Resolutions old and new.

I stumbled upon my resolutions for 2010 and seeing as 2010 is coming to a close, I thought it might be nice to see how I did... yah, I kind of failed at most of them.

1. My workout -for awhile I was doing really well... but then, well I kind of fell of the wagon (so to speak) and then I got pregnant. I know that being pregnant doesn't mean you can't work out, but my first trimester was real rough and I just wasn't able to. I am back on it and will continue to throughout the rest of my pregnancy and 2011.

2. Weight loss -well, I didn't lose the last 15 lbs I was hoping to. I got pretty close though -and then I got pregnant! haha, so I don't think this is a complete failure, but sort of.

3. Volunteering -yah, that just didn't happen, but don't think I didn't feel bad about it a lot.

4. Limit tv watching -um... hm... nope, not at all.

5. Home more organized -well that sort of happened. Now if only I could get my husband on board!


So my resolutions for 2010 didn't work out so well, but that won't stop me from making more resolutions for 2011! Let's see:

1. Working out -this is definitely one I plan on sticking with as it will also help me with #2. I also plan on running at least 1 half marathon this year, maybe two.

2. Lose weight -I'll need to shed the baby weight. Granted I haven't had the baby yet, so I'm not sure how much I'll need to lose, but my plan is to shed the weight and get down to fighting weight. I'll have to remember to do a mid-year progress report on the resolutions and can update everything accordingly. And considering the amount of weight I've gained so far, this could be a doozy.

3. Hobby -I'd like to pick up a hobby. I haven't quite figured out what it is yet, but maybe some sort of "crafting"?

4. Organize my house -now that I'm going to have another person living in my house I need to be as organized as possible and keep it as neat and decluttered.

So far that's all I've got. I know 2011 is going to bring about a lot of changes so I don't want to make too many resolutions, but this is a good starting point. What are your resolutions? (maybe I'll "borrow" a couple!).

Money spent

Guess what I spent my Christmas money on? Shoes! My favorite -of course it wasn't either of the things I mentioned before (Hunter boots or the Tory Burch flats), but a new pair of boots. Aren't they purdy? Husband's going to laugh at me. haha

But in my defense, I decided that I'm going to try to find the flats on sale and I needed a new pair of boots that had a sensible heel and that I could wear with brown and black. Clearly these fit the bill -hopefully they're comfortable!

(plus, I might have some more money to spend in a few months when my bonus comes... so everyone wins!).

Week 23/24

Hey guess what time it is -weekly pregnancy update! I didn't do one last week because it was Christmas and, well, I was just lazy. I kind of wish I took a picture though, but ce la vie.

Weight: Are you shocked? I'm up some more! haha, it's actually kind of frightening, but I am up A LOT. I'm trying to blame it on the regular holiday food binge that everyone (pregnant or not) succumbs to, but let's be honest, the number on the scale is not pretty. I'm up overall around 22/23 lbs... so definitely gaining too quickly and I'm hoping to scale it back a bit. Hopefully once I stop my thrice daily desserts this should even out a bit (*fingers crossed*). I've also come to the sad realization that my belly is not all baby. When I stand or lie down it looks just pregnancy related, but when sitting I'm noticing that some of the overhang is pinchable and it is really just a layer of fat -a glorified spare tire *sigh*. I've also realized that most of the weight from this pregnancy is settling between my armpits and ankles... as in I am getting big all over. My bewbs have grown (again -I'm already out of the new bras I bought a few months ago) and my legs, although never slender, are now just downright thick -they more resemble tree trunks than anything you'd see gracing a cover of a magazine (other than maybe the worst beach bods edition).

Maternity clothes: No change, still in maternity pants as my legs are also growing along with my belly, but I can get away with pants w/ elastic waists and longer regular tops. Most maternity tops are still too big on me.

Stretch marks: Nope (thank goodness!)

Baby Movements: Yes, still moving (yea!). Although I'm only feeling him really low. I don't know if it's due to how the baby's lying or my placenta or the extra layer of fat I have, but it's kind of odd since I expected him to have moved up a bit. I'll have to ask my doctor about it next week.

Cravings/Aversions: I'm eating a lot of sweets, but I don't know if that's an actual pregnancy craving or just due to me eating a lot of sugar (and sugar begets sugar -I really need to scale back pronto). No aversions either, as evidenced by the wide array of food being shoveled into my mouth on a daily basis.

What do you miss: I wish my stomach didn't always feel so full and stretched out. I know part of it is because I've been overeating and part of it is because I'm gaining weight too quickly, but it's a little uncomfortable. I wish I was sleeping better. I'm not waking up, but I know that I'm tossing and turning a lot more now.

Other: The strangest things give me heartburn -like water and oatmeal and my back/sciatica are (literally) a pain, but the past few weeks of pregnancy have been going really well for me and I'm just really trying to enjoy this pregnancy. I can't believe it's almost 2011 and in a few short months we'll be meeting the new addition to the family! Of course, the gratuitous belly shot -you can tell it's definitely grown since the last picture 2 weeks ago.

Christmas follow up

So I received some money for Christmas and am having a hard time figuring out what to spend it on. I know I don't need to spend it all now, but I like to spend Christmas money on things -since it is a present.

I splurged and bought myself a really nice flat iron. I currently have a cheap $20 conair flat iron that doesn't really do a whole lot and mostly just makes my hair warm. It is actually the bane of my existence. So on the recommendation of my sister-in-law I splurged on a Sedu flatiron -I'm hoping it's all I dream of and more, especially since I currently despise how my hair looks when I don't bother to blow dry it straight, which is currently 95 -99% of the time! Definitely more than my old $20 iron and definitely a bit of a splurge, but if it makes me like my hair 95-99% of the time, then it will be worth every penny. And I was able to use some Christmas money, so it was like someone else bought it for me!

But what else should I do with my money? I want a new pair of wellies as my current pair are pretty uncomfortable to walk in. I know Hunter boots are the creme de la creme, but I have a hard time shelling out $150 for rubber boots. Should I just bite the bullet and do it since I know they'll last? Or should I be a little bit more reasonable and get something else? In the same line, I've been debating the whole Tory Burch Reva flat thing. For a long time I despised them w/ the enormous buckle/logo-but there is a cute pair that caught my eye that has a black logo so it's a little bit more subtle.
Do you agree? Less obnoxious, right? But are they really that comfortable? Are they worth it? I figure once I get really pregnant (and fat) I won't be able to wear my heels out at night and these are dressy enough, but do I really need them? Or should I look for a cheaper alternative?

Help -I've never had a problem spending money shopping... but I need some ideas, what should I do with my Christmas money?!?

Christmas!

Ok, so it's not actually Christmas (it's a few days after), but it's still the "holiday season"! We had a lovely Christmas break -we took a week off from work and traveled to Boston and Montreal to see family and a few friends. It was much too short, but even a small break from work is nice.

We got totally spoiled (per usual), had a great Christmas and even escaped Boston before the big snowstorm hit. Hope you all had a great Christmas and now I need to go figure out what to buy with my Christmas money!

Week 21/22

Weight: I'm up another few pounds... I'm pushing +18/19 lbs, which means I'm gaining too quickly. I'm definitely overindulging in sweets/junk "because I can", but that also means I'm gaining a lot of extra weight. I figure I'm going to give myself until the new year and then cut back on the junk. I'll have an indulgent Christmas/NYE and then start eating like a regular person. I definitely don't need to be eating extra snacks and multiple servings of dessert every day.
Maternity clothes: I am getting bigger, but still in regular tops. Def. maternity pants and I'm starting to wear some maternity dresses, but I think they make me look bigger as they're probably made to accentuate the bump. It's kind of nice being able to stretch my wardrobe a bit, but it does make getting dressed in the morning a little bit harder.

Stretch marks: None

Baby Movement: Yup, definitely moving. Starting to get more regular and stronger, but haven't been able to see it yet from the outside -I think that's going to freaky!

Cravings/Aversions: None

What do you miss: Being able to open up my closet and throw anything on. Now I have to make sure I have layers on that are long enough for some of my sweaters and I have a limited number of pants I can wear.

Other: We got a carriage this past week (thanks mom and dad!) and are slowly starting to prepare for the baby. We still have a lot to do, but I figure after the new year would be a good time to start on that. For now we're just going to enjoy the holidays and the time we are going to be able to spend at home with our families.

