Tuesday, May 18, 2010

"It broke"

My next blog post was going to feature all of the little things we have set up in the baby room. We have a few highlights in there we are excited about. However, Highlight #1 just pulled a chicken-little, and we have to try it again.

When we went to Mexico for a wedding in January, I begged David to haul home 2 painted sinks and a Mexican hammock - the kind that you sit in, as opposed to lying down. I sat in one, and it was sooooo comfortable, I thought it could work as a nice soothing place to rock/swing with baby.

So we got it set up. Hurrah.


And then it fell down. Sad.


I was downstairs working when it happened, and the whole house kaboomed. David has been worried about it since hanging it, and keeps sitting in it to test it. Last night, he heard kinks in the screw making strange noises as he felt the first sprinkles of plaster land on his head. This morning, he sat in it again, and waited. Legs crossed, just as you see him in this picture. And then it happened: he just fell. From the air. Onto the floor. Sad. And it's the hardest I've laughed this month.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Belly Photos: 30s Weeks

I was really bad and did not record when this belly photo was...so I'm thinking it was in the early 30-ish weeks. At this minute, I'm 35 weeks pregnant, and am in the stage of serious duplication, meaning, I'm just growing really fast. So, you'll still have to stay tuned for the up to the minute most recent belly photo. ;)

belly photo 30ish weeks
This is just before Easter, and just before I ODed on a lot of tempura from Sushi Samba. It was so good! But too much fried for this pregnant body. I got a little giddy at the store and bought some things to plant, like lavender, rosemary, and little purple daisies of different varieties. Exciting. Yes, I planted them as a pregnant lady, and yes, that did wipe out my back and hips and sent me straight into recovery aka bath.

belly photo painting the wall
Some question this - a pregnant lady on a chair painting a scalloped trim - but I went for it. Yes, it once again wiped out my back and hips, but I just had to do it. I cut out a scallop of the size I wanted, outlined it with chalk, and then painted in the lines. Might try to package this into a little product to sell to add to the stencil market. Was fun.


Yeah, so this is against the rules, but Oliver is used to trying out all new beds when they come in. Mom: You are not allowed to write any comments here in all caps about why this is not allowed. We are aware, and this was a good test run to see what his tenancies are. :) But it was darn cute. Are they going to be like the Siamese cats in Lady and the Tramp? We'll see...I've been training Oliver for being outside, and he's loving it. Dinah is easier, and she can't jump into things.

David and pac'n play
This is our seriously pimped out pac 'n play. They are all pimped out now, and it's a matter of what you want on top. David is operating out of the changing table attachment at the moment.

Here's what's been happening:

SHOWER
We had a little baby shower here at the house, and that really motivated us to make things nice. David touched up the chipped paint on the porch, bought a corn toss thing as a game in the back yard, I planted flowers, and we finished hanging pictures and such. We had some maternal belly dancing courtesy of Suzanne Caesar of Maternal Dance (ps, we are redesigning her website!), and delicious food from HomeSpun, our local and delicious cafe in Beacon. We are outfitted now with some childrens book classics, onsies and blankets, mysterious drug store items for me that I guess I'll soon learn about, and other things that make me feel calmer about at least having somewhere for the baby to sit other than the blank nursery. We didn't know that there were so many swings a baby can have - side-to-side, back-and-forth, and the bouncer. And that doesn't include the portable bassinet, and infant car seat that the baby can hang out in. All I can say is, good thing we moved. And darn, cats also like sleeping in these conveniently low to the ground empty baby seats.

STROLLER
This was a source of overwhelmedness for us simply because of the sheer volume of options and reviews. So many reviews! We ended up going with a BabyTrend jogging stroller with snap on car seat (not for jogging with newborn, but for inflatable tires, easy maneuvering, walking through grass and broken sidewalks). It looked pretty snug and safe, so, we shall see how this stroller pans out.

