It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

We are putting together the Christmas cards this year and like so many hand-made projects...this one has certainly spiraled out of control budget-wise. What I may have saved by designing it myself was quickly made up by the frequent trips to Paper Source for card stock and the perfect shade of red envelopes, trips to the post office for stamps and CVS photo printing. Still, I am excited about how they turned out and I included a cute picture of H along with it. We are sending out about 60-70 cards this year which I thought was a lot until I saw how many people some other people send to! How many cards do you all send out?

Old old emails

I have had my yahoo email account since college and there are some pretty old emails in there. I went to see what the earliest one was and this was it- it made me laugh to see how far I have come in the last 7 or 8 years. I thought I would share it with you--I called it my crazy girl column- I must have had a little email newsletter that I sent out- looks like I was a blogger before their were blogs!!!

Crazy Girl Column
Is anyone out there worried? Well I am. Here I am a junior, about to be a senior and I have got nothing. I don't have any real career prospects; no money, no idea of what lies ahead and most alarmingly, I don't even have a boyfriend! Isn't college the time when you are supposed to meet "The One"?
You know the soul mate that you know better than anyone does and can't wait to spend the rest of your life with? Well, my time is running out and to tell you the truth, I am not ready for any of that! I can't even manage to find someone that I want to spend a week with let alone the rest of my life! It becomes painfully evident that my situation isn't the norm as I see my closest friends pairing off and talking in stupid cuddly voices about the future and marriage and babies and all that stuff. I feel like I am missing something, like everyone is following this unwritten plan and I am sitting here wondering what it is I am supposed to do!
I do realize that there is a female stereotype; one that says that women just want to rope in the perfect man and have lots of babies and change the guy into some sort of dutiful husband type, but in a lot of cases that isn't true. Some girls just want a guy to watch movies with on Sunday nights, drink a few beers on the weekends, and tell us we are cute once in a while. Honestly, is that too much to ask? We're not asking for perfection, just a nice-looking guy that can make us laugh.
Maybe it is all of those crappy teenybopper movies that I watch. Honestly, I can't get enough of those loose Shakespearean adaptations. It seems like they make the whole situation worse. The kids in these movies are in high school and they're already finding perfect relationships and living out these dramatic adult scenarios between home-ec. and gym class. I am one year away from scholastic independence and I am miles away from any relationship that could be classified as adult.
Maybe I should go to law school or something. I test well, and who knows, maybe I could rip up the LSAT. Then I would have a few more years to find "The One". As it is, there is too much pressure. I seem to be drawing from the wrong places. I swear that I am the dream girl for the under 18, over 40 club. If there is a scary old drunken man with-in a quarter mile, it is almost a guarantee that he'll hit on me. Its like I am wearing a sign that says, "hey if you are older than my dad, please hit on me!" I must be doing something wrong.
Most of the single women I know just want to meet someone. It doesn't even have to be the right one. I am not interested in rushing things. I am having a good time--I just wish that there was some way to alleviate the pressure. Each day without a date seems like another day in the "you're gonna spend your life alone club." I want to curl up and hide myself from the judgmental eyes of those stupid girls that talk about their boyfriends all the time. The ones who ask you if you are dating anyone, and tell you it's okay that you aren't. Damn right it's okay! I know it's okay! Just because my parents were dating by this time in their lives and some of my friends parents were already married with a kid is no reason to become alarmed! Just because I am now the 2nd oldest unmarried person in my family doesn't mean I am worried about it.-(sarcasm) With all my whining you might think that I am dying for a serious relationship so that I can grip onto some poor unsuspecting guy and never let him go. I assure you, this is not the case. I think that it's the same with a lot of girls my age. Most of us are just waiting; waiting for something to happen, because this quasi-life we call college can't last forever. And because deep down we are ready for something new.

Still around...and contemplating a comeback

Hi- I am still around in case you were wondering. Thanks for the inquiries. H is growing up so fast!!! I thought I would share a few pictures of what has been going on around here
I have lots to share and I can't wait to hear how everyone is doing!

Lately I have become more conscious of what I throw away and what I can recycle and reuse and especially what I put in and on my body. I know that sometimes you can have too much information and if you pay attention to every bit of information you would probably be paralyzed with fear, but I also believe that little things can go a long way. We recycle EVERYTHING that we can possibly recycle. We rinse our jars, clean out plastic tubs, cartons etc. Now before you think that I am some sort of selfless green crusader- I must point out that we pay for our trash by volume and recycling is free- so do the math- it literally pays to recycle.

