Panda Bear in a Duck Suit

HAHAHA!! I just went to this website makemebabies.com and they take photos of the two parents and try to predict what their baby will look like. I don't think this is very accurate, but maybe this is what our baby will look like? I was thinking we'd get a newborn and I was like "whoa, that baby's got some teefs!"

Anyway, where was I? Ah, yes....we are rethinking our name selection. I still love Abernathy, but Mark and I both have undeniable issues with the name. Mark is concerned that the name doesn't convey gender, which could lead to awkward email exchanges (or whatever nameless/voiceless technology the future generation uses for communication). I'm not as concerned about that, because gender neutral names and even gender bender names are so prevalent these days. Plus gender identity will soon be a thing of the past, right? However, the other main issue is that neither of us like the nickname Abby, which we worry she will inevitably be called. Abernathy is a long name that starts with Ab, so people will be naturally inclined to shorten it to Abby. Why bother choosing an uncommon name when everyone will assume she's an Abigail? Those are our main concerns, but we also have a sneaking suspicion that people don't really like this name, as it is so unusual and we don't want to give her a name that is too hard to deal with or that gets weird looks or strong negative reactions every time she introduces herself. It should be said that while I acknowledge these potential problems, I love the name enough to overlook them. :-) I've been thinking about her as Abernathy for so long now, that I've become sentimentally attached to the name. But I want her to have the best name ever, so I will be open minded towards all of our options!

Please vote on names using the poll on the right side of the site-it's totally anonymous! If you have something you'd like to say about the names feel free to comment on this post. We really do want to know what people think, so don't worry about being diplomatic, just tell it like it is!

Our other top contenders are Chloe, Annika and Greta. Mark's favorite is Chloe.

So, does the baby above look like an Abernathy, a Chloe, an Annika or a Greta???

Sheryl Crow

My dad escorted me to the Sheryl Crow concert benefit at Parker tonight. We are here now enjoying our balcony seats. Pleased to report the new auditorium is well ventillated, not hot and stuffy. The seats are comfy and everything has that wonderful clean new car smell...don't know how long that will last but in any case its great to be back at the model home.
The parker motto "everything to help, nothing to hinder" is proudly displayed on the walls flanking the audience.

Baby Shower #2

How lucky am I to be given not one but two showers?? My mom's relatives gathered together at the Fondue Stube (yum yum, Carol!) for cheese, chocolate, cake, presents and chatting. It was a blast! Click here to see more photos from the Baby Shower.

Grandma almost made it...she even had her hat on! But at the last minute she decided to bail.

YUNCH!

I had the pleasure of having lunch at Bethany's on Sunday and got to bang on pots and pans with the G-Man. He cried when I left! I was beyond flattered.

Click on the photo to see more pictures from our lunch date.

Mark's Pulley

My brilliant husband devised the perfect solution for our hanging mobile: a pulley system for raising and lowering it! We were confused about how high to hang it as it's recommended to be close up for newborns, who can't see very far, and then farther away as they grow bigger and learn to stand and could become tangled in it. It was a vexing and perplexing problem...so I just left it for Mark to figure out. I am so pleased with the result!

February WWG

The girls of River West congregated yesterday at Rachel's place for food, wine, laughter and a couple neighborly insults...


Cheese Bomb, anyone? ;-)

I made a carrot cake. Thankfully, Mark frosted it, and Bethany did the honors cutting and serving it.

Recipe for Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Submitted by kkg811 | Updated: February 15, 2009

Ingredients:

Cake:
Unsalted butter, for the pan
2 1/2 cups, all-purpose flour, plus extra for pan
12 ounces carrots, about 3.5 large
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
6 ounces plain yogurt
6 ounces vegetable oil

Cream Cheese Frosting:
3 packages cream cheese, room temp
1.5 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
approximately 2 cups powdered sugar (to taste-not too sweet is good)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter and flour 2 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each with parchment paper. Set aside.

Grate carrots in a food processor. Put the carrots into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in the bowl of the food processor and process for 5 seconds. Add this mixture to the carrots and toss until they are well-coated with the flour. Toss in raisins and walnuts.

