Gosh, that's easy

Currently Craving: Chocolate Dessert

On Friday this box came in the mail:


on the outside it says things like: " Motherhood Rocks. So Do You." and "A Gift of Inspiration for Strong Moms" and "A Gift of Nutrition for Strong Babies" (am i weak and will my baby be weak if i nurse?)

and of course i knew what it was because right on the top it said "planning to formula feed? ask for Similac at the hospital."

inside... Two 12.9 oz canisters of formula AND $20 worth of coupons with my name on them for more baby formula. one of the canisters is even a soy formula. hmmm... then also a booklet on feeding your baby. the booklet is 37 pages long and ends with how you can order home delivery of your formula. it includes 12 pages on breastfeeding at the beginning and then goes long into the benefits of formula. also there is a coupon for a free diaper bag that you ask for at the hospital that will come with more free formula.

i'm just not amused. i'm not asking for anything like this to be sent to my house. i have every intention of nursing Babe and every intention of sticking to it even if it's tough... that includes finding a lactation consultant. if, after all of that the lactation professional tells me i can't do it then FINE give me the formula, but otherwise don't send it to my house. it just makes it that much easier and more tempting to quit trying. maybe not for me personally but for someone who is on the fence about it this might be the deciding factor at 3 am. big business being annoying again. i know i am opinionated about this one. for me, i am hoping it is the right thing and happens naturally. and i know for other women it doesn't happen easily and it isn't the right choice, maybe they welcome formula delivered to the door. but personally i don't like it. i don't like big business knowing a baby is on the way and trying to control what i do with her. arg! oh well. at least i can donate it to a woman's shelter or food pantry and help someone else with Similac's generosity.

How to feel very Un-Sexy and Blah Mommy

Currently Craving: a Nap probably

How to feel very Un-sexy and instead all Blah Mommy..... Try putting on a Nursing Bra! i mean, come on... at least make them in leopard print or something more fun that black, white, and nude.

ok. i guess i'll back up.

as i mentioned earlier, max was away for the weekend in ohio. knowing that him being away for almost a week leaving me alone would not be a good thing at this point i invited my mom to come in and visit. her main tasks were to 1. keep me company and 2. help me shop for nursing supplies. since we figured out that she nursed for something like 9 YEARS (!) i guessed she might just be the expert to help with this one. (i do have to say that i am grateful both that she nursed me and that she nursed my sibs. me because i have a kick-ass immune system and my sibs because at least i've SEEN what normal nursing looks like and will be able to replicate that when the time comes... very soon)

So on saturday after getting manicure/pedicures (super treat) we headed out to the nursing supplies shop run by bon secours (one of the big health systems here in RVA). we were the only ones there and the lady was very kind. she measured me and fit me in regular bras, sleep bras, and a 'sport' bra. we found my size and i bought several along with nursing pads. and it's all fine. the real plus in this is that these actually FIT and so they feel a lot better than the ones i'd been wearing and didn't bother changing. in addition... my cup size is at an all time high that i seriously never thought i'd reach. if this belly wasn't throwing everything out of proportion you'd be AMAZED. (maybe i should have let people know this might be a TMI type post, oh well)

but here come my complaints. first, i understand the need for support and coverage, i swear, and i know it's only going to be more needed when my milk actually comes in but i feel like it covers me from my collar bone to my belly button with no breathing room in between. and if that wasn't enough, my real problem is the fact that it seems that no one has even considered that a woman might feel like wearing a more colorful bra or something with a little fun to it. there is so much to be said about feeling like you look good and how that actually makes you feel better. i feel like these things say... (in a robot voice) ' you are a mom...... you must be frumpy.... you must be perpetually tired..... you must never be attractive again..... this child will drink you dry..... the world thinks you are ugly and invisible..... YOUR LIFE AS YOU KNEW IT IS OVER.... HA! HA! HA!!!!!' it just seems stupid to me that nobody else has thought of this!

now... two things do emerge. first. nursing tank tops. they have color and a bit more style. i didn't buy any of those but i did try some on and i know my size so i do plan to buy some. especially since i usually just live in that style tank tops anyways... now they'll just have a convertible feature.

