PSA

For you all out there who are pregnant - Isabella Oliver is doing a sale on dresses with the code "Dresses" at http://www.isabellaoliver.com/womens-clothes so check them out. That's the black wrap dress I wore from month 6 through 9 and posted about earlier.

Plus, I got an email from their online marketing people about a new and gorgeous line of lingerie they are doing for pregnancy. It's too late for me...but I posted some of the pictures above. They do pretty nursing bras as well - which seems worth looking into. There's nothing that cheers me up more than pretty undies!

Baby K and I were incredibly lazy. It's cool and foggy - hello June gloom - so we had a lovely lunchtime visit from my friend J who left the most delicious chicken and rice casserole. We ate Chinese takeout and sparkling wine, and then she surprised me with the most delicious chocolate and cheesecake tarts from Amandine. How perfect.

In other random reality T.V. news - I'm addicted to "Say Yes to the Dress" on TLC - are there any other good ones? I need them for the late night viewing in the nursery!

Le Diner

So, we're having some friends over for dinner on Friday night, and that means dinner. Since these people have already visited us and provided us with a delicious dinner, I wanted to at least make something simple and tasty, rather than having them bring us food again.

Here's the plan (and it's a plan in the loosest sense of the word)

Marinated flank steak - grilled outside.
Salad (my favorite one with the goat cheese, pecans and cranberries).
Some sort of side - I'll ask them to bring it
Orangette's winning hearts and minds chocolate cake - if you haven't tried it - do so immediately, because it will change your life. With some vanilla and coffee ice cream.

Maybe some olives and grapes and cheese for starters?

1. Today during the long nap time - go through the recipes and make shopping list. (possibly make dessert too - if I have the ingredients?)
2. When N comes home, head to the grocery store to pick up ingredients.
3. During the Thursday long nap time - prepare steak marinade and dessert.
4. Thursday evening - declutter and vacuum.
5. Friday morning - after the doctor - during long nap walk to Whole Foods to get some cheese, olives and crackers for starters. And flowers.
6. Friday after N comes home, prepare salad and set table.

Can I do it? Am I insane? I'll post the recipes and how it goes. Wish me luck! (Fortunately, these are good friends, so if we end up with takeout Chinese and dessert from 711, we'll still have a lovely time.)

Things The Newly Non-Pregnant Like

Baby K has the lung capacity and volume of a full-grown hyena. (We also have hardwood floors through the house, which may explain why she's so resonant). However, even when she's shrieking like a banshee and flailing her tiny and adorable limbs, the swaddleme blanket keeps her wrapped down and cozy, so she can eventually fall asleep. Yes, it does look like a tiny strait jacket (Nana Icing kept calling it a strait jacket), but it works. I will be buying this as a practical baby present along with fun stuff for friends from here on out. (In fact, this post was brought to you courtesy of the swaddleme!)

Eclat du Jour is another favorite magical product. My makeup routine these days is sunscreen, tinted moisturizer and concealer with a little lipgloss and blush thrown in on the side. Some days though, that's a bit too much. So, that's where Eclat du Jour comes in. You pat a little dollop of this peachy cream on your face, and you are magically glowing and rosy, not haggard and shrew like. Plus, it has that nice "European" floral but not sweet smell (I can't describe it, but I LOVE it). I bought a bunch the last time I was in the duty free shop in the Paris airport, but I think it's wonderful enough to justify retail in the US too. BTW, it also works as a primer under foundation if you're more together than I am these days. :)

(Since I'm not pregnant anymore, I figured I needed to update the title of my likes and dislikes posts - it isn't quite as catchy as the previous version, but it is more accurate.)

What We've Been Up To

Baby K is taking a tiny nap on her blankie, so I wanted to get back into the world of blogging - at least for a few minutes!

Mama Icing was dropped off at the airport last night, after three wonderful weeks of full on Nana attention. I miss her already. She was a master at soothing the fussies, and allowing me to get as caught up on my sleep as possible for a new parent! Hopefully she'll come back again this summer.

