new resolutions

when i came from london back in september, i was full of resolutions and new changes i wanted to make in my life. but then we were pregnant and hyperemesis had set in with a freaking vengeance, and soon i basically got out of bed once every two weeks. so there went my resolutions about walking more and visiting museums. remember my less-yoga-pants-more-real-outfits pledge? ha. HA. every few days, tovi would gently prod me out of bed, into the shower, and then i'd exchange one pair of sweats for another. 

i was laid low, friends. laid. low. 

it has been a seasoning of scaling back, of simplifying, and it certainly hasn't all been a negative. here are my new {improved} resolutions:

1. wear real outfits occasionally. as the next five and a half month go along, my yoga pants will feel more and more comfortable, but i need to somedays resist the urge and actually get dressed. but there's  going to be a lot of grace in this area. 

2. don't keep secrets. my pregnancy was like the world's worst kept secret. my friend sarah and i went out for drinks one night. she ordered a glass of wine and i ordered a hot chocolate. i didn't have the energy to make up an excuse, so when my mug was set in front of me, i looked at her and admitted, "well, i'm pregnant." one day as tovi valiantly managed everything in our family, he finally said to me, "we need to tell people so that we can get some help." he was so right and i'm so glad we did. our friends were more than generous with the meals they brought and the times they took cruz off our hands. 

3. get writing. i have missed writing and blogging like crazy. trying to make this more of a priority.

4. relax. poor cruz barely ever went to the park or had a playdate during my first trimester and he's fine. i haven't cracked open my copy of what to expect and the baby is going to be fine. cruz has now watched an unbelievable amount of television and he's fine. we've only eaten food that comes in packages and it's not how i want to cook, but we're fine. fine. 

get dressed occasionally. ask for help. do the things you're passionate about. relax your expectations. is that good news to anyone else?

10 on 10

i decided to try the ten on ten challenge yesterday where you take ten pictures on the tenth day of the month, and live to tell the tale. ok, just kidding. it helps you discover the beauty in the everyday and answers the age-old question, "what do i do all day?"

+++++++++++

6:35am. my sweet husband gets up far before the break of day. sometimes i go back to sleep, but sometimes i roll over and catch up on twitter   do my devotions. 

7:07am. it's time to get cruz out of bed because he has daycare at 8. usually he's up and playing in his bed by now, but this morning i walk into to find this:

7:20am. don't judge us. we're eating waffles and peanut butter pretzels for breakfast. i may be feeling better but i'm still pregnant. there is no real cooking happening around here.

8:42am. i love mondays. cruz is at daycare for the morning and i have the house to myself. being alone at home is a special kind of awesome. i am incredibly productive on mondays. work is getting done. laundry is started between phone calls. the house is spic and span. there's nothing like it. 

12:25pm. you know it was a good day at school if you have to strip down the moment you walk in the door.

1:30pm. cruz goes down for a "nap" (he sings in his bed for an hour and a half until i march in, change his diaper, make him cry because i put him back in bed, and then eventually cries himself to sleep). as my wise friend anna says, "singing is not restful for mama. only sleeping is restful." i finish up some work and eat one hundred of these:

ok! you're right! this is only seven pictures! i forgot to take them for the rest of the day. you missed out on pictures of our dinner (orange chicken-- pregnant, remember?), of a man sitting alone at starbucks knitting (bold move, sir), christmas joy overload at pier one, and a MOPS planning sesh with my friend krista (our holiday party is going to be uh-mazing!!). maybe next time. 

hope your day was filled with everyday beauty. 

what {we} wore on wednesday

it is sooooo time for a wednesday post, don't you think?

(this is a really good one)

my cruz-man has been recovering from a cold, so i was excited to wake up to a sunny baby this morning.

cruz was very impressed with the syncronicity of wearing fire truck jams while holding his fire truck and reading about fire trucks. 

we aim to please around here.

it was sunny and warm today for the first time in what feels like forever but in reality has been about five days. time to take advantage of the sun!

love that this guy helps with yard work!

well... i told you this was going to be a good post...

cruz, are you ready?

show em' what you got!

