Capturing the memories

For those of you who either know me or follow me on Facebook, you know I am an obsessive picture taker. I most enjoy taking pics of Shai, my gorgeous nephew Tyler and you guessed it, yours truly. I’m not sure what the obsession is but I feel like every moment should be captured. Shai taking a nap, Tyler playing in the sandbox or me inhaling an ice cream sundae. I think most people around me find it beyond annoying that I am constantly busting out the camera but I guarantee that they will all thank me one day! When I became pregnant, this obsession went to a whole other level but this time, Shai caught the camera bug too. Every week we take a picture of my expanding belly with a sign saying how many weeks preg I am and I think he’s more obsessed with taking the pictures than I am. To anyone whose preg, I really recommend you do these too. As annoying as it may seem, it’s really fascinating to see how much your tummy can grow and see the amazing process through photos.

As much as I enjoy taking pictures myself, having them done by a professional is SO much more fun. You better believe the second I found out I was pregnant I started the hunt for a photographer to do our maternity shoot. You can’t believe how many there are out there and how much some of them charge, I’m seriously considering becoming a photographer! I looked on site after site, googled for hours on end and spoke to god knows how many different photographers. I was literally losing sleep over this- Yes I’m nuts! A friend recommended Suzanne Cohen photography and I am so glad she did. She was spending the month of August out east so we decided to do the shoot on the beach in the Hamptons. I tried on endless outfit options and looked at tons of pics for ideas…I think I need a job..or even a hobby. The big day finally came and I went to some little hair salon in Westhampton for a blowout and spent way too much time doing my makeup. I actually started getting a little nervous before Suzanne came to pick us up. When you really think about it, its weird to go to a beach with a photographer you never met and have her take pictures of you attempting to look sexy with your preg belly hanging out. But Suzanne was amazing! She was so patient, had such cute ideas and made Shai and I feel so comfortable. Not only was she awesome, her pricing is amazing! For $300 you get a photo shoot and all the pictures on a CD, which I can guarantee you wontfind with any other photographer in the city. We took tons of pictures and I cant wait to blow them up and cover our new apartment in them!! I really recommend anyone who’s pregnant to take the time to have the pictures done. It’s an exciting special time and you will want to have these memories forever.

 http://www.suzannecohenphotography.com/#/home/

ABC'S of Pregnancy

A-  Ass will expand to sizes you never thought imagineable

B-  Buy bigger bras, you will need them!

C- Cocoa butter is your best friend and should be rubbed all over your belly to help with itching and stretch marks

D-  Dreams - can you say vivid and weird?

E-  Emotions run wild and I find myself crying over anything and everything

      F- Feet will swell

G- Girl or boy? What is in my belly?!?!

H-  Hormones run wild and within 4 minutes you will feel 9 different emotions!

 I-  Itching skin

 J-  Jewelry, We deserve it for carrying around a baby for 9 months!

K- Kid? I'm having a kid!!

L- Leg cramps

M- Muscle aches

N- Nursery will become an obsession

O- Over eating

P-  Peeing 7X thoughout the night becomes a very normal occurance

Q- Quiet time... Enjoy it while u have it

R-  Rings - put them away until after the baby - fingers will be so fat

S-  Sleep - not so much!

T-  Trust your doctor and don’t turn to google for answers 

U-  Uterus is expanding

V-  Vitamins - don't forget to take them

W- Weight will go up to number you never imagined possible

X-  X-rated: not anymore 

Y-  Yoga is the best during pregnancy because it will not only clear your mind but will help keep you lean and stretched

Z-  Zits are part of the territory but will go away your beautiful baby is born.

What goes in...Must come out!

Women spend so much time worrying and stressing about how they are going to get a baby in their belly. They talk to friends, family and doctors about how to do so and all share their stories about what they did to make it happen. But what NOBODY talks about is actually getting the baby out! I hadn’t given it much thought myself until about a week ago. It all began while I was getting ready to shower and Shai came into the bathroom. What started with him telling me how pretty I look pregnant soon turned into us bursting into laughter about how ridiculous my body is. My belly has grown so much and I look like I could topple over at any given moment. Before I knew it, the laughter turned into tears as reality and fear set in…this baby needs to get out. I swear it was such a bi-polar moment. Shai managed to calm me down and promised I would be just fine and he would be right next to me holding my hand through it all. Even though I know he will be passed out on the floor when the time comes, his words helped me regroup and get the thought out of my head for the night.

However on Sunday night while watching The Kardashians the fear came back to haunt me. For those of you who didn’t watch it, Kourtney became obsessed with the idea of a home water birth and someone not only let her watch it live, but let the cameras in too so the rest of the world could watch as well. I’m not going to lie, for half a second I thought - hmmm that’s kind of a cool idea. That thought ended abruptly when I saw the girl scream and cry like she was being stabbed repeatedly. Umm NO THANK YOU! Inevitably the tears started streaming and the panic set in again. How am I going to get Baby Shustik out??

