A Trip

When Emma was 11 weeks old, she took her first flight!  Gardening Mom, Sister Swimmer, little Em and myself trecked across the country all the way to Delaware for my first traveling-with-a-baby experience (Sister Singer had to stay for her classes).
I had always thought traveling with a baby was a little silly, but color me ignorant when we found out that my step-Grandmother (though she's never seemed like a step anything to me) was sick and I couldn't imagine not going to see her with Emma while on my maternity leave.  Between her diagnosis and booking our flights was only a few days, and to be honest, it's a good thing we moved so quickly becuse in the weeks that would pass between booking the trip and actually going on the trip, I mustered up quite a lot of anxiety over the entire thing.

I envisioned turbulence and a flying baby (yes, I flew with her on my lap).  I had nightmares of her screaming the entire flight.  I thought maybe she would enter a growth spurt, and be fussy the entire trip.

What really happened?  Our flights were smooth sailing, she slept almost the entirety of both 5+ hours flights with very short stints of crying when she was hungry, and she was generally a happy baby most of the trip.  Except for the nights.  She really worked me good those nights, waking up almost hourly every night.  Something she didn't even do as a brand-new baby home from the hospital.  Without my Handsome Husband to help out, I was one tired mama.  But alas, I survived.

My little snow baby

 

 

She did have one fun surprise for me in the Philadelphia airport while we waited to board our homeward bound flight.  Mid-breastfeeding, she had a total poopspolsion all.  over.  me.  It soaked out her diaper, through her onesie, through the blanket she was sitting on, and onto my jeans.  Imagine my horror when I realized what had happened.  Luckily I found a "family" restroom, and went to work cleaning us up.  I patted my own back for thinking ahead with not only spare clothes for little miss Em, but a spare outfit for me, too!  I got her naked, and myself changed, and not a moment later did she spit up everywhere.  I was eternally grateful to the Spit Up Gods for having her do it at the best possible moment (if there is ever a great moment for spit up, that is), while she was naked.  Cleaned that mess up, turned around to grab a fresh diaper, and what the fuh, she is lying in a puddle of her own pee.  Seeing that she had sufficiently emptied her body of, well...everything, I picked her up and cleaned up yet another mess of bodily fluids (the joys of motherhood).  Finally, it seemed, I got her dressed and we were on our way.  It was not funny at the time, but gives me a chuckle now that I'm removed from the situation.  In the moment though, I wondered what I did in a previous life to deserve that kind of torture.

In the end, I am so glad we made the trip.  There were difficulties, but it was easier than I thought (especially the flying part!), and Emma got to meet family that it may have been years before she'd gotten a chance to meet otherwise.  My Grandmother's health seems to be improving, so we hope there are lots of visits to come!

A Model

Nine days after our little love was born, we headed to a local photographer's in-home studio to get some photos done.  Ashlynn Marie Photography certainly delivered - she is like the baby whisperer, and we are thrilled with these photos of our little doll.

It's December!

In November...

 

Handsome Husband spent a few days in Portland, Oregon at a Negotiation competition, and found out he would be traveling to a few competitions in 2014 also!

I got to spend the morning catching up with Cousin Snapshot and Best Cousin during Cousin S' visit to So Cal. 

L-R: Cousin Snapshot, Me, Best Cousin

 

We hosted a fun birthday dinner at our house for birthday girl, Mother-in-Law Red!

 

Gardening Mom, Sisters Singer and Swimmer and their friends and BF YOLO, Handsome Husband and I kicked off the holiday season with the Tree Lighting Ceremony we attend every year!

HH and I at Tree Lighting

 

HH and I commemorated this pregnancy with some maternity photos (that I've yet to share on the blog...coming soon, promise!) in Old Towne Orange.

 

Sneak peak - I'll share more soon!

 

Handsome Husband kicked his studying into gear for finals - and we started getting really excited that once he is done with finals, little Baby M will be making her grand debut any day!  (And because I'm neurotic, I started worrying about what I would do if I went in to labor during one of his 3+ hour long finals.)

 

Cousin Study Buddy and Mr. UNC accompanied HH and myself to a USC basketball game when we were lucky enough to get courtside seats from Gardening Momma's boss.  The game was exciting, but I was a little nervous the entire time shielding my basketball (aka my baby belly) from stray balls and players.  Luckily we stayed out of the action.

 

Best Friend Cute Apartment hosted a lovely baby shower for me to celebrate Baby M's upcoming arrival with all of my closest girlfriends.  It was gorgeous, and I will be sharing details soon!

