Monday, June 30, 2014

21 Weeks


21 weeks along and Baby C is the size of a pomegranate!


Big event of this weekend - we got a crib! Our wonderful friends the Spero's let us borrow the adorable mini-crib they had stored away, the exact one we'd actually been eying online. It fits perfectly into the corner of our bedroom and is currently housing all of the sweet gifts Baby C has already been lucky enough to receive. Now that there's a crib in the room, it's starting to feel like there's a real, live baby coming soon!

 

Friday, June 27, 2014

Happy Friday!


This morning on the subway, there was a woman seated in the middle of the car with a kid that looked to be about 3 in a stroller. Mornings can be crazy crowded on the train, but since today is Friday it wasn't TOO terribly packed, though still full. When the subway pulled in to her stop, the woman stood and said loudly, though politely, "Excuse me! Exiting with a stroller!" so people near the doors would know she needed to get by.

Immediately, the 3 year old started hollering at the top of her lungs, "SCUSE ME! EXITING WITH STROLLER!"
Over and over, louder and louder, in her sweet (but booming) toddler voice. Everybody on the train started cracking up, it was hilarious.

Hope your Friday is wonderful!

Thursday, June 26, 2014

The Dunn's Take Manhattan


Another catch-up post - in April, my cousins came to visit! They are really good at taking the time to visit friends/relatives who live in far off places, having visited my sister in Germany during last year's spring break, as well as multiple visits to old college friends in various U.S. states.  Being such pro travelers, they were able to see A TON in just a short time here in New York.

  Checking out Rockefeller Center.

A stroll around the Jackie O.

Your standard song and dance in Central Park.


Lots of bagels and subway time!

 And of course, a meal on the steps of the Met.

Plus, no trip with kids to NYC would be complete without a visit to FAO Schwartz and the Big Piano, though the kids hadn't seen the movie so didn't really get that it was anything other than just a large piano.


One night the kidlets had a sleepover at our apartment, so their parents could have a date night in the city. Penny spent the night with us that same evening, so it was a full house one bedroom apartment! We stuff ourselves full of NY pizza, watched several movies (Leigh, they'd never seen Jumangi!) and had a sweet blow-up mattress tickle fight.
 

The next morning we popped up to the roof deck to get a birds eye view of the city, then it was croissant time.


Then we met up with Lisa and Brian at the Empire State Building for a real look at the city from above.


Last afternoon together, we grabbed some pizza and had a picnic at Bryant Park. 
And took one of Leigh's favorite "sister wives" photos.


So glad you guys were able to come see NYC! Thank you for visiting!

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

20 Weeks

Today marks 20 weeks of growing Baby C! Already at the halfway point. I can hardly believe it.


We went in for an ultra sound appointment at the hospital this morning. We have several appointments at the hospital before we actually show up to give birth, which is really nice as we'll be familiar with the facility and hopefully feel right at home. Baby C was wiggling around a ton, but we were able to get some great pictures of the sweet little face, waving arms and kicking legs. There's actually a little human in there!

And the question on everyone's mind...boy or girl? 
Actually managed to look away while the tech confirmed the gender, keeping it a surprise!


I'm feeling really good, haven't had any more nausea since the beginning of the second trimester - woohoo! Occasional lower back aches and growing pains as my abdomen muscles stretch, but for the most part this second leg has been a breeze. I'm always tired and always in the mood for ice cream, but that's nothing new! Thank you for all of your wonderful support, we constantly have people checking in and have already received some incredibly thoughtful gifts. It's so touching to see the love surrounding this sweet little nugget already.  Baby C is one lucky little duck.

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Washington D.C. (Part IV)

Alright, last installment. There was just so much to share from this trip! After the White House we were in a happy little daze, but made sure to continue around and check out all the major monuments we hadn't seen yet. We visited the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam and Korean War Veterans Memorials, walked along the reflecting pool (which unfortunately wasn't reflecting, as it was drained for repairs), glimpsed the fairly new World War II Tribute, peeked at the Tidal Basin and marveled at the Washington Monument.


The only thing I was sad to have missed was going up to the top of the Old Post Office Pavilion and Clock Tower. On weekdays you can take tours of the tower where they house the old copper Congress Bells and it's apparently quite a spectacular lookout point. Will have to hit that next time!
 

We ended our day with a visit to one of Obama's (and Grant McFadden's) favorite spots - Ben's Chili Bowl.


We'd heard about this hole-in-the-wall place from several different people and though it was a bit of a schlep from everything else we'd been visiting and out hotel, we were determined to find it. Hotdogs AND chili? You couldn't keep me away if you tried.

 

The joint was kitschy and fun, the atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming, the food well worth the hype.  There were tons of pictures on the walls of celebrities and politicians who have visited over the years, and several dogs named for prominent visitors.  Dogs come with either french fries or old-fashioned crinkle cut potato chips, and the majority of them come topped with chili, onions and cheese. Definitely a belly bomb, but SO good.

 
 
 

The next morning, we had just a few hours for a last minute jaunt about town before catching our ride home. The only place we hadn't paid homage to yet was the Capitol Building itself, so we grabbed some coffee and made our way up the hill. Particularly fun to check out, having just finished House of Cards.

 
 
 

 Then it was off to catch a train to Bethesda to meet up with the Spe's for the ride back to NYC.




Fun weekend, District of Columbia! Heading home to start House of Cards all over again!