The problem with pants

My son is such a string bean... he is sooo tall! In fact, he was in the 97th percentile for his height at his 2 months pediatrician check up.

This hasn't been a real concern until he recently started wearing pants! All summer, he lived in onesies. It was great! Now that autumn has set in in NYC, it's just chilly enough that the kid needs to wear pants. Now, here is the problem... The clothing size for his age 3 months are too short. Footed pajamas are out of the question because his poor little toes are curled under like a geisha. I seriously considered cutting all the footies off! And normal pants look like capris! The pant legs only reach his knees! So now I have a 3 month old who needs size 6 months. But here is the other problem, he is so skinny long and lean that the waist band is too big and the pants just fall to his ankles. What's a kid to do?!

They aren't kidding when they say "kids grow so fast". We have two storage bins now... one of too small clothing/toys and one too big clothing/toys. I go through it about once a week looking for what he might be able to fit into today. Needless to say, we have a rotating wardrobe. Hopefully, he gets to wear each outfit at least once before he poops on it or outgrows it. I can't believe all the "stuff" that is starting to pile up... clothes/toys/gear... you name it. For example, he outgrew the moses basket and now sleeps in his pack and play in our room. He got bored with his baby swing and now prefers the bouncer.

I decided I can't save EVERYTHING and recently picked out some clothes to donate to a local event called Little Swappies - a clothing and toy swap meet. The great thing about a swap is you get rid of stuff you don't want and pick out new (used) stuff! (So much for cleaning house.) I don't mind used clothing in good and clean condition especially when I know he may only wear it a couple times. I  successfully found some pants by Carters, sweaters by Baby Gap and Ralph Lauren and even a long sleeve onesie with bulldogs on it! All for free. The left over swap items are donated to the Covenant House - a shelter for mothers under the age of 21 and their babies.

Another thrifty thing I did was to check out Clementine Consignments in Greenwich Village. We walk past it everyday on the way to and from Washington Square Park and I've been meaning to stop by. They sell higher end clothing for maternity and children. I was searching for a winter coat/bunting suit but they didn't have the true winter stuff on display yet. I did buy a Gap Baby one piece that was extra thick for cold weather for $11.00. Not bad!

I'm actually excited to finally buy "my style" of baby clothing which I would describe as "city hipster". I want my kid to be cool. I don't want him to get beat up on the playground for wearing a knit sailor suit (apologies if you've ever dressed your kid in a sailor suit). In my online shopping experience, I love Old Navy for babies. There is always stuff on sale! I bought a few pieces this week including a cute zip fleece hoodie, cargo pants with a plaid cuff, and a striped long sleeve waffle shirt onesie. I love the bright playful colors!

Among all the ridiculously expensive baby boutiques in NYC, I'm happy to find quality alternatives for our growing boy, especially PANTS!

Adventures in the Big Apple

Last weekend was the perfect autumn weekend in NYC! The air was crisp and the sun was shining. We were excited to go out and about for some fun family-friendly activities.

On Saturday, we ventured to Brooklyn for the Brooklyn Local - a collection of local vendors selling their products and offering food and wine tasting. 

We took the baby on the subway for the first time for his first trip to Brooklyn. This was a real team effort to carry the stroller up and down the stairs to get in and out of the subway. Some subway stations have elevators but not all, so it was good to have more than two hands to get baby up and down. I wouldn't try the subway by myself with the stroller unless I knew for sure there would be an elevator. Seriously, help a sister out if you ever see a mom with a stroller trying to get up and down stairs in a subway station!

Once across the East River, we strolled to Brooklyn Bridge Park where the event was taking place. There was mandatory stroller parking, so Dad ended up holding baby the whole time as we walked through the rows of vendors. A baby carrier would have been more convenient but Dad didn't mind holding the little bug. The baby loves being able to look around at anything and everything and being a part of the action. He loved the hustle and bustle. Eventually, he fell asleep on Dad's shoulder. It was sweet...

We tasted really great local wine from upstate New York and Long Island. There were spicy pork sausage sliders, mini hotdogs topped with macaroni and cheese, green bean salad, cheesy foccacia bread, bacon bourbon flavored popcorn, and cookies and chocolates galore! It was a sweet-tooth's paradise!

To top it off, I crossed paths with a girl I knew from college who is now the founder of her own bakery out of Brooklyn called The Good Batch. She makes the most delicious ice cream sandwiches I've ever tasted! Sea salt is the magic ingredient... if you've ever dipped french fries in a Frosty, you know what I mean.

I really had fun for the first time in a while! It was nice to do something that was fun for adults and also included the baby. Plus, we also brought a friend and my grandma with us so it was a good company. 

After the market, we strolled around the Brooklyn Heights Promenade along a street of old Victorian mansion townhomes overlooking the water and southern part of Manhattan before heading back to NYC.

Sunday was another fabulous relaxing day. We packed up the family and took the subway to Columbus Circle (which has a great elevator by the way) en route to Central Park for a picnic. First, we stopped by the Whole Foods in the Time Warner Center to pick up our picnic lunch. The Whole Foods is AH-mazing! And fun fact from my husband: it's the highest grossing Whole Foods in the nation (I see why). I'm glad we stopped there because it also made me realize the TWC is the closest thing to a mall we have in NYC which may come in handy on cold days this winter when I want to walk around somewhere.

Then we found a grassy spot in Central Park to eat our lunch, drink a bottle of wine, and doze off! Ahhhhhh... Before heading home, we walked the Park taking in the nice weather and scenery. It's so quiet in the park. Even near the surrounding streets, the trees and kids playing really muffle the typical NYC traffic. A true oasis in the middle of the crazy Big Apple!

11 week milestones

I can already tell my son is going to be hell on wheels! He is so strong and determined. At 11 weeks old, he started doing crunches when in his car seat or bouncer. He'll pick his head up and try to sit up as if planning his escape... "if... I... could... just... get... outta... here...". I can't believe how fast he is growing!

He also must be looking around at all times. No more cradling a tiny baby in our arms. He has to be held upright over the shoulder so he can look all around. He is super curious about his surroundings. He loves to look at photos or artwork around the house. So we put a photo slideshow on our TV using Apple TV for him to watch (it's better than gossip TV). When he can hold his head a little steadier, I can't wait to put him front facing in the carrier to see the city whirling around him.

