I Can Wait...

Four months after my sweet baby boy was born, I have slowly began to realize something- I can wait. I have made the executive decision to stop saying "I can't wait!"

There have been so many times in my life where I have found myself saying "I can't wait until {insert something big here}!" Well, now I know, yes, yes I can wait. If I stop saying "I can't wait!" maybe time will slow down a little bit and those {inserted big moments} will stop flying by so quickly. 

When I was an awkward middle schooler I would always say, "I can't wait until high school!" High school has come and gone and now that I've been out of high school for (gasp) 11 years, I want to cry. High school was great, but so was that moment in my life when I said "I can't wait for high school!" I just couldn't see it because I had a serious case of 'the grass is greener…' You know how that goes. 

When I was pregnant I said, "I can't wait until I get to meet this baby!" It was true I was excited to meet the baby, but I could wait. I needed to stop looking into the future so much and just enjoy that moment. Enjoy that time when hubs and I were still just the two of us with a family of three on the horizon. I should have just enjoyed those sweet movements of my baby in utero. Why? Because now he's here, and while I love every single second I have with him, I miss those days before he was born. Just like another mom said at our mommy/baby music class yesterday about another baby in the group, "I can't wait until Johnny can sit like that!" No, mama you can wait. Because before you know it he will be sitting, then rolling, then crawling, then walking, then driving, then graduating, and you will yearn for those moments when he was three months old again and loved being held and snuggled by you. 

Currently my hubs and I are dealing with a 20 week old baby who does not refuses to sleep at night. Naps during the day are golden. Unswaddled, asleep on his own, in his crib. Night time rolls around and you would think his crib was made of spikes that hurt his little body. Arms and legs flying, screaming, and well, not sleeping. Where does he fall asleep in the blink of an eye? In my arms. Immediately. So while I fight the demons that tell me my baby will never have a bedtime routine and will need to sleep in my arms until he's 30, I am going to enjoy this time with my baby. With my husband. This precious time in my life. 

Because life happens fast, and I can wait. 

Few days old 

19 weeks old

Yes. I can wait. 

Baby!

Life sure has changed for us here... 

We welcomed our baby boy into the world on May 8, 2014. It is such a new and fabulous adjustment for us, but we wouldn't change a thing! He is already 5 weeks old, and now that I feel like I have more of a hang of things I am going to keep blogging.

 I have some friends that are going to have babies very soon and, for them, I am going to post about my favorite baby items that have helped us out this past month. Then, I found this awesome new mom challenge that I can going to participate in. I am going to use my blog to document my hopeful survival of this challenge! 

Meet Alec Timothy

Drop Everything and... Travel!

This post is happening because usually this time of year we are blissfully planning a trip overseas to some new-to-us location. We are using Trip Advisor to help us find non-sketchy places to stay, fun places to explore, and places to find the best (and worst for you) desserts local cuisine known to man. This year, we are not blissfully planning an actual trip, but we are planning for the adventure of our lives. We are planning for our first-born child to arrive in somewhere near 4 weeks!

While the unknowns with having a baby and traveling to a foreign country are seemingly familiar, the anxiety and excitement factor are much higher when planning for a new baby.

We are aware that having a baby does not mean we will never travel again, but it is bittersweet that we are hanging up our traveling hats and tucking our suitcases away for a little while. But all of this has had me thinking for a few weeks that getting out and booking a trip to foreign locations was one of the best things we have ever done. In our entire lives. Period.

My first trip outside of the US, Mexico, and Canada was to Spain. Looking back, it was so random. Most people go to some well-known city like London or Paris for their first trip to Europe. Not I- nope I hit the ground running with my hubby and in-laws (cousins and all) in a random country and city after city after city. We arrived in Madrid and I felt like I was already in over my head. I didn’t speak Spanish- what the h*ll was I thinking?! Turns out it was fine, and amazing, and I absolutely LOVED Spain. We went to Madrid, Segovia, Granada, Seville, Barcelona, and so many places in between. We ate SO much ham we thought we would never touch it again, and when we finally found a chicken based food (donor kabobs) you would have thought we struck gold! We got in trouble with our tour company for drinking more than our share of wine one night, and we got completely and utterly lost in a walled city when I was in charge of the map.

Turns out, traveling is much like the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series… if you let an Abby travel, she is going to want to do it again and again. So we weren’t home but 2 days and I was already planning my next get away. So we sat down and booked a trip (just hubby and I) to London, Paris, and Amsterdam the spring of the following year. It started by me saying:

“Paris, I have to go to Paris! I want to eat a baguette under the Eiffel Tower, drink wine outside, wander through the Louvre, people watch, and eat the best macrons possible!”

