Thursday, April 29, 2010

Stupid Foolish Woman Update...

So, if you have been following along for quite some time then you will be familiar with my journey in trying to shed the rest of the Ben & Jerry's layer that I packed on during the last 2 months of my pregnancy. 

My efforts were jump started with the impending nuptials of one of my dearest friends, as I am serving as one of her bridesmaids next weekend in South Carolina as she marries the man of her dreams. To reference the initial reason and panic in trying to get fit quickly, please read this. 

I have been loosely followng a diet and exercise plan for the last few weeks in anticipation of this event. I had wanted to be more serious about it but well, life just sort of gets in the way sometimes and so does apparently, my love of dessert unfortunately.

So finally, doomsday came, in the form of a navy blue dress yesterday.  

That's right, time to face the music to see if this hesitantly ordered 2 sizes smaller than what I measured out at 6 months ago, dress would zip. 

As I drove to the bridal salon I couldn't help but feel like it was a final journey down the Green Mile. No turning back, your inevitable fate waiting for you at the end, no way of changing course now, what's done is done. My palms became sweaty, my heart picked up a pace or two as each mile ticked by counting off like a stick of dynamite until I reached my destination. I'm not going to lie, I thought of turning back more than once. At the traffic light 1/4 mile from my destination, I patiently waited at a painfully long red light right smack in front of a Baskin Robbins and even thought of stopping in for a quick cone. Then I quickly thought better of it, reminding myself that that is precisely how I got myself into this mess in the first place. 

Once inside the bridal mecca, I nervously asked for my dress to be pulled and anxiously nibbled at my fingernails while little man and I waited for them to bring me my assumed blue sausage skin.

Crap, I thought. Why would I do this to myself? Why didn't I just order the size that fit and they could have just taken the damn thing in?! I swore to myself that this would be the last time that I ever did this  for the rest of my life (lie) and felt shame for how I was going to explain not being able to zip my dress in front of the sales woman, let alone how I would explain this to my friend on the day of her wedding. 

ugh. ugh, ugh. shame. shame. shame.

Then a seamstress emerged with my frock and showed LM and I to a "fun" dressing room with lots of mirrors designed to give you the ability to see yourself from every angle (aka, expose every flaw, flab, crevice and pasty dimple you've been hiding beneath swaths of cotton, denim and wool all winter long.) To little man, this was his idea of Disneyland, to me, my worst nightmare come to life. 

As the seamstress waited for me to disrobe, I started to do that nervous overtalking thing where I could set the stage for what was about to come, my ultimate humiliation, about how I just had a baby and it's been so much harder to lose the weight than in my prebaby days, etc, etc, etc, (e.g excuse, excuse, excuse.) She kept nodding and agreeing and generally seemed sympathetic, but then, like pulling a band aid off of raw skin, she swung the dress over my head and started the ascent of the zipper. Wait! I thought, no countdown? I'm not ready! I didn't even realize that I was holding my breath until I heard her say "uh, oh." 

"uh, oh?! What do you mean, uh oh?!" I said. 

Just as I swung around to face the mirror and braced myself for the ultimate humiliation, I saw something I did not expect. There I stood, in my dress, fully zipped and gasp! It was too big! I blinked to be sure I wasn't dreaming and looked again. There it was, in plain sight- TOO BIG!! WOOT! WOOT! Fireworks went off in my own head and I immediately felt like I had won the lottery... or the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition (which is basically the same thing in mom fantasyland.)

 Then it dawned on me. Uh oh was right. I hadn't planned on the dress actually fitting and so in turn, I hadn't prepared for any time to be taken into account should there be any alterations needed in time for our departure on Thursday. CRAP. "What do I do? I stammered, I'm so sorry that I came at the last minute but we're leaving Thursday morning and I can't go with my dress like this." She immediately put my mind at ease and reminded me why we live in one of the greatest countries in the world. Anything can be done, at any time.....for a fee, or course. A rush fee of $25 on top of the cost of alterations to be exact. God Bless America. Honestly though, I would have paid more just for the convenience and because I was still riding the skinny wave high. 

So, it's official, I did it. Granted I still have a way to go to my goal and summer isn't even here yet, but I'm proud of myself for getting things off to a good start. While I certainly won't be practicing my poses for my centerfold pictorial anytime soon, I did leave that salon walking a little taller, with a little more sass in my step and I have to say, it felt great. 

Here's what I'll be wearing next weekend in a slightly different shade of blue, minus the hat.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

If having a crush on my son is wrong, then I don't want to be right.


So it took exactly 8 months and 27 days but I got it!
Over breakfast this morning, through a banana coated smile, Little Man looked at me and said "Mama."
(SWOON!)
I'm pretty sure I only now just stopped crying and it's nearly 5pm. 

