Carter has been super helpful with getting ready for the new baby. The other day he made this chart for Adam. You know, so he would be able to talk sooner. 
I hope you noted the translation for Ga-Ga. That’s right. Lady GaGa. Vital to any infant’s vocabulary. And the picture is pretty special too. Why did Lady Gaga get clothes and curves and I got nothing?
My friends and I have been talking about getting away for a little girl time for a while now. Well I’m not getting any smaller, and this baby will be here before I know it, so I decided it was time. And I’m sooooo glad I did! We had the best time. We drove to Minneapolis to visit the Mall of America. It was so great to have a weekend to ourselves, with no responsibilities and just hang out as friends.
Here we are heading out. Can you see the excitement on our faces? That’s me and my 2 BFF’s Karen and Jessica. Love them. We were supposed to have a fourth, but she had some unexpected family issues to attend to. We missed you Tamara! 
Sadly, we did not have an aux in for an iPod in the car. Karen pulled through with her 2 massive books of CD’s. That’s right, we went old school. It was hilarious hearing some of the music from high school and college. 
Be forewarned, we ate a lot. Basically, we went to eat. I personally went to eat without little greasy fingers all over me and children dancing around me. I went to eat undisturbed. I went to eat a meal where I didn’t have to worry about what or how much anybody else was eating. I went to eat something that I didn’t have to prepare or clean up after. And let me tell you, it was a.maz.ing. Unfortunately, that was reflected at my weigh-in at the OB 3 days after we got back. Totally worth it though.
We did a lot of research before we left, to be sure that we hit up some of the best local spots. We were no disappointed. We went to Chino Latino after a quick stop at the hotel. So delicious. And random. We ate Carne Asada, fried bananas, bulgogi lettuce cups and chicken satay. Needless to say, our tummies were a bit unsettled afterwards. Maybe we should have focused on one country’s cuisine. I would totally do it again though. 
For dessert, we stopped by Izzy’s. They won against Booby Flay in a throwdown – how can you go wrong there? Again, it did not dissapoint. I got the mango ice cream with a pineapple sorbet “Izzy” (that little scoop on top). Just the thing to settle a confused stomach. 
After a good night’s rest (ok, I’m not sure it was that good for any of us), and a couple quick trips to Ikea, we made it to the Mall of America. It was huge. So many stores. For someone who doesn’t do much shopping, it was pretty overwhelming. We stopped by Jamba Juice to get a little energy boost first. 
I learned a very valuable lesson here – always check out the picture before you shove your face through the hole. Did not realize that was a little boy’s body. 
Free pretzels, what?!? Totally our lucky day. 
While this picture is not the most flattering of me, it kind of blew Carter’s mind to learn that Woody was made of Legos. They are building a Lego store at our mall here, and I have a feeling we will be going there often. 
After a long, hard day of shopping, this is the damage. It could have been worse, but after about 2:00, Jess and I stopped really looking for anything but benches. Maybe we should have gone the spa route…
And the rest is just food. We went to Matt’s Bar, home of the Jucy Lucy. I was so sad that my stomach wouldn’t allow me to finish it, but if you are ever in the area, this is the place to go for burgers. 
Look at that face? That is pure cheese-filled bliss. 
And then we went from a super laid back hole in the wall to a very upscale bar and restaurant for dessert (we didn’t know it at the time). We looked like complete idiots more than once, but we now have a fun story to share. And we know that the bike lanes in Minneapolis are HUGE! 
And on our way out of town, he stopped by Hell’s Kitchen for breakfast. It has nothing to do with the show. But it definitely had something to do with that weigh-in. And more confusion for my poor digestive system. 
These girls are the best! I have been so blessed to have friends that I count as family here in WI. I can’t imagine how I would cope without them. We have seen each other through good times and bad and I know that I can call on any of them in a pinch and they will pull through. I count them as sisters and life-long friends and hope we never lose touch. And if you haven’t had a girl’s weekend, I can’t recommend it highly enough. I love being a mom, but it was fabulous to get away from it all. It was so nice for me to remember what it’s like to just be a girl. We got make-overs, shared make-up tips, stuffed our faces, and had hours of laughing and girl talk. I’m thinking this will definitely be at least a yearly tradition. I hear Chicago has some tasty food…
…and three to go!?! I remember getting to this point with my other pregnancies too. I feel ginormous, uncomfortable, and completely stretched out. And I look in the mirror and wonder how I could possibly get any bigger. And then I do. Here I am yesterday:
And about a week before Samantha was born (don’t be jealous of Mike’s mad photography skills): 
And 2 weeks before Ben was born. I cringed a little when I saw this one.
In my defense, my babies are not small, at least 8 pounders, but still…wow! That is one big belly. I’m going to be needing some serious ab rehab once he makes his appearance.
Other than my hugeness, things are going well. I broke out all the baby stuff in a crazy basement cleaning episode, so that’s all ready to go. We’re pretty sure his name is Adam, but we reserve the right to change our minds on that at any time. The kids are excited, although I’m not sure they really get all that a new baby involves (does anyone?). All we need is for him to finish growing and come on out!
