitocin was administered, I finally felt some relief and Mark and I both fell asleep for about 4 hours. It was kind of heavenly, even if I hated the feeling of not being able to feel my legs, it was amazing to rest from the intense back labor pains. When I woke up at around 7am, we decided to break my water since it wasn’t happening naturally. Within about 3 hours, around 10am Sierra checked and I was up to over 8cm! Finally, it was working!

Within the hour, I started to feel more pressure and felt the urge to start pushing. I was also feeling some of the back labor coming back, so we ordered another epidural dose, but by the time the doctor arrived, it was too late! The baby had dropped so low, that the epidural wasn’t working. It was 11:00am. I announced to Mark and Sierra, “I want to have this baby by noon, let’s do this”. So I started pushing. And pushing. And pushing. Each push, I was encouraged by Sierra, Mark and the additional nurse who told me how good each push was. They could see the head with each push, and encouraged me with each effective push. About 45 minutes into pushing, Sierra stepped out to get another doctor to help out with the birth, because she was concerned that the baby wasn’t coming out during what she told me were very effective pushes. Her and the additional doctor were both worried that the baby was too big for my pelvis and the shoulders might get stuck during my pushing, so they told me I would have to push him out entirely with one push to prevent him getting stuck. Um, terrifying. Thoughts of the medical birth and c-sections entered my mind. The back labor had also returned with vengeance and I remember after about an hour of pushing literally throwing my hands up in the air after each contraction and finally saying “I CAN’T DO THIS!” I was sweaty, thirsty, sore, and I thought my back was going to snap in half every time I pushed. Sierra and Mark and others in the room responded, “Yes you can do it! You are so close!” So I gathered my strength and pushed with all I had. After about 3 contractions, I pushed and felt the most amazing all-consuming feeling that completely took over my body. I screamed out in pain and said “The ring of fire! I feel it!”

During my pregnancy I had read so much about the ring of fire that occurs when the baby is coming out, and was anticipating and so excited for this part of the labor and delivery. I laugh now when I look back on that moment, because I’m pretty sure the nurses and everyone in the room were like “this girl is totally crazy”. I don’t remember what they said, but there was definitely some chatter about me saying “the ring of fire”.

So, knowing that I had to push out this baby in one push, or risk him getting stuck, I pushed through the ring of fire with every ounce of strength I had left in my body, and out he came, head and body in one push! It was just after the noon hour - 12:21 pm.

Sierra put him on my chest and I felt the warmth of his heavy baby body lay on my chest and then tiny little cries from his little mouth. He was brownish-gray and a little slimy and so new. His little face was so scrunchy and mad, I just died at his adorable serious face. Mark was sobbing and I was shaking, but felt so calm as I looked at him. I felt like I was kind of looking down on the scene, not really experiencing the delivery and I could not comprehend that this baby on my chest was the thing that had been growing inside my belly for the past 9+ months. It was the strangest mix of feelings, but I remember feeling so satisfied and proud of this little baby. After about a minute of looking at his face and arms and hands, I said – wait, is it a boy or a girl? We didn’t even think to look because I think instinctively I just knew it was a boy. He had such a boy face! We picked up his leg, and yep – a boy! I couldn’t believe how happy and tired I felt. I even remember thinking “ok I cannot wait to do that again” (seriously, that ring of fire thing is amazing). Mark cut the umbilical cord, and Henry was weighed and measured - 8 lbs 11 oz and 20 1/2 inches!

Right after Henry was born, he had to be taken to the NICU because he had inhaled some meconium during the pushing. The doctor gave him some air to push out the meconium, and took him for monitoring and x-rays to make sure he didn’t have anything in his lungs (he didn't).

Mark went with him to the NICU while the doctors took care of my post-birth body. It was really hard to be away from him during those first couple of hours – I felt exhausted and I couldn’t even remember what he looked like because we’d only spent a minute of his life together. Finally, after what seemed like hours I was finally ready to leave the delivery room, and Mark pushed my wheelchair down the hall to the NICU to see our little boy. I gathered him in my arms and we tried to breastfeed. He latched right away and I just cried and cried. I couldn’t believe how perfect he was and how familiar it felt to hold him.
“I think I know what his name is”, whispered Mark, “Henry George”. George after Mark’s grandfather, and Henry because he just looked like a Henry (later we found out my great great grandfather is named Henry). Mark gave him his name, and since Henry is Mark’s spitting image, it was totally fitting that he named him, too.

I'm so happy with the way my labor and delivery went. While I didn't have the natural birth I had anticipated, I am grateful for the support team of Mark and Sierra - they both helped me make the important decisions that helped me stay focused and I know helped Henry arrive safely. We love our Henry and really can't imagine our life without our sweet little guy.

3 weeks today.

2011-12-06T16:44:00.003-05:00

and we're going through a growth spurt! little henry is either eating or asleep. but mostly eating 24-7. he is so alert, and looks right into our eyes every day - it's nuts! he loves to observe the world around him. he does such a good job holding his head up, and has been holding his head up for the past 10 days or so (already so advanced). he loves to smile and look at the christmas tree and stare at anything that is black and white. he also tugs at his daddys beard sometimes which completely melts me into a puddle on the floor.

we are such nerds for henry around here, it's ridiculous. proud parents doesn't even begin to describe us. we love you, dear henry.

recovering.

2011-12-01T14:42:00.002-05:00

nobody told me that it might be difficult to take care of a baby when you're also taking care of your own body that "went through it". i didn't expect to have a ravaged postnatal body, but i did. luckily TH was able to take off quite a bit of time to spend at home as we transitioned to life with Henry, he's been a lifesaver with water every time i sit down to breastfeed, a bite to eat when i'm starving in the middle of the night, the laundry is always done, and i never changed a diaper until henry was almost a week old, and even still i think i can count on both hands the number of diapers i've changed.

to quote a friend, TH is a natural at this. i am so grateful to be his wife and happy to see him adjusting so well to being a dad. i love him.

i'm working on the birth story and will share at least some of it here in the next few days.

having henry.

