Flood

This weekend, I made a quick trip to Louisiana to take care of a bit of business. While there, my family, led by my sister-in-law and close family friend, threw me a baby shower.

Since it's been 10 years since I lived in Louisiana, I didn't expect the flood of gifts that I received! Family, friends, one of my high school teachers and even a favorite college professor were among those that arrived bearing gifts!

Among the stash are hand crocheted baby blankets, hand-made quilts, baby books, millions of pieces of the sweetest clothes, stuffed animals and a very special silver engraved comb and brush set -- not to mention generous gift cards and oh so much more.


I'm so happy that we don't know the sex... the colors they decorated were bright yellow, orange and green. Very festive. One my favorite treats was the chocolate dipped, strawberries made by my sister-in-law's mother. What makes them particularly irresistible is that they are halved and filled with some kind of creamy filling. I'll see if I can get the recipe...

Surprisingly, I was able to pack most of the baby shower haul in two huge suitcases for the trip home. Unfortunately, the suitcases are still sitting in my living room.

Now, to begin preparing the Bean's room...

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Bean's adorable cousins pictured here...

Crazy Eyes?

I've been a bit silent this week. My excuse can be summed up in two words. Busy and tired. I think the Bean had a growth spurt this week. (Oh, and by the way, in case any of you notice the large spot just above my belly -- I had to do some quick cleanup just before we took the picture! Chocolate spill...)

Today we had a couple guests over for lunch. I made a delicious roasted vegetable pasta dish with eggplant, zucchini, onion, tomato, garlic, feta cheese and several other yummy ingredients. On the side, I made a caprice salad, but I must brag that the presentation was quite nice. I sliced the tomatoes accordion-style and then cut the mozzarella to fit precisely into the openings, stuffing a little fresh basil in each tomato as well. Then I sprinkled them with pepper. On the side was some store-bought focaccia. Yum! Dessert was fresh strawberries served in little light cake cups, drizzled with a chocolate sauce I made of dark chocolate, milk and sweetened condensed milk. Oh my...

Oh! This was the meal I had fretted over, with the kosher guests. It was definitely a success. I don't think I broke any rules in the selection of ingredients. (I did consult with a friend about guidelines.)

Double Oh! This week was a good one. I captured a little more PR for myself. Friday morning, a journalist I have pitched stories to in the past called and offered me the opportunity to be the featured guest of a brief column she pens weekly. She did a brief interview and requested a head shot. Well, I had a head shot that I had used with my previous employer. However, since it was taken there, I was sure using it would not have been a popular move among my former camp. I was in a bind though. I wanted something professional - but how in the world would I manage that by 4 p.m. the same afternoon?

A friend/consultant I work with worked a miracle for me. I had the best head shots taken in a matter, truly, of minutes. The photographer actually specializes in children and babies. She takes amazing photos. (I plan to engage her to take pictures of the Bean, me and Even early this summer.)

Anywho, she actually took the photos at 2:30. I left her studio around 3. Thanks to her quick work, I was able to deliver the photo electronically to the newspaper by 4 p.m. precisely.

And the article was out in yesterday's paper!

Beware Catwoman

I've been something of a sporadic blogger lately. So much happening! Meetings. Work. (Oh, and I do love that my sometimes office is Panera. Great life.) Friday morning, I was at Panera working at 7:30 a.m. While there, a group of what I'll call Prada Mommies, en masse, encamped at a table next to mine. Though I was concentrating quite intently on my work, their conversation kept breaking through. Probably because they were talking so loudly. I could hardly keep from laughing.

Truly. Conversation roamed, not so broadly, from one's "genius son" ("no, I mean, he's truly BRILLIANT") whose brilliance is still not being recognized, even though he's on his third (private, in her words "very expensive" school (and he's in the 8-year-old range) to one's daughter whose teacher just didn't appreciate her (the daughter's) sense of humor. Poor teachers! This went on for over two hours. Seriously.

I suppose I'll stop beating up the Prada Mommies now.

Tomorrow, I'll be 28 weeks. Twelve weeks to go! So, here I am, a few minutes ago in my catwoman suite. If I look a little droopy around the edges, understand that sleep has been evading me. And this is a problem that I've NEVER had. Last night was the first in several days that I banked several hours in one night. Not uninterrupted, but still. Those hours were delicious.

Sweet!

I've officially made my first purchase on Etsy, the site I gushed about last week. I snapped up this origami crane mobile for the Bean's bedroom. The piece was shipped today, so I should have it in a few days.

I love it. Also, I had a nice preview of what it would look like once we've hung it as the walls in the photo look to be precisely the color of the ones in the Bean's bedroom.

On another note, I'll be making a super-quick trip to Louisiana in a couple weeks. It's businesses related, but the fam is quickly planning a baby shower to happen that weekend. I'm surprised at just how excited I am! If anyone would have told me this time last year that this time this year I would be getting jazzed over a baby shower -- correction, MY baby shower -- I would have laughed. Life's funny.

Oh So Fickle

After all the gushing earlier this week about the bedding I found for the Bean... I've changed my mind. I'll be returning it as soon as it arrives.

What if the quality is really bad? Plus, my plans have just shifted. I'm going back to my original plan. I'm really not a person who buys things in sets. I need something more eclectic. It is absolutely VITAL that I begin forcing my tastes on the Bean as soon as he or she enters the world.

On a completely different note, regarding work, I have a couple really amazing days. I am meeting people who are so inspiring, and get just as excited as I do. I am feeling so optimistic about how things will continue to develop. Potential business partners!

More work adventures next week! (A client pitch, actually. I'll keep you posted...)