Babymooning in Bermuda

The Mobleys have been going a little stir crazy this winter - more so than other years, for a few reasons.  First, the winter seems to not be letting up.  Second, when a chilly snow storm would normally be combated with a whisky by the fireplace at Molly's, certain members of the household have remained sober.  And finally, our vacation days have become more precious when we think of them in the context of additional days we get to spend with our little one after her arrival in July.  So a babymoon was a priority to us to overcome the cabin fever but also to get some quality time and relaxation together as a couple before we become a family of three.

We had a few requirements that our babymoon destination had to meet before we booked anything.  The flight had to be relatively manageable as I get a bit uncomfortable on long flights with this growing belly.  Our destination had to be somewhere with access to good healthcare (just in case of emergency).  We also love to select a place that neither of us have been to, so that we can explore for the first time together.  And lastly, it had to be somewhere warm so that we could get some temporary relief from the cold.

So for our babymoon destination - we chose......BERMUDA!  When we told people that we had selected this beautiful location, we heard so many great things, but what we weren't prepared for was how much we'd fall head-over-heels for this place.  We knew it was a British colony, but when we arrived, it was everything the Mobleys love and embrace mixed up into a little blender and poured out onto the ocean for us to enjoy.  We had the posh presence of the British history + the most crystal blue ocean you've ever seen + the pristine manicured and impossibly tropical landscaping that saturates the island.  And to add on to that, the Bermudian hospitality is among the nicest and most accommodating hosts of any vacation we've had.  Each cab ride with our token Bermudian left us infinitely more knowledgeable on the history and charm of the island - a dream for my history major husband!

We had a few highlights that I'd recommend to anyone visiting the island for the first time, and/or just a return visit, because I know that we can't wait for a Mobley return to Bermuda, perhaps with our little Miss.

1.  PINK SAND beaches - knowing that we are having a baby girl made Bermuda an even more perfect destination to celebrate baby America's impending arrival.  We stayed at the Rosewood Tucker's Point.  Our driver told us this was in the "Beverly Hills" of Bermuda, which we obviously loved.  But one of the reason's the resort is so ideal, is because their unique access to their private pink sand beach!  Because of tiny red plankton, mixed with other fragments of shell and rock - Bermuda really does have a pink hue to it's beaches.  It's absolutely magnificent and surprisingly soft to sink your toes into after 5 months of wearing snow boots and wellies!

2.  Shopping in Hamilton - Usually I am doing most of the shopping for the Mobley family when we go on vacation.  With the limited access to baby clothes & maternity options in Bermuda, I left it all to my husband...who was in HEAVEN with the selection of vibrantly colored Bermuda shorts and linen blazers available to him on the streets of Hamilton.  Within hours of us venturing out for our excursion, Mike was in possession of a pair of "princess pink" Bermuda shorts, a light pink pith helmet, a special Vineyard Vines tie with the island of Bermuda outlined on it, and a belt adorned with vibrantly colored Parrotfish.  He had the FULL Bermuda formal getup and it was glorious.

 

3.  Adventures in St. George - If Hamilton was the more cosmopolitan area of Bermuda (if you can even call it that), St. George is the historic neighborhood.  It was here that we stumbled upon the oldest church in the western hemisphere - St. Peter's Church!  There were photograph's of Princess Diana visiting the church during HER babymoon too!  And after touring the historic town hall and getting myself my ONLY purchase of the trip - some Bermudian perfume, we had lunch on the water at Wahoo's (no...not the taco chain in California!).  Despite the close to hurricane forced winds - it was our favorite day on the island.

4.  Spiny Lobster Season!  For those of you who are not familiar with the warm water lobsters, they are a unique breed.  Some people still prefer the authentic Maine alternative, but we were in Bermuda during the LAST week of lobster season - so OF COURSE we had spiny lobster on our last night.  And since baby America has been craving some fancy shellfish, we were so happy.  Our hotel conveniently had one of the best restaurants on the island, the Point.  So on our last night, when Mike was dressed in his Bermuda formal, we treated ourselves to some spiny lobster tails and rum drinks (or just punch for me!) from the bar.


5.  Crystal & Fantasy Caves - One of our days in Bermuda was a little bit more rainy than the rest.  So we opted for some more "indoor" festivities.  Mike wasn't too keen on the Crystal Caves ahead of time, but the quick tour proved to be really cool. If there was any place that was indicative of the set of Goonies, THIS would be it!  The guide said that if you get little drops of "cave kisses" on your head as you tour the breath taking stalactites and stalagmites, you get one day of good luck!