and second. the internet. SOMEone actually has thought of sexier nursing bras and i bet they're doing pretty well. Condessa a shop out in LA (of course LA) offers bras in several pretty colors with matching undies and they have lace or smooth varieties. their whole idea is "Breastfeeding is Beautiful" and why shouldn't it be?? of course the bras cost $55 a piece and probably will be covered in slobber and milk all the time but at least you can feel prettier when you first put it on.

in another thought. max swears to me that he saw a billboard for a victoria's secret nursing bra somewhere along the line. but i have scanned their website and haven't found it. maybe they offer them in a select area like NYC or LA or something.. but so far they haven't made it to the RVA. oh well. maybe someday.

i think the problem is that people think because they are moms women can't be attractive anymore. we really have to change that!

Cars

Currently Craving: Chocolate Almond Energy Bites from Ellwood's

so i guess it's Out with the Old


and In with the New




Last week we made the swap from my 03 corolla with 123K miles on it to the 08 outback with 8 miles on it.

i have some mixed emotions. i really loved my corolla. it was my first real car and i paid it off eventually and i drove the heck out of it as i commuted back and forth 100 miles a day for almost two years. and it was totally reliable, just the right size and GREAT for gas mileage. BUT as with everything, things must change when a baby comes along.

American babies require a lot of stuff. and hauling all that stuff requires a vehicle that can manage it. both of those statements make me irritated and annoyed. why does my baby have to have all this stuff? why do i have to get a bigger car just because i have a baby? in europe, people drive really small cars and their babies seem to do just fine. unfortunately our american life isn't really set up to walk many places so instead i'll bundle my errands... which means having enough room to bring back groceries and have a stroller in the car. i don't know. we just tried to be as eco-friendly as possible when making this shift.

so we went with the subaru outback. it's kind of the neighborhood car here where we live. and it's also the ultimate yoga teacher/mom car. i know LOTS of yoga teachers with this car. i guess it's good for hauling props and things. so guess i liked this car because of all the subliminal messages from the neighbors and yoga teachers. 'this car is cool' they said.
one of the real reasons i felt that i needed to step it up from the corolla was the concern about getting Babe in and out all the time. the back seat has a lot more space and the lift off the street is a bit higher so i won't be killing my back every time we go in and out. we also figure at times there will be an adult and the baby seat in the back and the corolla wouldn't really handle that and then if we wanted to add tyco to the mix... he doesn't go into a car trunk. in the outback... to haul tyco and Babe on a long trip we'd be ok. we could pack tyco in the back with a gate guard. Babe and an adult or luggage in the center seat and still enough space for the driver in the front seat. all done without having to drive an SUV and we'd get better gas milage. and the trunk of the station wagon is much easier to manage for getting groceries, stroller, dog, stuff into and out of than the deep trunk of the corolla. so we made the leap.

balancing my desire to be as green as possible and to be as comfortable and make life as easy as possible on us without going over the top is definitely a challenge. so i guess we just make the best choices when we can. and as far as i can tell subaru is a very good company, the car was made in the US, and it should hold its value and be very reliable for years so i won't expect to do this again in two years.

so far i'm not totally attached to the outback but i'm getting to love her more and more. and now that i know how to drive her without killing the engine (oops!) i think we're on the right track.

My NEW water bottle

Currently Craving: Nothing, just had breakfast

This weekend max had to fly out to LA for work. and when he came back he brought me the best gift ever! or at least the best gift right now. a brand new SIGG water bottle!

check it out!


it is rare that i get obsessed with a THING that i MUST HAVE, but some how this SIGG water bottle got into my psyche a month or so ago and i decided i really wanted to have it. my mom had recommended switching to stainless steel and so i went online and i found this particular design in the SIGG bottle. but apparently everyone else in the world found SIGG too and the poor swiss company could not keep up with demand. every website i visited that advertised the bottles said they were backordered with no known time for delivery. arg! finally i just gave up and decided i wouldn't have one and i'd have to find something else.

until.. HOORAY! sunday max came home with one from a random outdoors store in his hotel in the middle of korea town in LA. so now i'm all set. it has a cute design on the outside, it holds a liter of water and it keeps it cool with no after taste. best of all, i'm so obsessed with it now i'm carrying it from room to room and it is reminding me to keep hydrated (which i am terrible about).

