Half Baked!

We're officially halfway there!  This week marked 20 weeks into my pregnancy.  Officially 5 months, half baked, over the hump!  There is no hiding this belly now.

So we wanted to take this time to share a few new bumpies with you and update you all on the updates since we've last provided a dedicated baby blog:

How I'm feeling:  fan-freakin-tastic.  To the point where I started getting scared because outside of my growing belly, and the recent growth in my eh hem...chest region - I don't even feel pregnant!  My energy is up, I'm still working out every day, I am eating as healthy as possible (with a little more ice cream than normal), and I'm sleeping well!  Soaking in every second of this glowing part of the pregnancy while I can - because I know that I'll be longing for these days in just a few weeks time!

How is baby feeling?  I've been a little worried these days because I haven't felt my little mango moving around.  A lot of friends I have talked to felt their babies moving around during weeks 16, 17, 18, 19....I'm at week 20, and nothing.  I read a few places that orange juice or apple juice will make her wiggle - or that shining a flash light on my belly might make her squirm.  And I tried both...several times...but nothing.  And then it happened!!!!  I was sitting on the couch eating a VERY late dinner after a 13 hour work day, with my feet up on the coffee table, winding down from the day.  And my sweet little America decided that would be a good time to play!  I felt her first little bumps in my belly and it was the greatest sensation in the world.  The little palpitations I felt in my tummy matched the ones she made me feel in my heart!  Every day since then she's been kicking up a storm in there!  No apple juice or flashlights needed here anymore!!!  The only hard thing is that Mike can't feel her yet - but soon enough.

What I'm craving:  I'm so glad to be back to my healthy eating habits with a few added treats before I go to sleep.  But I have an insatiable craving for FroYo...that's all I want...every day.  But somehow every FroYo restaurant in our neighborhood within a 4 block radius has closed.  And walking more than that when it's 10 degrees outside, just doesn't seem like a smart thing to do.  So my solution has been SMOOTHIES!  Smoothies every day....if I can put it in my nutri-bullet, I'll blend it.  I just can't have enough of them.....And it's probably a healthier alternative to FroYo anyway.  So I guess that's a good trade-off!

What I've been living in:  I'm holding on for dear life to my non-maternity pants.  So basically, my bella band has been my saving grace...almost every day.  It's also still ridiculously cold here in New York, so I'm just happy my winter coat can still fit over this bulging belly.  Just a few more weeks of this cold!!!

What I'm looking forward to: We're moving to our house in just a few weeks time & I am so thrilled that we'll be able to decorate her nursery before she gets here.  I've created a very organized Pinterest board of how I envision little baby girl Mobley's nursery will look- and we already did a little shopping to get ideas of cribs & rockers.  But we just can't wait to roll up our sleeves and get everything started in there!

I'm not sure if I've mastered the art of the "bumpie" yet, but I'm trying to be more diligent about taking them weekly so I have them for our little one.  We are going in for a few doctors appointments next week - and can't wait to have some more pictures of our tiny little girl!  But for now we're 20 weeks down...20 to go!!!

My Dallas Valentines

I love surprising my dad - it's just too easy.  I think I've done it every time I've gone to Dallas (with the exception of maybe Thanksgiving and Christmas).  My mom is a great accomplice (only because a surprise could never work on HER!), he's never suspecting, and he's genuinely thrilled when he comes home from the office for a little lunch & I'm causally sitting at the kitchen table!

Last week, I had a meeting in Dallas for work - and since it was a long weekend I turned my business trip into a birthday surprise for my Pops!  Yes! It was too perfect - a business trip + a long weekend + dad's birthday.  The stars were all aligned.

I'm trying to work here
Burton....

Mike came and met me down in Dallas after he had finished up the work week, and we managed to get a 3 day break from the 11 degree weather here in New York and accumulate some much needed vitamin D and family time.  With my maternity leave coming up in 5 months or so, it's harder and harder for me to get away for a few reasons.  First, I'm going to have to be careful about traveling a little bit later in my pregnancy.  And second, I kind of have to stock up on those vacation days so that I can make the most of my maternity leave.  So between now and July, I'm going to have to be very stingy with these 2015 vacation days.  Which means, my 4-5 yearly trips to Dallas are probably going to be down to MAYBE 2 this year...a major lifestyle change for these two jet setters!

