New York, New York

Saturday Ryan and I both randomly ended up off of work and we decided to take a somewhat spur of the moment trip up to New York City. This was exciting because it actuually crosses TWO things off of my 101 in 1001 list.: take the kids to New York City and see a live taping of a TV show.

We headed out early in the morning and began our day in Rockefeller Plaza for a shooting of the Today Show.  The Today Show is one of Ryan's favorite show.





That's me in the purple.  Proof I was actually there since I didn't make it in any other pictures.
 



This is Ryan with Lester... somebody... Ryan's favorite anchor.  It's now replaced a picture of he and I on our honeymoon as his Facebook profile picture.

 

It was somewhat rainy but we still enjoyed ourselves.

 

 

The anchors were all friendly and nice and hung around after tapings the segments to take pictures and talk to the audience. 

 

 

 

After the taping was over, we checked out the NBC Studio store. 

 

Isaac's favorite part was pressing the button to light up the giant X from the X Factor.  We have really enjoyed watching that show as a family, so we had to check out where it was filmed.



 





 

The next stop was Times Square.  We checked out a lot of the big stores, but our favorite was the M&M store.  It was there where we took the least flattering picture of me ever.

 



After a quick lunch in Times Square it was back to NBC Studios for the tour.  I had taken it before, but Isaac and Ryan really liked it.  Ryan was chosen to be a practice newcaster.  We saw the studio where Jimmy Fallon hosts his show, the studio where they do Saturday Night Live, control rooms, the set of the Nightly News. 

When we left the tour the sun was finally shining.  We decided to make our next stop Central Park.  We took a liesurely walk through the park, people watching and stopping to watch a softball game.  We heard some music playing and it turned out to be this free gospel concert.  We stayed and listened for an hour or so.

It was really my first foray into live Gospel music.  There were people clapping and dancing and so caught up in the Spirit of the Lord that they were weeping and fainting.

After we left the concert, we got some dinner at the world's most expensive Times Square TGIFridays and then headed him.  It was such a nice day. 

 

 

A hundred times have I thought New York is a catastrophe, and fifty times: It is a beautiful catastrophe. --Le Corbusier

Life Update

I feel the usual sense of urgency that accompanies the end of summer.  I sense that I have to tackle all the projects, organizing, cleaning, etc. NOW because I won't be able to catch my breath until Thanksgiving break.  It feels extra urgent also because I will be hugely pregnant by the time my breaks roll around and preparing for the baby adds so many items to the to do list.  I cleaned out and organized the tiny front bedroom that used to be an office, not to long ago.  I need to do even more cleaning/organzing/throwing away to get it ready to be a nursery.  This house was just right for two people, a little cramped for three, but the walls are starting to close in as we prepare for number 4. 

I wish I knew the gender so I could start with a bit more shopping.  I am in the window now now to get the ultrasound for anatomy but I haven't able to get it scheduled due to insurance hassles.  I downgraded insurances to try to save money and that was a huge mistake.  It is a whole process now to make an appointment for something as simple as an ultrasound.  The added hassle is definitely not worth any money I am saving.  Lesson learned.

Isaac had some playdates earlier in the week.  It's amazing how just throwing an extra kid in the mix curbs the constant "I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored". 

Isaac with Justin

My parents are out of town visitng my sister and brother in law in Alaska, so that has made things seem more dull too.  Thank goodness the local sportsplex has a drop-in camp that is reasonably priced so he has spent the day there yesterday and today.  Next week is soccer camp at the local high school.  The more he is busy and out of the house, the better things go for all of us.

We also managed to get into the city to watch an Eagles practice.  Hurray for free fun!

It wasn't that interesting to me. I hate football.  I was doing it for my boys.

 And it was sooooooooooooo hot. 

After the practice has ended.  The started to POUR.  We tried to wait it out.  But there was no waiting it out.  We later heard on the news that this storm was the most rain that ever fell in a single day in Philadelphia, ever!

 

Eventually we just ended up dashing to the car... only to find that Isaac had left the window down!