Since he loves the lights and images on the TV, I downloaded a baby flash cards app on my iphone/ipad. He will stare at the phone without blinking as I flip through about 40 animals. The app says the animal name and the noise the animal makes. It's pretty cool to watch him make different expressions at the animals. I think the rhinoceros is his favorite. He likes the transportation flash cards too. I'm sure he recognizes the sounds of a train and firetruck.

Another thing that started this week is using his legs to stand or push up. If you hold him on your lap, he likes to put pressure on his legs to push himself into a standing position. He'll be ready to run before he crawls!

And oh boy, the hand obsession has majorly set in. He loves to eat his hands! So much in fact, he gets frustrated and starts to cry when he can't get the whole fist in his mouth. I've offered him toys to chew on but nothing tastes better than hands (except for a little boob of course). He has no interest in Sophie the Giraffe at the moment (the number one baby toy on amazon.com)! However, my dog has a secret plan to catch Sophie one of these days and chew her to bits. I can tell he is getting hungry now when he starts chewing his hands right before feeding times.

He also likes to stare at his feet since I started putting colorful socks on him. I wonder what he's thinking and does he know his feet aren't permanently argile?!

Maybe I'm biased but he is so smart! I don't see a mindless baby. He seems to understand when I talk to him. He knows my voice. He smiles when he sees my face. It's super sweet! I also have gotten smarter over the last 2 months in understanding when he is communicating with me. His dad and I have caught on to his hunger cries versus tired cries versus pain cries. He's good at telling us what's wrong (most of the time).

It's amazing to think that in a few months he will be teething, sitting up, and crawling. Shoot, it's hard to just imagine him with hair! The first year is full of crazy milestones and he's already accomplishing so much.

Cry it out or not to cry it out

I hate people who say they love nighttime feedings! (If my mother-in-law is reading this, I don't hate you!) Seriously, who the hell likes waking up in the middle of the night for any reason, let alone to have someone suck on your boob? Like quality bonding time can't happen during daylight hours?!

At my son's two month check up with the pediatrician, she told us we could let him cry it out now and after three nights he would sleep through the night. That means put him to bed at 8pm and come back at 6am without going to the baby if he cries for any reason during the night. She said drink a big bottle of wine and pass out on the couch so you can't feed him anyway. (I swear she has credentials). It's hard for a new mom to stomach. I couldn't buy in to the idea of letting him cry for potentially hours and hours! What if he took a big poop? I would cry too if I had to lay in my crap for ten hours!

For the record, I'm not against SOME crying like when going down for a nap or bedtime. I think it's healthy to blow off some steam. Everyone needs to cry sometimes!

If he was older... six months maybe... then yes, I might allow him to cry his head off so I could sleep. I told myself if he wasn't sleeping through the night on his own by three months, I'd reconsider. A lot of my mom friends reported that by three months, their babies were sleeping around ten hours at night. So I had hope and told myself to be patient.

By the way, Dad was all about cry it out. Why is it easier for dads? Dads don't get up out of bed. And yet, moms are the ones tortured by the idea!

Starting around six weeks my son's routine became go to bed around 8pm and sleep six hours until 2am when he would wake to eat. Not bad! He would eat again at 5am then wake at 8am for the morning. Thankfully, he goes right back to sleep after eating (typical man!). I don't have to rock him to sleep or listen to him cry. Nighttime is dark, quiet, and boring. No funny business! Having two predictable night time feeds with no crying was really nice but still by 5pm the following day I was exhausted. Should I really let him cry it out?! I felt like crying it out myself some evenings!

Then on the eve of his ten week birthday, he slept through his 2am feed. This is seriously the day all new moms must dream of. The day you turn a major sleep corner! Traditionally when I hear him fussing around and stirring from sleep, I offer the pacifier first to try to buy myself another thirty minutes before I have to fully get out of bed to feed him. And this time it worked until 6am! I literally felt giddy as I fed him. And then he slept in until 9:30am! My husband and I were literally sitting in our living room in the dark at 8am waiting for him to wake up. It was marvelous!

His dad accidentally aided in this sleep transition (he was in charge for the evening) by putting him to bed an hour later than usual. Well if that what it takes so be it. Over the last few days, we've been  making bedtime closer to 8pm again and he has continued to sleep until about 5am and then 8am. Yippie!

I am still putting the pacifier in his mouth 2-3 times at night before the early morning feeding. Eventually, he will have to self soothe and fall back asleep on his own if he wakes up in the middle of the night. But for now, it's too easy to put the plug in when he is two feet from our bed.

Although, I never resorted to the cry it out method that's not to say that I won't have to one day. Like in developing real nap times. Like when he moves from our room to his own room. Or when he spits out his pacifier and I'm not there to pop it back in. Or when he stops being swaddled and punches himself in the face. He may have to cry a little. And that's okay too!

P.S. That's not really my kid in the photo. I just found it on the internet.

Adjusting to motherhood

Okay, I know, it's been way too long... I just read my last post. Haha... "After the initial adjustment period (for me about 2 weeks), I needed to get out." Hilarious! Little did I know once the adrenaline wears off and after 10 weeks of not sleeping, the real exhaustion kicks in fun begins.

At 10 weeks, motherhood is still an adjustment! It's way harder than I expected. There is a new challenge everyday (that I overreact about). Right now it's naps, chronic 45 minute naps and no longer. How do I follow my sleep schedule book if he doesn't sleep the allotted 2 hours?! I'm really stressing over it. Let's face it, it's hard to be a mom when you have perfectionist tendencies.

First of all, I'm a planner. I like to have a schedule and plan my day, week, month and year. But no matter how many times I read and reread my parenting books, my little one decides whether he will or will not participate in my schedule. If he doesn't want to take more than a 45 minute nap, guess what!? Neither am I. If he has a blow out (aka poops out of diaper) during his baby photo shoot, guess what!? He's not wearing that knit sailor suit that grandma bought for him in the photos. If he wants to have a growth spurt filled with crying and constant eating, guess what?! My husband better not go to the U.S. Open and get his ass home to help me.

Second, I love getting things done. I make a list of things I've already done just to cross them off. Seriously, I love the feeling of accomplishment. I'm not accomplishing much these days. Just ask my husband the last time he came home to dinner waiting on the table for him. Ask me the last time I shaved my legs (that's a real brain teaser). Or the last time I really played with our dog. The fact of the matter is my baby takes up all my time right now. I can't imagine moms who have infants AND older kids to care for or jobs to go to. Kudos to you!

Third, I'm a control freak. I like being in control. I like taking the necessary precautions or making preparations to create the best possible outcome. And with a baby, there is just no way of knowing how the day will go. It could be good, bad or ugly.