This weekend I was excited to make a "green" purchase in the form of cookware. I have long been wary of the Teflon surfaces of our non-stick pots and pans, all of which were chipped and scratched which left me cringing when I thought about all of the toxic Teflon that I was ingesting and probably passing on to my son. We purchased the Cuisinart Greenware 10-pc Set from Bed Bath and Beyond and we used the 20% off coupon that they send out in the mail and got $30 off.

The non-stick surface of the pans is ceramic based, and as long as you avoid metal utensils, it is supposed to be better for you. After one use, I can tell you that the non-stick quality is AMAZING and they wash up like a dream. As for the durability and whether they are healthier- the jury is still out. I haven't had them long enough to see how they hold up and I am not a scientist, so I am pretty much just glad they aren't made of Teflon. I will keep you posted on how I like them. I am still partial to my All Clad set, but sometimes it is nice to have some easy non-stick pieces and the set was a deal compared with buying two pans individually

AWESOME- that is all I can say about this

I love this- I want one. I am not sure why I would need one or how I would use it, but I know I love it and I want it...

I could put it in the back yard on the deck or even on the grass- I could bring it to the beach...I could put it in my living room and just hang out in it I love the thing so much. Plus it is on sale here. What do you think of it?

Lunch shame

I am totally eating a chicken burrito for lunch right now... I am totally grossing myself out. I am usually very healthy on weekdays and especially at lunch- I usually have soup or salad- or sometimes leftover stir fry from the night before- usually it is light and fresh...but for some reason today-- I ordered a CHICKEN BURRITO- I am never going to lose this baby weight if I keep this up. I am half laughing half crying.....but mostly laughing because the burrito is good.
sick.

Mean Girl

I don’t know if it was too early or if I was too tired or what happened, but I did something that I can’t believe! I can’t stop thinking about it because it was so mean! It was the kind of thing you think about doing but don’t really do because that would be—well—mean!
I can’t believe I am a Mean Girl!

It was 6am, and I was sitting at the train station waiting for my train to arrive. I had just hosted 8 guests in my house for 3 days and I was exhausted. I am staring through the clear glass door to the station when I see a girl approaching with her bike. She parks it directly in front of the glass doors and is getting ready to enter the station. I know that the train is due to arrive any minute and she is blocking the exit that everyone will be rushing through in mere moments. I just kept thinking about how it was so unbelievable that someone would put their bike there, oblivious to the nuisance and inconvenience it would be to so many other people? How could someone be so thick and self involved? So what did I do? Did I approach her and tell her that it was not a smart place to park her bike? No- but that is what I should have done- Or perhaps I could have squeezed through the door and avoided the moronic parking job. I did not do either of those things. I simply walked through the door as I would normally. Knowing fully that it would knock her bike over…and it did! As soon as it happened, I felt terrible! I could not imagine why I had done such a thing! Why was I so angry? To make matters worse everything came flying out of her stupid side baskets- water bottles, locks, chains, coils- you name it! I felt so terrible that I was running around grabbing her things and loading them back into her baskets. I just kept repeating Sorry! I am so sorry! Really I am so sorry! I am sure she thought I was a freak and did not even suspect that I was one of those awful MEAN GIRLS!

I still cringe when I think about it….

Baby Sneezes

I am home today with my poor little sick H-opotamus. He was up all last night crying and coughing and sneezing and gagging and weezing. I feel so bad for my little pumpkin. I took him to the doctor last night and luckily it is just your average wicked baby cold, but it still takes a lot out of him and you can't really give him anything to make it go away. I keep attacking him with the booger sucker bulb--I am sure you can guess how much he likes that. At least for now he is sleeping peacefully next to me on the couch. It is such a crummy dark and rainy day that I am glad to be home all bundled up with my baby.

Crashed!

So funny that the thousands of crazy girls trying to buy Tory B. Totes, shoes and tunics crashed the sale at Rue. LITERALLY. They had to pause the sale due to technical difficulties! I don’t know why I think it is so funny (even though I was getting very excited about the blue tote and the pink and green scroll tunic). Something about the visual of screaming girls on the Internet clicking away furiously like some sort of virtual Filene's Basement mad dash.
I hope they get it back up and running and that everybody gets what they want. I think I am over it. Although that tunic might be perfect for post baby mid-section coverage! Alas- if I ever want to stay at home- we need to save… so I will be going without. Boo.

