Back to reality

Michael and I flew back to Dallas late last night (after a pretty cool LAX celeb sighting of musician Jack White).  We laid low yesterday after going to the UT/Berkeley game the night before in San Diego.  Luckily, the Longhorns won!

Today we had an appointment with Dr. Rinehart for a standard 28 week checkup. I'm always excited for these appointments but today I was especially excited for some reason.  The sonogram didn't disappoint!

Landry was just precious opening and closing her cute little eyes.  We got an up close look at her sweet little face and it brought tears to my eyes.  She's so beautiful!  She has really chubby cheeks and a little button nose.  I've read in my baby book that she could have a full head of hair by now.  I'm really curious about her hair because I didn't have any until I was two years old but Michael was a little fur ball (and still is at 37 years old)!

So I had to ask if they could spot any tresses but they said she's a total baldy at the moment.  They said that doesn't mean she can't grow hair between now and the birth though, so time will tell.  But, I'm guessing she is taking more after my hair than Michael's if she doesn't have any yet.

Of course I was most curious about her positioning.  Well, we found out she turned so her head is now on my left side.  But... she's still breech. Her toes are at her head and her booty is facing down.  The doctor says that she has plenty of time to move into the correct position and that we won't worry about a C-section until 36 weeks or so.

All in all, Dr. Rinehart says Landry looks absolutely perfect and is right on track in all departments.  She weighs in at two pounds 14 ounces so she's nearly three pounds!  Speaking of pounds, I think I'm still hovering around the 20 pound mark (which is a miracle after two weeks in California surrounded by sweets and delicious fatty foods).  I will know for sure (we don't own a scale) next week at my regular doctor appointment on Tuesday.

These days I'm feeling really great.  Other than feeling a little large at times and slightly out of breath after walking fast, I still have a lot of energy and am sleeping well.  I'm hoping it lasts because I have a lot on my plate before the bean arrives.  This weekend we plan to do a lot of chores around the house including stenciling Landry's nursery walls and assembling the new outdoor sectional that just arrived.

Speaking of arrivals, the diaper bag has landed in Dallas!  I came home late last night to the box which was oh-so-beautifully wrapped with a huge Chanel bow and faux white camellia. It's already in her nursery along with all of her new presents and books from the shower.  The room is almost complete!

28 weeks!

Yesterday I hit 28 weeks, aka the third trimester!  I'm thrilled to be in the final stretch.

The past week I've really enjoyed some down time in California with friends and family.  Last Tuesday my parents and I spent the day in LA strolling Rodeo Drive, touring Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, and having dinner at the Beverly Wilshire hotel.

Michael arrived in town Friday night and we spent the following day, Christmas Eve, in Newport Beach having lunch, Balboa bars (a yummy ice cream on a stick drenched in chocolate and rainbow sprinkles) and watching some of the Cowboys game at a local sports bar.  We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas enjoying loads of food and old stories with my grandparents (that's my sweet Papa hugging the baby bump in the photo above).

Yesterday Michael and I embarked on our babymoon in La Jolla.  We drove down the coast and first stopped in Encinitas where we visited with his old college buddies Jeremy and Trish Neil and met their 10-day old daughter Audrey.  From there we hopped along the coast stopping in sleepy surfer towns for a coffee here, an ice cream there.

The afternoon ended with a massage at our hotel.  I can't get enough of these pre-natal massages!  We ended up having dinner at our hotel and ending the night with a drink (martini for Michael, hot chocolate for moi) by the outdoor fireplace and guessing what Landry will look and act like when she arrives.  (For the record, I think she will have brown eyes Michael thinks she'll have blue.)

Today we spent the afternoon in La Jolla with lunch at Georges, a recommendation from our friend Paula that used to spend summers here.  The food was just as delicious as the ocean views.  We cruised the beach afterwards gawking over the surfers, sea lions, dolphins and crazy people swimming the surf and took my 28 week photo.  My parents just arrived at the hotel and we're getting ready for dinner and a cozy night by the fire again.