We've had a cold winter this year.  I think it has snowed at least once a week, if not twice for the past 5 or 6 weeks.  While we haven't had to dig ourselves out TOO much like our friends up the coast in Boston, it has started to cause a little bit of cabin fever over here in the Mobley household.  So Mike and I were thrilled when the Dallas forecast was in the 70s and we got a sky full of sunshine.  That means some fresh air and walks outside with the whole family - pups included of course.  It was even nice enough for a lunch outside on the golf course to celebrate the birthday boy!

That's a lot of love!

We opened presents and cards in our pajamas on Valentine's day.  Since we were seeing everyone in person this year, we had a few extra gifts in our suitcase to bring along!  Our evenings took us from lower Greenville for an Italian dinner with the 6 of us to our Four Season's staple - Via Real for dad's birthday - and also Valentine's Day!  I was happy as a clam with my first Valentine (my pops), my last Valentine (my husband) and my furry Valentine (Burton...of course!).  And we gorged on the greatest Tex Mex and margaritas (virgin strawberry daiquiri for me please) to toast the man of the hour.

It's been hard being pregnant and being away from our parents during this exciting time.  And it's been even harder being stuck in the house and not knowing when you'll see them next.  I don't often get a business trip in Dallas - it maybe happens once/year.  But I'm glad that this one was perfectly timed so that I could get AND give a little TLC from my parents.  It was good to restore my spirits and warm my soul and my chilly bones up a little bit before returning to the frozen concrete jungle.  I'm not sure when we'll get back out there or if we'll be traveling with a sweet little carry-on next time, but I'm glad we could make a little getaway out of a work trip!  Happy Birthday Pops, I'm glad we could pull a fast one on you again - because it's just too much fun!  We love you & can't wait until YOUR next business trip to our coast!

We're coming home!

We have to admit that we've been keeping ANOTHER secret from you all.  But now that we're exactly 2 months away from waving goodbye to Manhattan - we're thrilled to announce that Mike & I are officially homeowners!  For those of you who know, there is a lot of time and red tape that goes into buying a house.  We had to get through the bidding, the inspection, the contracts, the lawyers, the banks and the crazy laws in the state of New York.  There are understandably a lot of areas for dream crushing in this entire process.

But we're happy to say that we're on our way to the blissful comforts of our very first home!  We started our search last fall, when little America was just a dream and hope for our future.  Back in September & October, we knew that our efforts and prayers for a baby would be answered for us, and when that time came we wanted to be ready.  We wanted to have a cozy home & a perfect nursery ready for that little miracle.  So after watching the market for a few months, and collecting some of our favorite prospective homes, we made an appointment to head out to Bronxville when we returned from our trip to the UK.  We were all set to start the process at the beginning of November.

Just a sampling from the stacks of paperwork we had to
sort through as part of the process!

And then we got the greatest news ever when we found out that all of our dreams had come true!  We were expecting a sweet baby!  So we entered our house hunt with a slightly different attitude, and much different priorities.  We always knew that we were shopping with our future family in mind, but now it was more imminent that we had ever thought!

We had quite a few choices when looking into our houses, and we'd amassed the selection of favorites & a very comprehensive list of questions for our broker.  But just 4 days before we had our appointment scheduled to tour homes in Broxville, a new house hit the market.  It was a beautiful little colonial - built in 1935 with all the charm of an old home, but with brand new renovations.  THANK GOD for the renovations!  And in perfect, move-in condition...ideal for us to bring home our little bundle of joy.  Nestled in a tiny little cul-de-sac, this was without a doubt, the future home for the Mobley family.

Winston & Mike assessing their plans for
their future backyard!

