New Yorkiversary

New York, 2010

11 years ago today, I arrived from London to JFK to start the adventure that is living in New York. I had $300 and a vague notion that I could find a waitressing job while I figured out how to "make it" in media. Within a week, I was scuttling around at The Cupping Room Cafe in Soho (I was godawful at it.) I was fascinated by Barneys, obsessed with the notion of living in Noho, and constantly looking up. On the 1-9 train from my friend's apartment near Columbia, someone commented, "You're not from here, are you?"

Supposedly, after ten years, you get to call yourself a New Yorker. Last year, we were going to throw a party but got caught up in the whirl of wedding preparations. Guess this means I have to make it to 20?

Color Crazed

via CovetCollectConnect.com

Moving day is Saturday and since we are getting fairly ahead of all of our tasks I have finally let myself indulge in the fun part of the process. Picking colors! I've been dabbling in Pinterest here and there, but I've finally come to see that it's really most useful when you are trying to brainstorm for something tangible.

If you fancy a view into my decorating psyche today, check out my Pinterest Nest board. International orange and lavender mist and deep tangerine, oh my! I am still quite partial to moody blues for at least one room, but am trying not to limit myself by what we've done before. What I do know is that there will be no neutrals. Neutrals make my skin crawl.

Weekend

A sunny, productive weekend chez Williamsburg Baby. On Saturday we had some friends round to help us with moving while Will spackled and touched up all the paint in the apartment. We capped off the evening with fresh ravioli picked up at Savino's Quality Pasta on Conselyea Street.

On Sunday, we stopped off at the Brooklyn Flea and the Renegade Craft Fair at East River State Park and then headed to a friend's roof deck for a birthday brunch. Not a bad view of the Empire State Building...

Our apartment is looking pretty clean and bare at the moment but we still have quite a lot of fiddly things to do: returning the cable box, sorting through all the dry goods in the kitchen, and packing up all the kitchen gear. We have so much stuff. I'd estimate a good 30 boxes packed so far and at least anohter 20 to come? After tonight, it's going to be a takeout week, I think.

33 Weeks

33 weeks, 2 days

Huge, semi-apocalyptic thunderstorms in the city yesterday and the weather kind of, sort of broke overnight.

This week, was chatting to some fellow mamas-to-be about all these crazy shifts in barometric pressure. There is some anecdotal evidence that full moons and hurricanes can both cause women who are near their due dates to go into labor (apparently labor and delivery wards were packed during Irene last fall.) Ask a doula or a labor and delivery nurse and most will confirm that this is a real phenomenon, though they are not exactly certain why that's so.

No signs of baby's imminent arrival here in Brooklyn, thank goodness, but I do think it will be interesting to see what happens in August, which can be quite hot and stormy on the East Coast. The full moons nearest my due date are August 1st and August 31st (um, please forces-of-the-universe do not let me get to 43+ weeks pregnant.)

Of course, there's plenty of more scientific evidence that most babies come when they are "ready," i.e. when their lungs are fully developed. But I am not beyond believing that other environmental factors may come into play, especially since humans' menstrual cycles are linked to the lunar cycle.

Anyway, 33 weeks and I mostly feel great, though the two days of 97 degree heat this week were pretty brutal. I have imbibed an insane amount of coconut water and Gatorade, since I don't want to overdo it on the water and dilute all of my electrolytes in the process.

Up about 14 pounds so far. I honestly don't know how much women can control how much weight they gain in pregnancy, but I do think my relatively easy ride so far comes from the fact that this amount hasn't put too much strain on my frame. That's not to say I don't have my very uncomfortable moments, but I usually know they're going to come on when I've been seated for a really long time or it's the end of the day and gravity is kind of taking its toll.

Now, off to do some pre-moving errands and DIY.

