Timo Tuesdays

Timo had his 3 month birthday last week on October 4th! He's so smiley and just barely almost giggling. He's getting better at tummy time and still enjoying his Bumbo. We stay busy meeting friends at the park and going to play dates. His favorite thing to do besides eat is kick! He kicks and kicks and kicks his legs so hard he scoots himself across the floor and his crib. When getting his diaper changed, he kicks so hard he shakes the table. Sometimes he flings both his feet out at the same time in a flailing full body launch. He cracks me up! 

He also drools a lot! He smiles with a bubbly cooing mouth full of spit, it's more adorable than it sounds I promise. I put a bib on him most of the time so he doesn't spend the day in a soaking wet shirt. 

Ch-ch-ch-Changes!

Since becoming a mom three months ago there have been some obvious major changes in my life. However there have also been some relatively minor yet odd/unexpected changes to my daily life, routine and personality-  most notably the following:

-I wear black leggings almost every day. I now have designated "at home" leggings and "fancy" leggings. The main difference being that my "fancy" pairs are less see-through. Also I now understand "mom jeans." When you're constantly on the floor and bending over, you need something high waisted that won't expose your crack all the time. 

-My criteria for putting something in the laundry isn't whether or not its been spit up on- but if it "smells" like it's been spit up on. If the answer is "sorta" I can probably get another day out of it.

- I can't remember the last time I blow dried my hair.

- My nails have never been longer or stronger, they look great! But I don't dare paint them because surely I'll have to pick up Timo the instant I finish and ruin them.

- EVERYTHING is annoyingly loud because it might wake up the baby: the microwave, opening and closing any door, walking in shoes, flushing the toilet, the sink, cars driving by, the mail man, coughing and sneezing, the sound of a fork hitting a plate when eating. Food wrappers are the worst. I've relocated to my bedroom with the door closed to unwrap a granola bar. I've also hidden in the pantry to open and eat a bag of chips for fear of waking Timothy up from a hard earned nap. (And by "hard earned nap" I mean, his nap is something I worked hard for ....and I reward myself with chips in the closet) 

- Friday has lost all it's special appeal. I don't care what day of the week it is anymore since I don't really get a weekend anyway.

- 9:00 pm is late 

- 6:00 am isn't that early

- I forget to brush my teeth in the morning.... A lot.

- and, just like everyone told me, it's all so worth it :)

Timo Tuesdays

Over the last couple of weeks I've noticed Timo's head control becoming pretty strong. I've stopped carrying him in the car seat to and from the car so now I just carry him. While I can't quite pop him on my hip and carry him in one arm yet, its still easier since the car seat is so heavy now that he weighs over 13 lbs. Anyway, I thought it was time to give the Bumbo chair a shot. I bought one the other day and snapped some pics and videos. Haven't taken the time to figure out how to post videos on here. Seems like I need to use the computer rather than my iPad.

He still doesn't love tummy time and doesn't quite hold his head up when on his tummy although I do see a nice gap between his head and the floor for brief moments here and there. He's still super smiley and making more and more cooing and talking sounds. We're getting closer and closer to giggles every day. 

Timo Tuesdays

(Originally published Tuesday 9/24)

Over the weekend Timo got his first little cold. Saturday night he woke up with a super stuffy and congested nose. He was happy as a clam though and his usual smiley self. Even though he had no fever, was eating fine and was generally happy, I took him to the Dr Monday morning. We like Timo's doctor, Dr. Nash, a lot. He's very relaxed and casual and approachable, plus his office is right next door. Literally, we can see his office window from Timo's bedroom window. 

I've always been really skeeved out by boogers and snot. The sound of someone hawking a loogie (sp?) is enough to make me gag. I worried how I would handle wiping my own kids' noses since I tend to gag at the thought of snot. Amazingly, I was all over Timo's nose. I whipped out the aspirator and did my best to suck out that snot. I picked his boogies with my own hands and wiped his nose with my own shirt sleeve when nothing else was around. Basically, I handled that ish. I handled it way better than I thought I could. 

I guess at some point your motherly instincts kick in and you power through. Probably the same way I'm able to get up multiple times a night for feedings and still function the next day. Or continue to breast feed despite super sore nipples. You just power through it all for that little light of your life. 

After our run this morning we went to Cuddle Club at the Walnut Creek library. I was invited by a new friend I met, Erin. She has been so awesome and has invited Timo and I to all kinds of stuff. I'm very grateful to her since Stroller Strides hasn't really turned into the social outlet I was hoping for. I've been plugged into two new groups thanks to her. 

Anyway, Timo slept through Cuddle Club so we didn't get to sing songs and read stories and socialize with the other babies and moms (and one dad- I still breast fed there without the modesty cape. I'm using it less and less- it's just annoying.) After Cuddle Club we picked up sandwiches from this deli called Brass Bear. This was your typical east coast style deli, and by that I mean small and narrow. We made quite a scene when 5 of us with babies and strollers paraded in during the lunch rush. Of course eventually all the babies had a melt down. Luckily we got our sandos to go and went and ate at the park down the street. We spread out blankets, let the babies roll around and ate. Of course, good ol Timo fell asleep in the Ergo (melt down in stroller led to being carried in the Ergo which led to nap time) so I ate while he slept on me. Eventually he woke up and was able to socialize a bit. 

