Baby Girl...23 weeks!

23 weeks!! This has been a GREAT week - our baby girl is starting to really kick and move around!  Also, notice the boxes in the picture. We move into our new house on Saturday! Moving is the perfect thing to do at 5 months pregnant...ugh.  I'm so thankful for my wonderful husband who has worked and organized this whole house!

How far along? 23 weeks and 4 days.  Only 4 months to go - holy moly!!
Size? She is just over a pound now and is more than 11 inches long.  She's about the size of a grapefruit or a mango.
Maternity Clothes?  I'm loving my maternity pants and stretchy leggings! I can't wait to start wrapping under sweaters and wraps now that the weather is turning cooler.
Weight Gain? Probably 19 or so pounds...gaining about a pound a week!
Stretch Marks? None so far - using Burt's Bees belly butter everyday

Gender? A GIRL!!

Movement? Our little girl is moving so much!! C felt her from the outside for the first time last night.  It was pretty amazing.  She's moved for hours last night and was the first thing I felt waking up this morning.  I love it!

Sleep? Sleeping pretty soundly.  A little restless due to the upcoming move.  Luckily, I haven't felt any more leg cramps since last week.

Food Cravings? A bowl of cheerios everyday after school :)

What I Miss? Nothing! Well, besides a glass of red wine...
Symptoms? My belly button is starting to disappear! Which we thought would never happen since I must have the world's deepest belly button (weird, right??).  But, there it goes!  
Best Moment of the Week? Feeling her kick and move and experiencing that together with C last night.  I hope to always remember that moment and his sweet smile :)

Baby Girl...22 weeks!

22 weeks!!

How far along? 22 weeks and 5 days! How is it that time is flying so fast?!
Size of our little girl? She now weighs a pound and is 11 inches long! My goodness - she is growing! I've been looking forward to this point for awhile :)
Maternity Clothes?  Loving my maternity pants and especially love that we can wear jeans every day at work - what a luxury!
Weight Gain? I went to see our Midwife yesterday and stepped onto the scale.  I'm up 17 pounds so far.  Apparently, things are on track (even though this big number was surprising!).  
Stretch Marks? none so far!

Gender? A GIRL!!!

Movement? I've been feeling her a lot these days! She is awake right now and is moving and tumbling all over...I love it!  I can't wait for Claiborne to feel her move!

Sleep? Pretty good, even with traveling to Colorado this past weekend.  I did wake up with horrible leg cramps last night (burning, balled up muscles, aching).  C massaged them for me and that helped tremendously and allowed me to go back to sleep.

Food Cravings? Just a bowl of cheerios everyday after work :)

What I Miss? nothing really!
Symptoms? Belly stretches, pulls and tugs, leg cramps and my chest continuing to grow, grow, grow!
Best Moment of the Week? Hearing her heartbeat yesterday and celebrating her at a family wedding this past weekend! 23 weeks - see you Friday!

Bumpdate 21 weeks...boy or girl!?!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!

How far along? 21 weeks and 3 days
Size of the baby? Our sweet little girl is around 13 oz (getting closer and closer to a pound) and about 10 1/2 inches from head to toe. She is the size of a banana!
Maternity Clothes?  still wearing maternity pants and regular tops (must be long though...I can't stand a short shirt!). I'm starting to really enjoy wearing leggings and got a few great tops this weekend!
Weight Gain? I've gained around 13 lbs...but ate enough this weekend to add a few more pounds to that total (think krispy kreme for breakfast and pizza for dinner!).  I feel like all my weight is going to my face - ahhh!
Stretch Marks? None so far! Still using my belly balm twice a day. 
Gender? It's a GIRL!!!!! We are so excited and have loved sharing the news!

Movement? I'm starting to feel her more and more each day.  On the car ride home last night she kicked/punched/squirmed so hard it made me jump! I'm loving it :)

Sleep? Actually, pretty good right now! I'm sleeping like a rock - out cold and then feel like I could sleep for hours more when I wake up for work.

Food Cravings? Nothing really! Just loving pretty much everything...