 

Anyways, we are trying to squeeze in a few day trips before school starts.  Tomorrow we are taking Isaac for a day in New York City.  Isaac has been asking for almost a year now to see the Statue of Liberty, so we are going to go.  Apparently you need to buy tickets way in advance to go up in it but we can at least roam around the bottom.  Taking him to New York is one of my 101 in 1001, so it should be fun. 

Happy Friday =)

 

 

Pregnancy Update: 17 Weeks

How far along: 17 weeks

How big is baby: Fruit and veggie scale says baby weighs about as much as a turnip.

Weight gain: Still haven't weighed myself after the cruise.  Not sure.

Sleeping: Pretty good lately.  Some trouble falling asleep but I am not waking up in the night.

Food cravings: Still French Fries.

Food aversions: Nothing too major this week.

Other symptoms: Still sick from the heat.  Also acne.  My face is breaking out like crazy.  Also "pregnancy brain" is killing me.  I keep forgetting important things, misplacing important papers, etc and it is diving me nuts.

Miss Anything?: Nothing in particular.

Doctor’s appointment: None this past week.  I have one Next Friday.

Wedding Rings: Still on! 

Clothes: I have caved and bought a few maternity basics but they are still big. I hesitate to buy maternity clothes that fit just right because I know they won't fit by the end of the pregnancy.   I am still squishing into the biggest of my old "fat clothes" and rocking tshirts and yoga pants around the house.

Movement: Nothing noteworthy yet.

Best moment of the week: Isaac and Ryan exchanging presents when we returned from our cruise. They has each gotten each other the perfect gifts and it was so sweet to see their excitement as they exchanged them.

What I’m looking forward to: Making the most of these last few weeks of summer before the rush of back to school.  

What I did / Got for baby: Nothing this week.  I need to get moving.

What I learned this week: Baby's sweat glands are starting to develop!

101 in 1001 update

So it's been a while since I blogged about my 101 in 1001 progress.  I have crossed a few things off the list.

50. Seriously try to bite my nails less.

So, I have bitten my nails for as long as I can remember.  Like, bitten them down to tiny stubs, till they were painful and bled.  One perk of pregnancy (or maybe taking prenatal vitamins?) is my hair and nails and growing like crazy.  I noticed that even with my biting they were longer than usual, so I decided to do my best to stop biting them.   It was really, REALLY hard, especially the first two weeks.  Biting my nails has been a way to release stress and anxiety since I was probably three or four.    Even now that it has been probably six weeks, the temptation to bite them is still there but it reinforced my decision to stop as I saw my nails getting longer and more pretty.   I realize they are probably still short and stubby by other people's standards, but it was real progress for me.

When we were on our cruise I decided to reward myself for my efforts and I got my first manicure.  I have had acrylic nails on tons of times, but I have never had a manicure on my natural nails and actually, in my whole adult life I have never even worn nail polish on my hands.  I was a teeny bit disappointed because the girl only offered me about 10 colors to choose from and that included yellow, green, black and gray which were obviously not going to be choices.  I went with a cherry red. 

 

I am going to do my best to keep them up and to resist the temptation to chomp on them!!

 

29. Get a grill. 

 

I should have snapped a picture, or better yet, before and after pictures.  Ryan found a grill on Craig'slist for 20 bucks.  I was skeptical when he told me about it and even more skeptical when he brought it home.  It looked... really dirty and gross.  He got a special cleaner from Lowe's and spent a whole afternoon cleaning it up though, and I have to admit, he totally transformed it.  It looks great.

 

33. Read 50 books

 

For my reading on the airplane and cruise I chose Always and Forever by Cathy Kelly.

 

It was on the buy one get one free table of my local used bookstore and looked like a fluffy vacation type book.  I really enjoyed it.  It was like several short stories that all ended up weaving together in the end.  It is a light read and somewhat predictable but interesting and engrossing.  I would definitely read something else by that author.

 

How are you doing with your new years goals?

 

Have a great weekend!

