Baby Bump - 6 months

Picture of Little Girl's growth before we departed for our babymoon in Croatia.  Vacation pictures to come soon.  I knew we were cutting it close by traveling internationally in the last week of my second trimester.  It was the optimal time for our schedules and warmer weather abroad. 

I was unable to sleep a wink on the 9.5 hour flight to Rome (layover) so we checked into a hotel for me to rest before our connecting flight.  I never knew Hilton offered a "day" rate :)  Unfortunately Unisom (sedative recommended by my OB) did not work for me.

Sister is Engaged! 4/7/2012

I am bubbling with happiness - my sister is engaged to her best friend Cody Mayo!  They make an adorable couple, not to mention they are both braniacs.  Cody surprised my sister in New Orleans during Easter weekend by popping the question in Jackson Square (pictured below).

Then he had the second surprise at Galatoire's restaurant - my mom and dad, our godparents: Barney and Dale, Cody's mom, and Cody's sister were all present for the celebration.  What a splendid surprise!  My sister shed happy tears again :)

I was sad to miss this grad occasion but was able to talk to Lauren just after the engagement.  Let the wedding planning begin....fun times ahead! Cheers!

Star Sighting in NYC 4/3/2012

I took my daily lunch walk and stumbled upon a taping on 57th and Lexington.  Of course, I was trying to avoid the lingering throng finding out what and who was being taped.  As I made my way back to work, I recognized the guy above, Finch (Michael Emerson), in his trailor down the street. 

I am horrible at spotting famous people around NYC but since I watch his tv show Person of Interest weekly, I could not help but notice :)  He sounds and looks just like he does in the tv show, although I could not confirm if the limp is real.

The show is action-packed with suspense - the partner vigilantes saving lives around NYC one episode at a time.  Fitch also played on Lost, although I hear he was not a "good" guy.

http://www.cbs.com/shows/person_of_interest

Poconos 3/31/12

Jon and I had such a fun escape to the Poconos with great friends!  I had never been to the Poconos before but thought it would be a perfect weekend retreat at some point while we lived nearby (only a 2.5 hour drive). The area has sentimental family history - Jon's parents and grandparents honeymooned in the Poconos.

We rented a house on Lake Harmony with a scenic view from our spacious living room.  The weekend happened to have nasty weather - about 45 degrees and raining/misting the entire time - but it didn't bother us much because we had fabulous company.

Couldn't quite soak up any sun...

Split Rock resort grounds:

Cheers to Lindsey winning 2nd place in her work's March Madness bracket!  I have to mention I was one of the only 4 females in the pool of 25 co-workers :) Haha, I don't actually remember the true reason for the cheers (I am not imbibing).

Baby Bump 5 months 3/25/2012

I've begun feeling mini kicks when it used to be just a fluttering feeling :)

I thought pregnancy brain was an excuse or myth before experiencing it myself.  Leaving my glasses at my co-worker's desk, dropping things without even realizing it, and losing my train of thought when speaking....I'm sure there is more to come.

As you can tell from the pictures, I haven't "popped" out much.  I think they have my due date wrong, I suspect they will move it back almost 2 weeks to match my original due date of August 21st.  I'm sure Jon would prefer this little one not arrive on his birthday August 20th.

Baby Bump 4 months 2/26/2012

I finally broke down and told my manager last week...why was I so nervous?  He was excited to hear the news and started telling me stories of his little girl.  My other manager was surprised and then proceeded to tell me "baby making was fun" as he reflected back to his memories of starting a family (talk about awkward).  Anyway, I plan to post monthly "belly" pictures to show my progress as Baby Swope grows.  Stay tuned...

I felt the little one move around today - what a cool feeling (aka quickening) :)

Posh Picholine 2/17/2012

You might be wondering what picholine actually means – it is a medium-sized brine-cured green olive of French origin.

Executive chef: Terrance Brennan

Jon surprised me with Valentine’s dinner date at one of NYC’s top restaurants (NY magazine rated it #23 in 2011).  Its French and Mediterranean style cuisine and service truly proved its Michelin star rating. 

Jon loved the lobster prelude, scallops and lamb entrées, and chocolate dessert with red currant sorbet.  I have to say the presentation of his dessert was incredible – the waiter poured a warm chocolate liquid over this perfectly-shaped sphere of chocolate and it melted the outside shell, unveiling the pistachio-chocolate variations inside. 

My highlights were the truffle-stuffed scallops, wild dover sole, and the peanut butter and jelly dessert with caramel, peanuts, and banana ice cream.  Of course Jon could not abstain from the cheese cart – I stuck to pasteurized cheeses, of which the lady only had 2 out of the 20 that were an option.  To top off our exquisite dinner, the maitre d’ gave us a tour of their private wine room and introduced us to Chef Terrance.  Terrance signed our menu that read “Congratulations” at the top (since we were also celebrating Baby Swope in the second trimester).  What a memorable dinner we had.

One last thought: why do fancy restaurants insist on seating you right next to your date instead of across the table?