30 week update!

30 weeks...WHOA! I really cannot believe that I am almost 8 months pregnant and 10 short weeks away from meeting our son! It's kind of all been sinking in a lot more lately, and I'm not sure if it's from the little clock in my head that is constantly tick tick ticking down to the big day, or from all the other changes that are going on. We start our birthing class in about a week, and I also have a breastfeeding class to attend in the beginning of October. The new house closes in just a few weeks, so we've been trying to figure out paint colors for the nursery (luckily every other thing about the house is move in ready, including the overall paint color!), and we still have to go and pick out our crib, dresser, changing table, etc- not to mention every other piece of furniture for the house too! haha. Slowly but surely is our motto though. There's tons to do but I'm feeling good about everything and totally relaxed. Right now we are still trying to decide on whether or not we are going to do cloth or regular diapers. Originally I really wanted to do the bumGenius 4.0s, but now I'm not sure if we will go that route. We're going to start with disposables and then I'll decide if we want to take the plunge or not. I'd say I'm on the fence still but leaning towards no, but we will see! We're all registered at Babies R Us- if you're curious about our registry feel free to check it out, we're registry #45679494.

Here's the adorable invitation to my baby shower that I got in the mail a couple of days ago!
And I am loving the card my Mom included:

The picture is kind of weird but it says-

Just one last request, and we hope it's not hard,
Please bring Henry a book, in place of a card.
By signing your book we will remember and share,
Your special gift even when you're not there!

I seriously love this and think it's adorable that he will have tons of books to start his library rather than cards we would end up throwing away! Plus, as he gets older it will be really fun to be able to read the inscriptions and tell him about all of the wonderful people in his life.

Speaking of wonderful people, this past week we've received some of the absolutely sweetest, most thoughtful gifts from my blog friends and readers. I am so blown away with the amount of kindness and sweetness I've encountered, and I cannot tell all of you enough times thank you, thank you, thank you! It feels like we get a little package or letter everyday, and I just want all of you to know how much we appreciate all of your generosity and all of the time you've put into making baby Henry such beautiful and wonderful things!

from Susannah, over at http://susannahbean.blogspot.com/


from Emily, over at uff da! designs and http://poppymilkface.wordpress.com/:


from Sara, over at http://www.etsy.com/shop/joneshome


and from Becky, over at http://bthrifty.blogspot.com/
See? Amazing, amazing things. Thank you again so very much sweet girls. You've made me smile so big...and maybe get a little teary too! ;)

My belly is still growing but I'm still feeling really great physically. A lot of my friends who are also pregnant haven't had such a smooth ride, and I almost feel bad for typing that I feel wonderful! But really, I feel as good as I did before I was pregnant, with the occasional lower belly cramping or swollen ankles. The only other things that I get annoyed with are my chubby (okay, fat) face and my huge chest. Both pretty irksome for obvious reasons. I seriously go through my closet with longing at all the dresses I can't wear. I probably have about 5 things I just repeat over and over because I refuse to spend money on anything "temporary." But it works. The most beneficial items of clothing I've bought have been my maternity capri pants and my maternity pencil skirt for work, and I wear them every other day or so and absolutely love how comfortable they are. I've also been so thankful for my friend Anita (seriously go check out her baby blog for her daughter Lola at lolabirdie.com) because she has been SUCH a source of honest pregnancy talk. She's the best, along with a lot of my other mama friends too. You know who you are! Thank you.

Here are my 30 weeks belly photos:



check out the uneven line!




He is also the size of a head of cabbage this week!

You may feel as if you have been pregnant forever at this point. It might be hard to imagine being pregnant for another ten weeks, but your baby still has a lot of growing and developing to do! By this time, your baby's crown-to-rump length is a little over 10.8 inches and the total length of your baby is about 17 inches! Your baby weighs about 3 pounds now. Your uterus can be felt about 4 inches above your bellybutton. Your uterus, baby, placenta and the amount of fluid will get larger over the next ten weeks.

As far as weight gain, I stopped paying attention but I feel like I am doing a-okay. I have ten weeks left and my doc said that I'm doing very well and should end on a fabulous note if I keep up my normal eating and exercising. It doesn't really concern me about gaining because I feel like I've been in a good spot so far, but it's nice to know that because at this point I feel like it won't be very hard to lose the weight. I can definitely see it in my arms and legs...and FACE of course hahah, but overall I don't think it will be too bad, especially since I am planning on breastfeeding. At first it was hard for me to accept all of these changes, but the more pregnant I get the more I really don't care anymore, there are so many more important things to spend my time thinking about, and everything my body is doing is exactly what it should to make a nice place for Henry to grow, and then to sustain him once he is born! :)

Overall we are just getting more and more excited. It's scary and amazing and shocking and wonderful all at the same time to know that in a little over two months he will be here! I'm so excited for him to meet so many amazing people- all of his grandparents, his aunties, his wonderful uncles...our friends...it's just beyond exhilarating. It's so fun to be able to look back at this blog as such a great record of all of this, and I feel lucky to have all of you along for the ride!