32 Weeks

30 & 31 Weeks

28 & 29 Weeks

27 Weeks

26 Weeks

25 Weeks

24 Weeks

23 Weeks

22 Weeks

20 & 21 Weeks

19 Weeks

18 Weeks

17 Weeks

16 Weeks

15 Weeks

14 Weeks

Gear: Prepping for Baby

Williamsburg, 2012

I haven't done a gear post in some time, mainly because we are feeling quite well-equipped. Our shower was fantastic, and thanks to our many generous friends, we've ticked a lot off the list. We snagged some newborn onsies at Carter's and my sister-in-law has a big box of baby clothes coming our way later this summer. A neighbor who is moving to Burma even gave us a nursing pillow and all sorts of nursing supplies (like umpteen boxes of nursing pads.)

We're considering cloth diapering once we get past the few first months (perhaps using a service like Diaper Kind) but we will use disposables for the newborn period. Aside from those diapers (which I may just wait on until we know how big bambino is...Diapers.com delivers in 24 hours and we live in range of 5 million 24-hour bodegas), there are just a few items left to acquire. I've also been advised that it's best to wait on bottles and pacifiers as babies tend to have strong opinions on the matter.

1) Baby Bjorn Babysitter Balance at Miniluu
We have a credit at Miniluu and I've had my eye on this bouncer for some time. I've heard it (and similar contraptions) are critical for entertaining/containing baby while you shower and the like. And though some people swear by a mechanical swing, for now they kind of creep me out. If I get a colic-y baby, I reserve the right to run screaming to the nearest Buy Buy Baby and give up on all of my aesthetic ideals.

2) An infant car seat cover
One of Will's colleagues very kindly passed along his infant car seat. The only hitch is that it's powder pink. Now, I'm not one to waste a perfectly good hand me down over some silly notion that pink of for girls, but Will likes to joke that he was scarred for life because he had to wear his sister's long johns for skiing (a terribly traumatic incident, no doubt). Luckily I found a few sites like Hip n Cozy that make cute, simple covers and canopy replacements. I like this one or that one. Some people note that these aren't recommended by car seat manufacturers for actual driving. But they slip on and off (for washing) and we'll primarily be using this for trips to restaurants around the neighborhood or with our stroller.

3) A Sakura Bloom sling
I don't know that these are necessities unless you live in a city and do a ton of walking. Our Brooklyn friends swear by theirs, and I recently tried one on at Caribou. To me, it seems much more intuitive than the traditional wraps you tie yourself. They are also a bit better for newborns, as carriers like the Baby Bjorn are supposedly not great for their hips, and if you use an Ergo (which we may get later), you need an infant insert that would make it all too unbearably hot in August. I'd like to get one that's relatively gender neutral so Will can use it as well.

4) Nursing bras and tank tops
I will be heading to Caribou for these once we get a little closer to delivery day.

Aside from everything being in boxes, I'm feeling pretty organized.

Caricature

Williamsburg, 2012

On another note, has anyone seen this parody of 16 and Pregnant, 32 and Pregnant? I may or may not cop to having uttered "we need more space" and "the remote is broken" within the last 48 hours.

Kind of reminds me of the "We're Not Young" parody. Sigh.

Technophobia

Williamsburg, 2012

So I mentioned the other day that as I get further into my pregnancy, I've sort of backed off on philosophizing about how I will be as a parent. Somewhere along the way it hit me that for at least the infant months, I am mostly going to be focused on keeping baby alive rather than testing the latest and greatest theories of childhood psychology.

That said, one thing I haven't stopped thinking about is screen time. When we move, Will and I decided we won't renew our cable package, but will instead watch handpicked shows online or via Netflix.

Some of this is because I tend to find TV draining. Not that I am above marathon sessions of Million Dollar Listing or that I don't find the show American Ninja Warrior oddly fascinating. That's just it. I have this stuff on "in the background," and then find myself feeling depleted and even stressed by all the noise, the commercials, the silliness of the shows themselves. I feel like it's a time suck, and also a vortex I don't want to fall into when the baby is here.