This past week we had our level 2 ultrasound to check out baby G's organ development, spine and 2 vessel umbilical cord. Everything looks good for now and at this point they'll just monitor him to make sure he's growing correctly. My placenta is still low, but 95% of the time it moves before it's time for baby G to evacuate. So at this point there's nothing to do and I'll have another u/s around 28 weeks at my January appointment. I definitely grew this week and the belly is getting quite big.

Week 20/21 -halfway there!

Wow, this was a big week. I'm officially halfway done (assuming I go at 40 weeks), but it could be earlier, which is kind of scary! So this was the week of the big anatomy scan and it revealed the little peanut to be a BOY! Sorry mom, you're going to have to return the pink ruffly outfits you've bought, but there are some cute boy clothes out there and when they're toddlers you get to dress them like little adults, which I think is adorable. Even though we've seen the goods (so to speak), I thought it would be fun to see what all the old wives tales said about the sex of the baby.


Carrying high or low: I'm not super big, but I think it's kind of low, so that means boy.
Heartbeat: The heartbeat at all the appointments has been over 140, so that means girl. (Coincidentally, at the anatomy scan, the heartbeat was 138, so that would have been boy).
Sweet vs Salty cravings: I've always been more salty/sour over sweet and pregnancy hasn't changed that (in fact at the beginning sweets made me sick), so that means boy.
Chinese birth chart: That says boy.
Even vs Odd: According to Mayan legend depending whether on the age of the mother at conception and the year are even or odd can tell you the sex. I was an odd age and an even year, so that means boy.
Ring test: We could never really get this to work, but generally it was in some sort of circle, so that would mean boy.

Huh, now that I look at all this, I guess we shouldn't have been so surprised it was a boy! Oddly enough almost everyone who ventured to guess what I was having said girl... but maybe the old wives tales aren't so old fashioned.


Now for the regular weekly update:
How much weight have you gained: I am now up officially 15 lbs. For 20/21 weeks that's not bad, but I'm a little afraid of what the next 20 weeks will bring...
Maternity clothing: I am in maternity pants full time (minus my sweatpants, pajamas and anything I owned pre-pregnancy that had an elastic waistband). I'm still swinging regular tops (which is why I say I'm carrying low), but those are starting to get shorter and shorter so I'm assuming that I may not need them for width, but I will start needing them for height. As you can see from my picture below, that is a regular non-maternity tank top that is starting to creep up (although wearing low slung pajama bottoms probably isn't the best indication of how long it is).
Stretch marks: None yet, and I really hope I don't get them. Not to be vain as I never had a great looking stomach to begin with (more because of the excess flab than anything else), but I don't think I fully comprehended what stretch marks were and now that I've seen pictures, they are kind of gross. I know now that I said this I'm destined to get lots of deep purple ugly ones, but I'm really hoping that passes me by.
Baby movement: Yes, we have definitely felt the baby move. I have an anterior placenta so the doctor thought it might be a bit longer before I felt anything and definitely didn't expect Huge to be able to feel it yet, but we both have and it's pretty cool. They're not super strong yet and still more like flutters, but strong enough to feel from the outside and day by day they seem to be getting more frequent and defined.
Cravings/Aversions: Nothing
What do you miss: This weekend we had friends in town visiting and we went to some great beer bars. I had a sip or two to taste some of the beers, but I kind of missed that. It was the first time though and it wasn't that big of a deal, but I forgot how tasty some beers are.
Other: I've been having sciatic pain (or at least I think that's what it is) and it literally is a pain. It sometimes feels like Baby G is on my (last) nerve (haha) and it's super uncomfortable. I'm a little afraid of what the future holds b/c I'm definitely not that big and have a whole lot more growing to do!


Also, we had our anatomy scan on Friday as mentioned and although it put our minds at ease about a lot things it also brought up some other concerns. It seems that I have partial placenta previa -where the placenta partially is blocking the cervix. At this point it's early and there's still time for the placenta to move, but it could be an issue later when it comes to delivery if it hasn't. And then there's the issue of SUA (single umbilical artery) -the umbilical cord has one artery and one vein instead of the usual two arteries and one vein. This could pose a problem with organ development and then later with the baby's growth. My doctor doesn't think there's a problem, but they have to check everything and will keep an eye on how things progress. I joked that it might work to my advantage and give me a regular sized baby instead of the giant one I was destined to have! To be honest I'm trying not to be too concerned, but it's still kind of worrisome. I would have preferred a total "everything is fine" kind of appointment. Oh well. I have another more detailed ultrasound scheduled for Thursday and we'll get to see the little peanut then. Until then here is my ever expanding belly!

Week 19/20

I am officially big.

How much weight have you gained: I've gained a few more pounds this week. I've decided I should start weighing in on Fridays so I don't have an official weight, but it's probably close to another 2 or 3 lbs this week -which is now just getting ridiculous as it would put me at around 15 lbs for 20 weeks.
Maternity clothing: I have come to enjoy my maternity pants. I'm still not really in maternity shirts, but I'll wear some around the house. Today I'm wearing a non-maternity outfit (wrap dress and tights), but I did have a little run in with the tights being, well too tight, so I had to cut the waistband a bit.
Stretch marks: No, but with the amount of weight I'm gaining I'm sure it's only a matter of time! Belly Button in or out: In, but the crease that was my waist is getting shallower and shallower. I think I will soon go from the "B" stomach to the "D" (how it looks from the side).
Baby movement: This week there has been a lot more movement and Huge felt his first little flutters from the outside, so that was really exciting.
Work out:I've started to work out again in the morning (ok, so it's only been two mornings, but it's a start).
Cravings: Nothing.
Aversions: No.
What do you miss: Nothing really.
Other: I haven't had a headache this week and the dizziness is gone too. I do find myself gettting really full quickly and if I overeat I feel the afteraffects for awhile and it's pretty uncomfortable. I need to find the balance between eating until I'm not hungry, but not overstuffing myself. Of course Thanksgiving this week didn't help matters!

Like I said, I'm officially big. I feel big and my stomach is definitely sticking out. I think in regular clothes I'm still in that "is she pregnant or fat" stage, but probably won't for much longer. I haven't had any strangers ask if I'm pregnant yet, but that's probably only a matter of time too!

P.S. I really should come up with better names for these posts!

P.P.S. We are finding out the sex of the baby (assuming baby G cooperates) on Friday! Yea!

Thanksgiving!

So technically today is the day *after* Thanksgiving, but since most people were busy yesterday, I'm sure no one will notice! Just wanted to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving and I hope you got to spend it with those you love enjoying a delicious (and glutenous) meal -the real American way. It's also a good time of year to reflect on your blessings and to reflect before the craziness of Christmas arrives. Sometimes you forget how lucky and blessed you are. Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving!

(p.s. this was really just an excuse to post this cute picture of a cookie I ate last week! I wanted to track down the girl pilgrim too, but I figured I should leave it for someone else to enjoy!).

Week 18/19

I have nothing new to say, but I found one of these little surveys on the bump, so I figured I'd use it for this week's update.

How far along: 18 weeks, 4 days
How much weight have you gained: 12 -it's definitely coming on fast and steady these days... I'm a little nervous, but haven't really done much to curb it and I'm sure with the holidays coming up, it's not going to get any easier either!
Maternity clothing: I just recently (i.e. today) embraced maternity pants. I've gotten pretty wide recently so wearing regular pants became pretty uncomfortable by the end of the day. I guess I don't need maternity clothing yet, but it definitely is more comfy!
Stretch marks: No
Belly Button in or out: Still in, but it's definitely getting wider. Huge thinks it's going to pop out any day now, but I think we've still got a good few months to go.
Baby movement: I keep saying yes, but nothing definitive and nothing from the outside.
Work out: Yah, I've been slacking and now that I'm not walking to work anymore I really need to start something. This may also be contributing to the recent (and rapid) weight gain.
Cravings: Nothing yet, or nothing stronger than my previous non-pregnancy cravings.
Aversions: Nope, all is good.
What do you miss: I miss my regular pants. I have an extensive collection and I'm not able to wear any of my winter ones -I'm going to completely bypass the season! I also miss skirts. I haven't bought any maternity ones and my pre-pregnancy pencil skirts are not going to work. Other: The headaches are finally dying down. They still come around once in a while, but definitely not with the consistency they were. I would say I'm down to about 1 a week, which is great b/c I was up to 3-4 before.