Me and the hostess with the mostess, Cute Apartment

 

The family got together to celebrate the birthday of Tutor Girl - she's getting close to the big 3-0, and I admire her for loving that instead of loathing it as I do!

 

We attended the wedding reception of a good friend of HH's from law school, and were happy to celebrate their recent nuptuals with them.

 

Aunt Fancy Chef treated the ladies in HH's family to a day of yummy food!  First we had a lovely breakfast, followed by a super fun cooking class!  I can't wait to go back, the cooking class was so much fun!

 

Thanksgiving was full of family and great food and as usual, we were feeling blessed to be able to see both my side and HH's side of the family on the holiday.

 

I opted out of Black Friday shopping, and instead chose to do some Black Friday crafting and wrapping with Gardening Mom and Sister Swimmer.  Gardening Mom and I managed to crank out some adorable burp cloths which will be making their way to the blog very soon!

 

We wrapped up the month with a lovely Hannukah Dinner at Gardening Mom and Hat Dad's house - and I got my annual fix of potato latkes!  I can never get enough, especially leftovers!

 

In December?  I'm crossing my fingers for a slightly early arrival of little miss Baby M, and we've got lots of fun holiday events to attend!



Goodbye, October!

In October...

 

Handsome Husband and I were lucky enough to be invited to the new beautiful home of The Esquire and Baker Girl.  We enjoyed seeing their brand new place, and an amazing dinner prepared by BG!

 

I had the dreaded 1-hour glucose test, failed, freaked the eff out, took the 3-hour test, and passed!  Very typical Stress Casey behavior to have a meltdown before the problem entirely presents itself.

 

I had a lovely time catching up with an old high school teacher of mine over coffee (well, decaf tea for me).  It was so nice to hear about a program I was heavily involved with in high school (Model United Nations, for those wondering), how it's changed, and to get Mr. T updated on many of his former students and the awesome things they are doing nowadays.

 

HH and I got to head to San Diego for a soccer game on the field I spent so many days and nights watching him play on!  This season will be the last that there are players on the team HH played with, so it is a little sad for him, the end of an era, if you will.

 

We had one busy Saturday in mid-October!  We started the day off with a kickball game (okay, I watched a kickball game) with some of HH's newer friends from law school, were hosted to a lovely BBQ at Best Cousin's new place, and ended the evening with a viewing of Captain Phillips after being invited by Aunt Fancy Chef to join her and some family at the luxury movie theater!

 

 

We got to support some fundraising Kindergarten Teacher was doing for her chosen charity by attending an evening at a local wine bar.  Though my glass was longing for wine instead of water, the conversation with some of my favorite ladies made up that.

 

Handsome Husband and I set sail on a Tiki Cruise around Newport Harbor with some law school students. 

 

Gardening Mom and I got a start on our Christmas Shopping at Citadel Outlets' annual Shopping Extravaganza!  This year, MIL Red and Grandma Beach Bum decided to join also, so it was fun to meet up for lunch and a break from the shops.

 

Aunt Fancy Chef invited us to a lovely charity event for South County Outreach called Empty Bowls, where we got to try lots of yummy soups from local restaurants, bid on some silent auction items (though we didn't win, boo!) and listen to some lovely speakers.

HH and I at Empty Bowls

 

Handsome Husband attended a Boot Camp for New Dads!  Though he said he didn't find it all that informative, I still think it's cute!

 

I was showered with love and some pretty awesome gifts for our little New Years Baby at my family baby shower!

 



 

We celebrated Cousin Halloween's 7th (he's getting way too old these days!) with pizza and cupcakes during a mid-week birthday party!

 

Halloween ended the month, and we were content with eating fajitas and handing out candy to our whopping two trick-or-treaters!  We also spent some time thinking about how fun it will be when our baby girl is here for next Halloween!

 

In November ... We've got a lot going on!  There's a few birthdays coming up, some holiday events, our maternity photos, a second baby shower for this little lady, and lots and lots of prepping for her impending arrival! 





A Shower

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to be showered with love and generous gifts from family and friends at a shower lovingly hosted by some of the wonderful ladies in Handsome Husband's family: Cousin Studdy Buddy, Grandma Beach Bum, and Aunt Fancy Chef.  I can't thank these ladies enough for their kindness and for taking time out of their busy schedules to do something special for me and our little girl.

The shower was held at Grandma Beach Bum's house, which is extra special because this little lady on the way will spend many a holiday at this home.  Grandma BB's house is the gathering hole, if you will, for this family, and it's rare when we're all together in another location.  I can't wait to see our New Years Baby grow into a little girl while celebrating big days at this house - searching for Easter eggs in the backyard, learning to play bocce ball with her Daddy, grubbing after the annual family golf tournament, and opening presents on Christmas afternoon.