All in all it was a lovely day!

Cooking?

Maybe it's just "Pinspiration" or the fact that Timo is slowly settling into a semi-predictable daytime routine of eat, play, nap- but I've been making dinner more often lately. Last week I cooked twice. First, a sausage pasta dish that was super good. And the  a slow cooker teriyaki chicken dish that was just okay. Tonight I'm making a chicken, potatoe and green bean dinner. All these recipes came from Pinterest, have just a handful of ingredients and are basically one pot meals. I avoid recipes with, what I consider, several ingredients and require multiple dishes. 

Here are some pictures of what I made. (Adding chopped green onion to anything automatically makes it look yummy and fancy. Probably even cereal.)

Hopefully the chicken dish turns out okay tonight! 

PS-

I'm currently holding Timo while he sleeps (a habit we both need to break!) and watching the TLC show called "Quints by Surprise." This show always makes me feel better about the craziness and exhaustion I "think" I endure. Can you imagine 5!?!? I'm thankful for my one sweet boy who is so good and pretty darn easy on the scale of difficult babies. 

Timo Tuesdays

To avoid inundating this blog with all things Timo, I'm creating "Timo Tuesdays" for gushing about my sweet baby boy. Seriously, this guy is adorable and awesome and  I could gab and post pics of him every day. But, I want to keep this blog as my little corner and personal outlet so I can somewhat maintain my "identity" or "personality" or "individuality" or "coolness" (or lack there of) or whatever. (I'm thinking about doing a post about the identity crisis of being a new mom or something along those lines.)

ANYWAY! Lets celebrate Timo Tuesday!

Guys. He's so sweet and smiley. He melts me. I surprise myself at how he can light me up with his smile even when I'm at my most tired. It's rejuvenating. He's just barely starting to giggle a little bit which I try to encourage with ridiculous antics. He will hang out on his play mat and kick vigorously for about 20 minutes while I shower or eat or play stupid Candy Crush (raise your hand ifs you hate quests!)  He also likes his bouncy chair where he can sit and observe the room, look out the window or  look at the tv (I say "look" as opposed to "watch" because he's too little to watch and watching tv "isn't good for babies" so he just looks.) I put on the Disney channel and sing the songs to him. I read books to him until he's ready for a nap. He's my sweet baby boy! 

Muffin Makin'

If you've read any of my previous posts, you know cooking isn't really my thing. However, I came across a muffin recipe on Pinterest that I've managed to make THREE TIMES since having Timo. This should tell you two things: 1) These muffins are super easy to make and 2) these muffins are super delicious. They're banana chocolate chip oatmeal muffins. Another plus is that they're pretty darn healthy too! Ingredients include applesauce, honey, whole wheat flour and oatmeal. 

I like to have these for breakfast or a snack in the afternoon. Mike likes them too! The recipe only makes 12 so I might double it next time. If you try it, let me know how you like them! 

You can find the recipe here:  http://thefithousewife.com/2011/10/banana-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-muffins.html/

The Run

At 8:30 this morning I did my first 20 minute continuous run! I had been doing run/walk intervals before. Running with a stroller is definitely a challenge, but its a good motivator because Timo tends to get fussy when I slow down or stop. Plus it's pretty cool to look at his little face while I run too :)

We took a group photo after our accomplishment this morning and amazingly Timo gave us a congratulatory fist pump! I love this picture. I just know he's saying "Go mommy! I'm proud of you!" 

As I mentioned, I'm "training" for a 5k on October 13. I had wanted to sign up for a 5k this fall even when I was still pregnant as a goal to work towards. I find it easier to run when I have an event to get ready for. We're doing the timed run instead of the non-timed fun run/walk. This way we don't get stuck with our strollers behind walkers. Maneuvering around people with a stroller one handed is a pain. I have two goals for this 5k: 1) to run the whole time, no walking and 2) not be last. ( I couldn't care less about my time even though I'm doing the timed run. That was just to avoid getting stuck behind the lollygaggers doing the fun run/walk :P )

Getting Back in Shape

Before Timo came, I did some research on various mom groups and clubs in the area I could join and I came across Stroller Strides. It's a fitness/ exercise group of moms who bring their babies and toddlers in strollers and get fit doing lunges and other exercises that incorporate the stroller. There are subsidiary meet ups with this group that run and also just get together for coffee and walks. I've met several moms but haven't really connected with any of them yet. Overall the moms are older than me and/or super duper serious about sleep schedules, homemade cleaning products, using earth friendly diapers and organic food. I mostly just listen to everyone talk all about their babies. It can be hard to get a word in sometimes. Especially with Ruth. 

