Thursday, January 30, 2014

Momnesia

Thursday, January 30, 2014

I have a bad case of pregnancy brain. V says that I'm driving him crazy because I'm incoherent and forgetful. It's very frustrating for me because I never forget anything.  Ever. Ever. Ever. 

Yesterday I double paid a bill because I'd forgotten I'd already paid it.  That's not that bad but still. I have to set reminders on my phone so I won't forget to do things.  WTF?! The really bad thing is that I accidentally deleted A LOT of my pictures from my blog. Pictures dating back to September. I tried to re-upload them but blogger is giving me an error so I'm going to need a few days to fix it. Ahhhh this is so frustrating. Oh well.

Update: I was able to restore my pics! Yay, I had to google a lot to figure it out but I did it!  

This is from the Oprah website. 2009. Go figure.
  • The brain shrinks during pregnancy—it does not lose cells but changes metabolism and restructures. Then in the final one to two weeks, the brain begins to increase in size again and construct maternal circuits. It does not return to its former size until about six months after giving birth. "We don't know what it's doing but we think it has something to do with redeveloping the mommy brain's circuits, but also maybe even letting the fetus 'snack' on the mommy's brain," Dr. Brizendine says.
Read more: http://www.oprah.com/health/The-Female-Brain#ixzz2rrlJAlsV

Well if baby K is snacking on my brain, go right ahead baby.  Mommy wants a smart boy. 

My pregnancy brain tally:
- I double pay bills
- I lose train of thought
- I confuse myself more than usual
- I confuse my husband because he says I haven't been speaking in complete sentences

The most frustrating thing of all is losing my train of thought in front of a patient.  They laugh and think it's cute, I don't! It's embarrassing. 

To make matters worse I am in complete denial of what's ahead.  I have a business, work part time and have this blog and I am about to have a baby and so far I think I am going to be able to handle all of it.  One of my colleagues told me that he supports me 100% but that he won't blame me if I don't go back to work on Sundays.  That's my favorite day to work! The good thing is that as a business owner I have the freedom to alter my schedule to fit my mom duties and in the future hire someone to work part time so I don't have to work 7 days a week.  Our baby's pediatrician is right across the hall from my office so it's super convenient.  There's also a nanny service in my office, it's called my receptionist.  She's great! V telecommutes so he is staying home with the baby so that's going to be perfect! Right?! Besides men aren't judged for bringing home the bacon so why should career oriented women be any different?

Maybe life doesn't have to be completely different after baby . . . maybe just maybe I can juggle it all.
Stay tuned . . . due date March 10!

 

Monday, January 27, 2014

What do tigers dream of . . . .

Monday, January 27, 2014

. . . when they take a little tiger snooze?

This post isn't about tigers.  It's about my prenatal yoga experience.  I have never been able to successfully complete a yoga session.  I could never keep up with the breathing.  I've had bad sciatica for about two years now and it's worse now that I am pregnant so I decided to give prenatal yoga a try. 

My friend and I found a Groupon for Joy Yoga Center in the Washington corridor.  So we decided to check it out.  I must say I am very pleased.  I love my instructor! Absolutely love.  She has one of those voices that makes the back of your neck tingle and she is so sweet.  We introduce ourselves every class and we share our experiences with the group.  On our first session I told her my previous yoga experiences and she was very nice and said she would try to focus on the breathing more, she said some instructors don't.  So far it's been great.  My sciatica is better, my neck and shoulder pain are gone.  I love it.  I feel very zen. 

Based on this great yoga experience my friend and I decided to add another class during the week.  Joy Yoga only offers one on Tuesdays so I told her that the Motherhood Center offered a free class if you checked in on Yelp! so we went on Thursday.  OMG! What a difference.  This is like hard core yoga. Seriously. The other class is baby cakes compared to this one and all this instructor says with each pose is "3 rounds of breathing".  I don't know when to exhale or inhale but thankfully because of the other class I did pretty good on this one not great but otherwise I would have been terrified.  I left that class sore and bewildered.  Now I know why Jennifer Aniston has such an amazing body and attributes it all to yoga.  It's because yoga is hard and extremely disciplined. 

I left that class with so many questions.  How can these pregnant women be so flexible? And why is it called tiger pose? What is the point of me doing this crazy pose up against the wall? I've never seen a tiger pose like that. Tigger bounced on his tail. 

Even though this class is a lot more intense I am very happy with it.  I am going to continue yoga two times a week, Tuesdays at Joy and Thursdays at Motherhood Center. 

I am a complete convert.  I think yoga is amazing.  I'm even considering a doula . . . that's how much 4 prenatal yoga sessions have changed my life. Actually, I'm not really considering a doula, I thought about for a hot second and yoga hasn't really helped with my anxiety that much yet but it has helped with my aches and pains. 

Here are some of my favorite poses, probably because they're the only ones I can somewhat do comfortably, I still need more practice.  

Tree pose. Tiger pose. Squat. Happy Baby.

OOTD: Aneka by New Balance yoga pantsTie Dye Balance Collection tank, Hind long sleeve top
Calvin Klein workout pants, mpg top *
*All my workout clothes are either purchased at Marshall's, TJ Maxx or Nordstrom Rack. 
 