I received the sweetest gifts, and lots of goodies for this little lady to use and wear!  Lots of darling clothes (because girls clothes are just too much fun!), some bath time necessities, lots of diapers (oh yeah!), and some especially thoughtful gifts like the custom print Best Friend Cute Apartment made, the monogramed bow holder from Tutor Girl, a handmade crocheted blanket from a dear longtime family friend, and the I Love NY onesie from none other than my NYC transplant friend, Fashionista.  I can't thank these ladies, and all the ladies who attended for their generosity, and for thinking of me and our baby girl.

I totally failed on taking enough photos, but I did manage to get a few with some family and friends before the day was over.

Left: Me and my Gardening Momma

Right, Top to Bottom: Fashionista and I; Cute Apartment and myself; and Sister Swimmer, me, and Sister Singer

 

Like the good husband and Daddy-to-be he is, HH showed up near the end of the shower to thank the hostesses and guests who remained, and obviously carrry all the gifts to our cars!

Two excited parents-to-be!

My Super Sporty Weekend

When Handsome Husband was still just my Smart-Ass Redheaded Fiance and played college soccer, many of my weekends were filled with sports. 

I would rush out of class on Friday afternoons to head home, throw on my cheering gear, speed to the stadium and start the weekend off with a Friday afternoon or night game.  Depending on whether the team won or loss would depict how fun the rest of our evening was, but even with a loss there was usually some kind of social event to drown our sorrows at (read: drink a lot).  Saturday might be filled with a practice for HH, and some studying or errands for me, but on Sunday it was back on, with either a late morning or early afternoon game to end the weekend.  During soccer season, it felt like it consumed my life on the weekends.  There were the occasional roadtrips, but even then, often times I was glued to the computer watching live stats, hoping to see my man's name pop up as having scored!

This weekend felt reminiscent of those college soccer days, because it was overflowing with sporting events.  HH might not have been the star of them all, but it was a fun weekend, albeit a little different than our current average.

Friday after work, we headed down to San Diego to watch HH's alma mater stomp Cal State San Bernardino (sorry I'm not sorry, your girls' soccer team is annoying, and both of your teams lost!).  We stopped at the bar on campus, Home Plate, first for some beers (okay, water for me...I miss beer) and to meet up with some friends.  I love being on campus and going to games with the guys that HH used to play with in college.  It is so nice to have friends that you can go months or even years without seeing, and then meet up with on a whim, and talk (and tease each other, like the boys do) like no time has passed at all.

Saturday we had a busy day, which started off with a kickball game with some of the newbies HH has made friends with at law school.  As usual, my Handsome Hubs was the rockstar of the game, kicking it out of the park for some home runs more than once!  After the game, we were invited to attend a BBQ at Best Cousin and her awesome boyfriend's new place!  It was so nice to see their new digs, and what do you know it?  We watched some baseball upon arrival (#SuperSportyWeekend).  We stuffed our faces with some awesome food (I may or may not have have about 8 slices of watermelon), and met some nice very nice friends of Best Cousin's.  From there, we were off to see the new movie, Captain Phillips, after being invited by Aunt Fancy Chef.  We got another trip to the luxury movie theaters, and every time we go, I wonder why I ever see a movie at any other type of theater.  The movie was awesome, by the way - I'm thinking it has a few Oscar nods coming it's way.

Sunday we were greeted by a morning visit from my very own Gardening Mom to do some, what do you know, gardening!  Our little patio was in desperate need of a spruce up, and good ole GM came through, making it look a billion times better.  After some chatting with Gardening Mom and some morning lounging (time I probably should have spent checking off things on my October To-Do List), Handsome Husband and I headed to La Habra for a soccer game.  HH plays in a men's league on Sundays and I try to make it to a few games throughout the season.  It's pretty nostalgic watching my favorite guy kick the ball around.

Handsome Husband chatting with a friend pre Sunday game.

And that was my super sporty weekend.

What did you do this weekend?

5 on Friday, v.5

5 Things...

 

...I did last weekend

 

1. Got my craft show on with Gardening Momma, picking up a few necessities (like push-pop fudge) while out.
 

2. Had some super yummy noodles at famed restaurant, Anqui.

 

3. Finally finished my little filing project that had sat spread out on our entire living room floor for three straight days.  I think HH is glad I'm done with that.
 

