Hi, I'm here.

I know you're on the edge of your seat waiting to hear about me.
Brace yourself.

I've been doing a whole lot of nothing.
Well, that's not entirely true.

I've been cooking. A LOT.
And now that I've officially stopped working (YES!), I am finding I have even less time to get everything done. It's one of those things when, the less time you have, the more you accomplish. And the more free time you have, the more you dilly-dally. Does that ever happen to you?

Sigh.

Anyway, I digress. Cooking - up - a - STORM.
Those photos are just a few that I managed to take before inhaling said meal. These last few weeks have consisted of pizza making, veggie burgers, baking english muffins, and tons of gazpacho, among other things. Oh yeah, and did I mention home made HOT POCKETS?! NO BIG DEAL!
This was meant to be a freezer item that we sampled for dinner that evening. Sadly, none of the pockets made it to the freezer before lunch the next day. Oops.

Other than cooking, I have been trying to really enjoy the remainder of the summer. Our last summer before baby. Our last summer of us two. While we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little guy, we are spending lot's of time just being together in the quiet of this last summer.

New York has been going through a heat wave, much like the rest of the country. Luckily, we have been able to go to the beach every week, which has been my saving grace. Every Sunday morning I bounce out of bed, as if it were Christmas morning, and we head out. I then proceed to spend the entirety of the day floating. It is absolute bliss. Ahhhhhh...

And how is baby?
Magical. Amazing.
I'm now officially in my third trimester. I can barely believe how quickly it is flying by. I'm in my 27th week, which means that baby boy could technically come in 10 weeks (when I'm considered full term). Is that crazy? I feel like I was just announcing my pregnancy on here.

Anyway, we are getting ready little by little. Our shower is in a few weeks and I am so excited to celebrate with all our friends and family and then begin preparing. I told Scott last night that after the shower, it was really go time. Eek!

Other than that, there has been a lot of picnicking, movie watching by the AC, and general loveliness.

Oh yeah, and here's my updated photo. I think this is 25/26 weeks...
It's just a crappy phone photo and the sun was shining in my eyes but you can see how much my belly has grown since my last photo update.

Gratitude

I watched this great TED Talks video this morning and was reminded to take the time out to remember about myself. I think that so often, we run around all day working on pleasing others...our bosses, coworkers, spouses, children, parents, friends, etc. It seems strange to think that we go through a whole day without doing one things for ourselves, but so often that is the case.
Today, I hope you take a moment, hour, or whole day to appreciate yourself and everything you do to make your life as perfect as it is. I hope you realize that you are fantastic, just because you are you!

Oh! And watch the video. It's only 20 minutes and it's great!

Splitscreen: A Love Story

How sweet is this video??

Splitscreen: A Love Story from JW Griffiths on Vimeo.

24 Weeks

Firstly, thank you all who read my last post. It was a tough story to write but I'm so happy I did. Thank you all for your comments here, facebook, via email, and text message (friends!).

Since writing it on Monday, I must have reread it about a dozen times and each time felt so sad for the girl in the story. I was telling Scott that it feels like such a distant memory now. Of course a part of that experience will stay with me forever, but just reading that post, it didn't even feel like my life. I guess that's the last step in grieving...acceptance.

Anyway, here I am. 24 weeks! Phew. Feeling all kinds of exhausted and energetic. There are moments that I am scrubbing the base boards (um, yeah...) and of course, moments that I am a walking zombie. But in general, I've been feeling pretty good. I have to say, being pregnant in the summer is not half as bad as I thought it would be. I was imagining myself laid out in front of the ac, with a wet towel over myself. Ha! Since it's been pretty nice in the morning and late afternoon, walking a lot is not too challenging. And when it's WAY to hot, I go to the gym. Or yoga. Or I sit in front of said ac. Can't be active ALL THE TIME!

Growing a baby is exhausting people.

But this week there have also been a lot of changes. I feel like I look really pregnant. As in, people asking me how many weeks I have left, pregnant. YEAH, I KNOW! Hello people! I still have three months to go!

Also this week, Scott has been able to feel baby boy kicking more from outside of my belly. I've been feeling him for several weeks now and Scott has felt a sort of something here and there but the past few night, little one has been practicing his high kicks right before bed and hubs has has a lot more time to bond, as they say...

What else? Well I'm officially off my cooking strike and have been cooking and eating up a storm. Want some summer meal ideas? Okay! I'll get on that! Why not?

And I'm finally able to eat cheesy foods again. Riveting information, I know...

This last week has been spent BBQing with family, reading trashy magazines on the beach with friends, and surrounded by lot's of love. Here's to summer!