Peeps

In honor of this being Easter week, I decided to entitle this post "peeps." As you know, I've referenced my feet as marshmellow feet, or "peeps." Let me say that at 31 weeks, this has gotten worse. I don't know if it was the plane ride to NJ, or maybe the food i've been eating here, or just the timing of my pregnancy and my hormones, but it has gotten pretty bad, i might even have cankles...yes, THE dreaded word. The swelling even affected my fingers. Its so bad that my ring is still stuck on my finger.

Since my NJ baby shower was this weekend, i decided to put my engagement ring on, along with my wedding ring (i wanted it in my pics.) Big mistake. My fingers swelled up like a balloon and for like 3 days i couldn't take my wedding ring off, keep in mind this is the bigger of the two. Wil and I did some research on Ehow.com (ooh - baby says hi, he just kicked as i write this post.) Anyway, the site had a few different tips on how to remove a ring from a swollen finger. I tried a few different tactics but the one that worked for me was:

Submerge your ringer in cold/ice water, then hold it above your head for like 10 min (has to be above your heart) - i assume this is supposed to help with the swelling. Then it suggested i use windex as a lube to help slide the ring off. Once i read amonia on the bottle -i said forget it. i didn't want to risk being around that during my pregnancy so i used cooking oil instead. After tugging and wiggling the ring around, it finally came off. i was so happy because my finger was turning blue from having it stuck at my knuckle area. So as of now, its one ring down, one to go. I couldn't go through the pain again of trying to take off my engagement ring. my finger was so sore already. I was hoping that the swelling would've gone down by now so i wouldn't have to go through the same motions for the last ring, but hasn't happened yet. I'll have to keep you posted on this...wish me luck. I don't want to have to get the ring cut off, that would be a shame.

Garden of Eve

I am so spoiled. My mom took me shopping last night for maternity clothes - it was so nice and i definitely appreciated it. I know i'm lucky. I did some shopping in Old Navy, the Gap, and most especially, H&M.

I can't even tell you how excited I am for their Garden line. I wanted to buy everything. Not only were the sillouette's flowy and feminine, perfect for pregnant women in the spring and summer, but the colors were totally me. There were a lot of khakis, taupes, whites, and especially blush pinks. Their pop colors were a bright, fun floral theme, as well as a blue lapis. Of course I stuck to the neutrals but if i could buy the whole collection, i would. Even my little sister got some great styles for her honeymoon. You can't go wrong with this collection. I found a great collage of pics of the collection on http://www.thebudgetbabe.com/

Of my whole H&M Haul, this is my favorite buy. I loved it so much i bought it in pink AND white. i love the casualness of the cotton fabric with plain body. But i love the embroidered wing like arms that dress this shirt up and make it "stylish."

This shirt would look great with shorts and my new sandals from GAP :)

What makes this buy even better is that i read online this morning that these garments are made with materials and fabrics that promote a more sustainable world. Gotta love that!

Tuesday Shoes-day

Yey! My mom really wanted to buy me some maternity clothes - i was happy because Lord knows i needed it. So while i was at the Gap picking out some maternity jeans that actually fit me, i came across these beautiful sandals!!! i saw a cute version at Zara for double the price so when i saw these at the Gap, i was very happy. They're called "Crinkle Flower T strap sandals." Retail for $34.50. They had an amazing display with various colors to choose from- you can't help but want to buy a pair. I decided to go with the grey/olive green color. I thought this was a trendy but neutral color that would go great with the whites and blush pink colors of this season. My only qualm with this is i didn't know what size to get. My foot size is really a 5. I got a 6 since its not even made in a 5 and because i knowmy feet are expanding during this pregnancy. I tried them on at home and while my foot length fits perfectly, my feet are swollen so they're a bit on the wide side and the t strap is kind of digging into the side. its doesn't hurt, it just enhances the marshmellow look. But i don't see myself getting a size 7 just for this reason. So, i'm just hoping my swelling goes down soon so i can wear these gorgeous feminine sandals soon!!

Lil Bear

I heart this!!!

This pic is handmade by SweetPeaPod on Etsy and retails for $43.50.

I've been infatuated with knit bear hats. They're just so adorable and so soft - and perfect for baby.

I haven't bought him anything yet, and i'm thinking that this is it -this is THE one thing i want to invest in for him as my very first present. At first i was just looking for hats as a cute prop for pics - but i love the cocoon blanket that this comes with and the satin ribbon is a nice touch.

I can't wait to see my lil bear!!!!!!

Tuesday Shoes-day

So, my biggest complaint these past few weeks changed from back pain to......marshmallow feet. That's right folks - my little feet look like marshmallows - feet shaped peeps if you will.

