32 Weeks - 8 to go!

Best. weekend. ever! My mom and Wendy were so amazing in helping me unpack, wash, and put away all of Charlie's adorable gifts. I am convinced that he now has more clothes than I do... scary! The nursery is still a total work-in-progress, but everything at least has a place now. We must have done at least 10 loads of laundry this weekend - diapers, bibs, blankets, pajamas, outfits, socks, sheets... love all those itty bitty items!


Charles was very appreciative of his Avo and Madrinha this weekend and even said hello to each of them. :) He is moving so much these days and I love feeling him. I think I'll miss it in February! Here's what's new this week:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb.

• How far along? 32 weeks
• Total weight gain: +18 pounds
• Sleep: Still pretty fantastic - the body pillow rocks!
• Movement: Pretty consistent throughout the day - love it!
• Best moment this week: NJ baby shower and spending the weekend with Mom and Wendy
• Food cravings: water - can't get enough!
• Gender: It's a boy!
• Maternity Clothes: Some of my pants are getting a bit snug around the belly, but I have plenty that still fit just fine.
• Belly Button in or out? Still in!
• What I miss: nothing really... it's all been totally worth it!
• What I am looking forward to: Seeing Dr. G. at our 32 week appointment this week - I have lots of questions about the "birth plan" I'm supposed to write. :)
• Nursery Progress: We got lots of laundry done and put away! The prints and monogram wall decal from etsy are in and I plan to install them this week. I'm also going to exchange/return some items we got duplicates of and finish putting clothes away.

We had the NJ baby shower yesterday and here are a few photos from the day, taken by our dear friend Zakiyyah.

 

Friday
Breakfast - natural peanut butter on a whole grain English muffin; chocolate soy milk
Snack - Greek strawberry yogurt
Lunch - Panera (half a tomato and mozzarella panini; garden vegetable soup; lemonade)
Dinner - edamame; cucumber avocado sushi; vegetable pad thai; brown rice with steamed vegetables in a red curry sauce
Dessert - bite of peanut butter pie; decaf cupcake latte with soy milk


Saturday
Breakfast - veggie egg white flat bread; decaf tea with honey
Lunch - Baby Shower! - wheat dinner roll with butter; garden salad; grilled vegetables in tomato sauce; roasted potatoes; two cheese ravioli
Snack - one chocolate covered pretzel rod; POM love fruit smoothie
Dinner - Persian food (not sure what everything was to be honest) - wheat flat bread with salad and some sort of bean mixture; two stuffed grape leaves; basmati rice with saffron, pistachio nuts, and oranges


Sunday
Breakfast - natural peanut butter on a whole grain English muffin; chocolate soy milk
Lunch - soy "chicken" patty on whole grain bread with light mayo; half a baked potato; Persian salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, olive oil, and lemon juice)
Dinner - small bowl of pasta with marinara sauce
Dessert - piece of vanilla cake

Long Weekend

Charlie and I get to spend a long weekend with his Avo and Madrinha starting tonight! I'm just finishing up some cleaning and laundry, and then it's a fun-filled family weekend ahead. Tomorrow we head to the spa for some facials and massages and Saturday is the NJ shower down the shore, hosted by my gracious MIL. More lovely gifts for Charles Henry... he's already so spoiled!

I did finished my thank you notes and mailed them out this morning. Hooray!

As I took a break from tidying up, I read this article about babies watching TV. Interesting...

Breakfast - egg white and cheese on an English muffin; baked hash browns; decaf caramel latte with skim milk
Snack - Rice Krispie treat
Lunch - cheese tortellini; organic romaine and tomato with light honey mustard dressing; Terra chips
Snack - organic pomegranate juice; York Peppermint Patty (not such a good idea for the heartburn!)
Dinner - bowl of Cinnamon Life with soy milk

Tomorrow's Friday!

