Thursday, May 26, 2011

This Week

Here's what I've been up to this week....





1. I made this Ina Garten panzanella recipe and proceeded to eat 1/3 of the bowl in one serving. For the sake of full disclosure this is a large Williams Sonoma mixing bowl. I have no shame. I followed the recipe to a T except I left out the capers, cut back on the bread because I was trying to be good, then decided I didn't care about being good and added some chopped mozzarella. This was SO GOOD. It would be the perfect, fresh accompaniment to a summer BBQ.


(Pardon the lazy camera phone picture. Laziness has been a recurring theme this week as I went to bed at 7:30 last night. That is by far a new record. In my defense I was so tired I couldn't even keep my eyes open and I certainly wasn't much fun to be around. I think it was just an isolated hormone-related incident as I feel much better today.)


2. My asexual love affair with Gwyneth Paltrow continued as I found this clip of her busting out the words from an early 90's rap song on a recent talk show. I've been known to rap a few verses myself but only after several poorly mixed cocktails and within the boundaries of my safe haven, Gainesville, Florida. Preferably at a little bar called Balls. Yep. Balls.


3. The first or second thing Madelyn tells me every single morning when she wakes up is "I wear pretty dress today, Mommy." She's such a girl's girl.


4. And lastly, I'm starting to accept that it really doesn't look like our house is going to sell. It doesn't matter how low we go with the price, we're almost at our rock bottom, and we're not getting any bites. Or any showings for that matter. So I'm moving forward with plan B which includes re-doing the living room and adding some playroom functionality to our current home office. Don't worry I'm bringing in a professional. But if you could say a prayer that we randomly come in to some money to help fund these little adventures it would be greatly appreciated ;)

Friday, May 20, 2011

M.I.A.

If you're wondering where I've been this week I can now tell you that I've spent the majority of the past four days within the safe confines of my bedroom battling my second stomach bug this pregnancy. I hope this isn't an indication of how this little boy is going to treat me when he gets older.

I first thought said stomach bug was food poisoning as I immediately became sick after eating some strawberries from the farm up the road. This caused me great pain (no pun intended) as those strawberries were damn good and I was immediately sad I'd never be able to buy them again. Until the next day when I found out Matt's mom had the bug too, so she clearly gave it to me when we had them over for dinner on Sunday. Score one for my beloved strawberry farm, zero for my immune system.

Now, almost four days later, I feel much better though am still living solely on a diet of soup, carbs, and Gatorade. Tomorrow I hope to get back to my normal pregnancy diet of carbs, cheese, and ice cream...kidding, kidding.

Hope to be back to normal tomorrow and proving some slightly more interesting posts next week ;)

Friday, May 13, 2011

Refurbished Perfection


Feast your eyes on this gorgeousness. And no I'm not talking about Keri Russell's perfect hair though that is the first thing that struck me about these photos.

Check out her Brooklyn Brownstone. She and her contractor hubby completely redid the entire thing using mostly refurbished and sustainable materials. It's stunning. Girl knows how to decorate, and having a hubby who knows how to build stuff doesn't hurt either. I love the neutral palette and soft textures. And I really need that tufted ottoman for my living room.

And while we're on the subject, I also really love her worn jeans and rolled up oxford. She looks so "Oh I just came back from the farmer's market and didn't expect you" yet in a way that doesn't make you hate how stunning she is.






Call me, Keri. We can talk furnishings and hair products. I'll bring the wine.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Thrifty Thursday

This is how it all started a few weeks ago. We found out we were having a little boy and suddenly the five bins of pink clothes in the garage would no longer be necessary.

So I brought them all in and sorted them into the bags and bins you see above. And this is what Matt came home too one night after work. Sadly these conditions don't really phase him anymore as it's not unlike me to suddenly reorganize the kitchen cabinets or Madelyn's closet. In fact, I think he'd be more worried if I wasn't engaging in this borderline obsessive behavior.

Anyways, I sorted Madelyn's old clothes into piles, lamenting over each little ruffle and embroidered stitch and wondering how shopping for a boy could ever be fun. I laughed, I cried, I organized like a maniac. And here's where we ended up.