WARNING: DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE SCARED OF CHILDBIRTH OR DON’T WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN!!

If you ask most women about their birthing experience they will simply say it’s the greatest miracle in the world.  While I do agree that the beautiful baby that comes out is a miracle I think there are some details they’re neglecting to share.

Did you know:

·         The chances of your OB delivering your baby are slim

·         Your nishy WILL tear

·         There will be no hand holding during your epidural – You’re on your own honey!

·         The majority of women shit on the table?!  Yes, I did say shit!

·         Your asshole can literally rip while pushing?!

·         You have to actually deliver the placenta, which looks like an alien!

·         You will have a swollen, bleeding vag for days after the birth

I’m gonna guess you probably didn’t know any of this because no one is willing to talk about it!! You can all bet your ass that my first blog after baby Shustik comes out will be the brutal honesty on delivering a baby, so stay tuned! I hope I didn’t scare anyone too much but there is there is hope yet.  I can only speak from my sister’s experience as I was in the delivery room with her.  I always pictured it to be like the movies but fortunately I was pleasantly surprised. First of all, the delivery rooms are TINY, at least at Mt Sinai. I asked the doctor when we would move to the birthing room and he looked at me and notified me we were in it, Seriously? Second, there is so much waiting around. I always pictured being wheeled into the hospital kicking and screaming and within minutes pushing a baby out. Not the case at all. My sister was admitted at 10:45pm and Tyler wasn’t born until 11:03am then next day and there was no screaming at any point of the delivery. As soon as she felt any contractions she got an epidural (which she swore didn’t hurt at all!) and the doctor literally had to tell her she was having a contraction and that she needed to push. In between her brief pushes we were talking about everyday things, good restaurants in the neighborhood, the Miami football team and our plans for December vacation. At one point my brother in law told my sister to yell and curse so it felt like the movies…It was all just so calm. As Tyler was making his entrance into the world her doctor asked if either her husband or I wanted to watch. Like most men, he kindly declined (which I agree with, Shai will be waist up the whole time!!).  I then responded, “ Well I don’t have to bone her “ and made my way around to the front row seating. What I saw was incredible. It wasn’t gross or scary but amazing and as cliché as this sounds, a miracle. The tears flowed as Liat was introduced to her perfect beautiful baby boy. It was a day I will never forget and I can only hope to have as great a delivery as she did. The proof that childbirth isn’t all that bad is that most women do have more than one baby, and I’m happy to announce that Liat is now pregnant with baby number 2!!

My favorite things

Do I have Zagat written on my forehead?!?! For some reason throughout my life, family and friends have always come to me for random recommendations. What’s a good event space to host my husbands birthday?  Where’s a fun restaurant to have my parents anniversary dinner? Or where should I get my bikini waxed? And no matter how bizarre the questions are, somehow I always have an answer. I’m beginning to think I do too many things that just aren’t necessary. Since becoming pregnant the recommendation questions have been rolling in more than ever so I figured I would put together a list of all my favorite things both pregnancy related and not and share them with all my loving readers…So here we go

Best prenatal massage:

NYC- Equinox 85^th street with Tara

Hamptons- Hampton bays, Blythe Payne 631-875-6186

Best cheap maternity tanks- Old Navy maternity scoop rib-knit tanks

Best stretchy maternity tanks- Ingrid & Isabel everyday cami

Best maternity Jeans- 7 for all mankind secret fit belly signature pocket maternity jean

Best breakfast- 0% Chobani plain greek yogurt with berries, wheat germ and kasha go lean crunch

Best accupuncture- Bianca Beldini http://www.sacredspaceacupuncture.com/

Baby nurses

Josie- 610-476-5191

Michelle- 917-803-0458 www.justmimi.com

Best Facial- Yasmine Djerradine with Karen

Best workout- Yoga with Lara Benusis

Best body lotion- St Ives naturally indulgent coconut milk and orchid extract

Best eyebrow wax- Anastasia salon at Sephora on 48th and 5th

Best sweet treat- Gelato from Golosi, chocolate covered oreos from Dylan’s or chocolate chip cookie from Insomnia Cookies

Best healthy lunch- Chopt or DKNY Café @ DKNY store on 60^th and Madison

Best cheap maternity clothes- Targets maxi dresses

Best cheap blowout- Bleu ser bleu salon (its $30!!!)

Best foot massage- Foot Heaven @ 16 Pell Street in Chinatown $25 for 30 minutes and will be the best half hour of your life! Worth the trip

And since I just shared all my recommendations I’m gonna ask that you all return the favor and help a girl out. I’m in need of an inexpensive photographer for a maternity shoot that will actually give me the photos on a disc...Go!

Are you a boy or a girl?