Between the timing of the house hitting the market, us getting our appointment scheduled with the broker, and finding out that we were expecting....all of the stars aligned.  All of our dreams came true within just two weeks of each other.  A perfect little home, and a baby on the way!  I can't wait to get in there and decorate our first HOUSE!  We can't wait to pull into our own driveway to bring little America home from the hospital this summer.  Winston can't wait to have his own yard for endless days of football & soccer on the grass.  I can't wait to sit in our window seat and watch the first snowfall of the season next year. Mike can't wait to finally get his shiny new grill and throw some burgers on for a gathering with friends.  We're so thrilled to be able to finally host a Christmas part with more than 300 square feet of room to entertain!  We can't wait to have all of the family holidays & children's birthday parties, and visits from our family from all over the country.  Wish us luck during the move & we'll share more pictures once we're officially "home" in April!

First Trimester "Pinks"...

Over 400 choices for Whisky - and I can't have any of it....

I'm not going to call them the "blues", because we're having a girl, AND because not all of them were THAT bad!  Now that I'm in my second trimester, I thought it would be safe for me to speak a little bit about how my first trimester went a few months ago.  We found out we were having a baby in the last week of October, which means the toughest part of my pregnancy was over quite a few large holidays.  I was pregnant for a work trip to Puerto Rico with my Bacardi Rum clients (ooof), I was pregnant in the land of whisky with my Mobley family in Scotland (Scotch is my lifeline, so for those of you who know me well, you understand my pain), and I was pregnant on Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas AND New Years...meaning no cocktails for me.  But the hardest part WASN'T being the token sober friend or designated driver - it was keeping it from all of you!

The first question I always get when people find out we're having a baby is "how do you feel?"...I get that even before "do you know what you're having?!?"!  Thank you so much to everyone for checking on me and for your concern and caring of my health and well being.  We're a healthy 18 weeks now and I'm absolutely elated!  I may be in the early stages of my "honeymoon trimester" of the pregnancy now, but it's the most wonderful feeling in the world now that some of those 1st trimester "pinks" are out of the way.  And in speaking of these - I thought now would be a good time to share a little of my most frequent symptoms from the 1st trimester!

My first ever BUMPIE!  This was the best we could do
after 10 or 11 attempts that weren't up to par

1.  Heartburn - DEAR GOD HELP ME!  I'm like Smaug from Lord of the Rings every day, all day.  I had to cut back on some of my favorite treats that might worsen the heartburn - that means no buffalo wings, pizza or Tabasco for this momma, almost as bad as cutting the scotch.  While I'm not a big milk drinker, I've found that this and froyo are the only real remedies - but it's been a little to chilly for frozen treats these days.  So I've been known to snack on Tums Smoothies in my dire efforts to tame the fire-breathing dragon that has started growing in my tummy.

2. Nausea - I tried to salvage my nose from as many offensive smells as possible.  My sense of smell reached vampire or werewolf levels.  I could walk into a restaurant and smell everything every single person had on their plate for dinner.  And the smells were what caused the nausea.  If I could brace myself from any offensive smells, then I would have been in the clear.  But despite the 15 weeks of gagging my entire walk home from the office to my apartment, or covering my nose during lunchtime at work, and hiding my face in my scarves when I passed a cart full of New York street meat - that was it!  Just the nausea, no morning sickness.  No vomiting.

Right after we found out she was a girl!
Some hand knitted booties from my Gram!

3. Emotional - On a scale of 1-10, I'd say I was a face ripper.  Yes, that goes beyond the numerical scale...I would rip faces off (mostly Mike's).  My patience was non-existent.  Not so much the crying, but the face ripping...yes...definitely.  I'm glad (but I think Mike is probably more enthusiastic) that this symptom has subsided.  So your faces are safe from this preggo....for now!

4.  Appetite - My first 15 weeks I ate like a toddler.  My appetite consisted of bagels with cream cheese & jelly, some pretzels, cheerios & maybe some chicken fingers, if I was in need of protein.  It was excruciating.  I was so excited about the day I'd find out I was pregnant and become a human garbage disposal.  But I was the exact opposite.  It was a huge win if I was able to eat 3 full meals a day.  Just nothing was good.  It was frustrating for a person who usually has kale for at least 2 meals a day, who is used to a wealth of options for lunch in Manhattan, and who has is extremely liberal with fish-based meals.  I was also trying to do everything possible to provide my little baby with all the necessary nutrients to make sure that she's nice and healthy in my belly. So not being able to pump my body full of all those good leafy greens and all those rich proteins was hard to swallow (pun intended) and I felt a little bit like a failure to my little Miss.  But I am so relieved to report, that right at 16 weeks - I'm able to eat everything again!  I've ditched the bagels and toddler meal options!  My husband doesn't have to be worried about taking me out in public for dinner anymore!

