half way

Today I am officially at the half way point (20 week!) of this pregnancy and can't believe how quickly it is flying by!  It has been so different from my first pregnancy, easier and harder in different ways, but so so joyful. I have gotten much bigger much faster, although my weight gain is right on target. I think after the Little Man (who wasn't actually such a little baby), my abs just said a big "F-you" and they have not attempted to hold back. I haven't started swelling yet (I hope and pray I don't swell like I did the first time!), and I'm overall more relaxed. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually forget I'm pregnant sometimes...there is just too much other stuff to get done! LM is also super excited about this baby and keeps asking when his baby will get here. He even transitioned out of the nursery last weekend and into his big boy room with a big boy bed. It has been the easiest transition and he told me that our new baby would sleep in his old crib. I love that he made that connection by himself and he wasn't the least jealous or upset by it. In fact, he loooooves this baby so much already and hugs my belly every chance he gets!

This pregnancy is also different in that Dr. F and I decided not to find out if we're having a boy or girl. It is pretty ridiculous that I, in all my planner-ific glory, agreed to such a crazy idea, but I did. Although I begged him to change his mind when we were at our ultrasound last week. I am secretly glad he stuck to it because now we can have that "its a.... " moment in the hospital and since we're not sharing our names either, it will just be one big surprise. However, every.single.person. has said I'm having a girl. LM cannot be swayed and even the guy who works in the coffee shop at my office said I'm definitely having a girl. I think it might be a girl too because I was so sick in the first trimester this time and I wasn't last time. But, in all reality, I don't care at all either way. Sure, pink bows and dresses would be ah-mazing, but so would being the F boy's mom. If they take after their father and uncle, well I can only imagine the trouble they could get in to together. (pray for me) So, I'll just bring a boy outfit and a girl outfit to the hospital and leave the tags on.  

This last week has also been a really big growth week...and I have the belly to prove it (see below)! The baby has been moving like crazy and I think this is my favorite part of being pregnant. I love feeling all of the little kicks and rolling around, at least until he/she gets some strength behind those movements. I'm even able to feel lots of kicks from the outside too, which means Dr. F and LM can feel the baby! So fun! However, I've also entered the "I have to pee every 15 min" stage. This is very not fun as I can barely make it all the way home on my 45 min commute without peeing my pants. TMI? You're welcome. 

20 weeks.... 

Now I would be remiss if focuses solely on me and my belly.... because in addition to Thanksgiving, which was stressful and I'm happy it is over... we also celebrated both Dr. F and LM's birthdays *on the same day.* Some might say I'm crazy, I just think of it as condensing the pain. We had about 10 3 yr olds and their parents and assorted siblings in the morning and 10 30 somethings and their significant others in the evening. LM had a Phillies themed party, naturally, and Dr. F had the Dirty Thirty Beer Pong Tourney in our basement. Both F men had a blast and I was ready for a nap the next day.  Let's just say I'm thrilled this next kiddo will be a spring baby so we can rent a picnic shelter and let the kids run around outside aka not in my house.

Thank you Oriental Trading Co for your Phillies decor! 

And the winners of the tourney are....

I'm 3!!!!

Finally, there is so much sad news out there and I am already enjoying the heightened preggo emotions...so for today, I'm just going to focus on the happy things like my wonderful family and friends and what promises to be a great Christmas with a little boy who has lots of questions about Santa.

well hello there

Ahhhh, I cant even tell you how much of  a bummer it is to not be able to read or write on ANY social media at work anymore! I still catch up on my reading at night, but lately Dr. F has been hogging the computer at night because he had a presentation at work. But at last I can do a quick update!

Everyone is doing well, Aidan's growing so quickly and so am I! We had a blast trick or treating and Dr. F and actually got away for the first time since our honeymoon without having any obligations. It was AMAZING. We spent the first night in Baltimore and the second in Lancaster County. Now we're getting ready for the boys' birthdays complete with a Phillies themed party for the Little Man and a Beer Pong Tourney for the Big Man.