What I Miss? Really nothing! Now I just hope for a healthy baby girl :)
Symptoms? Lots of pulls and tugs in my belly and feeling her wiggle all around!
Best Moment of the Week?  LOVED our ultrasound and our gender reveal to our family! Everyone was so excited and happy and it was wonderful!!!

Bumpdate...19 weeks!

How far along? 19 weeks and 4 days. Wow! Time is flying...
Size of the baby? Our little one is the size of a mango.  He/she is about 6 inches long and 8.5 ounces (over half a pound, baby!)
Maternity Clothes?  Maternity pants are so much more comfortable.  I'm pretty miserable in regular pants - even with the bellaband.  Tops are still regular except for 2 t-shirts that are maternity and extra long, which I love!
Weight Gain? I am up 10 pounds - it's creeping up!!!
Stretch Marks? None yet!
Gender? We'll find out next Tuesday!!!!!!!!!!!!

Movement? I felt the first flutters on Saturday and confirmed that it was the baby (and not some other weird body thing) on Sunday.  It feels like a little goldfish in my belly with some sharper feelings every now and then.  C and I are both loving it!!
Sleep? Actually, pretty good!
Food Cravings? Nothing really.  With school back in action, I've been eating a lot of PB&J :)

What I Miss? Nothing - I just want a healthy baby!
Symptoms? My belly is just feeling like it's stretching and growing big time - constantly pulling! My headaches have gotten much, much better. Phewf!
Best Moment of the Week? Feeling those first movements.  It was so special - for both of us!

Bumpdate...17 weeks!

How Far Along? 17 weeks and 2 days

Size of Baby: The little one is the size of an onion this week! About 5 inches long and weighs about 5.9 oz.  What a lot of weight gain - go baby!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Not so sure! I was up 6 lbs at my last doctor's appointment - maybe 7 now?

Maternity Clothes: I bought my FIRST pair of maternity jeans this weekend.  They are incredible! I had no idea how uncomfortable I was until I slipped these on.  I'm wearing them in the picture above - jean love <3

Gender: ?? I think we'll find out in about 2 weeks - I can't wait!!!

Movement: Nothing that I can say for sure is the baby.  I'll keep on waiting :)

Sleep: We got a new mattress delivered on Friday which is taking some getting used to.  Overall, I think I'm sleeping much better than I was before (but of course still waking up every night for the bathroom!).

What I miss: Nothing this week!

Cravings: Again, nothing this week that I could call a craving.  I'm still on a Subway sandwich kick!

Aversions: This is starting to sound rather boring - but, nothing! 

Symptoms:  More of that pulling, tugging and stretching.  The baby is trying to make more room as he/she is putting on more weight! I'm also getting daily headaches that are pretty intense.  I hope they go away really soon...!

Best Moment This Week: Buying the jeans and sleeping soundly on our new mattress! We also decided last Sunday (after 2 different hospital tours) where we will be delivering.  We're happy about our choice and believe we'll be really well taken care of!

Check Those Messages!

I have a serious problem with checking my messages...and it's now starting to bite back.  I remember skipping into the house as a little one, racing to check the messages on the answering machine.  Did a friend call? Was there a message from a grandparent? It was always so much fun! Now, when I see the flash that there's a new voicemail on my phone - I press ignore and move on.  It's pesky and I'd just prefer calling the person back rather than listening to a voicemail.  My message count is up to 7 and before yesterday was 9.  Helppppp!! I've handled most of the missed calls - they are now old and I don't really feel like rehashing through old messages.  So I'll let the ticker keep ticking...

Except, sometimes I miss a call and don't even notice there's a new voicemail (who can distinguish between 7 and 8?).  Yesterday morning as I was settling into reading my blogs, I hear someone trying to open the door.  I look up and it is Lydia, the woman we met with last weekend about helping to clean our house...bathrooms, vacuuming 2 floors, the gross stuff.  My mind races - WHAT are you doing here?!? We hadn't scheduled a cleaning, it was merely a meeting to get an estimate!  I open the door with a smile (thankfully wearing decent yoga pants and a bra...) and she says "I here to clean. You get my message?"  Hmmmm, crap.  I didn't get her message that blatantly says "I'm coming to clean tomorrow.  See you at 8."  My voicemail got me back!!! We weren't expecting her, had actually cleaned ourselves that weekend and really didn't need or want her there.  I couldn't just send her away holding a cleaning bucket, so I asked her just to clean the bathrooms and that we'd be in touch next month.

