3.26.2012

family outings

it's spring break around our crazy little house with Otto's preschool taking the week, Rob's school taking the week, and myself and Loretta enjoying our maternity leave. i love that we can all be together this week. it feels like a little family vacation. amazingly (cuz we are so amazing), we were brave enough to leave the house as a family twice in the past two days... and i hope to get out every day this week to give Otto some fun outings and (wishful thinking) get a little sunshine on my pasty pale face.
this is us at CostCo yesterday and lordy, lordy we did some DAMAGE. intentional damage. i wanted to stock up Y2K style so we wouldn't have to make as many small trips to the regular grocery and honestly to save a little dough in the long run.

it was awesome. although i hesitated to show this picture. dudes, i look as tired as i feel but i didn't realize i looked so tired! on the short list of to-dos in the next week or so is hair dye, hair cut, and get some sunshine on my poor pale face. yeek.

here is someone way better looking... shades thief! cowboy extraordinaire!
today's outing was a picnic lunch at the park with this starlet who boldly told anyone who would listen, "i used to be three but now i'm three and a quarter!"  and then shook his walking stick at them :)

AND! it was actually sunny today. AND! when the clouds weren't in the way, it was even warmish. BUT! mostly it was cloudy, windy, and cold.

Loretta (who is quite vocal about her general dissatisfaction, haha! she is so mellow but so impatient too and goes from zero to furious all the time, then back to zero as soon as we fix whatever she is upset about, usually hunger) is four score against chilly wind, it turns out. even when bundled up snug in a moby wrap, if even the tinyest gust of chilly wind eeked in she let out a howl of sheer anger. she is quite the bossy pants, guys! i love it! i love how different she is from how Otto was (although i recall he seriously had a bone to pick with wind too) and i love that she is a demanding little grouch and a sweet snuggly cuddle bug all at the same time.

love.

i've been really terrible about taking pictures but i seriously promise to be better. i know i'll regret that i'm not going picture crazy right now. but i just feel so "in the moment" 24/7 lately that it's been hard to remember to bring out the cam. i need to though. seriously.

is it anyone else's spring break right now? are you enjoying family time? good weather? hopefully better weather than us! boo rain! well anyways, i wish you all loads of sun-shiney family time this week.

3.17.2012

just tidbits

the past 8 days (since we welcomed Miss Loretta into the world) have been a whirlwind of the happiest hellos, the scariest moments, the sweetest snuggles... here are just a few tidbits from our past week...
my favorite boys and little girl in the whole wide world. the teeniest snoozer. sunbathing on the bedspread. arts and crafts. candy gifts from friends. shrinkx hip belts because i'm cool. more snuggles. visits from nanas (all the way from arizona!). amazing poundcake creations from amazing friends. my first beer in 9 months is my favorite beer in the world. saint patrick's day cuties. and love love love love love.

i also finally figured out instagram recently (see square pics above)! if you're on instagram find me, i'm "OTandET" and i'm a little tardy to the party but totally newly addicted.

love love love love love.

3.13.2012

baby, baby, i'm taken with the notion...

on friday, march 9, at 3:49 am we welcomed this most precious bundle of 8lb, 6oz perfection into our family...
hello Loretta Cecille! i cannot stop cuddling, holding, cooing, staring, snuggling, and otherwise loving you.

those of you who follow me on the twitter or my personal facebook know the first 3 days following Loretta's birth were pretty scary. i just wanted to thank you all for your love, thoughts, well wishes, and prayers. she is doing wonderfully now, we are home sweet home, and we just got follow up bloodwork done this morning which should show (i'm anxiously awaiting a phone call as we speak) that she is continuing to thrive. for those of you who have no idea what i'm talking about, i'm so sorry, things have been crazy, and i am hoping to have more time soon to sit down here and write out Loretta's birth story. in the mean time, i just wanted to share her sweet little face with you all. she looks so much like big brother did as a newborn!

xoxo,
lindsey

3.08.2012

❤ thrifting thursday ❤

applique dress/top for baby: ninety cents

so we were pretty sure tuesday night that baby Loretta was on her way! huge false alarm. mehhhhh.

i did have an appointment with the birth center/midwife today and i'm 3-4 cm dilated and 60% effaced so that's heartening, but doesn't really mean anything or put a timeline on this. could be tonight, could be next week. gah! i'm so impatient! i just want this baby already. me = OVER being pregnant. being pregnant is sooo last week.

soooo... to take my mind off pregnancy limbo, i got myself out of the house today and participated in Mandy of The Haps' thrifting thursday.

