Babycook!

I saw the Babycook in Williams-Sonoma a little while ago, it is from France and they said it was an exclusive. Well, they now have it at Buy Buy Baby. It is so adorable and looks SO easy! You put in fresh veggies, fruit, anything, press STEAM, then Press PUREE and voila! I know steaming in pot then using the blender is not that difficult, but it sure does get a lot of stuff dirty. DH could even handle this. I love it! I may have to register at Buy Buy Baby as well, just to include this... when do babies start eating baby food anyway? Hmm. Maybe I need to spend less time learning about all these products, and more time reading about actual babies.

16 Weeks today

I am 16 weeks - yay! and so happy to have my appetite back! I am not really feeling meat still, especially not chicken, but I am making the most delicious meals and being such a lovely wife these last few days. Yesterday I made Turkey Ruebans - grilled turkey on Wheat with Swiss and cole slaw on the top which is soo good. Last night, gnocci with homemade tomato sauce (I roasted the tomatoes in the oven and added fresh basil) and goat cheese (pasturized, of course) and beet salad.
Last night we went to an off broadway show that a friend of our was in, then to the after party, THEN out to a bar and I did not complain or glare at DH the entire night. At one point I did have to go to the bathroom and take of my tights, which were trying to cut my stomach in half! We got home after 2:30AM which needless to say hasn't happened in QUITE awhile, slept in until 11 and had a nice romantic morning before DH went off to band practice. I feel dizzy but other than that I agree with this time being pretty "golden"- in comparison. I think my skin has even started to do a little bit of glowing.....

Booked the Babymoon this morning!

We have been throwing around a lot of ideas for a pre-baby trip this spring (AKA babymoon) - Napa? ILs have a house there and my BF is in SF so that could be fun, but Napa without drinking wine? Hells no! Not even French Laundry cuisine would make me feel better about missing out on wine tasting. I have a ton of Starpoints from all my fancy business travel, so we were looking into Bermuda, Bahamas, Aruba and other islands. In the end, we decided to go back to St.Thomas and see my family (Grandma is 101) then spend a few days alone on St.John at the Westin. Perfect! They have prenatal massage at the Spa (I checked), a private beach, massive pool, restaurants on site.. I am already dreaming of sipping Virgin Coladas as I float in the clear blue ocean....

Continuing post black out

That was so scary yesterday! I called DH and he made me promise to call the OB. First I posted on the bump to get opinions and everyone said to call ASAP so I did (trust internet strangers more than DH?) and the DR said that it must have been a drop in blood pressure which can happen in pregnancy since the body is making so much extra blood . I guess the pressure can go up and down and you get dizzy. Of course I seem to get the extreme version of every symptom so far. It is kind of frustrating though, I feel like such a loser! If I had been getting up quickly or hadn't eaten I would just be sure to be careful and not do that again, but since it was so sudden now I am afraid of passing out on the street alone or falling in the house. DH is now on high alert and pretty much doesn't want me going anywhere alone.
I was also looking forward to starting yoga again soon (crazy yoga teacher must have given birth by now) but with the dizziness and feeling winded every time I go up the stairs, I don't know if it's such a good idea. My mom says to look for a prenatal meditation/relaxation class. Basically sit around and do nothing with an bunch of other pregnant women? That sounds perfect! Still looking for that class. :)
I found a nursery set on craigslist that looks adorable - white cottage style Ragazzi sleigh crib, dresser/changer and glider with ottoman. Now I have just realized the crib has a drop side rail which has just been banned, so that won't work. I guess I better just wait for my Baby Bargains book to come before I buy some death trap! I don't really want the house crowed with all this stuff for the next 5 month anyway. It will be crowded enough in September, let's enjoy our space.....