It was awkward, weird and could have all been avoided by checking those darn messages!

A DC day!

A great friend brought up her sweet little 9 month old this Saturday to have a day and night in DC! We may or may not have completely messed up the nap schedule of the little one...causing her to not to fall asleep until midnight and waking up at 4:45 (I'm so sorry B!)...but we really had a wonderful day down by the capital, visited the Botanical Gardens, ate delicious cupcakes, made dinner together and watched the Olympics!  Not only did we play with S and watch her play with and pet Charlie (which was the cutest thing I've ever seen), I got the most comprehensive list of things C and I will need to start looking at when registering for our baby!  It was so helpful and I can't think her enough!!!

Here are a few pictures of the little one on our Saturday adventure.  Of course I wish I had jumped in a picture with the two of them...oh well, next time!

**All of these beautiful flower pictures below are courtesy of the photo magic skills of C!**

Week 16 Bumpdate!

Week 15 was spent in NYC having a great time with my wonderful family!  Here is a picture from afar during week 15 (still feeling great, even while walking across the Brooklyn Bridge - oh yeah!):

Now on to week 16 (I really cannot believe it)!

**A little disclaimer - I had just had the most delicious anniversary dinner (4 years!) before these pictures were taken...this might be a bump enhanced by cheese puffs :)

       

How far along? 16 weeks today!
Size of baby Irby? Our little one is the size of an avocado this week...4-5 inches from crown to rump and about 3.5 oz!  At week 15, he/she was 4 inches and 2.5 oz (they are growing so fast!)  
Maternity Clothes? I'm still wearing my normal clothes with the occasional use of the BellaBand! How much longer can I go...??
Weight Gain? As of Tuesday (at my appointment) I am up 6lbs.  I've been walking everyday and trying to eat healthy - so I hope the weight comes on not too suddenly!
Stretch Marks? None yet! I'm been lathering up with Burt's Bees Mama Bee every day!
Gender? We'll find out in 4 weeks!! I'm still trying to make that first appointment with our new practice...paperwork, paperwork!
Movement? Waiting and waiting for the first movement...I thought I felt something the other day but nothing since then :/  
Sleep? I had some serious problems sleeping last night (as in read my book at 4am until I drifted back to sleep...). Overall, sleep has been pretty good!
Food Cravings? Nothing really this week!
What I Miss? C had the most delicious red wine with dinner last night and I smelled it several times (hehe I had to!) and it was pretty amazing.  
Symptoms? I've been slightly irritable... (sorry C!), and my face is still pretty broken out 
Best Moment of the Week? My doctor's appointment last Tuesday - hearing the strong heartbeat at 154 and getting back test results that showed no sign of neural tube defects! So far, this little one is as healthy as can be!  I can't wait for our next ultrasound!!! 

14 weeks - Bump!

Hello 2nd Trimester!!! I'm SO happy to see you!

Size of Baby: The size of a lemon this week! The babe is 3.5 to 4 inches long and is growing so fast (that little body is starting to catch up to his/her rather large head!). 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'll know for sure when I go to the doctor next week - I still haven't bought any batteries for my scale (hehe). 

Maternity Clothes: My shorts are feeling super tight and uncomfortable but I'm still able to button my jeans relatively easily.  I've broken out the bellaband a few times and it's oh so comfy!

Gender: ?? The mystery remains...

Movement: Nothing yet.  I had a dream last night that I could feel little flutters and it was pretty amazing.  I can't wait for that first feeling - hopefully only a few weeks to go!

Sleep: I'm actually sleeping really well.  I'm still waking up once every night for the bathroom, but I'm getting better at stumbling through the darkness (we recently bought a nightlight for the bathroom to help guide me!)

What I miss: Nothing at all! However, C did have a cold corona with a lime last night and it looked pretty refreshing...

Cravings: Oddly, I've been really wanting Subway sandwiches.  For awhile the thought of Subway made me curl my upper lip, but now I could eat one everyday!

