Nesting

We're having a girl!!! Chris and I will be welcoming a baby girl to our small family on or around April 3rd, 2011 and we couldn't be more excited. We're already madly love with her and we can't wait to meet her. Here she is at our 20 week ultrasound:

Chris is already scheming of ways to spoil her - she's going to have him wrapped around her little finger. Of course, I'm busy dreaming of decorating the perfect nursery. Unfortunately, since there's a good chance we'll be moving for my residency this June, it doesn't make a lot of sense to go all out decorating the nursery here in our apartment in Chicago. So her "nursery" will really just be a corner of our guest bedroom for her first few months. But once we move, I'm going to have a ball decorating her very own nursery. Here's what I have in mind:

I always loved the book "Miss Rumphius" by Barbara Cooney. It's about a woman whose personal mission is to make the world a more beautiful place and she does it by spreading Lupine seeds wherever she goes. It's an adorable book with whimsical illustrations. Luckily, I have an incredibly talented and creative mom who has volunteered to paint the illustration above on a larger canvas so I can frame it and hang it in the nursery! I love the colors in this painting and I hope to use them for the color scheme in the room.

I would love to use a paint color similar to this one on the walls above bright white wainscoting (this is where my talented Dad comes in!). This color is Swiss Blue from Benjamin Moore. I'm not sure what it will actually look like on the wall, but I like it on my computer screen!

I love this simple bedding from Serena and Lily. It's called Punch Basics with the aqua/melon mosaic crib sheet.

I found these banners on Etsy and thought they were a fun and inexpensive way to add some color to the room. My mom has also volunteered (I think?) to make some of our own!

This is the crib we found on Craig's list for $40 including a brand new mattress. I like the way the wood tone will stand out against the white trim.

I would love to use this piece from Pottery Barn as a changing table. Baskets in the cubbies would be a great place to store diapers and other necessities.



Every nursery needs a rocking chair and this one is particularly comfortable. I would like to get it in a natural twill or white so that the chair could be used in a boy's nursery sometime in the (far-away) future.

Wouldn't it be fun to use this bear from Orvis as a footrest for the rocking armchair? Hopefully our little girl won't be scared of it!

Chris and I fell in love with this giraffe sconce by Jonathan Adler. He makes a partner for this one that faces the other direction. Unfortunately, they're a bit outside of our budget... but a girl can dream.

I like the idea of a simple soft yellow rug for tummy time and play time. This one is from Layla Grayce.



And what would a nursery be without toys? I love the tall giraffe and the rocking frog. Let's be honest - they'd be more for decoration than anything else!

We have a lot to work to do before our little one arrives - and even more to do after she makes her debut! But we can't wait! It's going to be quite an adventure.

A month in Maine

During the month of October, I spent a very busy 4 weeks in Portland, Maine working on a sub-internship rotation at the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital at Maine Medical Center. Despite the long hours, I loved the pediatrics program I joined that month and would love to return there for residency next June! I learned so much from the incredible residents, attendings, nurses, and patients. My only complaint was that I desperately missed Chris and Cindy Lou... that and the fact that a rat had made its home in my dorm's bathroom. But otherwise, it was a perfect month all the way down to the whoopie pies and fireplace in the hospital cafeteria! What more could a girl ask for?

For one of my two weekends off, I was lucky enough to have my parents whisk me away to Mount Desert Island for a mini vacation. To me, Acadia National Park is heaven on earth. The views are almost unbelievable. Unfortunately, it was too chilly to get out on the water and kayak to the nearby islands, but we had a lot of fun exploring Bar Harbor and walking a few miles of the carriage trails. We also had a delicious dinner at Havana and a tasty lunch complete with popovers at the Jordan Pond House. Thanks, Mom and Dad!









Two weekends later, Chris flew in for a visit! Unfortunately, Cindy Lou couldn't join him and I had to go the entire month without seeing my little one. Despite the fact that our family was not truly complete, Chris and I had a great time exploring the coast of Maine from our home base of the Harpswell Inn. We climbed around the Giant Stairs on Bailey Island and enjoyed some easy hiking trails through the woods of Harpswell. At night, we devoured a great meal at Clementine's in Brunswick, ME. Overall, it was a great weekend and I was so glad to see Chris if only for a couple of days.









The transition back to Chicago was a little rough for me, but I am happy to be back with Chris and Cindy Lou. I'm not sure when our next trip to Maine will be, but I know we're both already looking forward to it!

A perfect Boston weekend

This post was started August 29, 2010:

Last weekend, Chris and I took a 24 hour trip to Boston for Emily and Kevin's wedding. It was a short but phenomenal vacation! Immediately after arriving at Logan, my parents whisked us away to Newbury Street to meet up with Bert and Tina (Chris' parents) at Sonsie's for lunch. Whenever we all get together, I just can't help but feel lucky that our families have meshed so well. We always have a great time and I am incredibly grateful for that. Meeting up for a quick lunch in Boston gave us yet another reason to want to move back to New England where we could be close to both of our families.

After lunch, we were again swept away - this time by a cab headed to Boston Harbor Hotel for Emily and Kevin's wedding! The ride to the hotel just about did me in. Being back in Boston was refreshing - so quaint and charming. With my rose colored glasses on, everyone was beautifully dressed, happy, smiling, and the sky was a bright shade of blue. Even Chris was just as pathetically smitten as I was. That says a lot coming from a Yankees fan.

The wedding was perfect. Emily and Kevin were so happy and so obviously in love. I was a teary mess during the ceremony and let's just say Chris could have used a tissue too. The evening felt like a dream: a beautiful venue, a cool summer breeze, great dancing, delicious food, and of course: my favorite girlfriends from Colby (and their dashing dates)! It was a perfect weekend and it made me miss New England even more than I had before.


Congratulations and best wishes to Emily and Kevin! We love you both so much.

A little tardy

Since I last posted months ago a lot has happened! This is probably the reason I have been so delinquent in posting. Chris and I have been very busy with a lot on our minds about this upcoming year. I've started notes a couple of times, but never completed them. So the next few additions to the blog are those completed entries. I promise I will try to be better in the future. After all, that's what New Years resolutions are for!