2011-11-28T12:47:00.000-05:00

settling in as a family has been the most life changing experience. people keep asking "how's it going?" and i kind of default with "sleepless!", but what i really want to say in my heart is:

so sweet.

when we found out we were expecting henry, i hadn't quite decided i was ready to be a parent. but by the time 9 months passed by, and especially with that bonus week tacked onto the end, i was so ready to meet our little baby. and now that he's here (and i am SO excited it's a "he"), mark and i keep asking ourselves what the heck we used to do with our lives. watch househunters, i guess, and going out the door only took 2 seconds, as opposed to now - 2 hours.

now, we just sit around and look at henry's little nose wrinkle, nuzzle his chubby cheeks, and play with his teeny fingers while he sleeps on our shoulder, lap, arm, etc. we've managed to get out every day for at least a walk around the block. sunday, we walked all the way to the hirschhorn museum to look at mobiles for henry. i love our family walks.

friday, we took our first car trip to hillwood estate. we aimed to get there around 2pm, but it ended up being 4pm. ahh, the life of being a new parent?

grateful.

2011-11-25T12:56:00.002-05:00

grateful for family, new and old. (but, especially the newest little family member!)

Henry, we LOVE you. I'm so grateful for this sweet little boy, grateful to be his mother, and grateful for Mark and what an amazing father he is. My heart has grown 100 times bigger since becoming a mother and watching him become a father.

a baby.

2011-11-21T08:30:00.001-05:00

Henry George Taylor

born november 15, 2011 at 12:21 pm.

weighing in at a whopping 8 lbs 11 oz, and 20 1/2 inches.

life is so good with sweet henry. we have no idea what we ever did without him.

it's a lucky kind of day.

2011-11-11T15:00:00.001-05:00

on a crisp, cool windy day, with red, yellow, and brown leaves falling all around, a girl awoke and decided "today is a day for babies to be born". and so she goes about her day doing everything under the sun to make that happen.

spicy thai lunch with a friend, ginger and cayenne cookies, words of encouragement from grandma, some red leaf raspberry tea, acupressure, and enough walking to make the hips so sore.

now how to communicate this to baby...i had mark tell baby that today is the day in romanian in case that is the baby's language, and i interpreted into spanish, too. can't hurt, right? :)

have a great weekend!

celebrating due date day.

2011-11-10T16:48:00.003-05:00

apparently baby had no idea that yesterday was its due date, but we didn't let that dampen our spirits. TH took the afternoon off so we could do some baby celebrating. starting at chick-fil-a and ending in georgetown at the movie theatre, it was a perfectly lovely evening spent with my husband. we did lots of walking, bought a cute outfit for the baby, had lots of good talks about being a mom and dad, and lots of talking to the babe to let it know that TIME'S UP! you get a good 40 weeks in my belly without pressure, but now mama is actively trying to get you to come out and meet the world!

this morning, my midwife gave me some tips to bring labor on and hopefully we'll be meeting this baby soon. full moon tonight, low pressure system is here, and i've been hip swiveling on my yoga ball all day. baby, come out!

40 weeks today, and i'm in good company.

2011-11-09T10:54:00.003-05:00

today marks the official 40 weeks for me. but i've been anticipating this for a while. two things i didn't expect while pregnant? my sister-in-law and sister are both pregnant, too!

we found out jodi was pregnant a few months ago (a little boy due in December) and i was ecstatic to know little tiny T will have a cousin close in age. and then jenny dropped the bomb on me on halloween - she and AJ are expecting their second baby in June! my whole pregnancy i've been trying to convince one of my sisters to get pregnant so we can have little tummy babes together, and finally it worked. and not a moment too soon!

i can't wait till next summer when all the new babies are here, and we can all play together. i'm preparing you now for the ridiculous pictures of the baby trio.

and with that, i'm off to hip swivel and walk some stairs.

almost there.

2011-11-08T08:30:00.001-05:00

how in the world did i get to 40 weeks?

i totally credit my friend naomi for prepping me for a late baby. her little one was 2 weeks overdue, and she said "count to 42 weeks"! so i'm really not stressing that here we are, just about to week 40 and there is absolutely no sign of this baby coming. i'm calm. pretty relaxed. excited. and i'm really looking forward to some down time this week to bake, finish some craft projects, and finish baby's corner. but, we have begun the long walks around the neighborhood, spicy foods, and next up, this dance. let's get it started in here.

so long, office!

2011-11-04T11:05:00.005-04:00

winding down, after 2.5 years of coming into this job every day. today marks the last day of working non-parent. from here on out, any job i have, i will be a working mom! a mom, i tell you!

i can't tell you how happy i am that i gave a definative end-date before baby. there's no way i could continue to come in day after day. my belly has doubled in size over the past couple of weeks and it's getting a little awkward sitting in business meetings with a basketball shaped bump under my shirt.

after today, if anybody wants to find me, i'll be:
at home planted firmly on the couch,
taking long walks around the neighborhood, or
eating spicy, spicy food

happy weekend!

the storm before the calm.

2011-11-03T10:31:00.003-04:00

i have been on "go" mode for the past few months. too much work, too many meetings, too much planning and crafting and buying for baby, just too much. it keeps me up at nights thinking how un-ready i am, but how can that be?! i am busy all the time!

yesterday i took an early day and finished some things around the house that had been nagging me. like packing the hospital bag. geez. who waits until 39 weeks to pack that thing? hopefully it will be finished after a target run today. i bought some frames to hang in baby's corner, and some crafts to work on should the baby want to cozy up for another week or 2 or 3. i also worked on some freezer meals.

i feel a little more prepared. but in a way it's nice to have been so busy. i haven't had time to sit around and fret about waiting for a baby (yet, anyway). i know baby will come when the time is right. and waiting for a baby has to be the weirdest thing anyone ever does in their lifetime. waiting for this tiny human that will change your life in ways you cannot even dream.
waiting for...
...that first cry
...a new voice in your house
...giggles and coos from a beautiful babe

waiting to see TH be a dad. waiting to be a mother.

our life of "just the two of us" is soon coming to a close, and we couldn't be more crazy/nervous/happy/tired/excited/anxious/joyful.

accordion for sale.

2011-11-01T22:40:00.003-04:00

does anyone want it? oh yeah, it needs some repairs that we haven't had time or patience to fix. womp, womp, womp. oh the tragedy of this story.

a day off.