6.  Swizzle Inn - I basically bribed Mike to go to the caves by promising him a few hours at the Swizzle Inn.  It's like the most festive dive bar you could ever visit in your life.  Bermuda has not one, but TWO official drinks of the island.  The first is the Dark & Stormy (as Goslings is the local rum) and the second is the Rum Swizzle.  I'm not sure about the food - but Mike polished off a large swizzle by himself while I looked on with my virgin Colada.  He reciprocated by letting me get some delicious coconut ice cream at the equally famous Bailye's ice cream shop right across the road!

Each of the buildings in Bermuda is some uniquely vibrant color, with no two buildings looking the same.  And with the stunning backdrop of endless turquoise water and sparkling pink sand, it was hard not to be in love with this little island getaway we squeezed in before baby girl arrives.  I may not have been able to enjoy any swizzles, and Mike had to do some solo shopping, but it was everything I wanted out of a babymoon.

Taking a time out for ourselves to enjoy being a husband & wife was the most important thing to me in getting ready for the little one.  Not the crib, not getting the right car seat, not selecting the right colored paint for the nursery, but making this about "US" - because LORD KNOWS it's always going to be about her - from the day she's born.  So if there was any place that was indicative of "us", it was absolutely Bermuda.  Festive, historically British, tropical (but with out the cutoffs and tacky tank tops), and relaxing....just perfect for US.

6 months down!!!

About a month ago, I shared a 5 month/halfway update with you all, so I thought it would be nice to let you all in on another update - this time at 6 months!  Last week marked 24 weeks for Mini Mobs in what was quite possibly the quickest 4 weeks ever.  Here is a little bit of a recap for how we're doing & a few more updated pics of the baby bump!

Size of baby:  the size of an ear of corn!

How is mommy doing:  Still feeling great!  I'm keeping up the 10K steps per day and walking on the treadmill on the incline as much as I can.  I can almost feel some of those 3rd trimester symptoms start to creep up....very faintly.  My feet are starting to swell ever so slightly if I'm up all day.  And I'm feeling rather....large these days.  And the belly button has officially popped!  But my skin feels fantastic, I still have tons of energy, and I'm sleeping through the night, so I really have nothing to complain about.  

A little birthday bumpie!

How is baby doing?  We went to the doctor a few weeks ago to have our last anatomy scan on baby girl, and got some fantastic news.  Not only is she progressing beautifully and wiggling, and spinning around like a perfect little creature, we found out that she was measuring completely normal for all of her tiny little features.  All of them with the exception of two....well four....things.  Baby girl's arms and legs are already in the 97th percentile!  Looks like she's already taking after her momma!  She's measuring a teeny bit big - about a week ahead of schedule, but I have to admit I was expecting that.  I myself was close to being a 10 lb baby!

What I'm craving: I'm getting to the point where I really can't eat enough.  I've been craving fruit.  All kinds of fruit - but mostly berries.  And here's the weird one....LOBSTER!  I'm glad there are a lot of Omega-3s in lobster because I try to eat whenever I can - and baby girl just goes nuts in my belly every time I have lobster.  She already has quite festive taste.  I think she's getting ready for her first Cape Christmas.

What I'm missing:  Does it make me a terrible person to admit that I really miss being able to have a delicious old fashioned after a long, hard, day at work?  Or a margarita with my taco tray from El Parador?  Or even a fancy single malt to warm me up during this never-ending winter?  OR, is it bad that I have been holding on to a VERY lovely bottle of Dom to pop open whenever we closed on our first house - that will sadly continue to chill through our impending closing date?  I have to admit, I do miss having more than a little soda water, or some ginger ale to toast, but I know that I'll be able to enjoy a glass of Pinot Grigio poolside in no time!

What I'm fearful of:  Starting to get worried about being prepared for my little miss to arrive.  Now that I'm more than halfway through the 2nd trimester, I've kept thinking that "we have so much time.".  Now that time is dwindling down - just 16 weeks and we have to start from scratch.  We don't have any of the furniture, we don't have any of the gear, and we haven't the slightest idea of what to do or how to even bring a baby home.  We are going to be taking our birthing class in May, and I'm sure that once we get into the house, everything will come together - but I'm worrying about having everything absolutely perfect for when she arrives in July. For a person who isn't normally prone to procrastinate, this is a really bad time to put things like this off until "next month"!

What I'm looking forward to: My next doctor's appointment!  I know that we don't get to have anymore sonograms or ultrasounds, but at least we get to hear her heartbeat every few weeks.  And by the time I write my next monthly check in - I'll be in my 3rd trimester.  I'm looking forward to finally being able to say I'm in my final trimester!