Dr. F felt the baby move last night for the first time! What a wonderful moment for the two of us. I've also been subjected to some of the wonderful pregnancy verbal diarrhea that people seem to spew, like my neighbor asking me if we were trying and when we thought we conceived. Ummm... how do you politely answer that? Yeah, we were getting it on just a few houses down back in the summer? Riiighht.  Also, this baby is kicking me like crazy! We've also decided not to find out if we're having a boy or girl this time. We knew with LM, but this time, well, we've got all of the big stuff in gender neutral colors/patterns and we have plenty of boy clothes. If this baby is a girl, I have no doubt she'll be one well dressed little lady between my mom, mother in law and sister in law. We have picked out boy and girl names and are keeping those a surprise too :)

I'm hoping I'll be able to update more frequently now that Dr. F's presentation is done, but he is a computer hog.... I mean, why does he need to study anyway? :)

Someone's been watching his daddy!

Halloween Party!

So my office has finally outlawed Facebook and other social media sites...including blogs! I can't even read them at work, forget commenting or posting to my own blog. UGHH. So I have been trying to catch up at night and on the weekend, and it makes me so so sad because I love keeping up with everyone! Oh well, I'd like to keep my job and since we should have no expectation of privacy while on the work network... I'll just have to updated my blog at odd hours.

We've been pretty busy lately, which is nothing new. Dr. F has been on call the last 4 weekends in a row. At least this weekend he's on home call so he can hang out unless he gets a call to go in (like he did at 4am this morning). As much as that stinks, it is WAY better having him home most of the time than at the hospital all of the time.

I've also been dealing with a monster headache for the last 6 weeks. It has been miserable. I asked my endocrinologist, my ob, and my hubby about it, but because I'm preggers, no one really had a good answer what was causing it..hormones, allergies etc. Well, it became unbearable and we all know that Tylenol (the only thing you can take when you're pregnant) does jack sh*t for headaches. Finally I started googleing side effects of thyroid meds(which they put me on when I got pregnant to make sure the baby gets enough thyroid hormones since I'm packing half a thyroid) and low and behold, headache is a common one. So I called my endocrinologist and demanded that I switch brands. I've now been on the brand name drug for 2 days and headache free! I'm hoping this is the permanent solution I've been praying for, but if not, I'm enjoying this pain-free time as much as I can.

This morning we went to a Halloween party at the Little Man's school. It was a great time and we feel so blessed to have such a wonderful neighborhood daycare/school for him. He loves it there and it is a great community. This year, LM is going as a cowboy for Halloween and while I found a sweet costume for only $15 on ebay, I had to hide it because it would get worn every day. The mailman finally delivered it yesterday! Just in time :) Check out the cutest cowboy:

Biggest Phillies Fan

First of all, thank you so much for all of your congratulations! We are so thrilled and feel incredibly blessed, especially after a roller coaster spring of health issues. We've decided not to find out to find out the gender and are throwing around a few names and we've decided on a boy name for sure and have narrowed down a girl name to one or two. I am not sure if my type A personality can handle the wait, but we already have boy stuff and the big things are neutral and between my mom, mother-in-law and sister-in-law, you know we'll have enough girl stuff for a small army :) I truly don't have a preference boy or girl, just a healthy baby, as cliche as that is, of course I hope we have a girl at some point, but in the end I think it would be awesome to have a big family of all boys too.

I've also been preparing by buying some of the big items too...even though Dr. F thinks I'm a little bit of an over-planner... I did a ton of research, including stopping strangers on the street and asking them if they like their strollers. Y'all, double strollers are EXPENSIVE! I feel pretty strongly that even though Aidan will be 3.5 when Bunny F will be born, I'm going to want a stroller to corral both of them, and after a TON of research, I settled on the City Mini Double. BUT it retails for $430. Oh holy stroller! So of course I obsessively stalked Craigslist but those babies go within hours of being listed. After all of my diligent stalking, I found an almost brand new one on eBay. Using my super eBay skills, I won the auction and only paid $335 with shipping! The bad boy should arrive today and I'm stoked! 

And in other non-baby news, the Phillies forced a game 5 against the St. Louis Cardinals tonight and LM got his first Phillies hat...which he has refused to remove. I love that he's got such hometown pride and it is so cute to see him get so into a game. My little boy is not so little and we are enjoying every second of watching his transition to a big boy and seeing his personality come out in full force.  

                                               

We did it!! (Viki T, this one's for you!)

Is that a baby bump or have you just been eating too many cheese steaks?