Aversions: Nothing at all! Bring on all things delicious :)

Symptoms:  I was feeling so much stretching and pulling in my abdomen all last week.  That was pretty amazing - making room for this bump that's starting to grow! I also had to buy some new bras, because, well, things are growing!

Best Moment This Week: I went on my morning walk last Thursday, looked down and saw a real bump! It honestly just appeared over night.  I am pretty proud of that bump and couldn't have had a better moment this week than seeing my belly start to grow :)

13 weeks!

We celebrated 13 weeks with our sweet little one on Friday! If you squint really, really hard you might start to see a little bump (or pudge).  I'm definitely starting to feel like I'm growing all over and have been feeling some major growing pains these last few days.  The little one even made my belly upset this weekend for the first time over these past 13 weeks - just a little hello from inside! 

Size of Baby: the size of a peach (according to thebump.com)...about 2.9 inches from rump to crown.  His/her body is starting to play catch up to that large head - which is now about 1/3 the size of his/her body

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I was up 4 lbs as of my last dr visit (2 weeks ago)...and I actually think it's still about the same now. How did I gain weight so quickly!?  Eeek!

We have a scale in the house, but it needs batteries and I have been forgetful and have not gotten them at the store yet - I'm afraid for the day that I do.  

Maternity Clothes: I haven't had to buy any Maternity clothes yet! I have a feeling the bellaband is going to be a wardrobe staple very, very soon.

Gender: ?? The family seems to think girl so I will say a boy

...but I really have no clue!

Movement: none yet...but I cant wait for the movement to start

flutters are supposed to start in about 3 weeks!!!

Sleep: pretty good...

but getting up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom is really no fun at all :)

What I miss: nothing....maybe a glass of wine with dinner

Cravings: nothing really! I'm always loving pizza (which is nothing new) :)

Aversions: nothing really!

Symptoms:  my face is breaking out horribly! I'm hoping that will calm down in the coming weeks...

Best Moment This Week: Sharing more and more about our little one with friends. I've loved feeling pulls and tugs inside because that means he/she is growing!  I also can't wait to hear the heartbeat again in 2 weeks!

We also told our most favorite pup the news and thought he could pose for some pictures.  With his squirming, wiggling and rolling over - we didn't get a single one that I loved. Nonetheless, these outtakes are pretty great.  Love that little man!

"What! A big brother?? Hide me."

"I'll sit here - but I won't smile"

"Will you still love me???"

"Oh yeah - I'm excited! And, can I have a belly rub?"

"I'm sleepy now...shhh"

The Sweetest Story Starts Now

I am so ready to share and embrace this wonderful new journey we are starting on!  It has been 12 memorable weeks and a wild journey that has had me in disbelief, acting like a nervous nelly and excited beyond words.  We are expecting our first precious little baby in January!  Whew that felt great!  Everything I read, from blogs to books, shares without question that every woman's pregnancy is different.  Every emotion is different from one person to the next and this journey is what makes us who we are.  

Four months ago, as our littlest angel was just a hopeful thought, I planned for the moment we would see a positive on that little stick. I expected myself to be overjoyed, even needing to be held back as I tried to shout it from the rooftops for all to hear!  How does excited even begin to describe life's most precious gift? I would tell the people at the bank, the dry cleaners, whistle my news to strangers on the street and sing sweet lullabies as I drifted off to sleep (maybe...)!  

When we found out we were pregnant (that story I will share one day), I was surprisingly shocked.  We had been wanting this moment to happen, we had been hoping and dreaming about starting a family and now, ohmygosh, it was here.  But, really, now it had actually happened to us?! We felt blessed beyond belief but, as we saw that faint (very faint) little line, we simply stared at each other for awhile and just blinked - did we yell, cry, dance, embrace? Well, no. We did none of those things - we just stared, smiled and blinked big blinks.  