4. Was hosted for a lovely dinner at Baker Girl and The Esquire's brand new home!
 

5. Suffered through another entire episode of Homeland without Brody. 

 

...in my purse

 

1. A to-do list from about three weeks ago, that got about a quarter of the way actually done.
 

2. My wallet, which I am still loving.  One of the best gifts I've ever gotten!

{Hobo}

 

3. My keys, of which I have an abundance.  A key for our home and our mail box.  A key to my parents' house.  A key to my clinic.  Two keys for my parents' house in Arizona.  Oh, and my car key.
 

4. A lipstick, and an empty tube of mascara.  Necessary.
 

5. About 47 bobby pins.  But don't you know it, I can still never find one when I need one!

 

...I watch on TV

 

1. As mentioned earlier, Homeland.

 

2. Nashville

3. Real Housewives of... just about every city.  Beverly Hills gets started next month, woo hoo!
 

4. Grey's Anatomy

 

5. How I Met Your Mother

 

Happy Friday!

 

Moving Away

Not to worry, we're not actually moving away.  Today, I'm just talking about moving away.  And why I don't think it's in our future, like ever.

{via}

Handsome Husband and I just had this conversation a few weeks ago, while en route to our breastfeeding class (an adventure in and of itself).  We talked about how much we love it here in our Orange County bubble, but of course there are cons to living in this paradise.  Negatives like...our 2-bedroom condo is worth the size of a gorgeous 5-bedroom home in some area of the country.  Cost of living is probably the one and only negative I can think of for our area.  That, and traffic, but we're so used to that - who cares anymore, you just allow for it!

So we pondered - would we ever leave this area?  Would we ever consider moving somewhere across the country - the East coast, the South, anywhere but here?

Maybe when our parents are gone, we thought.  Which is morbid, but the fact is they aren't going to be around forever, and when they're gone, would our roots to this area be gone too?  Nope, what about our siblings?  If they all start families here, we're not going to want to leave our sisters and brothers and neices and nephews. 

Maybe if one of us got a job offer we just couldn't turn down in another state.  But why would we be applying to it in the first place?  "You could get transferred" I told HH, "...if you work at a big firm."  "Maybe then," we decided. 

But what about our kids?  By the time this would even be a consideration, they would have their roots here.  Started school, made friends, been used to growing up around family.  Why would we even think about uprooting all that to an entirely different state?

 

We wouldn't.

 

So, the odds are we're not going anywhere.  Of course, I can't see in to the future, and you never know what life might throw at you, but I don't think we're going to be putting a new state's plates on our cars in this lifetime.  Hope you like us, Orange County, because we're here to stay.

A Scary Revelation

Want to know something scary I just realized?  (Though, sadly, it's been true since March 16, 2013.)

I am now closer to 30-years-old than I am to 20-years-old.

 

I often feel conflicted over aging.  Sometimes I feel excited about what life has brought me and continues to bring, and no where near worried or anxious about my age.  And then, sometimes...not so much.  Sometimes I feel worried that the years are going by too fast.  Worried that I won't have the time to do everything I want to.

I feel ashamed that I'm 25 (and a half) and don't have a Bachelor's Degree yet.  I feel anxious that in less than 5 years I'll be 30 and I don't want that to be true anymore.

I feel like I have lots (okay lots might be an overstatement) more babies to have, and I just want to be done before 35.  (Side note: No judgement for those who choose otherwise, whether voluntarily or due to health, financial or any other reasons.  My own Gardening Momma had kids in her late 30s.  'Tis a personal preference.)

 

Might be morbid, but every year I age is a year everyone else ages, and losing people that are important to me scares the living daylights out of me.  I don't want to know what that part of being a grown up feels like.

 

On the other hand, I'm so excited to be in the current stage of my life.  Blissfully and happily married to a man I love and can't get enough of.  Starting a family right around the time I always imagined.  Making memories in the home we worked so hard to buy.  Watching my younger sisters grow into young adults.  Witnessing the youngest generation of HH's family get bigger and bigger - with us adding a little lady to the mix now, too!  Working for an organization I respect, one where I feel valued, compensated appropriately, and important.  Having my relationship with my parents settle into a happy adult stage, something I never knew I wanted until it happened.

 

Here's hoping my 30s will be even better than my 20s. 

But the next 4 1/2 years don't need to fly by or anything.

The Girls Go to Seattle: Waterfalls and Flying Home

Check out previous Seattle recaps HERE.

On our very last day in Seattle, I managed to wake up tired.  By the end of the trip, I realized that I am not Superwoman (I know, right?!) and that pregnancy really does have an effect on your body.  I found myself more tired, more achy, and generally more ready for my own bed with my husband in it.  Don't get me wrong, the trip was lovely, and I'm so glad we went, because I don't know when we'll get to go on another girls' trip without our newest addition.  But by the end?  I was ready for home.