There have been a few threads on baby boards about TV, smart phones, and babies (here and here) that have made me think about this a bit more. And sure, the baby is probably not all that aware that The Real Housewives of Orange County is on while he's nursing. But then again, it's a habit that sets a precedent.

What I do know from seeing how my nieces and nephews have been raised is that children emulate their parents. My sisters-in-law barely watch TV themselves, and are rarely online or on their phones. As a result, I've never seen their kids entranced by an iPad or heard them clamoring to watch this or that show. I am sure eventually as they get into elementary school this will change, but I find it sort of lovely to see how their childhoods have been a little bit of a bubble from all the media they will eventually grow attached to.

So we're experimenting with cutting down on the amount of television we watch, hoping for the domino effect. For the record, I do get that I am writing about this on a screen, on the internet. Also worth noting, when I told my mother this, she asked if we were planning on raising our child as "a Canadian." Since "Canadians" apparently do suspect things like drinking herbal tea, becoming vegetarians, or banishing television. 

Summer Solstice

Vietnam, 2011

You know it's hot when the electricity company calls you to tell you there have been brownouts in the neighborhood and to "conserve energy." I am happy to report I am doing just that, drinking coconut water and staying inside. It's 94 degrees out with no sign of a break until late Friday. I guess it's an appropriate start to summer? 50 days or 7 weeks to go (plus or minus a few) until our Leo baby is here. 

11211 Love

via Brooklyn Magazine

I love Brooklyn Magazine...it celebrates Brooklyn and its quirks while retaining a healthy sense of humor about it all. So I was excited to learn that it's now online.

A few highlights? Great coverage of local boutiques, restaurants, plus news and nostalgia from Williamsburg and beyond.

Childbirth Class: Week Two

Williamsburg, 2012

Last Thursday, we went to our second childbirth class at Caribou. Our instructor, Meghan, had given us some readings, like this one, to do over the week about hormones and perceptions of pain. Homework!

In class we practiced different positions that can help manage pain, since lying prone is rarely a position a woman would choose for herself and can really slow the progress of labor. Gravity is generally a good thing for a laboring woman, as are postions that help to open the pelvis (like squatting, sitting on a birth ball, or getting on all fours.) We talked about things like intermittent fetal monitoring versus continuous fetal monitoring, which makes it harder to move around the room (and thus slow labor.)

Was it a little awkward getting on all fours in a group of relative strangers? Yes. Will I care when I am actually in labor? Unlikely.

I think the takeaway is that the more you know about how labor works, the more you are able to advocate for yourself during the process, rather than blindly saying yes to every medical intervention.

We also did a few exercises where we held onto an ice cube for a minute (harder than it sounds) and tried to determine which technique was most helpful for getting through the discomfort.

For me, breathing was less effective than visualization and using my other senses, like imagining a moment where I felt completely serene or listening to the birds chirping outside of the classroom. So it was reassuring to learn that blindly following Lamaze-style breathing is not the magic salve that works for everyone. Your mind might process pain a little bit differently.

All in all, going to the classes has made me have a lot more confidence in my body and assuaged many of my fears about the hospital. Much of what scares me is the unknown, and learning all this information helps to demystify much of the process. It won't guarantee me an uncomplicated, natural labor, but it does make me feel like I know what might be happening to me and when.

Genius!

Momofuku Milk Bar, Williamsburg, 2012

I cannot believe I only just thought of this! The most brilliant answer to pregnancy cravings ever, and it's right around the corner. Momofuku Milk Bar's strawberry sesame shake. Go. There. Now. That's all I have to say on the matter.

Also, good news: WG put their article on resources for mamas and kids online. Lots of child-friendly activities at spots like Mable's, Isa, Egg, and plenty more than the few bits and pieces I noted here.

Manic Sunday

Williamsburg, 2012

Well, we survived a stoop sale, clearing out closets, and sorting through all those scary Pandora's boxes under the bed.