with all the buying for babe going on, it's nice once in a while to get a little non-pregnancy related and unsolicited gift to me. (guess i should do the same for him soon)

Babymoons and Pushing Gifts

Currently Craving: Water and more Fruit

It has occurred to me that in the last several years weddings and honeymoons have become more and more lavish and over the top. no longer is it acceptable to have a small house wedding with a tiny reception in the backyard followed by a honeymoon drive to the nearest cultural attraction. now weddings have gotten bigger and bigger with entire weekends full of events and extreme entertainment during the party. for an out of town wedding you could most likely expect to be invited to 1. friday night's rehearsal dinner 2. saturday's wedding and 3. sunday's brunch party. and there is a possibility of a thursday night event if you are particularly close to the couple. then after everything the couple will hop off and run away to an exotic or cultural location for at least a week. i'm not saying you HAVE to do that. but it is becoming more and more of the norm rather than the exception. i actually know a couple who were planning a nice quiet honeymoon but one of the mothers got involved and required something more exciting. i don't think the bride complained about being sent to hawaii, but she would have been just as happy with the original plan.

max and i were just the same, friday night dinner at a nice restaurant with out of town guests hosted by his parents,

Saturday night dancing and a live band and three chocolate fountains (we did opt NOT to feed everyone a boring dinner)


and then Sunday bagels and coffee at our house (thankfully not a full on brunch craziness).


and then we hopped off to St. Lucia for a week. and it was wonderful and we had a great time, we probably would have had just as great a time in Virginia Beach though. what really mattered at that point was getting away, relaxing, and being together.



ANYWAY... the reason i share all of this is that i feel like sometimes couples get so caught up in the excitement of planning the big wedding that when it's all over they feel a let down. so what's next??? have a BABY of course! this way you can have all of the attention brought back to you and you can have parties and gifts etc.... things get BIG and DRAMATIC again. and two years later you can do it all again!

Now along with the big weddings and honeymoons there are big events to go with pregnancy. two popular trends you may or may not know about are Babymoons and Pushing Gifts. both are pretty much just what they sound like

A babymoon is like a second honeymoon that you take before the baby arrives, probably sometime during the second trimester. a babymoon can be something small like a night in a hotel in your town or it can be another huge trip to some place exotic. many hotels and resorts are now offering special babymoon packages. they tend to include massage, chocolate, room service and as much pampering as you can stand. some offer non-alcoholic champagne. to read more you can check this out in the NY Times travel. and in all honesty, it sounds like a really good idea to me. when you're pregnant you are tired and you feel NOT-glamourous and that you really would like to just be taken care of by other people as much as possible. to get away and have the time to relax with your spouse sounds excellent to me. Max and i had actually considered it and were trying to plan a get away in may or june but it didn't happen... and now.. flying is not an option and tomorrow is my last serious roadtrip. so any babymoon will have to be close to home.

The second new trend is the pushing gift. this is a gift from the husband to the wife for, you guessed it... pushing his baby out. (do you still get it if you have a C-section?). the first time i heard about this one it was from one of my friends sharing about her friend. the mom-to-be was picking out a diamond tennis bracelet for herself. (whoa!). the trend seems to be mostly jewelry on this one but trips or home items might also be included. this one seems to have the possibility of going WAY over the top and you hear about it with celebrities. max and i have really joked about this one a lot, but i do like the sentiment of some how celebrating or marking the occasion with something. so we'll see. i don't think diamond earrings are in my future on this one. we do know a couple who gave each other a ring at the birth of their daughter and he wears his all the time which i think is pretty sweet. who knows. anyway to read more read here in the NY Times again.

those are the trends and i'm sure they'll only get bigger and become more and more expected as time goes on. but i hope what couples and former bridezillas can keep in mind is that the real prize is the beautiful wonderful baby.