But we had one more day of Seattle fun to experience before hoping back on a plane to Orange County!  A very kind business associate of Gardening Mom's ended up being our tour guide for the day, and was generous enough to take us a little outside city limits all the way to Snoqualmie Falls, and to the Salish Lodge for lunch. 

After a ridiculously good meal, we went down to get a closer look at the falls. 

 

 

We enjoyed the waterfalls, didn't enjoy people standing in our way when trying to get quality photos like the yoga pose above, and checked out the gift shop. 

We then piled into the car and did some driving around to see the neighborhoods of Seattle.  After seeing our last little bits of the city, we headed to the airport where we had a (fabulously) uneventful flight home. 

Thank you, Gardening Momma, for taking us on such a wonderful getaway weekend, and Sisters Singer and Swimmer for the company and laughs along the way.  I can't wait for my little lady to join us on a girls trip someday!

Is it Fall Yet?

Here we are, jumping into September!  This year is flying by, and I can't believe we will have a baby here in just four short months.

In August...

 

The beginning of August started super fun for me, as we were on our Girls Trip in Seattle!  You can see tons of photos and read all about the girl time in my recaps HERE.

 

We made some big changes with the vehicles in our life - more details to come on that soon!

 

Handsome Husband and I started a baby registry, and the next day I enlisted the opinion of non-Mom but great friend, Cute Apartment to round out the registries with necessities, and of course some cute frilly pink items for our little Princess.

 

We helped warm the new home of our some of our newer friends that HH has met through law school.  The Chicago transplants are loving their new place in Orange County - they are close enough to see Disneyland's fireworks and walk to Angels Stadium!

 

Hat Dad and Gardening Momma invited us over for dinner, and it ended up being just the four of us.  A rare occurance, and though we love big family dinners with Sisters Singer and Swimmer, it's nice to get some one-on-one (or two-on-two, I should say) time with the 'rents.

 

We officially hit the half-way mark in this pregnancy!  20 more weeks (less now!) and this little girl better be on her way!  You can read weekly Bumpdates HERE.



 

Handsome Husband is officially back in school - a bittersweet time, for sure.  Sad for the summer to be over, happy to be inching closer to that finish line.

 

Cute Apartment and I took after the Real Housewives of Orange County when we took a painting class at a local restaurant.  We both walked away with some pretty pictures, and it was a fun middle-of-the-week night out!

 

We had a big birthday party weekend, with MIL Red's fiance, Mr. Bear's, 50th birthday and Cousin Ronomon's 30th birthday parties squeezed into one fun weekend!

 

And tomorrow we will end the month spending the day with some of our very favorite people, watching one of our HH's very favorite sports - we're heading to a Galaxy Game with our friends, Twin Oh Yeah and Future Dr. Babies.

With our friends all the way back in October 2011



The Girls Go to Seattle: Seattle Center

This post is going to be mostly photos because I took a ton throughout the day we spent at Seattle Center. 

We started the day off with brunch at Sky City 360, the rotating restaurant at the top of the Space Needle.  As a way to see great views, avoid the lines, and get a yummy brunch - I totally recommend Sky City 360. If I'm being honest, there were a few times I felt a little dizzy, and maybe even a little queasy, but only when my eyes fixated on a point in the restaurant that really accentuated the movement going on.

After brunch we entered Chihuly Garden and Glass, a museum Twin Unicorn had strongly recommended we stop by.  I was a little skeptical at first, but I am so glad we went.  It was truly one of my favorite things we did in Seattle, and everything was beautiful and breathtaking.

Our final muesum of the day was the Experience Music Project, an interactive place to see exhibits on famous artists, listen to fantastic music, and my personal favorite - check out some costumes of Women Who Rock!  While it was so fun to get away with just the girls, I couldn't help but think how fascinated Hat Dad would have been with this musuem, and hope he makes his way there sometime.

We hopped back on the monorail after visiting EMP, and stopped for some shopping in downtown before heading back to our hotel.  Nearing the end of our trip, I was more exhausted than normal, and I'd like to direct the cause of that to the small human I'm growing.  While it was frustrating to feel more tired and sore than usual, how could I truly complain?  I am so overjoyed to be having a baby, and can't wait for this little girl to join Gardening Mom, Sister Singer and Sister Swimmer and their future little ladies on girls trips for years to come.

My last recap from our trip to Seattle coming next week!