Is this thing on?

So here we are. 2013. And it's been almost 3 months since my last entry. I'm beginning to wonder if I even know how to do this blogging "thing" anymore. To say I'm a rusty is a bit of an understatement! Clearly things are very much on with this blog, people are still reading and wondering & asking just where the hell I've been.

Well, I suppose my excuse is a pretty good one...we welcomed this lovely lady into our lives 9.5 weeks ago...

Miss Emmeline Clare arrived 9 weeks and 4 days ago! If you're doing the math, that makes Emme a Halloween baby. Her mom's least favorite holiday. She arrived via c-section at 10:57 p.m. weighing 8 lbs. 4 oz...bound and determined she'd make her mom learn to love Halloween for the rest of her life. I suppose there's no time like the present to put my thinking cap on & come up with some creative costumes and party ideas. Thank goodness for Pinterest, huh?

So let's see, we've been a little busy being parents these last couple of months, and adjusting to this new life of our's. It's challenging, exhausting and awesome all at the same time. Which explains this really long absence from the 'ol blog. I'm at a current loss for words and creativity when it comes to putting together a blog post after almost three months, so I'll let the pictures do the talking (beware...picture overload ahead!)...  

Our first picture as a family of three (just the beginning of my exhaustion...I can't even believe I'm sharing this pic??)...

Going home from the hospital (in our really cute outfit that was worn all of 30 minutes before getting into our jammies and getting ZERO sleep that first night)...

Jazz hands (one of our favorite poses)...

We visited with Santa (the fake one, it's safer that way)...

We love bathtime, but the owl towel...not so much (does it make me a bad mom that I absolutely LOVE this photo?!)...

We got our Christmas tree (and slept through the whole adventure)....

And we were super pumped to turn 7 weeks old!

So there you have it folks. My life in a mini-nutshell these last few months. Now that I've got my wits about me & this parenting thing is getting a bit easier...Stella's gonna get her groove back when it comes to this blog! I'm not a resolution person, but if checking into this blog is the one goal I have, then you'll be hearing a lot more from me in 2013. I'm getting ready to enjoy my last week of maternity leave before heading back to work next week. After that expect a lot more photos & Emme stories, a post on her finished nursery (of which a few people have asked for details and source info, which I'll be sure to include!), an update on the (finally) finished hallway, photos from our maternity shoot last September (?!), and maybe her birth story. Which...is anyone interested in that stuff? I'm typically interested in other people's experiences, but maybe that's just me. I'm going to put my thinking cap on and decide if that's something I want (or should) share. We'll see what folks say...

And with that, I'm off to take care of a baby now. You know, because I'm a MOM...whoa. Things just got a whole lot more exciting up in here...

Friday randomness

Okay, here we go. Lots of randomness on this here Friday...

First and foremost, I can barely see my feet. Which means we're in the homestretch here! THREE weeks and counting people!

dramatic, altered image to prove that I DO in fact have feet

 

 





And if I'm being honest, I'm scared out of my fool mind to have this baby. My doctor is hoping to induce me between 39-40 weeks. But unless anything is medically wrong, I'm putting my foot down, listening to my body & hoping baby makes her debut when she's good and ready. In other pregnancy related news, I'll be happy when I can one day put on my pants and shoes without feeling like I'm competing in the Olympics. For reals. Yes, it's selfish (I want baby out...sort of, but not really), but that's reality these days.

 

I decorated for fall. I don't know why. This stuff will probably still be up at Christmas. So please, don't judge.

 

 

 

 

I ordered these shelves earlier this week, and in a matter of days they showed up at my doorstep. I can't speak much for the company or the product, but if their prices and fast shipping are any indication, it's safe to say I'd purchase from them in the future. I found these via Freckles Chick who used them in her daughter's nursery...the power of the blog world, I tell you. This idea saved me a trip to our nearest Ikea (in Canada) for some other ledging I'd had my eye on. In fact, depending on how backed up customs is on a weekend, I'm willing to bet these shelves showed up a heck of a lot faster than I can get myself over the border...  

 

 



 

 

I also ordered this for a whopping $13.50!

 

 

 

 

I desperately need to get my jewelry organized since I've moved everything out of baby's room. We're running out of space in this house. We really need to move (another story for another day), but since that's not really in the cards for us right now, I've been forced to come up with creative solutions for storage. In a perfect world, I'd use my quiet weekend to my advantage and organize every last inch of this house. But for now I'll start small...with an acrylic bracelet holder.....

 

 

The husband is away this weekend (and he took the dog too...peaceful heaven on earth!), so some girlfriends are coming over on Saturday night. I'm thinking to make these...

 

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I'm putting all my pinning to good use...we'll see what the verdict is. If the picture is any indication, I'm thinking these are going to be goooo-oood. Yum.

 

And with that, I'm off to enjoy my productive, peaceful weekend!

 

 



 





I've got it in the bag

Tonight we begin the daunting task of registering for this little bambino. And by 'we' I'm referring to myself, sans husband. How he got so lucky as to get out of this one, I'll never know (all joking aside, I actually told him he didn't have to come). Really, it's for the best. I find places like Babies 'R Us tough enough to navigate when all I need is a god forsaken simple gift for someone's shower. Can you imagine the husband tagging along to register for things like breast pumps, diaper genies & swings?