So, in keeping with what i did last week, i'll show you my pick of the week based on the ideal situation with normal feet and what i'd realistically buy during my pregnancy.

I love, love love these ankle hugging peep toe pumps from Aldo called, Kakudji. I love the studded detail on the ankles and the neutral taupe color. Its like a spring version of the bootie.

Of course, in the real world, i would even be able to fit these straps around my ankle, let alone walk to the mailbox with these, so here's what i love and would realistically buy:

These glam sandals full for rhinestones are very me. I don't know why, but i like flashy shoes. I'm a pretty basic dresser but when it comes to shoes i like the bling. These are perfect for right now since the weather is getting warmer and just incase my peep feet decide to expand anymore, they can with this style - as opposed to ballet flats where they would definitely get smooshed. Trust me, that's what i wore last weekend and my feet were NOT happy.

Happy Monday

Namaste

ok, so this post is going to turn into a pity session so if you're not in the mood, just don't read this one. I have no clue why -but some of the pregnancy articles for "30 weeks" say that your old emotional highs and lows are going to start returning in your 3rd trimester because of your hormones, anxiety about the labor, your weight gain etc. And so of course, i do get in this depressed mode this weekend.

I went to the Decatur Yoga and Pilates Center this past saturday for my first prenatal yoga session.

Not only was it my first class i took pregnant, it was my first yoga session ever. (Unless you want to count the yoga class i took in college that i studied for and managed to get a B while my friend Ryan religiously copied my homework and managed to get an A - no i'm not bitter about that.... :)) Anyway, to say the least i was very intimidated in going. I didn't know anyone and I had absolutely no clue if i could handle the class. Plus, i have no clue why i only decided to start while i'm in my third trimester - i had 2 trimesters to start this!

I arrive - like an hour early -i told you i was anxious, the place is small but homey. of course lots of candles and incense, small statues of buddha lying around. The walls were multi color of calming lavendars and blues. I signed in and was told where to go. I went to the "zen room" with my little purple mat that i bought specific for this occasion, my little red towel and my bottle of water. Another girl was in the room so i sorta situated myself next to her. I tried to make conversation about the things we would need for class but she just kind of nodded her head and didn't really talk much more. Why was she so much cooler than me? hahaha - that's totally what i was thinking. i was the nerdy girl with the big *ss smile who smiled at everyone who walked into the room. i'm sure i had this look of "please be my friend" as people arrived. lol.

And so it started. I started comparing myself to the other preggies in the room - 5 of us total - and of course i'm the biggest one! Everyone was so fit except for this cute belly - i swear i was like a hippo next to all of them. I'm not even exagerating. Plus i'm thinking i must be the farthest one along - nope - i think i'm the last one along. I was so embarassed - it just made me wonder what people think of me. i know people have their own lives to worry about but i just wonder what people's first reactions are of me? do they think, "wow, she really let herself go?" This was the same thing i wondered at my 2 minnesota baby showers -especially the one for the adults. You know how aunts and uncles are, especially filipino ones. They can be brutal!!!!

Anyway, so we went around the room and introduced ourselves, how far along we were, where we were delivering, etc. I mentioned it was my first yoga session and the teacher was pretty surprised. I was surprised she was surprised. I guess most people who do this class do yoga regularly - i don't know. Other thoughts that went thru my head were that people were thinking "you can totally tell this girl doesn't do yoga, let alone exercise."

And so we started the session with low intensity stances - such as the downward dog. This is peace of cake for probably everybody. For me, it was a nightmare. A lot of your weight rests on your arms and hands - i am so out of shape it isn't even funny. When i first got pregnant, i was too nervous to do anything!!!! i was so scared of losing this pregnancy - this is my 3rd pregnancy and the first two resulted in miscarriages so with this one, i wouldn't let myself do anything strenuous. So there i was doing this downward dog, relaxing music in the background, the teacher talking in a calming voice, and me, shaking uncontrollably from holding all my weight on my arms. Of course this didn't help my insecurities i was feeling at the beginning of class.

We went through other movements and the teacher was always nice to come to me and position me correctly - this didn't bother me. i know people understood that i was new. i think i was just mad at myself for starting so late, for being so fat, etc. But i do have to say, as i was doing the poses, i would concentrate on baby and keep thinking, "this is for us, baby." I know a lot of things i do are for me, getting cute maternity clothes, getting a mani/pedi, etc, and this is one of the first few things that i truly felt was for baby and i.

Well then that thought made me depressed. Then i started thinking what a self centered b*tch i am for thinking of myself and not my baby all the time. arrrrggggh.