i had two hours all to myself and was fueled by a half-shamrock, half-strawberry McShake (i am a genius! amazing milkshake concoction! delish!). that shake must've had a little magic in it because for $12.50 i found six things for little Etta, vintage shoes for Otto that fit him perfectly, a children's book that is near to my heart, and even a dress for mama (not for today, but maybe for a couple months from now, spanx-allowing).
flashback: 1982

reading the Monster at the end of this Book to Otto five times this afternoon while he kicked his chubs legs over the edge of the bed, sporting his GASS shoes, was such a flashback to my childhood. that book is the funniest thing. with each page i would look at Ot like, "what should we do?" and he would laugh and say, "turn the page!" so silly. so fun!
vintage or otherwise frilly items for baby Etta including hand-made baby bell-bottoms 

i even found a little something for me. it was actually $5, the most expensive thing, and i hesitated like crazy because i couldn't try it on and even though i really (like really really) love it and it says it's a size 10... i think in the late 60s/early 70s when it was made a size 10 was more like a size 6 today. anyways, i'm pregnant, who knows what my body's gonna be up to in a few months. i'm hoping! hope hope hoping! that this will fit. don't you think it'd be so great for work with a cardi or jacket and some tall brown boots.
$12.50 for everything feels like the score of the century! even if the dress ends up not fitting (but i really hope it does fit). and it got me out of the house today and my mind off this whole why-baby-stay-inside-me-want-baby-outside-::grunt:: business. at least for a couple of milkshake fueled hours.

ok, so harness your psychic powers and please zap me with labor vibes!

xo,
lindsey

3.06.2012

eleven things and eleven more things!

if you read-a the mommy blogs you'll know that this "eleven things" business is the hottest thing since Adam Levine in a grandpa sweater on The Voice last night. so when i was tagged by Amanda and Rebecca to participate, you know i totally didn't want to... because these kinds of things actually really intimidate me. but then rebecca was really demanding about it (jerk, love her) so here goes...

the rules...
- post a random picture of yourself
- list 11 random things about yourself
- answer 11 Qs about yourself
- ask 11 new Qs
- smile, don't stress, have fun (i added this for my own benefit, not sure if it worked)

a random pic...
i just took this for this post. this is me hanging out at home, waiting to go into labor (yawn! no.. wait! what was that? oh wait, nevermind, yawn!). i put on mascara for you people. however, i did not make the bed.

eleven random things...

1. when i was a kid i used to chew the collars of all my shirts (cool right?) until one day when i was about seven i was wearing a yarny sweater and chewed it "just so" so that it made this awful high-pitched squeaking sound in the back of my head. gag gag gag gahhh! instantly cured me of the chewing habit but after that i could not wear, touch, or really even think about yarn without gagging for years and years until i was about 15 and fell in love with Eddie Vedder. compelled to buy second hand cardigans, i somehow overcame my yarn aversion. how's that for an overcoming-challenges story?

2. i have this thing with microwaves where the amount of time has to either be a number repeated or a number sequence. So 1 minute = 55 seconds, 2 minutes = 2:22, 3 minutes = 3:21, 4 minutes = 3:45, and so on. i swear this has never affected the quality of the results!

3. my favorite cocktail is a super dirty vodka martini

4. i have the ugliest feet i've ever seen on a girl. fred flintstone to the max. it's such a shame.

5. i wish nicole richie and rachel zoe were my friends. that would be so fun.

6. this january i will have been married for 15 years! we were babies! when i met rob i had a shaved head and wore giant tshirts and dickies as a uniform. somehow he saw past all that. he's still my best friend after all these years (awwwww).

7. yes to Cookie Crisp! (but rarely - like once every 2 years - do i let myself have it because what happens gets really ugly, really fast)

8. let's go karaoke! who's in?

9. my nose only has half-nostrils (no joke, see)...
someday when i get old lady nose hairs it's gonna be a bad bad scene. nose fail!

10. i know all of the words to The Humpty Dance and can sing all 50 states in alphabetical order. if you are ever at a party with me and things get a little out of hand there is a good chance i will feel the need to prove these things to you

11. i challenge you to tetris!

eleven questions (courtesy of Rebecca) and answers...

1. What is the first thing you do when you wake up and the last thing you do before you go to bed?

drink water. i'm like that little girl from Signs with half-full glasses of water all over the house, always.

2. Are you what you wanted to be when you grew up?

all i ever wanted to be when i grew up was a writer, so kind of, because i get to do that at work and here on this blog. but not really in the same sense as my childhood dreams. someday i'd love to write a novel or children's books.

3. If you could go anywhere for a vacation where would you go? What would you do?

greece. eat, drink and sunbathe.

4. If you had 30 seconds to get out of your house and you could never go back, what 5 items would you grab? (Assuming all people and/or pets got themselves to safety)

photo albums, this computer, ummmm... i honestly don't know what else! boxes and boxes of Otto's baby memorabilia?

5. Coke or Pepsi?

coke zero, ftw!

6. If you could stay one age for the rest of your life would you? What age would you be? Why?

probably a fitter, unpregnant version of this age (33). i feel like i'm old enough that people i respect can respect me back but i'm young enough to still be active and do pretty much any activity i set my mind to.

7. 80s Hair bands or 90s Grunge bands?

90s hands DOWN

8. What is the soundtrack of your life?

i would like it to be Lou Reed "Perfect Day" or just Eddie Vedder singing anything while cuddling me.

9.  Are you a morning person or a night owl?

i'm always in a good mood, honestly. but have a hard time staying up late. so i guess morning.