Thursday, January 23, 2014

Winter grays

Thursday, January 23, 2014

On Sunday I wore this fabulous Rachel Zoe dress.  It is from the Pre Fall 2012 collection.  Originally $795 I scored it for $89 after being marked down from $249 at TJ Maxx.  It's from the Runway section . . . of course.  I love TJ Maxx.  Love, love, love.  I have searched high and low for this dress or a similar to post but cannot find anywhere so my suggestion would be to take a maxi dress you already own and cut slits from the thigh down.  That will give you a similar effect.  I wish I'd had a fan blowing while I posed so that you could see the layers, or posed differently.  I posted the picture of the model from the original collection.  I am still a size 6, yessss!

I paired the dress with YSL now Saint Laurent Tribute Platform Sandals.  I do not remember paying that much when I purchased them 2 years ago, but they are super comfy and I love them.  I can only wear them for about 6 hours now that I am pregnant though.  My feet were hurting by the end of the day.  I accessorized with a BCBG crystal headband, similar here, and a silver cuff purchased at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.  I cannot believe I am due in 6.5 weeks!!! Yikes . . . I'm super excited!




Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Baby Shower

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

On Sunday my family and my girlfriends came together to celebrate my baby shower. It was a small gathering at Ouisie's table. I was very pleased with the results. It was simple yet tasteful, just what I wanted. Blue and white hydrangeas were the flowers of choice and we had building block/umbrella centerpieces. The food was delicious. Guests had their choice of crab cakes or rockefeller oysters for appetizers. The entrees were an ode to our heritage . . . sort of . . .  greek salad with salmon, enchiladas and parmesan crusted chicken. The chicken was the neutral dish but it was so good. The cake was so yummy that I didn't want it to end, it was Italian with buttercream icing.  The food, cake and flowers were all provided by Ouisie's.  They also made the personalized menu cards.  V and I made the umbrella centerpieces.  As favors my sister made chocolate cake pops, they were so good!

We ate lunch, played games and I opened gifts.  Typical baby shower.  We played Who Am I?, Who knows mommy best, baby trivia, and baby shower around the world.  People also guessed the baby's birthdate (which we won't know until later) and guests decorated pages for an alphabet book.  It was such a great shower and 4 hours went by so fast.  I am so thankful for everyone who came and to my mom and sister who helped with the planning!

The one thing I forgot to do was hire a photographer so my sister had to take pictures.  I wish I would have hired one to capture all the special moments, other than that everything was great!

Outfit details will be revealed at next post . . . stay tuned.

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Friday, January 17, 2014

Weekend preview

Friday, January 17, 2014

I'm really excited about the weekend! It's one of my best friend's engagement party tonight. My best friend is flying in on Saturday and my baby shower is on Sunday.

I actually don't know what I'm wearing tonight. The first two pictures are what I'm debating between. The last picture is what I'm wearing on Sunday unless I find something better before then which is unlikely because I'm almost 33 weeks pregnant and nothing fits!!

Here's a preview of this weekend's outfits! Stay tuned to see the outfit details!








Sunday, January 12, 2014

Pregnant life . . . Work, work, work

Sunday, January 12, 2014

I work 7 days a week so I'm all about comfort. I have to make sure I have enough funds to not work for 6 weeks, cover my bills and pay someone to fill in for me so in the meantime I have to hustle. I'm lucky that I can work for so many days at a job that I love. 

Since I spend so many days at the office I really stopped caring about what to wear. Take yesterday for example I put this outfit together in 5 minutes. The top is cute, the leggings are cute, the blazer is cute and the shoes are cute. Now, does the combination look cute enough?! I'm not sure. I wanted to wear this outfit with my tall boots but I couldn't find them and I wanted to wear my faux leather motto jacket but I couldn't find it either.  I wanted to wear my hair down too but I didn't have time so a bun it was! Do 4 rights make a wrong?! You be the judge.

I took these pics in my office which I thought would be kind of fun since I spend a lot of my days there.

Ok, I'm off to watch the Golden Globes!

OOTD: Tart leggings, Free people dress no longer available similar style here, Christian Louboutin wedge booties, LaROK short blazer no longer available similar here

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Drama queens

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Every time I watch the Mindy Project I wonder if someone secretly loves me the way Danny loves Mindy.  I'm not sure if he even knows he has feelings for her yet but he definitely does.  I grew up in the 80s/90s era but I mostly remember shows like the Wonder Years, Saved by the Bell, Friends and Mad about you, but all rom-com shows like the Mindy Project and New Girl have the same premise.  We knew that Jess and Nick were going to end up together.  They're probably going to break up and then end up together after 8 seasons like Robyn and Barney.  I mean Duh! did we learn nothing from Ross and Rachel or Kelly and Zach . . . or maybe they'll end up like Kevin and Winnie.

