Strollers and strollers and more strollers

We've been so busy with the issues in our current place, dealing with the inspection on our new place and touring daycares that we haven't had a ton of time to research baby gear.  Babies can live in a box for awhile after they come home, right?!?!

Just kidding!!

Seriously though, we haven't had much time to deal with any of it.  Granted we have time yet before Gnocchi arrives, but I'd feel much better if we could check a few things off the very long list.  After our short & overwhelming visit to Buy Buy Baby last weekend, we promptly came home and started researching strollers.  I have no idea why we started with strollers other than there were at least 50+ at Buy Buy Baby...no joke!!!

There were a few features that we knew that we wanted...mostly to relieve the stress on my already aching back.  So we started with coming up with a list of "must haves".  Logical, right?  :)

• 5 point harness
• Adjustable handle 
• Lightweight
• Car seat compatible
• Decent sized storage
• Tray/cup holder (child)
• Tray/cup holder (parent)

So after an afternoon of researching every stroller known to man, we narrowed it down to these...

The UPPAbaby Vista
This is a top contender on our list.  Lots of what we want without features that we don't.  It can even be made into a double stroller (which we don't anticipate needing), and it has more rugged wheels for "off roading".  Also, the bassinet is included in the price, which I understand to be a better position (flat) for the baby to lay while its still young.

The UPPAbaby Cruz
This is the other top contender.  This one is similar to the Vista just without the rugged wheels and 2nd child attachment.  So it makes it a tad cheaper (except that we have to buy the bassinet separately - still cheaper) and a bit lighter.  I'm just not sure if we'll need the more rugged wheels to use it on the trails near our new place.

A few others that we've considered are...

The Orbit G3
Love the fact that the seat (including the car seat while in the car) swivels.  This would be a dream for my back!!  Unfortunately it's quite a bit pricier and missing a few other features.

The 4Moms Origami
This is probably our least favorite of the bunch.  It receives good ratings & reviews.  It's just a bit expensive and quite heavy.

We'd love to hear any experience that you may have with any of these products.

Cheers!

Insta Recap

I didn't get to blog much or take pics last week.  Chad was off on a work trip, so things were crazy around here!  

Aside from having to keep the house clean for potential showings & being super tired, we also had construction going on & a negative-pressure containment tent up all week.  A couple of weeks ago we noticed water leaking into our unit from the tops of our living room windows.  After some investigation, we were told that the drain on the 4th floor ledge (above us) had sprung a leak, which was causing the "water feature" in our unit.  (Not a useful feature when attempting to sell your home.)  The only good thing about it is the issue was in a "common area" and not our unit.  Translation...it's of no monetary expense to us...just time & aggravation.  So they called in a contractor, who had to cut into our ceiling and through the building firewall, which contained asbestos (not conducive to breathing let along pregnancy), to fix the drain.  I basically spent the week confined to the bedroom, because the living room was impossible to use with the large tent and constant fan running.  It was like having your stove vent on high x100....so annoying!!!

 

Things are getting back to normal this week.  Chad returned home on Friday, and the containment tent was removed today.  The repairs should all be complete tomorrow hopefully, and we can get back to selling our unit!

Here's a few randoms from the past week...

1.  Chad & I tried out a new place for a quick Sunday Brunch yesterday, The Mixing Bowl Noshery.  It's like a home-cooked diner.  It was a beautiful day, so we decided to sit outside.  The patio is right next to the drive-up sign, which is right next to the front door.  Too funny!
2. A great pic of K & T!  I couldn't resist sharing!!
3. Chad's replacement.  'Nuff said.  LOL!  Actually we're calling this "The Lifeboat".  I truly feel like I could float on this thing at sea.  It's huge but very comfortable.  It's just missing a cup holder and remote pocket, because one you're in - you're in.
4. New arm candy!!  Chad surprised me with this early birthday present...a super cute zodiac bangle from Kate Spade!!
5. Another that I couldn't resist sharing....Hanna is so excited to be playing in the mulch! 

Aside from all the fun above, we had a busy & productive weekend.  Chad & I hit up First Fridays in the Crossroads for the Food Truck Fest on Friday night.  Saturday, we ran errands and picked up some maternity clothes from a friend.  (Thanks, Jen!!)  We spent Sunday checking out the Brookside Art Fair and being completely overwhelmed at Buy Buy Baby.  LOL.  Now it's back to the grind.  Hope everyone had a fun & relaxing weekend!!

Cheers!

 

Insta Recap

Getting back into the swing of things still...even with Instagram.  Here's what I've been up to lately...