  • 1 bag of the clothes I just can't part with because they're so stinken cute I want to keep them forever and them embarrass her with them when she gets older

  • 1 bag of clothes that are gender-neutral enough for our sweet boy

  • 2 stuffed-t0-the-brim trash bags for Goodwill

  • 1 bin of super cute items I want to keep for my friends who have girls

  • and 1 bin of items to take to the consignment shop
So a few weeks ago I pranced up to the local consignment shop to see how much I could get for my goodies and ended up making about $30! Not too shabby! What did I do with that $30 you ask? Why I turned right around and spent it on boy clothes!

Here's a picture of my loot, including two Ralph Lauren items WITH tags that I got for $5.95 each.





And yes, that spagetti strap top on the left is a ruffly floral number for my first born. Hopefully at some point between now and when she turns 35 I'll actually be able to stop showering her in ruffles. Luckily, I've got time.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Here we go



First belly picture- 20 weeks.



More notable to me than the pointy-looking belly in this picture is the fact that I was wearing a long sleeve shirt and scarf last week because it was chilly and today it's 90.


Anywhoo--I got to see our sweet boy this morning and he's quite the little gymnast! He literally didn't stop moving the entire ultrasound and spent a good part of it with his legs and feet up over his head. Maybe he's already practicing for when I put him in his bouncy seat and make him watch me do yoga.


We were thrilled to get a good report from the doctor and reassurance that he's growing and thriving and appears healthy! Just like his mama who has put on SEVEN pounds since her last check up a brief four weeks ago. I'd like to say those are all in my boobs but I fear that's not the case.


On another note, anyone watching my girl Bethenny's season finale tonight?! I'm going to try my best to stay up for it and not go to bed at 9 like the geriatric I'm quickly becoming. Wish me luck!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

The second time around

Being pregnant the second time is vastly different from the first.

For beginners, no one really fawns over you like they did the first time. It's kind of like getting pregnant the first time was an amazing emotional accomplishment and this time is more like the predictable movie sequel.

You're much (emphasis on the much) more tired because you already have a toddler to take care of. And if they're anything like mine, they insist on a game called "run mommy, run!" all. over. the. house. The first time you got to rest whenever you wanted because the only person you really had to take care of was yourself, and all that really meant was eating and sleeping. And getting pedicures because there was plenty of time and no way you could feasibly reach your toes yourself.

The first pregnancy you anxiously read emailed baby updates every week and thumb through "What to Expect When Expecting" daily relaying the most interesting and shocking tidbits to your husband, parents, friends, etc. You take pictures of your growing belly every week documenting its growth to the day. The second pregnancy no one really asks how big the baby is this week or how you're feeling, and you're so busy with your already child-filled life you realize at nearly 20 weeks you haven't taken one belly picture.

The first time you plan the nursery months in advance, playing close attention to every detail, safety precaution, product recall, and SIDS warning. Today I realized I'd rewritten "choose nursery paint color" on my to do list for the third week in a row because I just haven't had a chance to do it. And it would probably take me 4 minutes.

The first time you wouldn't even think of touching caffeine, excess sugar, (wine, ahem), or lunch meat. The second time you enjoy the occasional glass of red, you eat feta, and you suddenly subscribe to the mentality that a little caffeine never hurt anyone. It's like once you've been blessed with a healthy baby you become incrementally less worried about the next and just assume everything will be fine. Though I don't think my current consumption of candy corn is helping anyone.

You're also more emotional. Like, a lot more emotional. Because the first time you're excited but you have no idea what being a parent means, or the emotional connection you'll have with your child. This time you know exactly how meaningful it is and how deep an impact it has on your life which makes it even more amazing and awe-inspiring. And tear-inducing. When I saw our little boy on the screen a few weeks ago I immediately started bawling so badly the technician had to stop what she was doing and get me a tissue. I never once cried at one of Madelyn's ultrasounds. I didn't quite get it yet. Now it just blows me away.

I'd say the second time I feel much more lucky, because I realize what a tremendous honor it is to not only be Madelyn's mother but also what it will mean to parent our sweet baby boy. I'm more relaxed, because I don't have the extra energy to stress and worry. And I'm trying to cherish every minute because I see how quickly Madelyn has gone from a baby to a little person, and I know with two it's not going to get any quieter around here :)
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