Holiday Gift Guide 2010.

Finally gifts for those little boys and girls... my absolute favorite to shop for!

1. Mini Kick Scooter. This is 100000% my Little Man's favorite thing. We take this baby everywhere, including the mall, the park, the grocery. You name it. It makes almost any outing fun, and it is lightweight enough that you can easily stash it anywhere. $79.99.

2. Kids' New Balance KE420 sneakers. My Little Man was big enough this year to pick his own sneakers. He found these and it was love at first sight. For me, the easy open/close velcro is awesome and the heavy tread has prevented more than a few wipeouts. $47.00.

3. Complete Medical Kit. My guy has been begging for this kit for months, and I'm pretty sure Santa is going to come through with this one. He seems to love the idea that he can give shots and check blood pressure. I am a fan of the fact that it fits in one "small" case. $15.83.

4. Everything but the Dalmatian Firehouse Collection. A friend of mine is getting this for her little guy and I just love it. It's the perfect boy dollhouse alternative, and I just love that it is made from high quality wood rather than plastic. $154 (full set.) 

5. A Very, Very, Very Fine Dollhouse. The companion to the boy's firehouse, this sweet little dollhouse gives barbie's a run for her money! The coolest part is that the families come in different ethnicities. $99- $199. 

6. I Can Do That Games Curious George - Discovery Beach. My Little Man got this for his birthday and he just can't get enough of this game. We play it EVERYDAY for at least an hour. Yeah, this one is a must have! $19.32.

7. I Stink Book. This is the number one book in my kid's school. The teachers said the boys just can't get enough of it. It is a series that also includes I'm Dirty, and I'm Mighty. LM approved. $6.99.

8. Patent Tortoise Ballet Flats. I have to preface this one by saying I would never spend $108 dollars on a pair of shoes for a little girl. That being said these are adorable, and knowing J.Crew right after the holidays you just know these are going to be dramatically reduced. Perhaps an IOU would work for this one? :). $108.

Holiday Gift Guide 2010.

Here are my picks for the man who deserves everything for all he does all year long!

1. Amazon Kindle. Hands down this is my Husband and my favorite possession. The new kindle is lighter, faster, and less than half the price... and no, I don't miss reading the real thing at all! $139.
2. Patagonia Men's Classic Retro-X Jacket. Is there anything better than a cozy fleece in the winter? This one is perfect for everyday wear. $199.
3. iPod Nano. My husband is the king of losing iPods. I honestly don't know what on earth he does with them. This year he has managed to "misplace" not only his, but mine as well. I'm giving him one more chance and picked up another one. I couldn't believe how much they have changed in the past few years. The size of a matchbox this baby holds 4,000 songs. With a clip on the back the apple genius assured me that this one is harder to lose. We will see. $149.
4. Khunu Men's sweater. A friend of mine turned me on to this awesome company over the Summer. These amazing sweaters are made from Yak wool from the heart of the Himalayas, and they are perfect for wearing on the slopes as well as in the lodge. My favorite is the Khampa. $240.
5. Patagonia Windproof Gloves. These are my husbands absolute favorite gloves. Windproof, warm, and  easy to maneuver in. $59.
6. Lucky Classic Straight Leg Jeans. I had to add these to the list given that we have spent the past few years looking for the perfect jean for my hubby. At 6'4" he has found it almost impossible to find a jean that is long enough, and finally a company has responded and made some awesome styles in a 36 1/2" length. These jeans are classic, not embellished, and they come in almost a dozen washes and cuts. It's about time! $99.

Finally tomorrow, gifts for the Little Men (and Women) in your life!

Holiday Gift Guide 2010.

Here are just a few of my favorite things for mom... aka You!

1. Lululemon Relaxed Fit Pant in Coal. My favorite new cut by this brand... pregnancy apporoved! $108.
2. Lemlem Lucy patio dress. Perfect for Summer! I am LOVING this dress. $200.
3. J.Crew Drapey Sequin Tank. Perfect for those holiday parties. Oh how I love sequins. $69.50.
4. Eat, Pray, Love. My favorite pick of the year, everyone I know is getting one of these! $16.99.
5. Loeffler Randall“Fifi” Ankle Bootie. The perfect leopard accessory. Love. $625$ $188 (sale price).
6. One Day. This is one of my favorite books right now. A great, true to life, love story. $8.97.
7. Essie Nail Polish, in Geranium. The absolute perfect red. $4.99.
8. 3.1 Phillip Lim – Skinny Waist Velvet Belt with “Glamden” Buckle. I love the velvet on this belt, it dresses up any outfit! $225.

Coming tomorrow... gifts for Dad!

City Mouse, Country Mouse.

While my Little Man is very much a city mouse all year round, last week we learned that just under the surface, a little country boy was aching to get free. Here are some pictures from our adventures at Grandma's house.

        

Thankful.

