Venting Session

These are the reasons why I'm annoyed this morning:

1. It's 100 degrees in Washington DC
2. Our AC is broken
3. We forgot about a pediatrician appointment this morning, had to cancel, and now have to pay a $25 fee
4. It's 100 degrees in Washington DC
5. Our AC is broken
6. Our AC is broken...

Ok, I'm done now.  Looking at pictures of Ellie is the only thing that makes it all better!

Mike's 1st Father's Day

Yesterday was Mike's first Father's Day and Ellie was so excited to smile and laugh all day long for her daddy!

Aren't they adorable together?

I'm Back!

That's right people. My maternity leave is over and I am officially back to work and thus back to blogging!

There's so much to catch up on, but for now I will leave you with some recent pictures of little Ellie lou!

She's grown up so much!

3 Guarantees as a New Parent

Here are the three things that you will most certainly do or have happen to you as a new parent...
.
1.  Baby Talk - it's inevitable! You will engage in baby talk with your infant.  They love it, and it comforts them and makes them laugh.  Hey, you'll do anything to get the crying to stop!

2.  Change a diaper only to have your baby crap in the clean one minutes later.  It's uncanny!  Like they know how expensive diapers are and want to torcher you by going through 5 in one hour!  Don't laugh, it'll happen to you!

3.  Forget to pee.  Seriously this is tragic.  I have literally gone all day without peeing.  There's just never a chance sometimes. 

This may all sound overwhelming and even scary, but I assure you that it's all worth it!  Just look at this face!

I melt for her...

Ellie's First Easter

Now that Mike and I are parents, holidays are that much more special.  We get to dress Ellie up, show her off to various family members, and take a million pictures.

Here are a few of my favorite from Ellie's first Easter!

Meet Ellie Noelle!

Hi there! I bet you can guess why I haven't posted in a few weeks! That's right, we had a baby!!!

Our daughter, Ellie Noelle was born on February 9th at 2:35 am and weighed 6 pounds 9 ounces and was 19.5 inches long!

There is so much catching up to do, but for now I leave you with a few pictures of our sweet baby girl.

Just born!

Proud Daddy

Sleepy!

Intense face!

NYC Baby Shower

A couple of weeks ago, my awesome mom threw me a shower at the cutest little tea salon, called Lady Mendl's.  The salon, located in the Inn at Irving Place which is a tiny boutique hotel in Manhattan, was absolutely lovely, and so was the shower.

The tea service included cucumber, smoked salmon, egg salad, and turkey sandwiches, house-made scones with fresh jam and devonshire clotted cream, signature crepe cake with raspberry coulis, chocolate covered strawberries, mini cookies and other decadent desserts, and amazingly delicious tea and champagne!

It was delightful and charming and was really enjoyed by all!  I would highly recommend having a baby shower at Lady Mendl's if you enjoy high tea and feeling like British royalty...

Here are a few pictures:

Nursery - Phase 1

Wow, Mike and I worked our asses off this weekend to get things cleaned, laundered and ready for our little girl's arrival.   I guess you can say we are officially in "nesting" mode.

The crib was delivered and assembled on Saturday which looks great in the space and matches the dressers we have perfectly!  I'm so excited to finally get the bedding and wall decor up so I can share pictures with all of you!

Here a couple of pictures of Phase 1:

Stay tuned for Phase 2 pictures coming soon!

10 Things You Need...

During Pregnancy:

1. a back massager - this could be a person or a tool

2. drawstring pants - to lounge around in and be comfortable

3. comfortable underwear - Gap maternity is awesome!

4. Jenny McCarthy's book "Belly Laughs" - thanks Ran and Cin!!

5. a pillow between your knees at night - I like the Boppy

6. Tiger Balm - for your swollen feet and aching back

7. cookies - any kind really

8. a blender - I am obsessed with smoothies

9. baby wipes - for you :)

10. a sense of humor - 9 months is a hell of a long time!

Showers Galore!

This past Saturday our dear friends Matt and Josh threw Mike and I a "Jack and Jill" baby shower at their home on Capital Hill in DC.

It was so lovely and we are so thankful and lucky to have such great friends.  If you're planning a baby shower for anyone I would totally recommend stealing this idea...