1. Brunch at Eggtc.  I really look forward to our weekend brunches these days...and not only for the cappuccino.  I'm really digging breakfast foods right now!  So it's a double win in my book.
2. Gender reveal envelope from our OB's office.  We promptly gave this to our building concierge, so I wouldn't peek at it.  LOL!  The next morning a local bakery came to pick it up to make us a gender reveal cake.  So exciting!
3.  Gnocchi has received several presents so far.  This day Smokey just wasn't having it.  We might have some jealousy issues once Gnocchi arrives.  Eek.
4.  Sadly this is what our living room looks like right now.  We had some issues with water coming into our unit due to a faulty ledge drain outside.  To fix this they had to cut into our ceiling and through the fire wall on the outside.  This contraption was set up not only to contain all the dust & debris created from the construction but also to create a negative-pressure area due to the asbestos in the fire wall.  *sigh*  Thankfully the repair went well and the ceiling should be repaired this week.
5. I worked at home this week...from the bed...due to the living room being a mess and all our furniture displaced.  The fur babies were "helping" me work.  :)
6. Maternity clothing arrival!  Yahoo! I'm between regular sizing and maternity sizing.  So happy to be able to breath again!!
 

Hope your week was fabulous!

 Cheers! 

 

The First Trimester: Months 1-3

I'm so glad that the word is finally out.  I completely suck at keeping secrets...hence the absence from my blog.  But now...now I can finally catch you up on everything that's been going on.

One of the first things that I wanted to figure out was how to document this pregnancy.  This will probably be our one and only journey down this road, so I wanted to do it up right.  :)  However, I'm not a scrapbooker.  I'd barely even have a creative bone in my body.  So we wanted something simple to document both the growing baby bump, as well as all the pregnancy & life changes that we would go through.  After researching several different options, we came up with the following.

 
The First Trimester seemed to fly by quite quickly actually.  I felt pretty "normal" up until 9th week mark.  Prior to then I had a tad bit of nausea when I woke up in the mornings, but it was quickly remedied by a slice of peanut butter or almond butter toast.  No big deal.  Right around the 8th week my nausea became pretty debilitating...lasting about 5 hours or so per day.  This made anything - especially my work day - almost impossible.  Fortunately I had been seeing an acupuncturist prior to becoming pregnant and had read that acupuncture can actually help with morning sickness.  I made another appointment and my nausea was reduced to almost nothing within a day or two.  Amazing!!!

By week 10 the nausea was still pretty minimal, but I had developed some serious sinus symptoms.  Since you're not supposed to take medications during the first trimester, I was pretty miserable.  I headed back to the acupuncturist in hopes that would help....and it did!!!  Yahoo!!  Gnocchi and I are totally loving acupuncture!

Around the end of the first trimester started my food cravings changed from wanting everything in sight to just wanting specific foods (mainly mac & cheese) and total aversion to other foods (BBQ, pizza & meat).  Craziness!

There were several things that totally caught me off guard during the first trimester:

• The exhaustion!  Oh, the exhaustion!!  You hear about how pregnant women are exhausted, but there's no way you can truly understand what that means unless you've actually experienced it.  My typical work day doesn't allow for many breaks, if any.  I think I basically walked around like a zombie for the second half of the day - every day!  I still haven't gotten my energy back yet (like they say you do in the 2nd trimester), but it isn't near as bad as it was.  Thanks goodness!
• Motion sickness:  I have never had motion sickness in my life, so this one totally threw me for a loop!  I could not look at anything in the car that I used to be able to...phone, magazines, etc.  Man, this totally makes for boring car rides!  LOL!  This one has subsided some, but it still sneaks up on me from time to time.
• Food cravings & aversions:  I guess this one shouldn't surprise me, since it's probably one of the most talked about pregnancy symptoms.  I think it was just different than I expected it would be.  I guess I thought I would continue to like foods that I liked before I was pregnant and my aversions would be for foods that I didn't like. So when I began to crave mac & cheese, it didn't surprise me at all, since it was my absolute favorite food as a child.  However, my aversion to pizza was like a smack in the face.  I love pizza!  So much so that I attempted to eat it about three different times - experiencing an aversion each time.  LOL!  I've finally given up on pizza...at least for the time being.
• New aches, pains & cramps:  I'm not sure how to describe this one.  I guess it's just all the new things you experience & feel.  You have to figure out what they mean...and if they meant one thing prior to pregnancy, they definitely mean something different now.
 

It's been a wild ride so far and only getting crazier!

 

Cheers!

 

Movin' on Up...

...to the Northland that is!