Maternity Swimwear

Currently Craving: Peaches and Plums (loving the summer fruit these days)

For the past week i've been at the beach chilling with my family. this is the annual beach trip that we go on with my mom's side where we pretty much are just bums on the beach in North Carolina for the week. we eat as much as we want and swim in the ocean and at the pool and try to avoid sunburn. this is the first year in recorded history of the trip that anyone was stung by a jellyfish. arg! i'm just glad it wasn't me.

knowing i'd have a beach and some pool time during my pregnancy i planned ahead when i was in my maternity wardrobe buying frenzy. when you're pregnant and you plan to swim you have three options: 1. maternity one piece 2. maternity tankini and 3. maternity or non-maternity bikini

1. maternity one-piece have you ever been pregnant? or have you ever worn a one-piece bathing suit? to me these two things do NOT go together. first, when you're pregnant you tend to spend a lot more time making runs to the little girls' room and second, taking off and putting back on a wet one-piece bathing suit is NEVER fun. so that option was OUT for me

2. Maternity Tankini: this option makes a lot more sense in my mind. first, it's two pieces so the bathroom problem is all but solved. at the same time it provides belly coverage. belly coverage is handy if you're around people who aren't as into pregnant women flaunting they're goddess goodness and showing the belly everywhere. (i know, hard to believe, but there are those people out there). my main concern with wanting belly coverage is sunburn. i just can't imagine having this huge belly hanging out there and having it get sunburned. OUCH! plus they say that babies in bellies can and do respond to bright lights.... what if the sun hurt her eyes, or she got sunburned herself???
so, with those thoughts in mind i opted for one maternity bottom and two maternity tankini tops. see one pictured below: this picture is a little funky because i cut my dad out of it because we were comparing bellies. he beat me but i figured he didn't want that on the blog

anyway. tankini was a great idea until i wore it actually in the ocean or pool. my belly just wasn't quite big enough at this point to hold the skirt part of the suit in place so i felt like i was totally swimming in a dress. arg!

enter option 3: Maternity or non-maternity bikini: personally, i am not a person who thinks a woman should hide away her baby belly. i think pregnant bellies are quite beautiful and cute, even if it is strange to get used to actually having one on MY body personally. so this week at the beach i decided to risk it with a bikini i bought last summer. lucky for me, last summer the top was a little too big, not so this summer. and again lucky for me, my bum hasn't expanded so so much that the bottoms didn't fit. hooray! so i braved exposing the belly to the sun and just lathered on lots of sunscreen. and i've ended up with a slightly brown belly and no burns to speak of. also, no photos taken.

So my vote on maternity swimwear: go in for tankini or bikini depending on your belly exposure comfort level and from there make sure it fits and have fun!

all in all the trip itself was a lot of fun and very relaxing. i'm ready to go back already. i posted more pics on our Photos Blog check those out if you'd like

Registry

Currently Craving: H2O

I've posted a link in the link list that will guide anyone who is interested to our registry page. i have to say, i love my Mac because i just decided to put all the links to our registries together on one page and Tada there it all is. so if anyone is interested in checking it out please do.

we've got Target, Amazon.com, and Nurtured Family. Target you can shop in store. Amazon and Nurtured family have to be online and shipped which is FINE.

at this point we're open to trying out lots of options with cloth diapers and gDiapers so we're just registering for a few of several different types and styles. i figure we'll just try it and see what works for our lives.

i did see Kiki yesterday and her baby Sawyer and they were using some sweet diapers and it looked SO EASY, so i think i can do this cloth diapering thing if all it takes is dumping them in a bag and then dumping the entire bag into the wash. i can handle that for sure.

so that's it. the page is there if you want to look (because everyone keeps asking). i'm just proud of myself for working the Mac so well. : )

New Sofa

Currently Craving: A nap, kind of

Today the new sofa that we ordered a few weeks ago arrived. It pretty much rules.

This thing is very very heavy. Two men from La Diff came and carried it up our stairs but they had to ask Max for help. they also got stuck half way up the stairs because our stairs take a 180 degree turn at the landing halfway up. eventually (after minor paint damage) they were able to get the thing all the way up and into my office.

Since we've been in the house my office has been my little sanctuary for yoga and computer stuff. one one wall i've got my computer desk and beside it is my bookshelf. when i got back from Ohio a few weeks ago i totally did a makeover on the bookshelf. it was exploding with yoga books that didn't have homes so i thought it would make more sense to make yoga book shelves and move some other things i don't look at to the shelves in our living room. so that began the Office makeover. About that time i also received a beautiful wind chime from my friend Karen in Cali. i'd love to put it outside, but then i'd never see it so i decided to hang it in my office in one of the windows. i think you can see it in some of the pics.

my space has this funny wall that sticks out in the absolute middle of the room for the chimney to come through. (now for the first time i'm wondering why they didn't put the chimney on the outside of the house) i actually really like this wall because my bookshelf fits into the cubby on one side and sits back. AND it is my handstand, forearmstand, and headstand wall. as i told my friend, Niki, on wednesday there are feet marks at all three levels and nobody cares because it is MY house!

