7 Month Update!

I can't believe it's finally my 3rd trimester.  It feels like just yesterday I was sneaking around and having fake cocktails so that I could keep my little miracle a secret until it was safe!  But here we are at 28 weeks and we just have 3 months left to go until baby America makes her debut!  Here is a little update of how we're feeling these days:


Size of baby: the size of an eggplant

How is Mommy doing?  (I have a few contributions for how mommy is doing)

The Good!  I successfully navigated the moving process like a champ.  Outside of the extra lbs and the enormous belly, you wouldn't have even known I was pregnant.  I was packing & unpacking, making trips inside and out, upstairs and down, painting rooms, doing laundry - you name it!  My days started at 7:30a and didn't end until close to 9p, when I felt like I was slightly starting to lose just a tiny bit of steam.  I wasn't plagued by any baby pain or fatigue at any point while I finished up the 2nd trimester. 

The Bad. At the end of these crazy days, it was evident that my feet totally started to swell.  Which I'm sure is a function of the pregnancy, but also probably the 15,000 steps I was doing as part of the move!  I've also started the "silly crying" episodes.  I think my husband would argue with this point, but I've been relatively stable with my emotions, until now.  And now I cry.  In fact, I had my first "silly cry" when we were in Bermuda.  I was so emotional about the fact that I couldn't partake in the Rum Swizzle party that Mike was having and I felt terrible that he had to finish a pitcher all alone.  It was the saddest.  I wasn't crying because I couldn't partake, I was crying because I felt like Mike was being festive alone....and the tears just wouldn't stop.  Big ol' pea sized tears that just kept coming, all throughout our lunch! 

The Ugly....OMG, the baby brain! I've somehow managed to turn into a complete fumbling, mumbling crazy lady.  To the point where I actually don't even know the words that are coming out of my mouth - I'm incapable of forming a thoughtful sentence!  I can't form complete thoughts, I forget what I was going to say, I look at people and it's like I black out.  I can see that they are speaking to me, but I can't process their words quick enough. Luckily everyone in my life has been completely understanding and almost amused by these fumbles - but I feel like I'm losing control of my brain!

How's baby doing?  Remember when I was around 20 weeks and I was concerned that I hadn't felt the baby kick yet?  Well she moves...and she moves all day every day.  Anything could trigger it.  She loves when I eat, she loves when I'm in a big presentation, she loves when I'm relaxing, she loves when I'm sitting, she loves spicy food, she loves ice cream, she loves when we play her Van Halen, and she loves when we read her Dr. Seuss books.  We can SEE the bumps and kicks now too!  And she's still a big girl so far!  At our 26 week appointment, she was still measuring about a week ahead of her weight.  So if she takes after her momma, we might have a butterball on our hands folks!

What I'm craving:  Strawberries dipped in Nutella.  De-lish!  And ice cream.  I end every evening of my life with a little bowl (yes, little, I'm cognizant of over-eating!) of vanilla bean ice cream with a few Reeces Pieces for toppings.  

What I'm missing:  It's starting to turn to spring, which means that I finally get to go without tights!  A moment I've been waiting for pretty much since I found out I was pregnant.  And New York City goes absolutely nuts when the weather is nice and warm - one of my favorite things about the East Coast.  But I'm going to miss my spring clothes this year.  And I'm going to miss the ease of the simple act of shaving my legs :-/.  But at least I can finally shed some of these layers and free my poor swollen feet from the constraints of BOOTS!  I might not be able to squish these feet into some of my favorite pumps, but I'll be damned if I don't try!  

What I'm fearful of: I really just want to know HOW I'm going to be having this baby.  I want to know if I should be prepared for an invasive surgery or if I can plan on this little baby girl to let me know when she's ready to come meet the world who loves her.  I'm scared of the unknown, and I wish I had a crystal ball to show me what my birth story will be like.  Once our doctor's appointments move to every 2 weeks, I'll hopefully find out more every appointment, but for now, it's scaring me not knowing what's going to happen.  I'm not scared of birth itself (but Mike and I haven't been to birthing class yet, so that will soon be terrifying to both of us), just scared that I don't have control of how my child will be born.

What I'm looking forward to: SUMMER!  Oh my goodness, I'm so looking forward to a delicious summer wardrobe for my little princess, and taking her for walks in the sunshine & letting her fall asleep in the shade.  My maternity leave will essentially be over the entire summer, and I can't wait to soak it all up with my little bug.  Plus, come on....how cute are tiny summer baby outfits? 

Now that we're into the 3rd trimester, the weeks seem to be flying by quickly, and we're just waiting for our tiny one to bake just a bit longer before coming out to show the world her precious face.  We're having so much fun decorating her nursery and now that we actually have a car seat, it's setting in that these super qualified doctors are going to let us crazies actually leave the hospital with a baby!  I've heard that the last trimester will get more uncomfortable for me, which I'm sure I'll be reflecting on during my 8 month post!  But for now....12 more weeks until America time! 