Pregnancy update: 16 Weeks

How far along: 16 weeks

How big is baby: Fruit and veggie scale says "about the size of an avocado"

Weight gain: No clue officially since I haven't weighed myself.  I just returned from a cruise though and they say the average cruiser gains two pounds per day so I am a little nervous to hop on the scale.

Sleeping: Fabulous lately.  Our bed at home is tiny and uncomfortable.  We have been spoiled with huge comfy king sized beds on vacation.

Food cravings: Nothing too crazy.

Food aversions: Lots.  Isaac sweetly tried to share his BBQ chips with me and nothing had ever sounded so disgusting. Also all Italian food (pasta, anything garlicky) sounds revolting and I am usually a fan.

Symptoms:  Issues with the heat still.  I can't cope with it at all.  Also, my fingernails and hair are growing like crazy (more on that some other time).  

Miss Anything?: It was a littlle sad to miss out on some of the fun excursions and activities available on our cruise.  I don't see why snorkeling or wading with sting rays should be out for pregnant people but they were.

Doctor’s appointment: None this past week.

Wedding Rings: Still on! 

Clothes: I wore flowy dresses during the cruise and was quite comfortable. A coworker gave me the bathing suit in the above picture that didn't fit her (too big in the bust) that actually fit well and was flattering so that was exciting.

Movement: Nothing noteworthy yet.

Best moment of the week: Authentic Mexican food with my handsome hubby while watching the sunset over a clear blue ocean in Cozumel.

What I’m looking forward to: Making the most of these last few weeks of summer before the rush of back to school.

What I did / Got for baby: Nothing this week.  

What I learned this week: The baby is about to go into a major growth spurt!

Random Thursday: Bucket List Edition

Wahoo. I'm off to Miami to catch the Carnival Victory. In the meantime it's time for

 

This week's topic is:

 

 

1. Traveling to Asia.  I want to see Japan, The Great Wall of China, etc. etc. 

2. Seeing South American pyramids.   I am getting a little taste of some ruins when we are in Cozumel.  But I would love to see more!!
 

3. Go snorkeling. 
 

4. Take a Segway Tour of Philadelphia.  So geeky. So ridiculous.   So something I want to do. 
 

5. Learn some more sign.  I know a few very basic signs, but I want to learn more!!
 

Happies and Crappies

Happy: My brother fixed the air conditioning in my car, fixed my dome lights,changed my oil, and buffed out some of the scratches I put in the side of the van (oops).  Having a mechanic in the family is SUCH a blessing!

Happy: It was SO NICE to drive home in this 100 degree weather with air conditioning!

Crappy: He also discovered that my alternator may be going soon.

Crappy: This is especially bad timing because we just replaced the alternator in Ryan's car only a few weeks ago. It's an expensive repair and a terrible coincidence that both would go within a few weeks of each other. Sometimes you just can't win.

Happy: Isaac had his first viola lesson yesterday and it went pretty well.  The teacher seemed a little skeptical at first about how serious an eight year old boy could be about the viola but it seemed like Isaac had won him over when the lesson was over. 

Happy: My friend Kim gave us a pretty huge inflatable pool for Isaac.  We had to get rid of our old inflatable pool, so this was an especially nice gift for us. 

Happy: Ryan was also able to fix the outside spigots which hadn't worked so well the past few years. (One didn't work at all, and the other only put out a tiny trickle of water).  This made filling the pool up much quicker!  And we can water the lawn again, if we ever feel so inclined.

Crappy:  We set it up, and Isaac played in it for a bit.  Then after a few hours we put it in the garage. Meanwhile, an inspector from the home owner's association came around and issued us a citation for "storing items in the yard".  WTH.  You can bet I was on the phone complaining today after I got the citation in the mail.

Happy: We leave TOMORROW for Miami to meet the Carnival Victory.  I am so excited for our cruise!

Crappy: There is still so much to get in order before then.  And for some reason, I picked up a work shift today.  What was I thinking?? 

Happy Wednesday!