I've asked my mom & sister to come along, and I've asked everyone I know via Facebook (you know, the end all, be all when it comes to life's most puzzling questions) for 'must have' baby suggestions. Man, my friends are awesome. I asked, and they offered. To the point where it's super helpful, but at the same time oh so overwhelming. In short, this is like studying for a big multiple choice exam, where every question has 35 possible answers. In the end, it's tough to know what will work for us when the baby actually gets here. So the plan is to have everyone's must-have items in the back of my head, while at the same time winging it and registering for things that I feel will work for us (we'll see how that plan goes?!)...

Since my friends & family did the dirty work for me, this leaves me plenty of time to think of more important things...you know, like a fashionable must-have diaper bag. Everything I've found is either too cutesy or blah, and screams 'diaper bag!' Until I stumbled upon Timi & Leslie bags which are legit diaper bags with style!

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Don't believe me? Check out the inside!



See? Roomy! These seem no different than the larger-than-life handbags I'm currently toting around. Except for these look like they have more compartments. Right now I'm leaning towards the second one--the Charlie--color still TBD. I'm told they're sold at our local Babies 'R Us, but we'll see about that. I should also mention that Timi & Leslie didn't pay me to say this stuff...a simple Google search turned up these babies & discovering them was like winning the diaper bag lottery. 

If you have one of these bags, or can recommend something just as stylish...spill the beans people! Knowledge is key, whether it's about a crib sheet or diaper bag...just sayin'.

At some point I will have it together...I think.

And in a perfect world, it should be right around the time this baby arrives. Which is t-minus 3.5 months folks (just typing that scares me). Let me just state for the record, that nothing seems to be together right now. Believe me, if you could see the current state of our spare bedroom (the future nursery) you wouldn't want to be friends with me. I guess that goes for the rest of our house too. It ain't pretty these days. Look, mama (to be) has no energy in this heat. I told someone the other day that if our house looked like an episode of Hoarders, I would be 100% okay with it because I just don't have the ooomph to deal with the mess.  

I got a grand total of 4 hours of sleep last night. I was up worrying about this weekend's impending yard/block sale (and all that we need to do to get ready...it's a lot) and what color the baby's room should be. You know, world problems. I'm hoping this sale (organized by some neighbors--praise Jesus) will be the kick in the ass I need to start getting some stuff done around here. I don't think I've posted a project, thrift find, or DIY project in quite some time (the reason this here blog started in the first place!). I think once I clear the clutter--physically and mentally--I'll be back on track. Central AC would certainly help matters. But then that would be asking for entirely too much, right?

And this, my friends, ends today's pitty party. Here's hoping for some more consistent blogging & motivation in the mighty near future!

It's a....

At some point I intended to blog a bit more. But then it got hot (really hot!), I got exhausted & busy, and my fingers swelled up to the point where typing became an issue. Okay, not totally true. But I'm already getting a glimpse into my near future. With only 4 more months to go, the wedding bands are dunzo. I'm a planner, but I certainly didn't think this 'being pregnant in the summer' thing very thoroughly. Easy pregnancy? Check! Being pregnant in this heat? Yeah, not so much...

So if you're following me on Pinterest, or have checked out my pins (and don't know me already), then you probably guessed it....

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We're beyond excited! If you recall, we were 100% convinced this baby was going to be a boy. But a few weeks before finding out, I'd secretely shifted my focus and was hoping for a girl. Needless to say, the husband was completely shocked (and excited!) to hear the news (and then there's me, who cries at the drop of a hat when I think about it...pure & utter joy I tell you!). I think it took a solid two hours for the news to sink in. But let me just tell you, we are over the moon. We're 98% on board with a name (okay, I'm 100% on board, the husband is 98%...depending on what day you ask, of course). And my mom has single handedly outfitted baby girl with an entire wardrobe for the first year of her life. To the point where I needed double the confirmation at yesterday's ultrasound that this baby was in fact a girl (it was). You can never be too sure! I mean, just think...the surprise of a boy would mean he'd be dressed very girly his first year....

I'm still working out the nursery in my head, but think I have a fairly clear vision for the plans of this room. Which is definitely not 'theme-y' or too 'baby'. Not that there is anything wrong with themey or baby...but that's just not the direction I'm heading. I'm navigating my way through Polyvore in the hopes of putting together a little mood board for baby girl's room. Inspiration for all! Plus, it keeps me on track for what I hope this lovely little room will turn out to be....

You've got questions, we've got answers

Since announcing our big news, we've been asked a lot of questions. I love being able to share & talk about what's going on with us right now, it's pretty exciting. But I find that a lot of inquiring minds want to know the answers to the same questions. So what better way to address a few of them then on this here blog? I'll be stopping by every now & again with a pregnancy update, even though City Dwellin' still revolves around good 'ol house stuff. Since this whole thing is new to us, you might just hear me talk about it a bit more over the course of the next 5 months!

Will you find out what you're having?