5.  Baby Brain - Let's see...in my first 14 weeks, I succeeded in leaving my wallet in a hotel safe in Puerto Rico, I left my passport at the security check in on my way to Europe, I mailed about 5 Christmas cards without the actual CARDS IN THE ENVELOPE, I misplaced about $200 of Christmas gifts (that I never found), and I've committed countless acts at work.  I've officially lost my mind....I'm scared to see what I'm like when I'm sleeping for only 2 hour increments.  The thought of "mommy brain" being worse than "baby brain" terrifies me because I'm already out of control!

So so creepy - but check
out that pout!

6.  Anxiety - I'd say this was the biggest battle I had during my first 14 weeks.  Anxiety about getting ready for our little one's much anticipated arrival, anxiety about keeping a secret for so long, anxiety that she wasn't really there and I was just imagining the whole pregnancy, anxiety that I was going to lose control over everything in my life, anxiety that this little creature will be a stranger in my happy little family, hell...even anxiety about what I was going to have for breakfast that wouldn't give me heartburn!  These thoughts plagued me all night while I was trying to fall asleep, they haunted my dreams, and they were the first little notions that creeped into my brain as I was just starting to wake up in the morning.  But then something weird happened....at 14 weeks I was able to deal.  There is a lot to do before baby girl gets here, but we have the greatest support of family and friends to help us on our way.  So it's all going to be alright - and she's in there.  She's growing....she's a REAL thing.  I'm really pregnant!  The anxiety has turned into peace with the fact that I get 22 more weeks to prepare for our creature with the best people we could ever know.

So needless to say, I'm not sorry to say goodbye to some of those symptoms as I get deeper into my second trimester.  This is the good part.  This is the part all the mommies rave about.  I've said goodbye to some of those "pinks", I'm starting to see my belly grow with my little sweet potato (that's how big she is this week!), and it's all becoming more real to me.  I wake up every morning and it's like a blissful surprise when the first thing I think about every day is the little human I'm cooking in there! We got to see her in an anatomy scan a few weeks ago, and she is such a tiny, real person!  A moving, breathing, squirmy person (that already seems to have inherited some pretty luscious lips if I must say)!  I haven't been completely diligent about sharing bumpies, but mostly because it's not completely there yet, and because it's really hard to take a good bumpie!  But keep checking in because we'll have LOTS more to share!  Yay for the second trimester!

Three day weekends with family

One of the things I look forward to when I come back from the holiday break is the fact that just two weeks later, we get ANOTHER day off!  We got our 3-day weekend in observance of MLK, so Mike and I used those extra days to get a little quality time with the family.  My brother was in town for work this past week, and he stayed the weekend before continuing his tour of the East Coast airports.

We took the opportunity to have some late night sibling bonding time (after post-flu Mike went to bed early), to build a few "forts" with Winston on the couch, to take a road trip to Connecticut, to have a few go-kart races (not me of course, maybe after the baby comes!!!), to have an early birthday celebration for my bro-chacho, to take in some New York pizza, to show Garrett the new hood in Bronxville, and to catch up on the life that's happened since we last saw each other over Christmas.

Sunday was extremely dangerous outside with some daunting episodes of black ice all over the tri-state area.  So it was the perfect, rainy, dreary day to be inside with family.  We did have to hike it back to New York in the evening, but by then the weather had warmed up & the roads were a bit less treacherous.

 I love that my family can turn their occasional business trips into some family time - I'm extremely lucky that they come to New York more often then they need to be in Atlanta or say....Minneapolis.  I'll take as much time as I can get & can't wait until that time turns into more visits with our future little Miss.

My brother celebrated a very special birthday yesterday & even though we didn't get to be with him and the rest of the family in Texas on the actual day, we did get some special time with him.  Happy Birthday to my best buddy & the greatest brother ever.  We can't wait to hopefully have a REAL guest bedroom for you for your next visit (even though Winston likes to encroach on your little couch forts)!

