slowly giving in...

I know I swore I wouldn't be going pink crazy once we found out it was a girl, but after buying so much gender-neutral clothing prior to our ultrasound I am having a pretty fun time buying little girl clothes... and they're pink. Pink! But how can you resist these things (especially when they're on sale)?!?!? A little pink windbreaker with a hood... a little pink pea coat... little pink leggings... little pink dresses... I thought I had avoided all pink with the little tiny jeans but they do actually have some pink stitching. There's also a really cute pair of ruffled bloomers in that pile. Ruffles and pink. Who would have thought? I promise baby Ryan will not always be in pink, but I have to even out her closet because there's a lot of green and yellow in there right now. I will, however, never give lose my distaste for the color purple.

love of pie

I am in serious need of a chocolate cream pie from Pie Gourmet in Vienna (only the best pies on the face of this earth). I stopped and got a slice last weekend but Steve ate half of it - then asked, with chocolate still on his face, why I didn't just get a whole pie? Don't mess with me, buddy. I contemplated shelling out $23 for a big 'ole pie... but I'm afraid of how much I might eat. My guess: between the two of us, the pie would have been gone by Sunday evening.

I would have savored every single bite.

we're halfway there!

Well, I am officially halfway through my pregnancy (time sure does fly) and we only have twenty more weeks to go! Up until this point, the baby has been measured from head to bottom but after this week she will be measured from head to toe as she has uncurled in there... she looks like a baby now! "She’s the size of a cantaloupe! Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed!" I was watching an episode of A Baby Story over the weekend and when the woman's water broke there was meconium in there... once I explained to Steve what was going on, he was sufficiently grossed out. He has a lot to learn before the baby's birthday! Heck, who am I kidding? We both have a lot to learn in the next few months. I just pray he doesn't pass out.

Yesterday was a busy day - it was both Mother's Day and my mom's birthday. We ran around all day meeting Steve's family for breakfast, my family for brunch and my family again for dinner... while squeezing in a little car shopping. Baby wants a gas-friendly SUV (not an oxymoron - the new Nissan Rogue gets pretty decent gas mileage)! Steve and I had been craving sopapillas so our brunch at Rio Grande was deeeeeeelicious. My mom gave me a wonderful Mother's Day gift - it's a crest claddagh ring that she got when she was in Ireland. It has the Kennedy crest in the center and says "to Kennedy, love Dad" on the band inside. My name came from his side of the family, hence the ring being from him. One day I'll be passing it down to our little girl because she's getting Kennedy as a middle name.

If it's at all possible, every single day that goes by we get more excited about our little baby girl... our little Ryan Kennedy Velasco!

cha-ching

I may not completely agree with the whole stimulus package, but it sure was nice seeing $1200 magically appear in our bank account.

fiesty little one

I'm not sure if it was something I ate or just the fact that she's getting bigger (over six inches now!) but that little girl was kicking me non-stop as I tried to fall asleep last night. We're talking kicks that were hard enough that you could see by just watching my stomach... she's a fiesty little one.

she's a mango!

In the baby updates department, it is a rather boring week: "Busy with hiccups, rolls, twists, kicks and punches… She’s the size of a mango! Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature. " I know there's a lot more going on in there that would make for a more interesting update, but this is what they gave me this week. I have yet to feel any hiccups, but I definitely feel all of the rolls, twists and kicks.

We spent yesterday afternoon registering (www.babiesrus.com and www.potterybarnkids.com) and watching my sister's lacrosse game in the beautiful weather... and then went out to dinner with Morgan and Peter and sat outside at Fairfax Corner in the beautiful weather... oh, and we sat outside in the beautiful weather when we went out to lunch today in Fairfax. Basically, the weather was gorgeous this entire weekend.

Steve was very productive today and put up some new shelving in the garage so we were able to throw away or store what was in our guest room closet... which is now full of baby clothes, receiving blankets and stuffed animals. Her closet is going to be completely full by the time September rolls around! I'm having a hard time not buying everything I see - how can you resist baby Uggs?

loves/hates

Current loves:

• Starbucks reduced fat blueberry coffee cake
• Our little baby girl kicking me all day long
• My first mother's day present!!

Current dislikes (hate is a strong word):

• Maternity clothes... no matter what, even the XS is too big for me. It's only belly that's growing, not the rest of me! The only solution I have found is Gap Maternity, which I then wash and dry in super high heat... ugh.
• When it rains for days and days and days