Tomorrow we head down to San Diego for the UT/Berkeley game with the family (Ryan and Bradley arrive tomorrow).  Michael is very excited to see some old fraternity brothers and root on his team (he's eating up all of the fans in town decked out in their burnt orange gear).

Go horns!

Diaper bag, how I love thee

Like my home and wardrobe, I have been thrifty on most of the baby and nursery purchases with the exception of a few, special splurges.  For Landry, those pricy ticket items include her custom canopy, stroller, and diaper bag.

A diaper bag wasn't necessarily going to be on that list.  I knew I didn't want a traditional one.  I wanted something unique that could double as her diaper bag and my handbag.  I figured I would find a large tote or handbag and transform it into a diaper bag with a few tweaks and custom additions (I even combed my closet looking for an old shoulder bag to transform). Every time I walked into a Target, Marshalls, etc., I searched the handbag department high and low for a unique, large, wipable bag. Nothing.  

Alas, Thursday my mom and I were at South Coast Plaza buying up The Gap maternity sale section (l-o-v-e their super-soft long sleeve tees).  On the way out of the mall, I wanted to take a peek inside Chanel. And, there it was: the Chanel Paris Biarritz tote bag.

I knew the minute I laid eyes on her that she was The One.  Normally Chanel bags are super delicate and uber expensive.  But this bag was waterproof, had two side pouches perfect for bottles, and tons of room inside for diapers, baby loot, and my handbag essentials.  And, it was half the price of most of the other entry level bags.

Granted, this bag is silly-expensive for dirty diapers and formula spills. But, her crib is from Wal-Mart, bedroom rug was recycled from storage, changing table was an old antique piece I had around the house, and most clothes are $10 or less from various sale racks around town.

Plus, I will have this bag forever. And hopefully one day, I will pass it down to Landry on a special occassion or birthday and tell her the story about her first Chanel. That makes it worth every penny in my (pocket) book.

California baby shower photos

 

Slice of the candy bar

Detail shot of a luncheon table 

Landry's very own Christmas tree filled with cute animal ornaments and sparkly candies.

Wide shot of the candy bar

Each place setting had one of these adorable cookies.  Here, some left overs on the dessert table.

Landry's wishing tree. Guests wrote cards out to the little bean for her to read when she's older.

Detail shot of the brunch buffet, which was filled with Southern-inspired fare, gorgeous floral arrangements, old family photos, and mementos.

The party favors. Cute ornaments filled with bath salts wrapped with a bow and cute little plastic bottle.

Pink and white cyclamens planted in the front yard for guest's arrival.

In addition to a cake, chocolate cupcakes with pink daisies and sprinkles.

Wide shot of the luncheon tables

Detail shot of Landry's Christmas tree. These ornaments will come home to Texas for our family tree next year.

Jail house shock

So, Thanksgiving weekend (the weekend before my crazy-busy flea market, mind you), I carved out some time for a photo shoot of Michael, me, and the baby bump.  I picked that weekend because it was the only free weekend before I left for California and I wanted the bump to be as big as possible versus shooting earlier in November.

The plan was to take a series of professional photos of us to frame for Christmas gifts for our family.  I spent days on this project between scheduling my dear friend Evans to shoot, Jon to pull clothes and style the shots, a hair appointment with our hair stylist Ryan to have my tresses professionally coiffed, etc.

With everything set to go that Sunday morning, I woke up, showered, packed a suitcase with shoes and accessories for styling, and headed to my hair appointment where Michael was set to meet me and the crew at the salon with our preferred Starbucks (yes, this mama still drinks a little caffeine).

Ryan was just finishing rolling my hair in curlers when we were all starting to wonder where Michael was, and more importantly our hot, fill-in-the-blank, lattes.  On cue, Michael calls my cell phone.  I figure he's dialing to go over the requests one last time (Michael doesn't drink coffee so the Starbucks menu could be in Spanish for all he knows).

