shower me with love

the last couple of weeks have been so incredible - filled with family, baby shower and of course, uber nesting. my mom, lily and elizabeth put together my baby shower and it really was perfect. the presents are too cute and certainly drummed up the quintessential baby shower  "ooo's" and "awww's. we got to spend time with baby bean's cousin, cameron - the little smiles and laughs (usually generated by mommy and daddy doing something ridiculous, of course) just make your heart melt...

now, we are just about 37 weeks. that means we have about 3 weeks to go! holy crappppp. really though, we are very ready.  i just cannot wait to hold the little bean in my arms... and, sleep on my stomach again!! and, eat sushi. and, drink some delicious vino.  i couldn't sleep the other night and decided to head to her room and do some reading in my comfy chair; there is something so calming about being in there. it is amazing to think that in 3 weeks or so she will be laying in the crib in that room and rocking with me in our chair.  wow.

baby shower <3

cousin cameron in mad sq park

36.5 weeks - she is about 5 pounds 11 ounces!!! wow

maternity pictures

the unofficial end to summer is here and there is a very distinct scent of fall in the air.  pumpkins, crisp mornings, apple cider, great hair weather, pretty clothes (aka sweaters and more places to hide my ever-expanding self)... i think this is my favorite season, though it always seems far too short. and, it is quite perfect that our lady will be joining us in the peak of beautiful fall... (and, yes, i would have said that about any season).

the real reason i decided to post today was not to share how much i love fall, but to show some of our maternity pictures. i really didn't think i would do these, but mike asked me to which is too freaking cute so done and done.  hubs loves the pregnantista, apparently. we had such a fun time doing them (think background music and mike making faces at me when i am trying to be serious); i got to pretend i was a hot model for a day... er, um... so, i will leave the hot model ones out for everyone's benefit, but here are a couple for everyone's eyes :)

summer countdown

the last few weeks have been filled with visitors, vacation and family time... winding down august and soaking up the last rays of summer.  tommy finished his internship (he had been staying with us in baby a's room) and kelly and kristy came shorty thereafter to take over. we toured the whole city, ate tons, saw movies and, of course, shopped - i was full on pooped!

mike and i spent some time out in jersey (with riley in tow), which was really nice. my mom and i did some baby girl shopping out in short hills - so so much fun! and, after a couple of days, we left our furbaby with his nana and pop/sheppy and headed to amagansett for a week.  the weather was perfect until hurricane irene had to come spoil our fun, but honestly, i was very excited to get back to OUR bed; i have learned pregnancy is not so flexible in the bed and pillow department.

vacation at the beach was so relaxing. every morning we headed to the beach with coffee and breakfast and just hung out in the am sun. the mornings are just so beautiful! mike took some pretty impressive naps (get it while you still can, hubs) on the beach and in the hammock. we read, ate tons of ridiculously delicious meals, saw friends and were well into veg mode. it was so nice to spend real time together and mark this as our last official vacation before our little tigress takes over and we soon barely remember life without her. 

with just about 7 weeks left on our countdown, we are just busting at the seams (ok, maybe it is more my belly than anything). baby bean's room needs some fatherly and grandfatherly touches, which will be most of our labor day weekend plans - using tools that manly men use, of course. it feels like the last couple of miles in a marathon (again, this may be my belly talking), not that i have ever run a marathon.

i have been feeling really great aside from the sleeping, which i believe is nature's way of just getting you ready for what is to come. heart burn or acid reflux (i don't know the difference) have found their way into my life, but are pretty mild and probably my own fault because i love summer tomatoes so much. mike can now see her move (i have been able to for a while, but probably because i can feel her, too). ricky, brandon, kelly and kristy all felt baby bean kick me - i loved the look on each of their faces.
baby bean is so very active and about 3.75 lbs right now. the last time the doctor saw her, he said she was about 3.5 lbs and he thinks she will be about 7 lbs when she is born. i will take 7 lbs gladly - please keep the number 8 at bay for baby #1!! thanks for understanding. xx

30 weeks - on the highline

31 weeks - daddy just wanted an up-close :)

my girlies - 31 weeks

32 weeks - montauk

things we do on vacation :)

11 weeks and counting down...

with only 11 weeks to go (which means we are 29 weeks), it feels like life is in fast forward.  summer always seems to slip away and adding the anticipation of this little bundle... buckle up.

baby a has been very active lately. her kicks have evolved into what i call waves; it feels like she rolls her whole body right against my belly.  i can see it now (but not freaky alien stuff yet).  she is 2.5 lbs now and she is moving day and night - but, not so much that she is keeping me up (yet). i saw her last week at the doctor and she is still there!