Baby H Pictures

Currently Reading

I have recently started tearing through books again during my pump time and my train commute, so in total, I get to read for about 2 and a half hours a day- which is amazing, but books don't last long. I will try to share my thoughts on the books I am reading or have read recently.

Girls in Trucks

Not quite done with this one yet, but the minute I started it I was totally sucked in. I really forget I am reading and almost feel as if I am watching a movie. While this isn't totally deep or Pulitzer prize worthy, it is like a big comfy chair that you can get lost inside. I am really enjoying this story of southern bred debutantes and their wild adventures, love affairs and family drama. This would be a great vacation book or a beach read or even a nice way to relax and have some"me time."

The Book Borrower

This book is odd. It requires a little patience as it isn't action packed, and is more of a character study, but I like it. The book is about friendship and how it could be the most important theme in your life-weaving itself inextricably through your family, your relationships, your children and even your vision of yourself. Although parts of the book led me to think that the main character was a bit too invested in her friendship-emotionally-it was still interesting to read. There is a second story within the main story that provides a snapshot of a tumultuous part of history that you might never read about otherwise- the trolley era- and that part of the book is very fun to read. I think that if you read this book as part of a discussion group you would have a great deal to discuss- and I think it might make for some lively conversation. It reminds me of one of those strange books you had to read senior year of high school- it seems a little different than other books you might read, but it somehow leaves a lasting impression.

My Fun (if a little odd) Birthday Weekend

Saturday was my birthday and I had a nice morning getting my hair blown out and my eyebrows done. While I was out, Big Guy cleaned the house. I took H with me and it could have been a huge disaster, but he slept the whole time and I even had time to pop over to the drive through window at the coffee chop and get a nice Soy decaf latte. (On a side note my blow out was terrible and I had to call the salon and complain. I felt bad for saying that the guy did a bad job, but it really was terrible and my husband said it looked better when I did it myself- which means it was really bad. Blow outs are expensive, so I felt cheated. Anyway- they are giving me a free blowout this weekend to make up for it. )
After my salon time, we went to The Mall that Time Forgot . Big Guy wanted to take me to a jewelry store that happened to be in this location--Picture a mall that the Golden Girls would go to on their show- palm trees, stores called “Madame Bonjour”, and “Smart and Sophisticated Fashions for Women,” A man on a keyboard playing Dancing Queen…..seriously, it was so strange- even the lighting seemed fake and Golden Girls-y. Also, I hated everything that they showed me in the jewelry store- it was all very trashy looking. BUT on the upside- there was a Deli in the mall- it looked like a little grocery store stuck in the wall- very out of place- and it was like a little Italian market with a butcher, a sandwich counter, gelato, and fresh pasta and bread and cookies- it was so cute. We got lunch and sat near the keyboard man and enjoyed some slow jams.

Then Big Guy took me on a surprise outing to play Skee Ball! It was 10 cents to play and we bought a $3.00 bag of nickels- that is like 15 games each. It was really fun. We thought we were being so cool because we were going to give our tickets to this kid that was really nice and cute (he showed us how to play one of the games and was adorable- saying things like "this is a really great game!”) and when we went to give him our measly 200 tickets- we saw that he had a stack of about 3,000- we felt a little silly.

That night our friends A and D came over and we walked to a pub near our house with the babies (they have a baby the same age as H- they were born in the same hospital 2 days apart) We sat on the patio and had a beer and some mussels and curry fries and then walked back home and made pizzas.

The next day we went to play bocce ball indoors and A and D surprised me and showed up to play with us- it was a really fun weekend.

It is still so cold!!!

H is all bundled up because it is so cold here! It is JUNE!!!! When is it going to warm up for good!?

Things I am thinking about today

I am still 3 sizes bigger than I should be. I am still in my enormous pants. I am starting to hate these pants.

After my daycare, train pass, bus pass, parking pass, etc, I really only have like $800 left from my paycheck. This working thing is just not working....

I keep seeing all these cute new clothes coming out from J. Crew but I have neither funds nor figure for it all.