Lastly, I just need sleep. Sleep is a magical thing. If you are reading this, go to sleep right now. Just do it for me. Okay, it could be worse. My baby is actually pretty easy at night. He wakes twice to feed between bedtime and morning. It's more MY problem. I have a moms ear. I hear every little grunt and fuss and coo. He's in our room so how could I not (I'll have to ask my husband since he appears to sleep like a log at night). And why can't I sleep during the day when I have the chance. Everyone says sleep when they sleep. I just don't get much sleep and I may never again.

And so I'm adjusting... I'm learning to not be a perfectionist, planning, accomplished, control freak who needs sleep. 

Excuse me, are you a new mom?

When you have a baby, you can't help trying to make eye contact or passively smiling at other women pushing a baby stroller. It's like learning to flirt all over again. Let's face it. All of a sudden, you're home all day and night with a newborn and after the initial adjustment period passes (for me after about 2 weeks), you want to get out. I started feeling a little cabin fever last week once my husband went back to work. And since pretty much everyone I know is at work during the daytime hours, I need to make some new mom friends.

Thankfully, I've been able to meet up with my prenatal yoga buddy a couple times in the past week to walk along the Hudson. We compare notes about our baby's sleep patterns and poop and spit up and boobs. And most importantly, we keep our sanity. I need to just start hitting on other moms in general. I see quite a few women pushing young babies along the River. What should my pick up line be? "Nice stroller! How about this weather?! How old is he? Are you a new mom too?".

I'm actually meeting another new mom for the first time on Friday for a walking date. I joined an online community group for West Village Parents and posted an open invite on the message boards calling other new moms to meet up. I've received a few replies from women who have recently had babies or are due this summer. So I'm online dating other moms I guess (it worked for my husband and me).

I searched Meetup.com and found a few other organized community events like baby story time at our local library or baby play time at an indoor play space. Plus, there's post-natal yoga class where moms bring their babies. My yoga friend also joined a walking group of downtown moms that I may crash one day soon. Obviously, these play dates benefit the moms more than the babies who are more than likely sleeping the whole time anyway. But I think as a new mom you just need to get out and talk to other adult human's sharing the same new experiences. 


Even though I have this list of potential things to do with my new baby, outings make me nervous at the same time. What if he starts crying or what if I have to breastfeed in public or what if I don't meet anyone I click with? It's scary and intimidating to be a new mom.


On the bright side, at least these groups, venues and resources exist for new moms in the city to take advantage of. That was one of my fears about being outside the city. I didn't want to feel isolated in the suburbs. Now I just need to take advantage of all the things above and work on my game picking up other moms. I need to get those digits!

The first time getting out

My precious bundle of joy is two and a half weeks old and every day is a learning experience. From birth to breast feeding to sleeping to soothing to pointing the penis down in his diaper so he doesn't pee out, each day presents a new challenge. But as I learn more about my baby and he learns more about the world, each day is easier than the day before.

The first time my husband and I attempted a real outing, the baby was 1 week old. I was terrified. I thought I was pushing a time bomb in the stroller that could detonate at any moment. We went to a diner for breakfast only 5 minutes from our apartment. I had the most insane anxiety about the baby waking up and screaming his head off. I wanted to order our meal as fast as possible and get the hell back to the safety of my cave. As the time passed without an explosion, I began to feel more comfortable. In fact, he never woke up in the restaurant despite the clanking dishes and people talking. After breakfast, we even went for a walk in the park to extend our time out of the house. Since that first outing, I try to get out of our apartment everyday to get some fresh air. It's good for me to not feel claustrophobic and interact with other adults. The hardest part is training myself to not feel scared to try new things with the baby.  I've learned that as long as he's eaten, I have about a 3 hour window to run around and the baby does not care one bit.


Whether for a casual walk or to run an errand, my baby loves the bounce and noise of city streets, which is great, because walking is how we get around our neighborhood in New York. We're also in a great location for walking to West Village restaurants, Washington Square Park, Hudson River Park, Union Square and Tribeca. We can walk nearly everywhere we need to go.


Additionally, I love my stroller! We chose the Uppa Baby Cruz, a smaller version of the Vista. It's tough enough for going up and down curbs and narrow enough to take indoors. (I think the Vista which is wider and has bigger jogger wheels would be too much for some of the small spaces in New York.) I also love the huge basket for my diaper bag or groceries or whatever. It's like my mini all-terrain vehicle!


I'm so thankful that I can just lay him in the stroller and GO versus the hassle of getting in and out of a car for every little errand. Another PRO of New York City life! I guess if you have a car, you don't know any better. But me for, it's just too easy to walk 5 minutes to go to lunch, the drug store, or Starbucks or 10 minutes to the Park or the River, or 15 minutes to the grocery store or Pediatrician. I never thought I would be happy without a car. I always thought a car was a must when you have a baby. Maybe I'll change my tune in the winter months, but right now walking is perfection!

I'm back... with a Birth Story!

Yay, I'm back! It's been a long month since my last post as I waited for my little bundle of blog material to arrive. I'm happy to report that labor was without complications and no where near as dramatic as you see on TV. Nonetheless, pushing a baby out is HARD! I compare it to climbing Mt. Everest and living to see another day. I feel like I accomplished the hardest thing I've ever done in my life!

It all started on Wednesday night, June 27th. After spending the day with my brother and sister in law, walking around the city and having lunch, I noticed I was bleeding at bed time. I called my Doctor who said to check in with her again in the morning if it persisted.

Around 6 am, under the advice of the Doctor, we went to the hospital so she could examine what was going on. I was having light contractions. They were about 6 minutes apart. It just felt like my stomach muscles contracting. It wasn't painful. It actually felt like the "practice" Braxton Hicks contractions that I had been experiencing the last few months of pregnancy. Of course, I had my "go bag" ready and we had lined up a friend to be dog-sitter for Summer Mae already.


In anticipation of the big day, I had joked that there are certain times of day you can't go into labor in NYC due to lack of taxis... morning rush hour, evening rush hour, shift change at 4pm, and if it is raining. Luckily, I avoided all of these scenarios and easily hailed a cab around 7 am. Easy - peasy! Another thing I worried about in advance was the route to the hospital. I didn't want a tour of mid-town and Times Square on the way to the hospital. It's about a 20 minute drive uptown and I did NOT want to drive through my personal HELL on the way to the hospital. But we simply asked the driver to take FDR highway on the East side and we were there in a snap!