mike and i have been really spending our weekends and time together checking off our baby bucket list (things that won't be as easy to do when the munchkin is here), going to see movies, spending the day in brooklyn, going out to dinners, heading to the beach, taking little trips - in august we have a week out in amagansett. and, i dream of the day i can have a couple of glasses of wine!!!

with her bedroom coming together, i wanted to show off our bedding... i loved washing it and putting it on the bed just to see what it would look like in the room. enjoy :)

crib with sheet and comforter

29 weeks! i didn't measure around, but i feel like i am toting around a heavy ass beach ball

changing table with cover to match the bedding :)

lobster roll - i may not be able to enjoy sushi, but i got lobsta

delivery!!

our last doctor appointment told us we needed to be ready even sooner than we thought -- our new due date: october 18, 2011! only a couple days sooner than we thought, but this is why i like to plan, plan, plan.
speaking of planning, the pieces of baby a's room are coming in. first, it was just pictures for the wall. then, came her mattress. today, her crib and dresser/changer (which are awesome).  granted, we still have all of our old stuff (while tommy is still bunking up with us these next couple of weeks and then kelly and kristy) so her room is quite crammed at the moment... but have some vision, will you?
so, as of yesterday, we are 27 weeks along - that means 13 weeks to go until we get to meet our little bundle. i have cleaned all of the clothes we have gotten and started putting them in her drawers - things are so tiny! mike tells me MY shirts are small...

each step has been so exciting in its own right. it is totally wild to think that she just has no idea how much planning and time has gone into everything. from meeting her pediatrician to perfectly organizing her outfits to picking out the colors to what seems like 100 doctor appointments for me, there is a reason she takes 40 weeks to come out (surely so we can have time to make her room perfect, right?). 

beach babe

last weekend (22 weeks), we took our last flight before the little baby is born - our remaining trips are within a couple of hours driving just in case. naturally, we went to the beach and soaked up some sun :) i didn't really think i would be the bikini-wearing-preggers, but apparently, i am. 
i have to say that at this point in pregnancy (i am speaking from 23 weeks, still have 17 to go), it is really fun. i feel good and my energy is fine... and people aren't afraid to ask me if i am pregnant! woohooo. (internal high five)

baby a's room is on its way - the smaller pieces are coming in - making it all very, very real. the big pieces are picked out and we should be all set up well before she arrives (hopefully). it has been very fun to decorate and i am hoping my mental images actually pan out the way i plan. but, let's be honest, our little princess won't mind if it isn't exactly as planned... and when she does, she will want to change it anyhow :)

22 weeks on the beach - proud daddy in the making

rocking the bikini :)

21 week peek

21 weeks... friday will be 22. the time is flying by! summer months always seem to get away from us, don't they?
well, monday, 6/13, i got to take another looksie inside my ever-expanding belly. the docs at the hospital wanted to check in on our baby girl's spine because last time she decided it was not going to happen.  sure enough, she was perfectly positioned to get a good shot of the spine (all looks great) and just before it was time for me to leave, she did a flip over so mommy could get a view of her face. it was as if she was saying "hey, mom, look how cute i am"... anyway, the picture and profile are just fantastic.
i looked at this one for a while and kept thinking it reminded me of ben, our baby nephew, when he was a little newborn guy. maybe i am crazy, but i guess we will know in a few short months. 
my waist is now measuring 32" (from 25"/26") and i swear it grows every night. mike and i are headed to south carolina for a beach weekend with some friends (carter, dana, harvey and natalie) and i will be rocking the baby bump bikini :) at least i don't have to suck anything in!!! (and i promise to get pics of mikey, too, shan)

21 weeks - reminds me so much of baby ben. sammy swears she sees hair, but???

21 weeks - 32" around :)

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xxx

ommm, we're half way there...

tomorrow is our official half way mark!!  mike and i got to see our little baby on the hospital big screen again today - this time for the anatomy scan.  we got confirmation that she is indeed a 'she' and we got to see her from tiny feet to kidneys to heart (144 beats a minute) to big, perfect head.

we have to go back in a couple of weeks for a follow up because she didn't want to let us peek at her spine.  instead, she showed off her yoga moves - legs stretched (quite impressively) over head - and kicked me hard and often. it was so neat to feel her kick and be able see her kick at the same time; for a moment we are in the same world.

the doctor liked everything he saw and told me that i look good, too (on the inside, but you know...). i was taking it easy at the doc's request these last few days, but looks like we are pretty much in the clear and i can get back to yoga and light workouts (just like our limber baby girl).

nomaste.