Yes, this is at another wedding last weekend :) and yes, that is a baby bump!!!! I'm 11 weeks and finally heading out of the exhausted/nausea/feeling gross stage and well into nothing but maternity clothes. 

We haven't told Aidan directly, but the other night at dinner he told me that he was going to be a big brother. I  guess he heard us talking! Then he told me he is going to have a baby sister and he's going to name her Bunny. It was pretty stinking cute...and a reminder that little ears hear EVERYTHING. 

Hooray!!

Muffin top

Did you know that canned pumpkin is not widely available in grocery stores yet? Apparently, Christmas decorations in Macy's in Sept. are fine, but Heaven forbid there be canned pumpkin on the shelves? Pshhh. Never fear, I actually squirreled away a can or two in my basement from last year for this very reason. 

Last night, the Little Man and I got down to it after dinner. I've really started to get him involved in cooking with me because a. I love cooking/baking, b. I don't want to use the TV as a babysitter, c. I am determined to raise a man who knows how to properly feed himself. His future wife will thank me. It has been so much fun letting him smell spices and lick (egg-free) beaters and measure ingredients.

whisking and food processing at the same time! this kid has skills!

ignore the mess in my kitchen...it was spotless before i went to bed!

The result: to be perfectly honest, the results were a little ehh. Sure, they were good and the frosting was delish, but they weren't quite the pumpkin Nirvana I was hoping for. Did I eat two right out of the oven? Um yeah, that goes without saying, but you know... For some reason my muffins were a little dense and I'm going to keep looking for that perfect recipe. I think what I really am looking for is pumpkin roll texture and taste, without it being a pumpkin roll, although I would sooo love a pumpkin roll. I mean, I'd eat that bad boy in one sitting...which is why I haven't attempted to make one yet. Anyway, does anyone have a good recipe for pumpkin muffins/bread they'd like to share? 

Its the most wonderful time of the year!

That's right ladies (and gentlemen...do any gentlemen actually read my blog?), it is is my most favorite time of the year, FALL. Oh sweet baby Jesus, the heat of the summer is subsiding, the nights are cooler, football is back on TV, the Phillies made the playoffs for the 5th yr in a row and I can unabashedly proclaim my love of all things pumpkin. Ok, let's be real, I unabashedly proclaim my love of all things pumpkin year round, but you know... We've also only got 2 more weddings to go and for two glorious months, my electric/gas bill is manageable while we don't need the ac's or the heat quite yet. Ahhh, are you with me?!

So in that spirit, I've done some serious research on pumpkin muffin receipes because I HAVE to have them right about now. Any time the temperature dips below 100, I have to have pumpkin muffins. Now, generally I stay away from the Pioneer Woman because her stuff looks AMAZING to my tongue and about 40 lbs to each hip, however in my quest for awesome pumpkin muffins, I am caving. Tonight I'm going to make these babies, complete with cream cheese frosting, because I don't believe in doing anything half-assed. I will report tomorrow, after I dig my face out of the muffin tin.

Rain

Well, in the last 24 hrs alone we got over 5 inches of rain. The regional rail lines have largely shut down and Dr. F got so frustrated trying to drive to work that he came home and is going to try again later. I didn't even bother trying (thank God we can walk to daycare), so now I'm working from home today. In my sweats. YESSS. Of course, I had to stop at take a few pictures of the river that has in large part f'ed everyone's commute this morning.

Yes, that is a duck swimming ON the road

And this is why working from home today is the MUCH better option

And for comparison to a non-flooded day:

This lady is my hero. I dare you not to laugh and sit back in awe.

All the Preggo Ladies - Parenting.com

nothing much new to report

I've been neglecting this blog a whole lot lately, because well... there just hasn't been much to talk about. We're working hard, laughing all the time at/with the Little Man who continues to blow us away with his smarts and memory, and wrapping up summer with some cooler weather, THANK GOD. We were very lucky not to be affected by Irene too badly (no basement flooding etc) and I got to experience my first earthquake on my birthday last week. It was...exciting...up on the 18th floor where I work. Shamefully, my quads were killing me the next day after walking down 18 flights...Like last year, I bought my own ice cream cake and it was fab. Dr. F surprised me with flowers and my parents surprised me with a Nook! This weekend Dr. F's sister and her boyfriend are coming for a visit and we've got a few more weddings in September to round out The Year of the Wedding. Additionally, it seems everyone in my office is in love with Indian food and must eat it every day. I can't even walk through the lunch room without getting sick to my stomach. Pass the ginger ale please.UGHH.