More Maternity clothes! ... and Blacking Out

I have really been wearing out my one maternity outfit so DH and I went out to Target the other day. They had a great selection of the Liz Lange stuff and I got more shirts thank the Lord, and the CUTEST dress. I tried to find it online to see if they have it in more colors, but I can't find it! It may actually be a shirt or beach cover up instead of a dress, but whatever. It is sooo cute over jeans or with tights and heels, leggings and boots, or flip flops and bare legs this summer. I also got a few loose shirts, long sleeve T, organic waffle sweatshirt, black sweatshirt/jacket kind of thing (on clearance). I may order more online, I liked it all so much!

I had an OB appointment this morning and the doctor could hear the heartbeat on the doppler this time, so no heart attack. I also got the referral for the 20 week "BIG" u/s (AKA when we get to find out the sex). My mom called to see if we knew yet, I guess my cousin knows already but she and her DH are doctors so they can probably do an u/s whenever they want.

Ugh.. I just had to take a break from writing because I just blacked out! That was scary. I am just sitting on the sofa writing and my whole body went hot and dizzy and everything went black. DH is at work, but I guess I am OK. Gosh, I just ate for the millionth time today, but I did have to give blood earlier. Think I will go lie down now.

15 weeks & First trip to Baby Store!

DH agreed that we could finally go to the baby store and check out some strollers and car seats and things! Now, maybe Saturday wasn't the BEST time to go, but it was pretty funny. We went up to Buy Buy Baby on 25th and 7th- I guess it is the biggest baby store in Manhattan. It was crazy! It was totally packed, things everywhere, strollers everywhere, pregnant women everywhere. We first took a look at the Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper which I was thinking I would like to use. It was cute, but bigger than I thought, and we could NOT figure out how to get the side bar to go down- DH hurt his hand trying to do it! No one was available to help, so we moved on to car seats.I like the Maxi Cosi because it is the cutest and it is European. DH liked the Peg Perego. I guess we will need to look up safety ratings before we decided.
On to strollers! DH LOVED the Stokke Xplory, it keeps the baby very high up and rolls well, but I can't stand it, it looks like a space ship. Plus it is $1200. On to the Bugaboo Chameleon and the Uppa Baby Vista. Well, It seems everyone has that idea some people were hogging those two strollers and not letting anyone else get a look. They seriously need more floor models! We took a look at some cribs and dressers then saw they were about to do a stroller demo on the Uppa vs. Bugaboo - yay! About 15 couples were gathered around intently watching the woman go through the features of each.
Basically, the Bugaboo is cuter. I prefer the canvas cloth and the color choices for sure. BUT the seat has to be taken off to collapse the stroller and I just don't think that is going to work. The things I like most about the Bugaboo - the things that are driving me to spend this much on the stroller are:

1. Baby being up higher (I had a back injury and surgery years ago so that is an issue)
2. Adjustable handlebar (I am 5'10" and don't want to bend down)
3. Baby FACING me. My GF had a McLaren and it drove me CRAZY always having to stop and look around the canopy to see what he was doing! I want to see the baby while I am walking these crazy NY streets.
4. Storage underneath for groceries or shopping (again, a city thing)
5. Bassinet ( just think it is so cute even though it only lasts 4 months)

SO the Uppa Baby does ALL the things I want and need - just in a weird mesh fabric and fewer color options. AND it collapses in one piece making it easier to leave downstairs next to neighbor's monster double stroller. It is also a little bit less expensive I think and has organic fabric in the bassinet.

After the presentation we waited and waited as the hordes descended and FINALLY got a few minutes with the stroller. It still took DH awhile to figure out how to collapse it -we were cracking up- but I am sure it gets easier with practice. I am glad we went now and got an idea of what we want, there were some crazy stressed out NY women in there! One woman was FREAKING out and shrieking to her DH that she didn't like the cup holder options on the Uppa!! Geez.

I also wanted to look at the Baby Bjorn vs. the Ergo Carrier- also a common dilemma around here apparently. We finally got DH strapped into the Ergo, but he liked to looks of Bjorn. We decided to save this for another trip and get out of there.

Bugaboo Chameleon

Uppa Baby Vista

First Day of Spring!

We went to the good grocery store the other day (Fairway- amazing) so we finally have some yummy things and I am being good again. After a week in Tennessee I need it! Here is what I ate yesterday..

