Shopaholics anonymous & HAPPY WEEKEND

this is a total splurge and grossly expensive. but i really, really want it.

introducing the nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S ED VR II nikkor telephoto zoom lens 

this is a bad-ass lens.  for a whoppin' $849.00 on amazon, this seems like an unattainable purchase for me.  even if i start saving my pennies for this lens, could i really convince myself to actually buy it???  i don't think so!  but, i can still put it out there in the blogosphere as a wish list item...right...why not?

luckily for me, my in laws and sister and brother in law bought me this lens ;-)

nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX lens

have a great weekend dear friends!

Pregnant celebraties.

sometimes when i'm bored i click on google images and surf the net for images of pregnant celebs.  am i weird?  did any of you do this?

i like to critique their bodies, their fashion choices, and yes, even how much weight they gained.  i know, it's sick and twisted.  i swear, sometimes i really hate being a woman.  the unrelenting pressure (that comes from an unknown place..maybe my head) of looking "beautiful", whatever that means,  is exhausting.  mass media doesn't help either.

courtney kardashian. large and in charge
and still rockin' a skin tight
mini, in white!

say what you want about nicole ritchie,
but i do love her style.
her little baby bump is just so cute.

mz. glamazon herself, j lo,
lookin' fly pregnant or not.

oh mariah...
and i'm not necessarily saying that in
a good way.

oh my jessica!

look at all these lovely ladies!

this one's cute. 2 pregnant women, alyssa
milano and selma blair.  i'm sure
they were discussing their bellies.

but, my all time favorite celebrity to gawk at is reese witherspoon.  she was just so effortlessly chic, non bloated, lookin' comfortable, sexy but casual throughout her whole pregnancy.  how is that possible?

look at her in her one piece.

i really love this outfit.
i have a hot pink dress just like it.

i wish i looked this good jogging
while pregnant.

effortless i tell ya. effortless.

stripes!

omg! so cute!
having matthew mcconaughey by her side
doesn't hurt either.

even after having her blood drawn,
she looks stunning!

check out her legs.  she looks like she is about to pop
and no cankles here!

i ask you this dear friends, pregnancy glow...attainable or BS???

Dear Baby,

your dad and i went out for dinner last night. i was craving a dragon roll and chicken katsu so we headed to barracuda for some japanese food.  i just thought i would share with you that the majority of our dinner conversations was about YOU!  we are so very excited to meet you.  we were discussing if you were going to look like your dad, me, or a combination of both of us.  we were trying to guess what your personality was going to be like.  we really can't wait to meet you and get to know you.  so until then, hugs and kisses from both of us.  we already love you so much.

PS
just in case you were wondering what a dragon roll was...

here is a pic of it.  it's one of my absolute favorite rolls.
it has unagi and avocado on top and shrimp
tempura in the middle.
it's absolutely delicious!

oh, and i also had a request for a mrs. field's cookie chiller ;-)

now, this is ABSOLUTELY delicious.
luckily, your dad and i shared it so i wouldn't feel
so guilty. 

Strollers.

can we talk about this? and yes, i think this topic deserves its own post.  i mean, besides a car seat, this may just be the most important baby purchase we make. am i right, or am i right? a stroller can really make or break our experience of taking our baby to restaurants, out shopping, gallivanting in san francisco, and even running.

i want our stroller to have good suspension (just like a car) so that the baby won't feel every lump, bump, or crack. i also want something with good handling, particularly one that i can maneuver easily with one hand.  weight is also of concern.  we don't want anything super heavy or bulky.  and one that can fold up relatively easily.  my first choice was...

the ever popular city mini. at $249.99
it's an awesome deal.

i have spoken to many moms who have owned this stroller, and they only had great things to say about it.  plus, when i went to new york last year by myself, the city mini and the UPPAbaby were the only 2 strollers i saw around manhattan.  now, i don't know about you, but if a stroller can cut it in manhattan, you know it's a keeper.

of course getting a BOB crossed my mind, particularly because john and i like to run.  however, i got to thinking about our dream of hopefully having more than 1 kid.  and considering it took me a whoppin' 2 whole years to get to this point, our plans of "trying" for a second bambino will start soon after this one is born.  so, with that in mind, i wanted a stroller that could easily convert to a double stroller. these were the 2 contestants:

the phil & teds explorer stroller.  the navy one is on sale
right now for $374.99 at diapers.com

the city select is $499.99.
i realize it's on the more expensive side, but i think it's
worth it.

after much deliberation, research, and conversations with moms who own both. the city select is the winner.  let me just show you all the features this stroller can do.  versatility is an understatement.

luckily, we have several 20% off coupons for buy buy baby which will knock off ~$100.  for the quality and the versatility of the city select, i think it will be worth our money.

do you have a city select?  if not, which stroller did you end up buying?