I'm going to continue to enjoy these little bumps and kicks as they happen more frequently, and I'm enjoying my full night's rest for as long as I can get it.  I'm loving every second of feeling this little lady growing inside of my belly. I know that she's still tiny and that I can't exactly tell what's a head and what's a foot in there - but I can FEEL that she's bigger. We just love you baby America!  SO MUCH!

Random Acts...

This particular post has nothing to do with anything except some random acts that have transpired over the course of the week that lifted my spirits significantly.  It's still cold in New York, and winter has not let up - it's the middle of March and we are still getting what seems like weekly snow storms. Mike was in Texas last week for SXSW and spent some time in Austin on a little "dad-chelor party" with the boys.  So I'll preface this all by reminding you that I was probably sleep deprived, I'm almost 6 months pregnant, I was missing my husband, and I was cold...so these little things were probably more emotional to this pregnant lady.

Last week, I stopped by a coffee shop on my way to work to grab a (decaf...sigh) latte before heading in to the office.  After living in New York and working in Herald Square for almost five years, I rarely stop in my tracks to notice a homeless person.  In fact, I distinctly remember it being one of my biggest complaints about living in the city.  But I stopped in my tracks when I left the coffee shop and saw a man sitting on the sidewalk with a puppy.  A tiny white, pitbull puppy, who was violently shivering from the cold.  I felt terrible for the man, who was also cold, but I'll admit, it was the puppy that got me, and I handed him a bill and made him "promise to get that puppy a sweatshirt", before heading off to work.

The memory of that cold little pup stayed in my mind for the rest of the day.  I worried about them being cold, I was mad at the man for having a puppy when he couldn't even support himself, and I was stressed that I had given him money to potentially support a terrible habit that had made him homeless in the first place. So I was absolutely STUNNED when I woke up on the weekend and bundled up to run my errands and grab a smoothie - only to see my new friends, the bum & his adorable puppy, right outside my apartment!  There are at least 20 blocks between my office and my apartment - it was pouring rain, and they were sitting under the scaffolding to keep dry.  It was a sign. I walked passed them and went on my way to grab my smoothie - but couldn't help notice that they were both cold.  And I was a little miffed that he didn't use the money I gave him the day before, and was worried that my fears were true.  He was using this puppy to get money - and used every monetary donation for himself.  So I marched myself back out there, smoothie in hand and reminded him of the promise I made him give me before I handed him a bill the day before.  I lightly scolded him, but couldn't say no to that puppy face - and threw a few more quarters into his little cup before going on my way.

If you look REAL closely, you can see....
that puppy has a sweatshirt on!

The weekend continued, I proceeded to share my internal battle and the story of this pup with everyone I encountered over the next few days.  I was so resentful of this man for having a puppy when he didn't have the means - it was so selfish of him.  But then I went to work on Monday - and he was back in front of my work coffee shop on Monday.  And guess what???  THAT PUPPY HAD A SWEATSHIRT ON!  That puppy was warm, and he was licking his homeless man's face off! It warmed my heart to see that my money went to a good cause and that little pup had a cozy gray sweatshirt to keep him from shivering through the remaining days of winter.  Maybe that man shouldn't have a dog, I'm not sure why he was homeless, and I'm not sure what kind of life that puppy would have had if that man didn't take him in as a tiny companion.  I'm also not sure that this guy REALLY IS homeless!  I know nothing about them, other than the fact that they love each other to pieces, and he bought a sweatshirt after my light scolding and my monetary donation. You never know when a little extra care (and maybe some money) could make you, and a little puppy feel all warm inside and out!

Welcome to the 31 Club!

Here we are folks - last birthday as a DINK (dual-income-no-kids) woman.  And first birthday after the big 3-0.  No celebrating over a cocktail, 31 is such a random number, the weather is bleak and dreary, and this kind of popped up in the midst of many other maybe "more important" things happening (i.e. just buying a house & having a baby, NBD).   So it feels like it should be a bit un-eventful, right???

WRONG!  Thank you to the most amazing people a girl could ever know, it was just as great of a year for me as any other one.  I woke up to a barrage of texts & messages on Facebook, missed calls from all over the country, a grandiose decorating effort from my team at work, and some extremely thoughtful gifts from the people I love the most.  I never thought I'd be so excited to get a diaper bag - but thanks to my fantastic husband, I'll be pushing my stroller around with my chic new Minkhoff come July when baby America makes her debut!

