21 Weeks

Here we are at 21 weeks! With a new NLT date of March 21st we only have 17 weeks to go! Latest happenings:

1. Our anatomy appointment that revealed everything is a-ok with both babies.
2. Both babies are kicking at the sounds of the symphony and USC fans cheering on the Gamecocks.
3. Beau has felt them kick now.
4. Cannot eat fish...unless it's fried.
5. Took our last trip together as a family of two.
6. Heavily applying the thick lotion at the hope of zero stretch marks.
7. Winded at the climb of one flight of steps.
8. Back to loving the flavor of coffee...decaf of course!
9. Still wanted pasta, bread, rice and potatoes more than any other food.
10. Back to loving salads.
11. Cleaning this house like crazy!
12. Throwing all sorts of stuff away or giving away almost everyday.
13. Flu shot. Check.
14. Nursery carpet has been cleaned and is ready to go.
15. Beau's old baby furniture has been painted and is ready.
16. Registries completed. I think.
17. Completely out of any pants/skirts/dresses that were mine before we got pregnant. Maternity jeans from here forward!
18. New bedtime. 9:00.

Can't wait to meet these kiddos.

Day 3 Babymoon

Saturday's excursions started with breakfast at a great cafe that was more of an experience rather than just breakfast. It turned out to be the same cafe that we had breakfast at in D.C. With Josh and Kelly just two years ago. And I ordered the same meal! 

We then decided to be brave and tackle Times Square. For some reason I thought that would be a great place to walk around and "shop". We pretty much wasted some time looking around and walking among the thousands of tourists that were down there. But...our next musical started at 2:00!!!! Les Miserables on stage!!! Beau and I love the storyline and the score. So naturally, we had to see it on stage. It did not disappoint. Not at all. The music was just as good as I had always remembered it. The set was really well done and the actors were wonderful. There were tears shed at the end which is always the case. Such a marvelous story of forgiveness and love. We loved it!

And to tell everyone of the amazing husband that I have, we trekked to Macy's on 34th St. After standing in the women's line for the bathroom for half an hour we milled around Macy's looking at boots for me. Every husband's idea of fun! ;) but seriously that store has everything!

After leaving Macy's we walked back to the Theater District for Italian dinner reservation. If you know me at all, you know that I did extensive research to find a great Italian dinner in NYC. We just couldn't pass up on legitimate Italian food when present. We definitely found it at La Masseria. With two Michelin stars, it was superb with every bite and worth every penny. We're still talking about he meal today. Here's what we had:

Appetizer: Steamed mussels with white wine and herbs (hard to mess that up I know, but the sauce is always where it's at...and not the essence of grit left on/in the mussels

Salad: Beau got a frisée sale with bacon lardons and Pecorino Romano cheese - he loved it. Kathryn got a spinach salad with pears, walnuts and Gorgonzola dressing - and yes, loved it

Pasta: this is what we came for!

Beau: He had the dish pictured below, Bucatini with onions, Pancetaa and pecorino Romano cheese (do you see a theme?) He slurped up every bite and sopped up the sauce with the Italian bread. Kathryn: I had the dish pictured below, thin Spaghetti with Clams in a white wine sauce. And no lie, that was by far he pasta and clams dish I've EVER put in my mouth! It was fantastic! The clams were cooked perfectly, again without any grit, the pasta was a perfect al dente and the sauce was thick enoug that it clung to the noodles. If I had a fridge on the airplane I would have bought another plate to go and had it for dinner tonight!  (Again, do you see a theme with our ordering?)

 And of course we had dessert! Beau ordered his all-time favorite, Tiramisu. And I had a hankering for vanilla cheesecake. This one was made with ricotta so it was extra light and creamy. By this point we weren't able to finish our desserts, but you better believe we took them home and ate them later! 

 We finished off the night with a stroll through Grand Central. 

19 Weeks

So here we are at 19 weeks! Little baby A is kicking like crazy every time I eat! He/she also seems to like loud music. Yesterday morning Beau and I hopped on the subway to Brooklyn to attend the Brooklyn Tabernacle for some praise and worship and that little baby loved the singing and clapping. He/she was just a kickin’ and movin’. So fun! I also received this t-shirt from my sister yesterday in the mail. I thought it appropriate to wear in the photo. And sorry to say Jenn, but that’s probably the first and last time I’ll be getting it on until after the babies are born. J

 

Our day two. Like I said earlier, we walked quite far yesterday. The first two pictures are of the east river. 