For me at least... :)  I'm taking a personal day on Friday, John is off on Friday, and my mom and Wendy are heading down tomorrow so we can spend the day together on Friday. So excited! I know they both read this so I also need to let them know that the cleaning fairy has yet to show up here. :(  I can promise you clean sheets and bathrooms, but the rest is quite cluttered with all sorts of baby gear. Guess I need to get used to this...

Breakfast - egg white and cheese on a croissant; organic pear
Snack - Rice Krispie treat
Lunch - a few bites of organc romaine and tomato and a few bites of cheese tortellini (wasn't too hungry)
Snack - half a low fat blueberry muffin
Lunch #2 - baked ziti; garden salad with tomato and cucumber
Dinner - two veggie bites; half a baked potato
Dessert - glass of Ovaltine made with organic, low fat milk

Sending Christmas Cards!

I mean, Thank You Notes! Tonight my goal is to get through at least half my list. The ultimate goal is to have them in the mail before Saturday, when I get a whole new batch for the NJ shower. JA put it eloquently when he was moving all of the gifts upstairs. "Man, I am cursing how generous these people are!!" :)

Only two more days of work before the three-day weekend! Charlie continues to be an excellent resident and I can't believe we are approaching only 8 weeks to go... He's moving so much each day! I've heard that movement decreases as time goes on and baby runs out of room, so I'm trying to enjoy every little roll, pop, and hiccup while I can. I still can't believe that in just two months we'll have a baby in the house! I know that the first several weeks will be rough, but I also know that it's totally worth it. We can do this!! Now... off to write more thank you notes...

Breakfast - Kashi Go Lean Crunch (Honey Almond Flax) with organic, low fat milk; organic chocolate soy milk
Snack - slice of pumpkin bread
Lunch - veggie burger on whole wheat bread; natural tortilla chips and salsa; organic apple; organic celery with natural peanut butter
Dinner - cheese tortellini; slice of garlic toast
Dessert - glass of Ovaltine with organic, low fat milk

Nursery To-Do List

This is what I need to accomplish this week:

• iron the bedskirt for the twin and make the bed done!
• install the curtain rods (though I might wait until I have the curtains back to make they will work
• clean out the tools and packing materials that have accumulated in there done!
• decide where I'm hanging the three etsy prints and choose frames
• buy a quart of paint for the side table (changing the black to navy)
• hand the mirror behind the door done!
• write thank you notes (OK, that's not for the nursery, but I really need to get crackin')

On a bad note, yoga was canceled (again). On the bright side, I was able to check some things off my list! Not too much remaining I guess... until I get the fabric back I think that's all I can do. I'm also waiting for Wendy and my mom to come down this weekend to determine what clothing I'm going to wash for Charlie and what we can wait on until later. I do have a laundry bag full already with changing pad covers, Boppy covers, socks, bibs, and crib sheets. Very exciting! I can't wait to start putting away all of those aorable little things!

Breakfast - whole wheat toast with natural peanut butter; organic chocolate soy milk
Snack - Kashi granola bar; organic pear
Lunch - brown rice with peas and carrots; organic garden salad with romaine, tomatoes, and cucumbers with raspberry vinaigrette; organic celery with natural peanut butter; two slices of cheddar cheese
Snack - hot chocolate; homemade Oreo truffle
Dinner - handful of all-natural nachos with cheese and salsa; baked potato; two baked veggie bites with sour cream
Dessert - bowl of Cinnamon Life with organic, low fat milk

31 Weeks - 9 to go!

Baby Charles and I had a busy, fun-filled weekend! After the Santa party, we stayed over at the shore house. On Saturday, my father-in-law gifted us this custom Santa. Apparently St. Nick is looking for our little guy. Thankfully, he's been very good to his mom so far, so he's definitely on the nice list.

On Saturday night, JA and I went to our friends' house for their annual holiday party. I made it until midnight! Of course, that's probably because I slept from 5-7 before we left, but hey... I made it until midnight!