I was admitted to Labor/Delivery and the Doctor suggested we induce labor since there was no definite cause for the bleeding and my pregnancy was full term. I could have gone home and labored naturally for a few more days I think but who wants to take the chance of waking up in a pool of blood. So we agreed and settled in for the long haul.

Thursday, June 29th happened to be the busiest day in Labor/Delivery so they didn't have a room for us. We were placed in the recovery area for about 12 hours before they had a delivery room available.
From 7 am to 1 pm, I was simply waiting around, hooked up to an IV and monitor to measure my contractions. Again my body was starting the process on its own but I was only 2 cm dilated (out of 10). So I was no where near ready to push a baby out. I was slightly uncomfortable. It felt like mild lower back cramps.

At 1 pm, they started the Pitocin, a drug used to induce contractions in order to make you dilate and start active labor. The dosage started at 1 cc and increased by 1 or 2 ccs every 20 min. Frankly, it was BORING! I was on Facebook and texting friends about the lack of excitement. One crappy thing about early labor is that you can't eat solid food once you start the IV to prevent major puking from a full stomach. So I was just on Facebook, eating popsicles, dreaming about a cheeseburger and wishing my body would get the show on the road.


About 2 hours into the Pitocin, the contractions became increasingly stronger. Laying down was way uncomfortable so I pretty much stayed on my feet. I was doing a lot of squatting and swaying to open up my hips.


Finally around 5 pm, we moved into a private labor/delivery room. It was pretty amazing actually. We were like taking photos of the view out our window over looking the East River and Roosevelt Island. The room was like a hotel with dark wood and really spacious. I didn't feel like I was in a hospital.

Around 6 pm and 15 ccs of Pitocin (max is 20 ccs), the real pain began. The contractions were coming one right on top of another like only one minute apart thanks to the drugs. I wanted to wait until I really couldn't take the pain to ask for an epidural in order to not slow down labor. Ask and you shall receive. The epidural came around 7 pm and it was great! I couldn't feel any pain in my back or stomach. But I wasn't totally numb. My skin had sensation and I could move my legs. It just numbed the contractions. When the anesthesiologist administered the epidural, it felt like a stabbing pain as they literally stuck my back with a needle but it was only for 10 seconds and then it was over. I will mention, I really loved my nurses at this moment. My baby daddy had to leave (a policy made after too many dads passed out watching the epidural being administered) so my nurse held my shoulders and comforted me.

After the epidural, we were just chilling and watching a First 48 marathon on A&E (yes, this is a reality murder series and my favorite show). We tried to get some rest and took naps.

At 3 am, the Doctor, who was MY actual Doctor throughout my pregnancy (before it was just another Doctor in the practice), examined me. I was still only 4 cm dilated so she broke my water using a long straw like tool to break the bag around the baby.

Now the real fun begins. Soon after she broke my water, I began having immense pain and they had to top off my Epidural with additional drugs. At least I knew something was going on down there! I called the nurse again shortly after to tell her that I was having HUGE pressure down there (TMI, but it's like you have to pass a huge poop whether you want to or not. You can't hold it in.). The Doctor checked me again and said I was totally dilated and could PUSH! What? Oh shit! I was not ready! I was scared! I went from 4 cm dilated to pushing in 2 hours. BTW, my husband held my leg as I was spread eagle and pushing but he looked at my face the whole time and just tried to talk to me. I have no idea what he was saying due to the fact I was a little distracted by the overwhelming situation. I'm sure he was supportive and at the least he did not annoy me.


The nurse said the average first delivery takes about an hour and half of pushing. The first hour was annoying because it was learning how to push with your vaginal muscles. You can't really practice that in advance. I felt the urge to push, the pressure, when the contractions hit but didn't feel the pain in my stomach or back thanks to the epidural. The slowest part of pushing was I had to push the baby under my pubic bone and into the birth canal to come out. I pushed as hard as I could and tried to practice calm breathing in between contractions coming about every 2 minutes.

Finally, his head was ready to come out. Those last 15 minutes of labor were EXTREMELY PAINFUL! Despite the epidural, there was no masking the pain of the baby coming out. I remember begging the Doctor to pull him out of me. But only I could do it.

Abracadabra! My son was born! They laid him on my belly and he was so cute! Seriously, he was pink and not even slimy. I think my husband expected a purple, cone head, alien baby but that is not what we got. One sweet thing I remember is my husband saying "We want to do skin to skin". That means they didn't take the baby away right away to measure him, but let him skin to skin on my chest so he could bond with his mom. Although I was a little out of it, my husband was thinking of what was best for the baby and me already and then I knew he was a Dad.

The year of the dragon

Living in a cultural salad bowl in NYC, I have been told many times that I’m blessed to be having a baby this year - the Year of the Dragon – the luckiest year to have a baby according to Chinese astrology! While I’m not Chinese, I do appreciate the beliefs of other cultures, especially if they are in my favor!

(I love the whole idea of being a Dragon Mother... how amazing is Khaleesi afterall?!)

Babies born in the year of the dragon are considered to be the strongest, smartest, and luckiest. Even better, boys born in the year of the dragon are said to be even more auspicious! Dragon boys are said to be destined to be successful and wealthy.

And true believers don’t take the auspicious year lightly! Chinese couples literally plan their family around the Chinese Lunar calendar. Among New York City’s Chinatown population, downtown’s maternity unit will likely see a 25% spike in deliveries in 2012. China is anticipating a 5% increase in the number of babies this year. 

According to Wikipedia, “Dragons are mythical powerful creatures worshiped by Chinese culture. A Dragon symbolizes strength, health, harmony, and intellectuality. Many consider Dragon people extremely lucky and blessed. Most people under this eccentric Chinese Horoscope sign are generally charismatic, gifted with great powers, and can evolve to become great inventors, scientists, actors, lawyers, politicians, and managers. It is unlikely for a Dragon to go unnoticed from a social meeting or a party. Their unique attitude and self confidence will always work wonders in such situations. Dragon people are also well known for their honesty and sense of duty. These characteristics can sometime work against them because others will tend to take advantage of them. Most Dragon people are compassionate, patient, and ambitious people, thus they make loyal friends and great companions.”

(Maybe it was destiny telling me to buy that “future president” onesie!)

My son's rent is $1K per month

Housing in NYC is no joke! Anyone who has ever tried to lease in Manhattan knows it’s a real pain in the ass to find a decent apartment that you can actually afford.