I love the New York tradition of free-cycling. Instead of lugging things we didn't need anymore to a charity shop, we cut out the middle man and put them on the curb. Within hours (and, in some cases, minutes) people took what they could use. And with about 12 days til moving day it was easy to be ruthless.

While the dust was swirling in our apartment we took a few hydration breaks to Bakeri, the Flea, and the Brooklyn Winery. I wouldn't exactly call it a relaxing weekend, but there's a certain satisfaction in getting things done.

Gear

via Rebecca Taylor

I am certainly excited that we're having a boy, and have been enjoying perusing all the little boy things I can find. But were the bambino a bambina, I'd make a beeline to Rebecca Taylor and buy all of these sweet little summer dresses.

Is it wrong that I wish there were a grown up version of all of them?

Happy Friday!

Williamsburg, 2012

A gorgeous Friday in Brooklyn...the perfect temperature if you ask moi.

Whirly Bird, Williamsburg, 2012

We started off the day with breakfast at Whirly Bird, a cute little espresso bar on South 2nd Street that has exactly two things on the menu, both breakfast tacos (I am egg-phobic so I stuck with an iced latte.) Will has an official day off today since his department is moving floors. They don't have computers, or desks for that matter, so after our a.m. excursion he headed to Coney Island for a "very important meeting"/a few rides on the Cyclone.

Boxes aside, I am thrilled for the gorgeous weekend ahead of us. Thinking of getting ramen at Kinfolk, having a stoop sale, and stopping by Williamsburg Walks, a little happening on Bedford Avenue that runs for the next few Saturdays. Here's to a breezy, beautiful few days.

11211 Love

Enid's Bloody Mary

More from the research trenches today!

I haven't seen any construction at the site of the new Whole Foods, so that might take some time. Plus there are some snags in the plans for Bushwick Inlet Park, which is a shame.

But! There is so much afoot in the neighborhood that I'm excited about. The McCarren Park Pool, which I've gone on and on about before, opens on the 28th. I will be there as much as I possibly can until baby arrives. Then, there's a new movie theatre coming our way (late summer or early fall.) Nighthawk, which offers Parents & Babies movie screenings (see below), is amazing but I think it's awesome to have more options. We usually go to Union Square if we want to see a big blockbuster, but when bambino is here that might be annoying.

On the kiddo front, I just checked out the most recent issue of WG (a free local paper covering happenings in Williamsburg and Greenpoint), and there's some great info on resources for parents and children in the nabe. The story isn't online for some reason, so I've culled some ideas from it below for babies and new moms and added them to my resources list (a lot of the info is for older kids so I left that out for now.) All credit is due to my former neighbor and fellow reporter, Shana Liebman!

1) Farm to Baby
Love this small business idea. You can sign up for delivery of homemade, seasonal organic baby food. Plans start at $35 a week for babies 4 months and older.

2) Mighty Mamas and Baby Boot Camp
Two group workout options for new mothers (babies too.) Mighty Mamas meets in McCarren park, while Baby Boot Camp uses space at Caribou Baby and the Betz Method Space just off the park for their class Strollfit.

3) Diaper Kind
An eco-friendly cloth diaper laundry service that services Williamsburg. I don't know if we'll go this route (or at lease, I'm going to get out of the newborn survival stage first), but it's great to have the choice. Diaper Kind seems pretty reasonably priced at $35 or $50 a week. You need to get set up with all the right gear first.

4) Parents & Babies Movies at Nighthawk Cinema
I couldn't find info about this on Nighthawk's site, but there is a Facebook group you can join.

Boot Camp

Williamsburg, 2012

When I was first pregnant I didn't want to go near other women's birth stories or think too much about the reality of life with a newborn. It was all too too much for me. Things felt very abstract.

But somewhere around 28 or 29 weeks I turned a corner and really wanted to know as much as I possibly could about childbirth, babies, and more.