Today John headed to the Giants game while I went into the city to meet my mom and aunt for lunch and shopping. I was quite proud of myself again for being able to trek around New York through the NJ Transit system, Penn Station, the subways, Canal Street and Times Square. The only thing we missed was the tree in Rockafeller Center, but we hope to see it when Mom and Dad come down after Christmas. Yay Charlie! You love the city as much as Mommy does. :)

OK, so here's what's new this week...

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

3.3 pounds?? Not this man... he's estimated at four pounds now. Oh yeah, bring on the nine pound baby!

• How far along? 31 weeks
• Total weight gain: +18 pounds
• Sleep: Back to excellent - though I am up around 3 AM for a bathroom trip
• Movement: His feet like to bop around on my right ribs. It doesn't hurt at all though. :)
• Best moment this week: Spending the day in NYC with Mom and Auntie Pauline
• Food cravings: vegetables!
• Gender: It's a boy!
• Maternity Clothes: The new tops I found in my closet are working great! They are gap's long-sleeve t-shirts in long sizes... perfect for sitting over the belly and they fall at my hips.
• Belly Button in or out? Still in!
• What I miss: nothing really... it's all been totally worth it!
• What I am looking forward to: Mom and Wendy coming to visit; NJ shower on Saturday... though I have no idea where all this stuff will go!
• Nursery Progress: I confess that I didn't make much progress in there this week. I did unpack the rest of the gifts from the MA shower and have them sorted in the guest room. I will be tidying up the nursery this week though because Charlie's Madrinha will be sleeping in there!

I will take a 31 week pic later tonight, but for now, I leave you with my favorites from the shower!!

Saturday

Breakfast - deli flat with peanut butter; decaf tea with one sugar; fruit and vegetable smoothie; oatmeal raisin cookie

Lunch - celery, carrots, and dip; Amy's vegetarian burrito

Dinner - brown rice with peas and carrots; ziti in a tomato sauce; garden salad with romaine, tomato, and croutons with balsamic vinaigrette

Dessert - piece of apple pie

Sunday
Breakfast - two organic eggs on whole grain bread with organic ketchup
Snack - croissant; Vitamin Water
Lunch - two pieces of bread with oil and crushed red pepper; garden salad with romaine, tomato, and cucumber with balsamic vinaigrette; thin crust pizza with tomato, mozzarella, and basil
Dinner - California wrap (lettuce, tomato, avocado, and peppers); Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips; organic white tea
Dessert - glass of chocolate soy milk

Santa Party!

My father-in-law (also of crib and dresser assembly fame) is quite talented. Not only did he build the mantle on our fireplace (yay Christmas stockings!) but he also carves wooden Santas throughout the year. They are quite beautiful and unique, and the first Friday in December we get to see them at the Santa Party. Here's a tiny sampling of his work...

Hard to believe these start out as blocks of wood!

The party was lovely, though I did have to steal away for an hour or so to lay down for a nap. I'm just hoping that Charles enjoys sleeping as much as his mom does.

Breakfast - egg white and cheese on a croissant; basked hash browns; decaf latte with skim milk
Lunch - vegetable spring roll; handful of wonton chips
Snack - Vitamin Water; Kashi granola bar
Dinner - assorted crackers, dips, and cheese; zucchini quiche; tortilla chips and salsa
Dessert - one cookie

Naps...

...are perhaps the best thing ever. Today I had to tutor, which was slightly brutal to have to be "on" for another hour after school. So that means I came home and fell promptly asleep! John came home about an hour later and, bless his heart, did all the dishes, vacuumed, and took out the trash while I slept. I awoke to a nice and clean kitchen and family room in preparation for our Thursday night gathering of "friends who like to watch ridiculous TV." We watch shows like Campus PD, Jerseylicious, Jersey Shore, and Man vs. Food. You know, quality stuff.

