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!