But I also had to go to London. Everyone talked about London- and it’s British. I had to hear the British accent in it’s homeland. Then hubby chimed in and had to go to Amsterdam because he had a lay over there awhile ago and thought the city looked awesome from above with all of it’s canals and such. Great! Let’s go! I like water and boats, plus tulips come from Holland. I was sold.

So spring arrived and off we went. London. OH. MY. GOSH. To this day I cannot get enough of London. If it so much as resembles the British flag I own it. I want need to go back. I dream of London, and I’ve asked my husband repeatedly if he would ask his company to transfer him to their London office- to no avail. Amsterdam was equally amazing. No, we did not go enjoy their ‘coffee shops’ but we had a pretty awesome time. We got upgraded in our already fabulous hotel, and we almost never left. Free booze in the lobby! Free espresso in the room! Free food at breakfast! We were scavengers and are not afraid to admit it. We wandered through the Red Light District and loved it. We got the munchies without even going to the ‘coffee shops’ and ordered fries in a cone with mayo and ketchup. You just have to… when in Amsterdam. We had the most delicious and decadent treat in a local outdoor market- a warm, gooey stroopwafle. If you can get your hands on one, do it- immediately!

And then we have Ireland. We just went to Ireland last summer (2013) and spent two amazing weeks traveling the entire country. This trip was enjoyed with my in-laws and my husband. It was just a wonderful trip. I have so many memories that will last a lifetime and I would never trade those memories for anything. We drove on the wrong side of the road, five of us were crammed in a small car (van we requested wasn’t available), and we had more luggage than anyone could really need for a two week trip. We laughed over a pint (or 2, 3, 4, or 5) of Guinness and Smithwick’s. I am so thankful for my family and travel.

Long story short, just travel. Get out and do it. No matter your age or your financial status, just book a trip and go. Think of it not only as an investment in your time, but think of it as an investment in your life. Get out with the ones you love and see places you have only dreamed of.

Life is short – grab on and embrace it while you can!

Under Construction

As you can tell- crazy, beautiful life is undergoing a makeover! Check back by the end of the week to see it all come together and for an exciting new blog post!


If you like love what you see, head over to Bella Lulu Ink and give Chelsea some love! 

Lovely Products

There are a few products that I have really enjoyed over the past few weeks, and I just thought I would share them with whoever wanted to know! Maybe you'll find you enjoy some of these things as well...

It's Potent! is an eye cream from Benefit that I have been enjoying for a few months now. At first I did not notice any difference, but now I am noticing that under my eyes have been brighter lately from using this. And aside from that, it just feels good to put on after washing my face each night. 

Triple performing facial emulsion is my absolute FAVORITE facial moisturizer! It has SPF 15 in it so every single day I have SPF on when I walk out the door. It feels and smells amazing. 

total moisture facial cream - this little gem I just purchased on Friday night. I love it so far. I was looking for something that would be really moisturizing for nighttime. I did not want to waste my facial emulsion with SPF in it for bedtime, so when I went to get my brows done on Friday I found this and purchased it. So far, so good. It feels really nice and not thick and heavy. Plus, I've loved all my Benefit moisturizing products so I am not surprised I like this as well. 

365 Organic White Cheddar Popcorn is one of my new favorite snacks. You can purchase it at Whole Foods for only $1.99. I call that a complete win! And when you're pregnant and craving popcorn with raspberries nearly nightly, different varieties are fun. However, after my popcorn and raspberries snack the other night, I realized the cheddar on the popcorn tastes funny with the berries, so it's just a yummy snack. I keep the regular popcorn for raspberry and popcorn night. 

Noodle & Boo Super Soft Lotion that's exactly what it is. Super soft and it smells so, so good. Ok, I admit this is for babies. BUT- I love it. I used it when we were registering for our baby a few weeks ago and then they gave me a sample and I've already used it. I added it to our registry for the baby, but I am going to need to buy a bottle for myself soon. It feels so nice and clean on your hands. Perfect for winter!

Favorite Navy Bundlers this one might seem odd. The baby is not due for another couple months, but I purchased these bundlers a week or so ago and am already completely in love. They are so soft and very well made. I cannot wait to wrap our new baby boy in these when he comes home :) 

Orange La Croix is probably my favorite beverage right now (and always has been) aside from still water. Obviously I would rather indulge in some nice wine or a mixed drink, but while I'm pregnant, this is my go-to. I can drink it at work or at home and it is a treat either way. The bubbles make it feel fancy and refreshing. 

Pregnancy Favorites... so far!

At almost 22 weeks, I have definitely developed a few favorite products that have made my pregnancy either easier and/or more enjoyable. 

This post is for my girlfriends who are not currently pregnant. I want to get this down in writing for you now so I can remember when you ask me or you can take note now. 

