31 Week Update

This Saturday I clocked in at 31 Weeks and a whopping....wait a minute. Did you actually thing I was going to post how much I weigh on the internet? What I will say is that I'm inching closer to outweighing my husband and I just bought a pair of jeans in a size four times larger than what I used to wear. At first the weight gain was a little hard to cope with. I felt selfish that I was obsessing over a too tight pair of jeans rather than focusing my energy on the baby growing inside of me. But once I passed that in-between stage (the one where people glance at your belly and then look away because they're not sure if you're pregnant or just fat) I began to feel much better about my weight. My thighs and butt are bigger—and they might even stay that way, but I'm ok with that. I like the way I look when in the mirror.

A word on the few things I don't like: The swollen hands and feet, back aches and excessive exhaustion that comes from doing ordinary, everyday tasks. I'll be looking forward to kissing you goodbye in two months.
 

And we're looking forward to dressing our little baby up in these adorable NFL onesies. They were a gift from my shower last weekend, which I will share more about as soon as I upload the images. Stay tuned!

XOXO 

28 Weeks

We're officially in the third trimester! Since I don't have my professional photographer on hand to snap a quick photo of my belly, you get this lovely self portrait I took in the bathroom on Saturday. So far I feel great, but every time I say that to anyone they say, "just wait......" Yup. I know it's going to get harder to put my shoes on, I know my nights will become less restful and I know that my body will begin to get more and more uncomfortable. There's no need to burst my bubble, people! Let me stride around on my still skinny ankles for as long as I can!

With only 12 weeks left, we have turned the baby preparations into high gear. We're currently taking a birth class, have toured the hospital and have successfully purchased a crib that is structurally sound and chemical free! I still have a checklist a mile long, but I feel like we're getting there. I haven't posted much about our house hunting recently, but that's getting there, too. I'll hold off on the details till everything's final (don't want to jinx it!). But I'm hopefully we'll have a new home for our little baby in no time. 

99 Days To Go!

Ninety nine days till baby! I can hardly believe that I have entered the double digit countdown. I feel no more prepared to take care of another human than I did six months ago. Plus, I still have nowhere for a tiny baby to sleep. (Not entirely true, our crib has arrived and is sitting at grandma's house in pieces in a box.) The number of days may be on the decline, but the numbers on the scale certainly are not! I can no longer button my favorite Laundry jacket! And the timing could not be better as tomorrow is officially the first day of fall!! Tonight we're going to the Yankees' game so I'm planning for chilly temps. Maternity jeans and layers, and my un-button-able jacket. No Yankee gear for this Boston girl! I feel a little goofy wearing a jacket that won't close, but I kind of over it.   

What are your plans for this weekend?

We Are Not Finding Out The Sex of Our Baby!!!

We are not finding out the sex of our baby.

GASP!

It's usually the first question people ask us, and the responses typically vary from, "I could never do that, I'm such a control freak." to "I'm such a planner. I needed to know what colors and clothes to buy." I get it. We live in a society with a got-to-have-it-now mentality. We're all inpatient. I am, too. I'm a control freak and I'm a planner. I just can wait to find out the sex of my baby.

I'll tell you why it was an easy decision for me: I'm excited about the surprise. When Christmas rolls around you won't find me snooping through closets looking for hidden gifts. And you certainly won't see me tearing through wrapping paper on Christmas Eve because I just can't wait. I like to savor the what's-under-the-tree surprise for as long as I can. The sex of our baby is a lot more valuable information than what's in a gift box, but I'm applying the same logic here. Finding out in the doctor's office feels like cheating. I want to learn the sex of our baby the old fashioned way.

While I knew I wanted to keep the sex a surprise long before I even thought of having a baby, I was almost certain that it would be a long, hard wait. But it's really not. For starters, not all baby stuff comes in pink or blue. The really, really important stuff that we need to have ready before we head to the hospital—like a car seat and stroller—come in gender neutral shades like gray and black. In fact, other than one Graco stroller that came in purple, I didn't see many baby travel accessories or seating options that came in gender specific colors.

Nursery prep proves to be more of a challenge but I'm ready to tackle that, too. There are very few cute gender neutral bedding sets out there. And I have clicked on the "It's a Surprise" tab on many company's websites only to be shown the same blue crib sheets that are also listed under, "It's a Boy!" Huh? Luckily, I'm not dying to buy an entire bedding set. I'm more of a mix-and-match type of gal. And I'm also planning to skip the side bumper since many doctors say these are dangerous for babies. Right now I'm designing the perfect sanctuary for us. I plan to use peaceful shades of white to create a room that's just enjoyable to sit in at all hours of the day and night. I don't really like any of the boy-centric zoo animals or the girly butterfly quilts that are stocked at most baby stores anyway, so not knowing the sex has not made nursery planning impossible.  In fact, I would probably keeps my plans the same if we did find out!