Then in the corner i used to have a dresser from max's parents old house that held my Yoga DVDS and some CDs and other just random stuff. (see Before pictures below) The makeover took the dresser out. and put the sofa into that corner. Happily the sofa is just the right size to fit in the cubby on the other side of the chimney wall. and the bed will still pull out fully without hitting anything.

what i've discovered is that now that we're 3 months from our due date i just can't do the heavy lifting. so i did not help with carrying the dresser to the basement (thanks Rob) or with the adjusting the sofa into place. or even with pulling out the bed and putting it away just try it out when the delivery guys left. i just didn't realize how much i use my Abs in every day activities!

Anyway... all in all i think it's pretty sweet. you can check it out in the before and after photos below. max modeled the sofa for us. we also pulled out the decorative pillows from upstairs. he'd had them on his sofa at his old couch. i think eventually i'll replace them with something more girly. pink and purple in an india inspired fabric... west elm probably. You'll notice there aren't any pics of the computer side of the room and that's because at the time i was taking pics that side of the room was 100% totally loaded with the crap from the bookshelf and the dresser that needed to be redistributed in the house. happily now the clutter has been cleared mostly.

Now we're all set for Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, and any wonderful friends who want to come. Hooray!

Baby Registry

Currently Craving: Nothing much, i finally went to For The Love (hooray!)

This morning i had to take my car into the shop for a recall. apparently the bolts on the windows have been breaking and they had to be replaced. so while we were waiting for the car max and i hit the big Target out at Short Pump to register.

let me say, we were pretty lame at registering. first off, we have a lot of stuff already. so we don't need: boppy, vibrating baby seat, infant car seat, infant bathtub, jumperoo/exersaucer, baby bjorn, play mat, baby swing, taggie ball, or bebepod (with tray). Thank you very much to our older siblings and their children for donations to Babe. max's parents have graciously ordered us a crib and my parents are graciously providing a rocker. then we have the dresser already so we're set for furniture for the most part.

So we got in there and we have the gun thing and we have the checklist.... and well, half the stuff i just can't imagine buying or owning. They have the list divided into areas of the baby's life and then MUST HAVE and NICE-TO-HAVE. and most of it we decided we just didn't need. we may, in fact, be proven wrong but if that's the case then we'll just go out and get what we need.
as it is i am still completely clueless about nursing supplies and am completely overwhelmed with diapering options. both of those things will NOT be on the list because i just can't imagine sending max's friends out to buy nursing pads for us. plus i'm thinking some specific shopping trips to the diaper store and out with my mom for nursing things will do the trick on these things.

so what i think we ended up with were: some cute baby clothes and maybe a teething toy and a changing pad thingy to go on top of the dresser. we also will eventually need a stroller and a high chair but we were not at all impressed with the plastic offerings at Target and will have to do more research.

i was kind of hoping this process would be more like when you're getting married and you can go scanner gun crazy and who cares if you register for crazy items because it's for the rest of your life. but it really wasn't. we just kind of scanned for a few things and then didn't go so nuts. we just assume that if people want to get gifts for us they'll get us what they want to get and the registry is a guide but who knows what we'll end up with.
along with Target we're also registering at Amazon.com for some things, and i'll probably get around to a cloth diaper registry eventually (hopefully). then i hope to organize it all onto one easy to look at page. but since the shower that is planned is for couples our age i have a feeling most everything we get will be bought off the Target registry on the morning of the shower


Plus in all honesty i don't feel that people need to buy us gifts to begin with. the reason to register is that people tend to insist on buying things, at least this way they have a guide to what we want. i'd be just as happy if they bought baby supplies to donate to a local food shelter or women's shelter in Babe's honor. who knows.