10. What would your last meal be?

a chile relleno burrito enchilada style, restaurant corn chips, a vat of mashed avocados, another vat of sour cream, some popcorn chicken from sonic, pomegranate arils, strawberry rhubarb pie, lavender gelato, and a bottomless pint of pyramid apricot ale. and then some tums, haha.

11. What was your 
favorite show as a child?
The Littles. i was always so enchanted by the way they turned thimbles into cups and sardine cans with pencils tied to the sides into beds... and The Cosby Show.

eleven questions for YOU! 

(ps. i'm not going to tag anyone because i'm pretty tardy to the party but if you participate please let me know. i'd LOVE to read your eleven things post! if you already did one, i'd love to read that too.)
1. what's your favorite movie?
2. your celebrity crush?
3. your most glorious moment?
4. your most embarrassing moment that you're willing to share?
5. tv show you're still sad they cancelled?
6. how many pushups can you do? test yourself right now!
7. if you could change one physical thing about yourself?
8. best place you've ever traveled?
9. favorite place to clothes shop?
10. is there anyone you'd totally punch in the face, if you could?
11. if you could learn a new skill or go back to school what would it be for?

ok, now it's your turn! ps. this post took me forever to write and i'm still not in labor ::frustration::

3.03.2012

busy busy

still pregnant...
confession: i'm probably wayyy too tired to be blogging, or doing anything except sleeping or (i wish -->) giving birth, right now. but i realllllly want to stay up to see Lindsay Lohan and Jack White on Saturday Night Live. rob was like, "ummm, why is that???" and i couldn't really explain it except that for whatever reason i'm still fascinated with Ms. Lohan after all these years. and Jack White? well, he's like the creepiest guy i'd ever make out with. he's so rad. whatever.

did i mention: still pregnant. due in 10 days! but so over being pregnant. dear Loretta, feel free to make your appearance any time, for reals. mama doesn't love her kankles. mama wants to meet you!
wearing: sweater (thrifted), dress as shirt (Meghan LA thrifted from Buffalo Exchange), jeans (motherhood), shoes (thrifted). oh, i'm linking up with Mandy's blog today for steppin' out saturday and hoping this is the last time i step out maternity style!

today was so busy busy! we went on a mondo shoe hunt for Otto. his feet, and the rest of him, have been growing like mad lately. i tried a St. Vincent De Paul boutique thrift store that's been calling my name for a while now. it was really awesome and i can't wait to go shopping for myself there when i'm wearing normal clothes again. it seems to be the store where they funnel all of their antiques and vintage clothes! a treasure trove! alas, no kids shoes that cut the mustard. so... then onto a fahncy pants shoe store that had really awesome kid shoes (Keen, do we know this brand? i didn't til today. now super in love) but they were $50. $50! i couldn't bring myself to do it, even though the shoes were super cute. so... then onto TJ Maxx which totally disappointed me by not having kids shoes except flip flops. Lame! so... then onto Ross where we SCORED ::spins around and does michael jackson pose and makes falsetto noises:: these sneaks for $12 (by simple, originally $45). l o v e.
then to Target to gift shop for a birthday party. then to said birthday party at a kids gym. i had this moment of utter appreciation for this stage in Otto's life at the gym. he worked so hard to climb this wall.
the first time it took him like five real minutes and a lot of struggle and when he got to the top he looked for me and when he caught my eye his face just LIT UP with such pride. he shimmied down the wall and ran over to me and gave me a huge high five. then, went back to the wall and climbed it at least ten more times. each time he got faster and each time he would run over to me for a high five. so proud of himself! and i realized that sometime soon, maybe in 3 or so years (i have no idea) finding his mom and sharing a high five would be the last thing on his mind. but today, i was totally in it with him and it was awesome.
after the party we went home for about five minutes and then were off to a dinner. i recently gave up antiperspirant in favor of non-aluminum deoderant (if you're curious why, you should read this infographic that scared the crap out of me) anyways the experiment so far has been fine. i'm sweaty, but not stinky, using Tom's and have big plans to buy Lavanila when i can scrounge together $18. anyways, though, by the time we were heading to dinner i was sweaty betty, so changed from the cardi into this oversized sweater tee. for being a huge moose, i thought it kind of looked nice together mixing the patterns and colors...
sorry for the womp womp face, i swear i'm not forlorn. anyways, when we got home i then headed straight to the refridgerator for this magic.
a friend saw my previous blog post about jonesing for almond bark and made (made!) us a batch of dark chocolate salted caramel almond bark plus brought an avocado. me = dead and = more kankley than ever and i don't even care. it. is. amazing. (thank you emmeline!)

what a busy busy day. maybe one of my last pure days of just running errands and doing things with my sweet boy mano-a-mano. i know that sounds bittersweet and it kind of is. i am so excited for this little girl to join our home but it's been just me and Ot for 3 years now. at least on the weekends when rob is busy with homework pretty often. i have loved so many minutes, hours, and days with my sweet little boy and it is bittersweet to know that that's about to change as we all make room in our house and hearts for baby girl.
we're so badass. i love his sock tuck.

one chapter ends, another begins.
xoxo, lindsey