This is the most recent picture (taken on Sunday), but I think since then I've popped, so next week's picture will probably show a big growth -although it might just be Thanksgiving dinner!

Week 17/18

I have officially hit the 10 lb mark in weight gain... this feels like it should be momentous, but considering it is probably only a fraction of what I'm going to gain (I'm still less than 1/2 way there) I probably shouldn't get too worked up over it. I did mention to my doctor last week my nervousness about my recent weight gain, but for some reason her chart has my weight at 8 weeks about 10 lbs higher than what I do, so by her records I haven't gained any weight. I definitely feel like I'm cheating the system, but I guess if she's not worried, then I won't be either. Jokes on her when I arrive at my next appointment another 10 lbs heavier! ha ha -ok, I guess the joke would be more on me, but you get the idea.

I think I'm finally in maternity pants -they're still a bit too big for me and a little saggy in the waist/hips/upper thighs, but most of my regular pants were crying uncle. My bump may not be growing out, but I'm definitely growing wider.

No new ailments to speak of this week. I'm definitely in that honeymoon phase and most everything is status quo. I'm still not sure if I've felt the baby move. Sometimes at night there are these twinges that *could* be the baby, but it could just be me digesting dinner... I've noticed an increase in my appetite recently (also corresponding to this weight gain), but I haven't had any real cravings or aversions since I kicked my sugar problem.

Here's the picture for the week. It's getting bigger, I mean it's definitely there, but just not super prominent. I'm waiting until it looks like I swallowed a beach ball!

Week 16/17

So still growing -nothing new to report. The weight is getting a little out of control (in my opinion) and I'm going to talk to my doctor about it on Friday to see if it is something I should actually be worried about. Otherwise, nothing new. I've been getting a lot more headaches, which I've read are normal, but then I also read if they become more frequent and are coupled with rapid weight gain that I should contact my doctor. What is considered rapid weight gain? I'm thinking 5-6 lbs in a few weeks should count!

I'm not sure if I can actually feel the baby move yet, there are these twinges that I think *might* be the baby, but I'm not really confident in saying that I've felt it. Still not in maternity clothes, but I did go shopping for some over the weekend, so once I'm the right size I'll be all set!




Here's the belly. I'm still waiting for it to become a round pregnancy belly rather than the thick gut look I've got going on now. At night the belly is definitely a lot bigger and looks more "pregnant", but it's not consistent in that round, sticking out kind of way. At least not yet. I think I'll feel better about the weight gain when it looks more like I'm pregnant and less like I've been inhaling potato chips in my spare time.

Week 15/16

I'm coming up to the end of the 4th month... almost halfway there! Nothing really new to report. I've gone through a "growth" spurt and have put on a few pounds in the last few weeks. I'm a little bit concerned, but I'm hoping it'll all just even out in the end. As of now I'm up about 7lbs total, but considering the last 3.5 were in the last two weeks seems a little problematic. As you can imagine, this has made my clothes like me even less. I'm still wearing my regular clothes w/ the pants unbuttoned and a belly band over top, but I'm thinking this option is going to be less and less feasible as the weeks go on. I have some maternity pants that I'm waiting to transition into, but as of right now they are still too big.

Everything else seems to be going well. The morning sickness is definitely gone, but my energy has not quite returned. Napping is still one of my favorite past times and going out at night past 10 or 11 is quite the feat for me. I'm starting to get headaches, which are never fun and I have to be careful when getting up as I tend to get quite lightheaded and fainty feeling.

And now proof positive that I'm getting fatter:

Week 14/15

My plan was to try to do a pregnancy update once a week, but clearly that's not happening... maybe once I start having more interesting updates I will.

I am currently in week 15 -I am 14weeks and 3 days pregnant. The math kind of confuses me, but I guess it's semantics. The baby is a size of a navel orange this week, which seems pretty big to me. I'm definitely starting to show a bit more, but I'm still just mostly feeling thick. I'm not quite big enough for maternity clothes, but definitely too big for my regular pants. I've been wearing them all unbuttoned with a belly band over it. All my shirts are still fitting, but I'm not sure how much longer that will last. Thankfully the morning sickness is over and I really only get nauseous if I go too long without eating. I'm trying to eat on a schedule, but I also am trying not to gain 50+lbs... so we'll see how that goes. My reaction to sugar has stuck around, but it's definitely not as bad. Sweets leave a bad taste in my mouth and my stomach isn't super happy, but I no longer feel like I'm going to spontaneously vomit from it.

Other than that, I'm starting to feel more like myself. I'm still going to bed ridiculously early and getting a lot of sleep, but I no longer feel like death warmed over. We also bought a doppler -a very unnecessary purchase, which stemmed from an incident a few weeks ago (that I have totally recovered from), but since I was unwilling to march myself to the doctor and insist they check to make sure everything was still in order, Huge decided the next best thing was to order a doppler for home. I guess until we can feel the baby move to reaffirm it's presence the doppler is a nice way to hear what's going on with the little bugger.

Even though I know I'm pregnant, it still feels kind of surreal. I'd love to feel the baby move and maybe feel more of a connection to it. I've started to plan for the baby (called insurance and started looking for day care options), but it still feels pretty surreal. I definitely haven't gotten that "nesting" urge and for the most part think that we'll just figure it out when the time comes. I'm not sure that's the best way to prepare, but I do think it's a good attitude! So we'll see what the next few weeks bring.

For some reason these pictures are minuscule, but this is last week and this week's "bump". You can see it growing, but you would still have to wonder if it was too many slices of pizza or an actual baby going on in there...

First Trimester

I'm pretty much done with my first trimester, and what have I learned? That morning sickness is not for the morning (mine was worse at night) and that you can never trust your scale.

So first with the morning sickness. For me this was pretty much just all day nausea. It started right on time about week 5 with a low grade nausea that I would equate to sort of like motion sickness. No puking was involved and it was definitely liveable, albeit not that pleasant. It then kicked itself up a notch and turned into full fledged sea sickness, but since you were never able to get off the boat, you never felt better. Again no actual vomiting, but this time it was accompanied by a lot of dry heaving and false alarms. Poor Huge had to deal with me at the worst b/c for some reason I felt best in the morning and then would get progressively worse as the day went on. I would feel so horrible that I would almost be at the point of tears by the time bedtime rolled around. Falling asleep would be hard, but I would try as early as possible knowing that I would feel better in the morning (only to start the cycle again). None of the usual remedies helped -ginger ale, ginger candy, crackers... nothing, in fact some of them even made it worse. I then decided to implement a strict eating schedule every 2-3 hour and miraculously that seemed to alleviate things a bit. Not completely gone, but it put me out of some of my misery. Of course I didn't really figure it out until about week 10, so at that point it could have been on it's way out, but whatever the reason I was happy it was working. Thankfully when I hit week 12, things have calmed down considerably. I still get queasy at times, but the dry heaving has stopped and I would venture to say I have it beat (please don't prove me wrong!).

With this 2-3 hour eating schedule and my sudden love for carbs (I mean bagels and pasta have never had a bigger fan than I am right now) you would assume that I must have gained at least 10 pounds by now, because I would. And to be honest I was worried there when I had already gained about 5 pounds by week 9. And even though I'm definitely bigger and thicker, I managed to come out of the first trimester with a respectable 3 lb gain. That's quite the feat since I've been known to gain at least that much after a glutenous dinner! I think the other reason for this is the fact that sugar has decided to be the enemy and I am no longer able to enjoy the sweet delicious treats that should be part of a pregnant woman's diet (or so I've been told). All sugar, no matter how small the quantity (I mean, I'm talking about a tic tac or a single starburst) makes my mouth taste funny and I get a queasy feeling in my stomach. Sigh... I was hoping for a pregnancy of gummy worms and ice cream, but sadly that does not look like my future, but this is definitely evidence that I'm growing and that I probably look bigger than my alleged 3 lb gain. I'm going to pretend my scale is my friend and telling me the truth, but I think we all know better! I haven't quite made the jump to maternity clothes yet, and it's hard to imagine that I will fill them out shortly, but I'm going to try to document it and hopefully keep it to a reasonable (and healthy) level. It's funny b/c I look thinner in my week 8/9 picture than I do in my start picture, but I think my "start" is actually about week 5... guess the nausea kicked in right after that.