I hope you have a beautiful Saturday!
xoxo

ps. I'd love it if you would click the banner below!

Gretchen's Shrine for Federico

I spotted Gretchen in the Penn Plaza Borders and asked if she'd share the tattoo on her upper left arm. She gladly agreed:

This piece is an homage to grandfather Federico. She remembers that he introduced her to nature, so she included natural elements like plants and butterflies. Gretchen also added a replica of her grandfather's tattoo, which was inked with the name of her grandmother, Hermes.

This is one of about  ten tattoos Gretchen has, and she had this done at Liquid Skin Studio, in Inwood, on the north end of Manhattan.

Gretchen is an artist that works with craft and jewelery. You can see her website here.

Thanks to Gretchen for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Orçamento, tatuagem Flor de Lotus

"Olá pessoal,

tenho vontade de fazer uma tattoo nas costa, então vendo site de vocês, adorei essa tattoo que está em anexo. Se possível, gostaria de saber mais ou menos qual o valor para fazê-la em tamanho grande nas minhas costas (meu tom de pele é branco).

Fico aguardando resposta."

Carolina: carol_chinchilla@hotmail.com

Dave's Portrait of His Great-Grandfather

I spotted Dave at the end of July while picking something up at the 34th Street K-Mart.

He kindly shared this wonderful portrait of his Great-Grandfather, tattooed on his forearm:

His grandfather was originally from Cuba, immigrating to the United States in the 1930s.

And although he passed in 1994, Dave recalls something his grandfather always said: "it's never too late, until you're dead".

Tattooed by Lalo Yunda at Sacred Tattoo NYC, Dave has the pleasure of carrying his very important ancestor with him, wherever he goes.

Thanks to Dave for sharing his inked family heritage with us here on Tattoosday!

A slice of...New York City!

Hi everyone! On Thursdays for the next couple of months, I'm going to be including a new feature here on Sometimes Sweet. I've asked a large handful of both my blogging buddies and real life friends to give us a little tour of the city or town they live in, from their point of view, and share with us some of their must-go or must-see places. I have a really wide variety of towns and cities (and amazing ladies!) to feature, and I'm really excited to unveil this. I hope you all enjoy it!

I thought I'd start with one of my dear friends Emily (visit her blog here) who resides in Brooklyn, NY. I was lucky enough to visit her twice last summer and she and her fiance Jesse were amazing hosts, taking me to delicious restaurants and fun spots all around the city (click here to read that post). I'm super excited to share her "Slice of New York City," and I think that whether you've dreamed of visiting the Big Apple or have been there before, you may find a new restaurant to try or fun idea to add to your "must do/see/eat" list when traveling to this area of America. So, without further ado, here is New York City, through Emily's eyes!

Emily and me, in NYC (at Taco Chulo, a restaurant mentioned below)

I can't say enough great things about New York.

Jesse and I moved to Brooklyn 4 years ago, and to date it is the best decision we have ever made. Since moving here we have taken up weekend "staycations" where we explore various parts of our state by either walking around various neighborhoods discovering new coffee shops, galleries, secret gardens, independently owned shops or we plan a beach trip to one of the many beaches in the area. So, when Dani asked me to write about my favorite spots I got REALLY excited! Although some of my favorite spots are not absolute locations and more qualities, they are parts of New York that I truly treasure. I do not take this place for granted.



1. Central Park & Secret Gardens

Although Central Park can be a headache due to the amount of people that fill the area each day, I absolutely love it. It is a solid 6 mile loop of beautiful landscape that makes for a great quick run, a perfect place to lay on a blanket and read, or to mosey around with a dear friend. It is smack-dab in the center of Manhattan and the moment you enter the park the chaos from the city settles and you are brought in a complete state of relaxation. If you have a chance to come to the park make sure you check out the 'turtle pond', there are hundreds of little red ear sliders poking their heads above water while moving their little arms around-- it is incredible! There are gardens throughout all the boroughs that are 100% community run and general in the strangest areas. You will find yourself walking out of brunch and pass a skyline building only to find a teeny-tiny community garden down what you would think to be an alley. There are usually sign-up forms to come in and donate your time and love and it's a great place to meet locals or to take a break from noise and hectic feel of the streets. I recommend the garden on 6th street near Ave B; it's small, quiet, and the guy who owns the land is usually there day in and day out taking care of his plants.




