Weekend Reminiscing: Jackson Browne, Ribalta & a Non-Anthony Bourdain Sighting

Somehow my three day weekend has come and gone. I'm mourning it on this Monday. Especially since I woke up at 5am with sore shoulders, an aching back and a stuffy nose.

We spent the weekend all over the place; having fun, seeing family and friends and eating up a storm. Today you can find me drinking gallons of water and green tea and trying to get back into the swing of real life. 

We started the weekend in Atlantic City. The whole fam (minus Christine!) headed down for a night of food, fun and a Jackson Browne concert. Yeah, we pretty much partied like it was 1975 up in there. Oh and in case you were wondering, Baby H made it clear that her favorite song at the concert was The Pretender. She didn't stop moving for even a moment when he was rocking out to that one :)

 

 

We also celebrated Nick's birthday at Ribalta. I really loved this place. It was gourmet pizza with a bit of modern ambience. And let's face it; nothing can be bad when there is pizza involved. It was a great night with great food and great people!

Happy Birthday(!!) Nick!

Lastly, on Sunday morning, I went to a little family reunion of sorts at Les Halles in Manhattan. My mom's cousin Mona was in town and so all of the cousins on her side of the family got together for a delightful little brunch. No Anthony Bourdain to be found, sadly, but I had been wanting to visit Les Halles for years and I was thrilled to finally cross that one off of my list.

 

 

 

 

Whew! I'm exhausted (and stuffed) just looking at it all.

Here's to a great Monday everyone! 

24

Helloooo Friday! I'm so happy to see you today! Especially since I took a vacation day from work and I'm heading down to Atlantic City with Shaun and my family. I'm ready for a busy but fun weekend ahead!

So this past week, I officially hit the 6 month mark of being pregnant. No doubt that I'm definitely looking pregnant at all times nowadays!

Everyday I feel like I'm getting a bit bigger and less of my 'normal' shirts are fitting me.

Hey Baby!

I think it's time for a fall shopping trip!

Though some weeks I feel like there's not a whole lot to report, this week was chock full of fun!

Most fun moment:

Shaun finally got to feel Baby moving around! It was such a thrill to see Shaun feel her kicking around for the first time. We went through a few weeks of me grabbing Shaun's hand every time she moved, only to have her totally cease moving as soon as he tried to feel it (she's already giving us a hard time!). This past week, I think he's been able to feel her little kicks everyday. And for me? Even though she is moving around a lot these days, it never gets old.  Amazingness.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Baby H is definitely a wiggler! My favorite times are first thing in the morning when I'm woken by her little punches and in the evenings on the couch, when she decides to get cozy in there. There is really nothing better.

Most sugary moment:

My glucose test!

This basically means that I had to drink this bottle of sugar on an empty stomach, get hopped up on a sugar high and then have blood drawn. I haven't gotten the results back just yet, but here's hoping that I passed! I must tell you that I've heard such bad stories about the glucose drink, but is it terrible to say that I actually didn't find it to be all that... terrible? It tasted like flat orange soda...not the worst thing in my opinion.

Most relaxing moment:

It's a tie between curling up on the couch with my parents to watch the Giants game and a solo viewing of my favorite seasonal film this time of year...Hocus Pocus! Ah it never gets old for me. Shaun got me a copy on DVD last Halloween, so now I can watch it like 100 more times before October 31. Shaun is thrilled.

Most unfun moment(s):

It's a tie.

First: Getting a flu shot! Waaah! I'm so not the kind of person who has issues with needles, however, getting any kind of medication, shot, etc. while pregnant just makes me very nervous. My doctor highly recommended that I get one though* and so I went over to Duane Reade and got 'er done. Oh and now my left arm won't lift above my head. No bigs. 

Second: Driving down to Pennsylvania for a meeting and getting stuck in unbelievable traffic on the way home. To go 80 miles, it literally took me 4 hours and 45 minutes. Ouch.

Most delicious moment:

Deciding what to make with these little beauties!

 

I went a lil' cray at the grocery store and bought like 15 apples last week. I had been wanting some appley dishes and so I made an apple cake AND and apple pie. And then proceeded to devour a couple of pieces while watching Hocus Pocus and give the rest away.