i can't wait to squeeze those baby legs

her lips look like she is saying "oooo" - impressed by her own moves, clearly

show off

3 day weekends rock my baby world

the sun is shining and it is unofficially summer... everyone is happy... and a 3-day weekend to boot!

the baby belly has popped (oh yes) and i am continuously shocked when i look in the mirror (mike makes fun of me for staring at my profile so much, but hey, he sees it more than i do!). i am no longer cubba girl, i am officially pregs! and with no more working out (doctor's orders as of 4 days ago), this is a growing fate i happily accept :) at 18 weeks, i was 30" around the waist (from 25"/26") an at 19 weeks i am 31"! i have finally retired my own jeans and moved on to dresses - it is too damn hot for pants anyhow.

this weekend, i went baby shopping with my mama (nana that is). it was a great day and my (long) list of needs is at least getting done. who knew a little one needed so much stuff? we still have lots to do, but i am loving the decorating and organizing and planning (go figure).
monday was lots of laying in the park (with mike) and taking it easy (baby bucket list getting checked off right and left). 

19 weeks, 31"

18 weeks - 30", baby!

baby shopping with nana <3

madison square park. lounging.

and she keeps growing...

our little baby (girl) weighs about 5 ounces now (17 1/2 weeks) and is around 5 inches long from head to bottom.  she is surely growing, and so am i! my baby bump is still possibly confused for a very large pizza i may have consumed on my own, but it has grown so much in these last couple of weeks - mostly in thickness (which nancy tells me is a sure sign of a girl).  i am still in my own jeans, but just barely and only because they stretch... and anyone that has seen me in tight clothes lately (you lucky few) can attest to the just barely.
since the pictures are just not doing it justice, i am measuring the difference now to really see how much i grow (and of course, tracking my weight - tons of fun).  i started at 25/26 inch waist and i am now (17.5 weeks) at 30 inches. i think i am tied with brandon!! wooohooo.

16 weeks

17.5 weeks and 30 inches!

it's a baby girl!!!!

mike and i went to the doctor yesterday and the baby looks healthy. in fact, the baby was in the perfect crunch form... starting fitness early, mommy likes. and, i begged the doctor to tell us the sex of the little one... and after showing us the toes, legs, head, and abdomen, he showed us her little v.  he slowly said, "so, i think it is... a... girl".  was the most drawn out sentence i have ever heard.
i was shocked. i really thought he was going to say boy... and thrilled.
IT'S A GIRL!!! HOLY CRAP... the decorating and dressing has already mentally begun.  bring on the purple!

14 weeks... see that belly grow

the weeks are flying by... i can't believe we are 14 weeks (3.5 months).  in 6 more months, we will have a little one - that is crazy and still does not register completely. for all those moments that it does not sink in, i just look in the mirror and look at my bump - i can't suck in at all and it is pretty hard. no matter how much i work out, my belly just keeps growing :)
no maternity/bigger clothes just yet - i don't know how much longer i will be able to say that! 

14 weeks - thicker around the belly for sure!

hospital sonogram (nuchal translucency) - 13 weeks

after a wonderful weekend with family and finally being able to share our secret, we had another sonogram. this time we went to the hospital, which obviously has much better equipment - the sonogram is so clear. you can see the little face - OUR little baby's face! hi, little baby a... mommy and daddy already think you are adorable.
the sonogram went well and the doctor was happy with what he saw.  please no more blood draws. thanks.

sonogram - 12 weeks, 3 days

our latest sonogram was today.  this time was even more intense for me (i didn't post the first one - it just looks like a blur) because we could really see the baby's body and head and little baby legs.  as we watched the monitor, we saw the baby move and kick a bit.  of course, the heartbeat was fluttering very quickly... just amazing. 

the doctor said we are about 12 weeks, 3 days (according to the size of the baby).

the little head is on the left (it looks like there is a little nose there) - the legs are on the right, but you can't see them in this pic. we saw the legs move and kick a bit.  

it's a bump, a baby bump...

the first trimester is almost over... with 2 sonograms (adding latest picture to next post) down and a definite baby bump in the works.  

12 weeks along - a bit more of a bump. this is post-italy and paris so i am thinking the extra carbs might still be contributing, but either way, i am def a little bigger! woohooo

                  

about 9 weeks along - a bump! so excited to see proof!!! 

about 6 weeks along - still somewhat flat belly. any pudge is my own :)

finding out

february 13, 2011. the day we learned we are pregnant... i took 2 pregnancy tests just to be sure and was still in total disbelief. it was especially emotional for me because this was the same day that my uncle, doug, died 2 years ago. overwhelming.