 Ruth is an older British woman who runs the whole thing. She talks a mile a minute, tends to ramble, and is hard to listen to after a while. She has one son, an 8 and a half year old  that she brought and pushed around in a stroller until school recently started. She also shared that she breast fed him until he was 3 years old. The other moms aren't quite so..."Ruth" but I end up talking to Ruth most since she tends to focus her exercise and running coaching on me since I'm the newest member. Let's just say, I'd like for someone else to join so I can get some one on one time with the other moms. 

On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays we run (with strollers). On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays we do stroller fitness. We meet at 9:30 in the morning downtown Danville and do various exercises while singing nursery songs to our babies in the stroller. It's a little dorky and embarrassing when other people walk by. But the little ones seem to like it. Even my Timo, the youngest one (and the cutest :P) was smiling. 

However, sometimes I see other young moms walk by with their strollers and coffee, chatting to each other and staring at us singing and hoping around and I think "I'd rather be hanging out with those guys. This is lame." But oh we'll! It's better than nothing! 

The good news is, at 10 weeks, I'm back to my pre pregnancy weight! But, my pants still don't fit which is a bummer. Apparently this happens to everyone and after having a baby your body changes shape (aka widens). I'll add that to the list of things people don't tell you. I'll probably do a post on that topic eventually. 

I've signed up for a 5k in October that I'll run with the other moms. My first 20 minute continuous run is tomorrow morning. Wish me luck! 

Timothy William Logan

He's here!
Say hello to Timothy William Logan!!

How do I begin to capture the last 6 weeks? I've been delaying blogging because I truly don't know where to begin. For the sake of just getting something down, I'll be sharing bulleted phrases:

- Born on the 4th of July!
- Very fast labor and deliver!
- Am I just saying this because I'm his mom? Or is he truly the cutest newborn ever? No puffiness or pointy head, just perfectly handsome.
- Heroic visits from grandparents (Spoons took a day-of red-eye flight for a 24 hour visit. My parents drove 15 hours due to canceled flights from a crash at SFO)
- My husband is my hero (seriously.)
- Post delivery recovery: whoa. the epidural tricks your brain into thinking your body has done nothing. then the your body catches up... quickly. wowza! people should really tell you these things ahead of time. 
- Breastfeeding: ouch. like whoa. then it gets better...
- Goodbye sleep!
- Love visitors! Thanks for the time and food and help and everything!
- Poop!
- Nicknames: Butter-nut Squirts, Mr. Mustard Pesto, Timo, Professor Wiggles, Wiggly Piglet, Buddy Bear, Buster Muffin, Bunny, T-dubs, T-Spoons, Baby Spoons,
- Timothy is awesome. He's just so so awesome. It's amazing to see him growing and changing already. I love him so much!

I hope to blog again soon about how we spend our days and some of our outings and of course new mom musings.

PS- I made a total of ZERO freezer meals ahead of time as planned (see previous blog post). So extra huge thanks to my friends and mom who brought over and made meals for us!

Dolphin Assisted Water Birth (this is a thing now...)

Another miracle of maternity is the sudden influx of pregnancy, baby and parenting related emails I get. I recall subscribing to one weekly email from The Bump. But somehow I ended up with getting about 10 daily from various organizations including numerous baby clothing retailers. Maybe I signed up for some coupons at the check-out at the Carter's outlet? I've since unsubscribed from a bunch but still get a few winning articles sent my way.

A month ago, The Bump sent me an email with a link to an article titled "Say What? Parents to Be Planning a Dolphin Assisted Water Birth in Hawaii"  A Dolphin Assisted Water Birth. 

Now, let's play the "What Does Kelsey Imagine?" game! Upon reading this, I pictured a dolphin and lady in some kind of indoor/outdoor aquarium tank. The dolphin is strapped to some kind of harness and the other end of the harness is attached to the baby still inside the mother. Dolphin swims. Baby comes out. And there you have a dolphin assisted water birth.

I drew a picture:

Figure 1

As you may have surmised, what I imagined is not the real deal. It has something to do with the soothing and relaxing high pitch shrill of a dolphin that helps keep the mother calm and welcomes the baby into a peaceful tranquil environment.

However, this also seems pretty bogus since I'm pretty sure you can easily buy dolphin sounds on a CD. I'd like to let this couple know that they can save themselves a lot of money by not flying to Hawaii and renting out a personal fish tank AND dolphin for their birth. For a mere $12.49 they can pick up "Dolphin Music for the Inner Child" at their local Target in the World Music Kiosk located between the cards and scented candles (or online). Then they can put all that extra money towards their child's college education or maybe buying a pet dolphin of their own for the next child birth (in case the CD just isn't relaxing enough)

Grocery Shopping: An Un-Mastered Art

I'm a terrible grocery shopper. I'm seriously the worst. I come home with the most random assortment of things that I'm sure no one could make anything out of. Today at Trader Joes I bought a package of strawberries, baking soda, butter, 2 cans of black beans, sour cream, salad mix and 1 avocado.

