How to prepare for a hurricane the Acubed way...

Yup, that's right.  This household's main concern is food, so I took care of that last night the best way I know how.  Since I already ate the bag of Halloween candy we had for Wednesday, I wanted to make sure my chocolate cravings would be taken care of.  And then, since I knew I would be stuck inside for days with a tray of brownies, I made an attempt to make them a bit healthier.  All you need is a pack of brownie mix and a can of pumpkin.  Mix and bake at 325 for 45-50 minutes.  They are gooey and wonderful, and I might have had whole row for breakfast.

The silver lining to this whole Frankenstorm is that the NYC transit system was shut down, so Andrew is home with us to ride this baby out.  We have food, water, firewood, and lots of flashlights, lanterns, and batteries.  My dad has a small obsession with flashlights (hi daddy, I love you) and whenever I've moved anywhere, that is the first thing he brings over.  Thanks to him, we have these 2 giant lanterns that could light up our neighborhood and an assortment of flashlights in different sizes and colors.   And boy am I thankful we picked a place with a fireplace.  At least we won't be freezing.

We are coming off a pretty great weekend too.  I had sessions all weekend of course, but Andrew's mom was in town to help out with Adalyn, so I feel like we got a lot accomplished.  Andrew and I even got to go out on a date to the Melting Pot Friday night!  We stuffed our faces with the 4 course meal of cheese fondue, salad, meat fondue, and then this seriously awesome peanut butter berry chocolate fondue.  Such a treat!  We both agreed that the middle 2 courses were completely unnecessary, however.

I edited all day yesterday and managed to get 10 client CDs out in the mail!  I was so proud of myself.  I know I'm going to be backed up with editing if we lose power for days.  Adalyn is completely unaware of the days ahead, but thankfully she is entertained by books and battery-operated toys that she can dance too.   And apples, of course.  We have plenty of apples, don't worry.  This girl is OBSESSED.

 And then some fun photos of playing at the park with Grandma.  We sure LOVED having her visit.

 Stay safe, everyone!  I imagine we will be offline for a few days.

Hump Day Bump Day | 15 weeks

How far along?: 15w 2days

How big is baby?: Baby's now the size of a navel orange!
Continuing the march toward normal proportions, baby's legs now out-measure his arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably can't feel the movements just yet. 


Weight gain/loss?: I went ahead and weighed myself on the scale at the gym this morning.  +5lbs. 


Stretch marks?:  still none.


Maternity clothes?: I'm going to have to make the transition soon.  I can't believe it's a week later and I still haven't bought my bella band!


Sleep?: I've had bits of insomnia.  When I get up in the middle of the night to pee, I often have trouble falling back asleep.


Food cravings?: The other day I really wanted a shredded chicken burrito, but after I found and ate one, I felt really sick.  I really wanted sushi for lunch the other day and practically told my friend I was meeting for lunch that we had to have that.  I felt terrible once she made her pregnancy announcement to me!  I know I couldn't look at fish during the first tri.

Gender?: I really have no clue.  It changes by the day.  11/15 won't get here soon enough.

Movement?: I actually felt the baby for close to an hour last Wednesday night and other than a slight movement when I use the doppler, nothing consistent.

Belly button?: no change. 

Symptoms?:  Virtually none.  I'm tired, but I'm pretty sure that's just a function of my work load right now.

What are you looking forward to this week?:  Andrew's mom flies in from Texas tomorrow.    I have a 7 - SEVEN - session from today through Sunday, so it will be great to have some help.  Annnd, Andrew and I are going on a date either Friday or Saturday night!!!

My Eyes Hurt.

It's not a pregnancy symptom, but rather a symptom of little sleep and 10 mini sessions and one full session this weekend.  Annnd just because I'm crazy, I started the rebranding of my business this week.  This is just me - I don't know how not to be too busy.  I have countless obligations, playdates for Adalyn, goals for my business, and well, like I've said before, that's how I'm comfortable.

Today at a MOPS meeting (Mother of Preschoolers) we were asked if we thought we were the right mom for our child.  It was such a great question.  My first initial reaction was no - I've been feeling lately that I haven't been giving Adalyn enough attention and doing fun mommy things with her - that I haven't been enough of a mom to her, if that makes sense.  But then a dear friend said exactly what I needed to hear....She was the right mom for her daughter because her daughter was just like her.  Her daughter needed her because they were one in the same.

This is so incredibly true of Adalyn and I.  She may look a whole lot like her daddy, but she has my personality written all over her.  She is crazy active, fiercely independent, and determined like no other. She is stubborn, lacks patience - wants what she wants when she wants it, and then goes for it with reckless abandon.  hmmm well,  Adalyn is either a lot like me, or I'm still a lot like a toddler.  ;)

Amidst the craziness of the weekend, I managed to get in some photos of her as well.   I just love her so much.