2. Food

I recently came back from a vacation where my fiance and I based our trip on what kind of food we wanted to eat so it's not a surprise that food makes the list. I am a gluten-free, VERY health conscious vegan who has limited time in the kitchen with a full time job in fashion, part time job in fitness and a full time school schedule. So, quickly and healthy food is very important to me and New York DELIVERS. Literally! A few of my favorite restaurants are:

A. Souen: Not only is it macrobiotic, but it is organic and they have gluten-free noodles and soy sauce. www.souen.net (the 1st photo below is of the macro platter at Souen)

B. Candle 79: Basically a vegan's dream. This 5 star restaurant offers all organic fare by top vegan chefs with the BEST service possible. www.candle79.com

C. Viva Herbal: Organic, vegan pizza that is HEALTHY! They have a green slice made on spelt with broccoli, spinach, cucumbers, pesto and vegan cheese (if you want it) all for $5.00. It doesn't get better! http://www.yelp.com/biz/cafe-viva-natural-pizza-new-york

D. Babycakes & Lulas: BC is becoming more and more famous and with a recent cook book release people all over the US get to try their gluten-free, sugar-free cupcakes and treats! Lulu's makes their vegan ice creams on the premise each day with an almond base and they are the tastiest cones I have ever had! This location is conveniently located close to the garden I mentioned on 6th st. making it a great place to enjoy your treat. www.babycakesnyc.com http://www.lulassweetapothecary.com/

E. Taco Chulo: Good grief this place rules. It is a mexican restaurant in Williamsburg that offers healthy, delicious mexican food and a margarita menu that goes on for days. www.tacochulo.com

3. Bridges

Growing up in Utah and Arizona I was never near water, therefore no need for a bridge. Now that I am living in New York I have the pleasure of taking the train every morning and I've never made the trek without looking out the window to admire the way the city glows and prep myself for the day. The bridges are also one of my favorite things to run--When I make it halfway over any bridge going into Manhattan (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Williamsburg) my stomach fills with butterflies at the site of the city. You can feel the excitement in the streets and it feels like a fairy tale knowing that this is MY home.


4. Museums

Talk about lucky. We get all the best exhibits and usually have the chance to see them first and usually you can go to the museums for free thanks to various sponsors. When I toured for a living and had off a few weeks between tours I would spend them in museums in the city; my very favorite- The Natural History Museum! I call this museum my sanctuary because the moment I walk in my blood pressure drops and I feel completely at peace. If you have an opportunity to go, you MUST check out the 'Totem Pole" area; you can smell the age in the wood and the history (and creepiness) in the tribal masks.



5. Beaches

One of my favorite ways to spend my weekend is at the beach with a good group of friends. The famous Coney Island is only about 45 minutes away (by train) and always grantees a great time. Although there is a project taking place to improve the "park" you still get the old time feel through the historic rides, freak shows, and old boardwalk. This beach also brings forth the most interesting mesh of people in 1 location you will ever see.


Although this reaches my 5 favorite "things/spots" I could honestly go on for days. Not only do I love these places/things about New York, but I love the overall vibe. As everyone knows, it is NOT cheap to live in New York (cheap rent is 1600 for a 1 bedroom) so to live here you MUST be motivated and you can feel this in the air. Everyone I know here is constantly working to better themselves and have their hands in a million pots at 1 time. I am no different from this group and hope I never lose my drive to continually be learning and doing more. If you haven't been to New York, you MUST come and visit. It is like no other city and you will never run out of things to do.


*the "Slice of..." pie photo at the top of this post was taken from weheartit. I am unsure of the original source, so if you know who took it/where it comes from please please let me know so I can give proper credit! Thanks so much. :)

Edward Gorey's Insect God Graces Katie's Arm

So yesterday I met someone with two lovely tattoos based on the art of Edward Gorey, but you're going to have to wait to see them.

Rather, meeting those tattoos reminded me I had another Gorey tattoo to share, one that I met a month ago today in Penn Station.

Katie has seven tattoos and is a fan of Mr. Gorey. It was this piece on her right bicep that caught my attention:

From the Gorey book of the same name, this is the "Insect God". This cool tattoo was inked by Chrys Goldberg at Bushido Tattoo Studio, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Thanks again to Katie for sharing her insect deity with us here on Tattoosday!

Tony's Celtic Fish, Swimming Up His Calf

Last month, I spotted Tony on the R train after leaving the 14th Street/Union Square station.

About thirteen years ago, his girlfriend was getting a Celtic dog tattoo, and he decided to get inked as well:

These works of art on his left leg derive, he told me, were inspired by illustrations from the Book of Kells.

Book/Manuscript: Book of Kells
VII Century, Ireland / ScotlandPage (Folio): 188v
initial letter I with lion and fish
(from http://www.art-imagery.com/)

Tony explained that he is a SCUBA instructor, so these fish from the mackerel family are a nice link to that vocation.

Not only have these tattoos held up over the years, they are noteworthy because they were inked by Pat Fish in Santa Barbara, who is regarded as one of the premiere artists working with Celtic designs.

I also love the coincidental nature of Fish by Fish.

Thanks to Tony for sharing these amazing tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!