Deliveries out the wazoo

We've been getting lots of deliveries at our household; from pack and plays, to wall decors, baby monitors, and diaper bags. Our nursery is slowly coming together..I am super pumped! I think nesting fever has come early.

the Buy Buy Baby guys finally came and put together our hutch and changing table. The wood is such a pretty color!

Our wall decals that look crooked but I think it's just the way I took the picture.

We bought these at Buy Buy Baby and they are part of the CoCalo Jungle Nali collection. I'm really happy with how the nursery is turning out, I think we picked the right theme!

a new toy for Noms so she doesn't feel left out!

putting together our 3-1 pack and play- this includes a changing table and a bassinet!

I'm really digging the print on this Graco play yard- http://www.hayneedle.com/sale/gracorittenhousepacknplaysilhouetteplayyard.cfm?source=placpc&adtype=pla&kw={keyword}&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=GRO106&gclid=CLKqtOPXw64CFdEDQAodMFyYWQ

I bought these two plush animals for our nursery and Sonoma instantly thought they were her toys! I had to move the animals to the top shelf so she would understand that they were "no touch!" toys.

these could perhaps turn into baby's childhood stuffed animals.. they are so cuddly and soft!

my new Skip Hop pewter diaper bag- it was a bit expensive but it's multi functional and pretty stylish :)

Huevos rancheros- my new favorite breakfast made by T.

eggs, salsa, refried beans, mexican cheese, and sour cream on a flour tortilla- yum!!

Graco, BoBs, and Giveaways

We had a lovely lunch date with my friend and her 6mth old babes yesterday. She is a total model child and a real cutie to boot! But seriously, who am I kidding, I'm sure she wasn't always this perfect, barely crying baby.

Strolling around the Bucktown neighborhood, we ended up at Feast for brunch. I tried getting into the Bongo Room, but like always, it was fully booked and a table wouldn't be ready for us for over an hour!! W.T. Funk! You may have won this round Bongo, but I'll be back!! Feast is extremely kid friendly (kids and parents everywhere I looked) and has delicious food options but the only downside I found was that it is super loud every time I've dined there. 

T and I split this ginormous turkey burger and delish sweet potato fries.

I also had a few bites of this trio of benedicts- salmon, crab, and ham.

After brunch, I still managed to convince my friend to make a stop at Forever Yogurt- a self service, full array of toppings yogurt bar. I had cake batter, angel food cake, and cookies n creme fro yo with a bunch of chocolatey toppings plus strawberries. Yuuuuum!!

http://www.foreveryogurt.com/

We also got our nursery furniture delivery yesterday from Buy Buy Baby and I was so excited to finally put together some of what we bought earlier. How cute is that mobile!!

This is the hutch for our changing table that will be delivered later today (or so they said yesterday but still no word)

the baby's sturdy dresser

We didn't realize everything was so big! Unfortunately, that's the only place the crib will fit so I think we'll have to figure out something with that window... maybe get some blinds installed so that the sun doesn't harm the baby.

playtime for Sonoma!

Dinner was delicious last night- T prepared homemade chicken parm with whole wheat spaghetti and mushroom tomato sauce.

with a side of garlic bread

My mom came up to see us this afternoon and drop of the rest of our baby stuff we had left at her place in Rockford. I T was eager to put together the BOB stroller and accessories.

Once it was all assembled, it seemed pretty easy to maneuver and use!

I don't know what I'm excited about more, the arrival of the baby or using the stroller!! :-)

 

the Graco compatible BOB car seat adapter was also very easy to install once viewing an online video. T found that most of the manuals were pretty shit to understand, and that's saying a lot since he's extra good at deciphering manuals! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35QwJhH7Z18. The reason we needed the adapter is because an infant can't be placed directly into the stroller, at least not until he's 8 weeks old. We figured we will probably want to make use of our stroller before then so we bought the car seat adapter which fit with our Graco Infant Snug Ride 35 we purchased. Best purchases ever!!

I want this super cute diaper bag! I can't believe I left the UK only to find out these originated there. Oh well.. maybe I can win one in this giveaway:

 http://blog.babygizmo.com/2012/02/baby-gizmo-giant-weekly-giveaway-pink-lining-changing-bags/

Yo quiero bailar

My first evening salsa class on Thursday went pretty well! I was a bit nervous because it was a beginners/intermediate class and I was afraid of running into two problems
1.) the beginner's class was going to be too easy
2.) I didn't want people to think I wanted to join the beginner's class to show off or anything

Side note- I would go to the advance class to challenge myself but I think it would be unfair to those that would be uncomfortable with me being pregnant and I really wouldn't want to stand in their way. Also, I will get bigger and I'm sure my balance will get thrown off so the vision of me trying to learn advance moves in that state is a bit scary!