With a vacancy rate of less than 1%, it’s no wonder that you are told to come cash in hand and ready to sign a lease the first time you look at a place. Wait a week or even a day and it may be snatched up by some other lucky schmuck paying out the rear.

It’s soo expensive for what you get – I’d say an average one bedroom is 600 square feet and the average two bedroom is 800 square feet (if you are lucky). “But you are in New York! so it’s worth it,” everyone says.

Yeah, yeah, I love New York too! I love walking to my favorite cafes and restaurants, blah, blah, blah, but I do NOT love the lack of space.

I want a room for each family member. I want a dining room table. I don't want to have to go to the mini-storage in search of a sweater stored away for the summer. But when your largest kitchen appliances are a George Foreman and a wine fridge, forget about a dining room table. You've got bigger problems.

The kicker is I feel like I have been downsizing ever since college. Aren't I supposed to be moving up in the world and able to afford nicer things by now? In Miami, I lived in a 2 bedroom, 1,200 square foot condo (with roommates) overlooking Key Biscayne. In DC, I lived in a 1,000 sq foot one bedroom condo downtown with a rooftop pool and grill. In Cambridge, I lived in a 900 square foot 2 bedroom in a multi-family home. Now, I live in a 600 square foot apartment in a doorman building in New York (it’s a nice building, don’t get me wrong, it’s just made for ants... remember that scene from Zoolander?). And all the while, the price goes up, and my square footage goes down. What is wrong with this picture?!

I know I wrote a lovely post about coming to peace with living in a small space and being minimal and not acquiring things I don’t need. But what about oxygen? Because I’m seriously becoming claustrophobic. As the baby stuff piles higher and higher and my due date moves closer and closer, my anxiety level is climbing.

Not to mention this whole issue of accommodating guests who want to visit when the baby is born. Under normal conditions, I suppose you would have your mother come stay for a week to help out. And she would stay in your guest room. Just a room with a closing door where they could sleep (or hide from a new hormonal momzilla).

In my apartment, two adults and are a dog are pushing it, never mind a newborn and his entourage. There are no closing doors and no privacy. This drives me insane. I’m just imaging boobs everywhere and everyone walking around like zombies after not sleeping through the night.

Moving on... I've learned that I’ll only get 2 of 3 things out of a rental apartment in NYC – price, location or size.

If I want to live in a desirable neighborhood like the West Village, I’ll get location and if I’m able to find a decent price, it will be for a 500 square foot 4^th floor walk up. No thanks!

If I want a larger place, say 1,000 square feet, 2 bedroom, I could move to the lower east side next to a former crack den. Ugh!

And if I find my dream apartment, a 1,000 square foot, two bedroom in a doorman building in Tribeca, I’ll need to get a third roommate in order to afford it. Any takers?

The insane thing is I’m not even searching for 2 bedrooms anymore. I’ll try my luck with a 1 bedroom plus office or dining room or any 4x4 feet alcove that I could squeeze a crib into, hang a shower curtain over the entrance and call it a nursery.

Especially after considering a second bedroom usually comes with a $1K jump in rent. Really!? Does an extra 100 square feet really cost a ‘G’ more? At what age, should I require my son start paying rent?

Ah well, maybe my sweet baby can live in that pack and play bassinet in the corner of our bedroom for a year or two after all.

My fear of raising a spoiled brat

Raising a child that could star on Gossip Girl has been my only fear about parenting. Specifically, I don’t want my child to be so over-programmed with activities, over-exposed to new experiences, and overly mature for their age that they become bored and resolve to partying, doing drugs, and spending money (not so far-fetched in Manhattan). What I’m trying to say is I don’t want a spoiled ungrateful brat. Who does?

I grew up in the suburbs with an average middle-income family and so did my husband. I never wanted for necessities but was never over-indulged by my parents. I got a job when I was 16 to pay for my first car. And when I decided I was too cool to wear school clothes from Sears or JCPenny (courtesy of mom), I used what was left of my meager lifeguard salary to buy one cool shirt every few months from American Eagle or Abercrombie & Fitch. When it came time for college applications, I knew I had better get some scholarships because as a first generation college student, my parents couldn’t really afford tuition. Maybe because I was the oldest in my family, but I was just naturally independent. When I drove across country in the weeks following high school graduation, it was with a hand-full of my own savings and without my parents credit card (unlike many college classmates I knew).

Flash forward to now. My husband has a successful career and we’ve made good financial decisions. We have also chosen to live in one of the most expensive, competitive, and opportunistic cities in the world. How will New York harm versus help my child? 


Will I be hosting a cirque du soleil-themed birthday party complete with the cast of Zarkana? And when my kid turns sixteen, will he expect a brand new Land Rover (after all, Blu Ivy Carter got one for her sweet 16, it’s so unfair)? Will he slack in school, knowing that with the right connections and his parents wallet, he can get into a prestigious college without any true merit of their own?

These are my fears. How do we give our children everything without giving them everything? How do we teach them the pride that comes with working hard for something? How do we teach them to be grateful? How do we teach them to not have expectations about what they deserve?

If it means preserving their sense of awe and appreciation, maybe we should pack up and move to the country (and I don't mean Westchester County). 

I think it’s the goal of most parents to create a better life for their children than we had. But how do we not spoil them in the process? Especially in a place like Manhattan?

Craving NYC Burgers and Fries & French Toast and Waffles

While I’m not sending my husband out in the middle of the night for pickles, I do love eating two things right now: burgers and fries and french toast and waffles!

They taste exceptionally yummy lately! So yummy that I dedicate my weekends in NYC to trying a new restaurant offering one of the above. And of course, you can't go to the same place twice in NYC so I've eaten many different burgers and french toast plates. I’ve also been trying to eat only organic meat throughout my pregnancy. In addition to health benefits, organic meat really does have more taste and flavor. You’ll see all the burgers below are without hormones and mostly locally farmed.

Here are my favs in order of Good, Better, Best:

Burgers

6. Shake Shack – ShackBurger single …$4.55

- American cheese, lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce. (100% all natural Angus beef. No hormones and no antibiotics ever. We grind our proprietary Shack blend fresh daily.)

