My First (Favorite) Baby Purchase...

Never knew a DIAPER BAG would make me so happy, but I'm obsessed. While stopping by Lincoln Park's Bellini baby store in August, an assortment of Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bags caught my eye and I pretty much decided I couldn't leave without one. Even my husband thought this bag is awesome. It can be a hands-free backpack or long messenger strap, with a built-in changing station and detachable changing pad. Inside are two large diaper/wipes pockets, four bottle pockets, organizational pockets and even a pouch for dirty diapers and another for pacifiers. There are lots of patterns/colors to choose from to fit your personal style - I went with brown background with teal and gold pattern. These bags are definitely pricey, but worth the money.
They can run anywhere from $175 to low $200's.
http://www.petunia.com/

A Good Read

There are three things you'll always find on my nightstand -- an alarm clock, glass of water and a good book. Over the past seven months I've definitely been reading plenty of "mommy material" (see photo) but I've tried not to COMPLETELY consume my life with "mommy stuff." Everyone needs that "escape" in a good read before a weeknight sleep. Recently I've read  All Souls: A Family Story from Southie, The Help, and The Heretic's Daughter. All very different, and all very good!  I usually get into bed about 45 minutes before the lights go out -- read Mommy material for fifteen minutes and then pick up my book of the week for a bit before shutting it down. 

Regarding the Mommy Material, I highly recommend the assortment displayed in the picture above. Baby Bargains is great -- it has a ranking system/grades for all baby products based on consumer reports, customer satisfaction, product longevity, past product recalls, etc. I found this book extremely helpful when choosing which crib to invest in, the safest car seats, best strollers, etc. I haven't used the Baby411 book yet, but its a quick reference guide for parents and again has same format as Baby Bargains. 

What to Expect When You're Expecting - SOMEONE will buy you this when decide to spill the beans. It's nice because chapters are outlined by month and progression of your pregnancy up until the care of your little one.

The Happiest Baby on the Block is a great reference guide by M.D. Harvey Karp to help soothe your baby and keep him/her happy using natural methods. I also have the DVD.

The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy - GET IT... written by Mom's who tell you the whole (hilarious) truth and nothing but the truth. Whenever something bizarre happens to me I grab that book and sure enough it's covered and I'm laughing out loud within seconds/minutes.

I've subscribed to a few magazines -- Parenting Magazine, American Baby and Fit Pregnancy (all very good - American Baby is a free subscription for the year for first-time Mom's)

What's for dinner?

I absolutely LOVE to cook... both baking and cooking were hobbies I shared with my Mother growing up, so I feel a special closeness to her whenever I put my chef's hat on. I've always had a pretty balanced diet, but now that I'm pregnant it's even more important to make sure my body is getting all of the necessary food groups, vitamins and nutrients necessary to keep baby and me healthy and steadily growing :) Here is an example of a typical dinner whip up for us... I love making dishes that have a lot of color to them (veggies!) and when choosing a carb, better to go with something like a sweet potato over a baked potato.
**The vegetables (right) are simple -- I chose to cut up yellow squash, zucchini, red pepper, mushroom, and onion. Splash olive oil in pan, throw in veggies and add some seasoned salt, garlic powder to your pleasing. I added some paprika as well for a little kick. Keep tossing the veggies around for 3-5 minutes until cooked through.
**For a quick baked potato, wash/scrub it thoroughly and then pat dry/poke holes on top. Place in microwave for 3-4 few minutes per potato while preheating oven to 375 degrees. Once microwaved, place potato in foil with the top open just a tad. Bake for about 10 minutes, or longer if you'd like. This is an easy way to get a baked potato for a quarter the time!
**Every woman should know how to use a grill - if you don't, get a free lesson from your husband, boyfriend, Dad, brother, friend, etc. It's super easy, and your man will be impressed:)

Staying fit and feeling great

I'm someone who has always taken pride in staying fit and making a nice appearance. Working out is a daily release for me (weather in the gym, on a tennis court, or on a nice jog/walk) and is just as important for me mentally as it is physically.

If you can continue to exercise while pregnant, it is a huge plus for both you and your baby.  If you weren't into fitness before pregnancy it will be difficult to start a routine, but incorporating a brisk walk five days a week is a lot better than doing nothing at all. I've continued doing a similar type of cardio workout, but moderated -- I've decreased the intensity, time spent on machine, and - most importantly - I only workout on machines that display my heart rate. It is best to keep your heart rate under 140 BPM for the entirety of the workout (for pregnant women), which explains my bias toward high-end machines that display a correct reading. Below is the Cybex Arc Trainer -- in my opinion the best cardio machine in the gym, pregnant or not pregnant. It is a great total body workout that isn't tough on your joints and its settings allow you to modify your workout based on the incline and resistant you prefer that day. See: http://www.arctrainer.com/

It's a Girl!!!!

Baby Walsh's first doctor's appointment in Chicago came on August 11th... the appointment actually fell on my Birthday, and we got to see HER for the first time! Here is a picture from the ultrasound, and  this is me at the five month mark - feeling great and loving the Little Lady's kicks!

Our New Place

We moved into our two bedroom condo in August... absolutely love our new Chicago neighborhood! It's close to the lake and downtown, while very quaint with a lot of young families, parks, shopping and great restaurants. I think my favorite thing about this place is the hall elevator to garage parking spot... never need to step a foot outside to get to the car during these cold winters! HUGE!