We have some news!!!!

Finding out he's going to be a
grandpa for the first time ever!

Hello friends & family - by now, most of you have seen the Facebook or Instagram post we made earlier today.  If you haven't, we have some very exciting news to share with you all.  We've been holding this in for months, and we're so happy to finally spread the word that our little family will be growing by one this coming July!  Yes, we're having a baby!

I'd be lying if I said that the road to our little WeeMobs wasn't a long (well, longer than we'd hoped) and sometimes deflating one.  After 14 months, we were starting to lose patience as we waited for some positive results!  And finally...that little stick said "positive" for the first time ever!  We'll never forget the morning we found out - when I was plagued with insomnia worrying about what results this month would tell.  I quietly tip-toed to the bathroom at 4:00a and stared at a test for about 10 minutes before getting the courage to take it.  When that little test finally read the most precious words I had ever hoped for in my life, my eyes welled up with tears.

Baby Mobley already has her very own mini Menzies kilt straight from Scotland!

Baby's first ultrasound! 6 weeks!

I quickly scanned my mind to think of something creative to do for Mike to tell him.  But it was 4:15 in the morning, I was crying....and I would never be able to go back to sleep.  So I pounced on the bed, turned on all of the lights and well, scared the shit out of my husband.  He woke up in a panic, almost grabbed his tactical flashlight and sat straight up in bed.  When I put the test in his hand, he looked at it.....registered a second and then grabbed me into the biggest hug that ever happened in the world.   After that, even though it was impossible to fall asleep....we just laid there...in absolute bliss - but cautiously optimistic about the future of our tiny.  And then we did what any normal expecting couple would do....we celebrated by taking baby to the Alice Cooper/Motley Crue show - because...duh!

PJs on Thanksgiving  - this time with a little
extra "surprise"

The next few months were a series of fibs, mocktails disguised as cocktails, a little hiding out, and a gradual reveal to our family members and some close friends.  Because of the slightly rockier road we had on the way to WeeMobs, Mike and I had an ultrasound a little bit earlier than most...and at just 6 weeks we got to hear our little bean's HEARTBEAT!!!  I'm not sure what's more amazing...the advancements of modern technology to give you these unforgettable moments, or the moment itself - hearing the heartbeat of your first child for the first time.  It was difficult to decipher a little human from the rice-sized blog in the picture, but we had a healthy heartbeat, and a BABY!

Six weeks later, just a few days before Christmas, all of our guesses and speculations were correct when we found out we were having a GIRL!  Mike and I were obviously both absolutely elated and could barely contain ourselves from sharing the news with anyone we came into contact with!  And we were so lucky to be able to do a bit of a reveal to our parents &  my brother/SIL the day before Christmas!  Sure, I botched the reveal....when I couldn't keep myself from using the female pronouns "she" and "her" - but it was worth it for everyone to find out at the same time at the happiest time of year.  It was truly the greatest Christmas gift we could have ever received.  We've already started the shopping for our little sweetheart.

Already preparing for tons of "pony rides"

We've taken to calling her "America" these past few weeks, because it looks at though she'll be making her debut on or around 4th of July - which for a couple who thrives on festivity, was the greatest news ever.  I'm not sure if she's going to grow up to be a ballerina, or if she'll be a little soccer player.  She might like Taylor Swift (or whoever the next pop super star might be!) or take after her awesome parents and fall asleep at night to the voice of Jon Bon Jovi.  She may totally be into princesses, or she could want to watch football on the couch with her daddy.  Little girl Mobley might have a hundred boyfriends, or beat them all up on the playground (I think I know which one Mike would prefer).  And she might want to play dress up, or prefer to play wiffle ball in the front yard.

It was a very merry Christmas indeed....

I'm not sure what we are going to get from this little bundle of joy.  We have absolutely no idea - and I LOVE IT!  All I know is that we have waited for what seems like an eternity for this little miracle.  We know that we already love her so much and we know that Winston is totally prepared to wear tutus and have tea parties if he has to.  And we know that we absolutely can't wait to meet our sweet girl.