I also constantly buy the same things every time and come home to realize I already have an unopened or half used package of it at home. I currently have 3 packs of tortillas, 2 are unopened. I also have 4 bags of frozen peas in my freezer; 3 of which are already opened. The crazy thing is, I NEVER use peas for anything. Once in a blue moon I'll make a toss salad and throw some peas in it. And on most occasions I usually end up opting out of including the peas since Mike doesn't like them very much (and neither do I honestly). Other things I routinely buy at the store that I usually already have at home: packages of shredded cheese, bread, eggs, frozen "chicken poppers"

I guess something just comes over me at the grocery store when it comes to these items and I think it'd be the end of the world to run out of shredded cheese. You may be thinking "Kelsey, don't you take inventory? Don't you make a list before going to the grocery store?" And the answer is yes I do, sort of. But then I'm in the store and see these things and forget if I need them or not. Or I see things and think "Oh that looks good, but I'll never actually use it" and pass it by. My list just isn't a very good one I guess.

Now that I'm on maternity leave and "between jobs" the plan is to start cooking and freezing meals for after baby and after my mom leaves so that we'll have prepared meals ready to eat without much effort. My friends with babies say that you get REALLY hungry breastfeeding and you're too exhausted to cook.

I've never done this before so I'm curious to see how this pans out. I've asked friends and family members and scoured the web (Pinterest) for recipes. So far, here is what's on the freezer menu: 10 spinach/chicken quesadillas to use up all those dang tortillas and bags of shredded cheese.  Next I'll make a couple of pasta/hamburger meals and then maybe some enchiladas or chilli? Today I'm making banana bread for a party at Mike's work tomorrow and I'm making an extra loaf to freeze for later/....eat right now (it smells amazing!)

I'm hoping to get better at managing my pantry and fridge supply so that I have ingredients on hand when I need to whip something up. I think part of the problem with my lack of cooking (besides the fact that I don't really enjoy it) is that I'm not a good grocery shopper...which may be why I don't like cooking. It's a vicious cycle.  What works for you? Do you have a certain method or iPhone app you use to keep inventory of your cupboards? Or, do you just use your brain and look in your fridge and function successfully?

37 Weeks/To Do List

Yesterday is a day I had marked on my calendar. Full Term! 37 weeks. This baby could be born any day now. I'm wrapping up my last week of work before maternity leave* and spending my days in the office finishing up projects.....and blogging and surfing the web for great freezer meal ideas and other last minute things I need to do before the big arrival.

The doctors have been saying the last few weeks that our buddy is head down and very low. Very very low. That, plus very frequent Braxton Hicks contractions, points to a "sooner rather than later" delivery. I planned on 2 weeks at home to relax/get everything ready (#nesting) before the due date but now wondering if I'll get those full two weeks.

Here are the things I hope to accomplish in the next two weeks/before baby arrives:

1. Send out Thank You's for baby shower #2
2. Make several "freezer meals" to have on hand
3. Organize computer desk drawer/cabinet area
4. Transfer family and friends' mailing addresses from notebook onto computer (Google Contacts? looking for suggestions!)
5. Make "Baby Mix" CD (stay tuned for blog post on this topic)
6. Blog (duh)
7. Clean

I'll also go for walks, read books and visit/sneak into pools of friends' residential communities. I'm a little concerned about getting bored so any other ideas are welcome! I don't want to end up on the couch watching "Say Yes to the Dress" re-runs all day....or do I?

I saw this poem today and it made me smile.
 

 
If I start writing sentimental emotional things like this myself I'll start crying and will be done for. Keep in mind I'm still at work so I need to keep it together. So, for now, I'll just say that I can't wait to meet you buddy! You're my treasure.

...and I'm toast... #hormones

Kelsey, Kim and Kate

In a celebrity-crazed, adolescent girl kind of way, I think it’s cool that I’m pregnant and due around the same time as Kim Kardashian and Kate Middleton. I mean, these are pretty iconic, gorgeous ladies. And, their names start with a K just like mine, so I’m pretty much connected to them, like soul sisters or something. 

 If we were all bff’s, here’s what I imagine our conversation would be like if we were lounging around eating bon bons one afternoon by Kim’s pool in her mansion in Calabasas.

Kim: Guys I’m SO stressed out right now. I don’t think our interior designer will be done with the 3rd renovation of the nursery in time. I wish they would have just done it right the first time!

Kate: I thought it was quite lovely the first time Kim. Cheetah print and hot pink is such a charming theme for a baby girl’s room.  What was wrong? (Kate passes around a crystal dish of lavender biscuits- I take 7 of them)

Kim: Well for one it was too small. Then the window didn’t line up with the pool outside (points up to the house at one of many windows) Who wants to look out a window at half a pool? Ew.

Kate: Yes I do see your point. I too am stressed. William and I can’t agree on a name and the Queen keeps interfering. She wants something dull and traditional like Winthorp or Prudence. But I would love to go with something more modern and trendy, something that ends in N or has something to do with nature.

Me: You could go with a name that incorporates both, like Raven.

Kim: Oh my god I freakin’ LOVE that name!

Kate: Good heavens, what a wonderful and delightful name! Excellent idea Kelsey!