Maybe I went a little off the deep end with all those message boards. I am a studier. I study. I actually liked taking the SATs and filling in all of those little circles with a very sharp pencil. I think this is why, early on, I was so entranced with studying the theories behind various childrearing "philosophies." Attachment parenting, French women do it better, etc. It was like, philosophy? I guess I should have one of those.

Lately I've been taking more of a "collage" approach. Since I've been snooping around the internet so voraciously, I figured I may as well share the info. Some highlights?

This very funny piece on Jezebel, "What is Wrong With My Baby?" about being convinced your child has a rare disease (the author convinces herself that her baby's vein is, in fact, a tumor.)

Alpha Mom's Q&As on parenting, like this one on establishing a bedtime routine. Everyone freaks you out that if you don't get this one thing right, you will become an unhinged banshee and your child will be sleeping in your bed in college. I really like Alpha Mom's tone in general and her emphasis on being flexible. She seems like my kind of problem solver.

I am also a big fan of Pregnant Chicken's advice. She has tips on vistors after baby is here, packing the hospital bag that everyone seems so darn obsessed with, the so-called "fourth trimester," and words of wisdom for new dads who do not want their wives to scream at them.

Though the more mainstream baby boards can be useful, often I find they make me really anxious. One exception seems to be the 0-3 month baby board on The Bump. It's a good reminder that, after all this pregnancy stuff, a baby is actually on the way.

Oh, and blogs written by moms with new babies are always fun to check out. Caitlin of Healthy Tipping Point just had her baby boy and Leigh at Marvelous Kiddo has a birth story of the week which is interesting. She just welcomed a new little one too and has some good posts about breastfeeding.

32 Weeks

32 weeks

Not sure what's going on with the wind this morning but there you go.

The bump is growing, as is the boy. I am still hovering somewhere between 12/13 pounds above my starting point. And itching to get back to my more intense workouts. Pounding weights or running seems a bit much right now but I do really miss the endorphin rush you get from serious exertion (I do not count getting winded on the subway stairs as an endorphin rush, for the record.)

Am I in the home stretch? I don't even know. I do know that it will be a busy 8 weeks as we finally have a moving date: June 30th, and are gearing up for a trip to Vermont at the 36 week mark for a family wedding. So I am sure it will race by.

Williamsburg, 2012

We have been failing on the "date" front, and miserably. It just seems like life is a little hectic at the moment and something (often something fun, but even so) always gets in the way. Fortunately we made up for it this morning with breakfast at Toby's.

Meanwhile...missing oysters, gin, running, my bladder at normal capacity.


30 & 31 Weeks

28 & 29 Weeks

27 Weeks

26 Weeks

25 Weeks

24 Weeks

23 Weeks

22 Weeks

20 & 21 Weeks

19 Weeks

18 Weeks

17 Weeks

16 Weeks

15 Weeks

14 Weeks

Stats

Williamsburg, 2012

Latest trip to the doctor's and baby is getting big!

At 31 weeks and 6 days, he's 4 pounds, 1 ounce, with a heart rate of 147. He's still very much down and in the right position so I am not planning on any headstands any time soon. Fingers crossed he stays there. So the little jabs I've been feeling down low are either elbows or hands, while his feet are up about midway between my belly button and my rib cage.

The ultrasound tech said that at this point, babies will typically gain between a half a pound and a pound every two weeks. So that would put us somewhere between 6 pounds and 1 oz. and 8 pounds and 1 oz. Time will tell...

Studio City

Girls in Williamsburg, 2012

Usually, when a movie or TV show films in Williamsburg, it's a gritty crime drama. Think The Departed, American Gangster, CSI, Rescue Me. When they need a neighborhood safe enough for their gazillion dollar camera equipment but edgy enough to look like the ghetto, they come here.

But lately, it's getting a little more mainstream. The Good Wife was filming a few blocks from home last month. And this morning, on my way to coffee, I came upon the crew from Girls. Saw Lena Dunham bounding across the street. I've delved into my obsession with that show before, but it was fun to see them film in person.