Just to ensure me that it was no fluke, he has said it a few extra times for me today- only not when I'm holding the video camera. hmphfff. 
It's just as well anyway. 
It will be our special thing, until someone else is lucky enough to hear it.
I heard it and that's all that matters. 
xo
xo
xo
xo
xo

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

To be young again



How great to be young again when life is so simple.

No worries or stress created by work, family, personal issues, etc...

No- "I overslept and then my kid threw his breakfast all over the kitchen, then he peed on himself twice which resulted in multiple changes this morning, and then my babysitter was late so I couldn't get out the door on time and that's why I missed the meeting this morning."

Just simple joy and delight in the everyday, knowing that everything is A-OK.
Not a care in the world.
Everything is so new and exciting, everyday.

Take for example a carousel ride for the first time. 
How exhilirating.

Reveling in the wind blowing in your hair. 
The cheerful music that lets you know something fun is about to happen. 
The exciting surprise the first time your animal lifts off the platform and sends you up into the air as you swing around the bend and catch a friendly wave from Mom or Dad.

3 minutes of pure bliss.
When 3 minutes used to feel like an eternity.






I want to be young again. 
Doesn't it look great?!

Monday, April 12, 2010

Wonderful Weekends


Don't you just love a truly wonderful weekend? 
This past weekend was just that.
Gorgeous weather. Great Friends. Good Times.
What could be better in life?

Friday we took an impromptu drive up to Connecticut to visit some of our dearest friends to celebrate our buddy Kevin's bday. It proved to be a trip worth taking, though I can't remember the last time that it wasn't. 

Saturday morning LM and a group of adorable little loves were in a photo shoot for a non-profit that I run, which we are going to post on our new website launch later this Spring.

Saturday afternoon took us to yet another friend's bday bash, complete with a band in the backyard (how fun!) where we whiled away the rest of the day enjoying the sun and lots of laughs.

And Sunday I spent another beautiful day apartment hunting with my brother- in- law and his fab fiance. It was so fun to watch them scoping out different places to start their life together and it made me nostalgic for when the hubbs and I bought our first place together and the excitement that we felt. 

Even though from the outside our weekend sounded really busy, I woke up this morning feeling refreshed from all of the down time with friends which I sorely needed. Sometimes just getting to spend easy time with people you love is just what you need to break from the everyday.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Holiday Haze

We're back from the holiday and post holiday haze. 
Our Easter was lots of fun, we hope your holiday was as well. 
The LM had a great first Easter filled with baskets of treats, a new tunnel courtesy of his godmother and a bubble filled car ride down the street in the afternoon. 
Simple pleasures- what's better, right?
Here are some shots of us enjoying the day and the 75 degree sunny weather- Magic!


Friday, April 2, 2010

Surprise Easter Eggs


I just Love these DIY surprise Easter Eggs! 

I saw them via the lovely blog Say YES! To Hoboken this morning and now have a hankering to try my hand at these adorable little treats.


How fun to crack a real egg and find chocolate and treats inside?!  adorable!


For the full post and instructions from their talented creator, 
Megan from the blog notmartha, click here.


Happy Easter everyone!!

The Friday Highlight

BEABA Babycook

Today's highlight is on the most used appliance in my kitchen at the moment, The BEABA Babycook.


I received this cute little device as a gift at my baby shower from my sister in law, who is well versed in my love of cooking and thought I might like to try my hand at making my own baby food once the Little Man arrived.

I have been using the babycook since LM started on solids and I have to admit, I LOVE it.

Could you make your own freshly made organic purees for baby with items you already own in your own kitchen? absolutely. I have to admit though, the BEABA makes it so darn easy that it doesn't make sense to dirty a bunch of pots, food processors, etc... when you don't have to.

You simply put the diced food in of your choice, steam for 15 minutes, then puree, all in the same bowl and voila! Homemade, not to mention seriously delicious baby food that you can serve to your hungry little bean. You also get to experiment and make whatever combinations your little love likes, to come up with dishes perfectly suited to their tastes.

*** One caveat that I must mention however is that my son seems to have become spoiled by developing a palette for fresh veggies and fruits, that he now refuses to eat jarred baby food of any kind. I have tried several kinds and he clamps his mouth shut and turns his head away as if to say "You're trying to pass that chopped beef off as the filet mignon I'm used to? pssshhhhh, yeah right."

The BEABA is a bit pricey as an initial investment at $149.95, but the only money I'm shelling out beyond that is fresh or freshly frozen organic produce to make purees out of, which when compared with the cost of jarred food, is a savings for sure.

I personally feel like it's worth it because I'm giving my son a great start in life by introducing healthy eating habits to him and a vast array of fresh natural foods, that will hopefully turn him into an adventurous eater. In an age where childhood obesity is on the rise in our country, it feels good to know that you're trying to form these healthy habits from the start.

FYI....the BEABA can also be used to make great recipes for toddlers as their eating habits increase, insuring that you get your money's worth once they move beyond baby purees.

Happy Cooking!
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