My sweet baby H was sleeping when I left this morning so I didn't get to kiss him goodbye. I should have done so when I was feeding him at 5am, but I was too delirious to think of it.

My house is a disaster area...I have no time/energy to clean it and my husband isn't much of a self-starter when it comes to cleaning. The Laundry is piling up- both clean and dirty, I am pretty sure there are bras in my couch and I keep finding ants in my dishwasher!-yuck.

My garden hates me. I planted herbs-rosemary, thyme, cilantro, basil, marjoram, arugula, Boston lettuce, eggplant, tomato and spring onion and none of it seems to be doing anything at all. I had visions of fresh organic produce all summer long--caprese salads plucked from my porch--free and fresh vegetables piled on my counter tops. I am not sure how long I should wait before I start over- I see some green, but not much.

I am such a downer.....being away from H has sucked the life out of me. I gotta snap out of this.

MIA

Sorry I have been MIA-

Work and the new hellish commute routine and exhaustion have just taken so much out of me that I never have the energy to come up with a great post...

I am still reading your blogs though and hopefully I will bounce back soon...

Here is an H pic for you in the mean time....

plus I read an interesting article today that I wanted to share. I have been a handful lately- over emotional and just plain mad about going back to work. I try to retain some perspective about the fact that it is also hard for Big Guy- even though sometimes I think he has no idea about how hard things are for me right now. Anyway- I am trying to think about him too... especially since today is our two year wedding anniversary.

Tummy Time

First Day Back

Today was the first day back to work. I made it out of the house in one piece. I picked out an outfit last night to avoid any baby weight melt-downs and even showered and blew out my hair to make sure it looked cute. If I was going to be miserable, I might as well look good. I got up and fed and changed H- but not without incident. I had just removed his diaper and was reaching for a new one when he smiled and brought his knees to his chest and explosive pooed on my arm. I let out a surprised yelp and then started laughing. It was really gross, but he is so cute that you can't get mad at him--even when he poops on your arm! Once I got everything cleaned up and put him back together-diaper, onesie, sleeper- I handed him off to my mom while I got dressed. After I got dressed I decided to feed him a little more since he passed out earlier while he was eating. I just sat there and stared at him in disbelief. i couldn't believe it had been three whole months since I had him- he has changed so much and grown so fast and it had all seemed to fly by. I hugged and kissed him and left him with my mom for the day and made it all the way to the garage before the water works started. It wasn't too bad. Part of me knows he is safe with my mom and that is a HUGE comfort. All the sadness is about missing him, and knowing that I will miss him every day. I think this is a cruel situation for a mother to have to be in, but I know many have done it before and I know I just have to grin and bear it.
I hope you all had good days today- I can't wait to get home and kiss my baby.

Going back to Work

I am going back to work on Thursday and I am not happy......
I will be so sad all day! I feel like I am having so much fun and I just LIVE for H's little smiles and giggles and the new things he learns every day- and not I am going to miss all of his fun stuff while I sit in a desk all day. I hate this. We should have bought some crappy house so I could afford to stay home! uggghhh.

On a happy note- I just had my house cleaned by Molly Maids and it looks awesome. That was a great gift for a new mom!!!

How does your Garden Grow?

How did everyone learn how to care for their yards and all the different plants in them? I have a yard full of who knows what- (all I know is that they are perennials)- and I have no idea what to do now that spring has sprung! Any tips on where to look or who to call?

Also- couldn't resist posting a few pictures of H- trying on my sunglasses- ok maybe I helped.

Ok... I can't resist posting my latest picture of H.

Craft Project Results!

The craft project was a huge success! My friend was really excited about the whole project and how the final product turned out. I think it made her feel really special and that was the whole idea-plus it was a lot of fun. I wanted to share the pictures of the embellished onesies we made. (please ignore my chair fabric- planning to re-cover) I was even happy with my sewing skills- we used an iron on bonding product and then I stitched the edges.

I made these for Baby H...

and the rest we made for my friend's baby girl, Juliette, who is due in July.

p.s.- My husband asked me to create the neck tie onesie and he just told me RIGHT NOW that he copied the idea from Jen (J. Moments). Sorry Jen! Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery!

Crafts!