Other than that the first trimester has been pretty fast. We got to see the little bugger a couple of times now and so far so good. I'm keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed that everything goes smoothly and hoping the ultrasound on Friday (tomorrow!) goes well. Now that the secret is out and I've told work and friends (and pretty much anyone else who will listen), it's starting to kick in that this is real. There's going to be a baby come April 2011 whether we're ready or not! Who's taking bets on that?

Secret

Well I guess I can let out the secret... I'm not just getting fatter from eating too many carbs (my current love), but because we're having a baby! April 2011, get ready for baby G.

Still Recovering

This past weekend I had the honor and privilege of attending the wedding of my best friend. It was a small intimate wedding in California. They had a ceremony at city hall in San Francisco, which is one of the nicest city halls I've seen. There was a great big rotunda and this grand staircase that made for a fantastic backdrop to the quick ceremony performed.

After we all headed up to Healdsburg in Sonoma County to celebrate for the weekend. The house was gorgeous... totally my dream house.

It had an amazing wrap around porch that you could just imagine sitting on and enjoying a lovely evening cocktail. There was also a pool and hot tub along with an enormous dining table outside, which is where we had the formal dinner on Friday night.

The wedding was small -in total 17 people and as intimate of a setting as it was and as much fun as I had with my friends there, I couldn't imagine having such a small wedding. Granted I had a much larger (240 person) wedding, but even then I couldn't imagine having my wedding without all those people. It would have been hard -but then again, it was a completely different wedding experience than my friend's.

Anyway, the weekend was a lot of fun. My best friend who got married has been my friend for over 12 years now and 2 other college friends of ours were there, one of whom I haven't seen since my wedding over 2 years ago.

On Sunday we drove back to San Francisco where Huge and I (and my other college friend) spent the day meandering around the city. We got to see the pier and wharf area, saw the seals, the painted ladies (where the Tanners from Full House lived) and other assorted San Francisco treats. Huge and I took the red eye home, but the flight back to Chicago is too short to be a real overnight flight so Monday was a bit of a disaster. I have come to appreciate all the sleep I can get, so I'm still recovering, but it was all worth it to see 1 of my favorite people get married (and his wife is just as lovely and lucky).

A case of the tireds

I am tired -but beyond that, I would even venture to say that I am exhausted... now I understand why celebrities get hospitalized for "exhaustion". This is ridiculous!

I'm so tired that all I can think about is how tired I am... sigh. Ok, my pity party is over. Back to work and trying to think about something other than how tired I am...

Nervous and Anxious

I’m nervous and anxious –two things I usually am not. Tomorrow if my first ultrasound appointment –I’m hoping this is the day that will confirm I am pregnant with an appropriately sized and appropriately developed baby. I guess technically it’s not a baby yet… but to me, it is. I have known now for almost 2 weeks and it has been killing me not to tell anyone. I haven’t even told my parents… but I don’t think I can handle having to take back the news (again). So I’ve been alluding to the fact that I might be pregnant and that “I’m waiting to find out” –which, really just means, I’m waiting to find out if it sticks and if it’s actually going to happen this time. It has been a tough two weeks… I drink socially (a lot) and am never one to turn down a drink, so to sop drinking is definitely a huge indicator of what’s going on. I know that my friends know, but are too polite to say anything. I’m hoping tomorrow will confirm everything and then I can start telling people (including my parents!), but until then Huge and I will just have to keep this a secret.

This weekend is Huge’s brother’s wedding –so I don’t want to break the news to his family before the wedding. I’m thinking after will be more appropriate, but again, I’m sure people are going to wonder when I’m not partaking in the open bar! Sigh, I should have given up drinking a long time ago so that my cover story would be more feasible!

Bored...

I'm bored. I should be working, but am feeling unmotivated... Sigh.

Beginning Again

Today is the day I have been waiting for, after 3 long agonizing months where I was so focused and obsessed about it that I was driving myself crazy, finally the day has arrived. After all the negative tests when I finally got confirmation, I feel guilty that my first reaction wasn’t all over the moon job, but instead I was more, ok, but let’s see what the doctor says and let’s see what happens… The problem is that I’ve technically been here before. I’ve peed on the sticks and watched the two lines appear or the magical words “pregnant” appear, I’ve gone through the blood draws so I’m an old pro at this… the only problem is that I’ve never been past this point. The excitement and feeling of “oh my gawd, what the f” has already happened and that sweet innocence of finding out you’re pregnant for the first time has already been tainted for me. I KNOW that I can’t complain… I have friends/family who are struggling w/ infertility and have never felt that joy of peeing on a stick and finding out their whole world is about to change… and I KNOW that in the grand scheme of things, we (Huge and I) are in a good place… I KNOW that… I really do. But, I still need to confirmation that everything is going to be ok, that this baby and we are going to be ok. .I feel like I’m being a little self-indulgent with this mini-pity party I’m throwing myself, but I’d like to just think that I’m being cautious.

BUT, I don’t want to taint this experience because of the heartache and hopelessness I experienced after my first…. I want this to be my first and to enjoy and relish and remember the whole experience. So this is it –the beginning, which deserves it’s own announcement. I am pregnant!

July recap.

Already a week and a half into August and I haven’t even posted my July recap! Jeez… I am way behind.

Let’s see… July was full of family fun. It kicked off with a visit from my parents for the 4th of July weekend. It is always great seeing my parents and they are such easy houseguests as they are able to entertain themselves and don’t require a lot of hand holding by moi! They have been coming out 1ce or 2ce a year since I moved, and I am hoping they continue that tradition. We used their visit as a good excuse to eat at Tompalabampo. This is Ricky Bayless’ upscale restaurant and although pretty pricey, I felt it was really worth it. My mom, dad and I got the White House tasting menu (the menu Chef Bayless served at the Whitehouse for the state dinner w/ the Mexican president), and Huge got the adventurer’s tasting menu (of course). All the food, flavors and sauces were excellent and definitely a restaurant worth going to if you can get a reservation (We had to book our table over a month out and we ate during the week!) and a little extra cash!

4th of July is one of my favorite holidays because of my LOVE of fireworks snd our apartment is a great place to be on the 4th. We have a western view what is pretty unobstructed, so we can see all the fireworks displays from the western neighborhoods and suburbs and all the way south by the United Center and north to Logan Square. I am not exaggerating when I say that we watched a continuous stream of fireworks for hours! We had some friends over including our friends’ daughter who is 3 and we had a ball watching all the fireworks. It was also fun having a little one hanging out with us –she is a total doll and after a warming up period made friends with everyone there. It’s funny how someone so small captivates so much attention.

Later in the month my brother and sister-in-law came for a visit with their two nieces. I’m not sure if my brother and his wife are crazy, or just the best uncle/aunt ever, but they took the girls on a two week road trip to Montreal, Toronto, Niagra Falls and then to Chicago. It was nice to see them and hang out, but because they came during the week I didn’t get to spend as much time with them. I think they had a good time and the girls were very well behaved, so although it was a full house, it was still fun for everyone.

What else… July also was the month where I finally bought a bike! I haven’t done a ton of biking, and definitely haven’t gone very far on it, but so far have really enjoyed it. It’s been nice to explore a little bit of the city and to get from point A to point B much faster than if I was walking! This is also the summer of Huge being away… he was out of town weekends in July and August is no better. So I think that’s it. I can’t believe it’s August and that the summer is almost over. The next few weeks are going to be very busy w/ Huge’s birthday dinner and then a trip to Montreal at the end of the month for Huge’s brother’s wedding. It’s going to be a fun month and hopefully doesn’t go by too fast!

So...

Well so much for blogging more often! Haha, I wonder how many posts have started off that way...

So let's catch you up on what's been going on in my world. Hm... not a whole lot. I've been doing a bunch of bike riding, which I am really happy about. My biggest fear was actually that I would hate biking and that I would have spent all this money on a bike and gear and never want to use it. But, it hasn't been like that at all. It's a pretty neat way to get around town and get a little bit of fresh air. Last week I went on a bike ride by myself just to get some air! Tomorrow night I am going to attempt my first solo night bike ride. I'm actually a little bit nervous about it, but I think I'll be ok.