2011-11-01T08:32:00.003-04:00

yesterday was one of those days.

couldn't get out of bed.

belly too big to get dressed.

doctor's waiting room full of crazy people.

baby still very very cozy in my belly.

no parking spots in my neighborhood because of crazy halloween.

but things did get better. i went on a good walk with a friend that helped clear my head a little bit, got a phone call from someone i love with some extremely good news, and then TH rubbed my feet while we talked about our day. turns out his wasn't so great either - we both had a wicked case of the mondays (or manboobs. have you seen this?!).

day trip to annapolis.

2011-10-31T07:00:00.000-04:00

i went to 5 parties this weekend. i am 38.5 weeks pregnant and i went to FIVE parties this weekend. what's stopping me, really? besides wanting to be in sweatpants all the time, i feel fine, so why not go have fun with friends and get my mind off my long list of baby to-do's?

and then, a miracle happened on sunday. TH suggested that we take a day trip to annapolis! coming from a guy who really cherishes his lazy sundays, this was a real jump for him. and we totally made the most of it. candy, girl scout cookies, chocolate, and some amazing mexican food from jalapenos.

annapolis was the perfect getaway to help us feel like we went out of town, and only 30 minutes from DC, we didn't feel too far away from any midwives or hospitals that might be needed. wink wink baby.

good job, baby.

2011-10-29T15:55:00.002-04:00

i'm so proud of little baby. already an obedient and sensible child, baby listened to mama and stayed inside until midwife returned from her out-of-country trip.

at 38 1/2 weeks, now we are officially on baby watch.

missionaries.

2011-10-26T16:03:00.004-04:00

we have two sets of missionaries in our ward. we had them both over for dinner last night (pizza and store-bought brownies and ice cream - i'm no fool). so there we were, dorky me and TH entertaining four 19-21 year old boys.

i forgot how funny 19 and 20 year old boys are. they are such dorks and i love it. TH and i had the best time joking around with them and hearing their crazy stories. i love our church and love that these boys are brave enough to take 2 years of their life to learn and share about Christ and serve others. it's super inspiring and makes me feel hopeful for positive change in the world. any time people put someone else ahead of their own needs, i feel like they should get a standing ovation.

DC food truck festival

2011-10-25T09:22:00.003-04:00

as it turns out, yesterday was Food Day and DC participated by throwing a K street food truck festival. and guess which lucky lady was the beneficiary? mm hmm.

i tried a tofu korean taco from far east taco grille, a cheddar on sourdough from the big cheese, and a veggie empanada from DC empanadas, which i ended up being too full to eat. bummer.

the awesome thing about all these food trucks in one place at lunchtime, was there were enough food trucks to serve the number of hungry people and the lines were totally manageable! i was finally able to try those food trucks i've always wondered about. and the verdict? fojol bros is still the best, but far east taco grille makes one heck of a korean taco.

also, another verdict - people love to s.t.a.r.e. at pregnant ladies, especially when they are holding multiple bags of food from different food trucks. leave me be, people. i'm growing a human being here! this is my time to eat 500 extra calories a day with abandon. just doing my duty.

ps, did you know that we own a food truck with our friends? it runs in fairfax county and we think those gourmet hot dogs are pretty darn tasty.

i need to put my feet up today.

2011-10-24T09:52:00.003-04:00

it's monday. and i just don't feel like it today.

maybe it has something to do with...
this big baby bump?
the new moody M83 album that is lulling me right now?
the too many chocolate donut holes i ate this morning?
how no matter how much sleep i get lately, it just never seems to do the trick?

i only have 10 days left in the office before baby leave begins, so i gotta make it count, but man! days like today are rough on my exhausted body.

full term! we made it!

2011-10-21T10:46:00.003-04:00

after a completely failed attempt at celebrating the actual full term day on wednesday (work too busy for a fancy lunch break, dinner was a disaster cloaked in too much walking, humidity and tears), we had a successful celebratory dinner at Oyamel in Penn Quarter on thursday night.

At a sweet intimate table (read: small, cramped table in the corner) we shared the guacamole (best I've ever had, ever), fresh tortilla chips, and ordered a ton of small plates. BBQ pork tacos, cactus leaf salad, brussel sprouts with pepitas and lime, and other crazy good food. Oyamel also makes fresh juegos every day for us teetotalers. I had the blackberry fresca and I can say with a clean conscience that it was ridiculously refreshing and tasty.

We wanted to celebrate baby, but also we wanted to celebrate us. We've come a long way in 18 months of marriage, and an even longer way in the last 9 months. It takes a lot of courage to bring pregnancy into a new marriage, and we had no idea how much it would change us and test our relationship - ultimately making it stronger. I can only imagine the difference it will make to have the actual tiny baby in our arms and those 2am, 4am, 6am feedings. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that I'm going to be a mother. But you know what I can wrap my head around? Walking without the urge to waddle, running fast through a field, eating pizza without fear of heartburn, and sleeping on my back as much as I want!

We can't wait to meet you, tiny T. just wait until November when my midwife is back in the country. moms orders.

I go to bed with Ben and Jerry, I wake up with Cider.

2011-10-19T15:31:00.002-04:00

Lately I've been having trouble eating. I'm hungry constantly, but I just can't eat very much. When I do, my body rejects it and it's scary. I think I've hit that point in pregnancy where there just isn't a lot of room for anything other than baby in my stomach.
I've realized that being forced to eat in smaller quantities means that I'm pretty much snacking all the time. Like last night when I had wheat thins and apple juice for dinner, a late night snack of cereal, and midnight snack of Ben and Jerry's cookie dough ice cream. This morning I woke up with a glass of apple cider, followed by a small yogurt with granola and later in the morning a granola bar.

This is not the most healthy diet I've ever been on, but at least I'm keeping my food where it belongs - in my tummy!

Funny sidenote: my sister was explaining to Lizzie (4 years old) about pregnancy and being sick. Lizzie was so worried because she thought if you throw up, you throw up the baby, too. Because "the baby is in the stomach. Right mom?" Cue my sister trying to teach a 4 year old the difference between and stomach and a uterus, leading to the age old question - "but how does the baby get in there, mom?" i'm glad i don't have to handle those tough questions...yet!

wicked waffle.