Hope everyone is doing well!

I got this in my inbox today. It made me happy :)

I normally don't do forwards....

but my mom sent this one to me and I had to share it. See, we are a proud military family, one cousin has done 3 tours in Iraq and is Marine helicopter pilot, my uncle is a Navy SEAL who volunteered for Vietnam, both of my grandfathers served in WWII and another cousin is a member of SEAL Team 6 and is currently serving in Afghanistan. And yes, several of his friends were killed a week ago. So this hit particularly close to home.


International  Picture of the Year.

Here  are two very touching photos honored this  year. 
First  Place : 

First  Place 
Todd Heisler The Rocky Mountain  News  

When 2nd Lt. James Cathey's body arrived  at the Reno   Airport , Marines climbed  into the cargo hold of the plane and draped the  flag over his casket as passengers watched the  family gather on the tarmac.

During the  arrival of another Marine's casket last year at    Denver  International   Airport  , Major Steve Beck described the scene as so  powerful: 'See the people in the windows? They  sat right there in the plane, watching those  Marines. You gotta wonder what's going through  their minds, knowing that they're on the plane  that brought him home,' he said 'They will  remember being on that plane for the rest of  their lives. They're going to remember bringing  that Marine home. And they should.'

Second  Place  
Second  Place 
Todd Heisler The  Rocky  Mountain  News The night before the  burial of her husband's body, Katherine Cathey  refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep  next to his body for the last time The Marines  made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below  the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her  laptop computer and played songs that reminded  her of 'Cat,' and one of the Marines asked if  she wanted them to continue standing watch as  she slept. 'I think it would be kind of nice if  you kept doing it,' she said. 'I think that's  what he would have wanted'. 


And the  one that really tightens MY throat: 



 
Blue  Fridays. 
Very  soon, you will see a great many people wearing  blue every Friday. The reason? Americans who  support our troops used to be called the 'silent  majority' We are no longer silent, and are  voicing our love for God, country and home in  record breaking numbers We are not organized,  boisterous or overbearing.

Many  Americans, like you, me and all our friends,  simply want to recognize that the vast majority  of    America supports our troops. Our idea  of showing solidarity and support for our troops  with dignity and respect starts this Friday --  and continues each and every Friday until the  troops all come home, sending a deafening  message that every red-blooded American who  supports our men and women afar, will wear  something blue. By word of mouth, press, TV --  let's make the    United States on every  Friday a sea of blue much like a homecoming  football game in the bleachers. If every one of  us who loves this country will share this with  acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family,  it will not be long before the    USA is  covered in BLUE and it will let our troops know  the once 'silent' majority is on their side more  than ever, certainly more than the media lets  on. The first thing a soldier says when asked  'What can we do to make things better for you?'  is .'We need your support and your prayers.'  Let's get the word out and lead with class and  dignity, by example, and wear something blue  every Friday.

Only two  defining forces have ever offered to die for  you:
1.   Jesus Christ
2.  The American G.  I.

One died for your soul, the  other for your freedom. 

    

I finally did it!

I actually got it right last night with tofu! See, I've been trying to incorporate tofu into our meals more often to up our vegetarian options and just keep it interesting. I've had one or two successes and a whole lot of failures. Until now!! So here's how it went down:

1 extra firm block of tofu. I put it on a dinner plate with a cutting board on top of it. Then I put a heavy sauce pan on top of the cutting board (a book would do as well) for about 20 min. This worked to gently press the excess water out without drying it out too much...which I've done.

Then I cubed the tofu and gently tossed it in a cornstarch (its gluten free, if you're so inclined) and Italian seasoning mix. I'm betting this would work just the same way with flour and spice of your choice or bread crumbs. Next time, I'm going to try panko bread crumbs. They are DELISH!

The next step was to fry tofu cubes in hot EVOO until they were brown and crispy on the outside. Without removing them from the pan, throw in some tamari (gluten free soy sauce) or just regular old soy sauce. Coat the cubes and remove from pan.

