A Hell of a Town

I am in NYC for my monthly work trip and so far, it's been pretty good. Not only do I get to see my work buddies and show off the ever growing belly, but I also get to eat all of my NY favorites. I've only been here for 36 hours, but I have managed to squeeze in the following:

• Dinner at Hill Country with good buddy Tulay. This place serves up some stellar BBQ and is highly recommended to all you NY and DC readers. I got 3 delicious pork spare ribs that I sucked dry along with some coleslaw and the best Mac n' cheese I have ever eaten. Seriously. Go hit this place up. YUM!
  
  
  
  
• Breakfast at Zaro's Bakery. Yes. I caved and got me an everything bagel with cream cheese. Don't judge. :). I personally think this place offers to most authentic NY style bagel. Some of you may disagree...but most New Yorkers have their favorite bagel spots.
  
  
  
  
• Lunch at Pret. This place was first introduced to me by Miss Susan Backus during a trip we took to London. They have opened many a location in the states (in NY, DC and Chicago) and it has slowly become a staple in my NY lunch time diet. Favorite sandwich: the Vietnamese Baguette. SO GOOD! Matched with their organic popcorn and a fresh lemonade it is one of the best lunch meals to speak of.
  
  
  
• Dinner at Tappo. This is a pizza joint, but not your typical NY pizza joint. They serve up specialty, thin crust pizza that happens to be delicious. I got my favorite - The Shroomtown - and enjoyed every single bite. This place is a sister location to a place called Vezzo located on the east side of town. My NY Mom, Dina, introduced me to this pizza family and I will forever be in her debt.
  
  
  

So there you go. I still have 2 more days in the city and I plan to eat a little healthier for the sake of my little man. But I can't guarantee that I won't indulge in a soft pretzel from the cart while in town. :)

The Nursery: Take Three

We have had some changes to the little guy's room and wanted to share. We are in the home stretch and I'm happy to say that it is looking good. Not to pat our own backs, but it seems we have been able to create a comfortable space without compromising on style. Very happy indeed. Enjoy! :)

It's Beginning to Feel A Lot Like Christmas

It's that time of year again and we couldn't be happier. This is our second Christmas in the new house so we have some traditions in place when it comes to decorating, with some slight modifications. This year, we have our beautiful china cabinet in place making for a great place to hang the stockings. We also have the new built in window seat so Mr. Tree had to come away from the window a few feet. Other than that, we have it down to a science.

We headed out Friday night to pick our our fresh Fraser Fir. After a quick stop at Home Depot, where the selection was disappointing (sorry, but it was), we headed to the Trader Joe's parking lot where the good people of the Virginia Christmas Tree Grower Association had their goods on display. This is where we picked up our tree last year, and I have to say, I'm glad we came back because the trees this year were gorgeous! It didn't take long to find the perfect one. :)


You gotta love a tree lot that sports an industrial sized RV! After the tree was loaded up on the car, we hit our traditional "get the tree" dinner location: Pho Bistro. Doesn't everyone get a warm bowl of Pho after picking out their Christmas tree? :)


After our delicious dinner, it was time to head home to put the tree in place. And it turns out, it is the PERFECT tree. We have never had a nice one!


We let it sit over night and just settle into it's new home and then got to decorating on Saturday night with Mom and Dad Q. on hand to assist. We pulled all the decorations out of the basement and got to work. Mom Q. helped Ed with the lights while Dad, Lucy and I watched and critiqued. :)


Once the lights were in place, it was time to load up the tree. Now, our household does not have a "theme" tree. We don't have a certain color scheme and we don't use traditional white lights. Our tree is what you call "ghetto". The colored lights highlight the variety of ornaments that we've collected individually over the years since we were kids as well as some that we have gotten since we've been together. I guess the theme of our tree is "memories" because each ornament has a special story or meaning behind it. Here are some of this year's newest additions:


You HAD to know that there would be an owl on the tree this year! We are very pleased with the final outcome along with all the great holiday decor that now surrounds us.


We were so proud of the transformation in the house that we decided to take a family photo. Lucy wasn't too keen on it, but out of what felt like 25 takes, we finally got one where she is sorta, kinda looking forward. Happy holidays!!

Gestational Diabetes Free in '03!

Okay, I know it is 2011, but '03 sounded better. :)

My OB just called and shared the news that I passed my 3-hour glucose screening test with flying colors. Hooray!!

I am very relieved that there is one less thing to worry about because I seem to be a worry wort about everything lately. I also got the news that even though I have a negative blood type, I apparently have not developed the Rh Negative anitbodies which is a good thing. I get to have another shot in 3 weeks to make sure they don't develop and that both myself and Baby Boy Mangiaracina stay healthy. I just love good news on a Thursday morning. :)

An Early Christmas Treat

So as you all know, I have had a gloomy few days dealing with the emotions of pregnancy. Well, it was Suzy Q. to the rescue and boy did she deliver. :) After seeing this AWESOME Jib Jab video that she put together, I couldn't stop smiling so I had to share it with everyone.

I especially love Ed's dance moves in the video and I have to say that I have always wanted to play the standing bass. Mom and Dad Q. entertained but I think Elf Suzy was the star of the show!

Thanks Sue Q. for making me smile. This one is a keeper.

P.S. We are very fun girls. :)

Sunshine Day

Do you remember this from way back in the day?

Gotta love the moves! I think my favorite part is at the end when the Brady kids take a bow, yet they are still singing in the background. :)

Well, it is a rainy day here in the DC area, but I'm having a sunshine day because this was delivered:


What is it you ask? Well, it is something for the baby's room and it is something that is going to become my best friend once the baby is born. Stay tuned for the big reveal!

Cry Baby

So it's true what they say about pregnancy hormones. They make you a completely different person than you were when you didn't have a little one growing in your belly. I have to say, I've been pretty lucky so far with this first pregnancy. I didn't really suffer with morning sickness. I have not really swelled up other than my wrist (darn carpal tunnel!). My hair is as thick and lush as it has ever been.

But for some reason, when I turned the corner to week 25, things changed. My face started breaking out so much that I look like I am a middle schooler going through puberty. My lower back feels like a 700 lb elephant is sitting on it. And my eyes don't know how to stop the tears from flowing. I seem to have no control over my emotions...nor my tear ducts for that matter. Everything seems to make me cry. From the Rice Krispies commercial where the mom and kids are making the Rice Krispies treats to the napkin that fell on the floor that I now have to pick up, I am crying. And not just tearing. Full on balling complete with puffy eyes and a red, sniffly nose.

And it didn't help that I failed my glucose tolerance test last week. Yes...as I said here, we would deal with the outcome should it be this way. What I'm most upset about is that I now have to do a 3-hour version of the test which means drinking more of the sugary drink and sitting at LabCorp for 3 hours tomorrow morning. Blah!

This emotional, weepy person is not me. I'm the one that people weep to. I'm the rock. The listener. Not the crier so I'm having a hard time embracing this new side of me. Poor Ed has no idea what to do - but he did buy me beautiful flowers today which made me feel exponentially better. I still have a long way to go with this pregnancy so I'm hoping the emotions start to calm down a bit. But let me apologize in advance if we are out to lunch and I start weeping because the waiter forgot the bread basket.