One of my best friends is about 25 weeks along and because I have a little newbie myself, I haven't been able to focus as much on her as I would have liked to. For example, the chance that I will be able to attend her baby showers is slim to none since I live in Chicago and she lives in Minnesota. To make it up to her I was hoping to do a baby craft with her when she comes to visit tomorrow (she loves when I come up with craft projects for us to do). Does anyone know any great baby projects or craft sites that are geared towards baby themed crafts? My only idea so far is making custom onesies- cutting out fabric shapes and ironing them on and stitching the edges. It could turn out really cute--or not- we'll see. i will post the results. I would love a second idea if anyone has one!!!

Predator II

Did I mention that my stomach looks like the monster from Predator 2? It is awful. It looks like a wrinkled veiny shriveled and deflated balloon and because on my polyhydramnios (too much liquid in my belly) and the PUPPS (crazy rash that causes skin the tear/stretch) I have the ugliest marks around my belly button. It isn't pretty. I keep rubbing vitamin E on them because I have seen how well it helps scars to fade but at present, it looks terrible.

Plus I have no idea, and no clothes that are appropriate to dress this new FAT middle that I have going on. I know I need to be patient, but this is going much too slowly for my sanity!
I thought breast feeding was supposed to melt off my pounds. I lost 30 lbs of water in the first two weeks, but I feel like I haven't made any progress since! Any tips for me?

Chicago Botanical Gardens

Baby H with a friend- can you believe he is only 6 weeks old!?

H was happy to hide behind his sun hat

pretty Botanical Gardens- the pond with ducks

Ever since I moved to Chicago in 2002, I have heard about the Chicago Botanical Gardens. I had never been and really didn't know what to expect, but yesterday baby H and I headed there to enjoy the amazing warm weather and meet some friends. We loved it! It was so beautiful that we decided to become members. If you haven't been, I would totally recommend paying a visit. I hear that once they put in the blooming flowers and more greenery- when the weather gets warm for good- it is supposed to be breathtaking. I can't wait to hang out there and let H play in the rocks, feed the ducks and run around.

Martha and Lilly

Martha Stewart is doing a Lilly Pulitzer themed show today! It is really cute- the whole audience is wearing Lilly, they did a Lilly inspired craft and showed how they get the inspiration for and how they make the fabric prints. They also did a fashion show and are going to show how to make a Lilly inspired floral arrangement. If you missed it, you might want to look for the re-run or sometimes they repeat episodes on different channels?
The whole show is pretty cute and makes me really anxious for spring...and anxious for my figure to come back!

Fondue or Fondon't?

So- I have a strange question.... Do any of you Chicago ladies have a fondue pot (for cheese) that you feel like getting rid of? I know it is a bit odd to ask, but I know it is one of those things that people say they never use. I have been craving fondue for months, but because of the amount of wine that our recipe involves, I was a little weary of having it until H was born. Big Guy has Swiss family and one of them lives here and makes the BEST fondue ever- and I went to buy a nice pot online and they are all $80-100. Since we are trying to be frugal around here I thought I would reach out to see if I could barter online for one. I have a baby St. Patrick's Day outfit to offer, (13-17lbs) or we could even negotiate a garage sale price? Also, if anyone outside Chicago is dying to get rid of theirs, I could pay shipping as well....
Maybe this is crazy, but I thought I would throw it out there- you could also suggest something that you have been looking for. Maybe I have one that I would trade!
Have I been home so long that I am going crazy? Maybe I should just look on Craigslist- seems gross for food items though.

Decaf Latte- coming right up!!!

I finally found some decaf espresso at the grocery store and was able to use my new espresso machine for the first time! I am aware that you are allowed to have some caffeine while pregnant and while breastfeeding, but since this is my first baby- I have decided to let myself be the crazy overcautious mom and cut out the caffeine--thus, the decaf.

I found a package of beans by Intelligentsia called Black Cat Decaf Espresso and used my Breville to brew a double shot and then I steamed some organic skim milk- It was soooooo good!

I would say better than Starbucks.... I LOVED it- plus I feel like it is more affordable to make my latte at home than to buy one every morning- not to mention the fact that it is easier than lugging baby H- just for a latte.

Anyway, just wanted to share the brand with any decaf drinkers!

10 Random Things About My Thursday.

1. I am pretty sure my son is sitting in a diaper full of poo...and has been for a while, but there is no way I am waking him up to change it. SLEEP SLEEP!!!! This kid thinks he is 3 months old instead of 3 weeks!