She also happens to be a great photography location scouter.

Her latest obsession?  Apples.  It's the first word she says when we get downstairs after a nap.

And this might have happened this weekend as well.  A preview of her Halloween costume:

Mermaid Dolphin Nursery and a Home Tour

This is bound to hit a lot of Google searches, so if you're looking for pictures of a mermaid/dolphin nursery, just scroll down!

The purpose of this particular post though was to document where we are living now.  As most of you know, we moved out of a one bedroom apartment when Adalyn was 10 months old and finally into a bigger 2 bedroom townhome.  We moved one town over in Connecticut and into the town that we hope to be able to buy something in the next few years - that is if Andrew's job keeps him here.  One of the requirements for a rental was that I would be allowed to paint.  I wanted something where we were able to make it feel like our own, and I think color on the walls does just that.  The bedrooms are large, so in answer to the question you're probably thinking, no we aren't moving just because of Little One.  Little One will be in our bedroom until 6 months or so when he/she sleeps through the night, and then move into A's room.

Let the home tour begin!

The front

 When you walk in the door.

Kitchen is to the left and leaves much to be desired.

Half bath in the hallway

 The living room, playroom, annnnd my office!  I can't wait to use the fireplace.  The basket of books will have to go somewhere else.

Can you see the hardwood floor looking playmat?  I LOVE Amazon.

 I love our deck/patio.  We had countless meals out there last summer. The screen door is what sold Andrew on the place.  We like light and the feeling of bringing the outdoor, in.

Where do the toys go?  In those bins and on the baker's rack so she is entertained while I try to cook!

My biggest peeve with this place is the small eating area.  I can't wait for a dining room one day!  I have some really nice china from my grandmother and silverware from my mom that just lives in storage.

Directly up the stairs is our full bath.  Again, much to be desired!  

But I LOOOOOOVE our bedroom.  It's huge, gets lots of light has TWO big closets.  That's what sold me on the place.

 It will need to be rearranged with Little One comes, but don't worry, I've got it all mapped out :)

And now for my favorite room, Adalyn's room.  I wanted a sea-themed nursery, but everything looked very boyish to me, so I came up with a lavender color scheme that I think works well.  There are too many blank spaces on the wall for my taste, but since we will be adding another person in here soon, I'm sure it will fill up quickly.  The plan for now is to give this crib to Little One and buy Adalyn a toddler bed since she will be 26-27 months when the transition happens.   If it's a girl, I will carry on the mermaid/dolphin theme.  If it's a boy, I'm planning to paint one wall grey and bring in some sharks!  

Wall color:  Benjamin Moore Lily Lavender

Harper collection valance from Pottery Barn kids

Etsy purchase. 

Most awesome gift from a friend:  A painting by a rescued dolphin named Nicholas from a rehabilitation place in Florida...and her certificate of adoption of a dolphin from my awesome friends at my baby shower.  Just need to fix the frame.

Sea turtle wall clock was a gift from my parents from a local artist in Kauai, HI.  Shelving:  Pottery Barn Kids.  Changing table decals - Etsy.  Lampshade - Etsy.  Quilt - handmade by Andrew's grandmother.  I'm so excited that she is already planning on making one for #2!

Oh Etsy how I love thee...

bookends - Etsy.  duh.

And when we moved here, I contacted the seller of the lampshade and asked her to make matching switch plates - LOVE!

And the closet.  We are going to need some shelving for #2.

And then there is the partially finished walkout basement.  Our lease here goes until April 2014 and we would ideally be able to stick it out here until we are ready to buy.  That probably won't be until 2015  - at best - since Andrew is in school until May 2014.   We just have to decide how much to put into a rental.  If we could make this space usable as a playroom, it would be easier to stay here longer and save.  I wouldn't even mind paying a few hundred more in rent for the landlords to finish it off, but I don't have the nerve to ask them yet.

Jada just enjoys the big sliding glass door.

 And that's it!  To buys something in Fairfield County, and I'm talking a 3 bedroom fixer-upper, we need at least $500K.  In our town, you are looking at a million for the same thing.  When is Andrew is gone late, sometimes I just dream about our future home and our future.  The sacrifices we are making now will pay off.  I know it.  And I guess there is a part of me that it grateful that Andrew has such ambitious goals for himself and our family.  My dream home in our town.  The porch, the land...and I'm sure I could have my own home office!  Too bad it's listed for 2 million :\