Yep! The planner in me just has to know. I don't think I could go a full 9 months knowing that the ultrasound tech & our doctor were privy to this information, and not us. That sounds like a complete form of torture to me! We find out if baby K is a boy or a girl in a few short weeks. So start placing your bets! We are 150% convinced it's a boy. If they tell us it's a girl, I'll be completely shocked. And excited of course....especially after seeing 3 little ballerinas going into their dance class on my way home from work yesterday. Yep, I can totally see us with a little girl too!

How are you feeling?

Now that I'm in the second trimester, I'm feeling great! I had a lot of food aversions the first trimester, but nothing that left me feeling too sick. Just a nagging, nauseus feeling all day long that I thankfully ditched a few weeks ago (switching out the time of day I took my vitamins--now with dinner--totally helped matters too). The word seafood (let alone the thought!) totally put me over the edge. But I was successfully able to walk through the seafood section of Wegman's a week ago and not hurl...so I'm convinced I'm past that now. And fried foods...ooooh yeah, that thought didn't sit well with me either. In short, I was (and still am) craving anything fresh--mostly fruit, berries, fresh salsa, etc. I can not wait for weekly trips to the farmer's market this summer! I keep a regular stash of granola bars & packets of Justin's almond butter in my purse at all times (for when the need to eat strikes). Oh, and I'm completely addicted to Wegman's cinnamon swirl loaf. Seriously folks, I can barely talk about it, it's soooo good. I don't even think you need to be pregnant to be addicted to this stuff...

Are you still exercising?

Absolutely! Exercise is a part of my daily routine, so pregnancy was no excuse to give it up (in fact, it was a good reason to continue it!). I'll admit that my workouts in the first trimester were few & far between. I'm an evening worker-outer & some days I had all I could do to drag myself home from work, let alone to the gym. The only workout that was consistent during this time was my weekly yoga class. Something kept me going each week regardless of how crappy I felt. But now that I'm in the second trimester I've picked up the pace a bit. I was given the go-ahead to continue with my regular pre-pregnancy workouts. Even running. But I'll be the first to tell you I haven't run once since finding out I was pregnant. Mostly because I just haven't felt like it. So needless to say there will be no half marathon, turkey trot or 5k's for me this year. I'm just not up to it. Most days you can find me on the elliptical or walking at least 2-3 miles. I take an intense body sculpt class once a week, which is slowly starting to become a bit too much for me. So for now I'm modifying what I do (lighter weights, no ab work, taking a break when I really need it, etc.). My days are slowly getting numbered in that class, so for now I'm continuing with it as long as I feel comfortable.

What books are you reading?

I'm using What to Expect When Your Expecting for reference, but that's about it. Too much info will only make me a nervous wreck! So basically, I'm educating myself (through the book & doctor's advice) enough to get by. I don't want to hear anyone's horrible birth or pregnancy stories, I don't have a birth plan (other than to just get the baby out!), and I don't want to know more than what I'm referencing already. So far we have been blessed with a healthy pregnancy, so that's all we can ask for at this point. Obviously, this is totally a personal decision, but I know (for me) that too much info will only make me nuts. Aside from What to Expect, I thought a little humor was in order for both the husband and myself...

Oh my gosh, Jenny's book is as real as it's gonna get (she had the worst of the worst)! I totally enjoyed reading this book. It made me feel better about myself....and laugh in the process. And the husband is totally loving his book. He's already through the second trimester & taking a break until we hit the third. I don't think I could have gotten him to read anything else, but humor he can do.

So I think that about sums up what's going on with us right now! If you see me out and about and feel the need to ask me something, by all means. I don't bite! Unless we're in the final few weeks...that could be another story...

TGIF!

The reason my blogging has been sporadic (at best)

I suppose there isn't much more to say, other than I've had a really good excuse as to why my blogging took a backseat for the better part of 3 months (and by excuses I'm referring to food aversions and general overall laziness). But now that Stella's got her groove back, I figured now seemed to be the best time to announce to the blog world (all 4 of you!) that the husband and I are expecting our first little one come October 29. The fact that I have an aversion to Halloween (something I'm sure will change by next year), means that this bambino is definitely going to arrive into this world in a full-on costume. We just know it.

I'm currently 14 weeks and have officially entered the second trimester. My pants are too tight & I've had my first pregnancy meltdown (of epic proportions) while shopping for 'bigger gal' clothes this past weekend. I can say that both ain't pretty. But with the second trimester brings more energy & the urge to nest and organize like nobody's business. I may be a little ahead of the game when it comes to that arena. And then again, maybe that's my type A personality coming out of first trimester hiding. Well, whatever is going on, I feel much better. Period. I actually have the desire to go thrifting again, and to take on home projects that are within my ability to tackle (it's really a bummer to tell a DIY--and do it all--gal that she can't lift more than 15 lbs....it's so not cool). 

City Dwellin' won't be turning into a baby blog, but I'm hoping to do some pregnancy posts here and there (especially when it comes time to tackle the nursery...I bet you can see the wheels spinning in my head as we speak!). My goal was to get a bit more personal, and well...there you have it. We're going on an exciting ride these next 6 months!