Breakfast - two organic eggs on a whole grain English muffin with organic ketchup
Snack - Kashi granola bar
Lunch - vegetable lasagna; garden salad (organic romaine, tomato, cucumber and red kidney beans with raspberry vinaigrette); organic celery with peanut butter
Snack - Greek strawberry yogurt
Dinner - soy "chicken" patty on whole wheat bread with light mayo and organic romaine; baked potato; broccoli and peas
Dessert - piece of Ghirardelli seven layer brownie (homemade by me!); glass of organic low fat milk

So tired...

I'm not sure if this is a third trimester thing or if it's because I'm fighting a cold... but I am beat! Most people who know me well know that I am useless when I'm not rested - which should make for an interesting couple of weeks when Charlie is born. :) I'm hoping that I'll be so blinded by love I won't be able to see the clock tick away all those sleepless nights.

JA was really cute today showing off people our picture of Charles Henry. He might already be one of "those dads" but I can't blame him at all. I'm hoping we have even more fun shots of our son on the CD I pick up on Friday. I'll get to show his grandparents this weekend and my mom is visiting NYC on Sunday, so she'll get a sneak peak too. :)

Breakfast - bowl of Kashi Go Lean Crunch with organic, low fat milk
Snack - organic celery with natural peanut butter
Lunch - vegetable lasagna; garden salad (organic romaine, tomato, and cucumber with light raspberry vinaigrette); three pieces of cheddar cheese with two bagel chips; orange
Snack - Greek blueberry yogurt
Dinner - edamame; vegetable tempura; cucumber roll
Dessert - glass of organic chocolate milk

Isn't he the cutest?!?!

JA and I had our follow-up 3-D ultrasound today and we had better luck this time around. Charlie was still pressed against my placenta, but with a little moving around, we did get a few images of his adorable face. Here's the one we have now, and we'll get a bunch more on Friday once the tech finishes the CD. What do you think? 'Cause I think he's perfect! :)

Breakfast - Total raisin bran with organic, low fat milk
Snack - organic celery with natural peanut butter
Lunch - garden salad (organic romaine, tomato, and cucumber with balsamic vinaigrette); vegetable lasagna; four bagel chips with cheddar cheese; piece of dark chocolate
Snack - Greek strawberry yogurt; whole wheat English muffin with natural peanut butter
Dinner - three veggie burrito bites; baked potato
Dessert - two organic pumpkin spice mini-muffins

Finally bit the bullet...

...and purchased the glider for the nursery. After considering a long list of possibilities, we ended up with this one (ordered from walmart). Here's hoping Charlie likes it!

I'm going to purchase a storage ottoman as well, but I'm going to wait until this comes in and it's set up in the space to get a better idea of what looks best. Slowly, but surely, it's coming together!



Re-commitment to health!

So I have a confession to make... I haven't been to yoga in over a month! It hasn't always been my fault because sometimes class was canceled, but there were definitely a couple of classes I missed on my own. Now that I'm just 10 weeks away from 2D-Day (Due Date Day!), I've decided to recommit to taking extra-good care of my body (and, most importantly, Charlie). This means limiting the number of "treats" I eat, fewer dinners out (too much sodium and processed foods), and making sure I am exercising at least three times per week. My food journals haven't been too awful lately, but they could definitely be better. And with lots of holiday gatherings coming up, this re-commitment will help me stay strong! So here are my organic salads and veggies packed and ready to go for the week:

In Charlie related news, today was the first day I could feel him moving even when I was super active at school. I usually don't notice him until I'm sitting quietly, but today I was in the middle of teaching and could feel him. Super cool! He must be getting stronger and stronger. :)

I also wanted to leave you with these photos of one of our guest rooms. Incredibly, this is not even half of what we got at the shower on Saturday. Oh boy!

