28 Weeks and Baby Pictures

Well, 28 weeks has come and gone and I feel like a whale.

The end.

Ok, so I don't really feel like a whale... I really feel more like an elephant. Or a Hippo. But on the brighter side of things, I'v never had this firm a stomach in my whole life. And I like it.

There are really no new things to report other than that I am officially out of non-maternity clothes. I'm still wearing non-maternity yoga pants, but that's why people wear yoga pants - so things can expand without too much shame. Some people argue that you actually do Yoga in them, but I know the truth.

I have also been experiencing some Braxton-Hicks contractions, but that's pretty normal for this point in my pregnancy. And thanks to my lifetime supply of Coco Butter body lotion, I've gotten this far with relatively no stretch marks. The downside to applying copious amounts of lotion that smells like maple syrup several times a day is that I have a strange craving for waffles and pancakes. So far, we've made one 9:00pm (on a Tuesday night) run to Bob Evans for the biggest stack of blueberry pancakes you ever did see.

I love being pregnant. I feel fantastic and although it's fun to, well, poke fun at the strange things that are happening to my body, I'm enjoying every second.

We got to see our little Peanut on TV this week which has been one of the highlights of my pregnancy! Since they couldn't get a good picture of him at our 20 week appointment, when we found out Peanut was a BOY, they brought us back to get some better pictures of him. I'm so thankful. He's starting to fill out now and look like a baby. It's incredible how much he's grown in just 8 short weeks. He was blinking his eyes, moving his mouth and even shielding off the paparazzi...uh, I mean ultrasound technician. He's quite the mover, but I do fear that he thinks my ribs are a set of drums.

Anyway, I was able to figure out my scanner so you could see some of the pictures we got. There were a bunch more, but these were the best.

His face is burried back there a bit. You can see his nose and his adorable cheeks!

Baby is like his Mama. Chubby cheeks and chubby hands. Apparently, I had pretty chubby cheeks and hands as a baby. We couldn't tell if his pinky was crooked or not. All the Barrick men have crooked pinky fingers.

Did I mention our child has very chubby cheeks?! This must be the first body part that is gaining fat right now because everything else was pretty thin. Except for his cheeks. Perhaps our little peanut will look like this again when he's 95? Toothless grin and all...

And another shot from above. I love him already.

For all those wondering, we HAVE a name picked out, but we're keeping out lips sealed until he arrives. It's safer that way. No babies. Wait...

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!

Baby on the Brain

It's sinking in. As I slapped some "green," Non-VOC paint on the walls on Saturday, it was hitting me. He was going to be here soon, and painting his room made it more real to me. I had Dave Matthews on my Pandora station, and he was kicking away....probably soothed by painting movements. He likes music. Perhpas he'll be a Dave Matthews fan like his Mama and Daddy. Bobby hung the curtains the next day once the paint had dried, and I just watched. He was so eager to be doing such a simple task - only because he was doing it for his son. The whole time we sat in his room, Bobby and I talked... "what if he comes out with blond hair?" "What happens if he gets in serious trouble as a teenager?" "How do we develop a strong relationship with him without losing respect as a parent?" We bounced around life questions for our sweet boy that afternoon.

When the curtains were hung, Bobby brought up the freshly painted, vintage bassinet, given to us by my mother. We put it in the room and both stared down into it for a while. I think the same thing was running through both of our minds: in less than 3 months, that bassinet will be filled with the soft coos of our little, baby boy.

Cue freak-out/nesting stage of pregnancy. I bought 8 gallons of paint today in response.

No less than 10 minutes later, we were rattling off lists of things that need to get done before the baby gets here. I promptly hopped on Etsy (aka the black hole of the internet - it will suck you in) and bought some fun graphic prints to hang on the walls, along with a major element to the nursery to be revealed soon!

For now, here's a little taste of the nursery so far, along with my 27 week belly shot. I kick myself for not doing a more creative belly-growing-documentation, but I just ran out of time! Plus, I can only get Bobby to use the little point-and-shoot and that little baby doesn't do much. Oh well. Enjoy!

Ok... so a little growth in the belly area over the past 2 weeks, no?

