one through seven

eight months later..

so a few months back, this happened.

and our lives changed forevever.

beckett felt mertlich was born feburary 24th, and we have been having far too much fun playing with him than remembering to update our blog.

This little boy is the greatest thing since sliced bread, in our humble opinion, and lights up our lives every day. You guys, they tried to tell me but I didn't believe it. There is nothing better than being a mom.

Maybe one day I'll try and catch up for record's sake. But as for now, we'll just fast forward 7.5 months so I can keep a better record of our family of three.

30 days

I'm still a little bit in shock that I only have 30 days left. Where did the other 273 days go?

i'm looking less than thrilled, but that's just because my real smile makes me look like a watermelon. Yay pregnancy!

I'm feeling large and in charge. But still loving every little bit of pregnancy.

Okay that's a bit of a lie. I could live without the heartburn and the backaches. But really, pregnancy has been wonderful.  I never thought I'd dislike it, but I didn't anticipate just how much I would LOVE it. It's been so magical. My growing belly makes me so happy. Neil makes fun of me because he'll get home and I'll have my shirt up, busy rubbing or staring at my bare belly. He calls me his little redneck wife. But I just can't get enough of the little guy and want to able to see every little movements and kick.

I'm so excited for him to come, but it's going to be so strange when I don't feel him in there anymore. 8 months later, I've gotten so used to the constant movements and hiccups (oh the hiccups! those are my favorite!) that it just seems so natural.

However, there are a few things I haven't gotten quite used to:

- catching my reflection in the mirror. i keep forgetting that i'm really this big.
- bumping my belly into anything and everything (the kitchen counter gets me every time)
- getting winded after a small flight of stairs
- burping (please tell me this isn't just me?)
- trying to squeeze through the crowd only to remember. I can't really squeeze. this is especially an issue in this crazy city of mine. i need a sign that says "wide load coming through" when I step onto a packed subway.
- my innie quickly becomming an "outtie". it's nearly there!

- having to walk a tourist's pace. Neil and I are notorious fast walkers. Now he is, and I huff and puff trying to keep up. At least it means the WTC tourists around my house don't drive me nearly as crazy!

all in all. it's been wonderful. but really. the anticipation is building and i'm getting SO excited to mee the little guy. come soon(ish!) Baby M!

Ready to POP!

When I went home for the holidays, Nikki threw the most adorable combined "Felt Family" baby shower for my cousin Katie and me. Katie is one of my closest cousins and dearest friends so it has been so exciting to embark on this pregnant adventure together! Our babies were due a month apart (her little Violet came two weeks early - on January 7th. I am so in love with her little photos!)

My sister always wins the award for putting together an amazing party. She is always so creative. If her career in Speech Pathology ever gets old, I think she should look into the party planning business...

It was an incredible party!

The theme was "Ready to Pop!"

We had a photobooth for everyone to have fun with, and we all snapped poloroid pictures to then be placed in an guest/advice book for us new moms.

Dear Collette announced that day she is also expecting! So she got to join in on the pregnant picture :)

Poloroid photos of all the guests with great advice written alongside

the treats were all things that POPPED including POPcorn, cake POPs, lemon sherbert POPs, and watermelon POPsicles

Onesie making activity - so much fun!

Katie married an amazing guy - we love Van! He is also an incredibly talented artist. This was his gift to Baby M. I fell in love with a similar picture on Etsy and he happily recreated it (no big deal that he had never used water colors before). It will be proudly displayed in baby's room!

The girls. I am so lucky to have amazing aunts and cousins. Love them all!

Third Trimester!

Can I really already be in my third trimester? Where is this time going?

I'm feeling large and in charge (and still trying to fathom what I am going to look like in 2 months time)

me and the bump at the lighting of the NYSE tree this week.

 

we took a short babymoon this weekend to Florida. The perfect getaway, full of sand, sun and pure laziness. i'm pretty sure we slept 10 hours every night, and our days consisted of going back and forth from the beach to the pool to the (not so) hot tub.

  

the weather was beautiful and ft lauderdale was nice and quiet. we had the beach practically to ourselves.

isn't my hubby a babe? i'm kinda crazy in love with this kid. and so excited that little baby M gets to have him as a father.

My downward view. Not much longer until I can't see my toes. 

29 weeks down. 11 more to go!

oh, october

our october month, caputured by instagram october was a busy, busy month! 1. getting my puppy fix with my friend camas' new schnauzer 2. the view from the office where i've been temping. love working in midtown for this sole reason 3, 4. quick trip to SF. i'm in love with the city. ready (in 5 years) to move to the outskirts on SF, buy a house with a garden and eat nothing but delicious organic vegetables 5. amazing first outfit gifted to baby M by my lovely friends, chris and michelle. love love love. my kid's going to be stylin! 6. the reason for the SF escape - celebrating kelsey's big day! napa valley = most idyllic wedding venue ever 7, 8. weekend trip to palymra and niagara falls (ontario side) with friends brett and kimber 9. love grand central station! one of my fav places in the city. waiting at the station for neil to get home 10. the great jack o'lantern blaze festival in hudson valley. 5,000 individually hand-carved, illuminated jack o’ lanterns around a historic mansion and gardens. photos just don't do it justice 11. snapping a photo of my growing belly - week 21 12. the baby's last day as a "papaya" in week 23 - spotted one in the grocery store and figured it was fitting to document (today he is the size of an ear of corn! :) this is also now my view every time i look down at my feet. waiting till the day i have to do a forward bend to see my toes. it's been a wonderful month!

what my browser looks like these days

can you tell i'm preparing for baby?

tomorrow is 23 weeks.

bump is growing.

baby is kicking.

my excitement is becoming uncontainable.

any try as hard as i might. it's reallllly hard not to start browsing for adorable baby clothes.

i want baby M to be a mini N.

but when my hubby looks this good, can you blame me?