Yes, yes, you read this correctly.  We're moving out of the city...to what Kansas Citians would call "just North of the river".  I'm calling it the "Subcity", since it's a combination of the city and the suburbs.  It's seriously just North of the city - 10 min from downtown.  We love the city so much, so we didn't want to move far.

I still can't believe I'm writing this.  We're moving.
We're moving.
We're moving.

Still seems surreal.  We're so sad to be leaving our wonderful condo that we've called home for the last year and a half.  We truly never expected to leave this soon regardless of children, but we decided to become responsible adults.  Ha.  

Actually it was the daycare costs that got us.  Holy moly!  I knew that daycare was expensive, but it's just downright outrageous!!!  Now don't get me wrong, we'd pay an arm & leg to ensure that our little Gnocchi was safe & taken care of.  But having that daycare reality smack us in the face made us reevaluate our financial situation...and the crazy high HOA fees that we pay at our current location.  We have the best amenities here, so the fees are worth it to those who live here.  However, we're trading in our HOA fees to be able to put Gnocchi in a good daycare - one that gives us peace of mind - and still be able to live the lifestyle we want to live.

So...if you know anyone that is in the KC area and wants to live in the most fabulous building in the city, send them my way.  Here's a couple pics of our current place...

...and a sneak peak of our new place!

It's a crazy, busy time for the Gravelle's, that's for sure!

Let's hope we can keep our sanity!!

Cheers!

The Gravelle Family Forecast

Wow, I can barely believe that it's been almost 2 months since I last posted!  There's been sooooo much going on in our lives!  The blogging break was probably needed, but it was also the only possible way to ensure that I didn't spill the beans.  :)

I think everyone knows by now, but our family of 2 will become a family of 3 this Fall!!!  It's been something that we've been "working" on for the past year, and at several points thought that it wouldn't become a reality.  (Story to come later.)  

I truly love the announcement that Chad created!  

So unique...and so appropriate for our family!!

Since we publicized our announcement last weekend, we've received such an outpouring of love and support!  It's been amazing!

Thank you all for your kind words & encouragement!

More to come on all our changes!

Cheers!

Insta Recap

Well, better late than never, right?!  Forgive the lack of posts, but it's been quite a busy two weeks in our household.  Here's a glimpse into our lives the last couple of weeks.  Enjoy!

{Feb. 8}

Smokey sunning himself

 

{Feb. 9}

Found this awesome new pillow for the couch on clearance at Nebraska Furniture Mart!

(The green one on the right.)

 {Feb. 10} 

Ashley happened to be in town for business.

So we ventured out for a yummy dinner at Extra Virgin.

As anticipated - no people pics, just food.  We're so predictable!

 

{Feb. 11}

Silly girls!

 

{Feb. 12}

Teddi with a cute little smirk

 {Feb. 13}

K & T fun!

 {Feb. 14}

Happy Birthday, Mr. Miles!  The big 2!

{Feb. 15}

We traveled down to San Antonio that week to attend Chad's grandmother's memorial.

Here's a pic of Grandma Jeanne in her younger days.

 {Feb. 16}

I can't believe Hanna is already 8 months old!

{Feb. 20}

Tried a new restaurant, Nguyen Pho & Grill, in our old stomping grounds...the River Market.  It was quite delish! 

My bowl of Pho was the largest I've ever seen!

 

 {Feb. 21}

We also hit up Garozzo's in the River Market this weekend also where 

Chad had the largest bowl of pasta ever!  7 lbs of pasta!

We promptly took home the left overs, which should feed us for 3 more meals!

A great pic of Lucky using our new camera!

 

 

All Grown Up

I've never been consistent about taking care of my skin.  I know that I need to take care of it - especially my face - but I just never do.  I'm actually pretty good about moisturizing but that's about it.  Occasionally this weighs on my mind and I vow to be better.  I buy a cleanser and the ritual typically lasts less than a week.  I just don't make the time for it and typically go to bed with the remnants of that day's makeup still on my face.  Horrible, right?!?!  I know, I know - but I still do it.

So since my NY Resolution was to do things that I'm passionate about.  I need to be passionate about skin care...but I AM passionate about ME!  LOL!  This means that I need to take better care of myself!!  I MUST take better care of myself!!  So here goes...

I read a ton of blogs via Bloglovin' with a variety of different focuses.  I've been keeping an eye on those that recommend certain skin care products, but the amount of skin care options out there is really overwhelming.  It's kind of crazy really!  I found myself spending time on various websites (Ulta, Sephora, Nordstrom) perusing different skin care products but not actually buying anything.  It seemed like such a commitment to make without being sure of the product itself.  I mean skin care is such a personal decision based on your type of skin, which even tends to change over time.  Mine has changed from super oily to a bit drier as I've "aged".  Ouch.  Such a horrible word!  