Bagel (multigrain organic) with cream cheese (organic)
Half a grapefruit with brown sugar
Wheat thins
Bowl of olives
Dried Papayas
Tangerine
Large bowl of steamed Edamame
Other half of grapefruit with brown sugar
Small pomegranite and fig yogurt (new brand of icelandic style organic)

Then we went to birthday party at a local foodie bar b q place and DH and I shared a big tray of meat with potato salad, broccoli salad, baked beans, pickles and rolls.

YUM!

I need to make up a batch of my homemade cereal, but I forgot to get the right kind of oil. And now it is SNOWING by the way. On the first day of spring! 2 days ago we were in the park in T Shirts! Oh well, I see the light. Come on Spring!

Baby Announcement Fantasies...

We went all out on wedding invites and got beautiful personalized letterpress from an amazing printer in California, Dauphine Press. How I would LOVE to get baby announcements there as well. How adorable are these?




Of course, letterpress runs around $1000 for 100 cards, there is no place for a photo, and most people just throw them out anyway.... Martha Stewart for Kodak may just have to do.

Being weird

My mom has managed not to say anything too weird these last few months, but that is over I guess. Our conversation:

me: Oh hi Mom! We just watched "Marley and Me" it was sad but so funny.

mom: Didn't that FREAK you OUT how she KEPT having miscarriages???

me: Um, she just had one miscarriage... and I am in the 2nd trimester now so...

mom: Oh

me: Anyway, I am really starting to show this week!

mom: That's ridiculous. You aren't supposed to show until 3 or 4 months.

me: I am 3 and a half months.

mom: Oh, well.

14 weeks!

I have been SOO awful and not written in forever. We were away last week for a wedding and I have taken some time off from the internet world of pregnancy. The 1st tri board at The Bump got SO negative and mean that I just couldn't take it anymore. It just made me too depressed to read the happily snarky comments, the insults, the stupid Bratz cartoons, ugh. I found myself wishing that some of these women would get listeriosis themselves for making fun of everyone who asks questions about cheese and deli meat and that is just awful, so I had to remove myself for awhile. It's not that I can't take it, why would I want to take it? If common pregnancy questions are so annoying too you because you read SO many a day, step back and stop reading them all day. Pregnoology tickers aren't allowed, but even bigger signatures full of tickers, badges, photos, and cartoons are fine. Ugh! Sorry! I am not getting sucked in to the negativity! I know that some women are bored and frustrated and like to let out their emotions on the internet, but I am not one f those people. I love my life and run an amazing company and am at the top of my profession and have to deal with teenagers and fashionistas crap all day. At the end of it, I do NOT want to hear grown women being petty and disgusting to each other. I am in 2nd tri now (YAY!) so maybe that board is better. I have also joined Baby Center which, so far has had no offensive content.

ANYWAY, our trip down south was good and my stomach popped out more while we were away! I packed 3 pairs of pants, but ended up only being able to wear the maternity jeans and sweater. And my dress for the rehearsal dinner looked ridiculous! I didn't try it on before we left because it is just a cute little empire waist floral thing that I didn't think would look much different. I was wrong! My boobs didn't fit in the boob part and my stomach made the whole thing quite a few inches shorter and I felt so awkward. It was the first time I could really see how my body is changing and it was a little weird. We went to the mall one day with the ILs but there were no cute maternity things at all. Motherhood maternity was totally gross, but I got some adorable boat shoes at the department store with little sea horses on them for the summer (yes, for me not the baby).

First GAP Maternity outfit arrived!

I got am email saying they had 25% off all the sale stuff so I rushed on to finally get something. Of course, all the sale items were sort of random sizes - XS and XL - and no long skinny pants. So I went ahead and got the secret belly panel jeans and a lightweight black sweater. They arrived yesterday and they are SO cute! The jeans fit really well - a size 2 tall is perfect. I am really more of a 4, but I know Gap runs big. The length is perfect - good for flats and sneakers but do-able with low heels as well. They are a little loose in the thighs so I have some room to grow. :) The sweater is cute, not very maternity ( I got an XS) but just a little extra long and stretchy. I feel oh-so-put-together in my new outfit and now I am inspired to order more!

