great evening

dinners galore!  i’ve been lucky enough to be able to spend a lot of quality time with my girls!

i met up with kt, & karen at the reel club for some good grub.  it’s a nice place.  a good go to restaurant.  i love the little cheese popovers…they are addicting {watch out, you could ruin your appetite with these little suckers}!  it was a shame almost all that yummy stuff on the menu was off limits for me {boo!}.

it was so good to be able to get together.  we recently saw each other at kt’s birthday but that was a party and we couldn’t really sit down and chit chat like we usually do!

kar met up wtih me at the mall and we walked our way to the restaurant.  kt met up with us there!  once we were together, the conversation just flowed.  i love catching up with them and hearing all our stories.  life’s ups and downs…it’s what we thrive on, right?!  what’s new, what’s old, what’s annoying, gossip, new loves, old loves, current status, & all the juicy stuff.

my stomach capacity has been limited…surprisingly to me.  i think it’s too early in the game to have little room in the tummy but it’s a happening!  so, i ordered soup and salad.  it was tasty!  i was a bit skeptical of the soup {it was the soup of the day and i can’t remember what it was!}, it had an odd main ingredient that i wasn’t sure about but it ended up super yum!  in the end, of course we had to order dessert!  we shared and sampled all the delicious decadence.

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[kt, kar, + moi]

after several hours of chilling, we were dunzo.  with our bellies full and our heads a spinning with all the talk, we parted ways.  it was a great evening with my girls!

xoxo

somewhere over the rainbow

yay!!  another rainbow!  i just wanted to share with everyone the pretty rainbow i saw the other week!  i, unfortunately, could not capture the whole beauty of it.  it was actually a full, complete, end to earth’s end rainbow!  by then i was moving and i couldn’t photograph the pretty prism.  i was so happy!  it was so cool to see.  i rarely see rainbows but i haven’t seen a full scale rainbow in ages.  isn’t it fantastic how rainbows can just make you smile from ear to ear?  lovely.

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xoxo

kt’s partay

kt’s big 3-0 was here!!!  we celebrated her birthday and her two year anniversary since her surgery!

the party was down the street from where i was at.  i had dinner with my sisters and lan first, then skedaddled to the party afterwards.

we dined at nellcote.  a beautiful restaurant with delicious entrees.  small plates to share, who doesn’t love eating that way?  it’s so fun to try different flavors.  we ordered spaghetti {tomato, calabrian chilies, toasted breadcrumbs, & mojama}, robuchon potatoes {local yukon gold potatoes, sauce périgueux}, sunny side up organic egg pizza, venison tartare {smoked egg yolk, preserved lemon, quinoa, mustard}!  so amazingly good!  we ended our meal with the most decadent desserts!  pot de creme, lemon semifreddo, and the chocolate parfait!  soooo stuffed!

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[nellcote]

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[salut]

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[delicious dishes]

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[a trio of heaven]

after dinner, i waddled my way to my sister’s car and she dropped me off down the street to kt’s party.  i headed upstairs to the rooftop and found a bunch of screaming ladies!  we were all so excited to see each other!  i was happy to see kt, karen, colleen, bridget, mary, and annie!  it was nice to chat with annie…who is pregnant and four weeks ahead of me!  after visiting with everyone, it was time for this pregger lady to go!  i was so tired!

via tandeminlove.com[my dirty 30 gift to kt…granny panties!]

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[birthday girl]

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[my girls!]

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[7 and 6 month bumps!]

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[you can’t beat this beautiful skyline…love]

it was a long day…a very fun and satisfying day with friends and family!

xoxo

bump status

timeline of the bump.