Me: Feel free to use it. Just make sure the middle name is “Kelsey”

(we all lol)

Kim: So have you guys gone on a babymoon yet?

Me: This..... IS my babymoon.

Kim: Oh.

Kate: How positively hilarious!  You’re a riot Kelsey!

Me: Thanks?

Kate: Wills and I can’t decide between 3 weeks in Fiji or the south of France. So we’re doing both.

Me: Dang!

Kim: Kanye and I are spending next month on his yacht in the Caribbean.

Me: ...I’m going to get in the pool now. (I grab another lavender biscuit and waddle over to the pool before flopping and rolling onto a raft and floating away)

Note: During this scene Kanye, Wills and Mike are on a run to In’n’Out burger for us and encounter the standard long line. Kanye cuts in front of everyone and places an order.

Kelsey vs Food

I feel the need to follow up on my last post. I hope I didn’t come across too negative about my pregnancy, especially the part about all the questions. I know people only ask because they care and are happy and excited for me. The care and encouragement is appreciated!

However, another question I frequently get that I forgot to mention is “Do you have any cravings?” or “Are you craving any weird foods” For some reason I find this question to be particularly annoying. Maybe just because I feel like I get it the most and it’s usually from males who don’t know what else to ask. Or, maybe it’s that my answer is “No I still crave the same crappy unhealthy food I did before” which I feel guilty about.

 

If I had a facebook-esque relationship status with food it'd be "it's complicated." I’ve never been a particularly healthy eater. In fact some might find me to be a particularly unhealthy eater. Mike and I don’t like many of the same vegetables. So, as a consequence, I don’t buy them. Additionally, I really don’t enjoy cooking very much so we end up eating a lot of frozen pizzas or “picking up” fast food on our way home from work at least once a week (yes, GASP! this includes McDonalds)

Since living in California, I’ve started to succumb to the peer pressure of eating healthy. And by that I mostly just mean feeling guilty about eating unhealthfully.  I recently started putting frozen spinach on my frozen pizzas…. that’s good right? I also started buying Kashi frozen pizzas because they put flax seed in the crust… which I hear is good? I joined a CSA of sorts through the company I work for which was good for a while. But it was just SO MUCH salad mix and vegetables it always went bad before eating it all. Plus, I was getting vegetables that I didn’t even know what they were. I'd ask my vegan co-workers, "Hey what the heck is this?" "Oh, that's kale" So I look up recipes with kale which require 17 other ingrediants I dont already have in my cupboards. So, forget it. These uber healthy organic veggies rotted in my fridge. Needless to say, I quit the program.

I work for a health IT company where the CEO has always been adamant about having healthy food in the office. He’s recently really cracked down on this. On Friday’s we have catered lunches which is frequently just a giant salad bar that is brought in with all kinds of toppings. The last salad bar had the following items removed- bacon bits, croutons and ranch dressing. I’m sorry, but if you’re going to make me eat a pile of raw vegetables for lunch, you best let me pour ranch dressing all up on it.

But I get it. If the company is paying for our food, they should decide what it is. And I appreciate them making healthy choices for me, since I clearly cannot do it for myself. But now that I’m pregnant, I actually have guilt about my bad eating habits because I feel like I’m giving my son a pre-disposition to junk food. I have a friend who feeds her baby the most healthy stuff I’ve ever seen. It’s seriously amazing: pureed purple cabbage, avocado, sweet potato, beets, squash…. She’s literally only had breast milk and fruits and vegetables for her whole first year of life. No dairy, no grains, its impressive. I can’t imagine it’ll take long before I toss my kid a sack of cheerios in the back seat “Hey special buddy stop crying! Here, eat these cheerios! They’re yummy little carbs with a hole in the middle so you can still breathe if you swallow it whole, yay!”

I’ll worry about what to feed him later. But with regards to my own eating habits, I’ve found a common theme among the foods I tend to “crave” the most: they end in O.

Oreos

Cheetos

Burritos

Tacos

Nachos

Cheerios (cereal)

…..no buenos

I’ve been trying to make a somewhat concerted effort to eat “better” by balancing my bad foods with good foods. So, while I’ll still eat the Oreos, I’ll force myself to have some carrot sticks or red pepper slices first….sometimes. Or, I try to limit my soda intake to weekends only…sometimes. I also drink a LOT of water which, in my mind, “cleanses” out all the bad stuff. (Is that some self-fed BS or what?)

 

I feel like I’m the only one who eats unhealthy food anymore, especially out here in California. And it’s not so much that I like unhealthy food, but that I dislike healthy food. “What? You don’t like beets!? Beets are SO delicious!” NO! NO THEY ARE NOT! Beets fundamentally do not taste better than meat with melted cheese on it. I go out to lunch with my coworkers and everyone gets a strawberry, fig, beet and goat cheese salad and I’m the only one getting the cheeseburger. I’m a lone wolf.... in a pack of lettuce eating turtles*

 

At my last pregnancy check-up appointment, the doctor said to me, "You haven't gained one ounce that isn't baby." So, I went to In-n-Out burger for dinner. Maybe it will actually take some physcial consequences for me to change my ways. But until then, I'll just keep doing what I've been doing my whole life: eat what I want, sprinkle in some veggies now and then, take my vitamins and expect nothing to change. What could go wrong? My metabolism won't change, right?