But no.  Oh, no, no, no.  My hubby wasn't calling to rattle off our drink menu.  He was calling to see if I could pick up his car because he was being chauffeured to jail.  Yes, JAIL.  

To say I thought he was joking is an understatement.  Michael has a very dry sense of humor but he's especially sassy in the morning.  So, I thought he was trying to scare me before he walked in with my warm, tall, skinny, latte.  

But no.  Oh, no, no, no.  Michael was being arrested by a Highland Park cop in front of Toulouse (our favorite schmancy French brunch bistro) because he had a warrant out for his arrest that he was oblivious about for a past speeding ticket that never got paid due to our change of address when we moved last spring.

Needless to say, I wasn't in a position to drop everything and pick up his deserted Lexus.  So, he called his parents (I can only imagine how mortified he was making that call) to bail him out -- literally.  Three hours and $1,500 or so later, Michael finally arrived at the shoot for his real mug shot.

Not only was I bummed that he missed most of the shoot, but I was so sad his parents found out about our Christmas gift surprise since Michael had to explain why I couldn't pick him up (and the large rack of clothes in the back seat of his car).

Because it was late in the day and light was no longer on our side, he only made one photo.  So, Landry and I stole the spotlight and had a series of shots surrounded by pretty autumn scenes around Dallas.

I look forward to the day when I can tell her the story behind those baby bump photos.  Michael will have a lot of explaining to do!  

This and that

Hello, California!  I flew home Saturday afternoon to spend some much needed time on my booty and enjoy friends and family.

The festivities kicked off Sunday with my baby shower, which my mom hosted.  To say it was more than I ever imagined is an understatement.  But, I'm getting ahead of myself...

My flight Saturday was perfect until the last 30 minutes are so when we hit some major turbulence pulling into Orange County.  Landry made up for all of the lack of movement last week with the bumps and jumps and was thrashing around inside my tummy (poor thing must have major motion sickness like her mama).  I thought I was going to make it in one piece by landing time but just a few minutes before touching the ground I lost my lunch (Chili's tortilla soup and a California club sandwich, to be exact).

Luckily, I felt like a million bucks afterwards and was able to enjoy time with my dad in the car ride home. When I walked in the door, I was shocked by the Landry wonderland in front of me.  My mom turned our house into a episode of Baby Showers Gone Wild (if there was such a thing).  She literally cleared out the main living and dining rooms and filled them floor-to-ceiling with wedding-calibre floral arrangements, candy bars, formal tablescapes, etc.

She even created a Christmas tree just for the princess topped with darling knitted animal and candy ornaments, which I will take back to Dallas for future holidays at chez Cobb.  The scene truly took my breath away and was absolutely amazing/darling/sweet/gorgeous (the adoring adjectives could go on and on). I am so luck to have such a thoughtful mom and future grandma (or Mimi) to my little girl.

The actual shower was just as lovely filled with my friends and family and delicious Southern-inspired fare made by all of Landry's aunties. The little bean made out like a Rodeo Drive bandit with the cutest blankets, shoes, outfits, books and toys.  She even received a few monogrammed items that she'll wear/use in heavy rotation (love a good monogram!)  My camera adapter cord is in Texas but when Michael comes out Friday I will be sure to upload tons of photos from the perfect day.  Thanks mom!

Speaking of which, I commissioned my friend to create a family monogram for Michael and me to put on some holiday cookie tins we gave out to family and friends in lieu of cards this year.  It turned out so cute that I plan to make other things for our home with it (hand towels, pool towels, etc.) in other colorways.  Thought I'd share since I don't have any other photos to upload at the moment.

Yesterday, which marked 27 weeks!, we spent a good portion of the day helping cleaning up the party since the house is on the market and having regular showings.  Today we are spending the day in LA and then picking up Ryan from the airport.  Friday Michael arrives and then all of the birdies will be in the nest.  Looking forward to Christmas with all of my loved ones.