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[photo by hc]

how far along?   26 weeks!  baby has finger prints and foot prints!

weight gain:  16+ lbs. 7 month check up coming soon!

maternity clothes?  just the work pants for now but i am eyeing some dresses for a few upcoming occasions!  but let me tell you!  those work pants are heaven!  they are so comfortable, i love them!

sleep:  same situation.  there have been a few rough nights but i’ve allowed it because hubby charming was home and i didn’t want to miss my time with him!  so i stayed up a bit too late on too many nights!  the problem with that was…i would wake up at my normal time in the morning…oy, so exhausted!  so, very little sleep it was.

physical state:  pretty good.  i feel great!  can’t complain.  no major ailments which is a good thing.  although the belly button drives me a bit crazy.  it’s still in a state of confusion.

miss anything?  really missing sushi & shrimp.  and a hotdog.

baby movement:  she’s a kicker!  there are days she is so active and days she is barely there with her movements.  she loves to stay in one position and totally favors laying towards my right side with her feet on my left side.  she is randomly active throughout the day…no pattern but she doesn’t bother me at night!  good girl!

food cravings:  salads.  berries.  crispy chicken.  not in any particular order!

bump status:  getting big!  on certain days the belly seems high, some days it sticks out a lot, some days it feels like a big basketball in my tummy {literally}!

gender reveal:  baby girl!  i’m getting excited!  a sweet little girl.  buuttttt, i’m so not into an excessive amount of pink.  i mean, i like pink but i’m not a fan of baby girls bursting with crazy pink, hot pink, bright pink all over their little bodies {i have to say there are some stinkin’ cute outfits out there in the softest pinks}!  je prefere color me neutral.

b’s beurffday!

we celebrated b’s 4th birthday!

it was hosted by my ever loving sister, kim, and bro in law, terry!  it was at brunswick bowling and it was a blast.  we geared up our tootsies with some snazzy bowling shoes…hello!  of course i brought socks!

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[ready to get started]

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[bowling shoes…check!}

so, the bowling began, and off to a rocky start.  wow…you could tell it’s been awhile since most of us bowled {hee}!!!  i tried my best to balance my pregger belly with that somewhat heavy bowling ball but my awesome swing/throw was off kilter!  gutter balls, fouls, and no pins down later {um, that is a sum up of the group., minus pete & dan…show offs!}, we then started munching on some yummy snacks ordered {classic bowling grub…pizza, cheese sticks, nachos, onion rings…}!

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[candy balls]

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[kim’s amaze gutter ball throws]

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[dan’s professional bowling league]

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[ladies who lunch]

near the end of our bowling run, we finally gave in to b’s relentless requests for cake and presents!  we proceeded to sing happy birthday {yes…his decor represented his like for the boston bruins…don’t ask} and he happily proceeded with his gifts!  he was so cute!  he insisted on opening the cards first and then politely opened each gift.  cars, hockey stick, clothes, skate board, and more toys later, b was a happy birthday boy!

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[present time!]

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[happy birthday!]

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[yummy!]

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[look at that smile!]

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[cute little favor bags by kim]

we finished up our bowling games and went on our merry ways!  all in all, it was a wonderful time celebrating b’s birthday!  he was a happy little guy!

xoxo

lunch date

i was way excited to meet up with jod!  it’s still makes me sad that we don’t work together anymore.  tres triste.

we had such a great time, all these years, working together.  and she had to go off and get her own store.  humph!

so, we try our best to squeeze in time to meet up and catch up and laugh it up.  our lunch date was at the little goat {holy busy place}.  i snagged a parking spot and cruised inside to a 30 minute wait {oy}.  jod was on her way, so i settled myself into a little corner nook outside the restaurant waiting for her {gotta take advantage of the beautiful weather!}.

she finally arrived and we were deep in our conversation when my phone alerted me that our table was ready.  yes!  i was hungry!  we were seated and perused the menu.  i had such a hard time deciding {so confused}!  kimchi pancakes, biscuits and gravy, or grilled cheese??  yeah, no correlation what so ever but hey, a girl is preggers!

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[my current obsession]

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[kimchi pancakes]

a virgin bloody mary and kimchi pancakes on order, we dove back into our non-stop chatter.  we talked about babies, work, life, and love, just a few of our favorite things!