Ok back to me.  V thinks it's incredibly vain of me to think that there's someone out there harboring secret feelings for me but I don't care.  I think that's the ultimate ego boost (which now having said that I do feel slightly narcissistic), but all I've ever wanted was a declaration of love.  That's it! I used to create drama with V just because our relationship was always so smooth and perfect but after a while he caught on and began to ignore me.   Why is it that we crave so much drama? I've had drama before with past lovers and conquests and it was horrible.  I would cry all the time.  Once I made my friend drive me to someone's apartment complex just to see if his car was there because he hadn't called me in two days.  In my defense I was 23 years old.  That's some Hannah Horvath shit.  Once I met V all the drama disappeared and he was everything I ever wanted.  We met, dated and then got engaged.  Smooth sailing, not one break up . . .  so no wonder 8 months later I am throwing a set of keys on the wall because he did not want to take me to Chipotle.  Fast forward 4 years later and I cannot get away with one dramatic antic because he knows all of my tricks.  The other day I told him that I was going to start kissing other guys if he didn't kiss me more often and he just said: Make sure you snap me a picture.  Dang! Cold blooded.  I am really not going to start kissing any guys not only am I married but I love and respect my husband . . . also I am not very smooth so I'd probably get caught and bring a lot of shame not only to my husband but my family.  So all the stupid, little things I say or do are just to get a reaction out of V which hardly ever happens.  It's mostly because I'm bratty.  I'm trying to change my evil ways though.   I think Mindy Lahiri actually gives women a bad name but that's why she's relatable because a lot of women behave that way but are too ashamed to admit it but not I, I am not as crazy as she is.  Seriously though aside from being a doctor and being a hard worker she has no admirable qualities.  She's kinda racist.  She's very selfish and she's so superficial.  Ahhhh! Having said that Mindy and I would probably be friends because when I am around other crazy people I tend to be less crazy so we balance each other out. 

I found this Mindy and Danny compilation video on YouTube.  It's cute but the music a bit too loud.  Enjoy!


Back to me again, I just need to accept my marital happiness, after all isn't that what we all want? A happy ending.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Faux real

Thursday, January 2, 2014

I love the snow! The first few days then it gets dirty and inconvenient. The first snow is always the best. This isn't the first snow of the season in the DMV but it's my first snow being back. We went to Mark's Duck House for dinner. I loooooooove duck. It's so delicious. Especially peking duck. Mark's Duck House holds a special place in my heart because that's where I first met my husband. July 2006. Who knew we'd end up together. When I first met him I thought he was from El Salvador. I don't know why. He's from Falls Church, Virginia but his family hails from Greece.

I prefer winter over summer. You can bundle up and be cozy and there's super cute accessories vs. the summer. It's not like you can walk around completely naked and even if you could it would still be hot and you'd be sticky and sweaty in inappropriate and inconvenient places.

My obsession with fur began when I was like 4. My mom had this fur bomber jacket that she got at a vintage shop. I actually tried looking for it but I couldn't find it. It's somewhere in our house. She's a borderline hoarder so I know she kept that jacket. She still has dresses from the 80s. She's a borderline hoarder vs. a full blown hoarder because there's still plenty of room in our house for more stuff and she loves having yard sales but mostly because she likes to make room for more stuff. What does she hoard? Anything and everything. Baby shoes, pots, pans, yarn, curtains, sheets, comforters, more yarn, buttons etc. etc. She loves to knit. She knits little dresses and shoes and hats and blankets. When she makes little capes or dresses she adds ribbon or buttons so she has a ton of buttons in different shapes. Anyway, back to fur.

Even though I'd love to own real fur I can't have any more animals killed at my expense. I'm a big meat eater so there's plenty of cows losing their lives every day just so I can eat steak. I can't have any more animals dying and still have a clean conscience. So I choose faux. My brother got me this amazeballs French Connection faux fur and leather sleeved jacket. It was originally $548 but he got it for like $60 at a discount store. That's because he's just like me, baller on a budget. I'm also wearing a faux sweater from Asos.

My hubby told me that when he was 17 he tried to breed chinchillas so he could sell them for their fur. He said it didn't work out because they shed a lot and since they take dust baths all they wanted to do was dig so he gave up and took them to the animal shelter.

Anyway, that's enough of my randomness for one day . . . outfit details below.

You can't really appreciate the outfit here but I couldn't resist taking pictures in the snow . . .

ASOS faux fur ribbed sweater, Nala jacket sold out, similar here and here, Jbrand maternity jeans, Christian Louboutin booties, Aqua statement necklace similar here and here.

faux fur
faux fur by almie917 featuring black tops



Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Happy New Year

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

2013 was a hard year but I look forward to 2014 with an open heart and a positive outlook. Things will be a lot better. Though 2013 was trying I am very thankful for many blessings and life lessons. I think back at January 1, 2013 and I would have never imagined what God had in store but tis is life. No regrets and always see the good in any situation.  We look forward to our biggest blessing our baby boy. ETA: 3/10/2014

I wish everyone a prosperous 2014!

About last night . . . Outfit deets.

Cut 25 Yigal Azrouel, Christian Louboutin Arborina (similar here), Juicy couture statement necklace (similar day),  South Moon under bangles (similar here).





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