One of the best things my mum did was to make sure that Baby K and I got out for a walk every day. The weather has been beautiful here, and it certainly made me feel better to get out and get some fresh air. So, Baby K and I went out on our own this morning and it was wonderful. We're waiting for N to come back with lunch, then I'm planning to sneak out to get my nails done. My pedicure has done pretty well for the last four weeks, but I need a new one!

Sadly, I don't have any new recipes to post, for the simple reason that we have been living off of the things I froze pre-arrival. I doubt second time parents have time to do a lot of freezing and cooking, but if anyone is reading who is a first timer - it's such a life saver to have lots of meals stored up and frozen. Now that Mama is gone though, I think I'm going to have to do some replenishing, plus, we did think we found the definitive best brownie recipe - so watch this space.

In any event, I'm excited to catch up on all the blogs and start edging Baby K toward a rough schedule over the next couple of months. Happy Memorial Day and start of summer!

Happy Belated Mother's Day!

Mine was lovely. I got a pair of beautiful diamond studs from N and K (they are K's birthstone) and lots of flowers/cards and kind wishes from all our friends and family! It is such a special day, and I'm so glad that my mum was here to share it with us! We had a lovely cookout at a friend's mother's house, and Baby K was on her best behavior.

Today was a good day too - we had a nice active period between 4-6 in the morning, but thanks to Nana Icing, I was able to sleep in a little. We took a nice stroll, and I went to the grocery store in the afternoon - by myself. It was the first time that I've been able to easily load my car since the big part of my pregnancy! And, guess who is wearing non-maternity jeans? That would be me! Granted, they are a little snug in the top and they are J Brand (ridiculous amounts of stretch).

I'm still looking for the best time to blog, but I promise that I'll be back soon with my top picks for the postpartum life.

Things I Am Learning

I'm still here, and in the trenches of figuring out Baby K. We've had a few bad nights, but thanks to Nana Icing, I'm able to nap during the day, which is wonderful. Here is a top ten list of the last few days:

1. Cloth diapers are great to use as burp cloths and to line the changing table pad, the car seat, and pretty much anything else that Baby K may mess up - thus limiting washing to easy little cloths, not taking apart the car seat.

2. Setting up a changing station upstairs (our bedrooms are downstairs) has saved me so much time during the day. I keep a little canvas basket with diapers, wipes, Desitin and cloth diapers by an old towel laid out on a window seat. It is a life saver.

3. The Boppy. I had no idea I could love a pillow this much - but I do. I'm buying another one to leave downstairs. It really helps with nursing!

4. Leftovers/Food Gifts. We are blessed to have friends who make delicious food for us! This week I have not cooked at all, other than to reheat in the microwave! It is fantastic. We are able to eat nutritiously without a major expenditure of time! Today we got a most delightful surprise; a messenger arrived with a dozen Sprinkles cupcakes for us from a dear friend. How fun is that? I'll try not to eat them all!

5. Nursing clothing - great idea. I highly recommend Japanese Weekend - their tops are really cute and comfy! The nursing pjs are going to be one of my top picks for gifts to new mums!

6. Getting confirmation from Pottery Barn Kids that our glider has shipped! FINALLY! I'm really sick of nursing on a little stool in the nursery!

7. TIVO/DVR. Wonderful for those late night feedings, or when I'm trying to rock Baby K to sleep. I'm now caught up on all my episodes of Barefoot Countessa and Everyday Italian. CSI too!

8. My stroller. The Chameleon has been perfect for our daily walks around the neighborhood - and the bassinet has plenty of room for Baby K and some groceries/errands/letters. Plus, it is bright pink, so all the maniacal Westside drivers will hopefully see it before running us down!

9. Nana Icing - she lets me sleep in and take naps. She has been there done that for every possible childhood crisis, and keeps a cool head. And, she has magical powers over fussy babies.

10. Showers. I've been setting a goal of taking a shower every day. It feels so good to be nice and clean - even if my hair isn't blown out. I should also thank Nana for allowing me to do this!

I'm still trying to read all your lovely blogs, but tend to do it in the middle of the night, so I'm not commenting as much as before. I'll be back full force once we get some sort of schedule underway that is more than just feeding Baby K every 2.5-3 hours :)