26 weeks!

Today was quite a big day for Landry Grace. Yes, she hit the six-and-a-half month mark. But, she also had her first trip to the emergency room.

It started with me calling my doctor to reschedule an appointment after Christmas since Michael and I are staying in California a little longer to attend the UT/Berkley game (go horns!). While I was on the phone with the nurse, I told her that I'm still not feeling Landry move much and it was starting to make me a feel a little uneasy.

To make a long story short, she called me back after talking to the doctor in the office (mine was on call for labor/delivery) and asked me to be to the emergency room at my labor/delivery building in 20 minutes. Unfortunately, Morgan and I had a full plate this morning but I dropped everything and went straight there.

When I arrived, they spent about 30 minutes typing in my information in the system. Afterwards, they took my weight, had me slip into a hospital gown, and then put me on a bed and hooked me up to heart rate monitor to check on the little bean. Luckily, they found her heartbeat quickly and it was perfect. They kept me on the machine for 30 minutes to watch her stability.

While they had me hooked up she asked me several questions to report back to the doctor on call. She said that I was right to be alarmed by not feeling much movement between my weight/size (it's considered low/small in the pregnancy world) and being 26 weeks along.

She called the doctor and told him the report was good but that I'm still not feeling movement and all of the other facts (my weight, history of toxo, etc.). He asked her send me up to Dr. Reinhart (my specialist) immediately for a sonogram.

Sooooo, the next thing I know I'm in a wheelchair on my way up to my specialist. I asked to walk, but they said it was hospital policy. When I arrived at Reinhart's, I got to bypass the waiting area and they took me through a back door straight into a room (wish I could enter that way every time!).

A nurse first took a look at Landry to do an initial report. When she popped on the screen, I was so relieved to see her up to her usual antics -- kicking her legs, moving her arms and even opening and closing her mouth. The nurse checked out the vitals -- her brain, amniotic fluid amount, spine development, etc. -- and said everything looked "beautiful."

She did find, though, that Landry is breech. Her head is on the upper right side of my stomach. Because of her positioning, she said that she's probably slightly less able to move around which could be a reason I don't feel her much. She also found that my placenta is between her and my belly, instead of behind the baby towards my back. The placenta's position, she said, is acting like a pillow and is an extra barricade between her kicks and my belly. She said that Landry was clearly kicking and was surprised that I didn't feel anything. She taught me how to press down on my belly where her feet are (high on my left side) to try to help feel her movement.

Dr. Reinhart came in afterwards and only confirmed everything that the nurse said. He made light of the situation saying that I should enjoy this time of not feeling her much because there will come a time soon when I will wish she would calm down.

There was a little bad news, though. He said that we have until about 35 weeks for her to wiggle her way out of her breech position. If she doesn't, however, we will need to schedule a future c-section. I was really bummed to hear this news because I really want a vaginal birth if possible. (Michael, on the other hand, joked that he was happy to hear the news so we couldschedule her arrival around March Madness -- y-e-a-h, right.)

Reinhart said that I was right to come in concerned with her lack of "fetal movement." I left feeling reassured that she's alive and well (and clearly going to give Michael and me a run for our money once she arrives if she's this dramatic in the womb).

When I got home tonight I showed Michael the technique to feel her movement. He tried several times until he finally felt a kick! He threw his hand away worried he was hurting her. It was so sweet! I told him not to worry, but it definitely weirded him out a little.

Other than our dramatic morning, all is well with me and baby. I'm feeling great, just a little sleepy at the end of the day. I'm very excited to head home to California on Saturday for some major R&R! After today, I need it!

Landry's photo ops

While grabbing lunch with my mom and Robin on our way to the airport, I picked up the latest issue of F!D Luxe (always love the gift guide issue). Inside, I found a photo of Michael and me at the Nasher event I blogged about a few months ago.