BABY MOVEMENTS
Baby is totally moving around, getting comfortable. The tush is on the right side of my belly, just sticking out like a little booty. I was on the train yesterday, riding into the city for a social networking conference, and was wearing a tight shirt. The baby was just swimming in there, and you could see lots of movement of my stomach! Kind of felt like I was that person in the movie with a secret alien in her stomach, but just pushed those thoughts from my mind. Lots of hiccups have been happening, and for the most part, the baby is in a good position, or so I hear.

HOSPITAL TOUR
So we have two hospitals - the one in the city with the Dr I love, or the one out here for the backup in case things go faster than we think and I know nobody (eesh). Also a point of stress for a few reasons, the main one being insurance. In the city, apparently, the private room may not be covered. But the one out here is, and it's ginormous and has a pretty view of the Hudson River and mountains. Of course the private rooms in the city have different prices for different views. Bastards. Also, apparently, it is possible for a medical person to come into your room, and bill you, and not be on your insurance. Maybe this mainly happens with anesthesia people. Not happy about this, and am making a sign that says: BLUE CROSS BUE SHIELD ONLY - ALL OTHERS KEEP OUT.

So that's the update!

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Belly Photo: 28 Weeks

Hey Everyone,
belly photo blueSince you've requested, here is an official belly photo. I'm not one to have belly pride, although now that I have one, I kind of get it. Otherwise, it's winter so I reap no benefits of being pregnant with people offering their seats to me because I'm in coats and big cumphy sweaters. Although I did just buy two books last night at Walmart (yes, we were at Walmart now that we don't live in the City, but we were really there for cheap spring curtain rods), and I dropped one of the books. When I dropped it, I just stared at it because this pregnancy has softened my bones and taken a lot out of my hips, so walking is a little less perky or strideful. A woman must have seen me staring, and just swooped in, picked it up and handed it to me. Very nice.

And yes, that picture is in the baby room, so that is the color of the wall, that in my mind, might become stenciled if I think I can do it...Not so much stenciled as free-hand...And that black band is the bella band, so it can keep my painter pants up.

And here is a picture of Oliver, on the belly. My mom thinks he is tracking a mouse in there, which is pretty much what it feels like.

belly photo oliver

Monday, March 08, 2010

Thursday, March 04, 2010

Operation: Dig Out the Bushes

These bushes were a bit much for me when we first moved in, but now I really like them. They smell good, are hearty, provide a wall of green, good times. But then the heavy snowstorm came (actually 2 back to back), and flattened them! The bushes in the front of the house are probably not going to make it and are brown, but they are a different type, and I'm cool with losing them. It gives a nice excuse to get a hydrangea bush or something flowering and wonderful.

But I look out my sunroom office window each day to see these bushes flattened, and I just want to dig them out! David does the whole driveway and plenty of other things, so I'm doing little baby shovel-fulls for the exercise. The baby wanted to breath winter air, but we only do it for a few minutes and then stop. Gerdy usually comes to supervise.

bushes covered
You can't tell what anything is here, but the bushes are on the right.

bushes covered
We're in the middle of a Big Melt, and I've gotten those bushes out so far. Otherwise, they'd still be stuck in ice and flat. A few raw branches where they just bent too far. In the foreground of this picture is a limb we lost from a tree on the side of the house, one of those decorative kinds. Maybe cherry blossom or something.

bushes covered
I uncovered enough snow from the top that the branches could pop out again, but they are kind of stuck that way now. The rest of the bush is under that snow.

bushes covered
To me, the bushes are saying: "Bla! Help me!" as they splay in every direction. Yes, that is a neighbor garage in the background that is slanted and falling over. We thought maybe the snow would bring it completely down, so that the insurance could take it away, but not just yet.

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Here's What I've Decided About Maternity Jeans an Shirts

That they will always be falling down. We bought the pregnancy jeans to be a size 3 (out of 1-3) because I'm a taller girl with love handles, so who knows what could happen.

paige skinny jean maternity pregnancyThe Page Skinny Jeans (which are not so skinny), that had the spandex elastic band, are fine and comfortable, but they just keep slipping. If I put the bella belly band on top of that, eh, it could help, but mentally, I don't want to double up on the elastic.



habituals skinny jean concept maternity pregnancyThe Habitual jeans are skinny, but have the two side pull elastics. I like those, but they really don't stay up either, and need the bella (belly) band. So that bella band is on my body almost every day. Get two. I thought I ordered the Habitual Knocked Up jean, but the skinny jeans came, and I'm totally happy with them.