Sorry for the delay in posting my friends. This weekend my hubby battled the stomach flu (so much for my morning sickness) and after a day of packing, yesterday we traveled down to Maryland for our annual Thanksgiving vacation. Everything went smoothly with our trip, and I must admit I am not looking forward to the prospect of traveling with an  under 3 year old again. Maybe this time we will just stay home for a while (yeah, I believe that just as much as you do.)

Well, it is Thanksgiving, and I am happy to report I have something to be very thankful for... Monday we saw a heartbeat! A real, true, strong, butterfly like heartbeat. I am finally convinced that there really is a baby in there! Also, which according to my husband is the real news, is that there was only ONE heartbeat. There had been some early speculation by my Dr. that our single embryo might have split into identical twins, but alas there is just one strong little fighter, which is perfectly a OK with us. I was given a due date of July 17th, and so far everything looks perfectly normal. I can't even begin to tell you what a relief that was.

So this year, as much as any other, I am just so thankful for my family. I have two amazing boys at home, and I can't believe that soon there will be one more of us. I feel so blessed that I am able to have another chance to be a momma, and I just know my little man is going to love being big brother. (He already asked if he could be the one to pick the TV shows in the morning, coming from one older sibling to another, I assured him that the big one usually gets their say... for at least a while.)

I also am a little thankful that I get to eat whatever I want this holiday season. When I requested that a second pecan pie be made this year around, I'm not sure anyone took me seriously. Let me tell you, a pregnant girl NEVER jokes about pie!

I'll leave you with this picture of my loves. I snapped them Monday after my hubby picked up the little man from school so I could sneak in a manicure (I was just as surprised as you are) and I just couldn't resist spying on them from a salon. There is something about my husband carrying a toy bunny that just does it for me... le swoon.

I hope you all have a wonderful and peaceful Thanksgiving filled with lots and lots of loved ones! I will be back next week as usual, but until then... bring on the pie!

Currently Loving.

I'm not sure if it's the hormones that have led to my cheery mood, or if it's the fact that my favorite time of year is almost upon us (Yay Christmas) but there are just so many things that I am loving right now. Here are are just a few of the things that are currently putting a smile on my face...

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Right now I am loving the fact that I no longer have to hate pregnant women just because they are pregnant. (Friends of course have been excluded from this.) Take Rachel Zoe for example. Had she announced her pregnancy a few months ago I would have said something to the effect of, "Seriously? How is that even possible? The woman weighs as much as my toddler and has so much Botox coursing through her veins that she is practically embalmed." Well, now that I too am with child, I only think these things (I mean we all remember this picture, right?) and now say, "How great for her and Rodge, not only is this going to make her show even more bananas, but  I can totally copy steal her pregnancy style." How could you not love that?

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Today is the day that the very last (sad face) Oprah's favorite things will air. I don't know why I am so nostalgic about this show, I haven't watched it for the past few years, yet now I find myself taping (and actually watching) every episode. Favorite things is absolutely the best show of the year, and lucky for me today the little man is home from school. Throw in a perfectly timed nap and a new carton of peppermint hot chocolate, and, well, let's just say that it looks like Christmas is coming early in my house today.

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Right now I am loving that Princess Diana is back in the headlines, even if it's just because of her amazing engagement ring. As far as I am concerned there is almost nothing better than a royal wedding, and this is one that I am definitely looking forward too. Now if Kate would just agree to wear Diana's wedding dress... oh a girl can dream.

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Speaking of weddings, I'm not necessarily loving this, but I must admit I do get a little happy when I hear about couples breaking up who spent a ridiculous amount of money on their wedding. Remember this 1,000,000.00$ wedding that took place not even 3 years ago? I mean, come on! You can't make it last more than three years after throwing away that kind of cash? That's 333,000.00 dollars a year, one of which the dude spent texting another woman. I am pretty anti expensive weddings from the get go (mine was under 8,000) but I figure you should at least make sure you are in it for the long haul before throwing away that kind of dough! I don't think that Desperate Housewives is paying that well (is that show even still on?)

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Moving on, although I think that Anderson Cooper was CLEARLY robbed, I must say I am pretty happy with this year's Sexiest Man Alive. After The Proposal I may or may not have added this man to my top 5, and seeing him all over the news has definitely brightened my week. 

I have to thank my bestie M for this one. To combat morning sickness (which I have been getting a little more each day) she turned me on to these little pressure bands you can get at the drugstore. They seem to be working (although I'm not quite sure if they are actually working, or if it is because I think they are working) and either way I'm very happy with my 10 dollar purchase!

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I am also currently loving this whole "feud" between Jessica Simpson and Vanessa Manillo. I can not believe Jess not only bought her own ring, but couldn't even let her ex have a week of engagement bliss before trying to rain on his happiness parade. I feel like you can just smell the desperation, and yet I am loving it! I would like to, right now, pitch the greatest reality show, ever invented. Vanessa and Jess, dueling weddings, pregnancies, baby showers...etc. The show could go on for years, and the viewers could vote on who is the best each week. Hey, I'd absolutely watch!