 

The Pregnant Life

Today I am 33 weeks pregnant. I have a month to go until I'm considered "full term" and 7 weeks until my due date, July 7.

Here are some things I've learned, encountered and experienced so far.

The Questions: 
I thought I was asked the same questions over and over when I was engaged to be married... pregnancy tops that a thousand fold. I feel like a broken record saying the following things over and over:

-Yes I am pregnant
-July 7
-A boy
-Yes I'm excited
-Yes Mike is excited too
-Getting there, but they say you're never really ready
-First name is decided but still working on the middle name (I've come to realize this is a VERY nosy question to ask and will refrain from asking pregnant ladies this question from now on. It's very personal and really none of anyone's business)
-Feeling pretty good, although it is becoming increasingly difficult and uncomfortable to do normal things. (...this is my quick and polite answer)
- Thank you, yea I've been pretty lucky so far, it's all going to the belly (...this is really just a complement and I should be grateful. But I suppose you get sick of saying anything after a while)

Things that are harder to do: 
Now that I've gained about 25 pounds which is all projecting in mass from my abdomen, the following tasks have become quite difficult:

1. Getting up: from a chair, a couch, bed, the floor, out of a car. When I get up too fast or awkwardly, I end up straining some ab muscle/ligament/tendon thing that ends up really hurting- which brings me to my next difficult task...

2. Moving: My stamina for walking is just pathetic. I'm legitimately concerned that I am not in good enough physical condition to give birth. I get so winded and wiped out from walking the 4 blocks from the train station to the office (although it is uphill) that I wonder if I'll be able to open the door to the building when I get there. Then of course is the back ache, hip pain and knee soreness that accompanies the windedness that makes my morning commute just a real pleasure cruise.
*Not to mention, my pregnant lady "waddle" is emphasized by my already bowed legs (which i think are becoming more bowed from the new weight gain)

3. Bending over: Putting on shoes, socks, pants, undies, etc is a bit of an ordeal. I either have to sit on the edge of the bed and cross my foot up onto my other leg (like a chubby grandpa) or sit on the floor. I can't just stand, bend over and step into pants anymore because I tip over due to aforementioned 25lb bulk that is precisely between my arms and my legs causing my center of balance to cease to exist.

Random acts of crying:
I've always been a bit emotional but lately it's been harder to keep it contained. Most notably, the other day I was watching Beyonce live in concert on TV.  She was so cool, and strong and awesome and inspiring...it made me cry. Yes, Beyonce singing "Single Ladies" put me over the edge.
Just imagine what hail storm of emotion will be unleashed when this little guy actually comes out and I see him for the first time.... oh jeez here come the waterworks again. NEXT TOPIC QUICK!

The Bathroom. My new home:
Holy cow do I go a lot. I counted the other day, it was in the 30's including the trips throughout the night.

Also, in public restrooms, I have a hard time shutting the stall door because my belly gets in the way. So, I've started using the handicap stall...because yes this counts as a handicap now.

The other weekend I was laughing super hard while sitting indian style on the floor in the nursery watching Mike bewilderingly put up a curtain rod over what he considered a window too tiny to bother with a curtain. And while laughing so hard, maybe a little pee came out.  I also sneezed the other day and maybe a little pee came out then too.

Shout outs!
On that arduous walk from the train station to the office I've been the recipient of some wonderful comments from the local Tenderloin homeless.
"It's almost time!"
"It's too hot to be walkin' around lady!"
"You gon' have yo baby today!?"
"You have a safe delivery now ma'm"
"Congratulations!"


In all honesty though, I really can't complain. I've had a pretty smooth pregnancy and I know many others have it much more difficult- God love ya!

Lacy's Tattoos

I received an "anonymous" comment on an older post Kelsey Logan: Hand Model

The comment was from my favorite Father-in-Law, Mr. Tim (aka Spoons).

Who am I to deny my loyal fans?

So, on my last visit to Pinkies Nail Salon I asked Lacy for a few pics and she sent me the following:

Aren't they cool?

She's a very colorful character and I enjoy chatting with her during our appointments. Here is a picture of her in her new lavender wig. She LOVES it and won't tell anyone where she got it because she's afraid someone else will get it and copy her. She's an original for sure. 

You can follow her on Instagram @lacylove_

Coming up next time.....

The Pregnant Life

Meeting Seeing Dulce Candy

I did not realize how many people were going to show up for this thing. And by people, I specifically mean 12-25 year old Latinas and their moms. By the time my friend Kim and I wrapped up our luxurious brunch at Cafe Claude in downtown San Francisco and sauntered over to the cosmetics department at Macy's, the line to see Dulce Candy (not her internet name, but her for real name) was out the door and around the block. The event started at 2:00, and although we were on time, we were late.