1. My Bump Nest pillow. It may have been pricier than I wanted, but it has been worth every penny. It is like a giant snake candy cane residing in your bed. This was purchased pretty early on in my pregnancy, before sleeping was even a problem. But as I grow, I love it more. It positions me and I can shape it into any form I want/need for a good night's rest. 

2. Starbucks/Caribou Tumbler. I drink water constantly- other than orange juice, it is the only thing I really enjoy drinking. And, as a new mommy-to-be, you need a lot of water. So, having these tumblers, with a straw, I drink so much water on a daily basis. I have a fun Starbucks and Caribou tumbler- both make drinking water more fun!

3. Two words: Gap leggings - ok three words, Gap maternity leggings. These things are amazing. So SOFT! I had a hard time with anything that was not leggings for a very long time. I recently (um, today) graduated into big girl pants. I look like an actual working professional again and that was only possible thanks to number 4 on my pregnancy favorite list! 

4. The Bellaband. Funny story actually- I purchased this at Gap weeks ago and never used it, so hubby pulled out the receipt because I wanted to return it. However, I got a super cute new shirt from Target's Liz Lange maternity collection not long ago and wanted to wear it to work. It totally needed black pants to go with it, and I do not have any that fit right now. So this was sitting in what will be baby's bedroom and I decided to give it a try this morning. AMAZING!!!! Where has it been my whole pregnancy. Get this ladies- you do not even have to be able to come close to buttoning or zipping your pre-pregnancy pants. This is made to cover all that up- and it does. And it stays there- ALL DAY LONG. Get one- even if it is just for a big dinner you're about to enjoy. You'll thank me :) 

5. Pizza. Frozen, gourmet, thin, thick... I don't care. I just want PIZZA! I guess you could call this a craving, but I've always loved pizza. But it has been much stronger since being pregnant. My current favorite- Blaze Pizza. I blame this obsession on my mother and father in law. They introduced hubby and I and there is NO GOING BACK! Go try it. Especially if you crave pizza while pregnant. 

6. My husband. I must admit that I have not been as crazy as I heard pregnant women can be, but I have sure had my moments of crazy freak outs and moments where I am slightly over the top about something. Hubby has been completely and utterly amazing through the entire process. He has come to doctor appointments, brought me food, rubbed my shoulders, cleaned our home, and strolled through Pottery Barn kids more than once. I'm a lucky lady and I never take that for granted!

Observations on the CTA

I’m normally a drive-one-mile-to-work kind of girl, and depending on traffic in this city, it can sometimes take me less than 7 minutes to get to get there.

On Friday I had a doctor’s appointment downtown, and it was still my winter vacation, so no need to drive and pay eleven dollars to park! I decided to ride the train down with the hubby because he would go to work directly from the appointment anyway. I knew we would be boarding the train at rush hour, and the geek inside of me was a little excited to see how busy the train was on a week day, at rush hour.

So at ten after eight we left the house, bundled in several layers, and descended into the snowy artic air that is Chicago in January. We made the short trek to the train station just north of our apartment, and almost immediately a train pulled up and we boarded. To my disappointment, I wasn’t squeezing into a train like the images you see of commuter trains in India. We actually boarded a fairly empty train, and even got two seats (score!). So the train rolled along and with each stop more and more people boarded. The guy sitting next to me (not hubby), was drinking his morning joe and continuously hacked up a small portion of his lung. I ignored it at first, but then horrible thoughts of how warm the train was, and how tighter and tighter the people were packing in, and I suddenly was convinced I was catching some form of bird flu from the seemingly innocent guy next to me drinking his joe. Belmont! Yessss!!! Only time in my life I was actually happy to switch to the red line.

As red line run 458 pulled up, I couldn’t help but notice that train looked remarkably similar to an image I had seen before… ahhh, the India commuter train! Finally, my image of Chicago rush hour on the train had arrived. We pushed ourselves onto the train car and gingerly grasped something to hang onto. I cleared the image of Bird Flu Man from my head and decided to enjoy this rare workday treat- observing the people of the CTA. This is what I observed:

·      Some people check stocks and social media on their way into work

·      Some people catch up on zzz’s on their way to work… standing up

·      Some people pick their boogers and eat the treasure

·      Some people read books. Really HUGE books. Get a Kindle for your commute!

·      Some people absolutely cannot stand still. And this guy wasn’t a toddler or small child!

·      Some people wear really nice clothes and do not bathe.

And most importantly, I observed that I actually like my short drive (all observations took about 15 minutes to obtain) to school. And I appreciate the fact I do not have to rely on the CTA each and every day. Go take a short morning ride, it’s well worth the observations!