These last 12 weeks have been me doing a lot of staring, smiling and blinking.  We were overjoyed to share with our families and their happiness made me so happy.  But to others, I was tight lipped.  I really surprised myself at my tentativeness!  I wanted to hold our news close to our hearts.  I can't explain it and I'm not sure I could put it into words but I do know that holding our news close kept me and my precious gift feeling safe and secure.  I've tried to be as healthy as I can be (while of course indulging in the all too often pizza...) and haven't been sick at all.  I've just been trying to keep our newest little love happy, healthy and secure.  Now that we're ending our first trimester (already?!) and we've started to share our news, family and friends have been so supportive and happy for us.  And their joy for us makes me, C and our little one feel so loved.

We've heard the heartbeat twice and have had two ultrasounds - the most recent had him/her jumping like the cutest little bean! He/she is the most special part of me now.  We are one and I'm more connected now than I thought I would ever be. And, I feel ready, world, to shout it from the rooftops!!!

I'll be sharing and updating frequently - I want our journey to be one I can come back to and reflect upon.  <3

A beautiful quote that I found that I felt so much truth behind.  This newest baby has such hope for the future - a plan that I cannot wait to unfold and discover.

Thank Goodness!

As life is swirling by faster than the speed of light - I found this quote today that brought a little peace to my heart.

Summer is officially here, my classroom is all packed up, we are living in a new house in a new city and C just started a new job today.  Oh, and there's even more (pretty spectacular) news that will be saved for another day! That's a lot of "new" in only a few short weeks.  So much to write, to share, to dream about.  I can't wait to bring back a little Sweet City Love to my life this summer.  Cheers!

Don't Look Back...

Don't Look Back is our city's newest version of holiness.  Yes - taco holiness - it does exist.  I've been a mere 4 times since it opened a few months ago and already can't wait to return.  Everything is so fresh and every single time my taco has tasted a little different. Now some would call that inconsistent - I call it homemade!  What will this trip taste like - it's a culinary adventure in taco land!

Tacos are $3 and two is plenty to fill me up! Throw in a round of $1 taquitos and you've spent a whopping $7 on handcrafted tacos filled with pulled chicken, carnitas (my #1), fish (C's #1), or beef.  I love finding new places that I actually want to go back to and can actually go on a weeknight without feeling like a splurge.

I love tacos (and obvi pb&j from a recent post....does my diet seem odd?) and I especially love juicy gringo tacos on a flour tortilla.  What makes it gringo? Well, my friend, crunchy lettuce and ripe tomato make this taco a gringo masterpiece.

Don't Look Back - go!

Spirited Art

A fun new spot has opened in our area that allows you to have a glass of wine, enjoy a snack and paint a masterpiece! Spirited Art is a fantastic idea - one that I wish I had thought of myself. You don't need to be overly artistic or an acrylic master. You just have to be good at following directions and ok with the concept of blending artistic license while knowing what the end product will look like.
It's fun watching your piece transform! Mom and I painted the Lee Monument and thankfully, started with a stencil that we traced onto our canvas. Our teacher taught us how to blend paints, create shadows, make trees and paint a stone-like effect on the monument. Everyone's painting looked the same yet different. I love how my mom made her grass so textured and how another student in the class made her sky more of a turquoise. This class could be such a fun life study - even when shown what the "answer" is, we each take a slightly different path and interpret color, shape, size and texture in our own special way.
I would love to go back to paint some more! An art wall courtesy of moi is slowly taking shape...

*i'm trying to play with the new BlogPress app and my photos keep publishing fuzzy! Any ideas why? Click on the photo below and it will be sparkly and clear!

Location:Spirited Art

Baptism Sunday!

We celebrated the baptism of our favorite little girl this weekend!  It was a really special morning and wonderful to meet the family of our great friends - Brianna & Jeremiah.

The homemade touches at brunch after the baptism were so special - homemade quiche with adorable printed tags, a handmade tablecloth made from fabrics used in baby S's weekly photo sessions, mini tissue paper pom-poms (adorable!), and lightly sprinkled sugar cookies in the shape of the cross.  Beautiful!

We love having this family as wonderful friends are are so excited to watch sweet baby S grow up and become quite the little lady!

how cute is she!?!?

baby S made everyone laugh with a cute sneeze on stage.  What a ham!

bacon, onion & cheese - my favorite!

smooches to the sweetest, squishiest and most snuggle-filled baby! xoxo

My love affair with a PB&J

I have been a classroom teacher for the last five years.  Of those five years, I have eaten a peanut butter & jelly sandwich every.single.day (minus the ever indulgent teacher workdays or rockstar leftovers) for lunch.  I guess  this could be described as one of my eccentric habits...doesn't everyone have at least one!?