Instead of playing games they bought a birthday card starting from Year 1 to Year 18 of our daughter's life and had each guest write a card to her.  It was such a sweet idea and everyone loved writing the cards.  Now our baby girl has a card to open up from our friends for each year of her life until she turns 18! Love it!  I can't wait to see what people wrote...

Here are some pics...enjoy!

Next up...NYC shower!!

Whoa Nelly!

How my belly has grown...

It's actually pretty lopsided as well.  I think she likes to press her little feet into the upper part of my tummy so it looks like there are aliens trying to make their escape...

Here's a recent pic.

Next up: pictures of the nursery!

Mish Mosh

Wow!  It's 2012.  I hope everyone had a great holiday and is having a wonderful start to the new year.

Mike and I have been spending most of our free time getting ready for our little girl to arrive.  The nursery is coming along - the crib is ordered and will hopefully be here within a couple of weeks, all of the other furniture is already in the room, we just have to buy some art to hang on the walls, letters to spell out her name, and some shelves!

I can't believe her due date is approaching so quickly.  Anyway, enough baby talk for now...

So, my funny husband has a work retreat today and it's a potluck.  Apparently the theme is Southwestern, so obviously you would think to make a dish like salsa, or taocs, or chimichangas!  What does Mike decide to make?  Mapo doufou of course!  After all, it is a dish from the southwest province in China called Sichuan.

Whatta joker he is.  It did turn out really well though.  Here are some pics:




The doufu (tofu)




Ground Pork




Finished Product - Mapo Doufu! Yum.

 Well kids, enjoy the start to the week - hopefully it'll be a fast one.

Christmas Eve

We're here in NYC and already having a great time! Last night we saw Priscilla Queen of the Desert on Broadway and it was fantastically fun.

Today we're cooking and listening to Christmas music before the rest of the fam gets here later today...

I hope you are all having a wonderful day with loved ones.

Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays to all!

Would it be bad if I...

took my pants off at work?

I can't sit in these anymore!  Yes, they are maternity pants, and yes, they are supposed to expand with you as you grow, but I am just too damn big now and they are making my stomach ache.  I just need to succumb and buy new maternity pants, as I still have almost 2 months to go...

ARG! 

Seriously, I can close my office door and no one would know...

Delicious Treats

Don't things start to taste better around the holidays?  Cookies are sweeter, cakes are more decadent, and you can't beat the chocolate truffles!

My favorite sweet treats that I only indulge in once a year are these Belgian waffles and pastries from Lotus Bakeries.  Lemme tell ya, they are so good!

Every year my mom orders a huge box load of these treats and I could eat about a billion.  For the past two years she's been sending Mike and I a box of our own - thanks mom!!

Here's the lowdown on the assortment:

Chocolate Covered Belgian Waffles
Plain Belgian Waffles with Pearl Sugar
French Madeleines
Pommelines - Apple Pastry
Frangipane - Oval Pastry filled with Apricot Jam in an Almond Flavored Shell with Icing
Carre Confiture - Apricot Puff Pastry

I really can't choose a favorite.  I teeter between the Frangipane and the Plain Belgian Waffles with sugar.  They come individually wrapped so you can take them to work, to shop, wherever you want to indulge! 

See, that's me in my office ready to enjoy my waffle! Yum.

Anyway, I HIGHLY recommend them as a gift to yourself or loved ones.  You won't be sorry.

Happy Friday!

Hey All!  I hope your Thanksgiving was fabulous!  Ours was quiet and full of good food and fun!  We put up our tree last Sunday and have been enjoying it's delicious smell and all of our sweet ornaments all week!

I can hardly believe that it's already December, but it's gotten chillier here this week, so it's beginning to feel like the holidays...

I oficially entered into the third and final trimester of pregnancy yesterday at 28 weeks.  CRAZY, I know!  My baby showers are being planned and Mike and I are already busy decorating the nursery.  I don't feel ready to be a mom just yet, but I'm starting to get really excited and also nervous for the actual labor part...ugh.

Anyway, I leave you with a recent picture of myself and my bump, and a picture of our Christmas tree.

Have a great weekend everyone!