Lena! Call me!

A Day in the Life

Williamsburg, 2012

Will came home last night, tired from work, and I was cranky cranky cranky. And restless. And exhausted.

It's hard to describe to him what my day is like other than to say ''I've been gestating our baby." And fretting about getting organized at home. And bored silly. And becoming increasingly uncomfortable throughout the day. By 7 or 8 p.m. I am kind of physically spent, and at the same time really craving social interaction. And often I find myself getting irritable and disappointed when he is, by contrast, in wind down mode after a day at the coal mines, as we like to call it.

Although my husband is more than lovely and has been great about making dinner when I can't muster the energy, I think there's a limit to how much pregnancy chatter he can sustain after going out and hunting for our dinner all day, figuratively speaking.

I don't mean to sound like a desperate housewife or anything. I wouldn't say that we've got a Mad Men kind of dynamic going on. I've been a freelancer for years and am generally used to entertaining myself throughout the day, getting out of the house, reading the paper, walking, and so on. Pregnancy just adds a whole new layer to it and I'm realizing more and more that I need to be aggressive about reaching out to other women in the same boat.

I think it will be especially key when the baby is here and he turns out to be a terrible conversationist. You just can't be alone in your own head (and increasingly creaky body) all day and then try to pack in all your need for social connection into the last hour of energy you have left. It seems to be a recipe for disaster.

My friends are absolutely great but 99% of them have full time jobs and so are only available when I have the least amount of stamina to see them. Or, I have a whirlwind weekend of non-stop entertaining and seeing people followed by a week of isolation. It seems to be feast or famine.

So have been trying to shake off my normally curmudgeonly, "I have enough friends" tendencies and be more proactive about making new connections with other women who may be able to relate and are also at home during the week.

It feels like the first day of school in some ways, but, hey, I survived that...

Weekend Warriors

Williamsburg, 2012

We ping-ponged between 4 or so social gatherings this weekend: a birthday, a brunch, dinner with some out of town friends, roof top lounging, Best Pizza, and the like.

Oh, and we sort of kind of started to tackle the mess that is our room full of boxes. Will tackled some DIY around the apartment while I was up at 5 this morning with moving plans swirling in my brain. Today is all about washing and packing bedding and winter clothes.

All things considered, I think I am faring pretty well for someone in my "condition." Okay, after 5 + hours at a biergarten, I was fading, mainly because it's hard to sit on a bench for that long with your core muscles apparently off on vacation. But mainly it was lovely to catch up with people and pack a lot in in anticipation of a chaotic few weeks.

We spent Sunday with friends who have kids. It's funny to be on the cusp of all of that, while still feeling a little protective of our last child free summer.

Childbirth Class: Week One

Williamsburg, 2012

We had our first childbirth class at Caribou Baby yesterday and it was fabulous.

The instructor broke the men and women off into separate groups for introductions to break the ice, which I thought was kind of useful. Though it's a Lamaze-based class, there isn't too much sitting around in a circle with heavy breathing, but rather, lots and lots of science and anthropology-based information. The doula who teaches it was calm, frank, and very cool. There was plenty I didn't know...

Like that going through the birth canal "squeegies" the babies lungs, getting all the fluid out so they are ready to breathe. Or the fact that more babies are born in an anterior position today (face forward, more difficult for labor) because of the way humans sit in offices, on couches, and so on (versus being up and about all day.)

The one that resonated most with me was that if you feel like too many people are watching you during labor or you just feel emotionally ill at ease, your brain's fight or flight response can kick in and actually stop contractions. The doula gave the example of a mammal needing to run up a tree in case of predators during birth, an image I loved.

Over Calexico tacos afterwards, I told Will that I am so glad we are taking the classes. In your normal, every day, social life you generally put a positive spin on your experience of pregnancy or your anticipation of labor. But being in a group of couples going through the same thing at the same time feels very handy and it's a relief to see other relatively together types voicing all of their anxieties. It makes you feel a tad less crazy. I am also someone who thrives on research and information and this is so much better than reading "the book."