It may not seem like it, but it's actually pretty organized. :)

Breakfast - Kashi Go Lean Crunch with organic, low fat milk

Snack - two mini corn muffins; Kashi granola bar

Lunch - vegetable lasagna; Greek blueberry yogurt; five bagel chips with cheddar cheese; two mini chocolate chip muffins

Snack - five bagel chips with hummus

Dinner - garden salad (organic romaine, organic grape tomatoes, organic cucumbers); soy "chicken" patty on whole wheat bread with light mayo

Dessert - piece of dark chocolate

30 Weeks and a Shower Recap

What an amazing weekend! John and I got to spend Thanksgiving with our parents, see some old friends from college, and experience our first baby shower. Charlie is one lucky little man... everyone was so incredibly generous and I am amazed at how much stuff he got! My plan right now is to put it all in one of the guest bedrooms until after the NJ shower. Then I can go through everything and decide where it should all go in the nursery. John was really cute... his only comment was, "I think I need to learn how to use all this stuff." You and me both, JA! Here are a few photos I snapped before guests arrived. We had someone taking pictures throughout so I'll post those once they come back.

Tables set and ready to go... each one was set with sets of china from my mom and aunts

Mmmm... still thinking about that cake!

Prizes for shower bingo (bottles of wine, lotion/body splash sets from Victoria's Secret, and hand soaps from B&BW)

My handsome guy helping set out the salads :)

Wendy and me (and Charlie!)

Charlie was very active this weekend and I think I got my first kick to the ribs on Friday night. Both JA and my mom got to feel him which was very cool. He's a moving machine, but isn't keeping me awake at night. Unfortunately I'm managing to do that all by myself. Being away from my bed and body pillow did not make for great sleep this weekend, so I'm hoping we'll be OK tonight. Here's what's new with Charles this week:

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision – which means he can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

Ironically, my uncorrected vision is 20/400 so I know exactly how he'll be able to see shortly after birth. I figure it's a good thing since I'm sure JA and I will be so sleep deprived that we don't want Charlie to see us looking so haggard! ;)

• How far along? 30 weeks
• Total weight gain: +17 pounds (this was how much my mom gained with me - with 10 weeks to go, I think I'll gain just a bit more) ;)
• Sleep: See above... but I'm confident we're going to get back on track tonight.
• Movement: All the time - plus John and my mom got to feel him too. He's moving right now, as a matter of fact!
• Best moment this week: Baby shower!!
• Food cravings: shower cake (I had two pieces, and I don't even like cake that much!)
• Gender: It's a boy!
• Maternity Clothes: Absolutely for pants, and most regular tops don't work anymore. Time to break out the maternity shirts. Luckily, I found some in my closet I forgot I had and my friend Katie brought over a bunch of tops I can use too.
• Belly Button in or out? In, but it's getting more shallow
• What I miss: Sleeping through the night on my back
• What I am looking forward to: Our 3D ultrasound - take 2 - on Tuesday
• Nursery Progress: I gave the fabric to Wendy so she can pass it along to Mrs. M. I also sorted the shower gifts that fit in our car into piles in one of the guest bedrooms, but most of the stuff is at JA's parents' house and we'll get that on Friday.

Holy belly, Batman!  How much more can this grow in 10 weeks?!?!

Breakfast #1 - egg and cheese on a deli flat with ketchup; decaf mint tea
Breakfast #2 - egg and cheese McGriddle; hash brown; OJ
Snack - apple
Lunch - slice of cheese pizza
Dinner - vegetable lasagna
Dessert - two mini chocolate chip muffins and a glass of organic low fat milk

'Twas the morning before the shower...

Today is our first baby shower here in good ol' Massachusetts. I'm so excited to see our friends and family and to celebrate Charlie's arrival. I'll probably be a little overwhelmed like I was at the wedding shower, but maybe it won't be so bad since all of the fun things will be for our little guy. I think I'm most looking forward to the clothes... I've been pretty good about not buying too many things. In fact, there are less than ten outfits at home right now... which is pretty good for a first time mom. I picked up a few infant gowns, PJs with puppies all over them (I'm a sucker for puppies!), an outift with guitars on it, and a lion Halloween costume I found on clearance for $7. Not too bad, right?