5. Minetta Tavern - Minetta Burger …$17

- with cheddar and caramelized onions. (I went with the smaller burger, although they are known for their Black Label Burger made from a selection of prime dry-aged beef cuts, $26)

4. Bareburger – The Original 6 oz. Burger … $9.65

- Organic Beef, brioche bun, colby jack, lettuce, tomato, raw red onion and bareburger special sauce. (all Bareburger meats are free-range, pasture raised, antibiotic and hormone free. Choice of burger includes organic beef, organic turkey, veggie burger, organic portabella mushroom, free-range chicken, lamb, wild boar, elk, and organic bison.) (pictured R)

3. The Green Table - GT Burger …$16

- Wrighteous Organics beef, kimchi, bacon & tomato relish, Amy’s roll. (All food is sourced from local family farms exercising humane and environmentally friendly practices.) 

2. Tipsy Parson - Grafton Cheddar Cheeseburger …$15

- 8 oz. house-ground organic patty, Grafton cheddar, red onion, potato bun, with fried pickle spear & fries with old bay aioli, with bacon ADD 1.

1. Smorgas Chef - Smorgas Burger ...$13 

- Grilled sirloin, lettuce, dill dressing, tomato, pickles (local, sustainable, and all-natural ingredients. Smorgas owns and operates its own 150-acre farm in the Catskills.)

French Toast & Waffles

5. Jane - Vanilla Bean French Toast ...$15

- brioche bread, crème brûlèe batter, Vermont maple syrup.

4. Alice's Tea Cup - Wonderland Waffles ...$10
- served with homemade blueberry compound butter and real maple syrup, add mixed berries ADD $3. (pictured R)


3. Intermezzo - French Toast …$11

- crème brulee rum sauce, with strawberries and bananas ADD $4. (this was on their menu of day’s specials.)

2. Sarabeth's TriBeCa - Apple-Cinnamon French Toast with Bananas and Raisins ...$15.50

- served with warm organic maple syrup from doerfler's farm.

1. The Garage Restaurant & Cafe - Vanilla Bean Soaked French Toast ...$16.95

- served with syrup and your choice of homemade macadamia coconut rum butter, sliced fresh bananas and homemade chocolate sauce, or our chef's cinnamon apple compote. (I ordered it with all of the above.) (pictured R)

Now who’s hungry? 

Mo' money mo' problems!

I want to share two interesting articles about couples sharing money. The original appearing in the NYT and the response appearing on Jezebel.com:

What’s the Best Way for Women to Trick their Husbands into Buying Them Shoes?

"How do modern couples manage their finances - and how does that affect the status of women, their long-term financial security and even their career prospects?" 

That's the opening line of Katrin Bennhold's piece in today's New York Times... about marriage's "unseen bottom line." A worthy, thought-provoking question, right? Unfortunately, Bennhold ...has apparently traveled back a few decades to an era in which women are completely ignorant about their family finances, and pool money with their partners not to foster equality in a mature relationship but so they can "enjoy some unscrutinized spending." Betty Draper, is that you?

Read the complete article on Jezebel.

(I love that line highlighted above.)


The NYT article surveys a small sample of couples (nearly half with a joint spending account) about how they spend money and primarily how the woman spends money compared to her husband.

Some women feel like they need their own personal spending account so to not be scrutinized by their husbands. I can see why she prefers to buy expensive shoes and bags without accountability (woo-hoo), but is the real issue a question of financial responsibility? Why would your husband scrutinize your actions unless you are buying a new pair of Jimmy Choos for the 10th time this year or can't afford the high price item at all? At which point, isn't it beneficial for someone to hold you accountable for your actions? Likewise, if my husband wants to buy a new suit and dress shoes for work (as we coincidentally discussed last night), I expect it to be a justified purchase (especially if the money could be better used for our summer vacation).

In my family, a justified purchase is a) needed such as a winter coat. Or b) wanted yet affordable like a pair of designer sunglasses on sale. And c) it may not cause spousal distress. For example, if my husband goes to Vegas and spends a couple grand for a friend's birthday party in the same month our son is due to be born, this will cause me distress. If I buy the 10th maternity dress that I will only wear for another 4 weeks, this will cause my husband distress. All kidding aside, it's about respect for the other person. 

Another woman in the article reported how she "bills" a portion of her cell phone bill, prenatal massage, and waxing to their joint account (after all, the husband benefits from these things...). But doesn't this penny-counting seem a lot harder than just pooling your income together and making justified purchases when necessary? How do you even prorate a bikini wax?

More than ever, EQUALITY seems to be the issue at hand regarding race, sexuality, and gender, so why are women being so damn difficult when defining what they want? It sounds like we are either screaming for our independence (our own income, our own spending accounts, not to mention reimbursement for all items that may benefit the man) or we are sheep following our shepherd. 

The latter includes women accepting an allowance from their husband with no influence on the family's financial management and those completely in the dark altogether about such things. I can't believe there are women out there who don't know the password to their shared bank account, don't know how much money their husband's make, don't know what their investments are, don't know if they have life insurance, retirement accounts or college savings plans. God forbid, something happens to my husband, who is going to inherent our financial situation if not me? 

To me, EQUALITY in a relationship means mutual respect and opportunities for one another. Financially speaking, being equal does not mean tit for tat and dollar for dollar. It's not about who makes more or who spends more if both parties are striving for a healthy relationship at the end of the day. When you are approaching finances for the good of all members of the family, the end result usually works out pretty well.


What do you think?

From rutabaga to squash to coconut, oh my!

Since BIG seems to be the theme of my blog posts this week, I want to report on another BIG thing - my BIG baby!

This week I had an ultrasound at 32 weeks to check on my low placenta... It was seriously .1 cm lower than it is supposed to be. What's up placenta? Get a move on!

Anyway, I was more excited to see the little guy in my belly... or should I say BIG guy in my belly! He is measuring 5 pounds already! OMG, that sounds really big when I still have 8 weeks to go! My husband literally gave me his condolences... really?!

Thebump.com says at 32 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a squash, weighing in at 2.5 to 3.8 pounds. 

From 33-36 weeks, your baby's the size of a durian (what the hell is that anyway?), butternut squash, coconut, or honey dew, weighing about 4.2 to 5.8 pounds. That's more like it! So maybe we are a week ahead of schedule?!

I don't know why we were so surprised! Looking back, he has been bigger than average at every ultrasound we've had. At 20 weeks, he was measuring in the 69th percentile. (Who knew they even had percentiles for fetuses?!) Maybe our shock was due to the fact that 5 pounds sounds like the size of a real baby versus a head of cabbage or a rutabaga as we imagined him before. 

I asked my Doctor about his weight and what to expect when expecting a MONSTER baby. She admitted it sounded bigger than usual. But they definitely won't induce labor early just because the baby is larger since it creates an increased chance of having a C-Section. But if he is larger than 11 pounds, they may offer a C-Section when the time comes. Are we seriously talking about 11 pounds as if it's an option?