2011-10-18T15:23:00.005-04:00

i finally tried the new lunch spot in farragut - Wicked Waffle. ohhhhh mouthwatering deliciousness sandwiched between 2 WAFFLES. i tried the grilled cheese and tomato waffle sandwich. yes. others really liked the mango and brie sandwich, and the prosciutto tomato and arugula sandwich.

i mean it's a WAFFLE. what's not to like? they also had a killer sweet potato soup.

i've been living off waffles lately, no joke. my all time favorite recipe is here, the morning-of waffle. that molly kills it every time and these waffles are no different.

on the way back from lunch, we ran into large headed JFK. so, pretty much the best lunch break ever.

weekend roundup: pregnant edition.

2011-10-17T09:34:00.002-04:00

my boss just came in to ask me what i did this weekend.

...crickets...

i couldn't even remember! it honestly took me about a minute to even recall anything other than sleeping and eating. oopsie. i hope i am not wasting away my pre-baby time on nonsense. but! then i did remember one awesome thing i did:
we saw Moneyball and walked around the city for about a half hour and saw a high speed chase being filmed by professional movie makers! cool!
and then i remembered another awesome thing:
we walked around Eastern Market and had lunch at Teds Bulletin (me: green green salad and french onion soup, him: turkey sandwich and white bean chili)
and then even one MORE thing i remember:
we had amazing Indian food at Haandi in Falls Church with TH's family.

but really this is what popped in my head and what i really remember from this weekend:
eat, sleep, eat, naps, walk, eat, why is this bathroom line so long?!, walk, nap, movie, walk, sleep through church, TV, eat, nap, eat, walk, sleep.

what has become of my life?

google is not...

2011-10-13T13:12:00.002-04:00

...your doctor
...a nutritionist
...an expectant mother
...a parent
...a creative mind
...your mom

when i was extremely sick the other night, i googled "vomit 36 weeks pregnant" and google basically said "you are in labor". freak out panic time for a few minutes. but of course i was not in labor. i don't know why i ever use google as any of the above.

i need to remember to seek out more human advice (including listening to my own instincts). i have a feeling this will become ever more important in the next month or so.

our plans for october.

2011-10-12T11:59:00.003-04:00

Back in January we had big plans for this month. We were going to take a few weeks to travel the Romanian and Hungarian countryside and maybe even take a sail down the Danube. TH speaks Romanian and has wanted to return to the country since his short stint there in 02. The way he talks about the simple beauty and the Romanian people, the country just tugs at my heart a little bit.

Instead...well...surprise baby! It's just funny how you make plans for your life, but other things have a way of just happening. So we put off the Romania trip for another year and hopefully this time next Fall it will be a trip for 3.

on nesting.

2011-10-11T10:25:00.003-04:00

finally finally this weekend we got around to really getting the house ready for baby T. it helped to have the holiday yesterday so i could visit The Container Store and a few other select shops. Baby's nook is looking so good! Because we have such a little 1-bedroom apartment, we're being very selective about what we choose to bring into the house, and how we store it. I'll share some pictures in a couple weeks when we're finished, but so far I'm really happy with how things are turning out. Next up on my list: make curtains, hang some pictures, and finish sewing those bassinet sheets!

i woke up this morning and looked over at Baby's nook. i just imagined a little baby in that bassinet, kicking its little swaddled mermaid legs, and my heart was so full. not much longer to wait!

ps did i mention TH deep cleaned the bathroom for 3 hours saturday night?? i've never been so attracted to him before. is that weird to say?

35 weeks and the weekend.

2011-10-08T19:09:00.003-04:00

when you only have a few hours to have fun in NYC, it can seem impossible to narrow down the list of things to do. but when you are 8 months pregnant, it's easy = food.

we went up just for friday afternoon for some work-related meetings, and then we spent the remainder eating. eating weird deli food in strobe lights, eating dinner at Westville (our favorite place), and eating breakfast at Absolute Bagels on the upper west side (my favorite bagel shop ever).

we did a little walking around and window shopping in the east village, but i'm only good for about 2 hours before i start begging TH to rub my back and start obsessing about finding a place to lay down.

we spent the rest of the weekend cleaning and organizing, trying to get things ready for baby T. little baby T finally found that extra space by my ribs this weekend, and feeling those little feet explore my tummy is just so adorable, i don't even think about how uncomfortable it is. i love this little baby.

long NY weekend.

2011-10-06T09:32:00.004-04:00

hello. this is me, signing off for the weekend. off to NYC for a couple of short days, then home to enjoy the extended holiday weekend. (do you get columbus day off?)

this is our last NYC trip before baby. and going to NYC while pregnant means you have a free pass to eat whatever you could possibly get your hands on, right?

TH and I have so many good memories of falling in love in that city - like the pictures above from a summer day in brooklyn 2 years ago. and soon we'll be able to add the memory of us as anticipating parents walking around town. i can't wait.

what'll i do?

2011-10-05T09:23:00.004-04:00

today i am blue. this song is helping me stew in it, but it also just reminds me of the great gatsby. such a tragic love story. if you haven't seen the robert redford version from the 70's, take a couple hours to watch it this weekend. it's so so beautiful and haunting.

coffee table the 6th.

2011-10-03T21:23:00.004-04:00

since we got married just 18 months ago, TH and i have owned five iterations of coffee tables. FIVE. i know. it's ridiculous. i always like the coffee table when i buy it, but when i bring it home it just doesn't look right in our house.

yesterday i bought the 6th and hopefully FINAL coffee table. this is the first time that we both like it. (or maybe TH is so sick of this whole thing he just could not care less.) it's just been really hard to decorate a carpeted living room!

the weekend in pictures + 10 words.

2011-10-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

truckaroo.

crafty bastards.

fun laundry.

no-knead bread.

pumpkin choco-chip bread.

weekend, finally.

2011-09-30T14:42:00.003-04:00

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!

2011-09-29T22:25:00.004-04:00

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!

2011-09-29T05:00:00.001-04:00

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.

2011-09-28T11:21:00.004-04:00

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.

2011-09-27T13:28:00.002-04:00

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.

2011-09-25T22:35:00.006-04:00

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.

2011-09-21T09:15:00.003-04:00

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.

2011-09-19T09:41:00.003-04:00

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?)

2011-09-16T10:20:00.005-04:00

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.

2011-09-15T11:14:00.003-04:00

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...