What else... in other exercise news, I haven't been doing any! I know, it's terrible. I decided the best way to get me to stop running is to tell everyone on the internet my plans to run. It's very counterintuitive, but the last time I talked about my plan to run a 10k or a half marathon, my running frequency and distance took a sharp downturn.

Work is work (and not to be discussed on the internet) and home life is good. We currently have some visitors (hi!) staying with us, but they are leaving tomorrow morning so the house will be quiet again. My brother, sister-in-law and their two nieces are in town for a few days at the end of their road trip that started in Boston, went up to Canada to Montreal and Toronto and then back into the States to Chicago. That in and of itself is a lot of driving, but they are also doing this in a mini cooper! Call me crazy, but I think that's nuts! But they seem to be having a good time and they still are talking to each other, so I guess it's been a success so far.

Well I'm hoping for this day to fly by so I can go home, hang out with the visitors and maybe go to bed early. This past week has been a doozy in the sleep department and I'm not just tired, but I'm actually exhausted. So a weekend of sleeping in is on my agenda!

Why don't I own Mary Janes?

Because seriously, how cute are these:



Le sigh... stupid shopping ban.

Two years (and a day)

So I meant to write this yesterday, but forgot/ran out of time... so just pretend this was yesterday...

Today (yesterday! haha) marks our two year anniversary! Can you believe it? Time has flown by! Sometimes it feels like yesterday, but then other times it feels like it's been forever (but not in a bad way). Last year for our first anniversary, we did a whole big celebration complete with a fancy dinner at Tru, bottles of wine and a tasting menu. It was amazing and memorable (but not cheap). This year was more relaxed but just as much fun with a bike ride to Kith and Kin on Saturday night for dinner. Although no presents were exchanged, we still celebrated and I loved how we marked the occasion (although if you want, I will accept diamonds!).

Anyway, the last two years have been amazing and even in the dullest moments I think we've made them fun. I can't wait to see what the future holds and am excited to celebrate all of life's milestones together. xoxo

Bike!

So I finally did it... I bit the bullet and bought a bike! Isn't that so exciting? And isn't it cute?

I made my maiden voyage on Saturday to pick up our vegetable share from Green Grocer -so it wasn't too far, but it let me get a little bit of experience since I've never ridden in the city before. And then because we were feeling extra adventurous, Huge and I rod our bikes to dinner! It was so great. I really loved riding and even with the cars and a little bit of traffic, it was manageable. Now the next thing I need to master is the Loop... that seems a little too crazy for me and further distances (since everything I biked to on Saturday was within 3 miles of my house). The only thing I need to do before then is get a little faster... I'm not such a big fan of going super fast (I'm afraid I'll fall), so I'm hoping this goes away as I get more comfortable on the bike. And at some point this summer I want to bike up to Super Dawgs (which is about 10 miles away) and then the sky's the limit!

Welcome July with a bang

Well hello lovelies and welcome to July. I know, it's already a week in, but it's been a busy beginning! Last weekend we all celebrated the fantastic summer holiday of the 4th of July. This is one of my favorite holidays -not because I'm overly patriotic (but yes, I do love America), but because this holiday has FIREWORKS! Seriously one of my favorite things ever. The best part is that my apartment has a western view that is unmarred by sky scrapers -so you have a a panoramic view of all the fireworks from the United Center to the south, the western suburbs and all the way north to Logan Square. To be honest, I'm not sure exactly what areas you can see, but in my mind that's how I see it!

My parents were also visiting from Boston, so it was fun to have them around for a few days. We didn't do anything super crazy and exciting, but it was fun nonetheless. We also (finally) ate at Tompolobampo -Rick Bayless' upscale place. It was really, really tasty food and definitely recommend going. Just be warned that you have to prepare ahead of time and get reservations early. And also if you're on a budget, you should save up! We pretty much spent our entire monthly budget for going out on this one weekend extravaganza -although the majority of it was for this one meal.

Other than that July has become very hot and humid in Chicago. I won't complain since we have a winter of cold coming (just around the corner), but it does make being outside a little less than desireable. Speaking of being outside... I want to buy a bike. Huge bought one and is enjoying riding to and from work, but I want one to be able to traverse the city and go explore the neighborhoods. The problem is that bikes are expensive! And I haven't ridden one in YEARS -and although there are bike paths and lots of bikers in the city, it still seems a bit precarious... so I think I'm going to bite the bullet and buy a bike this weekend. I'll let you know how my maiden voyage goes!

June recap

Today is the last day of June -so crazy! I have completely turned into an old person and with the passing of each month comment on how fast time has gone by and how unbelievable it is that it is a new month. So let's see what happened in June.

Huge was away for half of it and it was nice to have him back home. I went to a Cubs game with some friends, did some running and started shopping more organically and locally. Other than that, nothing really exciting. I did complete my workout challenge for the month (15 workouts) by the skin of my teeth, squeezing in my last workout this morning! However, I did not lose any weight this month and that was kind of disappointing. Mother nature came back with a vengeance and I'm hoping tha accounts for a bit of the weight (I'm trying to say it's water weight.. haha). I also was successful in my shopping hiatus and did not buy any clothes or shoes this month -although now that i think about it, I may have bought 2 dresses from Banana and I'm not sure if that was this month or at the very end of last. (I just checked -it was at the very end of last month, so I'm safe!)

So that in a nutshell is June. July is shapping up to be a busy month -actually looking at the calendar, the whole summer is -but my goal for July is to continue my ban on shopping and to work out 15 times this month. Additionally, I want to continue to streamline my life and organize my house more. That will be harder to quantify, but that is part of my goal. And if I can manage to lose the last 10 lbs, then that would also contribute to a successful July. Hope everyone had a great June and that everyone is looking forward to July!

Food binge

Today was one of those days where I was hungry -like a bottomless pitt. And when I wasn't hungry, I was still eating -not a good combination. It's no secret that I am trying to lose weight. I wouldn't say that I am being super proactive about it, but it's still something I am trying to get around to doing -especially those last 10 pounds (ok, fine, it's more like 15, but I'd settle for 10).

Over the last few months I've tried to eat a little bit healthier, eat a little bit less and exercise a little bit more. For the most part I've been successful and I've lost about 12-15 lbs (depending on the day I way myself. haha). I actually weigh less than my drivers license, although I guess that's not a huge accomplishment considering I didn't lie on my license and it wasn't that long ago. Anyway, I digress. Over the last few months (ok, fine, more like almost a year), I've been working on losing a bit of the chub and have succeeded a little bit. But it's been frustrating and slow. So you would think that I would know better... show a little bit more restraint and not just throw it all away. I have totally BINGED! And to be honest, I don't usually. Yes, sometimes I eat more than I should or eat more junk than I should, but today has been a non stop eating fest and it has been out of control. Here is a run down of what I ate today:

-oatmeal w/ peanut butter for breakfast (good -nice and healthy)

-asian chicken lettuce wrap, potato and leek soup and watermelon for lunch. (probably could have done without the soup, but still, not too bad)

-baked lays and dried fruit for a snack

And then this is where it goes all downhill... After the chips and dried fruit I ate: an apple, yogurt w/ honey and flax, 5 girl scout cookies, a stuffed cabbage leaf, nacho cheese doritoes, a slice of cheese, an entire Hershey chocolate bar, raspberries, 2 triscuts and a glass of wine.

SO ya... today has not been a good day. And to top it all off I just weighed myself and saw a number I have not seen in a very long time. I am slightly depressed about this -especially considering the fat weekend of overly indulgent foods I'm about to have. Sigh... and this is why I've been chubby for so long. Do you think my hour of yoga burned any of this off??

Food.

We recently watched/read Food Inc, Omnivore's dilemma and Fast Food Nation (and a few others that I forget right now), which has gotten us thinking about our food, where it comes from and what it goes through. I know not everyone loves Whole Foods and they aren't this utopian company some people make them out to be, but I do appreciate what they are trying to do. Of course, it pains me to pay so much for some of the groceries there, but if it makes me and my family healthier, then maybe it's worth the upfront investment. If it saves me from the doctor's or other health problems down the road, then paying a bit more in my grocery bill is worth it to me. Looking at our doctor's bills from last year (and really they're only my husband's) we had AFTER INSURANCE, over $1,000 to pay the various doctors and hospitals. Now the scary thing is that: WE HAVE INSURANCE! and my husband is not sick. He has no real illness, but just some general ailments. So if some of these doctor visits can be avoided by eating a little healthier, a little fresher and a little greener, then that's what we will do.