Why are maternity clothes ugly?

even the bras are a site that can make your eyes sore.  check it:

image via

image via

see? i told ya?

remember when i wrote about my birthday plans?  since then, i've been on the hunt for a maternity dress, or at least a dress that will flatter and accommodate my growing self.  i'm not opposed to buying a non-maternity dress, but i hate how the front of those dresses become shorter in the front because of the big belly. as for maxi dresses...although i think they are cute, i'm just not into them.  thinking ahead and reasoning to myself the need to buy a maternity dress is that i also have 2 weddings to attend this year.  so, i figured i could spend the money on buying something that i could get a few wears out of.  cue in asos.  low and behold, they have a cute maternity line that is affordable.  plus, free shipping both ways...bingo!  i think i have my store ;-)

here are some dresses i've been eyeing:

$60.36...not bad, but not great.

$77.61
this one would be definitely a splurge.
but i really like it.

$68.98

$36.22
now we're talkin'.

$51.74
i really like this one too.

as always, i'll let you know which one i end up getting and how it fits.  while we are on the subject of maternity dresses...what are your thoughts on above the knee dresses for pregnant ladies...chic and sexy or tasteless and down-right-inappropriate?  do tell.

Exercise and pregnancy.

once i was cleared by my doctor to start exercising again i was more than eager to get back into some sort of exercise routine. i knew i had to listen to my body and not over do it.  so with some caution and a big smile on my face, i started to jog and take my boxing and kickboxing classes again.

when i tell people i still go to my boxing and kickboxing  classes and jog i either get, a "good for you" and a high five or a "oh...you do?" and a crazy stink eye that i'm sure means "is that safe for the baby?".  i really think some people think that if you exercise when you are pregnant, it does more harm than good.  isn't that nuts?  what do they expect me to do all day, all 9 months, sit on my butt, eat, and sleep?  i mean, does pregnancy = sick? not in my book!  i totally understand that if i was not active before, then i probably shouldn't be trying to do a roundhouse kick or a jab-jab-straight-hook combination. but i've been taking those classes religiously for 4 years now and could run 7 miles (with hills, i might add) before i got pregnant.  so just sitting and not being active would do me more harm than good.

what are your thoughts on the subject of exercising and pregnancy?

and now for some pics from around the web:

i'm all about squats, but this is nuts.

ummm...amazing...or down right crazy?

i agree...this is kinda over doing it.  you won't see
me lifting anything remotely heavy.
i don't want to go into preterm labor!

non-pregnant me could barely do a
pull up. i'm not about to try now.

this i think i could do.

i love push ups.
but my knees would have to be bent.

all images came from babble.

Super excited for my birthday.

this year i'll be turning 34.  is that considered mid-30s???? oh my, how time flies...<sigh>

although i'm not too keen on getting older, this birthday is going to be a doozer. you see, i'll be 19 weeks by sept 28 which means...dun-durarun...we can find out the sex of the baby!!! in my mind, the perfect birthday day would be as follows: a nice jog around lake merced when i wake up, ultrasound appointment late morning, finding out that we are having healthy baby boy or girl, then lunch with john so we can laugh and giggle with pure joy and excitement about the amazing news, head back home to rest and to get ready for a night out in san francisco.

to top it off, john made dinner reservations to cotogna. for those of you who aren't in the know, the chef and owner of cotogna is michael tusk, who is also is the chef and owner of the ever popular quince, who just happened to recently win the james beard award for the best chef in the pacific.  if everything goes according to plan, i'll be one happy and lucky girl come the end of september.

here are some pics of cotogna

is that a fire roasted pizza oven? i say yes please!

leg of lamb on a spit with grilled vegetables underneath to catch the drippings?  heck ya!

bomboloni with ricotta, blueberries, and limoncello sauce.
fancy!

i'm planning to go all out that night. pizza, pasta, grilled vegetables with lamb, and dessert. no carb/calorie watching for me.  of course i'll let you know how it all goes down.

next up, finding a cute dress to accommodate my ever growing belly.

Where's the beef?

well, you aren't going to find it over here.  beef has been the culprit of many sleepless nights.  it causes major gas, indigestion, and bloating for me.  if i eat large quantities of meat, it seems to take me at least 2 days for it to digest. so far, the safest bet during this pregnancy has been the good 'ol trusty chicken.  it's strange, because non-pregnant me would normally pick a juicy medium rare steak any day over boring chicken. so while my taste buds would normally go nuts over...

this

lately, i seem to best stomach...

this.

particularly...

this. 

in case you don't know what this is, it's chicken katsu.  and what's even more perplexing to me, is that normal, non-pregnanat me doesn't care for hawaiian food. go figure?!  so far, chicken katsu has been the only meal i have fully enjoyed and not have had to endure any miserable repercussions.