Thankfully, the B/I class seemed like a good fit for now. I think I'll stick with this class for now and then after baby switch to advanced.

After salsa, T and I had some Chinese delivery- I had a lot little bit of everything plus I'm still on my quest to find the biggest, yet crispy eggroll! This was a yummy plate of food, and definitely better than what we ate in Rockford- yippee! We're still planning on trying out different Chinese deliveries since we have others to choose from.

 

Yesterday, we ran some errands and ate at Babylon for lunch, our local Middle Eastern joint. I thought it was delicious and while T agreed, he felt it was missing that certain authentic taste, something I think only he would know about because it was news to me!

I started with this thick and delicious lentil soup that came with my kabob combination platter.

The rice was really flavorful and delicious, kinda reminding me of Persian rice but the meat was a bit tough and I ended up getting rice all over myself and the floor while trying to cut into the meat. I swear one of the waitresses gave the floor a stink eye when she saw my mess- oops!! :-). I would definitely go back to Babylon for lunch! (if they let me back in, ha!)

We stopped by Binny's on our way back home and I spotted this awesome Sauvignon Blanc! Okay, I'm not sure if it's really awesome but it has an awesome name! I'll be back for you my friend..

 

Bertolli's chicken linguine for dinner with a side salad and unpictured garlic bread. The Bertolli's was good but it was a bit underseasoned according to T who had to put in some additional seasonings, and the portion size was a bit small. Other than that, it was pretty good!

Yes, I took this impromptu picture on our stairs!!

This morning, I did a bit of home cleaning in preparation for my friend and her baby coming over and I had my first fruit smoothie in my Vitamix. I found out my Vitamix works so much better in the U.S. which I'm extremely happy about. I think it had something to do with the transformer we were running the wire through which wasn't giving enough power to blend properly.

My favorite colored flowers courtesy of T, sprucing up our dining room table.  

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."- Maya Angelou

Week 26

After feeling like such crap over the past few months, I think it's finally starting to sink in that I've been feeling pretty darn amazing these past few weeks, dare I say entire month! Minus the few naps here and there, I've generally had the energy to join the real world. I'm starting the third trimester next week so we'll see how long this energy lasts!

Random musings of Week 26: Well hello there baby bump!

 -cravings for pop tarts, soda
-I've felt really strong movements by the babes, even if I haven't felt him all that frequently. He tends to move when I'm sitting or lying down and I cradle my stomach. As soon as I do this, he gives me a hard punch or kick to signal his presence.
-lots of afternoon naps- I feel pretty good in the morning but my mid afternoon, my energy starts to dwindle and I need an hour nap
-2 workouts (zumba both times if you count today)
-I think the baby is sitting right above my pelvic area because I feel this dull, and sometimes annoying pressure on my lower belly. Pretty annoying!!

On to other things besides baby....

I found a new salsa dance studio in Chicago that I'm going to call home. After researching multiple places, I found this place to be the most affordable and closest to home. The classes are held everyday in the afternoon and evening, depending on what class you sign up for. I signed up for a $150 VIP card which gives me access to any class; it's $7 for any afternoon class with Miguel and $12 for evening and weekend classes with him and other instructors. I doubt I'll be able to continue dancing for much longer, maybe 1 more month max, but I'm just grateful I haven't lost my center of gravity!
http://www.danceacademyofsalsa.com/Chicagosalsaclasses.html

This past Tuesday, we went to our Restaurant Week dinner reservation at Boka. Even though the menu looked delicious on paper, I wasn't particularly wowed by any of the flavor combinations used. I would still probably rate the restaurant a B+ for its solidly good food and service. 

Beef cheek ravioli, crayfish and celery root hash, lobster jus

Herb crusted whitefish, black truffle, brussel and prawn slaw, sweet potato, chestnut jus

Chocolate praline terrine with Hazelnut ice cream, coffee foam, candied hazelnuts.

We also tried out our local, 5 minute walk sushi joint called Sublime Sushi.

I went with their really reasonable shrimp tempera udon lunch special ($7!). The veggies and shrimp were a bit overfried and undercooked (the veggies, not the shrimp)= sad.

at least the broth and noodles were delicious!

 

T thought the sushi rice had a bit too much vinegar on it so that combined with my hard veggies was a big no no. We definitely wouldn't rule out going there again but it probably won't become a regular rotation. 

my sleeping beauty :-). She's been extra sweet on me lately and I wonder if its because she can sense there's someone more important in the room.. one can only dream!!

Our dinner yesterday was a delicious roast chicken that T made for us with a side of chicken cheddar noodles and collard greens. We've been on such a poultry kick lately... dare I say I'm getting tired of eating CHICKEN!?!