2011-09-14T13:02:00.004-04:00

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.

2011-09-12T07:30:00.001-04:00

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.

2011-09-09T15:27:00.002-04:00

*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.

2011-09-07T11:04:00.003-04:00

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.

2011-09-05T22:04:00.006-04:00

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.

2011-09-02T10:49:00.002-04:00

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

2011-09-01T06:45:00.000-04:00

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?

flipping a coin.

2011-08-31T09:45:00.002-04:00

chocolate milkshakes or fat-free tart yogurt?

that was our decision on monday night. we couldn't decide, mainly because we knew what we should get, but we really wanted the thick creamy milkshakes. so out came the iphone, googled the coin flip website, and...HEADS! yes! chocolate milkshakes!

victorious, we bought our milkshakes and walked home to enjoy our spoils. and wouldn't you know it, i took 3 sips, decided it wasn't hitting the spot and made a piece of toast with strawberry freezer jam instead.

sometimes, fate teaches you a lesson. go with your gut feeling, not the flip of a virtual coin. oh, life you are such a tease sometimes.

30 weeks.

2011-08-30T11:00:00.003-04:00

belly grows. heartburn really sets in. head and feet and elbows moving around like a whirlwind tornado in my belly. 30 weeks pregnant is so different from anything my body has ever experienced.

i'm trying to stay positive because i don't have any other options right now, but when i see people jogging and spinning around i do feel a little jealous. when TH makes a flying leap onto the bed, i ask him - please do a flying leap for me, too. it's weird to think next time i'll be jogging and leaping and spinning, i'll have a baby.

i crave cinnamon rolls, indian food, and chocolate ice cream.

we spend nights planning for baby, watching dumb movies, and going for epic walks around the Hill.

i started knitting and working on some baby projects. i think i'm going to try and make them my labor projects. keep my mind off of it all, you know?

30 weeks pregnant. i feel more different than ever - physically of course, but also emotionally. it's a trip.

hurricane: the aftermath

2011-08-29T10:20:00.002-04:00

i didn't take any pictures. but if i had...

{picture 1: me laying on the couch}

{picture 2: eating donuts and watching the weather channel}

{picture 3: quick drive to Giggle to check out baby stuff and Anthropologie for shoes, followed by sandwiches at Jettie's}

{picture 4: peeking out the window every hour, yep still raining and windy!}

{picture 5: chana masala for dinner!}

{picture 6: gorgeous pancakes c/o TH for breakfast}

{picture 7: knitting baby booties}

we survived! it was a relaxing weekend. i slept a lot and had a lot of fun going through all the baby stuff we have. as it turns out, we still need a lot of stuff. luckily we already have a car seat that sits in our little VW. it's so cute, every time i look at it, i want to die.

weekend and baby stuff.

2011-08-26T09:49:00.002-04:00

the sky was a greenish gray last night as i came out of the metro after work. i had to take off my glasses. i'd never seen the sky that color.

impending disasters have a way of making everyone seem so calm and quiet. the city is sleepy today, 90 degrees and sunny, and we're just waiting for Irene to hit this weekend. stocked up on canned fruit and soups, granola bars, and of course the essential donuts and muffins (duh). we are ready.

but before the storm hits, we have a lot to take care of. we are t-minus 11 weeks until baby over here and have yet to sign up for a birth class or visit a baby store. i'm a little behind in that department. on monday, my doctor smiled when she saw i was still wearing my regular non-maternity jeans. "a little in denial, are we?" she laughed. so monday night i purchased my first pair of maternity pants and today i am swimming in comfortable luxurious pants room! in heaven! TH is super jealous of course that i get a stretchy band instead of zipper and button, and he's insisting on getting a pair for himself.

so it starts at maternity pants, and this weekend will kick off the rest of baby inundation. last night, TH looked at my belly and said "i can't wait for baby to get here" and i just laughed and said "baby is already HERE, just inside my belly!" i feel it moving every day and it's 15 inches long and weighs 3.5 lbs! this baby is so real to me, even though i haven't met it yet. i love feeling all the kicks and jabs and flips and spins and a couple episodes of the baby hiccups (which have to be the cutest thing in the world, i think?).

baby baby baby. have a great weekend, and stay safe and warm!

late night buns.

2011-08-25T10:46:00.004-04:00

i've been craving a homemade cinnamon roll for a few weeks now, so i broke down yesterday after work and threw together some dough, let it rise, and finished the buns around 11pm. i ate no less than 3 in a row. they were easy to make, tasty, indeed, and hit the spot.
recipe from the infallible molly wizenberg aka orangette.

it sparked in me a desire to find the perfect cinnamon bun recipe. i think i'm not too far off, but i want to try a recipe that gets a little more gooey. any ideas? i just want to be the kind of mom that turns to her "trusty recipe for..." and mouths are happy. that's not too much to ask, is it?

prenatal yoga.

2011-08-24T09:59:00.003-04:00

in my current state, there is nothing more fulfilling and really just plain hard than prenatal yoga. i love feeling my body lengthen and my muscles getting stronger. i love knowing i'm strengthening my body to prepare for the beautiful birth of my baby. but, gosh, it's tough on this old body! i just try to remember how it keeps me in shape and strong for delivery, and then i'm all for it.
happy healthy mamas = happy healthy babies.

29 weeks. writing my maternity leave plan.

2011-08-23T11:10:00.003-04:00

it's time to finally write that maternity leave plan. time to divide my projects like solomon, and figure out the best approach to being away for 16 weeks. i'm feeling very nervous about this, and haven't received much direction from my superiors. any tips on how to successfully leave a job for 4 months and make sure i's are dotted and t's are crossed? i'd really love to hear from you on this!

scenes from seaside.

2011-08-22T21:29:00.003-04:00

the girls weekend trip to oregon 2 weekends ago seems like a dream. if i didn't still have all the laughter in my head from remembering how ridiculous we were in college (utah state university - go aggies!), i might think it was. we decided we wanted to make the girls getaway an annual thing. i really can't wait for the fun to come. there is just something irreplaceable about these girls who've known me from out of place virginia girl to hippy utah girl to the city politics obsessed girl i am now. love you girls! xoxo

whirlwind weekend.