We then fit in the Metro headed for Chinatown to buy some purses. On the way, we stripped off at Katz' deli, a famous Kosher deli. And yes, it was famous! You grab a ticket and stand in line for what seemed like forever. Beau and I ordered a Rueben with pastrami and corned beef and split that! These things were huge! We also got fries and some pickles. It was worth the wait and super good! If you go here, bring cash!Weleft lunch and headed to REI, a place that Beau always like to stop. After the five mile walk in the morning and the standing and walking that lunch and the Metro produced, this pregnant girl was exhausted! Chinatown and the purses got scratched and we headed back to the apartment for a nap. I woke up about an hour and a half later to it being dark out. Wehad about two hours until our theater performance started and we headed out for drinksand apps. 

The first place we stopped was Pampano's the bartender made me up a really delicious Mocktail and I felt like before. It was so nice. We then left there and started walking towards the theater district and stopped off at a French place for another app (delicious escargots!) and another Mocktail! 

Beau bought tickets for The Gentleman'sguide to Love and Murder. Super good!! It's a much smaller production than say Phantom of the Opera, but it was funny and unexpected and a great story. Definitely one to see!

After the play were pretty hungry and wandered around the theater district to find dinner. We ended up at a French/Thai fusion place. Beau ended up with his standard sandwich and me withmy Panang Chicken Curry. Super yummy. With full stomachs we walked home. On the way we passed by the big Christmas tree in Rockefeller Square. It was delivered on Thursday! So notlit up yet, but still great to see!

All in all, Beau and I walked 25,000 steps yesterday, which equaled about 11 miles! Whew! 

10,000 steps

Beau and I got up feeling energetic. Probably due to all the noodles we consumed the night before. Plus, there was this nagging feeling in our heads that some walking was I order because of the sheer amount of sodium that had entered our bodies!

We got dressed and went looking for coffee and a New York bagel. We found both a few blocks from our apt. Those were downed rather quickly and off we went for a walk along the East River. Really nice walk. Not a lot of people and it's quite refreshing being next to the water and not having all the cars around us. Once we had walked far enough north to put us parallel with Central Park, we went west. Once we hit Central Park, we headed back south towards our place. 

This pregnant girl had to take a break for a bit on a park bench, but that was quick. We saw so many little dogs all bundled up with down vets on, booties and even hats! Kind of crazy!

By the time we returned to the apt I was pooped! And I had every right to be, we had walked a little over 5 miles! 10,000 steps? Check. All of that by 10:30 in the morning. 

Momofuku's

Beau and I have been watching a show on PBS called The Mind of a Chef thanks to the suggestion of our friend, Martin. We love it. Check it out. But the first season is all about David Chang and his masterful way of making Ramen, among other delicacies. 

Now, before you go rolling your eyes over ramen, this is not the same as the $.13 ramen you get at the grocery store. This stuff is for real. Hours go into making the broth, hours! There are poached eggs in these bowls with meat and fresh vegetables. Not e same as the stuff we bought stock in during college. 

Beau and I wanted to go try it out ourselves. So we wnt. Last night. Waited in line for about 15 minutes and were then seated at a table with another couple. Beau ordered a sake and me a diet coke. We looked at the menu. I wanted to try it all. But that's never a good idea. Instead we ordered one dish from each category and split it all. 

Cold Dish: Cucumbers with scallions, togarashi and peanuts

Appetizer: Shrimp steamed buns with spicy mayo and pickled red onions

Ramen: Momofuku ramen with pulled pork, pork belly and a poached egg

Specialty: Goat green curry with noodles

It was all delicious. All of it. Beau and I finished every last bite down to drinking up the broth right out of the bowls!

My favorite? The goat curry because of the super thick chewy noodles and the cucumbers. Oh the cucumbers. You have no idea. Would eat a bowl right now if I could. 

Beau's favorite? The goat green curry because of the subtle curry flavor in the broth. 

I'm going to try to convince him to go back there on Sunday before we fly out!!!

Go to Momofuku's. Stand in line in the cold. It's worth the wait. Promise. 

Babymoon!!!!!

Since we discovered we were pregnant we have been wanting to take a "baby moon", that last trip as a couple while you can just pick up and go without a care in the world. So here we are...New York City! We love it here and I (Kathryn) have never been in the fall. So we took advantage of a business trip Beau was already on and I met him up here yesterday. 

I was scheduled to leave out of Charleston at 12:55 but the weather in NYC delayed my flight...twice. We were scared we'd be spending another night apart. But thankfully I got out of there at 3:08 on my way to the Big Apple. I arrived and immediately hopped in a cab headed for 49th and 1st. And there was Beau, with the doorman, Louis, waiting out front for me!

We dropped our bags and started towards the metro headed south. After a few stops we got off on 11th and 1st. Our destination? Momofuku's. Chef? David Chang. 

After our very filling dinner we decided it best to walk back to the apartment. Although our stomachs we're thankful for the walk, our feet were not.