Of course, I haven't read a whole lot of research -just the aforementioned books/movies, but I do think there has to be something to it. There is a noticeable increase in food allergies and obesity and early onset puberty in kids... something is happening to cause this and one thing that comes to mind is our diet and specifically our food source. I know ideally we would eat local and seasonal, but that isn't possible a lot of the times. In the summer months we do buy our produce almost exclusively at farmer's markets, which may not be organic, but they are local and I do want to support the smaller farms.

But what do you think? Is Whole Foods a scam? Is organic just a bunch of hype? Are consumers to blame for the demand for cheap inexpensive food?

Weekend recap

I can't come up with anything wittier than "weekend recap". I know, I'm lame.

I was successful in my quest not to drink too much. We went to the graduation party on Friday, which evolved into a night of games at our apartment with some of Huge's friends from work. It was a rather drunken night for many of the attendees, but I managed to show some restraint. Saturday morning I went to my weight class (and struggled through it!) and then went to Whole Foods to do some grocery shopping and then spent the night up in Logan Square.

Anyway, I had a great weekend, but other than my weight class I didn't run... so kind of a fail in that respect. If I can keep my eyes open long enough t0night, I'll go to the gym and finally do that run.

Sidelined by the sniffles

Well after that amazing training schedule I came up with on Monday, I got totally sidelined with this weird cold/allergy thing. I never made it to yoga on Tuesday and haven't gone on a run since. I have instead slept a lot (probably about 8 hours a night each day) and just kind of been lazy. I am feeling better though, so I'll return to the gym tomorrow for my weight class and then do a long run on Sunday.

In other news... I don't have any. I have been eating a lot of junk food and really need to kick the habit. I also have total baby brain (as in babies on the brain) and have been spending numerous hours "researching". Fittingly there was an article in the Chicago Tribune about the cost of raising kids. Eek, if I was nervous about my budget before, now I am doubly so! Also I am trying to cut back on my drinking. After my last two weekend benders (read about here, here, and here), my body could use a break. I have no problem saying no, but once I start it's hard to stop (does that mean I have a problem?!?). So I figured out a solution! To two problems actually -I'm going to officially train for the Chicago half marathon in September! It will help with my running and give me a good reason to not drink (so much, or overindulge -I think that sounds better). I may not actually run it, but I will at least train for it!

So I can test my new resolve starting this weekend. Tonight I'm going up to Evanston for a graduation party -two of Huge's work colleagues are receiving their PhD's and the boss is throwing a party. BUT, there is severe weather predicted for this afternoon/tonight with winds up to 70 mph! Eek. Hope everyone has a good weekend -I'll try to remember to check in and update you on my workouts!

Day 2 running log

So after some conversations with friends, the idea of “training” for a 10k seems a little frivolous. I can probably already do it if I put my mind to it since I already can run almost 5 miles without stopping, so adding another mile or so probably isn’t a stretch. In light of this new realization, I’ve decided to change my 10k training to just a running training program. I’m rethinking my decision about running a half marathon, but until I make up my mind completely, I’m going to use the 10k app just to motivate and track my running. For me the problem is actually the time commitment… so having an app make me be accountable will probably help.

That being said, I did day 2 of week 2 today. It was a 46 min run (including warm up and cool down) and I covered 4.41 miles. The first day I did 4.54 miles, but that was also a bit longer of a run (51 minute), so I think I did pretty well. Oh and also for training, I’m only going to run 3 times a week like they suggest. On my “off” days I’m going to cross train and try to incorporate more weights into my workout.

So my schedule for this week:
Monday: run (4.41 miles -46 minutes)
Tuesday: yoga
Wednesday: run (? Miles -46 minutes)
Thursday or Friday will be my 3rd run day, the other day will be my rest day: (? Miles -57 minutes)
Saturday: Weight class at the gym
Sunday: rest day.

Detox needed asap.

Wow, it was another whirlwind weekend.

Friday night I went bowling w/ work. It ended up being a lot of fun –work people tend to be more fun outside of work! But I bowled pretty terribly –we played 2 games and I got 100 (exactly) both times. I also ended up staying out until 1 am! My plan was to have 3 drinks and that obviously was not a plan I stuck to. Anyway, while bowling my boss thought it would be fun to use some reverse motivation. Our team decided that for every pin left in your frame, you had to do one push up and if you got a strike then everyone else had to do one push up. Well as you can tell from my 100 score, I left a lot of pins up, which means I had to do a lot of push ups! It was actually pretty funny, but my arms were definitely sore after.

Saturday morning I went to a weight class at the gym and he concentrated on push ups! My arms were shaking after the first set! It was definitely a good class and one I should do more often because I am still sore today. Saturday afternoon I ran some errands and made cookies and pasta salad for my friends’ block party. It ended up being a good time, but the weather didn’t really cooperate with the on and off rain as well as the cool temperatures.

Sunday was a pretty lazy day but then I went to the Cubs/Sox cross-town classic. That was a lot of fun and I got my first experience in the bleacher seats at Wrigley! The weather held up for most of the game and it didn’t start raining until the 8th inning and then about 2 minutes from my front door it started to pour!

Anyway, obviously the weekend has been busy and food and booze filled… I really need to think about this detox. Maybe starting today?

Why am I on a shopping ban?

Of course I know "why", but I mean why?!?! There are so many cute things right now... Sigh. Maybe at the end of the month if they're still there I can get it. I mean seriously. Look how cute this maxi dress is. And, since I don't have one, doesn't that mean I kind of need one?

Or this purse:
Or this one:

Sigh... so many things...

Day 1 of C210K

I decided yesterday that I needed to have some sort of "goal" for my running. The original thought has always been that I'd train and run a half marathon. The only problem is that I'm not that motivated. So I've been putting it off while coincedentally putting off any real training/running. Now I realize the remedy to this situation is that I should just sign up for a race -there are a bunch towards the end of the summer/early fall BUT the one problem I have is with the timing. I am hoping (fingers crossed) to be preggo by then, so I would hate to spend all that money (haha, I know it's not that much, but at the same time it's something) and not be able to run, even if it is for a good cause.

Around twitter and on the internets there has been a lot of talk and hype about the C25K program and there are lots of fun little iphone apps that get you through the runs and then lets you tell twitter/facebook all about it (because let's be honest, if you don't tell anyone what you did, did it really happen?) and I decided that was the kind of motivation I needed. The problem is that I can already run a 5k. Granted it's not super fast, but I can do it w/out stopping so I consider that mission accomplished. But I don't run more than about 5 miles at a time, and usually I only do about 3.5-4 because of the time it takes so doing a 10k or a half marathon distance would be a new goal. Unfortunately there are no half marathon training iphone apps (can someone please get on that?) but I found the c210k app. Granted I'm not really starting from the couch, but it serves the same purpose. I started in week 2 and modified the walking parts to slow jogs, but I'm sure once it picks up I'll be following it more closely. Anyway, long story short, I'm starting the C210K program and day 1 was a success. 4.54 miles logged -not bad for me. And in case anyone is wondering, it's this app.


I'll keep you updated on the progress and to keep myself accountable to actually finish it!

Still not 21...

So after my post on Saturday about my 2 am night, you would think I would have learnt something... but clearly not. Saturday was ANOTHER 2 am night. This time out for a girlfriend's 30th birthday. So obviously this was well deserved, but I'm still not 21! Sunday was a quiet but productive day at home and then Monday night I went to the concert in the park... which was amazing! BUT, I somehow managed to drink a bottle + of wine... so not only am I tired from my wild weekend, but my liver is also claiming uncle. So I need a good detox. Of course my upcoming weekend plans aren't very condusive to this decision! I have a work outing on Friday night, a block party on Saturday and a Cubs game on Sunday! EEK.