The one thing that not knowing does make difficult is clothes shopping! I know that I don't need to start off with a TON of clothes. Baby will likely spend his or her first few weeks is snugly onsies. I hear that most babies grow so fast those first weeks that they are onto the next size range before most moms can change the laundry. But I really love clothes and I want to start buying mini-sized versions of my favorite things!

I guess I'll just have to practice my patience and wait. We'll get our surprise, and then I'll get to buy baby clothes! And what's the rush for anyway? After all, aren't baby clothes and nursery colors just a minor thing in all this? Isn't having a beautiful, healthy child what we want? I do think so! Till our baby comes I'll just have to direct my inner control freak towards other baby matters—like obsessing over the birth date!

What do you think? Am I crazy for not finding out the sex? What would you do?

Follow the Wife is GROWING!

If you can look past my filthy mirror you can see that I mean growing very literally.

New furniture is being ordered, many doctors are being seen and all jeans have been abandoned for stretchy leggings. I typically don't take my own official pregnancy shots, but I didn't like how my camera man captured my hips this month.

Where did those hips come from?!

I really enjoy being pregnant. Not only do I love any excuse to buy new stuff (yes, even sports bras) I really love how special it feels to be growing a baby. Plus, strangers have started to notice, and ask me if I'm feeling alright and open doors for me. That makes me feel extra special, too. I don't want that part to end.

There are, however, a few parts of my old life that I miss. Mainly the wine and reckless coffee drinking. But I was a little surprised to learn how quickly I'd outgrow my (one-size-fits-all, yea right) Hanky Panky underwear. Let me tell you, it's a depressing day when you realize your underwear is too small!

I'm excited to share more pregnancy adventures—from the nursery and the continuation of our house hunt to my constant thoughts about cake and all other bakery related items.

XOXO

Connecticut Beach Weekend

A weekend at the Connecticut shore was exactly what the doctor ordered. Our little trip was perfect because we didn't have to travel far (35 minutes tops). It's so exciting to take a mini-vacation in your own backyard. You get to experience so many interesting places you might not have noticed before. We've been to the beach in Westbrook so many times, but we never stopped for the hot buttered lobster rolls at Edd's.

It's a good thing this delicious meal is not too far from home. I think I could eat one every night.

Instead of spending hours packing and traveling, we got to spend that time with family. We watched the sunset, we woke up and went for walks and we ate a ton of seafood. I loved waking up two days in a row with nothing to do but read my book by the ocean.

My shoreline vacation may be over, but the excitement is not. I'm headed to Logan airport tomorrow night where my parents and I will welcome my brother home. We're so excited he's back and we're going to celebrate the best way we know how—with more great food. See you in a couple of pounds, my friends!

XOXO 

How to Bounce Back

Here's my remedy for home buying pains: Go to the beach.

That's all.

Grainy self portrait on the beach. I took this right after our last offer was rejected.

It's going to be a beautiful weekend and there is a lounge chair at the Water's Edge Resort in Westbrook with my name on it. The doctor has ordered a vitamin D IV. So I'm packing up my bathing suit, my book and some SPF 30 and heading down route 95 for some sun therapy.

Last time we had an offer rejected, we got right back on the horse and started looking for new listings. Well we're kind of doing that, but I have to admit that my heart's just not in it yet. I need to take a home buying time out. After the inspection report came in I was reluctant to give up on the house. The next day my worry had turned into a bad feeling. I realized withdrawing our offer was the best thing to do. I'm ok leaving the house behind. (I know, I know. There will be others.) However, I'm still really attached to the town. I'm still really attached the cute street and the pretty field across from it. I got excited when I saw how excited our cousins were when they heard we'd be moving near by. And I got excited when they told me how awesome trick-or-treating was on our block. (Trick-or-treaters don't come to apartments. I missed that living in New York.)

Instead of think about what I'll be missing come October, I'm going to indulge in the summer. I'm going to focus on the right now. After all, it's about the journey, not the destination. (<---Look! An uplifting quote that is not annoying me. All hope is not lost.)

I know this is all par for the course, and a real estate deal gone south is not the worst thing that can happen. But if you've ever been in my shoes I'm sure you understand what a frustrating process this can be. Tell me, how you deal with minor let downs in you life?