Central Park Zoo

Spent part of last Sunday at the Central Park Zoo with Simone, David and Sophie. It's such a convenient and manageable zoo to see in an afternoon and it was so much fun to see Sophie's wonder and amazement with the all of the animals.

Recent craving...

satisfied! Markt on Sixth Avenue really knows how to make good fries.

A standard evening

One recent evening, we met up with Henry for dinner and a peak into the new Standard Hotel. Amazing space. Darla's firm Polshek designed the building. One of the neatest features of the space is that it overhangs the highline, which is set to open in June.

Little room, before and after

We're making progress on our nursery. It's a tiny room...only 5.5" x 11", but it comfortably fits a crib, dresser, book case and a small storage area. We managed to sell our desk last week and have moved the couch back into the kitchen. It's just too comfortable to get rid of. If things feel really cramped come September, we might reconsider.

Perfect spring day

Yesterday was simply beautiful. Sunny, warm, chirping birds, and no work. Josephine came over and we had our first meal of the season on the deck. A few of our perennials survived the long winter and I can't wait to plant new flowers and herbs in the rest of the pots very soon. I spent a good part of the afternoon pruning, tilling the soil, and cleaning out half empty pots. Meisje was also quite interested in plants, as she found a new napping spot in our bedroom.

We have to take Max and Meisje to the vet today for their annual visit. I am dreading it. As cool and confident as our cats are inside, they become total panicked messes the minute we step outside. It's really sad to see them so frightened.

Endless organization

Erik and I have spent the majority of the last two weekends cleaning and organizing the apartment. We've dropped off countless bags to the Salvation Army and I even managed to sell two dresses at Beacon's Closet. We're making plans for our little nursery and have carefully measured out the furniture that might fit. We're going to give away or try and sell our wood desk and the green couch. I'll really miss this little couch after nine years together, but there's just no room. Organizing can really turn into an endless job! I start on one drawer and it leads me to the filing cabinet, the kitchen, and many places in between. Thankfully, I don't mind spending hours doing this.

Something I've also tried the past two weekends is prenatal yoga. I had never taken yoga before and always preferred the challenge of aerobics. Since all of the classes at my gym spend so much time working on your abs (the opposite of where I am going), I'd thought I'd give it a try. So far I am really enjoying how aware you become of your body and your breathing, how it allows you to relax while building strength, and how I can meet other pregnant women and share stories. At the first class there were two other women, 5 and 6 months along. I hope to keep this up at least a few times a month.

Here are a few pictures from a fun girls' day out to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens with Sara, Josephine and Jessica. I think it was the first time in months I've worn my sunglasses!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Finally...a little belly! Erik's been taking these photos every week. We hope to make a little animation after the baby is born. The first photo is from 8 weeks and the second is from 15.

House on West Lynn

The photo I brought along showed my Mom, uncle David, Mommoms and Poppy in their Seattle yard. The house across the street had hardly changed. I love imagining my family there, driving around in their red DeSoto.

Seattle and Whidbey Island

Erik and I spent a wonderful five days in and around Seattle visiting Isabelle and Nick. They've made such a great home and business there and we were so happy to finally make the trip to see them. We spent half of our days in Seattle and the other half on scenic Whidbey Island in the cabin Nick and his family designed and built together. We ate lots of great meals, watched a few movies, broke in some new hiking boots (purchased at the REI flagship store), rode three ferries, and saw the house my family had lived in over forty years ago. It was only our second trip to the west coast and we hope to make it out there again in the near future. Next time it will be with the three of us!