I was thinking it was Landry's first magazine debut until I realized I was a six weeks pregnant when D Magazine took a photo of me for their September issue featuring the flea. Boy is it funny to go back and read that article. They asked how I managed to balance the flea, writing and interior design projects and I stated that one of the reasons was because I didn't have any children yet.

Little did I know!

25 weeks!

Monday I hit the 25 week mark. I've been so busy (and tired) I haven't had time to post!

I feel really great these days except for being a tad more sluggish than usual. I'm not sure if my sleepiness is from exhaustion from work and last weekend's flea or the fact I'm just 15 weeks from my due date.

Tuesday one of my best childhood friends, Samantha Mclellan, was in town for a medical conference and we went to dinner. It was great catching up with her and having her in my hometown. She and her husband are starting to think about trying for a baby; I'm just thrilled that we could have little ones so close in age!

On Wednesday I had a doctor's appointment and Landry's heartbeat is strong and well. I also learned that I've gained a few more pounds putting me at almost 20 pounds gained thus far!

I'm starting to feel the little bean move more and more. Still no severe kicks or movements but I'm feeling more activity at night when I'm winding down from the day. Michael keeps trying to feel her but says he can't feel anything yet.

Thursday Landry's crib canopy was installed. It looks absolutely darling. I found some cool tassels that I personally stitched into the flaps for the finishing touch.

When Michael came home I showed it to him and said, "I didn't know our child is African." I said, "Whaaaaaaat?" He replied, "That thing is built for an African princess."

I have to admit, it's very grand and over-the-top. But everything else is gender neutral and things we already owned (except for the crib and huge stuffed giraffe). So I went all out on this thing and it looks so whimsical and fun. It was inspired by one I saw in Elle Decor but I have to admit, I like Landry's more! Can't wait to put the Cobb princess in it!

Yesterday we spent our entire Saturday sprucing up the house. We went to Jackson's nursery and bought several plants to pot outside since several of our perennials died from the '30s temps last week. It was a beautiful day and we spent it raking leaves (the trees are just beautiful here right now), trimming dead foliage, cutting back trees and planting the pots. The yard looks so beautiful but we are both whooped! This six-plus month pregnant booty won't be doing any more yard labor before Landry's arrival.

Yesterday our upstairs patio was completed, too. We had some guys lay Spanish red tile on the balcony and repaint the stucco. It looks so great! I hope to find some furniture before my Dallas baby shower, which is January 15th at the house.

Last night we hosted my former editor and friend Tracy and her husband for dinner. She has been wanting to see the house for months so we finally had her over. It was so nice to catch up with them. They loved the house, too! They paid so many compliments but my favorite was that the house doesn't feel newly remodeled. I love that because we really tried to keep the 80-year old house's integrity during our massive nine month remodel.

I served my famous baked salmon and it was a big hit. Tracy is loving her new job at Neiman Marcus; I couldn't be happier for her.

Today Michael and I are going to go to brunch (our Sunday tradition) and then watch the Cowboys game at Kyle's house. We're planning to bring dinner over to the new family of four and meet their brand new baby girl Hadley.

Tomorrow I'll be six and a half months along!

The Dallas Flea!

Yesterday was the second anniversary of my company, The Dallas Flea. I was very concerned that the rainy weather report would put a damper on the show.

But, alas, the rain angels were looking out for the show and kept the day mostly dry and warm so we had a great turnout and show. I was so lucky to have a lot of help this show between Michael, my mom, Robin Lyall, and my friend (and former intern) Maddie.

Between the four of them I was able to comb the show most of the time to check on my vendors, clean up spills, and just manage the requests, concerns, and let friends/shoppers rub the belly (many of my vendors didn't know I was pregnant and wanted all of the scoop). Fyi, the name Landry is a big hit. Overall, the show was a big success!

Today, I plan to take my mom and Robin around town to enjoy some good food, shopping, and holiday lights before they head back to California tomorrow. I have a little surprise up my sleeve for tonight if the weather clears up. Will report back tomorrow, which marks 25 weeks preggo!