Many of you will hear this and think Shai and I are totally nuts…but we (meaning me) made the decision to not find out the baby’s gender. I remember the day we found out we were preg I said with certainty that we would be finding out. I was so excited to have a baby in my belly and I wanted /NEEDED to know what it was. Shai and I thought that it would be so cool to have it be a surprise but we are such control freaks and didn’t think we would be able hold out. However once the initial shock of being pregnant subsided I was able to think more clearly and made the decision that I didn’t want to find out. This decision wasn’t made easily and I literally had to convince Shai why it would be so much more fun this way. This severely upset numerous friends of ours who begged us to let them call our doctor and find out for themselves. It seems these day people just aren’t into surprises.

I will never forget being in the delivery room with my sister, (who chose not to find out the babies sex) and the doctor announcing it was time to meet their son. My brother in law had the biggest smile on his face and my sister was in total shock, as she was convinced it was a girl. It was so exciting and emotional and the best experience in the world. The rest of the family was waiting outside with anticipation to hear if it was a boy or girl and it was all just so exciting. When I thought back to that moment I remembered how special it was and how I wanted that too. I may sound very laid back about this but you should all know that I’m most definitely not! I have developed a sick obsession with online baby gender quizzes and do at least 4 a week. Not a joke- gender quizzes are my new Facebook and I am literally hooked! You may be thinking- why don’t you stop doing stupid gender quizzes and just ask the doctor already…but where would the fun be in that?!?!? Instead I prefer do the same routine every single night. We get in bed and Shai does his ritual of rubbing my tummy and talking to baby S while he/she kicks away letting us know its ok. I then look at Shai and say “ So what do you reeeeeeeeeally think it is?” And he has the exact same response every night- “ I honestly have no idea”. Ummm No shit! Neither do I..It’s a game and I need you and everyone else to play along with me. I also love hearing random peoples guesses on the sex, as long as they don’t involve comments about my fat ass! This week I am convinced it’s a girl, I have absolutely no reason to think this way other than the fact the babies heart beat is above 160, which according to my quizzes means it’s a girl. Talk to me next week and Ill be totally sure it’s a boy…Yes I’m nuts! I see all the fun it is to have a little boy from my sister and how much boys love their mommy’s and how sweet and fun they are. But at the same time, I die over all baby girls clothes and would love to dress them in hot pink tutus everyday. I can go back and forward about the pros and cons to boys and girls but the truth is Shai and I truly have no preference. We feel so blessed to be having a baby, that we could honestly care less if it’s a boy or girl…As long as its ok to rock hot pink on the regular.

Heres my favorite quiz if anyone else feels the need to do one too :)


http://www.babygenderprediction.com/old-wives-tales-gender-prediction-method.html

Umm can you say crazy!

I know a lot of women become crazy when the get pregnant. They get paranoid, emotional and over think every single thing they do.  I'll admit that some days that describes me to a tee, however this describes Shai EVERY day!

When I met him 5 years ago we were in very different places. I was 23 jobless and fresh out of rehab, while he was 30 established and successful. I think from the moment we met he felt a sense that he needed to take care of me and protect me from the big bad streets of Manhattan. Whether it was checking that my handbag was zipped, calls during the day to make sure I’m alive, and making sure I was well fed, Shai always loved a good check in. However, they were few and far between and it was usually me with the non-stop texts. My favorite being, What’s for dinner, which was usually sent at 8am- he always loved those- NOT!

But this all changed in past 23 weeks when baby S set up residence in my tummy.

While I’m very happy to go about my normal life, gyming every day, eating similar to before I was preg and doing all my same errands around the house, Shai is not so comfortable with this. It started right away and has only gotten worse. Here are some of the ways in which my daily life has been affected by my doting, over protective hubby.

First off, I am happy to sit in the sun all day and get my tan on. I made sure to ask my OBGYN if this was ok and she said it was as long as I don’t get over heated. Well I’m not sure what Shai heard when she said that because he gives me body temp checks every 20 minutes when I’m in the sun and if I feel too warm he makes me go inside to cool off or get in the pool. I’m also not allowed to lift anything over 10 pounds or bend down to pick something up off the floor.

I get constant text messages throughout the day reminding me that its “VERY VERY HOT” out and baby and I need to stay hydrated and asking if I’m eating enough to make sure baby is growing. A computer on my lap…how dare I?!? In the back of a cab, a seatbelt must always be worn and I shouldn’t even think about driving alone. Last week I had to pick my sister and nephew up from 84^th and 3^rd (10 blocks from the garage) and Shai pretended he had to go uptown too and said he would take a ride with me…Paranoid much?!?! His latest revelation is that my underwear is too tight and I am suffocating the baby and he’s sure it will suffer from claustrophobia. You can bet your ass I was sent out to purchase all new undies to accommodate my growing body. My family has now joined the Don’t Let Tali Move bandwagon due to fear that Shai will yell at them. It has turned into a running joke and while we all like to make fun of him for it, I honestly think it is incredibly sweet. He only wants to keep me and baby safe at all times and I know he will make sure to do so for the rest of our lives. I can honestly say I feel like the luckiest girl in the world and feel incredibly blessed to have such a loving caring husband, craziness and all!