Christmas In Florida, Part 1

One of my biggest stresses leading up to Christmas was a 10-hour road trip to Florida that JP and I planned to complete with our nearly 6-month little month.  I've just heard horror stories, and so many people shook their heads and gave me pitying looks when I confessed our holiday itinerary.  

You know what?  It was awesome!  I mean, we had our breakdowns (August had one which resulted in me having one during Haley's wedding shower...it was a wonderful affair, regardless!), but this kid traveled incredibly well, and we all made it back in one piece.  Dare I say it made us feel a bit fearless about taking August with us on trips in the future?  

On with the pictures!

 We left on Thursday night (12/19), and stayed overnight in a hotel in Valdosta.  August loved hanging out in our king bed while we took turns getting ready!  The little man's first night away from home.

 When we got to Haley's house (the consummate hostess and godmother/aunt extraordinaire) on Friday, August was showered with lots of love and affection.

 Saturday was spent at my dad's house with Grandma in North Carolina; it was such great weather!  We've been in hoodies and boots in Georgia, so it was great to break out the shorts and flip-flops for south Florida.

 Aunt Haley and Grandma in North Carolina kept August well-entertained on a walk around Dad's yard.

 If you know my grandpa, you know he is particular about his hair.  That's why I love this picture of August messing it up!  They are good friends, and August is so lucky to have met most of his great-grandparents (Paul, we're coming for you next!).

 On Monday morning, we head out to the beach to put the little man's feet in the sand!  Although I missed his initial reaction (Mom, Haley, and I snuck over to the resort where Haley's getting married to check out the space.  Oh my goodness, it is absolutely lovely and perfect!!), August enjoyed checking out the water, though was not crazy about it getting too close to him.

 I love those faces!

 Haley took us to the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jupiter on Tuesday morning, where we met up with Amber and my mom.  It was such a cool space!  If you're down south, I highly recommend you check it out.

 August really liked grabbing the fence where the turtles were hanging out, and he especially liked being pantsless.

 Hi Aunt Amber!

Come back tomorrow for a peek at Christmas Eve and day!

Abbi's Week in Photos (well, photo)

The churro and I are bumpin' it!  I've been living with 'ice cream belly' for a couple of weeks now, so it was wildly refreshing to have a few people at work (and Haley via FaceTime) finally confirm that this is a 'baby belly.'  It feels really good.  The churro is growing and (surely) getting cuter by the day!
I bought a new phone this week and, have exactly 9 photos on it.  This is one, along with the 6 pictures I took of furniture samples in Atlanta, and 2 more accidental photos of my shoes taken this morning.  Needless to say, this has been a slow week.  Can I interest you in a brief pregnancy update?
I'm close to the end of the 14th week, and officially in the second trimester, which is supposedly the golden era of growing a person.  I will say that it's nice to have some physical evidence that stuff is happening in utero, and my mood has drastically improved.  This most likely has something to do with breaking down, accepting that my body is changing, and buying some a few new wardrobe pieces for my rapidly expanding waist and bust-line.  All of me is breathing easier now that the high-waisted skinny jeans have been put into temporary retirement.
My hormones are legit all over the place- I'm crying at Miley Cyrus songs ('Party in the USA;' something about her being okay when she hears her favorite song- dude, I've totally been there), and got emotional about this week's episode of New Girl (which should really have its own post because it was so awesome and well done).  In a moment of just 'let it all out,' I even made the mistake of watching the first 10 minutes of UP.  I'm surprised there is any fluid left in my body after all of this.
I'm starting to feel better and more confident about planning for this next chapter- looking into cribs, cloth diapering, birthing options, and lots of books.  There are currently 6 taking up residence on my nightstand, and my wonderful cousin (who happens to be a doula) is awesome about answering my probably inane questions about natural childbirth.  I'm getting really comfortable saying 'uterus' and 'lanugo.'  These next 6 months are sure to fly by.

Abbi's Last (Two!) Weeks

Takorean!!  Caramelized tofu tacos topped with kimchi, sriracha, cojita cheese, and a bit of lettuce.  Best when served with Cheerwine.  If you live in DC, you have to go to Union Market to grab some of this!

Yo, my shirt has a skateboarding T.Rex holding a drink.  He's rolling.  We should all be rolling.

During the unseasonably warm weekend we experienced in January, we hit up the driving range and practiced our putting, too.  JP got a hole-in-one on the first try!  We should have just called it a day after that...what could be better?

I've already taken to borrowing JP's chunky sweaters and belting them around the waist to define what girlish figure I have left.  Comfy and cozy! (Zara sweater, Old Navy cargos, Clarks boots)

We took Mia on a walk around Roosevelt Island last Sunday, and she found a ton of mud (her paws should be white).  How could we stay mad at her; look at that happy face!

Seeing as how it is our last January in DC, we braved the cold and crowds for the inauguration on Monday.  Very, very cool to be there!  And we got free flags.  Win win.

 Summer and Luke were our terrific double dates.  So glad we could experience it together!

 A sneak peek of next week's recipe...(ratatouille sub with sausage!)

 The other morning it was 16 degrees outside (without wind chill!), and Mia did not want to go for a walk.  Too cozy and warm in bed.

Finally!  Some snow in the district!  Taken at 3:30am Friday (this whole pregnancy bladder thing is no joke).  We got an inch, so nothing to brag about, but better than nothing!