SNOW ANGELS

Our "wintery mix" turned into a full-fledged blizzard, trapping us in the NYC for another day.  We are keeping our fingers crossed that the snow will let up so we can take off first thing tomorrow.   Rather than sitting in the sand, we made the best of it by sitting in the snow making snow angels. 

BABY GREENS

Very clever.  Love this counter top bottle drying rack  Designed by Boon, it's the perfect minimal, modern way to dry bottles and add some green to your kitchen.

DAYS LIKE THIS

This morning I looked out my bedroom window to see somber grey skies, white barren trees, puddles and slush. There was not a hint of green or nature anywhere in site, nor has there been for the past three months. The day, not even an hour old, seemed barren and bleak. Since moving to New York, I have noticed I feel a certain yearning this time of year. The yearning sets in when the days are short, the temps are freezing and spring feels yet a long way off. Typically at the end of Feb and beginning of March, when this restlessness sets in, it is time for a get-a-way -- an escape to somewhere where the sun is shining, lush vegetation flourishes and a coat is not required. Nathan and I have made a plan for such an escape and are taking off first thing Friday morning for Puerto Rico. That is, of course, weather permitting. Tomorrow’s weather calls for “a wintery mix” (words that never used to be used together in my vocabulary) which involves rain, sleet, wind, and flurries eventually turning into snow showers by evening. We are hoping the storm will pass quickly and our plane will be able to depart for calmer skies without any delays.

I am looking forward to sporting my new bikini (Size L – courtesy of my new pregnancy-induced ta-ta’s), sitting on a raft in a pool, and reading a good book that has nothing to do with Marketing. Nate, on the other hand, is looking forward to getting his shred on – Surfline.com is claiming the waves will be 6-8 feet – good conditions! Hopefully this 5 day mini-vaca will pump us with enough sunshine to survive the remaining weeks of winter.

B-DAY BOYS

Over the years February 20th has become a very popular Birthday on my calendar.  In the wee hours of the morning today Lynn and Justin Chenard welcomed Julian Cameron Chenard into the world.  We were thrilled to hear the news of this little 6 lbs. 11 oz. little dude.  Two years ago to the day Dion and Eric gave birth to beautiful Milo, and 27 years ago my mom and dad gave birth to my brother, Rob.  Happy Birthday guys!

LA INCUBADORA

Last night on my way to co-worker’s go-away party, I passed this exhibit on the corner of 47th and Lex. It seemed so out of place that I could not help but stop for a double-take.  The installation is comprised of eleven clones of a human body: a pregnant female torso with the same male head attached to each of them. A quick Google search later to find out more about the artist's work revealed the following:  The casts were taken from a mold made from the artist's body one week before she gave birth to her daughter.

"During my pregnancy with my daughter, and afterwards when I was nursing her, I noticed how curious her father was about my experiences," recalls Amorós. "I wanted to create a piece around motherhood, and the unbridgeable gulf between the male and female bodies, specifically in the area of reproduction. Then I began to imagine ways in which that gulf might be bridged."

Just a little culture to inspire my Thursday evening.

BELLY SHOTS - 24 WEEKS

"AS IS" BABY

Nathan and I spent our day off for President's Day doing some baby prep.  We decided we would purchase the crib, which would set our wheels in motion for doing a bunch of other baby related things like rearranging our bedroom and cleaning our drawers to make space.  After a little research, we decided we would go with the IKEA crib called Gulliver. Ratings were excellent for safety, construction and very good for ease of use.   Gulliver adjusts to two different heights and can convert to a toddler day bed all for the wonderful price of $99.99.  Can't beat that...or can we?  Well, since moving to New York, we have learned a few IKEA lessons: 

1) Before embarking on your IKEA trip, be sure to check online that the item you are looking for is in stock in your store of choice. We learned this the hard way when we bought our kitchen table and ended up driving from Red Hook, Brooklyn to Elizabeth, New Jersey where they have a warehouse to stock.
2) Make a list so you don't get side tracked.  I am constantly tempeted by plants, vases, napkins and wrapping paper.
3) Make sure your partner in crime has a good attitude and a full stomach.  The IKEA maze can take a lot out of you.  A positive mental attitude makes the entire trip more bareable for everyone.  At least if hunger is a problem there are $1 hot dogs and soft serve ice cream to save the day.

For our Monday trip, we were unable to complete IKEA lesson #1.  Our internet was down, so we were unable to check stock.  We thought we would chance it anyway and headed off the island, through the Battery Tunnel and straight to the Red Hook IKEA.  After a few shortcuts through the IKEA maze we spotted the Gulliver in the children's section.  Bulls eye.  We wrote down the aisle and bin number and headed downstairs to pick it up.  Unfortunately when we got to aisle 24 and bin 17, there were zero Gulliver's left.  Just our luck.  I decided to go talk to customer service to see if they could help.  After a fairly short wait, I approached the desk and explained our situation to the IKEA girl.  It went something like this...