When I got to Caribou, there was a also a very cool, mellow looking couple getting a lesson in how to use a baby wrap with their 2 week old. They were freaking out that she couldn't breathe. I guess paranoia is a universal human experience?

Overall, I was also pleasantly surprised that the majority of our fellow classmates were having hospital births. It's sort of a nexus of crunchy Brooklyn parenting, so I was nervous that every last one of them would be die hard home birthers and we would feel like aliens. That was not the case.

Now I am going to go scuttle up a tree, thank you very much.

31 Weeks

31 weeks

It's a gorgeous afternoon in Brooklyn. I think I have been really lucky so far this pregnancy, as we had a non-winter and seem to be having a relatively cool June. July may turn out to be an inferno, but so far so good.

31 weeks and all is well.

Baby is allegedly the size of a pineapple this week (um, ouch?)

I have gained 12 pounds so far, and my bump seems to be hanging out quite low. But then it has all along...we have an ultrasound next Wednesday so we will be able to see if the boy is still head down. I assume so as I haven't felt any dramatic turns since our last visit (though plenty of other kicks and jabs.)

I am feeling mostly fine...I guess I get a little squirmy and uncomfortable when I've been in the same position for too long, but I've been sleeping really well. In spite of my many nocturnal trips to the bathroom I seem to be able to snap back into unconsciousness pretty quickly.

28 & 29 Weeks

27 Weeks

26 Weeks

25 Weeks

24 Weeks

23 Weeks

22 Weeks

20 & 21 Weeks

19 Weeks

18 Weeks

17 Weeks

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14 Weeks

Take That, Etsy

Came home to a very sweet package from Will's sister's Irish mother-in-law (got that?!) A very soft, hand-knit baby sweater.

Is there anything better?

Waterworld

Budapest, 2009

I have joined a pre-natal swimming class and it's fabulous. Ha! The picture above is not of me and my classmates.

For weeks I have been craving the feeling of being in the water but our only local option (until the outdoor pools open in a few weeks) is very municipal and kind of unappealing. Though I hear there is a Hasidic ladies' hour when they drape all the windows closed and you can get all the local gossip (I'm guessing a pregnant shiksa in a bikini might be pushing her luck by attending.)

So thank goodness for Aqua Beba. They teach classes for moms-to-be (and eventually, babies as young as 4 months) at a few local condo buildings with pools. It's kind of like Aqua aerobics, so makes me feel somewhat geriatric, but it's so nice to bob around in the water and have that feeling of weightlessness. I've been doing plenty of walking and yoga since the beginning, but it's nice to float around and feel that all the pressure is off of your joints.

Our instructor has a one month old son whose first (assisted) "swim" was at 2 weeks old. Amazing.

Domestic Un-Bliss

Home, 2011

Scene One: Our lovely guest room, before we went totally insane and decided to turn our lives upside down and move while I am 8+ months pregnant.

Home, 2012

Scene Two: Aaaaaaaaaaaaargh!

June!

New York, 2012

I am here to state the obvious. It's June...The Bump informs me I have 69 days to go...

Of course, I know that in reality the baby could come in 6 1/2 weeks or 10 1/2 weeks and be considered full term either way. I have to adjust to dealing with that level of uncertainty. Wheeeeeee!!!

I don't have a baby 'bucket list,' per se, but when Will gets back I am hoping we get to spend some good one on one time together before we become a family of three. Our babymoon seems ages ago now. With all that's going on it can be tempting for us to hunker down to save money and conserve energy, but I also want to make the most of dinners a deux before we have to factor a babysitter into the mix.

And, completely off topic, but did you know that a newborn has 20/400 vision? And that my vision, without contacts, is 20/600? This means my little guy will most likely have much better vision that I do.

Maybe I should get myself one of those black and white mobiles.