2011-08-22T11:07:00.004-04:00

you know those days you just want to lay in bed and the thought of being busy just makes you want to scream into your pillow? today was definitely one of those days.

we had a crazy weekend - it was really good, just really BUSY. and all the things i wanted to do, like signing up for baby classes, going to a baby stuffs store, formatting pictures from oregon, those things all got pushed to the side.

instead we:
1. went to jacksonville, florida for a quick pre-weekend work getaway. we have some interesting work opportunities that i can't really talk about yet, but hopefully i'll be able to share in another month or so.
2. drove up to northern maryland for the annual crabfest with our family. saw my brother rob and family who we haven't been able to catch up with in MONTHS. jodi is also pregnant and i'm so excited to have 2 new babies in the family, about 10 weeks apart. can't wait for the cousins to meet each other!
3. celebrated the new marriage of liz and dan at an intimate little shower in DC. they looked so happy, and it was a hoot talking about newlywed stuff with them. love them to pieces.
4. church and taught sunday school. i love our students so much.
5. took a 4 hour nap after church.
6. ate cupcakes with TH's family for cousin farewell to freshman year of college. so much reminiscing about going far away for school, and signing up for 7:30am classes (big mistake!)

and this morning we got to see baby again. it's getting quite crowded in there! we used to be able to see baby turn and flip and kick, but now we were just seeing big knees and tummies poking out. and it turns out baby is not that big after all, the doctor just had my due date wrong. oopsie. now moved up to the second week of november. excuse me while i go scream into my pillow. i'm not ready!!

3rd trimester. 28 weeks. last flight?

2011-08-18T12:55:00.003-04:00

jetting off once again, this time just for an overnighter to join TH on a short work trip. beach, here i come!
i keep thinking i'm taking my last flight before baby, but so far that hasn't been the case. so, i think this is my last flight? i guess i still have 6 weeks or so to fly, but it's so uncomfortable these days i'm trying to keep it to a minimum. plus all that water i have to drink on the plane makes me use the airplane closet bathroom at least once every 1/2 hour. thank goodness for aisle seats.

have a fun weekend!

clothes conundrum.

2011-08-18T09:52:00.002-04:00

i know that having a baby is a wonderful thing, but guys i am kind of vain and proud and i can't figure out most days how to wear clothes that are cute.

cue me last night, wandering through the mall for 2 hours looking for clothes that could be re-purposed after november. i walked by a few maternity stores and i was like "ew" so i just ended up frustrated in forever 21 with a Peanuts tshirt that i totally plan on wearing for the entire remainder of my pregnancy. so don't judge me if you see me in my charlie brown, it's all i can do to even wear clothes these days.

i guess i should just work on building up my shoe wardrobe since luckily my feet still love me.

this is the dumbest post ever.

seaside, oregon.

2011-08-17T09:34:00.002-04:00

i had no idea how much i needed this past weekend in oregon. the oregon coast is so beautiful, the weather was perfect and refreshing, and the company was delightful. i feel refreshed, rejuvenated, and all those great things you are supposed to feel after a vacation! something about staying up late, laughing about the funniest old memories with your college girlfriends - just the dose of friendship i needed. thanks girls for an amazing weekend - here's to many more to come! xo

27 weeks. flying while i still can.

2011-08-12T11:07:00.005-04:00

hey there lovers, i am jetting off for a long weekend to portland, oregon to catch up with some old college girlfriends. this is the first time we'll be reunited since our graduation over 5 years ago. i can't wait to see them! when i come back, guess who will be gone on his own trip? TH and i really need to learn to sync up our travel schedules a little better. No such thing as a quick 2 day trip - it always turns into at least a week apart.

This little bump of mine is not so little anymore. At our midwife appointment yesterday, my lovely midwife (and friend!) sneaked in a quick ultrasound so we could see little baby. oh my goodness, i am just falling in love with this kid so much! we can hardly wait 3 more months to see the baby for the first time. will it look like me or TH? will it be a boy or a girl? a maude or a claude? lucky for us we still have some time because we are not quite physically ready for baby yet. carseats, strollers, diapers have yet to be purchased. birth classes? not yet. but we're getting there. good thing we are not fruitflies with only 1 week gestation period. can you even imagine?

a few new things.

2011-08-10T13:27:00.003-04:00

1. new stability ball at work to replace my office chair. my lower back and i are completely loving it. trying not to get caught bouncing around to my music.
2. attended first prenatal yoga class yesterday. hello perfect fit! there is just something about being in a room with 15 other pregnant ladies, hearing the instructor tell us to "stretch to make room for our babies to breathe" and "as your breathing deepens, the baby grows calm". it's really cool learning about ways to take care of your fetus that aren't just related to how much broccoli and kale you can ingest in one sitting.
3. these shoes. i've only dared to wear them 2x so far because they are tall and i am getting more pregnant every day.
4. my growing belly. yesterday i woke up for the first time feeling heavy. feeling a sense that this baby is getting bigger! we ran into a friend last night on our walk around the Hill and he couldn't help but touch my belly - i don't blame him, it's sticking out rather far these days.
5. my love for trader joe's black bean taquitos with a slice of avocado and salsa. yum!

working + parenting.

2011-08-09T10:21:00.002-04:00

NPR is having a series right now, The Baby Project. It's amazing and inspiring!! Nine expectant mothers have come together to discuss birth, parenting, and right now the topic is childcare.

Childcare. Ugh.

You guys, this is going to get a little more personal than I'm used to, but this has honestly been on my mind for about 15 years. And a little more so in the past 5 months. I never knew what I would do when I had a baby - continue working or stay home. I never made the decision because I think it's innately personal and requires a decision made at the point in your life you have children. I never knew the point I'd be at in my career when the babies came along. Now that the time is drawing near, I'm planning to continue working. And it's painful to even think about it. It's all so new to me and thinking about leaving my baby with someone else for 8 hours every day, not to mention learning how to work a breast pump and hoping baby takes a bottle, and all the worries that come along with that - gosh! it's so exhausting!

One of the most comforting things for me is to hear others experiences. Not that I'm clamoring for others advice on how to parent and juggle the work/life balance - but it's helpful to know that other people do it every day. If they can do it, I can do it, too. I'm really looking forward to the series today as it continues talking about childcare. Yesterday the Swedes talked about their parental leave - the parental unit combined gets 480 days per child (to take until they are 8 years old). Per Child. I get a fairly generous maternity leave (16 weeks), but that pales in comparison when you think you could stay at home with your baby the first year of its life.

