A MAJOR AWARD!!

My dear friend, Lucy from one of my favorite blogs A Modern Day Ricky and Lucy honored me with the One Lovely Blog Award!! I'm especially excited about this award because Lucy has been blogging A LOT longer than I, and she has developed this following of completely amazing, intelligent, "snarky" women, and she mentioned ME!!!!! (Perhaps it was my last post, injected with a little attitude, no?!?)

So, to repay the favor, I'm to pass the award on to my favorite bloggers.
And the award goes to:

Shannon of Paperwhites and Daffodil
Jodie of Where's the Bubbler?
Rob of Caminar
and (this is a motivational award to get her to post MORE) Alexis of Our Philadelphia Phamily

My Top Fantastic Reader's Fave All-Time Awesome Blogger Award goes to
Katie of Katiedid!!!!!
I have to tell you, from the moment I started reading this blog, I couldn't wait to be a mommy someday. Katie can write. Katie can sew. Katie can mother. Katie can do. I love her.

Thanks to Lucy for the smile :) Happy blogging!
--Jess

Ugh!

So, remember that upbeat Babydelphia blog post filled with enough positive vibes and sunshine that one would ever need? Like a year's supply of Vitamin D? Today's post has a change in tone.

Pregnancy is so hard! I never in a million years anticipated this complete physical, mental, and emotional breakdown of all things I knew to be normal. Speaking of normal, I normally like to stay happy and cheery in my blog posts. But, today's honesty trumps cheer.

I was walking Roxie today, and I got this wave of a combination of exhaustion/ nausea/ hunger. And all I was doing was DOG WALKING! I literally had to sit down on a park bench and eat an apple and a handful of salted almonds to get my steam up again to complete the walk. This is coming from the dance teacher! Remember? The one who could command a room full of unruly 6-year-olds to plie and jete. I used to be able to go several hours without anything to eat or even drink while I was teaching. Now, I literally eat every hour or I get super sick.

Insomnia. How dare it visit me while I'm in this exhausted state! Alas, insomnia strikes because I can't get comfortable to save my life. And I'm only eleven weeks. Imagine my comfort level when I'm 38 weeks! Last night, despite heavy eyelids, I tossed and turned from 2AM to 6AM. Not joking. I can't sleep on my (preferred) back because I get this weird tingle in my stomach and lower back. So, I'm forced on my sides. I try to squish a pillow between my legs, but then I get hot. This war goes on all night.

Smells drive me nuts. Everything smells so different and weird. I no longer want Thai and Indian food. Instead, all I want is pineapple and Macaroni n Cheese. Not the good homemade kind of Mac n Cheese, but the salty kind that comes in a box.

Call me Madame Moody-pants. Now, I've always been a little sensitive because I'm a Libra. But, lately, I'm SUPER annoyed. If someone blows cigarette smoke into the sidewalk I'm crossing through, they're getting a look from this lady! If someone honks at me in Center City, I'm honking right back...only LOUDER! Oh, and my sweet husband! I might as well get him some special thick-soled shoes, 'cause he's walking on eggshells. Bless his heart.

So, I'm ending this rant with a reminder (to myself): I am blessed by this gift I've been given, and it is my responsibility to enjoy my pregnancy and recognize the beauty during this time.

Yeah yeah, whatever. Bring on the 2nd trimester. I hear things get A LOT better!
Tossing (my cookies) and Turning (on the AC),
--Jess

Go Flyers!

First, nothing beats a FIRST. Like attending my first NHL game. Hockey is so cool, and I never thought I'd say that.



The story goes like this: Neighb Alexis calls and says that another teacher at her school gave her five free tickets to see the Philadelphia Flyers game on Tuesday. John begged me, so we went...and had so much fun!



Reasons I loved this event:
-Flyers' color is ORANGE
-The fans get up out of their seats and dance (not just a tiny dance, but a REALLY active dance).
-Hockey players are HOTTIES sans teeth :) Seriously, they don't have teeth.
-FIGHTS on ICE!!



Awesome, and so entertaining.
Keep 'em coming, Firsts!
--Jess

Tis the season...for some crafting!

Alexis and I busted out our craftiness in preparation for the upcoming Halloween Carnival Block Party on the 23rd of October.



We strung up some cute construction paper pumpkins, and we made a spooky wreath out of a hanger and a trash bag. Brilliant, in my humble opinion!

Our block is starting to look like a fun house :) I still can't get over how festive South Philadelphians are...no matter what the holiday.

BOO,
Jess

My new boss

Meet Roxie. Every day, we spend a few hours together walking around Center City. This is the perfect job because I get to explore my still-new city, and Roxie gets to tour with me. We are really getting to know each other, and I'm feeling lucky to have her. I never realized how many chicken bones are all over Philadelphia until I started walking with Roxie. She can find a chicken bone ANYWHERE!

Malcolm isn't even jealous. He's too grown up for jealousy. This past week (Sept. 15th) Malc turned 4 years old!!

I made the party hat, and Malc wore it for a total of two seconds. Oh well.

Happy Birthday Malcadorius Glorious McMore-ious!
--Jess

Babydelphia

As you already know, John and I moved to Philadelphia about two months ago. Lo and behold, I'm SEVEN WEEKS PREGNANT!! There is something in the water here. I'm not the only pregnant lady in this urban setting. Oh no! I'm one of about a million of us, all waddling around to catch the subway.

Being pregnant thus far has been a lot of fun. And a little scary, but I'm working on not letting any thing freak me out. I want to enjoy this new adventure in my (our) journey. However, I do have a teeny tiny tendency to over-dramatize things, so let's see if I can chill out and let my body do it's thing.

So far, pregnancy symptoms I've proudly experienced include:
-peeing all the freakin' time
-Fatigue (with a capital F) seriously, this one has knocked me over!!
-a couple headaches
-cramping
-HUNGER (I'm the big hungry bear) from morning to night
-Fatigue (did I mention this already?)
-metal mouth: this is REAL...a metallic taste in your mouth...so weird
-FATIGUE

By the way, I'm not complaining. I'll take fatigue and metal mouth ANY DAY over nausea and vomiting!

YAY for BABIES...what a turn our lives have taken! Can't wait to meet this person who will steal our hearts :)
--Jess

Malcolm gives it TWO PAWS!

There is something deeply satisfying about creating your own effective cleaning products. I have been using this book: Make Your Place by Raliegh Briggs, and for the past six months, our home has been transformed from a hazardous, toxic, chemical-friendly zone to a now safe, non-toxic, spic and span nest. I have slowly swapped out our chemical cleaning products for homemade remedies that really do the trick, and everyone (including our pup, Malcolm) is reaping the healthy benefits.

I started by opting out vinegar for bleach. I'm currently only using bleach for one tiny corner in our bathtub that is mold-prone. I love the smell of vinegar, as well as the effective cleaning power it displays.

When something was eating my basil in our tiny herb garden, I used simple castille soap mixed with water in a spray bottle. Worked like magic.

But, my proudest cleaning moment thus far is the Dog Shampoo. When I noticed fleas on Malc, I consulted my Briggs book for tips on natural flea repellent. The following concoction is a sure-fire, tried and true shampoo that REALLY works:

2 T Castille Soap
1.5 cups of warm water
about 5 drops of lavendar essential oil
about 5 drops of geranium essential oil

mix well, pour over pet's damp fur, and massage into a surprisingly rich lather.
rinse thoroughly, and say buh-bye to those pesky fleas. Plus, your furry friend will smell like herb salad! Delish :)

Hurray for healthy homes!
--Jess