Setting up for Babe

Currently Craving: H2O

I should really title this post "Setting up for Grandparents"

on saturday we had a quiet day and mostly just stayed on the couch watching the US open of all things. that i watched many rounds of golf this weekend is amazing to me... and now i'm annoyed that we're going into play offs today and i have to work so i won't be able to watch! arg!

but anyway... between all the golf watching we did make it out to La Diff, the modern furniture store here in Richmond to look for somewhere for our parents/guests to sleep once Babe takes over our guest room. the plan all along has been to get a futon or something to put in my office so that when people are here they can take over the office and have a space, and Babe gets her room to herself. Max's sister and bro-in-law have a really nice futon in their basement and we thought we'd try to get something like that.

at La Diff the first thing we checked out was a convertible sofa that Max seemed to like but it didn't even fold out to make a double sized mattress and i kept thinking of how uncomfortable my parents would be on something like that. so then we were sitting down thinking about that and a salesman came over to ask if he could help. when we told him what we were looking for he asked 'is this for kids and the occasional guest or are we talking about grandparents coming for a long weekend?' max told him grandparents and indicated my belly so we all laughed.

so he hooked us up. showed us a really great sofa bed that is made in texas, 4-6 weeks delivery, and when we were on the mattress it felt like a real bed. HOORAY! then he showed us something else for comparison but it didn't even come close. we checked out cribs and kid stuff and lamps but finally decided yes, let's get the sofa and be ready when Babe arrives with somewhere for guests to rest.

so we ordered our new sleeper sofa, with a queen sized mattress that fits in the corner of my office. it is brownish and will arrive in 4-6 weeks. i'll post a pic once it is here and set up.

yay! one thing checked off our list!

Check out my Crib

Currently Craving: Big, Fat, Yummy Salad

This weekend was a lay low kind of weekend. I had three extra classes to teach and i hadn't napped in weeks until saturday. so i was feeling like a bum, plus max has been running around quite a bit himself. and he's going to be gone essentially all week starting tomorrow. so we didn't make big plans.

but we did plan to do some baby shopping, because eventually Babe is going to need somewhere to sleep in this house. Right now her room as a queen bed, and while she may be a princess, she does not need a bed quite that big just yet. so we decided to do some crib hunting. what was funny to max about this was that it felt SO suburban couple to spend our saturday driving around looking at baby furniture. like in old school when Frank is telling the kids at the first party that he can't drink because he has 'a big day planned' doing things like returning wedding gifts, and when he says they go out to olive garden and it's so nice. max thought we were totally Old School. and i had to remind him this is our new life, totally...

The crib hunting actually started a few weeks ago when we went shopping for baby stuff for the shower for friends. we went to the mega Babies R Us store to get what they wanted. but Babies R Us is seriously a baby superstore. slightly overwhelming. we spent sometime checking out cribs and for the most part were not impressed. first the style was all off for us, but the biggest complaint was that they seemed like they were all made out of particle board and would fall apart with a good kick. i don't know if that is actually true, but that's what it felt like to us.

On saturday we carefully avoided Babies R Us and checked out other spots around town. so, i don't know if you're up on baby furniture these days but the new RAGE in cribs is to buy convertible beds. they are taller on one side than the other and eventually the taller side is used as a headboard and the smaller side as a footboard on a double bed for the child. here's an example:

in theory a good idea. buy one piece of furniture that lasts until he/she graduates and moves out. but for us it just doesn't work. first of all, what if you want more than one child. then do you go buy ANOTHER crib or do you go buy a child bed when #1 is kicked out of the crib. second of all, max is not a fan of footboards. i don't know why, no wait, he said it's because he likes to run and jump on the bed and do flips and stuff. third of all, i don't feel like my 3 year old needs a double bed that takes up the whole room, i'd rather have the floor space for her to play. plus eventually the room will have to hold a desk for homework and a dresser and/or wardrobe for clothing, a double bed seems like too much. and finally, i just don't like the way they look. totally my opinion here but i hate the high side and low side thing and in general the style isn't what i have in mind.

so we were kind of in a bind. most of the cribs we saw were these convertible things and we didn't like them. the rest were totally country or victorian and neither of those will work for us. blar!

when we got home we decided once again to go online since it seemed that we would not find what we liked in stores. At Target we found a cute modern style crib, relatively inexpensive, by DwellStudio. we really liked it until we read a reviewer who talked about toxic fumes (that's not a good idea)

finally we ended up back at Modern Nursery and Modern Tots. Finally something more our style. whew. and right now we're loving three cribs to choose from:

Oeuf Classic

Oeuf Sparrow

and the Hiya Crib


of course the price tag is higher (dang!) so we'll have to weigh that. but at least these are made of actual wood (!) and they don't make me gag when i look at them. eventually i'll post nursery pics and you can see how it all turns out.