Me: "Hi!  I am interested in your Gulliver crib in white, though it appears you are out of stock in aisle 24, bin 17.  Can you please check to see if there are any in stock in your Elizabeth, NJ store?"
IKEA Girl: "What?"
Me:  Explained again.
IKEA Girl: Does not look up at me, but writes down on a piece of paper "GULLIVER, aisle 24, bin 17."
Me: Strange.  This is the same exact location as the store I am in.  Maybe it is a national IKEA-stocking thing.  "Is this the location of Gulliver crib in the NJ store?"
IKEA Girl:  Looks at me as if I am the stupidest person on earth and sneers.  This is when I realize that her front tooth is capped in gold with the cut out of a star.  Classy. "Umm, noooo.  This is where it is in THIS store."
Me: "Okay.  I got that far, but it appears there are none left, can you please check the other store?"
IKEA Gold Star-Tooth Girl:  "Elizabeth, NJ has 1 left.  Long Island has 7."
Me:  Now we are getting somewhere.  "Can you tell me the address of the Long Island store?"
IKEA Gold Star-Tooth Girl: (Looking at the sky) "517.854.1606"
Me: "Is that the phone number? Do you have the address?
IKEA Gold Star-Tooth Girl: "You can call there and they can give you the address."
Me: "Okay, can you please repeat the phone number? I was expecting an address when you responded the first time."
IKEA Gold Star-Tooth Girl:  So annoyed, looks up at the sky again. "517.854.1606"
Me:  "Thank you so much.  You have been tremendously helpful." At this point I am sure this came out quite sarcastic and I was red with frustration.  I was ready to knock out her other tooth so she could get a gold cap moon to go with her gold cap star.  (Crazy pregnant lady, I know).

I was amazed that they could put someone with so little customer service ability in a customer service position.  It was then that the always calm, Nate suggested we check the "As Is" section - home of damaged, returns and slightly flawed IKEA rejects.  We rounded the last aisle and there in the "As Is" section we spied our white Gulliver.  It was slightly scratched, but still in really good shape. Nothing a good cleaning and sterilization couldn't handle.  Hmmm.  The tag taped to it said - Floor Model $69.99.  Wow 30% Off.  Plus it was already built!  We decided to take it. 

To find the mattress that fit, I had to go back to the Gold Star-Tooth girl.  Luckily, it didn't appear she remembered me, and with as little eye-contact as possible or any verbal exchange at all, she wrote down the mattress location - where I found it fully stocked. So long, Gold Star-Tooth girl.

We strapped our "As Is" Gulliver to the roof of the Soob and headed back through the Battery Tunnel, completely satisfied with our great bargain purchase.  "As Is" Gulliver is temporarily residing in our living room and will need to be disassembled to fit through the bedroom door (possibly next weekend's project).  For now the cats think it is pretty cool and have figured out how to get in it.  We will have to break them of that habit before the Bell Pepper is born.  That's it for now.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA

Grandma and Ade, 1975

YOU'RE A GOOD CATCH

There is nothing quite like stumbling upon the perfect card.  I am a bit of a self-proclaimed stationary fanatic.  Perhaps I spent to many hours at print houses during my early marketing days at Pureology finding the perfect balance of CMYK or picking out pantone colors, but there is something about the feeling of a good weight paper stock, the smell of the ink, a clever tag line, texture of the print, and of course, color.  I tend to be drawn to simpler designs and letter press is my absolute favorite.  I stumbled upon this "Good Catch" Valentine by Egg Press for Nate and couldn't resist.

How did you spend your Valentine's Day?  I'm trying to kick a cold, so ours was fairly quiet. We went out for breakfast, took a long walk, and then settled for baking a homemade pot pie and watching the Olympics.  Much love!  XO!

FULL MOON RISING

My view from above.  Big belly, tiny feet.

KATE & KEITH

In visiting some of my fave blog sites early this week, I stumbled upon the downtown NYC apartment of Kate & Keith on the Selby.  Though Kate & Keith do not live in our building, I have a feeling they might live close by and most likely in a building managed by the same peeps as ours.  Our apartments share the exact kitchen appliances, bathroom fixtures, bathroom tile and moldings.  I have a fascination with seeing other people's apartments, what they do with their space, and how they make it their own.  Things to love about Kate & Keith's apartment: the fireplace (which we unfortunately do not have), the antlers as a jewelry holder, bookshelves fighting for space with photographs, potted plants on the window sill, but what I love most is their baby space.  The way the images are shot, you never get a full room view of the "baby's room", making me think they may also have a 1 bedroom apartment with a "baby nook" rather than a baby room, much like we plan to have.  Kate and Keith, making it work in the Big City - living proof people do it all the time.  Soon we will be getting to work building our baby nook.

PHOTO CRUSH

Nate took off for California this afternoon, but when he returns we definitely plan to visit Alex Prager's show at the Yancy Richardson Gallery in Chelsea.  At first glance her photography seems lighthearted and carefree with pretty girls sporting vintage in a truly So Cal setting, but give it a closer look and there is a eeriness that something might just be a little bit off.  Plus absolutely love her use of wigs - fabulous. Here's a quick preview of some of her work.  Can't wait to see it in person.