So this whole session, instead of feeling relaxed, and calm and better about myself for exercising and doing something good for 2 people, turned out to make me depressed that night! i mean, i loved the overall yoga experience and what the whole eastern thinking is about, but it just put my whole realistic mentality into perspective and i didn't like it. So, i don't know what to say. The teacher at the Decatur Yoga and Pilates place was great, the class was great, but for me, it just put my emotional state down instead of what i hoped i would feel when i left that class.

Namaste.

CVS Haul

I recently went to town at my local CVS - i've just been on this makeup beauty kick. It might be from being surrounded by girls this past weekend in Montreal ,or maybe i just wanted something to make me feel better since most clothes weren't doing that. :P

i got a few items that i'm happy about that i figured i'd share with you. Just a disclaimer - i LOVE going to Mac and Sephora -but since i'm trying to cut back on my spending and save for baby, CVS was the best solution.

Here's a list of what i bought:

1) Loreal's bare naturale illuminator mineral powder in nude glow

So I hardly ever use anything on my skin - its more because of the fear of causing my cheeks to get irritated because they get pretty red as is, and its also b/c i have no clue if the color foundation i have makes me look like a clown with a white mask on. but as i look at pics, my skin looks so dull and i wanted some coverage that would add some glimmer and brightness to my overall complexion.

2) cover girl perfect point plus eyeliner in black onyx

I already have 2 sets of eyeliner that i use - liquid liner by Revlon because i like the staying power on my greasy lids and because i like the dramatic look. the other liner i have is a pencil, this is more for everyday when i know i would be too lazy to take off the liquid liner-its also fatter so its more of a softer look. I decided that i needed something in between, something that drew a defined line but wasn't so sharp like the liquid liner. I've also been adding eye liner to the bottom of my eyes for the past week and thought this liner would do the trick. I normally line the bottoms of my eyes when i dress up or for special occasions, but i don't know - like i said, i've been putting on more and more make up - maybe to make up for everything else.

3) CVS Advanced Eye lift dual formula eye cream (comparable to Loreal's Revitalift Double Eye lift

i'm 5 years late on this bandwagon. they say you should start using eye cream at 25 years old. and only now did i finally make the push to buy something. i had no idea what to get. but this one looked good and seemed to give me the most bang for my buck. Its for daily use and has 2 pumps, one is the anti wrinkle creme for under the eyes and the other is a re-tightening gel for the upper eyes.

4) Essence of beauty - eye shadow crease brush duo

i'm so bad, i've been using one brush and one brush alone to apply my eye make up....and its an angled brush. i know, i know. its like a sin in the beauty world so i finally bought a dome brush at the very least for my crease. I have yet to take it out of the packaging........Maybe i'll bust it out for my shower in nj this weekend. :)

French Cuisine

All of the food in Montreal was amazing. Pricey, but hey, we were on vacation right?

Our first night we had a little welcome dinner at L'aromate Bistro - a great french bistro walking distance from our hotel in downtown Montreal.

Since we were a large party we had a semi private seating area which was nice. The only bad thing about having a large party was a limited menu - but i'm still not complaining because the food was amazing. For starters I had the "inspiration of the day." It was small flecks of salmon mixed with linguine and arugala. I wish i saved the menu so i could describe this dish more in depth. But trust me, it was very good.

For the main course, I chose the fish - it was an almond crusted type of white fish - again, sorry can't remember the name of the fish - but it was nice a light.

It came with asparagus, mushrooms and wild rice - very, very good. I of course had to have dessert. I think all of us girls did. Naturally many of the girls leaned towards the creme brulee - i didn't order this because of one key word on the menu, "spiced" creme brulee. Thank God i didn't because most of the girls didn't like it. I think its just an acquired taste. There were 3 mini bowls of creme brulee. - one of them i know for sure was ginger flavored........seriously. Then we came to find out that the french really like to experiment with spices and herbs in their meals -including dessert. I say stick to sugar and cinnamon for dessert. :) What i did end up ordering was a small sampling of different chocolate desserts. Again, it came with 3 - the first was a white chocolate type of cream/pudding (i do believe there was a hint of spice -but not enough to turn me off), the second was a mini truffle brownie, and the third was a chocolate macaroon. I have to say this satisfied the pregnant lady!

Then for a midnight snack, we all devoured a cake perfect for the occasion made by one of the girls!!

In Old town Montreal there were tons of little shops selling maple syrup, honey, jams, foie gras. You just wanted to buy them all.

For lunch on the second day, the girls insisted i try Poutine. This is like a high end version of disco fries. It was sooooo freakin good. Its a big plate of fries, with a stock based gravy poured on top, seasoned with black pepper and of course, small bits of fresh cheese curds. So Yummy.