2. I tried to make a cake for Big Guy's birthday, but It seemed a little too daunting- I just couldn't bear to mess up the kitchen- and I seemed to be missing ingredients from each recipe that I found. I feel a little average today- instead of the supermom I would LIKE to be.

3. I ate a whole bar of chocolate today...plus pasta with meat sauce...FOR BREAKFAST.

4. H puked on me about 8 times today...and I didn't really change my shirt....hmmmm.

5. I am very excited because I am planning a trip in April. H and I are going to the beach to hang out with my parents!

6. I just put H in the outfit that Big Guy wore as a baby when he came home from the hospital. I thought it would be a sweet gesture for Big Guys Birthday- I hope he likes it!

7. I am making Duck with Black currant sauce for dinner- a favorite of Big Guy's. I am excited to surprise him since he thinks we are having a pizza casserole that we have in the freezer.

8. This morning I thought that there was an explosion in my neighborhood. The whole house shook- I was pretty close to diving under the bed with the baby. I got up and opened the blinds fully expecting things to be on fire....apparently my memory has suffered- because I guess I forgot what thunder sounds like. In my defense- it was really LOUD!

9. A good friend called today to line up a playdate/lunch date for tomorrow. I am excited to get out and interact with the world beyond starbucks and the grocery store. I am also excited that our babies have already hung out a few times and they are both only three weeks old- I hope they get to become friends!

10. It is 7:30 and I am still in my pajamas....Maybe there should have been a shower and outfit change somewhere in my day. Trying to avoid the whole haggard wife look- and I am not sure that I did that today. Oops.

I'm Back!

Wow!
These past two weeks have been really challenging with my health issues and the lack of sleep and the rushed trips to the pediatrician and all of the craziness that comes with having a baby and also having your body completely give out on you--but I am on the road to recovery. I was diagnosed with a condition called PUPPS which is rarely manifested after pregnancy, but I am always a science project when it comes to my health, so it doesn't surprise me. From what I understand, it all relates to my body trying to process and recover and not being able to handle the 30 lbs of water weight that I lost in the first two weeks. My stomach was so tight due to a lot of amniotic fluid that it burst into a crazy and very itchy case of hives that spread all up and down my arms and legs. It was so wicked and angry that it prompted a dermatologist to take pictures of it! Embarrassing.

They have me on all sorts of antihistamines and even gave me a short burst of steroid treatments (all baby safe) and the rash is actually starting to recede. I am starting to feel normal again little by little and today is my first day alone with Baby H! My mother left early Sunday morning and Big Guy has been back at work for a week now. This morning I was a little worried because it seemed like it was going to be one of those days. H was fussy fussy fussy and I have been up since 5am straight. Usually I get to feed him and then go back to sleep until 8 or 9 when he wakes up and wants to eat again, but he wouldn't fall asleep and kept fussing and crying and then he needed to be changed, and then he spit up, and needed to be cleaned up and then changed again, and then I think his stomach hurt so he was not happy and then he was hungry an hour earlier than I thought he would be so I fed him while balancing my cereal bowl on him...nice mother-huh? Right now he is propped up in his boppy asleep- we have to keep him upright after he eats so he won't projectile vomit all over everything- -this kid's spit up is legendary. Anyway, I wanted to check in and give and update- I am very behind on keeping up with everyone so I am trying to play catch up thins morning. Don't be surprised if I am commenting on old news!

In non-baby related news I made a German Chocolate Cake last week and it was fabulous! I had some issues with overfilling the pans and having the batter bubble over all over my oven, but after some artful trimming it turned out lovely. I think this is my first real triple decker cake and certainly my first non boxed cake. Bug Guy even took the rest to work today to share with friends!

Happy Monday everyone!

Too cute

Sorry about all the pictures of my Baby- but i can't help it! He is a week old now and I find it hard to tear myself away from him. I have been having some medical issues and they aren't sure if it is something that needs to be addressed or if my body is over-taxed in the recovery process or what, so i have been back and forth to the doctor a lot lately-not so fun. It could turn out to be nothing, so let's hope for that.

I hope you all are having great weeks! I promise to have more posts next week.

A few more pics of my little man

We are so glad to have our baby H home, and we are spending our days getting to know him! He loves to cuddle and be bundled up all snug in his soft blankets. He loves being swaddled by his dad and he LOVES to eat, if he is crying- chances are he is hungry.