Is it just me.....

Currently Craving: Miso Soup

Is it just me.... or is this a bit overboard? i mean do we really need to spend over $100 on a pacifier and a rattle that are covered in crystals and diamonds (that will probably fall off and be swallowed)? if you are considering a baby gift for me and max and the lemon (that's how big it is this week) let me just put in my vote and say this is not really what we're going for.





if you want to see more you can go to: Dimples and Dandelions and click on Gifts with Bling quite interesting OK as an aside i can't seem to find where i got these images. maybe it wasn't dimples and dandelions, but they DO have a baby bling section....

NOW. not to entirely knock Dimples and Dandelions. (some people might be into baby bling) under clothing they have an entire section labeled Tutus and Pettiskirts. the photos there are adorable. i don't think i'll buy into that either... mainly because my mom is a master with a sewing machine and could whip those out for much less than the $80 price tag. plus if it's a boy he might not be interested in a flouncy skirt.



With this one i do have to say i am NOT a fan of babies wearing headbands. in this photo it ties the outfit together but as a general rule, i don't go for it.

Shopping Spree

Currently Craving: Water

Today i went on my first pregnant lady shopping spree (that's if you don't count the millions of trips to the grocery store for very RANDOM foods) honestly it wasn't much of a "spree" i just went to Target to find new sports bras so i can actually breath while i'm teaching yoga..... but i got a little bit distracted.

I wandered around a bit and found that, lucky me, the tops that are in style these days are the same cut of top that pregnant women have been wearing for years. so i found two tops that aren't actually meant for pregnant ladies but will work for the spring. i bought them both a size bigger than i usually would. and then the sports bras were FABULOUS. i'm sure my life will be much improved.
This is one of the tops.... now that i'm looking at it in the photo it looks a little bit like the drapes that Maria made the playclothes out of in The Sound of Music, but whatever. Patterns are a departure for me.








so then i wandered into the maternity section. for the most part all i can say is Barf. thank goodness i don't have to get anything yet. maybe target will improve between now and summer. (somehow i doubt it) somehow i don't think i'll be buying my maternity clothes at target.

and then i couldn't resist. after the horror of the maternity section, i went to the infant section. THERE i was pleasantly surprised by the new DwellStudio line of boy and girl baby clothes and accessories. VERY CUTE. if i knew what we were having i would have bought everything there right away. but i don't so i didn't. instead i did buy baby clothes (for my VERY OWN BABY) just some newborn onesies that it'll only wear once or twice before outgrowing, but i couldn't resist. they're all SO CUTE.

and then i made it out of the store with nothing else crazy, not even any crazy food which is really a feat for me these days. so, so far so good, i'm getting fat and not because of the baby, well, indirectly because of the baby but because i still don't eat like a normal person. i've got like a pregnant belly hanging out... only it's not belly in there it's just fat cells. that'll be fun to take care off once this is all said and done. but at least i have two new tops to hide it .....for a few weeks anyways.

Baby Stuff

Currently Craving: Starburst Jelly Beans

i kind of don't want to go all Pottery Barn on this kid, but it seems that Pottery Barn is totally in your face when it comes to baby and household stuff. and if it isn't Pottery Barn, it's Pottery Barn look alikes at cheaper prices, a la Target. i just don't see it. in our modernly furnished (although 100 year old house) suddenly to explode in gingham and shabby chique doesn't make sense to me.


so last night i played on the internet and i found THIS site. Modern Nursery. so if you visit, ignore the prices and check out the stuff. they have way cool modern cribs.












way cool modern bassinets.













and the selection of mobiles goes on for more than two pages.

SWEET.


















i'm not saying we're buying anything just yet. we can't even decide which room is going to be the baby's room to begin with. but it's nice to know not everything has to be cookie cutter if we don't want it to be. Yay.