Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Bring on Fall

The weather cooling off over the last week or so has really got me in the mood for fall. I remember finding out that I was pregnant and being so excited that I immediately purchased at least 10 articles of maternity wear. Well, now that I am coming down the home stretch, I couldn't be more thrilled to be back into my regular pre-preggo wardrobe. I realize that my body definitely won't be the same as before, so I have been scoping out some loose fitted tops to camouflage my jiggly belly until it's somewhat back to normal. Urban has some sweet finds that I am lusting over. Fortunately, I have a birthday coming up, so maybe I won't feel too bad about spoiling myself a tad after Alec arrives. 

Good Eats

This past weekend, Kiel and I headed to the beach once again. These past couple of days were most likely our last spent down south for the rest of the summer 2013. As much as I would love to get down to Bethany several more times before labor day... I am hitting the 35 week mark and I'd like to stay as close to CHOP as physically possibly between now and my due date. You never know! This pregnancy has already been filled with lots of surprises so I am taking note and airing on the side of caution! 
Anywho, most of our time down there this past weekend was spent eating and I couldn't have been happier about it. We went on a delicious dinner date on Friday night at a restaurant in Rehoboth Beach called Salt Air. I got the deconstructed lasagna, while Kiel munched on the shrimp and grits. Let me tell you... it was friggin phenomenal. The restaurant itself is beautifully decorated. To me, the atmosphere couldn't be more perfect.

On Saturday, we went to a family party to celebrate my Aunt's 60th Birthday. It was a blast, and the party was also loaded with delicious food. On Sunday afternoon, Kiel and headed north and made a pitstop at my favorite restaurant in all the land, Greenman Juicebar and Bistro. This place is seriously amazing.


Friday, July 19, 2013

Heat Wave

We are in the midst of a serious heat wave in Delaware and I am struggling. My preggo body just cannot adjust. Every time I walk out the door, an immediate sweatbath consumes me and I feel like I can hardly breathe. 98 degrees in not okay, give me 85 any day! 

Friday, July 12, 2013

Baby Name

Let's face it, Kiel and I have not agreed on too many names over the last eight months...and it seems like it's gotten even harder since we discovered the sex of the baby. I recently read an article regarding the pitfalls to watch for when naming your kid. I think we finally came to a decision that follows all the rules... 



1. The nickname trap: "Al" really isn't so bad.
2. Embarrassing initials: AD, that's fine with me. Still working on a middle initial.
3. A lifetime of corrections: this one sort of got me... as I know his name may be easily confused with Alex, but that's not so terrible. After all, it is a diminutive of the name.
4. Overpopularity: #448, not a problem.
5. Problematic name pairings: first kid, not an issue.
6. Humiliating e-mail handles: alecdrake@gmail.com, solid.
7. Names not to live up to: the only Alec we know of is Alec Baldwin and Alec Guinness, both of which we dig.
8. So-so meanings: Alec means "defending warrior" and it doesn't get more bad ass than that.

We liked a couple other names... but none of them really felt right. This name has stuck around the longest so far and we are both still really into it. I think the meaning, warrior, really sold us. We wanted him to have a strong name... one that reflects his special circumstance. There will be many moments in his near future where he will need to fight to overcome the symptoms caused by his heart condition. I honestly don't think we could have picked a stronger, more personalized name for our boy. 

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Our New Nephew!


On Monday morning, my sister was induced. She and her husband have two amazing little girls, Addison (4) and Sophia (almost 3). When they got pregnant with their third child, they opted to wait to see the sex of the baby until their arrival. It was so incredibly exciting when Leslie delivered a healthy, almost 9 pound, beautiful baby boy, yesterday afternoon. 

Michael Francis Mulshenock
"Baby Frankie"
8lbs 15 oz

Now, baby boy drake will have a best buddy right down the road and we couldn't be more excited!

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

32 Weeks


Our little guy is officially thirty two weeks today. He is most likely measuring over four pounds and is approximately seventeen inches in length. He is moving all around in there... making his presence known constantly. It's really hard to believe that we only have eight weeks left to prepare for our little man's arrival. I am starting to get super anxious for my shower... because if you know me at all you'd know that I can't wait to get everything perfectly organized. We registered at Buy Buy Baby and Pottery Barn Kids... and boy was that an overwhelming experience. Thank God I brought my mommy mentor, Jen, along for the ride or I would have never made it out of there. 

Most of my downtime these days has been dedicated to our boy.. lots of doctor appointments and endless phone calls to our insurance company. I just ordered a bunch of prints from society6.com to hang in the nursery. Things are really starting to come together. We've selected a pediatrician and scheduled ourselves for infant CPR and a car seat safety check. Overall, I am feeling as prepared as I can at this point in time, but I will admit that reality is starting to set in... these are our last few moments as just man, woman, and pup. Our family dynamic is going to very different here soon. As much as that panics me, it more excites me. I have wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember and I absolutely cannot wait to meet our special little boy.

xoxo -L

Bits of our weekend



Kiel and I spent the weekend at the beach with family. It was so nice to relax and enjoy some downtime after the crazy work week we both had. Kiel and I raced down to the beach on Friday morning and spent the afternoon with his family in Fenwick Island. It was so nice to catch up with everyone on his side of the fam. Saturday we woke up slow... sipping coffee (only 1 cup for me!) and then took pup on a nice long walk along the bay. We spent the entire afternoon on the beach with my family. Kiel really took advantage of the opportunity to play some beach games with our nieces and nephews. Sunday was beyond refreshing. Just the two of us headed to the drive-on beach. It's a whole different dynamic when it's just us... lots of reading under the umbrella and discussions about our little one on the way. Overall, the weekend was as absolute success. I hope yours was as well!

Friday, July 5, 2013

Happy Holiday Weekend!

I have to work the holiday... BUT all that really means is that I'll be raking in some sweet time and a half, and my next paycheck is gonna be super satisfying. I will be heading down south first thing this morning. I have high hopes for this weekend... hopefully, the afternoon thunderstorms will subside and we can actually feel like we live in Delaware instead of Florida. The flash flood warnings are getting a little out of hand. I can't wait for bbq's, fireworks, and beach bonfires. (Let's be honest here... I am most excited about shoving my pregnant face with chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallow... mmm mmm.) Happy Fourth of July weekend everyone!

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Baby Drake Update

Kiel and I went to CHOP on Monday. We had a prenatal visit, which went very well. Little boy is measuring 3 pounds, 14 ounces... hard to believe he has grown a full pound in less than two weeks! All of his measurements look spot on and we are so very proud. After our visit with the prenatal team, we had our fetal echocardiogram. Kiel and I are finally starting to actually understand what they are looking for and measuring at each visit. After our test, we met with our amazing cardiac team. They claimed that his heart looks relatively unchanged, which is actually great news!  Our cardiologist stated that all of their findings were encouraging and that this was definitely a good visit. Phew! Surprisingly, we have only one more echo scheduled before our boy's arrival... Time is flying by! Only 9 weeks to go! Kiel and I are doing our very best to soak up as much downtime as we possibly can before our little guy makes his appearance in September.... meaning lots of beach time and tons of afternoon naps. 


I hope everyone's summer is kicking off to a good start. The weather has been rather dreary on the east coast, making it super hard to be productive. Honestly, the heat, humidity, and rain are getting out of control and I am super over it. My body just can't handle the rise in temp like it usually does. I don't know about you, but I have been spending as much time as possible in the air conditioning. Hopefully, the weather starts to cool down and the sun starts to shine so I can at least enjoy a little more beach time before the summer ends. 

xo -L

Today's To do...