Preppy Baby!

So tired but wanted you all to know that everything went well and that everyone is healthy. He was born at 3:57am last night/this morning. He weighs 7 lbs 8 ounces and 20.5 inches. We LOVE him-everything about him.

Labor....

Yep.... I am in Labor. I am sitting here at the hospital all IV'd and hooked up to monitors. My water broke at work around 5:00pm and Big Guy rushed over to take me to the hospital. The contractions aren't that strong yet because I wouldn't say I am in PAIN yet- it is very uncomfortable, but I would rather have this than stick a needle in my back-- when that changes, I will know that I am really in active labor and it is time for the epidural.
Wish me luck- I am a little nervous, but Big Guy is here taking care of me and the nurses and midwives and residents seem very nice. My IV kinda sucks- I didn't realize I would be so aware of it sticking in my hand, but I am sure that soon it will be the least of my worries.
I hope everything goes well, and I hope to have good news to report some time in the near-ish future!

POT HOLES!!!

image from http://www.blognetnews.com/

Big Guy called me after he dropped me off this morning to say that my sweet little Volvo wagon had fallen victim to one of the city's most vicious winter headaches...A GIANT POTHOLE! The thing popped my tire! I am so glad I wasn't in the car, because I am sure that it would have sent me into a fit of tears. Plus, Big Guy said he waited forever for roadside assistance, since he couldn't get the tire off. This sounds like it is going to be expensive, and don't think that I kid myself enough to think we will see a dime from the city....

All this on a day when I have been having contractions all morning- they aren't regular at all and they are all over the map strength-wise. Last night we totally thought the baby might be on his way when there was a little "show" happening (sorry TMI) and contractions for a few hours- but again, they never seemed to fall into line and get regular, and then they just stopped around 11:00pm, so I went to sleep. Then this morning they are back, and I even had three really strong ones, but they seem to come and go with no rhyme or reason. I lost my you know what last week as of Wednesday, and yesterday, my Doctor told me I was dilated 2cms and 50% effaced, but when I look that up- there are people who said they went into labor in the next few hours and there are some who didn't go for weeks! I love being in limbo---sarcasm.

Sorry I am so baby focused lately-all this waiting and wondering is a little maddening. I wish I could think of some other preppy, peppy, happy things to post about!

I will try to come up with something else this afternoon!

No Baby yet.....

I am still here....hanging on.....My due date hasn't hit yet (Feb11th) but it seems like everyone else is going early! I will probably have to be induced ten days late knowing my luck. Then they will discover that I am having a giant baby and end up doing a c-section. Cross your fingers for me that I can just have a normal labor. (I realize that there is probably no "normal" but as normal and complication-free as possible.)

One time I had a very vivid dream about having a baby that grew at an incredible rate- the worst part was carrying around this really tall man-baby who inexplicably wore bad khakis and sweater vests. Odd...

Right now I feel like I am just clock-watching, waiting for something to happen. I am trying to enjoy the calm and quiet- but that is easier said than done!

Dinner!!!

I am so hungry today!!! I have already eaten half of my lunch and it is only 11:42am. I have a pizza bagel that is sitting on my desk staring at me and I just want to rip into it. I am trying to hold off until at least noon so that I won't be starving in another hour-- but who am I kidding. I probably will be anyway. It is funny that this hunger thing just kicked in this week. Maybe it is the lack of sunlight? The Windy City is pretty dark and dismal today.

I am really looking forward to tonight. We are going to dinner for an early birthday celebration for Big Guy. He is so funny. He figured we would all be busy with baby once his birthday came around at the end of February, and his parents are going on a trip, so he casually suggested to his family that we have dinner together to celebrate. I visited the restaurant last weekend and really liked it, so I am excited to go back. I will let you know how my second experience goes- I really like to give credit where it is due for great service and great food.

Today I am feeling less than inspired like many of my blog friends, but i wanted to post about something so that people didn't wonder if I was having the baby! I can't wait for this week to end! I can't believe I have to work again tomorrow. At least some friends of mine are taking me to lunch as a sort of send off before the baby- I think we are hitting Nordstrom Cafe for some soup, salad and scones! Do you like how everything I talk about keeps coming back to food?