Anyway, I decided that I would ask around on Facebook to see what others were using.  I think I got around 15 responses all recommending different products.  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I thought that I'd never be able to decide.  After a few more days of scouring websites, I did it!  I finally made a decision!  Woot woot!

I decided upon a line by Ole Henrisken, which was recommended by a good friend of mine.  What actually did it for me was that I could buy this cute little sample pack for a very reasonable price.  So I get to try 7 different products!  I've been using it for a week now, and I can actually say that my skin feels soooo much better.  Even though I was good about moisturizing before, it feels more hydrated now...and a bit tighter.  Now any products used consistently for a week would probably make my face feel better.  LOL!  Now I just need to get through another week of use to hit the two week "habit building" threshold!  I am finding myself looking forward to the short ritual every night though.

Wish me luck!

Cheers! 

Insta Recap

Well another week has snuck by me...almost wihtout be noticing.  Work has been crazy busy since 2015 began - pretty exhausting.  Hence my lack of posts lately and lack of pics below.  

{Feb 1}

We enjoyed the Super Bowl from the comfort of our own building - an HOA-hosted party.

Love, love, love just walking upstairs after a fun night!

I made some scrumptious Mexican dip to add to the extravagant spread.

 

{Feb 4}

 Stole pics of these cuties to share with you!

K&T traveling back to The Lou from the West coast.

 

My little Hanna Banana in the new jammies that Aunt Lisa & Uncle Chad got her!

Love her smiles!

 {Feb 5}

A snowy afternoon

{Feb 7}

Enjoyed the lovely weather today outside and then made this lovely meal!

Cheers!

 

Random Reading

If you're in the Midwest - as I am - you should be enjoying some unseasonably warm weather this weekend.  You'll definitely want to save this post for when the temps drop back down closer to normal later this week.  Enjoy!


{Fabulous}
I'm seriously crushing on this kitchen tile backsplash.  Makes me want a new kitchen...and a butler's pantry!!


{Food}
Interesting healthy seafood guide. 


{Fun}
How much fun would it be to actually attend an awards show?!?!  Knowing that I'll never be there, it was at least interesting to read this. 


{Self}
Sadly, my workaholic self can relate to most of these characteristics.  This is something that I'm working on diligently this year...being less of a workaholic, I mean. 

Local KC: Uncommon Stock

Think Local - Buy Local - Be Local

 I've recently discovered another local shop that I wish to share...only this time we can eat the wares!  Yahoo!

Uncommon Stock

Uncommon Stock is local, downtown KC business started by an individual who owns two very delicious restaurants - Happy Gillis & Genessee Royale Bistro.  I originally found the shop while searching for a place where I could buy bone broth.  (Bone broth? More to come on that later.)  This business rents a store front not far from us that is open 2 days/week and also distributes to local grocers.  They post the soups on their website and Facebook page each week and you can call and order ahead of time to be sure you get some.  Because once it's gone - it's gone!  

Not only do they have bone broth and several different stocks (beef, chicken & veal), they have some very creative soups.  So far the soups have been fabulous!  Here's a list of what we've tried so far.  Don't they sound fabulous?!?

Cuban Black Bean

Mixed Bean and Smoked Ham Soup with Roasted Jalapeno

Winter Squash Soup with Pear & Ginger

Yellow Split Pea Soup with Maple-Hickory Smoked Bacon & Rosemary
Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo

Their website is so user-friendly.  It details the ingredients of every soup; its freezability; and whether it's vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free.  How awesome is that??? 

Come Visit Us!

Insta Recap

This week has flown by!  Today is the first day since last Sunday that I've actually sat down to work on my blog.  Work was crazy busy this week, and I'm going to have to find some time today to work some more.  Hopefully, I'll be able to do that before our OPP Super Bowl party tonight!!

I did manage to take - or steal - a few pics this week.  Enjoy! 

{Jan 27}

Miss Teddi

 

{Jan 29}

K&T take Cali!

My sweet cousin and her adorable daughter are spending time with family and friends this week out in the Sacramento & San Francisco areas.  

This is them near Cascade Falls in the Redwood Forest.

{Jan 30}

Love this pic!  T is dreaming of all her favorite things!

{Jan 31}

Christmas in January!

Saturday we celebrated our final Christmas of 2014 - in 2015.  LOL!  

The Gaks, Gills & Gravelles got together for a Triple G Christmas!

Love of fun & shenanigans were had!

  

Celebrating two different birthdays in addition to Christmas.

Happy Birthday, Ellie & Miles!

 

The blanket I made for Miss Teddi!

Love the colors!

Cheers!