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Most of all this week I am LOVING the fact that my kid has been deemed "normal" by the experts. We had our OT evaluation this morning, and the diagnosis is that he is a happy and healthy "normal" three-year-old. They said he is stubborn, smart, active, and has very advanced motor skills, all things we already knew. I thought I would be annoyed that we even had to go through what turned out to be nonsense, but in the end I realize that you can never underestimate how awesome it is to have a person, who knows what they are talking about, tell you that there is absolutely nothing wrong with your kid. That was definitely worth the 25 dollar copay and hour of playtime!

Lastly, I am currently loving you readers! Now only are you loyal, supportive, and generally fabulous, but you often write in with some killer ideas for the blog. A few of you have asked for a holiday gift guide, mom...dad.. kids... family... etc., and to tell you the truth I have been dying to do one, so consider that my new Thanksgiving project!

Gone Shopping.

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I was about to write a post today when it hit me... NEXT WEEK IS THANKSGIVING!!!!

How the hell did that happen?

In my whole baby haze/glory I seem to have lost a month. Um, S%#*!

Normally this would not be problem except for the fact that next week we leave for a week, come back for 5 days, leave for NYC for the weekend, come back for two days and then leave for Costa Rica for two weeks, getting back two days before Christmas. (Whew.)

Ask me what I have gotten as far as Christmas pressies?

Yeah, you guessed it... absolutely NOTHING! Nada, zilch, zero!

Looks like I have a serious date with Amazon starting NOW!!!!!!!!

Oh, Gwyneth.

Oh, Gwyneth...

A year ago I was thinking you were over. Your newsletter was 1/2 preachy, and 1/4 boring, and 1/4 elitist. Your clothes were still fabulous, and sure you were looking gorgeous, but you didn't seem to be interested in anything else career wise. I have to admit I had written you off.

But now look at you.

Here I am counting the hours before your Glee premiere, which I just know is going to be fanfreakingtastic. (Just in case you were wondering, there are 5 hours, 9 minutes, and 51 seconds left.) I mean, a cover of Umbrella? Yeah, It's going to be awesome.

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While always a style icon, lately you have been sporting these ridiculously fierce looks that have truly left me oohing and aahhing. The body, the hair, the impeccable styling. I die.

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And of course, there is this song, seriously the balls it must have taken to get up and sing, a country song no less, in front of all those people. Well, consider me impressed.

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To top it off, I am still obsessed with this Summer's spread in Vogue. What can I say, you had me at buzz lightyear. One can only wish to look this fabulous while lazying around, preparing dinner. Oops, I must have left my gown at the cleaners...

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Let us not forget that you are still married to to the man of my dreams, and seem to be a pretty awesome mom to those two cutie pie kids. Le Swoon.

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Yes Gwyn, this is me apologizing. I'm sorry I ever doubted you. You may just be the yummiest mummy of them all.

Forever your fan,

Me.

P.S. I still think you can do A LOT better with your newsletter, but given your current state of fabulosity, I might just have to re-subscribe.

The Name Game.

Okay, so I promise that this will be the last post (for at least a while) relating to "all things baby number two." Indulge me for one more, would you?

I know the whole baby name thing is something that most people like to keep close to their vest. Most people usually only tell their close friends or family, and some even wait until the birth for the big announcement. As you may have guessed, I am not one of those people. There are a few reasons why I tell anyone and everyone what we are naming are offspring only a few short days after that test turns pink...

1. By telling everyone that we are 100% naming our kid/kids the following, you can avoid that whole awkward, "I hate that name," or "I once knew a girl who was covered in X and that was her name," or " I had and ex boyfriend/girlfriend named X and... blah, blah, blah."
2. If anyone else in the universe names their child the same after the big announcement you can say, with certainty, that they stole it from you. 
3. It allows you to call growing bump anything other than "the growing bump."

That's my reasoning... 

So, without further ado, somewhere around July 16th, when this little bean decides to enter the world, he/ she will be called the following:*

Boy:

Grayson "Gray" Robert Anderson
or Grayson "Gray" Werner Anderson, (if my husband gets his way which we all know he won't, I am the ONE carrying the child)

Girl:

Parker Holly Anderson

Both first names are random, and the second are family names. The Little Man took up both of our grandfather's names, William "Liam" Michael, so given that we are covered in that department we got to have a little fun with this one.

And if it's twins.....well...... don't even joke about that... that is SO not funny!

*Yes, I'm sure everyone has an opinion... but given number (1) how can you say anything negative, right? And if you love it and use it, remember you stole it from me, number (2) :) You see I may just be an evil genius after all.