A friend handed down to me another pair of Habituals, and these are not skinny, but more roomy and ultra comfortable, yet the waist is ultra big, so they really slide. Bella band to the rescue again to keep them in place.

The thing with shirts is this: though I'm not "eating for two" in the sense that I'm having 2 cheese burgers, my belly is not huge. Yet. At 28 weeks. So some of my old shirts do work, and I don't want to buy official maternity shirts, and I like wearing my old stuff. However. Today I've realized that it's the waist height that is the issue, not the stretch or fit up top or in the arms. These normal shirts are all waist long, and slide up over the belly button, so I'm constantly pulling it down. I also noticed this in my Maternal Dance video, where the work out ladies have long stretch t-shirts on covering their bellies. Much better because you don't have to think about how much slippage is going on.

RECOMMENDATIONS
My recommendations so far are:
  • Spring for the designer jeans. I'm glad I did (well, my mom did), as they are the perfect length (usually jeans are too short on me). I wear them every day, when not wearing stretch pants.
  • If you are going to exercise, get longer shirts. I didn't do this because it's winter and I've been doing DVDs and not jogging (personal choice), so I haven't been outside to need to look cute. But. If I were to go to a yoga class, I'd need longer shirts.
  • Get the bella band, for your old pants, and for your maternity pants that won't fit. The "rubber band trick" where you loop a rubber band around the button and through the hole didn't really do it for me, and pants still slid.
  • That bella band inventor is a genius. So simple, yet...Bravo for taking her idea to fruition!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Breathtaking Veil/Headpiece with Feathers from Bridal Designer Alisa Benay

Blogging is so fun - it means you get to serendipitously meet other bloggers who you learn are big fashion designers. Like Alisa Benay, designer of beautiful corset wedding gowns like you've never seen. When I was designing my wedding dress, and wanted to go the bustier route, she swooped with any advice. Well now she's also designing wedding veils and headpieces, and I'm in love with this one:

Feather wedding veil headpiece from Alisa Benay

This picture was taking during a photography workshop with Jessica Claire, and isn't it lovely.

Corset and English styled wedding gown from Alisa Benay

This wedding gown is one of my favorites from Alisa's 2010 bridal gown collection. I love the thin straps on the shoulders, with the low cut and ruching covering the bust. And the back scoop makes for a nice surprise for the train of the dress, and unique.

Sunday, February 07, 2010

Bump Alert - Pregnant in Mexico

Here is the latest bump. It was hard to find a picture because this dress, when lying flat, is fine, but sometimes the wind got under it and made me look extra pregnant. ;) Otherwise, I have a bad habit of wearing my old clothes that are just too small, but that I think work. Tee hee. For example: I actually no longer fit into my easy-peasy Victoria Secret shelf tanks. Otherwise, this was on our trip to a beautiful wedding in Cancun, Mexico.

Ok, off to do my Maternal Dance DVD, and maybe another video for some cardio. Then I think I need to book a maternal massage with Collective-E member Janet Markovits.

House Pictures - Livin' in the Vision

Hey Guys,
Ok, so here are some house pictures, to put to rest the "mystery house" it has now been dubbed by some. ;)

DISCLAIMERS:
1.) I am lazy and did not make pans, so you are getting slices of visions. David, on the other hand, would have taken 3 pictures for every 1 wide angle shot, and merged them together for you. That's why he's the professional locations manager.

2.) I put this off because not everything is perfect yet. We are 90% unpacked (which yes, drove me straight into a massage because this pregnant body became so stiff and sore), but it was worth it. But there are things we'd like to change, and...yada yada yada. But otherwise, it has been like moving into a clean, fresh canvas, ready for embellishments.