I have to take a minute to call out my husband for his valiant efforts at planning and maintaining a perfectly New York-y evening, despite the weather being completely uncooperative (we received close to 6 inches of snow in the city through out the day on my birthday), and despite the fact that he was battling a horrendous cold (another perk of the draining winter we've been battling out East).  Even though the wind was biting at our faces, and even though we were conflicted with wearing proper foot wear but also looking snazzy for a fancy dinner and a show, and even though there were no cabs or Uber vehicles in sight, we salvaged an absolutely perfect evening.  The plans for the night included dinner at the New York famous 21 Club & tickets to see Cabaret during it's final few weeks on Broadway.  AND with one of my favorites headlining for the evening - Sienna Miller!  For those of you who haven't seen it - Allen Cumming is a GOD.  If you can make it to the show in the next 3 weeks before it leaves Broadway forever, I HIGHLY recommend it.  PLUS, we got to check one thing off our short-list of things to do before we move to Westchester!

If that wasn't enough - I got a little added bonus of some family time with my favorites in Connecticut.  Gram's homemade lasagna, some pink velvet cupcakes (because why not?), and much needed family time was the ideal ending to my birthday celebrations.  31 might not be the sexiest of all birthday numbers, but I'm SO excited for the year that is ahead of me.  Thank you so much to my husband, my family, my friends and my co-workers for treating me like a queen.  Y'all really know how to make this momma-to-be feel special! I'm officially in my "early-30s!".

It's the Final Countdown!

Yesterday, March 1st marked exactly 1 month until our closing date on our first home in Bronxville.  One month until we wave goodbye to vertical living in favor of a free standing establishment that is ALL ours. One month until we no longer have the luxuries of every takeout restaurant at our fingertips.  And just ONE month left to be residents of the magical island of Manhattan.  While there is probably something that happens weekly (like the blaring sirens at 11pm zooming past our apartment) to make me long for our suburban future - I'm taking this last month to soak in everything I adore about one of the greatest cities in our Nation.

While we don't have a checklist of things to accomplish before moving to Westchester (because let's face it....we're still both working in the city, and we're really only a 30 minute train ride away!), there are a few things that I'd like to incorporate into our final month as Manhattanites.  It's a shortlist of sorts....a little something to keep us entertained and culturally stimulated before these things are just a little bit more "out of reach" if you will.  And it means a few more date nights before our little miss arrives.

1.  A visit to Central Park - Shane on us for only going up there once or twice since living in New York.  But these days, the weather has not been ideal for a little stroll around up there.  It's been snowy, it's been icy, it's been rainy & it's been cold.  Not exactly the perfect setting to just sit on a park bench and take in the scenery.  But I'm optimistic that between now and April 1st, we'll get one day.  We'll have ONE day that will be lovely for us to walk hand-in-hand and hopefully admire the early hints of spring....hopefully.

2.  See a Broadway Show - We've been pretty good about seeing most of the major Broadway shows since being New Yorkers.  If there is a headliner in town - you better believe that Mike & I will find a way to get as close as we can to the front of the stage.  We've seen Billie Joe Armstrong headlining in American Idiot, I think we saw Rock of Ages over 8 times before they ended their 6-year Broadway run last month, we most recently saw Sting in his show, the Last Ship, and we were there during opening week of Les Miserables last year.  While it may not always be first on our list of things to do, we're always happy we made it up to Times Square for some good ol' fashioned Broadway entertainment.  So even though we have just 3 more weekends left here - I'd love to make it happen for us!


3.  A Night (or day!) at the Museum - We spent a cold winter afternoon visiting the Natural History museum a few years ago.  I have a feeling that the next time we head there - it will be with a whole new respect as we see it through the eyes of our children.  New York has a plethora of some of the world's greatest museums.  Whether is the Natural History Museum again, the Met, the MOMA, or if we want to be crazy - the local Museum of Sex (it's a real place...don't laugh!) - we'll definitely hit at least one of these up before March is over.

4.  Molly's - Over the past 5 years, Molly's has been the Mobley's version of Maclaren's (for those of you who watch How I Met Your Mother).  Countless afternoons and evenings have been spent at Molly's wading through the sawdust covered floors, sipping the finest Guinness in New York City, maybe taking a few shots of Jameson, and squishing as many friends as we could into one of their slightly crooked booths.  Obviously, with our recent news of baby Mobley, my visits to Molly's have waned a bit this winter.  But it's our true Old Faithful - and the staff knows our order and our favorites.  So we'll need to head back to Molly's and pour some out for our next adventure.  It will be impossible to replace our local pub when we get to Westchester - but we know we'll have a few options.

And that's it everyone.  Just a short-list, because we'll still have the wonders of New York City at our fingertips whenever we'd like.  You may hear about some of these little adventures over the next few weeks - and I'll likely be sharing more as we make our official move.  But for now, I'm just appreciating every element of this gorgeous concrete jungle - trash, slushy puddles, dirty subways, crazy homeless people and all!