Can you tell I'm conflicted about this? How do you working moms and dads out there handle the pressures of balancing work and family?

fleeting summer.

2011-08-08T09:38:00.003-04:00

now that summer is almost over, i guess it's finally time to enjoy it right? this past weekend was one of the first we were both back in town, so we set out to soak up the last remaining hot sticky weekends.

sure, there was mostly cleaning and purging of unneeded furniture, and trips to fill up the house with baby stuff, but oh! those summer nights!

we had dinner al fresco with friends in arlington on friday and enjoyed the perfect summer night weather, complete with peaches and homemade ice cream. saturday we had friends over to make panini's and play music, not to mention talk all things baby. it's so nice having friends who can give some sound advice on being first time parents.

i still have so much on my list to do before summer is over. our last summer as just the two of us is filled with mixed emotion, but with all the little kicks and movements i feel from this little acrobat baby, i can't wait for it to be the three of us next summer.

cookbook obsession.

2011-08-05T06:07:00.000-04:00

i mean, come on. i'm powerless most of the time in anthropologie as it is. put a scalloped page dessert cookbook in my hands and it's impossible to say no.

i've picked out a few recipes to try already, but i have to admit i kind of just want to make this my new coffee table book instead of a cookbook. it has completely gorgeous photography and is so beautifully designed.

and something about turning a scalloped edge page makes me feel like the kind of girl who doesn't have dish pan hands in the first place.

new music.

2011-08-04T10:09:00.003-04:00

last night i bought the new buddy holly compilation. some of my favorite artists - julian casablancas, modest mouse (where have they been?), lou reed, and she and him sing old buddy holly songs. it is such a fun summer album! you can stream the album here.

lessons learned.

2011-08-03T13:14:00.002-04:00

1. when attending a concert 6 months pregnant, it's important to call ahead to have someone reserve you a seat. (thanks TH!)
2. after concert is finished, it's important to celebrate your friends birthday at Ben's Chili Bowl, but not as important is eating a ton of cheese fries. which leads me to lesson #3.
3. never eat cheese fries after midnight while 6 months pregnant, especially when you have to be at work early the next morning (what was i thinking?!)

what we're now referring to as our potentially last carefree rock show, Bon Iver really delivered at the 9:30 club last night. the first 10-15 minutes he played, my mouth was kind of agape as i considered what it would be like if i were super talented + super dedicated. because that's what makes you a superstar, right? i'm only kind of in both of those categories. it makes me want to step it up and be really really great at something. just...what?

monday night.

2011-08-02T13:48:00.002-04:00

we left work early yesterday to go pick up our new license plates for the Tiguan.
afterwards, a stop by Target for all the essentials.
then a trip to Harris Teeter to stock up on groceries.
finally, home to make dinner and do some laundry.

and there's nobody else i'd rather be with while doing all this boring life stuff. he makes me laugh so much my stomach hurts. i love being his family.

speaking of family, this morning i couldn't even get out of bed because baby was kicking and moving around so much. it was so cool to watch, and was totally worth being an hour late to work.

sunday night cookies.

2011-08-01T09:36:00.004-04:00

apart from church yesterday, we didn't leave the house for one minute yesterday. what a lazy, lazy sunday. we bought a memory foam mattress topper and after 2 nights of blissful sleep, i can officially state that it has officially changed our lives. officially. it's divine. (and it was so affordable, too!)

after a day of laying around, we decided to make late night chocolate chip cookies. i tried a new recipe that included 2 types of vanilla and 3 types of chocolate. hello favorite cookies ever. plus TH helped and he never helps me bake, so i am going to say that making cookies with love always makes them better.

then i spent the evening watching that dumb bachelorette show - i cannot wait for it to be over so i'm not addicted anymore. total waste of time.

and i started the elegance of the hedgehog for the 3rd time. maybe 3rd times the charm?

hooray for sundays and hooray for houses being full of love.

summer of travel = over (almost).

2011-07-29T14:15:00.002-04:00

phew.

we (nearly) did it. this summer has been so exhausting from all the travel we've been doing and emotionally exhausting from trying to figure out how to get ready for a new baby. so all in all, it's been kind of a rough past couple of months.

but. TH comes home tomorrow from London! then we get to hang out for the rest of the summer (minus a short trip to Portland for a girls weekend getaway). i can't believe how much i've come to rely on him being there as a support to me. it's true what they say that distance makes the heart grow fonder. it has made me realize how much more i want to do for him to show love. i have a sneaking suspicion that life will never stop being busy, and it's so easy for me to forget to say and show love for my man. i try to be so independent - i think it has to do with getting married after being on my own for so long, making my own decisions. but after these past few months and with what we have ahead of us, it's time to step up the love-fest. time to really be a team.

go team! here's to TH coming home tomorrow!

jess comes to town!

2011-07-28T14:03:00.003-04:00

jess comes to visit tonight! i cannot wait to see my nyc bff!
i love this girl so much and i can't believe she's leaving nyc for greener, west-coaster pastures. now we'll have to be bi-coastal BFF's. are you sure you don't want to stay in DC, miss jess?

we had so much fun living in NYC together. we were both newbies at the same time and she got me through the tough times so much. dates at lalo, shopping, trader joe's, laundry dates, the list goes on and on. it was never a dull moment. she is also an amazing seamstress and designer and helped me with my wedding dress. i'm so lucky to have a friend like her.

but my very most favorite thing to do in the world with jess is go to shows and DANCE. do you think we can go to a show with my little baby bump? and dance around like crazy people?

we go a-travelin.

2011-07-26T22:02:00.005-04:00

well, well we are just little travel bugs over here lately. a little sad, a lot exhausting, but also really funny to see the pictures we take for each other. like i take pictures like this last week in LA

(look at your 24 weeks pregnant wife!)

and he takes pictures like this

(hello from the great wall!) - complete with peace sign

i love him.

new furniture.