The Joys of being a Homeowner!

My GOODNESS moving is a lot of work.  Mike and I thought it would be a good idea to have the movers take only the heavy stuff & furniture, and we could easily move everything else in the Jeep between Manhattan and Bronxville.  Oh, AND, I would be close to 7 months pregnant....awesome idea right?  Not really...

Our move wasn't so much in one day per se, it took us the better part of an entire week, not counting the time we spent heading into the house a weekend early to paint a few of the key rooms (yes, the painting was another home expense we saved money on by doing ourselves - that one was actually ok.  I'm a REALLY good painter!).  And by the time we got in, it looked like an absolute war zone.  It was a little deflating to see how much we really have to do....we came to Bronxville with MAYBE a room's worth of furniture...and now we have an entire HOUSE to furnish!  It feels like it could take an eternity to get everything finished the way we want it.  But I welcome the challenge and will embrace the decorating!

Aside from being completely overwhelmed by the physical act of packing, moving, unpacking and organizing - we couldn't be more thrilled about finally being in our home.  We love that we can sleep with the windows open and not hear any sirens or crazy street noise.  We love that we can make breakfast together on the weekend and enjoy it from our kitchen window seat.  We love that we can do our own laundry for the first time in 5 years and don't have to save up our quarters for the machines.  We love having TWO BATHROOMS - the key to any good marriage.  We love that we don't have to put on coats and Winston's leash every time he needs to go to the bathroom.  We love that we have already been able to host our first family visitors when my parents came out to help us during move-in weekend.

We love the sounds of our wood floors settling at night because our house was built in 1923.  We love waiting to see what perennials will bloom in our yard now that we're in the full swing of spring time. We love the small victories and satisfaction at the completion of a project, or when a delivery comes that is just perfect.  We love having a walk-in closet that holds BOTH of our clothes (and I must admit....Mike actually has more than I do), and not having to do the daily wrestle anytime you want to take one thing out of the closet. We love having neighbor friends from the city who have graciously hosted us for dinner at their homes.  And even though we have to get up much earlier to catch the train, we love that we can commute to and from work in the city together every morning and most evenings.

So far it's been an adventure since we've lived here, and we have and endless amount of home improvement and decorating projects in our future.  We've already been to Home Depot more times in one week than we have in our entire lives and I can already make my way to and from Bed, Bath & Beyond without using the GPS.  Winston is having a bit of separation anxiety with so much space, but he adjusted to his backyard rather quickly once he figured out that he can play with his favorite ball out there.  We promise to share pictures of our projects and room completions once we get moving, but for now, we're just settling and trying to take everything one room & one piece at a time,  So far, this is suiting us quite well.  We love our little home in the burbs!

Winston clearly being extremely helpful with the painting of our guest bathroom!

Closing time!!!

It's ironic that I'm writing this entry on the first week of April because this is the time of year that I usually am recognizing our yearly anniversary of falling more in love with New York City.  We moved here on April 1st exactly in 2010.  Since then, I've developed an even stronger admiration for the city that never sleeps...summer smells and winter woes included.  But this year, on the 5th anniversary of our move to New York, we are celebrating something a little different.....

Winston on his first day in
New York 5 years ago

Not the never-ending energy of Manhattan, or the bottomless access to the world's greatest restaurants, or the infinite options of nightlife and amazing Broadway shows.  Not the gorgeous daily walk I make through Madison Square Park or the unique skyline that squeezea my heart every time I'm in a car home from the airport.  And not the apartment that has been the site of our engagement, our marriage, and where we found out we were going to be expanding our family.

Winston on his first day in his
new house!

We're celebrating our first home!  On this week....5 years to the day of us moving to New York, we celebrate our departure from the island of Manhattan as we embark on our next journey to the suburbs.  This week, we're celebrating our new home in Bronxville, New York.

After a 130 day escrow period (yes, we were very generous), we finally closed and signed all the paperwork for our very own home.  A free standing building all to ourselves!  A driveway where we don't have to pay for parking!  A backyard for Winston to roam free at any time!  A place for us to host our family from out of town!  But most importantly....a place to bring home our first little baby girl!

We might not be Manhattanites anymore, but our home purchase in Bronxville keeps the New Yorker in us.  So we celebrated like any normal New Yorker would do in acknowledgement of 5 years with this fabulous city - we saw Billy Joel in concert at MSG!  Last year, we did something super New York-y by heading to a Broadway play - but this one kind of takes the cake.  Billy Joel is Mr. New York himself - and baby Mobs danced the night away in my belly!

So while it is bittersweet to leave our Gramercy Park apartment in our rear view, we're looking forward to building our lives in Bronxville.  What a momentous week this has become for us over the past few years - and April 1st will always bring such sweet significance to the Mobleys.  We can't wait to share our new suburban adventures with you all, and wish us luck on the move & home improvements as we get our home baby & visitor ready.  Feel free to come visit us any time!  Our doors (and guest bedroom) are always open!

First meal in the new digs!

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!".