Archives for May 2011

mama needs a new camera

May 27, 2011

I wish I could add a new digital camera to my baby registry. (And I wish somebody would actually buy it for me!) I would really like to upgrade from my 3-year-old Canon Rebel xTi to a T2i. Originally I thought I wanted a Canon 7D, but I suppose I really don’t need all the extra bells and whistles.

If you really think about it, I’ll mostly be using the new camera to take photos of the baby, so it’s totally a baby-related necessity. Yes, a necessity. My house doesn’t get much direct sunlight, and I need a camera with a better low-light/high ISO performance for all the indoor shots I’ll be taking. I know the grandparents are going to want a lot of indoor shots…

While you’re at it, fairy gift-giver, I need — I mean, I’d like — this lens, too.

What grown-up items do you wish you could add to your baby registry?

{my friends all have insanely adorable babies. this portrait of spencer was taken by me. i’m his official photographer.}

happy anniversary

May 25, 2011

Today is our 3rd anniversary.

Although JB and I couldn’t celebrate the special occasion together, I’ve been thinking about him all day. And I know he’s been thinking about me too because I received a beautiful delivery of peonies this morning.

JB knows that the peony is my favorite flower. I even carried a bouquet of gorgeous (and heavy!) white peonies. My husband tried to surprise me with peonies on Valentine’s Day but couldn’t find them in Omaha. Perhaps it just wasn’t peony season yet.

Happy anniversary, JB. I love you and feel incredibly lucky to have you as my partner in this big, bad, crazy world.

{portrait of me on my wedding day by Heather Waraksa}

zen and the pregnancy pedicure

May 24, 2011

When JB called this past Saturday morning, I cried as I recounted my stressful week. He suggested, nay, insisted that I ignore my To Do list and relax for the weekend. Go get a massage or pedicure, he instructed.

I wasn’t able to get an appointment for a prenatal massage that day, so I scheduled one (plus a pregnancy facial!) for the following Saturday. Instead, I made a date with a friend who’s due with her first baby in a week and a half to get pedicures at The Nail Shop. And now I’m kicking myself (with pretty pink toenails) for not making the 15 minutes schlep down there sooner.

Suspicious of the cleanliness of strip mall nail salons and concerned about inhaling polish and remover fumes, I’ve kept my nails and toenails au natural for most of my pregnancy. Normally I think these types of salons are sanitary enough, and I have no problem dropping in for a spur of the moment mani or pedi. But getting my nails done while pregnant without knowing how clean the instruments were was one of my few true concerns. Random, right?

What I love about The Nail Shop is how clean, quiet and zen it is. They also use SpaRitual polish, a line of vegan nail lacquers that are dbp, formaldehyde and toluene free. Sinking back into the plush Pottery Barn-style armchair, I was able to relax so thoroughly that I didn’t even feel the owner of the salon, Didi, filing my toenails. No joke.

Yes, the pedicure cost a bit more than one you’d get in strip mall salon, but I was able to achieve a sense of calm not possible when being jostled by a vibrating chair while the radio and a Lifetime original movie play simultaneously. I’m looking forward to going back to The Nail Shop one more time before having this baby in July.

{image of The Nail Shop via Google; nail polish via SpaRitual}

32 weeks: a review

May 23, 2011

The stress of work and personal responsibilities combined with my aching, growing body has left me more exhausted than usual this week–and more uncomfortable. I’ve also been experiencing a brief tightness across my belly frequently throughout the day. Braxton Hicks contractions? Of course, now I’m paranoid that I’m not going to be able to tell the difference between true and false labor. One of my greatest fears is delivering way too early.

May would be way too early.

I can only imagine that I’d be feeling better if my husband were home to help. I’m jealous of every pregnant woman who gets to experience all 40 weeks of pregnancy with her husband at her side. It is challenging in so many different ways to go through this transition alone, and I confess here that being a military wife is not my favorite thing. If JB has to deploy again during future pregnancies, I hope it’s during the second trimester instead of the third, when I’m less huge and have more energy.

In nursery news, the crib and chair have finally been ordered! It’s because of me that we waited so long to order the furniture. Despite knowing what we wanted for several weeks, I just wasn’t ready to commit. I don’t know if it was fear of making the wrong decision or that having a fully decorated baby’s room would make this all “real,” but I just couldn’t pull the trigger. Truthfully, JB was the one who actually ended up placing the order…

Oh, and in case you were wondering, my weeks change over on Saturdays. So when I post these weekly reviews on Monday, I’m already 2 days into the next week.

{self-portrait taken at 32 weeks, 4 days}

help! i need to relax!

May 20, 2011

From a malfunctioning home alarm system and not feeling well to a broken Keurig machine and a heavy workload, this week has been extremely stressful and more exhausting than usual. I think I need to pamper myself with a day of relaxation. A facial and massage sound just about perfect right now.

In March, JB and I enjoyed a couple’s massage during our weekend getaway in Kansas City. Mine was a prenatal one, of course, but the spa did not use a table with a hole cut out for my belly (though at that time my baby bump looked more like I had eaten a large lunch). Instead, the masseuse had me lay on side, first my left and then my right. At almost 33 weeks, though, I would probably be more comfortable on a specially designed pregnancy massage table. I actually can’t remember the last time I laid on my stomach…

Today’s side project will be to locate a massage studio or spa in Omaha that offers prenatal massages and uses a massage table with the baby bump hole. I’m desperately looking forward to an hour (or more) of me-time, though I imagine fitting my belly into the hole may seem strange at first.

Has anybody had a prenatal massage? Was it enjoyable or awkward?

(How indulgent does this Balinese-style bath look? If I had a big enough tub, you’d bet I’d be relaxing in it. Sadly, it’s practically child-size. Good for baby, bad for mama.)