Inside was mayhem. There was a DJ spinning hot loud beats, like in a club or an Abercrombie and Fitch store. As Kim and I found our way through the chaotic cosmetics department to the "check-in" line Dulce Candy and her entourage walked RIGHT BY US! I made eye contact and smiled open-mouth grinned like a child on Christmas morning. Dulce, understandably, quickly averted eye contact and continued on her way to the stage.

While waiting in the check-in line we were given our tiaras and served mini cupcakes with Benfit and Dulce Candy logos.

Logo is from her blog: dulcecandy.com
The cupcake was just okay.

 

I was excited.
Note: dangly earrings for special occasion
Also, this is how I smiled at Dulce.

After checking in, we were told to go pick out Benefit products to buy with the $35 Macy's card we purchased as tickets when signing up for the event. Kim had her make-up done while I picked out mascara and an  under-eye concealer called "Erase Paste" - I am quite pleased with both products. 

Kim getting her make-up done.

I have to hand it to Kim. She had never heard of Dulce Candy but was still up for coming to this weird event. She was a total sport about the whole thing. Thanks for coming and humoring me Kim!

While she got her make-up done, I wandered around and took pictures:

Dulce Candy (sparkly dress- in case you weren't sure) with her fans.

Ridiculously long line #notforpregnantladies

 Me "with" Dulce Candy

 

Cute swag we scored #dulcecandytotebag

All in all it was pretty cool. I definitely felt silly being there in a paper tiara, especially as a grown ass pregnant lady. But hey, YOLO!

Coming up next: A response to the request to see my nail tech's tats! #spoons :)

Meeting DulceCandy

Dulce Candy (her online name) is an internet beauty/fashion guru. It's hard to explain my... fine I'll admit it... infatuation with Dulce Candy.  I suppose it all started back in 2008 when Mike and I first got engaged and started planning our wedding. I wanted to do my own makeup and was scouring YouTube for makeup tutorials. Eventually I came across DulceCandy87's YouTube channel.

At the time when I started watching her, she was a mechanic in the US Army and had just returned from serving in Iraq. She bragged that her pack box was heavier than anyone else's because it was full of beauty magazines. Her early videos were low quality, web-cam style home videos in a dark messy bedroom (of which she proudly gave a video tour)


(circa 2009)


Today Dulce Candy, is a bonefied YouTube Guru, specializing in all things beauty related: hair, make-up, fashion, nail-care, etc. Now, her videos are pretty much professional productions. She is flown to major cities (NYC, Paris) for product launches, magazine shoots, etc. and companies mail her products to review on her YouTube channel. She has her own online clothing store, has ads all over her blog and youtube channel and does appearances.

 

Homegirl has made it. Big time.

For those of you that know me, you know I'm not particularly "high maintenance" when it comes to hair and make-up etc. I just don't care to spend the time on all that unless I'm going to some fancy shindig like the annual company holiday party or someone's wedding....that's about it. Because of this, buying make-up and hair products feel like a waste of money to me.

So why do I follow Dulce Candy on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, her blog and her online store?

And why am I SUPER FREAKING EXCITED to meet her when she comes to San Francisco this weekend for a "millionth subscriber" meet and greet celebration event at the Benefit Brow Bar in Macy's in Union Square?



Why I thought you'd never ask, I'll tell you why.

It partly has to do with the sound of her voice, then her unintentional hilariousness, and finally all the pretty things she has.

I find her voice very relaxing.
Throughout my life, there have been a few memorable people who, to me, have extremely soothing voices: 1) my 8th grade English teacher  2) a massage therapist that came to the office I worked at a few years ago and 3) Dulce Candy

Dulce Candy has a very "valley girl" voice with an, albeit waning, Mexican accent. So, when she says certain things, like the number 3 for example, it sounds like "th'dee." Also, she seriously annunciates her S's which is super silky sounding too.  Her voice is softer and quieter in her earlier videos. I think someone gave her some coaching because now she's much louder and bubblier which isn't quite as enchanting, but I still enjoy her videos for other reasons. To this day, if I'm having a stressful day at work, I'll put on headphones, and stream her old videos as background noise.

This is very weird. I know.

She makes me LOL, but not on purpose.
I can't understand how SNL has not done a spoof of the whole YouTube beauty guru scene. It's seriously hilarious. TONS of girls make weekly videos of all the crap they bought, then demo the outfits or makeup products.

Dulce Candy will do hilarious things like suddenly become out of breath from getting so excited and talking too fast about something new she bought or how much she loves her new foundation. She'll mis-pronounce words or forget how to say "cilantro" in English... (it's still cilantro.) She'll stop talking mid-sentence and stare directly into the camera and say "oh my god, what was that? I think someone's in my house!"

She recently did a "Whats in My Purse" video which was exceptionally hilarious. This is a common beauty guru video topic where they go through every item they keep in their purse. Dulce will do one of these about once a year. And of course, her purse is huge so this video was 13 minutes long. One of my favorite parts  (at the 10:00 minute mark) is where she pulls out her key-chain which is HUGE and contains about 5 different mini antibiotic hand-sanitizers and lip glosses. She goes on to talk about every tchotchke on her key-chain. It's so great. Seriously.