Of course Charlie's closet will be equally neat and organized. :)

Friday
Breakfast - egg and cheese on a deli flat; decaf mint tea (no sugar!)
Snack - two bites of apple pie; Granny Smith apple
Lunch - garden salad with one-fourth of a pita; ziti with sauce; garlic bread
Snack - chocolate chip cookie
Dinner - Portuguese roll (half with butter, half with sauce); garden salad; broccoli; fries

Saturday
Breakfast - one whole wheat pancake; decaf mint tea
Snack - bowl of Kashi Go Lean Crisp; one hard-boiled egg white
Lunch - veggie crudite; salad with romaine, grape tomatoes, mandarin oranges, gorganzola, and walnuts; piece of vegetable lasagna; half a boiled potato
Snack - half a cup of decaf coffee with milk and one sugar; piece of cake
Dinner - three nachos with cheese; one mozzarella stick
Snack - piece of cake (so good!)

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! With Charlie on the way, JA and I are certainly thankful for so much this year. We enjoyed a delicious meal crafted by my dad, Chef Jeff; we also enjoyed the company of our parents for a lovely day! I'm pleasantly full, but not too stuffed.

No worries, turkey... I had a vegetarian Thanksgiving. :)

Breakfast - egg white and cheese on an everything bagel; OJ
Snack - half a Portuguese bolos muffin with natural peanut butter
Lunch - garden salad with romaine, tomato, and croutons with Caesar dressing; mashed potatoes; corn; cranberry sauce
Snack - mixed fruit; cheese and crackers
Dinner - mashed potatoes; corn; cranberry sauce (gotta love leftovers!)

UPDATE: Monogram Image is done!

I really like it!

Nursery Art

I've decided on a few prints from etsy for Charlie's nursery. We're staying with the color scheme in the fabric, but I'm adding a splash of red, as inspired by the lobster I picked up in Florida. My plan is to frame them with a wide matte and hang them above the twin bed. Over Charlie's crib I'm going to install his monogram. It's currently being designed by another etsy seller (love them!) and I'll post a pic when I get it. Here are the prints:

Breakfast - egg white and cheese on a croissant

Snack - Vitamin Water

Lunch - garden salad with romaine, spinach, tomato, cucumber, shredded cheese, chickpeas, and carrots with honey mustard vinaigrette; Kashi granola bar

Snack - apple; Greek blueberry yogurt

Dinner - a few tortilla chips and salsa; mixed green salad; slice of cheese pizza (can't wait to see our friends for 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving!)



It's my lucky day!

Let me set the scene for you... this morning John left for work and I was all snuggly in bed. I got up and got ready, took the dogs out, and went to the key rack to grab my keys. Hmmm... where are they? Let me check the table. And there I see John's keys. Which of course means my keys are currently on their way with him into NYC. Grrr! I panic, then calm down and call my friend Nicole who lives in town. She usually gets to school about 10 minutes before me though, so I'm worried that she's going to be gone already. But lucky moment #1 - she had to go to the post office and is still in town! Yay - she picks me up and we're on our way. Then I realize I'm supposed to get my hair cut and colored after school just in time for the baby shower on Saturday. Luckily, Nicole is also babysitting her cousins in town after school and can drop me off at the salon. But, oh no! The salon calls and says that Lisa has pink eye and has to cancel. But wait! Lucky moment #2 - there's another girl who can take me fifteen minutes later. I'll take it! Nicole drops me off at the salon and lucky moment #3 - this girl is soooo good! I love the color and cut even more than my usual girl. Hooray! Now I just have to hang around town for an hour until John can come get me. But wait! Lucky moment #4 - my neighbor Barat is getting his hair cut behind me and finishes up just as I do. Barat can drive me home now! Phew.... what could have been a disastrous day turned out just great. I should go buy a lottery ticket!

Breakfast - natural peanut butter on whole wheat toast; OJ
Snack - two chocolate chip cookies
Lunch - mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette; broccoli, snap peas, and zucchini with basmati rice; apple
Snack - french onion Sun Chips; Kashi granola bar
Dinner - two slices of cheese pizza; side of kidney beans