I used a refrigerated Pillsbury pie crust and The Joy of Cooking fresh apple filling recipe. By mascerating the freshly peeled and cut apples in sugar, flour and cinnamon, they got all coated and delicious before filling the premade crust. A simple yet delicious solution for a quick apple pie!

Stay tuned for what I've deemed one of my favorite recipes of all time coming on Monday!

Other Stuff:

Rings: Still on! Yipee!

Sleep: Still going strong and I'm sleeping through the night comfortable (knock on wood). As my Dad would say, "You can't fight genetics." I was born to be a sleeper!

Weight gained: Too much. Sigh.

Walks: About 1 mile per day + a few evening walks with Shaun

Difficulties: Tying my own shoes, shaving my legs, bending down in general

Baby registry: Almost done! Still need to pick out a few things (like baby monitors?! Help!)

Number of people who asked if I was due soon because I'm so big: 2

Number of people who pushed me on the Path train: 1

Number of kind men and women who then proceeded to offer me their seats: 2

Most uncomfortable: Body gets stiff if sitting in the same position for too long! I've found that a nice long walk helps to remedy this.

Favorite Fall Show thus far: Dexter. I always forget how much I love it.

So that's a little update on me on this friday. I hope that you all had a wonderful week and have an even better weekend!

xoxo

*As an aside, this is what my own doctor told me...so if you are pregnant or thinking of getting a flu shot in general, best to check with your own doctor first! Thank you.

Getting Organized: DIY Baby Prep Binder

Now that I'm officially 6 months pregnant, the reality is starting to set in that our sweet baby girl will be here before we know it. 

One thing that has amazed me throughout the last number of months is how many things to keep track of, prepare for, purchase, organize...and that's all before the baby even gets here! I'd be lying if I said that I haven't had moments of panic, of feeling overwhelmed and of, well, sheer terror. All mixed in with sheer happiness, of course.

But!

I find that the more I organize, the more I read and the more I slowly cross things off of my to-do list, the better I feel. I think there's a reason why women are pregnant for 10 months...so that there's plenty of time to get everything done! Slow and steady wins the race if you ask me.

Over the first few months of my pregnancy, I had paperwork, sonogram photos, doctor's bills, coupons and more strewn in all different places in our home.

I decided to make a little baby organization binder which has helped me wrangle it all together. Oh, and I got a little crafty with it, so I can happily display it right on my desk, keeping it easily accessible for filing and referencing at any time. Oh and getting another glimpse of my sweet baby's face doesn't hurt either :)

 

Here's what I used:

1 white binder (I used a 1.5" ring)

tab dividers

plastic sheet inserts

scrapbook paper, tape/glue & markers

any & all paperwork, photos, cards, flyers, etc.

First, I gathered up all of my baby goodies. I threw out any paperwork or flyers that I didn't need.

Next, I organized what was left into piles and placed them into the plastic sleeves. Then I placed the sleeves into the binder, separated by these cute (yet still unnamed) dividers:

Some of my categories included:

doctor's information (e.g., baby class listings, pediatrician recommendations, glucose test instructions)

coupons & flyers (like my Babies R Us Rewards card, Buy Buy Baby coupons, etc)

sonogram photos

congratulatory cards from friends & family

doctor's bills, explanations of benefits, etc

baby registry lists with the brands/products I want to research

a giant to-do list before Baby arrives

Once everything was organized to my liking, I decorated the outside of the binder. Using some leftover scrapbook paper scraps (which I purchased to use for a baby book that I'm putting together about my pregnancy...more on that later), I simply found an arrangement that I liked and lightly taped the strips of paper in place. I repeated the same thing on the back panel. Then I added a little sonogram reprint from our 20 week ultrasound. And finally, I cut one long strip for the side binding and simply wrote 'baby humiston' on it in dark purple marker. Voila!

It makes me smile to see this on my home desk and I feel a lot more settled knowing that I have all of the information I need in one place! Not to mention that I'm mildly obsessed with all of these scrapbook paper patterns, so I love that I get to have yet another use for them. I'm also considering using some of them as a mat for framed artwork and photos in the nursery. But that is a post for another time :)

What is your favorite organizational tool?

How do you keep all of your files wrangled?

And for the moms and moms-to-be out there - any other organizational/sanity-saving tips for me?