BIG BROTHER!!!!!

aaaannnndd that's why it's been quiet around these parts. without going into too many details in this post, between you and me, i've had a touch of the kate middletons if you get what i'm saying. 

i'm happy to be back and thrilled for this precious little one that will be joining us in early june. 

so what's your average mama wearing in her second trimester these days?

stripes, of course!

and my sweet new necklace from lady lee & drew jones that i won from my friend laura over at lb's goodspoon. love. it. the necklace is baby friendly (non-tox, durable, etc), and i can attest to that because thirty seconds after i opened the package, cruz had stolen it and let his lion wear it. hm. 

this one's for all you bump-watchers.

and for all you christmas lovers.

happy wednesday!

Reaganing

Lemon, you may be witnessing history here. Making it through a full twenty four hours without a single misstep is called "Reaganing." The only other people who've ever done it: Lee Iacocca, Jack Welch, and -- no judement -- Saddam Hussein. So, what have you got for me? ~ Jack Donaghy {30 Rock}


It was one of those dream days. You know the type. Well, not the walk on the beach and sip a glass of wine type, although usually that is my dream day. I mean the type when no pile or laundry of length of to-do list can stop you. You are the queen of your domain and problems just better watch out.

So, not to toot my own horn, but it was an awesome day.
Tasks were accomplished!
Grocery shopping was perfectly timed with daycare pick up!
Dinner was made during nap time!
Emails were sent and answered!
THE TO DO LIST WAS ALL CROSSED OFF.

It was in this aura of smug accomplishment that Cruz and I set off for our evening walk to check out the Christmas lights in our neighborhood. He has made the connection that Christmas = decorations and he has loved looking at all the pretty lights on our street. It was such a fun, sweet moment, walking around the neighborhood as the twilight grew darker, and more and more lights came on. We walked through the playground on the way back to our house; Cruz stopped and asked the fateful question that turned the day on its head: Carry you?

I picked him up as I stepped off the curb into the street.

His little foot kicked against my sweatshirt pocket.

My iphone flew out.

Landed on the street.

Slid down an embankment and like it knew where it was going, dove straight into the storm drain.

Oh hell no. Not today, world. Any other day you can give me disaster but I'm not taking it right now. And forgive me because I never thought I'd say this, but I am Reaganing today.  I should have panicked, but didn't. Yes, my expensive phone was presumably sitting at the bottom of a flooded cesspool, but I sensed that the entire day hinged on this moment. Time to rise to the challenge.

We ran home. Cruz was crying, "Mommy's phone! Mommy's phone!" which only added to the drama of the moment. I dropped him off with Tovi, armed myself with the Maglite and kitchen tongs and went out to destroy me some storm drain.

It wasn't as deep as I'd feared, but I couldn't see my phone anywhere, and I wanted to get it quickly as every few minutes new water would rush through the bottom. I ran back home and grabbed Tovi's phone, hoping that by hearing my ringtone, I'd be able to pinpoint its location (note: I was very, very careful not to drop this one). Bingo. Most days are normal, but somedays my genius surprises me.

Score one for team skinny girl arms; Reader, I got that phone back. I shed my dignity, legs sticking straight out into the street with my upper body halfway down a storm drain, as the good people of my neighborhood drove home from work. Who knows what kind of diseases and vermin live down there, but nothing could survive the heavy Lysol job I gave me and my phone when we got back home.

Total victory. Reaganed.

today while you were napping

today while you were napping on this dark, rainy sunday, i ate lunch. salad: spinach, shredded cheddar, honey mustard dressing, and your leftover mickey mouse-shaped chicken nuggets. 

i told your dad about our rainy day adventure: how i let you dig in the mud and you kept yelling, "more dirt!" i told him about the "big kids" we met, how they let you play with their motorcycle racers, and how their older sister made me a friendship bracelet. he thought it was funny that we came home and stripped down as soon as we stepped inside. we were soooo muddy!

buddy, while you were napping, i did something totally slothful and luxurious. please don't follow my example until you are a parent and can convince yourself that you deserve a moment like this. it was sunday. it was rainy. i crawled into bed with the ipad, watched two episodes of the hills, and ate a donut. i'm already jealous of myself.

i've done what feels like ten loads of laundry and right now while you're sleeping, i'm finally finishing up the last load. it's taken all day, but every single sheet, towel, and blanket in the house is fresh and clean. the only feeling in the world better than getting into clean sheets is getting into clean sheets and eating a donut.

you kept napping, so i cooked up the noodles and pork we're having for dinner. i mixed up the peanut sauce and was reminded that i could drink this straight from the mixer. i can't wait until dinner time!

it's still raining, you're still napping, and it's so dark out that i've turned on the christmas lights. 

wake up soon, baby. i miss you.