All the Pretty Things!
At the end of the day, I'm a red blooded female who likes pretty things as much as the next chick. And while I might not apply all this to my own lifestyle, I just enjoy watching and looking and admiring.
Her haul videos (aka "look at all the stuff I bought" videos) are just wonderfully glamorous spectacles- a pink and clueless fantasy world I can just drift into for 5-20 minutes.

So, there you have it.

I'll be sure to post about my experience at the meet and greet. It should be great considering I get extremely awkward around "famous" people.

xoxo, smooches, lylas
#loveyameanit

Kelsey

Kelsey Logan: Hand Model

Well, it finally happened. I had my big break. I'd like to thank you all for your love and support all these years while I worked tirelessly to harness my craft.

I've found my calling, hand modeling.

I recently started making bi-weekly appointments with Pinkies Nail Salon in San Ramon for shellac polish changes. I don't routinely wear makeup or do my hair. But having decent nails is a small win for me. I feel "put together" by only really doing something every 2 weeks. Lacey, my favy nail tech, is awesome. Not only does her work last longer than anyone else's, but she has beautiful tattoes on her arms that are in gorgeous coordinating  hues of pink and mint green. These tats are seriously really pretty. She has one of a Chanel No. 5 perfume bottle. Anyway, a few weeks ago, I was in a springy mood and went with a mint green hue. I hadn't jumped into the mint craze yet (no colored skinny jeans for me) and wanted to go with a "boyish" color as a tribute to the fact that we had just learned we're having a boy!

Lacey was quite pleased with the results! Apprently green looks good on my pale wrinkly hands and damaged short nails (No pre-natal vitamins can stop these guys from splintering and peeling.) She took a picture and posted it on the Pinkies Nail Salon Yelp page!! Yup, that's me!



As you can see, I have a knack for this. A real natural talent.

Gender Reveal Party

About 6 months ago, October-ish, I checked my email and among the many emails I routinely delete I found an Evite for a "Gender Reveal Party." Go ahead and marinate on that phrase for a moment...."Gender Reveal Party"........

Here is what immediately came to my filthy, gutter residing, confused mind...

A group of mostly un-fit people wearing only khaki trench coats and brown paper-bags over their heads (with holes cut out for eyes of course.) They're standing in a circle in a dimly lit, cellar type room. Then, suddenly someone says "1, 2, 3 now!" and they all whip open their trench coats to reveal their gender. Then commences some kind of weird, kinky, festival of.....

I'll stop there.



Obviously, that was not the party I was invited to. It turns out, a "Gender Reveal Party" is where a pregnant couple invites their closest friends and family to an event where they "reveal" the "gender" of the child they've conceived. It's a surprise party! I accepted the Evite.

A few weeks later, I was at the party. It had a pumpkin theme complete with pumpkin cupcakes with blue and pink frosting. You could eat "Sloppy Joe's or Jill's" and make a prediction as to whether the baby is a boy or girl on a poster hanging on the wall. There was also a large banner made of paper pumpkins strung together that said "He or She? What Will Our Lil Pumpkin Be?"

Eventually, the hosts tallied the predictions of the group which favored a girl. Next, the couple went through a series of old wives tales that are said to predict the gender of the baby. They dangled their wedding ring over her belly to see which way it swung and rattled off various cravings and aversions. The wives tales predicted a boy.

Then we watched while they worked to get both their parents and other family members into a group call on Skype so they could perform the big reveal. This took several minutes. I attempted to help with my "technical support" experience but just ended up embarrassing myself.

Eventually, everyone was online and the big reveal was underway. Earlier that day, they had the appointment where the gender is detected. They asked the doctor to put the result into an envelope which they gave to a friend.  Along with the envelope, they gave their friend a cupcake with a hole carved out and a tube of pink frosting and a tube of blue frosting. The friend then opened the envelope and and filled the cupcake with the corresponding color of frosting. Can you imagine the responsibility!? In a dramatic and hushed moment, the couple bit into the cupcake together to reveal... PINK FROSTING! The crowd roared and it was glorious and magical. The parents on Skype were confused and then required separate phone calls in the other room while the guests went back for seconds of Sloppy JILL'S.

A Gender Reveal Party. Sometimes I think Pinterest may be over-inspiring us to host parties for occasions that are meant to be held in private. Of course, this is just an opinion. Maybe I'm just short on people in my life that I think would care to come to a party all about the gender of my baby. (Then also expect them to attend a baby shower a few months later.) I'm also pretty cynical and sarcastic and enjoy poking fun at things, which I recognize are not the greatest human qualities. Honestly, it was truly a quaint and charming party. I admire the creativity that went into it and am genuinely happy for the couple.

However, for my next pregnancy, I do plan to outdo them by hosting a "Pregnancy Reveal" party where we'll invite all our friends and I'll pee on a stick while face-timing with our parents. Meanwhile, guests can munch on Baby-Back Ribs or.....  Scrambled Eggs?

I better start checking Pinterest for ideas.