Cute New Gift Site in the Family!: Yellow Threads

My Cousin lives in Manhattan is has always wanted to start her own boutique. This year her dream came true and she has opened an online shop full of gifts called Yellow Threads. One of the reasons I like the store so much is the set-up; it is so clever. You can shop by type of gift or by purpose. There are different sections of the shop- for instance

Organize Her

Decorate Her Home
Accessorize Her
Encourage Her Passion
Nourish Her Soul
You can also shop by occasion as well and search under Birthday, Marriage, New Baby and House Warming.

Here are some of the things that I love from Yellow Threads

Since it is a female owned business, and that female happens to be related to me, I am more than excited to support her new venture. If you visit the site and see something you like- let me know just for fun- and if you decide to buy- tell her that her cousin in the Windy City sent you!!

Questions answered and Product picks

I thought I would share some of our product picks- I am by no means an expert, but we tried to do as much research as possible and purchase products that worked for our lifestyle.

The stroller we decided on, after much test driving and debate was the UPPA Baby. We LOVE it so far- and hope we still love it when we actually use it outside. We decided that the Bugaboo was too hard for me to fold up- if I lived in Manhattan, I would get it for sure- because I could just leave it in one piece and drive it in and out of the apartment- up the elevators etc- no problem. But to constantly fold and unfold it was too much for me- The Uppa folds and unfolds really easily (well, comparatively, I still have to get used to it). With the Quinny, we were worried about the size, and weren't sure how long it would last- we heard that most people graduated from the buzz to the zap (the travel version) rather quickly and never used the buzz again. With the Uppa, we are able to purchase an added second seat when/if #2 comes along and one of those kick plates for kids to stand on. All this combined with the fact that it is just as/almost as cute at the bugaboo, and I was convinced. PLUS...as a bonus, the bassinet attachment is included in the price! So there are three options, the car seat (which does require an adaptor, the bassinet, and the regular child seat. We got it in black, although I liked the red and blue models as well, and I can't wait to try it out! If you live in Chicagoland, I would recommend Galt Baby. They were really helpful and even offered free delivery that included an in home demo. I loved the service they provided. They will even store your stroller for you, free of charge, if you buy it early and don't want it sitting at your house. I really liked them.

For the Monitor- I was at a loss- so Big Guy Picked one...cross your fingers. Hopefully if it is terrible, we can exchange it.
We also picked a bunch of things that will hopefully entertain, stimulate and/or soothe the baby. All of this stuff adds up! We have so much baby gear! We settled on the Diaper Dekor as a diaper pail. I didn't want one that needed special refills, but I read that the Diaper Champ smelled like poo, so I had to choose this one.


We received the Evenflow exer-saucer as a gift.


We picked up the fisher price rain forest bouncy chair this weekend- my first selfless act of motherhood. I HATE the look of this thing, but I have heard from so many people that their babies LOVE it, so I made myself get over the fact that it is the ugliest thing I have ever seen.
Seriously...I hate it. I hope the baby loves it.

For the swing, I was convinced I needed to pick another hideous monstrosity- and this one was going to cost around $200. In the end we made a game-time gamble and chose the Graco portable car seat adaptable swing. This has the same muti-speed functionality, music and ambient noise features as the other models, but it isn't enormous and I can move it from room to room. I might have to put a mobile on it or something- Not sure if they care about them in the swing or if they mainly fall asleep- I suppose I will find out if our gamble pays off.

Our baby bath choice was the Summer Infant Bath

My Diaper bag is a Skip Hop- mostly because I HATED everything on the market, and people said this one was nice.
We also got a Baby Einstein Neptune Ocean Play-Gym- Big Guy set this up last night and was actually laying IN it..I think he liked it a little too much.



Plus we finally picked a couple options for going home outfits which is a relief! And we grabbed some Dr. Brown's BPA-free bottles because we heard they were good.


We still need to get a mattress for the bassinet that my grandfather built. It was modeled it after one that my aunt saw in a catalogue when she was pregnant and it got passed to us. It is special to us because he made it, and we plan to use it in our bedroom until we can bear to move the baby to the nursery.





That is all I can think of for now- I know we have purchased a million other things- because they are all over my house and basement. We are so excited about welcoming our little bundle and i can't wait to share the news! I hope this was helpful- feel free to ask any questions about why I chose something- I am happy to share!