Dinner that night was great - it was perfect for the bride to be. We ate at Cavalli's a high end italian restaurant with hot pink and crystal decor.

For appetizer we had olive bread - yes olives baked inside the bread - i normally loathe olives,but i have to say these were good. I don't know if its pregnancy tastebuds or if really the olives north of the border are just different. This bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinigarette was very very delicious. For my main course i ordered a linguine dish with lobster- the sauce was dark in color - i don't even know how to describe it, but it was good. I shared a dessert with my sister and we had this hazelnut breadpudding with chocolate on top and some type of crispy crust. Again, i was very satisfied. :)

To end the weekend, we all had a goodye brunch at a crepes place near our hotel. These crepes was unbelievably huge - again i had to order a savory one (a western crepomelet - it wasa western crepe omelet with hollandaise sauce on top, fresh fruit on the side, and wheat bread.

I also shared a sweet crepe with Cheryl (my dessert buddy) - we had a crepe with nutella and bananas.

Baby and I were happy to say the least.

An American in Paris

As I worked on invites for my sister's wedding shower and finished up thank you cards for my baby showers, I watched the Gene Kelly Classic, "An American in Paris."

Although the story line was ok, and the Parisian sets were clearly fabricated Hollywood, I still loved watching this movie. I've always had an affinity for musicals-especially ones from Gene Kelly's era - I just feel like the actors were more well rounded with their ability to act, sing, dance, all of the above.

I still loved the French setting it tried to depict with the corner street flower markets, mini cafes,etc. I might still be on my high from Montreal which is why this movie hit the spot this week. Life just seems so simple in France. All you want to do is sit at a cafe, street side, under an amber awning, drinking your cappucino and eating your chocolate croissant, or maccaroons if you really have a sweet tooth that day, with baby in his stroller alongside you, staring happily at the people who pass by, and with Sushi bear sitting with her leash anxiously waiting for crumbs to fall on the ground. Of course the hubby is there, but he's going for a jog along the Champes Elysees.

As I was looking for pics for this blog - i came across this great pic of a vintage Parisian postcard from vintagesmith.com.

Doesnt it just take you back to the 50's to Gene Kelly's days?

Here are some fabulous pics of Blake Lively for Vanity Fair with their own version of "An American in paris." The dresses and the background are just stunning.

The picture above has Lively in a 33 pound swarovski crystal encrusted satin gown by Dior.

This vision of Lively in tulle, is a Atelier Versace creation.

Magnifique!!!!

On another note, I decided to sign up for a prenatal yoga class today. I've been wanting to do it, but i've always been away on the weekends. Plus i've been very conscious of my weight gain - i'm obviously going over what the "normal" weight gain is. I'm hoping it will boost my confidence, help with baby's health, and maybe even intruduce me to some people in the area. I do have to admit it did strike a chord with me this week when i went in for my 29 week check up with the doctor. I had an ultrasound and their guestimate of the baby's weight was 3.5 lbs...... every book/website i've read for 29 weeks says your baby should be about 2.5 lbs....yikes!! i asked the doctor if this was normal. And he said he wasn't worried. I am!! i'm the one delivering him!!!!!

Anyway, i'll tell you more about my first yoga experience after my class on Saturday. wish me luck!!

Bon Jour

I had an amazing time this weekend with my sisters and friends in Montreal for my little sister, Christine's bachelorette party. We chose this destination since it was driving distance for most people from NJ but still exotic enough to feel like we really were in Europe and not just across the border in Canada. Montreal is a beautiful city - great architecture, great shopping, tasty restaurants, great looking french Canadian men that probably look better because of their french accents - all perfect elements for a bachelorette party.

We stayed in downtown Montreal which is an ideal location if you don't want to spend too much money on cabs. Its central to their main shopping street called St. Catherine St as well as the Underground city, a network of underground tunnels that are home to fabulous eateries and shopping stores. Montreal's historic area is a 20 minute walk from downtown called, "Old Montreal." Normally i could handle this walk, but since i have a little person with me now, i had to cab it. Old Montreal is such a quaint part of the city with its cobblestone streets. Some of the shops included art galleries, souvenir shops, crepes restaurants, etc.

I found a little sign worth noting - one for my husband :)

And one for my son :)

The most famous landmark of this area is the Notre Dame Cathedral.

I had some of the most amazing food this weekend - but i feel like i'll need a whole post just for the food alone.

The ambiance of the city just complimented the great company. It was so nice to spend time with my sisters on a mini vacation, as well as with our friends. Its still unreal that Christine, my little sister is getting married! But hopefully she had a great time this weekend. My middle sister, Gail, did a great job with the planning.

Here are some pics of these fabulous girls. I love these "b*tches!!!!!!"