Our (now) former guest room. Bobby calls it the "White Room with Black Curtains." Who can name that song?! Don't worry that the bed is still in there (Bobby made it, by the way). Once the basement is finished, it will be moving down there to go in the new guest room.

...aaand from the other direction. There's a walk-in closet through that door on the left.

After the first coat of paint (Have I told you how much I love Benjamin Moore paint? It's worth the extra cash. I've sworn off both Lowes and Home Depot paint after using Ben paint. This color is "Timothy Straw" for those wondering. The White color is called "White Chocolate." I must confess that I picked this color solely on the fact that it had "chocolate" in the title.)

Curtains are hung - (Pottery Barn's Linen Curtains in "Natural)

That's all for now! I got several items shipped in from Etsy this week, but we won't hang them until the furniture is in place. We are in the process of refinishing some dressers to go in the nursery. More on that project later. Now all that's left are a few odds and ends, a bookshelf and... oh yea, a CRIB, which will be going against the green wall. It's so fun to see it all coming together!

Brooklyn, Brooklyn Take Me In

I've recently discovered a band, called the Avett Brothers, on iTunes. I love their folksy sound and their piano skiiiillllsss. One of my favorite songs is called "I and Love and You." The chorus has been floating around in my head for a few days now, so I had to name this post after the line in the chorus...which also happens to be the only line from the song I know!

Oh well.

So before my Oreo incident of 2011 described in my last post, Bobby and I hit the big city for Christmas. It was everything I hoped it would be, and it was so romantic roaming the streets with Bobby. We held hands the entire time...mostly because he would be in big trouble if he lost me. One of the main things I wanted to do there was walk the Brooklyn Bridge. I'd seen it in movies and TV shows, and countless pictures. I love the chunky architecture of the bridge, and it's huge cables. I also have this insane fear of walking on bridges. I have numerous bad dreams of being stranded on a bridge and having to get down ONLY by sliding myself down the cables. Where that comes from, I don't know...

I digress.

The Brooklyn Bridge is just about the only thing I took actual pictures of during our trip. That's mainly the case because everyone I handed my camera to looked at me in bewilderment. "Yes, you have to actually look through the viewfinder to take the picture, not the stupid little screen that everyone uses now." I also felt like a major tourist carrying that thing around my neck, which was no dice, since I only had 3 days to act like a true New Yorker. I couldn't have the locals thinking I was some tourist or something! As if my pink hat and thin leggings didn't give me away....

Ok, lots of talk for just a few pictures. Here you go!

I love this shot of Bobby. He was so proud of himself for blending in well with the men in New York. He also ordered the same drink as Don Draper while at dinner one night.

Prego!

This was the exact shot I wanted, and pretty much the only reason I wanted to walk the bridge.

This is the other shot I wanted. Next time you visit my house, it may just be hanging in our family room.

View of the Manhattan Bridge from the Brooklyn Bridge.

View from the Top of the Rock. It was so bright that morning... The Statue of Liberty is wwwaaaaayyyy down on the right side of this picture in the middle of the river, not even visible in this picture. I guess I never realized it was that small and unimpressive!

Ahh, New York. I'll see you again someday soon.

The One With the Oreos

I sat at the kitchen island with a large {ok, VERY large} glass of milk with an unopened container of Oreos. An internal battle raging inside, I debated how many Oreos I could eat to go with my glass of milk. No refills, I told myself, which would only mean more Oreos. I opened the heavenly container and my heart was pleased at the neatly arranged chocolate sandwiches...all in their little rows, happily sleeping. I restrained myself by only buying the regular kind, instead of the tempting "Double Stuff."

Baby started kicking me. Perhaps he knew what was coming. A giant rush of sugar that would send him doing summer salts for hours. Don't do it, Mom, he was probably burbling in his newly forming brain.

I nicely picked out a modest stack (and by modest, I mean at least 5 or 6) of Oreos from the container, re-sealed the nice self-stick packaging, walked across the kitchen, and put the cookies back on the shelf where they belonged. I walked back across the kitchen, sat myself back on my now too-tall bar stool, crossed my legs indian style and took one last look at my stack of Oreos sitting next to my large, cold glass of milk. This moment wouldn't last long. Those Oreos never had a chance, poor things. Bobby started calling me from upstairs, and before he could make it downstairs to see why I wasn't answering him... it was gone. There was no evidence, except for the empty glass in front of me, some crumbs (which my countertop hides nicely), and a grin full of Oreos that got stuck in my teeth.