Obviously, big or small, watermelon or coconut, as long as he is healthy, that is what matters! (But I won't complain if he decides to show his face a week earlier and a pound lighter. Fingers-crossed!)

Big City = Big Baby Shower!

You haven't seen gift bags until you've attended the Big City Moms' Biggest Baby Shower Ever event in NYC! I left with a ton of stuff. Seriously, check out this photo! 

In addition to the standard (GIANT) gift bag filled with bottles, booties, hats, nursery decor, organic snacks, lotions, coupons, books, and more, I also left with a Britax carrier, two Bright Starts Mombo feeding pillows (somehow my husband walked out with an extra one), and a Diaper Genie Deluxe. 

Although my husband insists these things weren't "free" because we bought tickets to the event, I still crossed the carrier, feeding pillow, and diaper genie off my registry!

The trade show-like event took place Wednesday at the Metropolitan Pavilion in NYC. Over 100 vendors had products on display for expecting moms (and dads). 

In addition to the big players in the industry like Skip Hop, Britax, Chicco, UPPAbaby, Fisher Price, Moby Wrap, and Baby Jogger, it was interesting to meet some of the other new innovative companies out there: 

Sage Spoonfuls - Liza Huber had a great demo table displaying her cookbook and products for making easy and healthy baby food. Plus, her mom, Susan Lucci, was on hand supporting her daughter. That was nice! The cookbook had user-friendly recipes made from a variety of fruits, veggies, and meats. I added the book to my registry.

Magnificent Baby - Immediately caught my eye with their magnetic closures on baby onesies, jammies, and gowns. Seriously, not even Dad could mess this up! So smart!

Baby Brezza - One-step baby food maker was pretty impressive! You can steam and puree in the same appliance! Looks like a super time saver!

Belly Bandid - This is the belly flattening wrap for post-pregnancy that Kourtney Kardashian endorses. I'm curious if it makes a real difference versus not wearing it. Any thoughts on this?

The Honest Company - As if Jessica Alba isn't busy enough, she founded this all natural line of products for baby, mom, and home. I'm really looking forward to trying the fragrance-free lotion because my skin has been so sensitive during pregnancy!

You also had your choice of seminars throughout the evening featuring the following speakers:

Tia Mowry - discussing her book Oh, Baby!, the highs (and lows) of preganacy

Dr. Bob Sears - Everything you need to know about Colic

Dr. Alan Greene - Good Taste Begins with Mom: Developing a Healthy Eater Right from the Start

Jessica Alba - The Honest Company

Melissa Joan Hart - Business of Being Born

For those of you who know me, you already know the celebrity sightings were my favorite part of the event! Seriously though, it's great to see successful women who are also involved mothers! Clearly these stars have better things to do than make appearances in a room full of crazy pregnant ladies (ie: Jessica Alba was just at the Met Costume Gala a few days before). So it leads me to believe, they really care about the topics they were promoting!

That goes for all the entrepreneurial moms demonstrating their products at the event. You know they probably came up with the idea at their kitchen table in the middle of the night somewhere between birth and the first year. It's inspiring! I'd love to be able to do the same! You never know what motherhood may bring!

Thanks Big City Moms!

My tea party shower in the city

This past weekend, I was joined by friends and family for my baby shower at Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon at the Inn at Irving Place.

As we all know, space is the biggest challenge for New Yorkers. I couldn't host a traditional shower in my apartment due to a max capacity of 4 people. So finding a venue that could accommodate a flock of excitable women "Ooooing and Ahhhing" over baby things became the first priority. With a guest list of approximately 20, it was no easy task to simply make a lunch reservation.

I explored a few different restaurants and tea parlors looking for a venue that could provide a private space and a suitable ambiance for a baby shower including Alice’s Tea Cup and Sprinkles Cupcakes before selecting Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon.

A traditional 5 course English tea service – a first for most of us – in a private salon in a beautiful Victorian inn made for a truly perfect shower!

The Elsie de Wolfe salon was reserved for my guests for 3 hours (so we had plenty of time for chatting, eating, game playing, and opening gifts). I loved the gold walls and Victorian décor and the formal china table settings laid out for us made it very elegant. For city folk and out-of-towners alike, the tea party was a unique occasion for us to dress in our Sunday best and even show off our best interpretation of an English hat or head piece.

The 5 course tea service included:

Champagne Cocktail

Butternut Squash Amuse Bouche (a mini quiche)

Tea Sandwiches:

Smoked Salmon with Dill Cream Cheese on Pumpernickel

Cucumber with Mint Crème Fraiche on Brioche

Classic Egg Salad on Rye

Smoked Turkey & Cranberry on Seven Grain

Scones with Devonshire Clotted Cream & Strawberry Preserves

Cake with Raspberry Coulis

Assorted Cookies & Chocolate Covered Strawberries

And of course, freshly seeped teas throughout.

My lovely hosts (two friends and mother-in-law) personalized the event with games including celebrity baby names quiz, guess how round my belly is, and how many animal crackers in a tea pot. They had a framed ultrasound image of our baby and asked guests to sign the matting (like a guest book). For favors, each guest took home a tea cup and saucer containing candies and customized tea bags printed with my baby’s name and due date. It was the cutest thing ever!

In the end, New York City pleasantly surprised me by offering a totally unique baby shower experience! While defying the mold of a traditional baby shower, I think all my guests agree it was fun to try something totally new!

Mine vs Ours (when mom doesn't work)

I'd like to write a response to this blog post I read the other day, "Cash Poor, How did my husband become my bank?". With all due respect, I have a different opinion to share.

When my husband and I moved in together before we got married, we split our living expenses proportionately based on what we each of us realistically could afford. Meaning I made about 1/3 of his salary, so I paid 1/3 of the rent. Sometimes I paid for dinners out or sometimes he did. I don’t remember living by a rigid financial agreement between us. But it was no secret that he made more money than I did.

When my husband suggested we combine finances, I was actually the hesitant one. Supporting myself financially was something I had done since I moved out of my parents house at the age of 18. In college, I waitressed and worked part-time internships. I paid my rent and even bought my first car. For me, the issue was about independence. I made my own decision because my parents could not control me financially. Likewise, I didn’t want my boyfriend telling me how much I could spend on shoes and controlling my spending habits. Maybe I didn’t want him to know I put my latest shopping spree on a credit card because I only had $5 in my bank account until next payday.  