But in other news, my husband's coming home on Monday! Yea! To be honest, we were long distance for almost our entire relationship, so this time apart used to be our norm... but obviously I have become accustomed to being together and have missed him. Well, not all the time, but most of the time. So just a few more days and my personal chef (ahem, husband) will be back! yea!

When will I learn?

That I'm not 21 anymore! I went to a friend's house last night to have a quiet night hanging out... and somehow I ended up drinking a few too many cocktails and staying up way too late! I mean staying up until 2:30 am = crazy! Gah... my head isn't too appreciative... and my body is revolting too. My plans today had to be amended a bit... I wasn't able to get to the gym this morning, but I did get a few errands done. Sigh. I need to give up drinking...

Corporate Challenge run 2010

So I haven’t run in about 2 months… with vacation, work and a personal issue preventing me from running, I have been a lazy, lazy person. I have been walking to and from work most days (about 2 miles each way), but that isn’t too strenuous. Tonight is the annual JPMorgan Corporate Challenge. I’ve run this for the past 7 years and although I am not super fast, I can usually do it about 33ish minutes (not bad –it’s 3.5 miles). This year since I haven’t run in 2 months, I’m hoping to do it in under 40… think that’s feasible? I also have super sore hamstrings b/c I decided to go back to yoga on Tuesday night and I think I may have “overstretched” them… so will that be a good enough excuse for why I can’t run too fast?

Tonight may be my triumphant return to running (or sideline me for another few weeks! haha, I know, I'm dramatic). I’ll update you tomorrow with the result of the "Challenge".

Summer!

Hello internet -it's been awhile. I know... there always seem to be a lag b/w posting, but I promise I'm going to try to be better... I just need something to write about!

Anyway nothing crazy has been going on with me... I had a personal issue that I've been sorting through for the last few weeks, but I think that's all past me now. So moving on, that's really all the news I have.

Actually that's a lie. 2 weekends ago, 2 girlfriends of mine from Boston came to visit and boy did we have fun (and cause a little trouble!). We had a jam packed weekend trying to fit all the highlights of Chicago in a weekend. I think we were pretty successful. We went to a Cubs game of Friday afternoon and after a few beers (or 5, whatever) we went bar hopping in Wrigley. Now if you are from Chicago or have ever visited Chicago during a Cubs game, you know that Wrigley can get a little wild. And some of the bars are more geared for the young crowd... neither one of those things stopped us and we went on to harrass a few boys and surprisingly no one seemed to mind (and I'm sure most of them welcomed/enjoyed the extra attention from us!).
Yup, this pretty much sums up our weekend! haha.

Anyway, after the festivities of Friday, Sat. was a much quieter day with a leisurely lunch, manicure and pedicure and then a late dinner and an even later show at Second City. The show at Second City was a lot of fun -it's definitely one of those things that I don't do very often, but when I go, I always wish I did more frequently. If you are ever in town and enjoy improv/sketch comedy, then I would recommend getting a ticket for Second City. It does however sell out (or at least the earlier shows -we had to get tickets for the 11 pm show), so reserve a ticket early. Sunday was a quick breakfast of waffles and then the ladies left.

The following week (last week) my mom came into town and we had a very relaxing and fun time together...

So that brings you up to date (for the most part). Now that the weather is turning nicer, it finally feels like summer! Summer in Chicago is the best... I'll keep you aprised of any high jinx that happen ;)

Homemade dinner

I had a delicious homemade dinner tonight. I thick and hearty tortilla soup, with these deliciously crunchy, just salty enough tortilla strips. Absolutely divine! I'd share the recipe, but I didn't make it. My friend took pity on me and brought me some of her homemade goodness. Yum. Thank goodness for friends... otherwise, honestly, I probably would have had yogurt and candy for dinner! Sigh, when does my cook, ahem, husband come back?!?

Survived week 1

As most people know my husband (Huge) is away for 6 weeks attending a conference/training seminar in Massachusetts. Coming from a long distance relationship, we're not completely new to this seperation/time apart, but for me it is inconvenient. There are many things that Huge does on a regular basis that I have come to enjoy (and expect). One of which, is his skill in the kitchen. Most days during the week, Huge is in charge of cooking dinner (and usually has it ready by the time I get home -I know, I am very spoiled). So with Huge being away, I have had to take over this task for myself...

As most of you know, when Huge cooks dinner, he cooks dinner. It's not a frozen meal or prepackaged dinner, it's an honest to goodness well-rounded meal. And as most of you know, I am not a cook... frozen meals and prepackaged dinners are kind of my staple. And well-rounded meals? That's not really a requirement for me... a box of mashed potatoes or hummus can pass as a full meal for me! (that sound was the sound of my husband crying over my food choices).

Anyway, as the title says, I survived my first week alone. I also managed to cook last week. I did go out to dinner once, but that was it and I didn't order take out or delivery. However, I did only cook dinner once... and then proceeded to eat it every day for 6 days (and yes, that last day was probably a little iffy). For me it was totally fine, but I do know most would be appalled at eating the same meal for 6 days straight.

So moral of the story -I should cook more than once a week and try to have more well-balanced meals :) Luckily, this week I don't have to worry too much because I have some fabulous girl friends coming to visit which means lots of fabulous places to go out and eat!

Back to reality...

So I've been back for over a week now and guess how many pictures I've downloaded from my camera? What's that you say, did I even take pictures? Why yes, I did! I know, shocking, but I did. Not surprisingly, my husband has put up his pictures... and after seeing his, I'm not sure I need to put up mine! But I will b/c I'm pretty sure he's not the only one with an artistic eye (haha). So until I get my act together feel free to peruse his photos and drool over the food we ate!

So what else can I tell you before I forget? Oh our day trip to Kofu.

The friend we were fortunate enough to hook up with during our first few days in Tokyo is from a smaller town/city north of Tokyo near Mt. Fuji, who happened to be going home for the second weekend of our trip and invited us to show us around. After spending a lot of time in Tokyo we figured it would be a great opportunity to see a place off the beaten path and to get a guided tour of it. The area is also known for their wine (I know, who knew Japan had wine), and our guide's family happened to own one of the major vineyards and labels.

While in Kofu we got to taste some of their wines and hang out in the quaint city. There isn't a whole lot to see, but it was fun to get out and away from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.

Ok, I need to get cracking on getting my pictures uploaded.

Break from Japan

So I'm back from Japan and have LOADS more to say... but I just wanted to share w/ everyone the very adorable (very unnecessary) addition to my shoe collection.I went into the store to look for running shoes (which I desperately need) and instead came out with these! But can you blame me? They're adorable and even though they have 2 components that my husband dislikes in shoes -wedge heels and cork soles -I am keepint them. I totally deserve a new pair of shoes, right?

Eating Osaka style

Wow, what can I say about Osaka.... it was visually and gastronomically amazing. In Osaka there is an expression, kuidaore, which literally means to bankrupt yourself with food and if that is what we set out to do, I believe we succeeded. Osaka is the culinary capital of Japan and definitely earns a spot on the top of our list.

At first glance Osaka is very similar to parts of Tokyo -the large crowds of people, the loud flashing/blinking lights, but it is also quite different. The flash is flashier and the noise a bit louder, less reserved. Here you can find streets that are really just pedestrian ways lined with shops and restaurants and lots of street food. We were determined to try to eat as much of it as possible and to get the full kuidaore experience.

First on our list was the octopus balls, these can be found on every street corner and are a delightful ball of dough with octopus pieces in the center. They are then topped with bonito flakes, some sort of sauce (like the unagi eel sauce) and seaweed flakes. Completely delicious, but completely like little balls of molten goodness, these suckers are HOT! That is one thing I have noticed while in Japan... the temperature of hot foods and drinks border on scalding, so you really have to be careful and patient before digging into whatever you ordered. Then there was okonomiaki, which is a Japanese savory pancake with octopus. Also cooked on a flat top on the street... equally as delicious and very similar to the octopus balls. And of course to round it all out, a little dessert. These charming little waffle like cookies, that were filled with either chocolate or custard. Both equally delicious. Street food in Osaka was a success!