Bobby cocked his head to the side, threw a knowing glance at me, and played "The Lynda Card" (which is an inside joke for us...My Mom's name is Lynda, and every time she is somewhat disappointed in me, she always goes...."Mellliiisssssaaaaa" in a disapproving tone). "Mellliiissssaaaa...."

Guilty and caught red-handed. DOH!

"I just wanted some dessert!" I wined. "I'm PREGNANT. And I was craving OREOS, ok?!" My attitude suddenly sounded like a mouthy teenager. But I was ok with that.

That package of Oreos didn't last a week. The gallon of milk didn't last long either. It didn't help that my pregnant sister came down to help me polish off the package.

I haven't bought Oreos - or any sweets for that matter - since. I had mad heartburn that night, but it was all worth it. Oreos taste so much better when you're pregnant.

The End.

Ok, not really...because it's been 2 weeks since my last belly picture! Only 2 more weeks until I hit Trimester #3! So far, so good!

NYC from an iPhone

We're back...begrudgingly. We would have preferred to get snowed in while in the city, but we left too early.

Christmas in New York City was magical. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. Everyone is filled with wonder and good spirits...even the New Yorkers. The smells, the sights, the sounds at Christmas time in New York are to die for. The whole city is on display, and it did nothing but exceed expectations of what we knew we were in for.

Bobby is not a city fan himself, but I think I got him to crack. I went armed with some amazing restaurants to try, and he was happy...so was his stomach. Even if you are not a city fan, or fan of big crowds, don't let that deter you. It only adds to the atmosphere.

I took my big camera to NYC, but the first day realized that no one knew how to use it...so we couldn't get any pictures of Bobby and me together. So, we used our iPhones most of the time. In case anyone is wondering, I use a camera App that works just like a Polaroid camera. Once you take the picture, you actually shake your phone to help "develop" the picture! I love the 70's look it gives to my pictures. More and more, I've fallen in love with the look of old Polaroid photos. Classic. Anyway, the app is called "Shakeit" and I believe it's free or 99 cents.

Here's our big NYC adventure:

Radio City Music Hall theater.

Sweet Potato Pie and Cinnamon Ice Cream at Bar Americain (Bobby Flay's restaurant) on Christmas Eve.

Feeling oh-so-french for breakfast at Balthazar.

Chrysler Building from a distance. One of the most beautiful buildings in NYC.

Brown paper packages tied up with string? No... just Cartier. Wrapped in red twinkle lights.

Bobby at Bobby Flay's restaurant. Very happy after a large steak.

Balthazar. One of the best restaurants, located in SoHo.

Rockefellar Center Christmas Tree. Stunning.

On Top of the Rock with the Empire State Building in the background. It was cold beyond words up there, but worth it for the view!

One of my favorite pictures from this trip. Rockefellar Plaza at night under the hundreds of trees wrapped in tiny twinkle lights. This was our first night in NYC.

Radio City Music Hall at night. I love how this sign hasn't changed in 80 years.

On the Brooklyn Bridge. It was so cold and windy up here, but the view was amazing and the archetecture of this thing is incredible. I took a bunch of pictures with my big camera - to be posted soon. My husband is so adorable here. I love that he looks like a New Yorker here :)

On Top of the Rock (Rockefellar Center) with a view of the Empire State building.

Crumbs Bake Shop was just around the corner from our hotel. Bobby treated me to an Espresso Cupcake with the largest glass of milk you have ever seen. I didn't eat for the rest of the day...except for dinner, when we went to Bobby Flay's restaurant.

Very Happy Girl.

It took us a good hour to figure out how to get ON the Brooklyn bridge walking part. We had to make 3 bathroom stops before we actually got there. We also walked through China Town to get here. Has anyone told you that China Town just smells like fish? Rather unappealing to a pregnant woman.