My husband looked at it differently. He wasn’t trying to control me. He felt combining finances was a step in planning for our future and being financially responsible together. At that point in our relationship, we were talking about making a long term commitment to each other and finances are a huge part of that. It was more than who pays for what.

Not to say the transition didn’t come without questions. For example, why was my spending in the personal hygiene/self maintenance category ten times higher than his? What can I say? Women use hair products and make-up. We get mani/pedis. Yes, it costs THAT much for highlights. News flash - looking this good ain’t free. And why did my husband have to buy lunch every day at work when I packed my lunch. Was that fair?

If one of us wanted to make a large purchase, say $100 or more, we consulted each other. Is it okay to spend $100 this month? Do we have room in the budget? Did he really need new golf clubs? Did I really need Prada sunglasses? If the answer was yes and we could afford it, then we respected each other’s purchases. It may be relevant to note that we are both savvy shoppers in general who prefer the Outlets, Marshall’s and Costco to spending retail prices in designer stores.

Before the critics presume I got the better end of the stick by having access to my husband’s income, you should know that for the next two years, my husband was enrolled full time as a graduate student while I worked full time and freelanced to pay our expenses and to contribute towards a wedding budget. And sure, we took out education loans to cover the rest. I never resented the fact he quit his job and choose to go back to school. It was an investment in our future together.

Now, with the arrival of our first child this summer, I will quit my job to be a stay at home mom (SAHM). I can honestly say that it has never crossed my mind to feel guilty or worthless or ashamed of the fact that I will no longer make paycheck or that I can’t buy things for myself with MY hard earned money.

Maybe it’s because my paycheck has not been MINE for over 5 years now. However nominal, it’s been OURS.

In fact, I don’t think the way we manage our finances will change one bit. We will still both have access to our shared bank accounts, we will both know what bills get paid and when, and we will both manage how much is spent on necessities versus luxuries. My husband will not give me an allowance. We will continue to manage our finances together and not independent of each other.

I have full confidence that my husband (if not any devoted and loving husband for that matter) would be shocked, if not alarmed, to find out his wife and children were in need of necessities such as winter coats or deodorant because the wife was embarrassed to tell him. If the couple realistically can’t afford to live on one salary alone, that is a completely different issue to be addressed.

Now, back to these feelings of guilt and self-worth from the other article, I do believe they are real feelings. But perhaps tied to something else. I think everyone needs to feel like they have something to be proud of but is self worth measured by a paycheck?

To be continued…    

(I would love to hear how other SAHM feel about this issue. Feel free to comment below.)


Updated 4:48pm
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Sun, sand, and sea. Ahhhh... This is the life!

I was lucky enough to go on a baby-moon or “last getaway” before the baby arrives. My husband and I spent the last 5 days in Aruba: relaxing on the beach, sipping sweet drinks, and eating delicious food (“one happy island” as they say).

I did my fare share of research on how to prepare for the beach while pregnant. The biggest thing I heard from my yoga buddies was to drink A LOT of water to stay hydrated. Naturally, my Doctor also said to stay out of the sun because skin is more sensitive during pregnancy.

I packed my plastic water bottle, 50 SPF, aloe, sunglasses, and hat in hopes of protecting myself from the sun while not avoiding the sun all together. This is a beach vacation after all, I’m expecting to come home with a tan.

The only real challenge I faced was finding adequate swim attire. (This should be a whole other blog post really. TBA.) The challenge of finding a fashionable yet supportive swim suit was a bitch. I won’t even mention the distress my husband endured trying to balance the numerous purchases, exchanges, and returns in our checking account.

We stayed at the Westin Resort on Palm Beach where all the high rise resorts are located (the RIU, Radisson, Hyatt, Occidental, Marriot, Holiday Inn, the whole gang was there). It really is the best and most popular location because everything you could need was within walking distance. You could walk along the beach in front of the resorts for about 2 miles and find a ton of tiki bars, restaurants, and water sport rentals. Or walk on the street side of the resorts for about 2 miles and find a slew of touristy shops and restaurants, even a Hooters and Senior Frogs.

I think it’s important to note how our baby-moon differed from a typical pre-pregnancy vacation:

Early to bed, early to rise: We woke up naturally around 7am every day. What the heck? This is vacation! Maybe going to bed around 9pm and not being hung-over had something to do with it. Well I won’t complain about more day light hours. Plus we had to reserve our palabra by 8am.

Shade vs Sun: Beach time was spent under a beach palabra (umbrella) versus coated in oil and baking in the sun. Unavoidably, I did spend some time in the sun, and despite the SPF 50, I left Aruba with mild sun poison on my belly and hands to prove it.

R&R: Our daily itinerary centered around doing nothing. We didn’t schedule a jeep tour, horseback riding, jet-skiing, tennis, or golf. It may sound like a snooze-fest to adventure tourists, but perfect for preggers like me. My husband actually read a complete novel for the first time in a year. I laid on the beach, swam in the pool, did yoga, got a massage, walked on the beach, napped, and practiced my photography. We signed up for a 3 hour snorkeling trip on a catamaran, but sadly, the waves were too rough and they cancelled the tour. Safety first!

Drinking: I had my doubts about virgin cocktails (what’s the point, right?). Well, those lime daiquiris and Oreo mudslides really hit the spot when I was fighting to stay cool. And they were half the price of alcoholic drinks, cha-ching! Another great thing about Aruba is they have the second largest water treatment facility in the world (I swear I read that somewhere), so I had unlimited refills of tap water and ice versus paying for bottled water, cha-ching!

Nightlife: Or lack of in our case. Nothing shouted my name more than a nightly rerun of ‘Law and Order: SVU’. We steered clear of the casinos and dance clubs. Honestly, Aruba isn’t a terribly happening place at night anyway. It’s not Cancun, and I don’t even remember seeing spring breakers. Our fellow beach goers were mostly families and couples. And call me prude, but the resort’s nightly Magic & Comedy Show did not lure me in.

Besides having a great vacation, I’m so happy my husband and I scheduled time for just us. It was our first vacation with just the two of us in over a year. Although baby was ever present (in the form of kicking my ribs), we were on our own schedule without worrying about anyone other than each other.

We also realized how lucky we are to have a really low key pregnancy without sickness or complications (besides the rash factor), and considering our “fast-paced” lifestyle in NYC, being pregnant hasn’t slowed me down THAT much (knock on wood).

Now, let the next (and last) 10 weeks of baby showers, birthing classes, and Doctors appointments begin!