NT Scan & Diapering

We had the NT scan on Tuesday, I have just been too busy to write about it yet because I am actually felling better YAYYY so I have actually been out and about doing things!
The doctor was a grumpy old Indian man who I was not a huge fan of, but oh well. The table was sort of against the wall in a corner so I was to tall for it and had to have my legs sort of up on the wall. There was an internal US - which I inserted MYSELF (weird?- better than him I guess) AND an external. We were there for about 2 hours waiting for the baby to move the right way so he could get the measurements he needed. Apparently it is because I have a tilted uterus which makes things more "technically difficult". I asked if he could see the sex at all and he snapped at me about having to do what he needed to do first. Whatever, seeing the baby kicking around and seeing its bones and spine and ribs and little fingers was the most amazing thing. Glad he isn't my regular doctor.
My baby research of the week has focused on diapering. At first DH and I were not into the idea of cloth at all. But of course, after researching and seeing the creepy chemicals put in diapers and how awful the plastic is for their skin, I just don't think I can do that to the baby. Or the planet. We will see, I think I will buy some cloth all in ones, and a few packs of Seventh Generation as well and see how it goes. Maybe cloth at home and SG when we are out and about? Even my mom who is a total hippy isn't into the idea. She said she tried it with me and it was gross and soggy and gave me a rash anyway, but I don't know. I think they have come a long way in the last 30 years, and once she sees how cute they are....

12 weeks baby

It has been a pretty good week, with a minor scare and still plenty of throwing up. I had my 2nd appointment on Thursday and the doctor couldn't find the heartbeat anywhere at all. I almost had a heart attack. I think that reading the forums is not really a good thing sometimes. I feel like I am preparing myself for the worst. When she couldn't find the heartbeat I just thought "And now it is happening to me." She asked if I had any spotting OR taken the Zofran (Hmm why did she ask that? Conspiracy theory kicks in. Thank God I didn't.) Luckily we were able to just trot over to the ultrasound room where she did a quick external and there it was! It moved around when she prodded my belly and I had her make sure the heartbeat was OK so she turned the sound on as well and printed out a pic for DH. He was still looking for parking so he missed the whole thing luckily. The appointment was so quick I called and told him to forget parking, pick me up and let's go get pizza!
The other news from the appointment was that I am still losing weight. I am down to 120 (I am 5'10") so I need to eat more. The doctor wasn't concerned, I am sure she is used to skinny NY women. I am eating as much as I can, but I am not about to sacrifice my and the baby's health by eating fast food full of chemicals and antibiotics. Not that anyone is suggesting that, I am just saying. The things I read that some of the women on the forums are eating.....This is a time when I am especially glad we don't have Drive Thru's everywhere.
My Dad sent me an email to help with the weight gain. He suggested bacon and butter sandwiches, beans and rice, and beer. Not sure if the beer part was a joke or not...



Yesterday we signed up for our CSA farm share for the summer. I am sooo excited. Fresh local fruits, veggies and flowers ALL summer! No grocery store! I have been daydreaming about the summer and going down to the park with dogs to pick up our produce every weekend, maybe stopping by the bread and cheese shop and eating heirloom tomatoes and watermelon. Then after the baby comes we can stroll it over there and enjoy the early fall, play in the park, pack the bugaboo with our fall produce - squash and pumpkin and kale...
Right next to the park there is this col cafe/ grocery called Urban Rustic. We stopped by yesterday for a sandwich and fresh juice. They use all local farms and it is so delicious. Right next store to that is the baby/ child hangout place of the neighborhood. I guess it has a play room and food and is just a place to hang out with your baby. I was checking out the moms and the strollers.. looking for new future friends! I think they have mom groups who meet there as well. :)
Wow, my entries are so long. How boring! Maybe I will try to post a few times a week instead!