2011-07-26T09:51:00.004-04:00

like i said yesterday, i've been going a little bananas this past weekend getting the house ready. last night i picked up 2 more things - hollywood regency X benches to replace the blue coffee table and a little baby bassinet for little baby.

we put the bassinet next to the bed, and when i went to bed that night, i just kept looking over at it. looking down at my belly. feeling baby kick. making the connection that in just a few short months, baby would be laying in that sweet little bassinet, kicking it's cute little legs. (minor panic attack! breathe...breathe...) it seems like it's all happening so fast lately.

it's a hot hot hot hot world.

2011-07-25T07:05:00.001-04:00

it has been 3 days straight with temperatures over 100 degrees. that is crazy nuts. and what did i do the whole weekend? well, i spent it outside shopping my brains out! not the smartest thing i've ever done, but i did have my mom with me to provide comfort and cold water (and the VW to provide blasting AC).

we went to lucketts to check out antiques, leesburg to the outlet malls, where i scored this sweet little french oven:and i found some amazing new-to-me furniture stores in quaint little Takoma Park, too.

Modern Mobler - all mid-century modern furniture at a reasonable price and ridiculously friendly staff (a nice change from the shops on 14th and U street).
and Trohv - a sweet little furniture boutique with lots of cute and quirky gift ideas. i'll definitely be returning to check it out.

so that was my hot weekend. let's just say that the nesting has officially started. how did you stay cool this weekend?

dazed and confused.

2011-07-21T21:58:00.002-04:00

taking a red eye from LA to DC while 5.5 months pregnant is one of the dumber decisions i've made in life. of course i couldn't get comfortable and of course i couldn't fall asleep and of course i was hungry and thirsty the whole time and of course i had a window seat so i had to wake up the guy next to me one time when i just couldn't hold it any longer.

i came home and slept basically the entire day, woke up long enough to eat a bowl of cereal and watch the news, then fell back asleep. right now i'm incredibly hungry, completely exhausted, and really wishing TH was here to take care of me. TH - say hello to the queen mum for me! and bring me back something from borough market!

do you have any secrets for surviving long flights, especially red eyes? (my flight out to LA was fine - but then again it wasn't a red eye!)

on opposite ends of the world.

2011-07-20T14:35:00.002-04:00

lately, every other month we have to spend a couple of weeks on opposite ends of the earth. this time, me in LA, him in UK. it's exciting to travel and share stories of successes and failures in our jobs, but this time around it's exhausting with baby kicks and crazy dreams about having a baby. and missing sharing this experience with my baby daddy - it makes my heart hurt.

i'm just a couple weeks shy of the third trimester and my belly is definitely proof of that! i've been sitting in meetings all week and sit up so straight when i feel the sudden, strong movements of this little baby inside of me. last night i dreamed i had the baby and (a girl) and i was cradling her in my arms for so long, feeling so unprepared to take care of this baby but so happy to have her with me. it was sweet, but i woke up thinking "time to get ready. it is time!"

it's crazy how quickly the months have flown by these past few months.

dating in the district: lunch at ceiba

2011-07-15T14:58:00.005-04:00

inspired by hannah and robbie, TH and i had a fancy lunch date today at Ceiba in downtown DC. the food was all incredible and my tastebuds didn't even know how to respond. i got a hibiscus lemonade that was so refreshing and so pink! we shared the guacamole to start, and i had the pumpkin seed tilapia served on mashed fufu (fufu!) and TH had the trio of tacos. the best part of Ceiba? they bring you complimentary caramel popcorn with the check. good heavens, my very favorite thing in the world for free? total total lunch bliss.

i loved lunching with my man, breaking away from our desks for an hour or so to chat about whatever (so what if most of it was about our work?), and be lovey in front of other people having business lunches. we're going to make this fancy lunch date a monthly thing.

have a super weekend, dears. i'm heading to LA tomorrow and will face the carmeggedon (i'm so nervous. bad timing, work conference!). hoping i won't have to sit on the highway for too long. wish me luck!

you and your sister live in a lemon world.

2011-07-13T11:52:00.004-04:00

you guys, i am like SO crafty. i made this wreath in 10 minutes before TH's parents came over this weekend. i'd had the materials laying on my floor for about 3 weeks and guess what? i suppose the kind of crafter i am is a procraftinator. groan.

i kind of think it looks like something a grandparent would put on their door, but i'll leave it for awhile. i hardly ever make anything crafty so i'm pretty proud of myself. i'm totally going to be the kind of mom that wears the macaroni necklaces her kid makes her. be proud of the effort, not the end product, right? right?

summer + the pool.

2011-07-12T11:00:00.001-04:00

i love the pool! especially when it has fun flags and a view of the washington monument. thanks to mayor fenty for sprucing up this pool and making it a fun (and free) community space.

summer + pregnant people.

2011-07-11T07:20:00.000-04:00

i made this cherry pie for a dinner of pregnant people this weekend. i have 2 friends who are also semi-newlyweds and we're all pregnant, due within 3 weeks of each other. it is so funny and interesting to get together with these couples and hear about their pregnancies - the similarities and the stark differences (where are my cravings?), but mostly it's just really cool to be a in a room where all the woman have babies growing inside of them. because let's be honest, where does that ever happen??

this weekend was so fun. lots of friend/family summer time. even a trip to the pool, just like i had hoped. life is good and i love my husband quite so.

have a hot weekend.

2011-07-08T09:34:00.003-04:00

it's hot.
it's really hot.
in between family gatherings tomorrow, i'd like to go to the pool.

TH's parents are coming for breakfast (crumpets, homemade strawberry jam, yogurt, strawberries and peaches), then we're meeting my mama for dinner to celebrate her 59th!

there's time for a pool visit in between the two, right?

summer of cooking.

2011-07-06T21:51:00.003-04:00

while TH was living it up in Asia, i got to work in the kitchen. wooden spoon in hand, pots and pans everywhere, cookbooks lying around for days...it was all so nice. having an appetite is a wonderful thing. for example, i ate 2 sandwiches for lunch today. big deal. i'm happy to be pregnant and happy to be cooking and eating again like a normal person.

i've been experimenting in the kitchen, and ironing out some yummy summer dinners and treats. if you are looking for some ideas, you can find my rolodex (growing) here.

rain boots.

2011-07-06T13:45:00.003-04:00

someday i want to own a house with a porch where i can put whatever i want on it. chairs, a record player, or even rain boot planters. feeling dreamy today.

photo by me. in homer, alaska.