That is it! It was sooo good. I also served Trader Joes green curry infused rice and sauted string beans. This meal was easy, cheap, delicious...and today, I'm eating leftovers for lunch!

Today I'm so the culinary version of Charlie Sheen. Winning.

Expanding My Horizons

This has easily been the year of the wedding for Dr. F and I, something I'm pretty sure I've mentioned already. However, just to recap:

Oct. 2010: wedding in Princeton, NJ

March 2011: wedding in Vermont*

May 2011: wedding in Maine*

June 2011: weddings in Virginia and New York

July 2011: wedding in DC

Sept. 2011: weddings in Delaware, Virginia, and Pennsylvania

*weddings we didn't actually go to, but still sent gifts*

This list does not include 3 baby showers (one of which I hosted) or the 3 weddings we went to in spring 2010, the July 2012 Philly wedding and Sept. 2012 Fort Lauderdale wedding (which Dr. F is officiating so we have to go)...

Needless to say, it has been a busy and expensive year(s), but wonderful to celebrate so many happy moments for our friends. It has also been super interesting to see the different ways in which people celebrate their weddings. We have been attended everything from a low-key back yard bbq wedding to a Long Island Jewish wedding, to this past weekend's Indian wedding in DC. I feel like I've been on a tour de wedding cultures which totally appeals to my anthropology background. Plus, I really treasure the moment couples say their vows and Dr. F grabs my hand and squeezes it because listening to those promises, its impossible not to reflect on your own wedding vows. It is like a mini-vow renewal each time.

This weekend was also the most different wedding I have attended. It was lavish and colorful and boy, am I glad it wasn't my wedding! There were almost 600 guests at a convention center in DC. The groom rode in on a white horse, there were saris in every color of the rainbow and fireworks over the Potomac River. I mean, the kind of fireworks that get lit from a barge and require permits, not the sparkler kind... The couple had a DJ and an MC (yes, a master of ceremony!) who was totally obnoxious, annnd they played 1 slow song. all. night. BOO :( Dr. F and I were seated at table 44, if that gives you any perspective. This was a shiny, glossy, production and in the end, it didn't feel like the day was celebrating the love of our friends, it was all about the show and left me feeling blah, but that could have just been the Indian food (they didnt serve a single non-Indian morsel despite only half the guests being Indian...a major faux pas in my opinion). Finally, I want to know whose dumb ass idea it was to have a wedding outside, in the middle of July, in DC, at 5:00 pm. One of the guests actually passed out. Oh, and they started 30 min late, so it was really 5:30. UGHH. Anway, enough of my critique... check out some pictures :)

Dr. F doing the "bowling" dance move

Serious business with a pink parasol and watermelon juice

Right before we started to sweat profusely. What a waste of a great hair day...

Ahhh finally inside for the cocktail 2 hr.

beautiful view from the 18th floor of the convention center

the bride, whose handmade sari was STUNNING

The dancers leading the groom's procession

annd he's up!

the bridal party getting down leading the guests to the ceremony

I have a problem...

I have been buying lots of maternity clothes. I am not pregnant. Yet. I just won an action on ebay. For maternity jeans.

Is it bad luck to starting beefing up my wardrobe? I sure hope not...plus this time around I'll be wearing business clothes, not my beloved layered Old Navy tank tops. Oh, and I'll be preggers (fingers crossed) in a completely different set of seasons than last time. I'm justified, right? Just smile and nod...

1 2 3

There are a ton of things I've planned to write about recently, but I've been slammed and a bullet point/picture post will have to do.

1. (and this is a big one!) I got my lab results back last week and the itty bit of my thyroid that remains is functioning perfectly normally and I don't have to be on meds! This essentially means I'm healed :) I have one more round of lab work in August to verify it wasn't a fluke and I can get on with my life. My Dr. was very surprised that I a. had enough thyroid to actually function and b. that it turned back on in only 4 weeks, usually it takes at least 6 weeks for any results... TBTG!  also... I honestly havent felt so like myself in oh, 3 years... hooray! *now I need to get busy getting knocked up!*

2. We had a lovely 4th of July at home with some sparkler. LM wasn't totally sure what to make of them, but overall he was pleased (they were safety sparklers and he was heavily supervised):

3. Fanny-packs are NEVER ok. Just because Gucci makes, doesn't make it right.