I do not, however, think of myself as being one of those crazies who has a habit that they can't bear to break.  I go with the flow pretty easily and can adapt to a lot of new things.  Over these past five years, I've spent 60 days backpacking in Europe, 3 months living in New York City and have worked in 3 different schools.  I can be flexible.

One thing that has remained a constant weekday after weekday - my lunch.  I look forward to my triangle cut pb&j, my helping of Pirate's Booty, a banana and organic applesauce.  It's my thing.  The peanut butter lasts so long - the protein, the stick to your insides goodness, the perfect accompaniment of strawberry jam.  A lunch for the stars.  It makes this teacher very happy and keeps me from snacking too heavily mid-afternoon once the kiddos leave.  Perfect? I think so.

While it may seem hard to believe, I'm not one of those die-hard peanut butter lovers.  You know the type - the ones who happily lick spoonfuls of peanut butter and believe everything is better with a scoop of crunchy (my favorite).  I do like the taste but I like even better than I'm getting full on something that I feel good about putting into my body.  No preservatives, no hydrogenated oils - all natural goodness inside my lunchbox.

Imagine my smile when I stumbled upon the Peanut Butter & Co. in the West Village on our most recent New York visit.  

C was interviewing one day, so I wandered in to have the most delicious lunch.  Just me, a pb&j and my kindle.  I ordered The Elvis - grilled wheat bread with crunchy pb, bananas and honey.  Holy peanut butter! It was delicious.  Match it with a bottled coke and an on-the-house slice of peanut butter pie, I was in school-lunch heaven.  

Tomorrow is the first day back to school after a much needed and much loved week long spring break.  I'm not sure what my day will have in store, but I do know one thing for certain - my lunch will be fantastic.

The Buff Smoothie!

For the last two years, my weekday breakfast has been one of champions! My weekends...another story ;). My husband has been blending up a smoothie rich in antioxidants every morning to help us both get a vitamin boost. Because I'm not yet a coffee drinker (only fancy lattes for now!), I love my morning smoothie because it energizes my mind, fuels my body and lasts until lunchtime. Alton Brown calls it the "buff smoothie." ohhh, love it! Don't you just feel powerful already??

 Ingredients 

4 ounces plain

 low-fat soy milk 

4 ounces acai, grape, or pomegranate juice 

4 ounces frozen banana 

4 ounces frozen strawberries

 4 ounces frozen blueberries 

4 ounces frozen peaches

 Directions 

Combine the soy milk, juice, banana, strawberries, blueberries, and the peaches in the carafe of a blender. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 8 hours. In the morning, or when the fruit is partially thawed, put the carafe on the base of the blender, start at the lowest speed and slowly accelerate to medium, until you achieve a vortex. Blend on medium for 1 minute. Increase the speed to high and blend for an additional minute. Serve immediately. 

 Enjoy your morning boost! You will love this berry fueled start to your day :)

**Why is creating a post on the iPad so difficult?! The formatting was so thrown off.  Sometimes, you just need an old fashioned computer, I guess :)

New York photo spread!

Another wonderful weekend spent in NYC! Flying into LaGuardia sets a gorgeous stage (especially when your flight is landing early, just in time for lunch)! It offers the perfect sweeping view of Manhattan.  We loved visiting my sister and touring around one of our favorite cities.

A few highlights:

Joe's Pizza

The Comedy Cellar (hillllarious!)

Oatmeal Raisin cookies at Levain

Easter brunch and the homemade donuts

The fountains at the 9/11 Memorial

Cocunut cake at Commerce - cue mouth watering

The Mulberry Project and the best sparkling/fruity/tequila drink e.v.e.r

Until next time New York!  

I'll leave you with a beautiful quote I read on the subway:

He told us, with the years, you will come to love the world.

And we sat there with our souls in our laps, and comforted them.

-Dorothea Tanning