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[just bump it // my then 24 week state]

afterwards, we talked and walked to my car {how romantic!} but not until after we snapped a photo of me.  jod insisted on a pic to show peeps my pregger state {such as her wonderful mom ann & former co-wokers i don’t get to see anymore}!  we lingered a bit longer, sometimes we can just go on and on!  finally we said our goodbyes and parted ways.  it was so great to see her!  until next time!

xoxo

bump status

timeline of the bump.

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[photo by hc]

how far along?  24 weeks {well, a little over}!  she can now sense if she is upside down or right side up {don’t get motion sickness little one}!

weight gain:  16 lbs. a two pound weight gain!  i was surprised!  i feel like i’ve gained at least five!

maternity clothes?  yup!!  i broke down!  my work pants were screaming for help!  the button said “please stop abusing me!”.  hehehe.  so, i finally hauled my ever growing behind to a maternity store to buy me some pants.  after trying on a dozen pants {they run so big!}, i found the perfect pair!  i was super excited to have finally have found some pants {that almost fit} for me.  so there you have it, i bought my first article of maternity clothing!

sleep:  it’s alright.  there are some nights that are uncomfortable and it’s not because of the belly.  well, yes and no.  i’m sure my belly is related to my discomfort but it’s not the belly itself.  i get a weird nausea sometimes in the middle of the night, a feeling like someone has punched me in my tummy.  yeah.  odd but true, cause it’s causing me to wake up and not sleep!  boo!

physical state:  i had a rough week {digestion issues, arm pain, and borderline blackouts} but overall, it’s been great!  although i’m creeping up on my third trimester, my second tri has been a breeze!

miss anything?  beer, bloody mary’s, mussels, sushi.  nom, nom, nom.

baby movement:  my belly shakes now.  if it trembles now, i can’t imagine what it will be like two months from now {yikes}!  i see her push her feet into my side and my belly goes up and down, up and down.  she rolls all over the place in there and kicks!  she’s most active after i eat!

food cravings:  grilled cheese and tomato soup {tasty}.  cheddar cheese sticks.  coconut cake {yum}.

bump status:  bigger and bigger!  i see that belly button stretching out!  is it an innie or is it an outie??  it can’t make up it’s mind!  i actually feel the weight shift in my stance.  and a little wee bit of a waddle due to the growing belly.  everything is growing…ugh!

gender reveal:  baby girl!  how sweet it is.  we are so excited for her!

saturday outing

it’s very, very rare i get a saturday off.  i typically have to request it off and it’s usually because i have something planned.  well, lo and behold i had a saturday off without asking for it!!!  no complaints from me!

the day started off with lunch with the sista, thuy.  i cabbed it to gt  fish & oyster to meet her for a breezy, sunny morning fare.  we sat outside on this beautiful day, it was so lovely out.  sunny, warm, and the perfect temperature!

she ordered a mimosa and i ordered a tasty lemonade.  we perused the menu and quickly settled upon our choices.  we were going to share some delicious country potatoes; thuy ordered the pancakes {apples and burton’s maplewood syrup} and i ordered the grilled cheese with tomato soup {sourdough bread and wisconsin cheddar cheese}!

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[soooo good!]

after devouring our good eats, we traipsed our way downtown to go shopping.  we spent the afternoon just lazily walking around and enjoying our time in each shop.  we could literally shop for hours upon hours {no joke, we once spent 12 hours shopping one day…it was the holidays folks!}.

we walked up and down michigan ave., after spending 4 hours shopping dt, we were dunzo {temporarily}, well, done with our most favorite stores!  we then headed on way home!

it was a fabulous saturday outing!  what a great way to spend the afternoon.

say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.  genesis 12:13

xoxo

cravings

cookie craving.

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[sprinkle delight]

i was shopping at the grocery store when i stumbled upon these cookies.  i haven’t eaten them in a long time and just had to have them!  i bought the box {amongst other healthy items, ahem}, drove home, and devoured quite a few.  yup.  so worth it.  so yummy.  the cookie literally crumbled.

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[yum]

i was satisfied.  and dunzo.  it was so good in the moment but then i felt not so good…oops!  my tummy hurt!  hee.

sometimes ya just gotta succumb to the cravings!  even when it’s a little bit exorbitant!

xoxo