We are completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of support, love, well wishes, and welcome advice from all of our friends and family with this fantastic news.  Our little girl is going to love meeting each and every one of the amazing people who have made our lives so complete.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the kind words.  We can't wait to take you along for the journey to our little Miss.  All our love - the Mobleys

2015: The Year the Mobleys cut the clutter

This is going to be a good year - I just know it!  Especially with the progress we've been making on the house hunt! In the past, I've tried to have a theme for each of my goals to start the New Year. For the Mobleys, 2013 was all about being spontaneous and doing whatever we wanted.  2014 was the year of ZEN and finding peace and relaxation in a crazy New York advertising life.  2015 is the year the Mobleys focus on cutting the clutter...getting and staying ridiculously organized in our lives.  I don't just mean having a clean closet - I'm talking about cutting the clutter... from everywhere!

1.  Cut the clutter from our home - With the house hunt in full swing, and with the last of our days in our New York apartment upon us, I'm committed to getting organized before any move.  I don't want to move anything to our new home that's not necessary & I want to start our lives in a house with a fresh, organized start!  I'll de-clutter within reason though - I don't want to make any irrational decisions.  But a new house brings a blank slate - and I'd rather fill it with love and memories than clutter!

2.  Cut the clutter from our budgets - Being a homeowner requires that you take a closer look at your budget.  Would you rather have that cup of coffee, or put that money towards that new couch that is ridiculously expensive, but you can't imagine your life without it?  Are those shoes more important to you than the closing costs you're going to encounter pretty soon?  This year, I'm vowing to take this seriously.  We're going to go through our finances with a fine toothed comb and be smart about cutting costs where possible.  Looks like I'll have to sacrifice some of my shopping habits in favor of my dream home!

3.  Cut the clutter from our diets - Yep!  We're trimming the fat, literally.  If we end up moving out of the city that means no more access to the endless world of takeout.  No more late night pizza runs.  No more ordering a chicken parm because you can't figure out what else to eat.  We are going to have more planned meals, more home cooking, smaller portions, and more time chatting about each other's day at the dinner table. This goal should help the aforementioned cost cutting too!

When you can't be with some of your friends at midnight...
you FACE TIME them from the restaurant!

4.  Cut the clutter from my inbox - My goal in my inbox for 2015 is to never have a "scroll bar" at the end of every day.  For those of you who know what I'm talking about...it means that you have so many emails in your inbox, that you have to scroll through them.  If you have your inbox clean and clear, there is no scroll bar....because you don't have to sort through too many emails.  It's glorious.  I follow the RFDD model - reply, forward, delegate or delete.  This should keep things manageable & keep my inbox from giving me heartburn every time I sit down to my desk.

5.  Cut the clutter from our minds - This one is a lot less literal, and maybe more difficult.  One of the things that I'm most proud of from last year was the progress I made in my ability to handle stress.  Acupuncture played a role in this, lavender oil played a role in this, yoga might have played a role in this, and maybe turning 30 played a large role.  I still have my panic moments, I still will break down in tears when I just can't do everything, but I'm so much better at compartmentalizing and prioritizing than I was in prior years.  I think this will be key to continue to improve upon for 2015.  Being able to separate my different priorities will be essential for a healthy work/life balance that I want to achieve this year.  My family & my friends are the most important things in my life - and anything that interferes with those precious things is...well, clutter!

Mike and I rang in the New Year in our favorite New York manner - dressed to the nines, with reservations to a festive New York establishment, and among friends.  This has become a NYE staple for us.  We love getting dressed up and starting off the New Year in some snazzy clothes - surrounded by our friends who are such a special part of our lives (we even Face Timed with our favorite new Austinites at our midnight!).  We love when the restaurants bring out the pots and pans, complementary champagne, and noisemakers.  We love leaving the hosting and cleaning for someone else to worry about.  And we love being able to go home and snuggle in our own beds together to start the year.

This year's celebration had an air of peace & satisfaction.  Satisfaction at how gratifying this year has been for us, and peace that we'll be able to take on whatever challenges and excitement 2015 has for for the Mobleys.  We wish you a happy & healthy New Year to your and yours and hope you all were able to start 2015 off with a bang!