Of course we were there 2 days, so we had a lot more eating in front of us. We wanted to try conveyor belt sushi, which we all enjoyed. It definitely isn't the best quality sushi, but at 130 yen per plate, it's fast and cheap and a good way to see everything before you eat it. We also got to experience a Hanshin Tiger sushi bar, which was some of the best (and freshest) sushi I've ever eaten. The whole experience was amazing and if you're ever in Osaka especially during baseball season, this is the place to go. The staff was amazing and even though they don't speak English, and have zero English on their menu we were able to order a delicious and diverse dinner along with plenty of beverages. The Hanshin Tigers lost that game, but we definitely came out winners.

Halfway through...

We're already more than halfway done with this trip, which is unbelievable. Obviously this trip has been busy, so I am VERY behind on posting and am instead just trying to soak in all in while I can... Let's see what's happened since I last posted... oh yah, LOTS! After a few days in Tokyo, we took the high speed train to Kyoto for two amazing nights at a Ryokan (Hirogiya). It was absolutely gorgeous, but the best part was the kaiseki meal provided.

Here is the front entrance of Hirogiya and you can tell that while traditional, it is well cared for with attentive staff and a homey-ness to it that you wouldn't expect (or at least I wasn't). Our stay at Hirogiya requires its own post, and at some point I will come back to it to talk about the whole experience because there really is a lot to say!

We ate lunch on our first day at the amazing soba noodle shop down the street that has been in business making handmade noodles for 300 years. Eating there seemed like a step back in time and in complete contrast to the craziness we had just left in Tokyo.

Out time in Kyoto was too short and we missed a lot of things, which I'm a little disappointed about. We did however take a day trip to Nara, which was well worth it. Nara is celebrating their 1300th anniversary this year, so it seemed like an extra special time to go. Nara is everything people tell you it is... beautiful and serene, and full of deer! We didn't do much of anything off the beaten path -just stuck to the basics since we were only there for a short period of time.

I will say that even though you know that the deer are everywhere, it was still pretty remarkable to see and experience.

So after our side trip to Nara we spent most of today trying to take in as many of the Kyoto sites as possible. Unfortunately for us, that wasn't very many. I guess it gives us a reason to come back, but still kind of disappointing that we couldn't see more. Now we're in Osaka and wow, this already is something else. We haven't seen too much of it, but I'm looking forward to delving into it deeper tomorrow!

*photos courtesy of huge-photos.com (again)

Harajuku

Harajuku ended up being quite the experience! We knew that Sunday was the day to go to experience it fully, but we were not prepared for what was ahead. The Harajuku area is well known for the youth that hang out here and for their distinct style of dress. The harajuku girls are known for their school girl outfits or as I call, "little bo peep" ensembles, but Sunday is the day for"cosplay" or costume play, where they dress up as anything resembling anime characters, in cyber punk gear or really anything that would be described as a little crazy.

This seemed like an interesting thing we should experience... what we weren't expecting was the incredible amount of people that were in the area. I have experienced large groups of people before in small spaces and I feel pretty confident in saying that I'm ok with crowds. I'm fairly patient and realize that we are all just trying to get from here to there, so there is no need to push and as long as everyone stays calm and orderly, that will happen in a relatively timely manner. Well Harajuku this particular Sunday was crazy. To say the street was crowded would be a great understatement. It was literally a sea of people -a sea of bodies that wanted to go in every direction possible, cutting in front of you to pop into the shop or to race past you to meet up with friends ahead. They were walking in every direction, which made it that much harder to navigate. It was impossible to take regular sized steps and impossible to swing your arms without hitting at least 5 people. To put it in perspective, it made Shubuya crossing seem calm and roomy!

We were told that Harajuku is pretty busy on Sundays, but this was more so than usual. Going down the length of the street, which I would assume would take all of 5 minutes normally, took us closer to 30... the sea of people was neverending, and then when we got to the top by Harajuku station, all you could see were swarms of more people coming off the trains and descending upon the streets.

I would still recommend going to experience and see the sights of Harajuku, i.e. the people watching, but be careful of the crowds. It reminds you that Tokyo is a densely and highly populated city, and I'm convinced I saw them all on that Sunday in Harajuku!

Hanami Party

The Cherry Blossom (sakura) are in full bloom right now and it is quite the sight to see. The pale pink and white blooms can be seen on almost every street and are a beautiful contrast to the other greenery. Of course, like all things in Japan, this season is to be celebrated and celebrate they do. Over the weekend we took part in a massive Hanami party, which is essentially a picnic in the park under the sakura - but it is a picnic on crack. Literally hundreds to thousands of people gather in parks accross Tokyo all day and into the night with friends (old and new) to eat, drink and hang out.

There was a park by our hotel and we were impressed with what people had going on. People put down tarps to sit on along with blankets to fight off the chilly night air. Along side that was baskets of food and cases of beer and wine. And from the looks of it, people would come in the morning to hunt down the best spot and then stay well into the night.

On Sunday we were invited to attend a Hanami party with Sayuri. After seeing the parties that had taken place near our hotel, we figured we knew what we were in for... we were mistaken. We knew this was one of the larger parks for Hanami parties, and when we got there the only description I could come up with was that it was the Hanami Woodstock. Literally thousands of people in this enormous park under thousands of sakura trees. It was actually quite remarkable and beautiful, but we were not prepared for the sheer number of people. Getting to this party was quite the adventure -as it was near Harajuku, which was an adventure in and of itself.

Unfortunately, it ended up being a pretty cold day in Tokyo, so I don't think we were able to enjoy ourselves fully, but I could definitely see how it would be a great way to hang out with friends and family. If nothing else, I know that crowds do not deter the Japanese and they take every opportunity they can to celebrate.

Night out Tokyo style

We've been fortunate enough to have (what the boys call) a "handler". Through a friend of a friend (well technically, a friend of a friend's sister) has been gracious enough to show us around and help us navigate the craziness of Tokyo. It has been amazing to have her. Even though Huge's Japanese has been helping us get by, having a native speaker has been advantageous. Yesterday's festivities kicked off after our trip to the Tsukiji fish market. Sayuri met us at our hotel and we were off. First stop, Rippongi Hills. Ripongi is the ex-pat area of Tokyo, so most people will tell you to skip it, but Rippongi Hills is a collection of large muli-floor, multi-purpose buildings (But HUGE). We first went to the top to see a 360 degree panorama view of the city. Although probably a very "touristy" thing to do, it was definitely a great way to see how the city was laid out. Then it was lunch time... in the basement of one of these buildings, the four of us went for some delicious ramen. I could eat this every day!

After walking around we decided that we needed a bit of a nap as we had a big night ahead of us. Sayuri came back to meet us and we took the train to Shibuya. This is the typical picture people have of Tokyo -the enormous intersection with hundreds/thousands of people crossing at once with the neon lights ablaze. Coming out of the train station was pretty overwhelming. And crossing the street was an experience like no other. It was like crossing during rush hour at Times Square, but times a thousand. Literally a sea of people.

*click on image to enlarge and get the full effect!

*photo courtesy of huge-photos.com

Dinner (well, first dinner) was at a tasty, but trendy isakaya. Kind of tapas style, but they had the most delicious fresh tofu. After we tried to find this little restaurant we had read about in Lonely Planet. Believe what people say, it is IMPOSSIBLE to find places in Tokyo. There are street signs (sparingly), but there are no numbers... so even if you have an address, it's really hard to find places. After asking a few people Sayuri finally found the place, Sakanatei. It was on the 4th floor of this unassuming building, but they had really traditional Shizouka food. It was a very relaxed place and definitely off the beaten path.

Sayuri had a friend playing at a club, but we had a lot of time to kill, so we did the most stereotypical Japanese thing to do -KARAOKE! I'm not sure it was any different than karaoke bars in North America (with the private rooms), but being in Japan made it that much more special.

Finally around 1 am we went to a club to hear Sayuri's friend play. I can't remember the last time I was out at a "club" at 1 am, but when in Tokyo, do as they do. It was definitely an insiders kind of place, as it looked like you were walking into someone's basement, but it was definitely fun -and we were definitely the only non-Japanese. Unfortunately we're old, so we didn't make it to hear Sayuri's friend (Mista Donut) spin -he wasn't on until 3:30 AM! So we headed back in a cab around 3. I'm still pretty proud of us for making it that late!

Tokyo nightlife definitely is crazy -the only thing I could do without is the indoor smoking. It's hard to believe it was like that in North America only a few years ago!

*photos courtesy of huge-photos.com