3.) It's too cold to go outside to take any pictures. We got no snow from that latest storm in DC and elsewhere. Not one flake.



Welcome to our home. This picture is if you walked into the front door, and could go left into the living room, straight into the kitchen, or up the stairs.


"The reverse" of that last shot. That is the front door that is always nice and sunny in the morning. Gerdy prefers to go outside to the front yard as opposed to the back, so she's out on the porch right now. On the left is our front hall closet, and on the right is our attempt to catch shoes, but we hope to get something like a shelving unit or something better to put our mittens and keys and dog leashes on.


If you took a left at the stairs, you'd be in the living room. Cumphy, we think. And yes, both of those couches and the table were in our NYC apartment. You know what? We did need to leave behind a giant piece - my boudoir thing that held the TV, several drawers, and shelving for books. It was too massive to get out of the building! Wouldn't go down either fire escape stairs or the elevator. I have no idea how it got into the apartment, as it was given to me by a woman who had movers who wanted to place it. Our movers would have had to take extra hours to dis and re-assemble it. Now the next person in the apartment can have it just the same.


The dining room. This is the view from standing in the kitchen. And that door you see with china on display leads to...


A secret china closet! I put Gerdy's food in there, but Oliver already took advantage of when the door was left open, and ate his way into the bag. Darn him.


This is the kitchen. It is spacious, and to the right which you can't see, is a wall that David wants to "take down that wall" to open it up to the living room. For now...we are oddly at a loss for some drawers. We only have 1.5 drawers. The kitchen in our NYC apartment actually was generous with tall cabinets and drawers, so we had to get creative until we make some bigger decisions about what to do with this space that does not have drawers...As you can see, it's coffee time.


Gerdy, you blinked! This is the cat door to the basement that Oliver had to try out a few times before he felt comfortable. Luckily, he is not too huge to get through it. This leads to the basement, which exists in our minds as a workout room for David and a craft studio for Katie. Right now, it holds boxes and items to be moved to the Garage Sale that we will have come Spring. So no pictures yet. But. It *does* have a washer and dryer! Nothing could be more fun than that.


The reverse of the kitchen. We might replace that bookshelf of pots with an actual couter top situation, as the previous owners had it, but we need to decide on the overall look for the kitchen first. I'm kind of digging that greenish/blue shelf with the red pots...would be an extreme inspiration for something colorful, but I'm not sure David would go for that. So, we shall see...Many magazines to come for that look. That door at the ends leads to...


The office/sunroom. This is the office, and those bags are chocolates from our local chocolatier. Whew hew! I'm trying to keep it clean. My desk used to incorporate a lot of full time things on it, like a file box, bullitin board, inbox folder, etc. So I'm trying it with almost nothing on it, and I'm kind of liking...There are windows all around this room, in the shape of an L, so it's quite nice, and looks onto...


The backyard. To the left is a tool shed which is fantastic. We love it. Though we're not the handiest people around, it inspires us to learn. ;)

UPSTAIRS


Upstairs is my dressing room because the master bedroom has no closets. I did this mirror shot because it's a pretty small room, and I couldn't capture the whole thing. This dresser is one of several of my trash picks, so it will do for now. I'll probably re-paint it.


Sorry, but yes, this is the baby room. Moving on.


Bathroom.


Man room. This is the 3rd bedroom, serving as a guest bedroom and David's closet. We'll see about how to make it a guest room and a man room at the same time...


Bedroom. Ignore the taped on window covering. Still under construction in our minds of what we want - shutters or curtains.

Those are some pics for now! Favorite things so far about the house:
- Letting Gerdy outside on the porch.
- Doing laundry that is just a few steps away and doesn't involve quarters.
- Walking to town that is 1 minute away.
- Hearing about all of the people that our NYC friends know who live in Beacon, including several small business owners like the Pilates studio and little shop that sells lots of indie designers found on Etsy.
- Turning the heat on! But I think I dehydrated myself last night. No more cranking of heat at night.