In the bowl of the food processor combine the sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and yogurt.
With the processor still running drizzle in the vegetable oil. Pour this mixture into the carrot mixture and stir until just combined. Pour into the prepared cake pans and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 42 minutes. reduce heat to 300 and leave in the oven for additional 6 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Tops should be a dark golden brown and the sides should pull away from the edge of the pan a bit.

Remove the pans from the oven and allow cakes to cool 15 minutes in the pans. After 15 minutes, turn the cakes out onto a rack and allow cakes to cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting after cake has cooled completely- or better yet, have your husband do it.

To make frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and butter on medium just until blended. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. With the speed on low, add the powdered sugar in 4 batches and beat until smooth between each addition.

And they say carrot cake is "healthy" HA!

click here to see more photos from the WWG...

Happy Half Birthday To Us

My darling sister was home for the holidays -our half birthdays and Valentines Day that is!- over the weekend. Look how happy Marley is to see her! She will be back in Chicago next for Spring Break, March 11th-22nd. It was perfect timing for my original due date, March 15th, but now that it has been pushed back to March 27th I'm worried she'll probably miss the action. Abernathy, can you hear me? Let's aim for sometime when your Auntie Sasha will be in town :-)

click on the photo above to see more pics from Sasha's visit.

Happy Valentines Day

I know, it's not Valentine's Day anymore...it's President's Day. But I wanted to post some pictures from earlier this weekend, so just close your eyes and go back in time to Saturday, February 14th.


First thing in the morning, Mark surprised me with a gorgeous pink heart shaped change purse from Louis Vuitton! What a fun and fabulous way to start the day!

Here I am ready for a V-Day workout.

I set the table for our little dinner party. There was a little theme...

Ryan, Lauren, Sam and Steve came over for dinner at 7.

We had a great time and indulged in a heart shaped red velvet cake w/ pink cream cheese frosting for dessert. How cute!

Photo of Monogram Vernis Heart Change Purse from eluxury.com

So Big

I'm getting so big and it is getting harder and harder every day to find clothes that a.) fit and b.) look decently stylish! I'm really looking forward to having the baby for so many reasons! I'm excited to meet her of course, but I'm also dying to wear real clothes again and not look like a beached whale.

To add some pressure to my wardrobe decision, today is randomly gorgeous! Sunny and warm. It makes me so happy but, at the same time, confused because I can't fall back on my old trick: a million layers of black sweaters topped off with a big coat and a well worn pair of Ughs. Soon I will be off to lunch with Julienne (yummy honey walnut shrimp awaits!) and after many costume changes this is what I have come up with as suitable to leave the house in. How do I look? be nice...

dress: Stella McCartney
headband: Elise Bergman (vote for Elise!)

Diaper Bag!

I have great news everyone! I finally decided on a diaper bag! I did not expose all of you to my desperate quest (it was pathetically obsessive and to those of you who were kind enough to hear me out, give me advice or slap me when I started babbling, thank you, you're a real friend) but it was pretty much all-consuming for many days (weeks, months??) in a row. I've actually been on the hunt for the perfect diaper bag since I got the positive reading back in the stick peeing days, but in recent weeks I started to really get involved. Anyway, I'm happy to say all my google searches, department store scavenger hunts and internal debates over the merits/hazards of insulated bottle pockets, machine washable changing pads, luxury branding and stroller clips are now officially in the past. End result: Le Sportsac Liz in gray. It's a very clever design, the ultimate I could find in terms of functionality. It's almost boring to look at, in a good way. I considered getting a more whimsical print, but was concerned I'd just get sick of it immediately. I like that this bag will go with anything and doesn't look childish...after all, I'm the one carrying the bag and by now I'm supposed to be a grown up! It has enough room to hold my belongings as well as Abernathy's, but I might just end up with an extra bag to bring around for just me. In other words, a new quest has begun...

Special thanks to Auntie Loco for all her help, especially for recommending this bag! xox